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The Perfect Child

Lucinda Berry (Goodreads Author)

4.18 · Rating details · 7,172 ratings · 917 reviews

A page-turning debut of suspense about a young couple desperate to have a child of their own—and the unsettling consequences of getting what they always wanted.

Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that’s missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an ins

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Kindle Edition, First edition, 364 pages

Published March 1st 2019 by Thomas & Mercer

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4.18 ·

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· 7,172 ratings · 917 reviews

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Feb 03, 2019 Danielle rated it 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.

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Feb 01, 2019 Bridgett rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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 the 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. ...more

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Mar 16, 2019 Monika Sadowski rated it it was amazing

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 thr ...more

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Feb 10, 2019 Elaine Maynard rated it did not like it · review of another edition

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.

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Feb 03, 2019 PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps rated it it was amazing

After years of infertility Dr Christopher Bauer and his wife Hannah, a nurse, gave up the idea of having a biological child. When abandoned and battered six-year-old Janie winds up in the ER, they decide to adopt her. Despite warnings from professionals that Janie trauma will take years to heal, if it ever does, the Bauers feel they are equipped. Then somebody dies.

Readers don’t know who the murder victim(s) is (or are) until near the end of THE PERFECT CHILD. Told from the first person points o After years of infertility Dr Christopher Bauer and his wife Hannah, a nurse, gave up the idea of having a biological child. When abandoned and battered six-year-old Janie winds up in the ER, they decide to adopt her. Despite warnings from professionals that Janie trauma will take years to heal, if it ever does, the Bauers feel they are equipped. Then somebody dies.

Readers don’t know who the murder victim(s) is (or are) until near the end of THE PERFECT CHILD. Told from the first person points of view of Chris, Hannah and Janie’s social worker, readers are taken through the precarious road of Janie’s adoption. Lucinda Berry hit all the right notes with the behaviors of a child with reactive attachment disorder so I wasn’t surprised to learn she’s a psychologist. Berry was particularly accurate with one parent minimizing Janie’s behavior, the other with two high expectations to create a perfect scenario for Janie to manipulate and triangulate the parents. I couldn’t be angry with Christopher for thinking Hannah exaggerated because kids like Janie are just as Berry described, manipulative as a coping mechanism to try to control their environments in order to feel safe.

I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a free monthly Amazon book as much as THE PERFECT CHILD. I immediately ordered all of Berry’s other books, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the next one. Some readers may find the story unbelievable, but sadly it’s not. Reactive Attachment Disorder can be as extreme as Janie’s behavior, though fortunately usually isn’t quite as tragic. Usually seen in kids who never attach to a primary caregiver, often infants in orphanages or with parents who don’t respond to their needs, neglected to the point where they can only count on themselves. They both crave and fear attachment, often overly friendly with strangers and violent with those closest, the disorder is heartbreaking.

THE PERFECT CHILD is unputdownable psychological thriller and family tragedy. ...more

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Feb 15, 2019 Amelia Strydom rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

"We'd like to think a mother and father's love can turn everything around, but there are times where parents do the very best they can, but the kid- even from the get-go - is just a bad kid ... Ignore the problem, and we could have blood on our hands." Adrian Raine, psychologist (University of Pennsylvania).
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...

After years of infertility, Christopher, an orthopaedic surgeon, and Hannah, a nurse, have given up on having a biological child. While they are lookin "We'd like to think a mother and father's love can turn everything around, but there are times where parents do the very best they can, but the kid- even from the get-go - is just a bad kid ... Ignore the problem, and we could have blood on our hands." Adrian Raine, psychologist (University of Pennsylvania).
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...

After years of infertility, Christopher, an orthopaedic surgeon, and Hannah, a nurse, have given up on having a biological child. While they are looking into adoption, a severely abused and malnourished little girl called Jamie is admitted to the hospital where they work. Christopher is on Jamie's surgical team and immediately falls in love with the surprisingly affectionate and outgoing six-year-old. Since the feeling is mutual, he begs Hannah to meet Jamie. The bond between the two of them isn't as immediate or as strong, nevertheless Hannah agrees to foster Jamie until a suitable adoptive family can be found. This is anything but easy: Jamie is prone to horrendous tantrums that can last for hours, she isn't potty trained, and rarely sleeps. It is no wonder that Hannah is reluctant to agree when Christopher wants to adopt Jamie. Furthermore, Hannah has to relinquish her dream of adopting a baby. Still, she loves her husband and gets immense satisfaction from seeing Jamie thrive in the loving environment they are providing. After a short internal battle, she agrees to give the damaged little girl a forever home.

