The Perfect Child

Danielle

Rating: really liked it
I’m okay with not having a happy ending, but an ENDING would be nice. I feel like the book ended in what should have been the end of a chapter.

Good book, although I found the husband, Christopher, INFURIATING.

Elaine Maynard

Rating: really liked it
There was a knock on the door, I peeped behind the curtains to see who it was then I didn't bother to write a review after all.

Krissy

Rating: really liked it
Christopher was a blind IDIOT. I can't tell you how livid he made me. How can a supposed intelligent DOCTOR be in such denial??? And do you want to know what else infuriated me? The fact that-




(Hate the way I ended my rant? Then you'll hate the way the author ended this book.)

Michelle

Rating: really liked it
One word to sufficiently describe this book: DISTURBING!!!

Dr. Christopher Bauer and his wife, Hannah, have been struggling with infertility for years. Hannah, now 41, has all but given up hope of having children until.....

A young girl is found abandoned and walking alone through a parking lot covered in blood, malnourished, and once examined, is found to have multiple old and new bone fractures, none of which have ever been treated. Once thought to be a toddler it turns out after surgery that she is actually 6 years old. Christopher, being an orthopedic surgeon, is the one to perform the many surgeries she requires and from here he keeps a close vigil on young Janie. When it comes time for Janie to be released from the hospital and entered into the foster care system Christopher is just beside himself. He ever so casually brings up to Hannah the idea of them taking in Janie. After all this may be the blessing they have been waiting for. Hannah is reluctant but nevertheless agrees and from here their lives will never be the same again.

We have alternating chapters between Christoper, Hannah, and Piper (Janie's social worker) and they all work beautifully to move the story forward. The entire time your reading you know that it is leading up to something big but that reveal doesn't come until the last 25% which will have you furiously flipping the pages.

Lucinda Berry has penned quite the nightmarish tale. This was my first read by her but I assure you it will NOT be my last. I'm going to get my greedy grabby hands on anything she has written. 5 terrifying stars!


**This book is not for the faint of heart and has instances of child and animal abuse so if those are triggers for you then I suggest passing this one by.**

Crumb

Rating: really liked it
FULL REVIEW UP!

Watch the Line Between Fiction and Reality Get Truly Blurred in this Chilling Novel

A Perfect October Read.

Christopher and Hannah have it all - except one thing . . . A child.
They had pretty much given up all hope . . . until they met Janie.

Janie was exposed to unimaginable horrors and abuse and while Christopher and Hannah were aware of her history, she seemed like a wonderful little girl, despite it all. While Janie took a shine to Christopher and didn't seem to warm up as much to Hannah, Hannah was sure that it would just take time. Oh. . . how wrong she was.

This book was a true nail-biter in every sense of the word. I could not put it down nor could I stop thinking about the characters long after the final page was turned. I had never read a book by Lucinda Berry and I was blown away by her talent. She puts the word 'psychological' in the 'psychological thriller'. I found out that she is a practicing psychologist and her uncanny ability to interpret the brain and behavior was made abundantly clear. She also has the capability of writing disturbingly realistic thrillers that leave you trembling, wondering,. . . "Could that ever happen to me ? ? ? "

If you want a unique, edge of your seat, psychological thriller. . . Look No Further. This book will BLOW YOU AWAY.

Stacie

Rating: really liked it
No ending!

Great story, but then it just stopped. It was as if the author got tired and quit. Such a disappointment.

☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣

Rating: really liked it
BEWARE OF SPOILERS! A dead meth addict's child being wild proves to be a pretty good read, even though placed far out in the field of unbelievable. I'm not sure where the ending is, though.

Do regular 6-year old undernourished kids the size of a newborn (even crazy ones) have the necessary strength to kill a grown up meth addict?

Is it really all right to ignore that the kid's mentally ill? And she's not just blandly 'ill', but bonkers and plenty dangerous to other people, not just herself.

