The Perfect Child

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 80,431 ratings

Price: 2.49

Last update: 12-26-2024


About this item

A Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller.

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 instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own.

But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie’s true nature.

Hannah knows that Janie is manipulating Christopher and isolating him from her, despite Hannah’s attempts to bring them all together. But as Janie’s behavior threatens to tear Christopher and Hannah apart, the truth behind Janie’s past may be enough to push them all over the edge.


Top reviews from the United States

  • ayouker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn’t put it down
    Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2024
    I devoured this book. The plot was excellent and engaging. I love this author’s writing style and her take on crime due to her psychological background. I was fascinated by all the characters in this book and felt they were all very relatable. There were a lot of twists and turns that kept things interested. Excellent read!
  • GoDucks
    4.0 out of 5 stars 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
    I think it's extremely unfair that people are giving low ratings based on the "graphic" content. In truth, child abuse is horrific and most definitely graphic, but I would not call the the content of this book particularly graphic. Disturbing, yes! Graphic, meh.....not really. I'm not sure how people expect an author to write about PTSD resulting from abuse without discussing the "T", unless they don't understand that the "T" is for trauma.

    The child in this book is very, very emotionally disturbed, and the author did a phenomenal job of making this story very real. Yes, it bothered me beyond words to read certain passages, but that's what a writer's job is! Nobody wants to read a book that doesn't reach out and pull you in. Seriously.
    The facts and details are realistic due to the author's profession, and her experience with cases like Janie's. If you don't want to read (and learn, yes LEARN a little) about survivors of trauma then simply do not read this book. There are many lessons to be learned in this book, and I applaud the author for tackling such a tough topic. Don't get me wrong, this is not a self-help book. It is fiction. It is written as fiction, and it reads like fiction. But that's the entire point!
    So please, don't read the book if your delicate sensibilities cannot handle such an in-your-face story. Furthermore, please don't read it and then post such negative drivel because you didn't like the topic of the story.
    I have to assume that the reviewers who are so upset about the content are the same people who don't watch the news because it upsets them.
    All in all, this book is exactly what it says it is. A book about a child who has been abused, the lasting effects it has on her and how it impacts her adoptive family. In real life love does not conquer all, and this book is one of those examples.

    **The characters are very well written, and I easily formed attachments to (or distaste for) them.
    **The plot moves along steadily and keeps you drawn in. I was always eager to find out what was next.
    **The factual information is entirely reliable. The author is a doctor and knows her stuff!
    **The language style and dialog are realistic and easily relatable.
    **The vocabulary is still easily understood for laymen, even though the author is a doctor.
    I wanted so badly to give 5 stars to this book, and up until the last page I was positive I would. But......(and this is my one and only complaint for the entire book) the book ends with a small cliffhanger. Some people might enjoy the cliffhanger-style ending, but I always feel ripped off. Especially when the author has done such a fantastic job of making me feel invested with the characters! I want to know what happens next! I need to know what happens next! All of the main and major points are wrapped up neatly (and realistically) by the time you reach the end, but one issue remains intentionally unresolved with that last page.
    So, yes, there are some passages that make your skin crawl, but they're supposed to elicit that reaction. If child abuse doesn't make you feel queasy, then I hope to never know you.
    There are no descriptions of sex abuse though, so if that is a specific concern you'll be ok.
    There are two instances of animal abuse, but they are not haphazardly tossed in as gratuitous gory details. They are used for the specific purpose of demonstrating Janie's complete inability to feel empathy.
    I highly recommend this book. If you also do not like cliffhanger endings, I STILL recommend this book. It's most definitely worth the read.
  • M.M.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really great read.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2024
    Im technically giving this book 4.5 stars just because I wish the ending would’ve wrapped up a more neatly. Or that there was a sequel to this.

    I loved the pacing, writing style, and overall plot. I also enjoyed that so many of the details were very accurate to real life. The description of the hospital experience, the newborn experience, the first hand account of PPD/PPA, the pressure Hannah puts on herself as a first time mom. All of it felt incredibly true to a lot of moms I know, myself included. We see the slow build from the beginning which makes this book a page turner. You know things are headed for disaster but you don’t know how bad it will be.

    I’m really surprised at people saying this book was graphic because it actually wasn’t. It speaks to some very heavy topics but doesn’t go into great detail which I appreciated. I expected a lot worse when I read the reviews ahead of the actual book.
  • Chevy
    3.0 out of 5 stars A lot of unresolved issues..l
    Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2024
    A decent book…but it felt there were a lot of avenues that were left unexplored… early on in the book there was an interview where Piper made reference to Christopher in almost a romantic sense and then at the end she was sooo protective of him and somewhat disregarded Hannah—Janie kills her mother, kills a cat, watches as her aunt lays at the bottom on the stairs dead, kicks over her baby brothers carrier, responsible for putting her adoptive mother over the edge and the cops and Piper show up to basically tell Christopher he’ll be responsible for her (Janie) till she’s 18… also when they are listening to the video of her killing the mother ? Where DID she get the knife and the man’s voice of ‘she’s a devil child’ Piper made the comment of ‘that’s what Hannah had called her’ —- that would have been a great rabbit hole to go down
    Again it was a good book —- but no real psychological twist or turn—- Janie started out troubled and continued to be troubled
    Christoper was determined to play the role of a father at the expense of his wife’s mental health and his owns son’s safety and well being start to finish
    Hannah was cautious at the beginning and remained cautious throughout
    Piper was overworked and distraught as all government employees are- just trying to do a job
    Greg wanted someone to be accountable and rightly so and that ended abruptly with no resolution…
    I just never felt like there was a conclusion/resolution/ending—- just my opinion…

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