Things improve - until Christopher returns to work. Hannah is hurt and frustrated when Jamie starts ignoring her completely. To add insult to injury, the bond between Jamie and Christopher keeps deepening, and Jamie is sweet and charming towards just about anyone but Hannah. The one person she doesn't take to is Piper, the social worker assigned to her case. Hannah longs to return to work, but Jamie acts out at every school they enrol her in, eventually breaking her "friend's" arm. Matters go from bad to terrifying when Hannah miraculously falls pregnant...

The book begins with a bang: an interview between Piper, a homicide detective, and a mysterious private investigator. I couldn't help but read until 2 am, I simply had to know who had been murdered. Reading the story was like witnessing a fatal accident: you realise this is going to be awful, you want to look away, yet your eyes remain glued to the unfolding horror. Hannah, Christopher and Piper - all POV characters - are caring, relatable people. I even bonded with Jamie. Yes, she was a ticking time bomb, but she had been through so much. Maybe love would triumph in the end?

I highly recommend The Perfect Child to readers who enjoy psychological suspense. It is a scary, poignant exploration of the nature/nurture debate. The fact that the author is an expert in no way detracts from the twistedness of the tale. On the contrary! Berry has shot to the upper rungs of my favourite-authors ladder and I'm pretty tempted to go straight to another of her books.

Warning: Steer clear if you are sensitive to child- and animal abuse. ...more

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Feb 04, 2019 Nichole rated it really liked it

This may contain spoilers, but this book left me with a lot of thoughts and feelings.

This sh*t was bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

I started reading it on my lunch break on Monday and finished it a few hours later. I could not put it down, because I just had to figure out what the heck was happening! The story is told from three points of view. Christopher and Hannah (our main characters) and the child protective services lady, Piper. Christopher's character is absolutely infuriating, it amazed me how v This may contain spoilers, but this book left me with a lot of thoughts and feelings.

This sh*t was bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

I started reading it on my lunch break on Monday and finished it a few hours later. I could not put it down, because I just had to figure out what the heck was happening! The story is told from three points of view. Christopher and Hannah (our main characters) and the child protective services lady, Piper. Christopher's character is absolutely infuriating, it amazed me how vain he was, the level of disrespect he had for his wife. My heart broke for Hannah and the amount of crap she had to deal with. How she tried her best to love a difficult child, how devoted she was to her marriage and how she was completely alone to deal with a sociopath and no believed her. It was gut wrenching to see that she lost her mind in a psychotic breakdown because she honestly couldn't do it anymore and her husband didn't have her back. Pipers character, good lord woman how naive can one person be? I wanted to reach through the book and slap her more than once. How she didn't believe a child could be so evil and that they all deserve a happy home at no matter the cost. Infuriating! Janie character made me think a lot of the Orphan, except she wasn't an adult in a child's body. She is vile and completely unlovable. She is the type of child that nightmares are made of and showed all the signs of a future serial killer that no one but Hannah picked up on. She is manipulative and hurts people. One very disturbing part was how she treated the kitten. Which also lead to me to wonder, why they let her keep the kitten after she initially hurt it in the first place? Did they not think she would do worse? Well, she did (and this was exceptionally disturbing to read)! UGH!!!

The book just ends too. There is no closure and definitely no happy ending. It is left open for there to be another book if the author so desires. I do not feel that there is a need for a continuation of this book. It left me feeling like I needed therapy and no amount of meditation last night was able to soothe me enough to get a good nights rest. I even dreamt about some of the things in the book. This book was highly disturbing and gave me the creeps. ...more

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Feb 23, 2019 Darinda rated it liked it

Christopher and Hannah are a happy couple, but they long to have a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, shows up at the hospital where they work, Christopher wants to foster her. Despite the warnings about raising a child with an abusive past, they take her into their home and family. They are not prepared for the challenges they face.

