“For eager adoptive parents, getting what they always wanted has chilling consequences.”
Genre:
Psychological Thriller
Thriller
Suspense
Mystery
Horror
Tropes & Themes:
Foster-to-Adopt
Buyer’s Remorse
Orthopedic Surgeon & ER Nurse ????
Adoption Paradox
Adoption Hero
Expectation versus Reality
Department of Child Disservices
Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse/Neglect; Animal Abuse ⚠
“No one would ever see Janie through my eyes.”
Rating: ???? ???? ???? ???? ????
The Perfect Child, a psychological thriller by Author and Trauma Psychologist, Dr. Lucinda Berry, is a novel about Ortho-Surgeon, Dr. Christopher Bauer, and his wife Hannah, an ER Nurse, who seemingly have it all, but are desperate for the one thing they want most: a baby.
Just as the Bauers are considering adoption after several failed IVF rounds, a young girl with substantial injuries and a dog collar on her neck is rushed by ambulance with a police escort into the emergency department, after the little girl was found wandering in a parking lot.
“… it’s a lost kid or something, and she’s in really bad shape. Ambulance is bringing her in with a police escort.”
The timing of the young girl, (Janie’s), arrival at the hospital where the Bauers worked, while they were nearly desperate for a baby, were the makings of a perfect storm (and the perfect psychological thriller!) While Hannah avoids Janie at first to protect her own heart, (injured kids are the most difficult cases, especially for a woman who’s only wish is to raise a child) Christopher and Janie instantly connect and share a special bond, made stronger after he performs Janie’s orthopedic surgery.
Christopher, believing it’s fate that Janie be placed with them, enthusiastically convinces Hannah that Janie, a traumatized six year old, could be their “baby”.
I felt like Christopher, while likeable, had a bit of a hero complex. His refusal to see the truth was not just because he believed that girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, it was also because it threatened the facade that Janie was a regular young girl and he “fixed” her, in my opinion. He did a lot alongside Hannah to get Janie help, like therapy, but it was more “parenting class” (with a Dr. who diagnosed Janie with reactive-attachment-disorder and wouldn’t budge) than it was “psychotherapy session”. Both Hannah and Christopher made choices that frustrated me, in their attempts to control and alter Janie’s behavior: THE CAT, REALLY? I gritted my teeth and just waited for the worst.
Hannah was more of a realist when it came to Janie but unfortunately her husband, Christopher thought Janie could do no wrong.
Unaware of Janie’s disturbing past, they foster-to-adopt her and are assigned to DCF caseworker, Piper, who oversteps the boundaries far more than she knows she should. Janie never discusses her mother (who was found deceased in a trailer park) leaving me wondering what on earth happened to Janie and why doesn’t she mention anything from her past? The dog collar, fused and broken bones — all a mystery. The suspense and final reveal is an absolute shocker. I loved the ominous ending.
There are three alternating POVs: Christopher’s, Hannah’s, and Piper’s. I loved having the perspective of the DCF social worker too. I appreciate multiple POVs, especially with a complex story like The Perfect Child.
Hannah was my favorite character, partly because she saw through Janie’s manipulative tactics, and there were quite a few. I felt terrible for Hannah as I saw her slowly losing herself, her dream became a nightmare. A surprise pregnancy further overwhelms her and Janie’s regression, aggression, and violence reach new levels, while Christopher is off in fairytale land, his head in the clouds. Hannah, the primary caregiver, is at her wit’s end.
The Perfect Child is a page-turner. I absolutely loved this dark read. I’ve watched documentaries on feral children and severely abused and neglected children and find the psychology and stories like this that are built from real cases morbidly fascinating as well as horrific and shocking. Janie reminded me of a young German girl who was labeled as a sociopath at an extremely young age. She was downright frightening, much like little Janie, and said terrifying things in the sweetest voice while she batted her big beautiful blue eyes.
“She’s just a girl. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
AWELLREADWOMANBLOG dot COM
The Perfect Child
4.3 | 75,122 ratings
Price: 2.49
Last update: 09-06-2024
About this item
Top reviews from the United States
April L Wood
Check the TWs
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024
April L Wood
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024
Genre:
Psychological Thriller
Thriller
Suspense
Mystery
Horror
Tropes & Themes:
Foster-to-Adopt
Buyer’s Remorse
Orthopedic Surgeon & ER Nurse ????