All the manipulation they were letting Janie do, it wasn't improving even her own state. Kids are more clever than we realize and had they actually communicated to Janie that she can't do things she does, she would've been quick to improve. Obviously, she knew well how to behave with the people she wanted to look good.

Where do they get those irrationally patient women, like Hannah? They were raking her over the coals for virtually nothing (I don't really thing her psychotic scribblings or hallucinations were real). No wonder she got psychotic, a double whammy of gaslihting and lying and raising hand on her husband & kid? She should've given a good walloping to her husband (maybe knocking some sense into him would have helped?). And the kid, Janie - one really needs to be more straightforward with discipline for all kids. They just weren't clear enough in communicating to her which things are not ever to be done. Of course, to have such talks, they first would have to acknowledge that Janie's doing weird shit. But no, they go full on with blinders still on. Anyway, discipline is good, there are some miraculous kids that won't go and push people off the stairs to their death but, BUT it's ok if sometimes they get up to things that they would need to be stopped from. Like, 'no killing any animals rule'.

Locking the refrigerators? I don't think that's the best practice considering her eating history. I don't see anything being done other than drastic controlling her food intake. Psychological help, anyone?

Psychology sucks in here, all right. Hannah gets on heavy medication while what she needed was some family therapy and respite from the kid that was driven by something. And a more caring husband, of course.

I'm not sure why the author skipped considering how the mother taking meth could've affected the daughter, since Janie obviously was abnormal from the start of her career of resident 'l'enfant terrible'. Especially considering her supposedly professional insight on the social sciences issues.

Q:
I knew what was expected of me with their questions. Talking freely and open-endedly could result in me saying something I wasn’t supposed to. Nerves twisted my stomach.(c)
Q:
It never crossed anyone’s mind that someone else might be in trouble. I wished it would’ve. Maybe then things would’ve ended differently. (c)
Q:
There’s something really amazing about watching someone transform before your eyes. It’s like witnessing a small miracle. I don’t want you to miss it. (c)
Q:
It seemed torturous not to feed her, but the doctors had assured us that keeping her on her schedule was the best thing for her. (c)
Q:
“I don’t even know why she freaked out. I mean, one second we were coloring, and the next minute, she just freaked out for no reason. I didn’t even tell her no or anything.” (c)
Q:
She was too young to be that manipulative. And besides, Hannah was an adult. She could handle it. (c) Damn stupid.
Q:
“...It drives me crazy that he doesn’t see how disturbing it is. I understand that she’s got mom issues, but she’s so hostile toward me now.”...
“Not to mention that it’s manipulative and controlling.” (c) Damn unhelpful.
Q:
“This is the daddy.” She pointed to the little girl in the chair next to him. “And this is the girl.”
“Is there a mommy?”
Janie curled her lips in disgust. “No. There’s no mommy.” (c) Uh-huh.
Q:
“She’s had a traumatic disconnect from love and attachment with a maternal figure. In her mind, the world isn’t a safe place, and mothers can’t be trusted. Think about it—usually when babies cry, they’re picked up or fed when they’re hungry. But Janie’s never had this. She doesn’t trust you, so she rejects you even though you’re exactly what she needs the most.” (c)
Q:
“Children of trauma are experts at triangulation.”
“Triangulation?” I asked.
“The child will act a certain way with one parent and a different way with the other parent. They try all kinds of things to drive a wedge in the parents’ relationship.”
“Janie doesn’t do that.” (c) Denial.
Q:
I hadn’t paid attention to the last ten minutes of our session because I’d been trying to wrap my head around purposefully manipulating a six-year-old child, especially one who’d been traumatized, into doing something you wanted them to. (c) Denial and lack of understanding about parenting a kid. Any kid much less a problematic one.
Q:
She was communicating her feelings in the only way she knew how, and everything I’d researched stressed the importance of letting abused children make their own choices. (c) Which just goes that bad books shouldn't be taken at face value. And a perfect illustration that reading a bunch of books doesn't necessarily make everyone an expert without critical thinking. Or even with it.
Q:
We practice fairness in our family.” It all sounded right but felt wrong in my gut.
She narrowed her eyes to slits. “No.” ...
“No! You have to say good night to me! Say good night to me!” Janie screamed. (c) A regular ill-behaved kid.
Q:
“Did they keep going back to Dr. Chandler?”
“They did.”
“Even after she’d suggested a therapy practice that ended up hurting Janie?”
“Yes, they continued seeing Dr. Chandler. Because you want to know the craziest thing about that entire incident?” I didn’t wait for either of them to answer. “It worked. Janie started talking to Hannah again.” (c) Well, sometimes a kid does need to went it, even chewing themselves or whatever.
Q:
I’d trained myself a long time ago not to get excited. That was when you got hurt. (c)
Q:
I tried to pretend I was happy and excited about the baby, but all I could think about was Janie and how it would affect her. (c) Horrible attitude.
Q:
She jumped up and kicked Cole’s carrier. “He’s stupid. And ugly. Ugly, stupid baby!” She kicked the carrier again, and it fell on its side. Cole rolled onto the floor. (c) Nice.
Q:
He’d still trade his life for hers. (c) Well, he about did. And his wife's (a chunk) and her sister's (wholesale) and his newborn son's (a large chunk).