Told with alternating points of view - Christopher, Hannah, and Piper, Janie's social worker. Christopher adores Janie and finds it difficult to believe s ...more

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Feb 06, 2019 Christine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Absolutely INCREDIBLE! This is my second read from Lucinda Berry and she is a phenomenal writer. I just bought two more of her books, Phantom Limb, was just .99¢ today!

This book touched me, sent chills down my spine several times. I have worked with severely emotionally disturbed children, many who were in foster care. It touched me so much that I became an emergency placement foster parent. When I got married and had children I told my husband I was done having children in my home, I would not ...more

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Feb 03, 2019 Stacie rated it did not like it

No ending!

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

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Feb 14, 2019 Sophie Bristow Harris rated it really liked it

I came very close to giving this a full house of 5 stars. However the last line ended on a cliff hanger and I believe the author only writes stand-alones....
It was a good, at times hard to read novel. The characters were all pretty unlikeable and unsavoury!
I love the bright cerise balloon on the cover and it depicts the book extremely well.
A nail biting and tense read which I read over a couple of days and enjoyed.

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Feb 20, 2019 Rick rated it it was ok

Man, this book really had an impact. On the plus side, it was gripping in a kind of "can't-turn-your-head-away-from-the-scene-of-an-accident" kind of way. I mean, I was really caught up...couldn't wait to find time to read and find out what's going to happen next, how's this going to turn out. The characters, although bordering on too stupid to live, engaged me and I cared about them. The demon child was the most evil kid I've ever seen, worse than THE BAD SEED. But then....that ending. Seriousl ...more

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Mar 14, 2019 Cheyenne rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reads, 3-stars, books-i-thought-were-okay

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Check out my reviews at https://cheyennereads.home.blog !

This book was so stressful. Reading about Janie and her behavior had me on edge the entire time, I was worried about Christopher and especially Hannah throughout the book. Janie’s behavior was unpredictable and violent, and it was honestly scary. What do you do when you’re in danger but no one will believe you because she’s only a child?

I really enjoyed this I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Check out my reviews at https://cheyennereads.home.blog !

This book was so stressful. Reading about Janie and her behavior had me on edge the entire time, I was worried about Christopher and especially Hannah throughout the book. Janie’s behavior was unpredictable and violent, and it was honestly scary. What do you do when you’re in danger but no one will believe you because she’s only a child?

I really enjoyed this for the most part. It was compulsively readable. I tend to read ebooks at night, and I stayed up super late reading this one. It had me on edge and I had to find out what was going to happen next. I cared for these characters, they felt real and I didn’t want to see any harm come to anyone. Which ended up being one of the things that stressed me out the most.

I wouldn’t recommend this book if you’re sensitive to child abuse. There’s a lot of talk about child abuse in this book, and I can imagine it being hard or even impossible to read for some people. I felt I needed to point that out before recommending this book.

As for the negatives – the husband, Christopher, was absolutely infuriating. He made the most ridiculous decisions and never thought things through, and never listened to his wife. His behavior with Janie was honestly kind of weird, and their bond just didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I would have like to see Christopher make smarter decisions and show that he cared for his wife.

My other problem – no spoilers – is that this book basically has no ending. I won’t elaborate, but it just – ends. There’s no conclusion, and that was frustrating after investing so much time into it. I wanted to see what happened next, thought I was at the end of the chapter, but turned the page and found the acknowledgements. I was really upset, because I wanted to know more.

Overall, I mostly enjoyed this book. It was tense, anxiety-inducing, and interesting. It was genuinely scary at times, especially if you’re particularly empathetic towards children or are a parent. I would recommend this book to those looking for a tense thriller, who know they can handle the more difficult parts of this book – and the lack of an ending. ...more

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Mar 15, 2019 Christina McDonald rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Intense, terrifying and at times utterly horrifying, I loved this book and found it one of those cra-cra, intense reads that I just couldn't look away from.