Adoption Paradox
Adoption Hero
Expectation versus Reality
Department of Child Disservices
Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse/Neglect; Animal Abuse ⚠
“No one would ever see Janie through my eyes.”
Rating: ???? ???? ???? ???? ????
The Perfect Child, a psychological thriller by Author and Trauma Psychologist, Dr. Lucinda Berry, is a novel about Ortho-Surgeon, Dr. Christopher Bauer, and his wife Hannah, an ER Nurse, who seemingly have it all, but are desperate for the one thing they want most: a baby.
Just as the Bauers are considering adoption after several failed IVF rounds, a young girl with substantial injuries and a dog collar on her neck is rushed by ambulance with a police escort into the emergency department, after the little girl was found wandering in a parking lot.
“… it’s a lost kid or something, and she’s in really bad shape. Ambulance is bringing her in with a police escort.”
The timing of the young girl, (Janie’s), arrival at the hospital where the Bauers worked, while they were nearly desperate for a baby, were the makings of a perfect storm (and the perfect psychological thriller!) While Hannah avoids Janie at first to protect her own heart, (injured kids are the most difficult cases, especially for a woman who’s only wish is to raise a child) Christopher and Janie instantly connect and share a special bond, made stronger after he performs Janie’s orthopedic surgery.
Christopher, believing it’s fate that Janie be placed with them, enthusiastically convinces Hannah that Janie, a traumatized six year old, could be their “baby”.
I felt like Christopher, while likeable, had a bit of a hero complex. His refusal to see the truth was not just because he believed that girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, it was also because it threatened the facade that Janie was a regular young girl and he “fixed” her, in my opinion. He did a lot alongside Hannah to get Janie help, like therapy, but it was more “parenting class” (with a Dr. who diagnosed Janie with reactive-attachment-disorder and wouldn’t budge) than it was “psychotherapy session”. Both Hannah and Christopher made choices that frustrated me, in their attempts to control and alter Janie’s behavior: THE CAT, REALLY? I gritted my teeth and just waited for the worst.
Hannah was more of a realist when it came to Janie but unfortunately her husband, Christopher thought Janie could do no wrong.
Unaware of Janie’s disturbing past, they foster-to-adopt her and are assigned to DCF caseworker, Piper, who oversteps the boundaries far more than she knows she should. Janie never discusses her mother (who was found deceased in a trailer park) leaving me wondering what on earth happened to Janie and why doesn’t she mention anything from her past? The dog collar, fused and broken bones — all a mystery. The suspense and final reveal is an absolute shocker. I loved the ominous ending.
There are three alternating POVs: Christopher’s, Hannah’s, and Piper’s. I loved having the perspective of the DCF social worker too. I appreciate multiple POVs, especially with a complex story like The Perfect Child.
Hannah was my favorite character, partly because she saw through Janie’s manipulative tactics, and there were quite a few. I felt terrible for Hannah as I saw her slowly losing herself, her dream became a nightmare. A surprise pregnancy further overwhelms her and Janie’s regression, aggression, and violence reach new levels, while Christopher is off in fairytale land, his head in the clouds. Hannah, the primary caregiver, is at her wit’s end.
The Perfect Child is a page-turner. I absolutely loved this dark read. I’ve watched documentaries on feral children and severely abused and neglected children and find the psychology and stories like this that are built from real cases morbidly fascinating as well as horrific and shocking. Janie reminded me of a young German girl who was labeled as a sociopath at an extremely young age. She was downright frightening, much like little Janie, and said terrifying things in the sweetest voice while she batted her big beautiful blue eyes.
“She’s just a girl. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
AWELLREADWOMANBLOG dot COM
Images in this review
GoDucks
Disturbing & suspenseful. That's the point. The book's description is not misleading in any way.
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2019
Amazon Customer
well written, captivating, not for me
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024
Sharon McDonald
Good, but not great
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2024