Some inconsistencies:
Q:
“Not an inch, but technically, their bones grow nine millimeters per day, so they are taller.” (c)
Seriously, had kids grown 0.9 cm per day, by 10 years they would get to be 32.85 mt (=10 years * 365 days * 0.9 cm / 100 (cm per mt))

Bridgett

Rating: really liked it
I'm not sure I've ever read such a crazy, intense, non-stop, haunting, anxiety producing novel...but only in the best and most desirable way. I didn't want it to end.

Once this book has you in it's grips, it won't let go. I started it this morning and literally could not put it down. My poor husband probably feels deprived.

Having received The Perfect Child free as a Kindle First February option, I honestly didn't have high expectations. These freebie books are hit or miss for me. Sometimes they're decent, sometimes they absolutely stink, and sometimes, they slowly mesmerize you with their intensity and unparalleled chaos.

The Perfect Child was like that...I was absolutely mesmerized. The characters, particularly Hannah, were so beautifully tragic...she felt very real to me. I could relate so very much to her feelings, her anxieties...virtually everything. Having said that, at times I also felt frustrated, primarily with Christopher. His choices and actions were questionable, even during the best of times. But the character who had my jaw dropping at virtually every turn of the page was Janie. HOLY COW! I don't want to say much for fear of giving anything away, but Janie may be the best "villain" I've read in years. Little girl was beyond vile!

Is the story a bit predictable? I'd say yes, which is why I didn't give it a full 5 stars. One of the main threads was incredibly obvious to me, but that took nothing away from the story-line. And there were a couple twists which shocked me...not necessarily because they were unexpected, but because of how they actually occurred. There is also some animal torture/death, which is another deduction for me. I HATE animal torture in any book. Fair warning.

I can't end this review without making the obvious comparisons to Baby Teeth. Clearly, Lucinda Berry was somewhat inspired by the Zoje Stage novel. There are many similar threads throughout...but the stories diverge enough to make them each incredibly readable in their own ways.

I'm a fan, fellow readers. I haven't checked to see if this is Ms. Berry's first novel or not, but she has definitely become a must read author in my eyes. I'll be thinking about this novel for a long, long time.

Lisa

Rating: really liked it
Okay I have been thinking about this book for the past 24 hours as what I am going to write well here it goes it was one disturbing read which I am not sure if I liked it or not. I had a few issues with it, first of Christopher got under my skin how could a Orthopaedic surgeon be so gullible, knowing true well what Janie was like even though he thought she was the apple of his eye could not do anything wrong... yeah right.... Piper Goldstein was Janie's social worker she did all that she could to help Hannah & Christopher through Janie's adoption but even she fell short, I did Feel for Hannah she was with her all the time & in the end she had a complete meltdown coping with a new baby & Janie she was a complete mess.