Christopher and Hannah have a perfect life except one thing. They can't have a baby. But when a battered and abused child winds up in their ER, they fall in love with her and decide to adopt her. But Janie is not the child they were expecting. Lead down a rabbit hole of devious and frankly terrifying behavior, Hannah becomes increasingly ter ...more

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Mar 12, 2019 Shelby rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned-books, mystery-thriller-suspense

After years of infertility, Dr. Christopher Bauer and his wife Hannah—a nurse that works at his same hospital—have accepted the fact that they may never be parents. But one night, a young girl is brought into their ER, badly abused and malnourished. Christopher, an orthopedic surgeon, is assigned as the girl’s surgeon to fix countless fractures. The little girl’s name is Janie and although she’s the size of a small toddler, she’s 6-years old. When Janie meets Christopher, she instantly warms to After years of infertility, Dr. Christopher Bauer and his wife Hannah—a nurse that works at his same hospital—have accepted the fact that they may never be parents. But one night, a young girl is brought into their ER, badly abused and malnourished. Christopher, an orthopedic surgeon, is assigned as the girl’s surgeon to fix countless fractures. The little girl’s name is Janie and although she’s the size of a small toddler, she’s 6-years old. When Janie meets Christopher, she instantly warms to him and he feels a parental connection to Janie.

The police don’t know exactly what happened to Janie, but they do know that she must’ve been badly abused prior to being admitted to the hospital. A caseworker named Piper is assigned to the case and has diagnosed Janie with abused child syndrome. Over the first few weeks of Janie’s recovery, Christopher is one of the only people Janie reacts positively to. And after Hannah is introduced to Janie, she becomes attached as well. Hannah and Christopher decide to foster Janie and the caseworker Piper agrees it’s a wonderful fit.

But as soon as Hannah and Christopher take Janie home, things take a turn for the worse. She has explosive tantrums about anything and everything. The Bauers knew Janie would have a hard time adjusting due to her abusive past, but the level of difficulty they’re experiencing is beyond belief. And then Janie starts to change—she only communicates with Christopher, showing outward hatred toward Hannah.

Hannah and Christopher can’t seem to agree upon Janie. Hannah feels Janie is purposely manipulative, while Christopher thinks Janie’s an innocent child. And the longer Janie is living with them, the more she destroys not only the Bauer’s marriage, but their entire lives. Is Janie a victim of her early childhood or is she a lot more divisive than anyone gives her credit for?

The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry is a nightmare of a thriller. Immediately we learn that something bad has happened in regard to Janie and the Bauers, since there are alternating chapters where the police are interviewing the caseworker, Piper, in regard to said incident. While Piper is being interviewed we see chapters back and forth between Hannah and Christopher’s perspective from the moment they met Janie until the incident. Things with Janie keep getting worse and worse as time goes on. She is an absolute nightmare of a child and she has Christopher and Hannah pitted against each other in no time. For most of the book, I couldn’t stand Christopher. Always siding with Janie and not his own wife—it drove me bonkers. Stories about psychologically unstable children always give me the creeps and The Perfect Child was no exception! 4/5 stars. ...more

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Mar 06, 2019 Ruthy lavin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow, unsettling and hauntingly believable.
This is a fantastic thriller, sure to give parents everywhere nightmares.
Easily worthy of 5 stars.

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Mar 02, 2019 Lyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: suspense-mystery-and-or-thriller, audio, disturbing, dark, buddy-read, wtf-reads, amazing-narration, dissatisfying-ending, horror, favorites

Audio - 5 stars
Story - 4 stars

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Feb 06, 2019 Lynda Kelly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites

This was my Kindle First pick for February. I had thought it was the author's debut only to find out once I finished it that she's written maybe half a dozen other stories. Don't know how she passed me by before but I'll be reading some of her others for sure. I see they all seem to be about damaged kids but you can also tell she knows her stuff (and explains things in simple, laymen's terms) so it's intriguing to learn about what she clearly gets to see in her "other job." I'm not a fan of chil ...more

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Feb 25, 2019 Reeda Booke rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: evil-kids, kindle-unlimited, psychological, thriller

Christopher, the husband, has to be one of the dumbest persons on the planet.
A typical evil child wrecking havoc in a home. Although Janie was bad, it's Christopher I wanted to slap. Enough said.

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Feb 27, 2019 Jonathan Maas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great domestic thriller - keeps going until the end. Hope to write a full review soon.

