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Lucinda Berry
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The Perfect Child Kindle Edition

by Lucinda Berry (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 69,415 ratings
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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.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    371 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Thomas & Mercer
  5. Publication date
    March 1, 2019
  6. File size
    2982 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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  1. It gave us an opportunity to miss each other, and sometimes you needed that in a relationship even when you loved each other as much as we did.
    Highlighted by 1,596 Kindle readers
  2. I wished I were as optimistic as I pretended. I used to be. Not anymore.
    Highlighted by 875 Kindle readers
  3. She crawled up on my lap and whispered in her sweet voice, “I like hurting people. Do you?”
    Highlighted by 263 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“I am a compulsive reader of literary novels—but this has been a terrible year for fiction that is actually readable, and not experimental. I have been so disappointed when well-known writers came out with books that, to me, were just duds. But there was one book that kept me reading, the sort of novel I can’t put down…The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry. It speaks to the fear of every parent: What if your child is a psychopath? This novel takes it a step farther. A couple, desperate for a child, have the chance to adopt a beautiful little girl who, they are told, has been abused. They’re told it might take a while for her to learn to behave and trust people. She can be sweet and loving, and in public is adorable. But in private—well, I won’t give away what happens. But, needless to say, it’s chilling.” —Gina Kolata, New York Times

“[O]n the nightmare scale, Lucinda Berry’s thriller may top the charts.” —Popular Culture Association

“A mesmerizing, unbearably tense thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder and sleeping with one eye open. This creepy, serpentine tale explores the darkest corners of parenthood and the profoundly unsettling lengths one will go to to keep a family together—no matter the consequences. Electrifying and atmospheric, this dark gem of a novel is one I couldn’t put down.” —Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author

“A deep, dark, and dangerously addictive read. All-absorbing to the very end!” —Minka Kent, Washington Post bestselling author

From the Publisher

For eager adoptive parents Chris and Hannah Bauer, getting the child they always wanted is a dream come true. But be careful what you wish for. What they always wanted comes with chilling consequences.

When abandoned child Janie is brought into the hospital where Chris and Hannah work, it’s obvious she’s experienced severe trauma, and they know raising her will be hard. Yet they can’t help but fall in love with her. But once they bring her home, things quickly start to go south. As the pair slowly starts to uncover pieces of Janie’s past, the child’s behavior grows more disturbing.

I was spellbound as I started to unravel the mystery of Janie and watch a once-perfect couple struggle to keep their marriage alive. I love when a book leaves me in chills, and The Perfect Child did not disappoint.

- Megha Parekh, Editor

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07F6C3YYL
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer (March 1, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 1, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2982 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 371 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1503905128
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 69,415 ratings

About the author

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Lucinda Berry

Lucinda Berry

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Dr. Lucinda Berry is a former clinical psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma. Now, she spends her days writing full-time where she uses her clinical experience to blur the line between fiction and nonfiction. She enjoys taking her readers on a journey through the dark recesses of the human psyche. Her work has been optioned for film and translated into multiple languages.

If Berry isn’t chasing after her son, you can find her running through Los Angeles, prepping for her next marathon. To hear about her upcoming releases and other author news, visit her on social media or sign up for her newsletter at https://lucindaberry.com/.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
69,415 global ratings
I need more!!!
5 Stars
I need more!!!
This was a great read. As a child care professional this was terrifying, but great. I cannot even imagine a child like Janie and what that family went through. My only complaint was how quickly the book ended. I NEED MORE!!
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Top reviews from the United States

Ashley
5.0 out of 5 stars Sad and intense!
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2024
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This story was hard to read at times, intense and sad revolving around children and abuse. It was well done and traumatic!
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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
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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.
24 people found this helpful
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Cess
5.0 out of 5 stars Woah! This book pulled at you in so many directions
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2024
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This was my first read by this author. It will absolutely not be my last! I didn'tknow much about the storyline, so it was surprising. At first, I felt so sad for the child.. I had a hard time pulling myself away from it. Such vivid character development! You feel as if you know these characters. I felt their anguish and sorrow. At one point, I felt bad for hating a child character as much as I did, but that’s how well the author developed the characters. I felt bad and got angry at each character at different times. It was an awesome ride. Highly recommended!!
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Stephanie
3.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the hype
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2024
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Very predictable, annoying characters, drawn out, anticlimactic ending that just cut off. I looked for the next page, but it was over. I'm like, that's it?? That was the end?? I really like Lucinda Berry, but I didn't like this one.
One person found this helpful
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Clearwater Amazonian
4.0 out of 5 stars A chilling and disturbing read that stays with you for a while.
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2019
Verified Purchase
You know those age-old sayings, "Be careful what you wish for," or "Things are not always what they seem?"

Boy, have I got a story for you. In this book, you have Chris and Hannah Bauer, an early 40's couple that have been married for about a decade. They are both medical professionals, Chris an orthopedic surgeon, and Hannah, an RN. They have a healthy marriage, nice home, friends, and high paying careers. There's just one thing missing: they want a child. Hannah has had numerous miscarriages to the point where whenever she manages to get pregnant, she doesn't even get excited anymore and expects to lose the baby anyway. She and Chris consider adopting a child.