You thought Damian from The Omen was Bad but Janie makes him look like an angel There is a lot of descriptive child abuse in this was very dark & disturbing I could not stop turning those pages .


TRIGGER WARNING
There is animal abuse written in this novel which horrified me as I am an animal lover & spousal abuse as well am not going to read the follow up to this as its just to dark & in your face. Now to the ending it left me with nothing hence the 4 stars it just left me empty after all I had read it just wasn't fulfilling for me I wanted a definite ending not just one that left you hanging. Oh yeah there are so vulgar, dirty dialogue to do with Janie made me quite ill.

Bren fall in love with the sea.

Rating: really liked it
“No matter how many times I was questioned by the police, it never got easier. My nerves jumped into high gear automatically. They always made me feel like I was lying, even when I was telling the truth.”
― Lucinda Berry, The Perfect Child

Oh wow. I have SO MUCH to say but I am sure you do not wan t to hear a long and extremely furious book tantrum from me so I will try to keep it short.

First..recommended. Even if I only gave it a three. This is one of the most disturbing books I have ever read.

TRIGGER ALERT.

Child Abuse..brutal animal abuse and killing.

I spent last night reading many reviews. So..this is why GR is so AWESOME. I thought it was just me! When I finished this book, I wondered how I'd write a review of this when I disliked the well meaning dad so much I wanted to punch him. (And I am not a violent person!)Really!

I did not know I would find like minds on this issue. Well..I found alot more than I could ever have imagined. thank you fellow readers! So..let me have my rant now.

This book is creepy. It is disturbing. Nothing scares me more than creepy children. This book was well written and scared the crap out of me.

Yet there is Hubs.

WHAT A WUSS! WHAT A DICKHEAD! I mean..ok, he wants to adopt the kid. We all got that. But his behavior..I mean..he is batshit crazy or else he is in love with the sociopathic kid. I know of no other reason for him to be such a huge and self righteous moron.

To Janey he was the epitome of a "useful idiot". How Putin would love Doctor Chris! I mean:

SPOILERS:

Kid kills a cat. No problem says Chris. Kid tells Chris she likes to see people suffer. No problem says Chris cheerfully adjusting his conscience.

Kid almost kills mom by biting her breast. She did not mean it screams the useful idiot. She stares at her family as they sleep. So what? says Mr. Chris.

Wife gets pregnant. Hubs not happy. He is wondering how little sociopath beastly child will handle it.

Wife can't take it anymore. Chris slaps her. YES, SLAPS HER! Then wife loses her mind. Daddy Chris just does not understand.

Little evil child has no place to go? Let her stay with Aunt Alice.

Alice is creeped out. "She's family" yells useful idiot.

Child KILLS Aunt Alice. "She didn't mean it". Yells King of all wimps, daddy Christopher..

I have nothing else to say. I can see now why Pete Townsend used to break Guitars onstage. Yes, it must feel good to break something when you encounter this much blatant stupidity.

Make no bones about it though..this book left me shaken. It is genuinely scary. If there is a sequel I will read it.

I just hate Chris. Janie is evil. Awful. I hope she is put away for life.

Bet Mr. Clueless with all his Janie issues will still visit her though.

Monika Sadowski

Rating: really liked it
Jesus, What I’ve just read?!?! This book is very disturbing but I couldn’t put it down.  My emotions where all over the place because I didn’t know who should I feel sorry for more. I guess all of them :(
It is a story of the couple Dr Christopher Bauer and his wife Hannah, who adopted an abused by her real mom child, Jenie. I think they underestimated how hard it is to foster traumatized child.
Lucinda Berry is a trauma psychologist and she uses her clinical experience to create psychological thrillers. I have to read more of her books in the future.