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Feb 11, 2019 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2019

Kindle First Reads free pick for February. (Side note, these kindle first reads books have been good and allow me to read something I wouldn’t normally find on my own!) God, this book. This is just an edge of your seat psychological thriller. I mean, you know something bad is going to happen. The whole book is like inching along in traffic knowing you are coming up on a really bad accident. This book left me unsettled through the whole thing but couldn’t put it down. I’m more disturbed finding o ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 LeTresa Payne rated it it was ok

Awful

I had to skip around in this book. It was just too much for me. It wasn't even that interesting after Janie kept up with her horrible behavior and the fact that Christopher was so blind to the child's problems. I'm so glad that this was a Kindle First read because if I would've spent money on it, I would be upset. Terrible book. Just awful. I rarely leave bad reviews, but this was not a good read. There was no saving this demonic child. This book wasn't even worth the time to read it and se ...more

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Feb 18, 2019 Lauren rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was written by an actual child psychologist, I highly recommend!

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Feb 18, 2019 Diane rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 06, 2019 Darcia Helle rated it did not like it

Shelves: ebooks, fiction, suspense-thriller-mystery

Me and this book were like a bad blind date. Nothing worked.

Be aware that there is a lot of vivid detail regarding child abuse, and there is also animal abuse. I'm not squeamish in the least, but, for me, the author went way overboard on this aspect. There are scenes I wish I hadn't read that I'd like to get out of my mind. Readers, in general, don't need to be assaulted with descriptive abuse in order to understand it.

I could have, maybe not enjoyed, but appreciated the story despite the abund ...more

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Feb 27, 2019 Joann rated it really liked it

Shelves: drama, family-drama, fiction, killers, kindle, mystery, page-turners, psychological-thriller, thriller

This was a really well told story even though there wasn't a lot of characters you could root for. The characters, particularly Hannah, were so beautifully tragic, and I felt for her. I could relate so very much to her feelings, her anxieties...virtually everything. I also felt frustrated with Christopher. His choices and actions were always questionable, even during the best of times. But the character of Jani is is a jaw dropper. Keep your eyes on her for sure! There were a lot of twists and t ...more

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Feb 03, 2019 RedRedtheycallmeRed rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a no brainer for my Kindle First pick, I've previously read several books from this author. Based on past experience I went in expecting disturbing and was not disappointed!

It reminded me a little bit of Baby Teeth, but I thought this book was so much better. Christopher and Hannah are desperate for a child, but Hannah wants a baby and Christopher becomes very attached to six year old Janie after helping with her medical problems. It's clear from the beginning that Janie has many proble ...more

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Feb 18, 2019 Rebecca rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was an OK read, let down mainly by it's abrupt, cliffhanger ending. I understand a sequel is coming but that wasn't immediately clear and even so, it felt like the author had just gotten the characters into a situation she wasn't sure how to resolve so just...stopped. A bit of a disappointment after everything that happened to be honest.

That aside, this was, as above, "OK". The main characters all had their own infuriating traits which I felt detracted from the realism; for example, the fat ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 Dalís rated it it was amazing

Amazing

I loved the different perspectives from each character in the book! Amazingly written and extremely scary to think this could and probably is happening in real life!

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Feb 03, 2019 Jo rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The first few chapters and this book was a shoe-in for a 5 star review. However, as the book progressed the number of stars declined. I knew nothing about Child Abuse Syndrome so an internet search revealed some basic facts and also a good article in The Open Neurology Journal from 2016. I did get confused as to whether this was Janie's diagnosis or if there was an alternative. The story is told from 3 viewpoints- Hannah's, Christopher's (so husband and wife) and a police investigation which is ...more

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About Lucinda Berry

Lucinda Berry

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Dr. Lucinda Berry's background is as unique as her stories. She has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, specializing in trauma and children. She uses her clinical experience to create compelling stories that blur the lines between fiction and nonfiction. If you want to contact her or be notified of upcoming new releases, please visit: https://about.me/Lucindaberry

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Quotes from The Perfect Child

“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.” — 2 likes

“Parenting a traumatized child is horribly difficult. Most of them suffer from severe attachment issues, and mothers are usually the targets of their rage. It can get pretty awful.” — 2 likes

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