One day, while Chris is at work, a child is found wandering the parking lot of the hospital. She's malnourished, visibly injured and disoriented. When people at the hospital examine her, the outrage builds. She has a host of injuries ranging from bruises to bones that have been broken and not healed properly. Everyone thinks she's three years old due to her size, but it turns out that she's actually a six-year old girl. Her name is Janie. Everyone feels compassion for Janie and wonder what sort of monster would do such a thing to an innocent little girl.

Janie makes the news due to the nature of her case and because her mother was killed. No one knows who did it or why. What they found at the scene was evidence of Janie being restrained in a closet like an animal. Again, who would do such a thing to a little girl?

Chris becomes Janie's doctor and fixes her improperly healed bones. He immediately bonds with her despite her severe issues; Janie is a very disturbed child. She throws fits and is obsessed with being fed; people attribute this to her abuse and accept that her behavior, while not desired is normal for a child who has gone through what she has.

Hannah eventually meets Janie and she too falls for her and since Janie has no family to take her(her grandmother is in jail and wants nothing to do with her and no one knows who the father is), they become initially temporary foster parents.

They get her home and that's when the trouble starts. She throws fits when she does not get her way(or sometimes just out of the blue), she breaks things, she urinates and defecates(she's not potty trained), she doesn't sleep, and she does this creepy thing where she just stands over them while they sleep. They learn how to deal with her due to going to child psychologists, but things get worse and worse. When it's time to start school, she deliberately does things to get kicked out; she went through several schools(hurting kids and smearing feces will do that). They get her a kitten, and well. .. you know the rest. She even says, "I like hurting people." It becomes apparent that she may be more than just some kid damaged due to abuse.

Hannah(who Janie never truly warms up to) eventually begins to face the chilling reality that perhaps Janie isn't bad due to abuse, perhaps Janie was just. . .born bad. Someone that came out of the womb fundamentally broken. By this time, the Bauers have officially adopted Janie and Chris unfortunately no matter what, is pro-Janie and absolutely refuses to entertain the notion that his little Janie is a bad person no matter how many times Hannah presents him with evidence indicating otherwise; this causes a massive rift in their marriage; Chris always takes Janie's side and makes his wife out to be the bad guy.

This is a well written book that is written in the first person and told from three points of view: Chris's view, Hannah's view, and Piper's(their social worker) view.

My only complaint was that he ending was kind of unsatisfying. I can appreciate endings that leave you speculating about what may have happened later, but this one just kind of ended.

I could keep writing, but I won't. There is a lot of material here and I don't want to fill this with spoilers.

Just know that this one stays with you for a while and it's a chilling and disturbing read.
5 people found this helpful
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CocktailsFairytales
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely amazing!
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024
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I've been wanting to read this authors books for so long, I'm so happy that I was finally able to. I went in blind with this one which I usually do so as not to have any expectations.

I wasn't disappointed at all. It was exciting and tragic and heartbreaking, and I loved every single moment of it. Looking forward to more by her.
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Luna
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read but Unfair ending
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2024
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I throughly enjoyed reading this book, and was becoming more and more invested as I read it. But the ending was poor, leaving the reader on a cliff. I was expecting her to tie up lose ends, but no. What happens to the family? What ever became of Janie?! I have questions….not a fan of the ending but enjoyed the writing style.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Anabel Plascencia
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply amazing
Reviewed in Mexico on October 25, 2023
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From beginning to end, this book had me hooked, couldn’t put it down, it has just the perfect amount of suspense and creepy factor because of how true it could be that leaves you wondering and reeling for days to come.
10/10
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Tanisa kellington
5.0 out of 5 stars another amazing read
Reviewed in Canada on July 21, 2023
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Lucinda is the only author that has ever locked me into a book to the point I actually fiend to read it. Everything she writes is amazing. As soon as I get into a new book of hers, I immediately don’t want to put it down and when I absolutely have to, I’m not happy about it. Every single book so far has not failed to amaze and also traumatize the crap out of me in the best way possible LOL. Now go get to reading her books, you will not regret reading a single one of them!
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margaret ferry
5.0 out of 5 stars Book review on The Perfect Child.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2024
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Amazing book. It informs on the complexities of social work and child protective services. Heart breaking too as everyone involved were affected by Jamie's problems.
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Manu
5.0 out of 5 stars Super Spannend Ende war etwas enttäuschend
Reviewed in Germany on January 23, 2024
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Wirklich gutes buch, klare Empfehlung, jedoch hätte ich das Ende absolut nicht erwartet, aber trotzdem klasse. Aber man sollte die Triggerwarnungen beachten
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Disturbingly and hauntingly interesting
Reviewed in India on July 10, 2023
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This is my first book by Lucinda. It was a crazy addictive ride. I couldn't keep it down and read it in one go. I didn't sleep trying to finish the book, and the ending doesn't help still.

I'll be haunted by the story for weeks.
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