Renee Amberg

Rating: really liked it
UGHHHH soooo good until the end ... wtffff
Is there gonna be a part 2?! You can’t do this to me 😩

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the story and writing style. Once the story got started ... it started!! and I couldn’t stop. I recommend to read with a friend bc you’re gonna wanna talk about it with someone.

Elyse Walters

Rating: really liked it
Audiobook.....
.....narrated by Christine Williams Erin Bennett, Dan John Miller

The three voice narrators kept me interested - really hooked!!!

One reviewer compared this to ‘Baby Teeth’. Both books deal with a mentally troubled child....
But where ‘Baby Teeth’ was fiction nonsense — in which several of my friends who are child therapists agree.... ( Baby Teeth being way out in left field - one which few therapists vouch it’s realistic qualities-in which a young child expresses she wants daddy to kill mommy while watching them have sex)....

“The Perfect Child” ‘was’ written by a child-trauma- therapist. I thought it was very plausible- from beginning to end. The child’s behavior ‘was’ disturbing but more realistic ( she had been severely abused by her birth mother), making us have tons of empathy as to just how hard every single day is for everyone: The child, and new adoptive parents.

“The Perfect Child”, is more than a disturbing story… its an ongoing chronic nightmare of a story.....
but also FASCINATING!!!!
The ending was weak -
but the rest of it had me curious as to what’s the solution? How does a couple raise - help- and support a severely emotionally disturbed child? How does a child who has been soooo traumatize, heal? How much can you expect from
loving responsible adults?

The child in this story - Janie- had unpredictable and unbearable tantrums. She finger painted with her own poop, broke toys, killed an animal, was manipulative, controlling, hurt other children, and had extreme attachment displacement disorder.
Her new adoptive parents were willing to do everything possible to rehabilitate the child...
With every type of therapy imaginable and their undivided loving attention.
But Janie made it extremely difficult to succeed.

Anyone who has worked with children.... social workers, teachers, pediatric medical doctors, nurses, parents, foster care parents, or have adopted a child..... might consider reading this book.
(I suggest the Audiobook)...

Much respect for author Lucinda Berry...
She knows what she’s doing!!!

Terrific psychological character study... of all the main characters.

Aga Durka

Rating: really liked it
5 Disturbing Stars!!

This book will stay with me for a very long time. It was a disturbing and horrifying read but also it was so painfully real that it made my hair stand up on my arms at times. It is definitely not an easy read but oh so captivating and so hard to put down.

I admire any parent that decides to adopt or even foster a child, especially a child that has special needs, mental or physical. Christopher and Hanna lived through a spine-chilling nightmare, when they adopted Janie, an abused and mentally disturbed child. I felt for Hanna and I wanted her to do well because all she wanted in life was a child, but what she got was a lot of pain and suffering instead. And Christopher...well...I just wanted to smack him over the head!! Even though he was trying to do the right thing by Janie and he loved her unconditionally, like every parent should love his/her child, he was just not making the right decisions for Janie and for his family. I was really frustrated and angry when reading this book but I was also rooting for all of the characters, and I felt sorry for all of them. It was just a bad situation for everyone involved.

This book is a truly captivating, heart-wrenching, and spine-chilling read. It also has some triggers, like child abuse, animal abuse, psychological abuse, so anyone that has a problem with these topics should probably stay clear from this book.

Terry

Rating: really liked it
Too long, too boring, too unbelievable!

And worse, NO ending! Perfect flop. BTW, having worked in CPS, There's NO WAY a mother called SEVEN TIMES begging for help and NO ONE responded. Not even in Seattle, Chicago or Houston! Balderdash. Also, too many other errors on how on system doesn't work AND how it does! Bad info, knowingly long and absolutely ZERO common sense, but for sure: psychobabble galore!