The Perfect Child Paperback – Unabridged, 1 Mar. 2019

Loved this book. Very twisty turny although the ending was a bit weird...

Gripping and a different read. Not a bad read at all. I can’t imagine where the writer got her inspiration from

The plot is told through the eyes of the social worker involved, Piper, and the adoptive parents of a traumatised girl child. The read is compelling, disturbing, and induces your own mind to think about what you would do in the circumstances that come about.

Its Brilliant and captivating and an non put down book definitely will read more of your books anytime i need another read☺️

I’m not sure it I would even classify this novel as a thriller or simply a harrowing ordeal at the hands of an author who apparently uses her clinical experience to create ‘disturbing psychological thrillers’. The outcome was telegraphed from the outset and the direction downhill all the way, meaning suspense is limited to the exact sequence of events and less where it is ultimately heading. Highly informative on the subject of traumatised children and the kinds of therapy they need, the novel is exceptionally emotive and despite caring little for protagonists, Christopher and Hannah Bauer, I was infuriated by their overly sympathetic behaviour even in the face of blatantly opposing evidence.The novel opens starkly with social worker, Piper Goldstein, being interrogated by the police in the aftermath of a series of horrific events which has bought the case of the Bauer’s and their adoptive child, Janie, under intense scrutiny. With the two cops clearly trying to apportion blame, choice moments of Piper’s interview regarding the adoption of her client, Janie, are set alongside the unfolding story of orthopaedic surgeon, Christopher Bauer, and his nurse wife, Hannah, in the small town of Clarksville, Ohio.Despite their failure to conceive the Bauer’s are a happily married husband and wife exploring adoption as the next logical choice. When a malnourished young girl found wandering alone in a local parking lot with a litany of old bone breakages and evidence of having been restrained is brought into the hospital where the couple work she quickly forms a bond with Christopher and he too is completely smitten. Desperate to help six-year-old Janie he is devastated by the prospect of her being placed in foster care and despite being warned that she has been diagnosed as suffering from abused child syndrome, a very blasé Christopher convinces reticent Hannah to initially foster and then subsequently adopt Janie.Far slower to warm to Hannah it is she that is left alone with Janie after Christopher returns to work and faces the toll of her anger and acting out in extreme ways and some of it does border on gratuitous. For example, surely we only need to see Janie attempt to harm an animal and not kill it to appreciate the implications. On the upside I learnt much about the behavioural traits of early childhood abuse sufferers and how they attempt to control adults by triangulating them and attempting to pit one against the other and the controversial diagnosis of reactive attachment disorder.I suspect part of the problem with Lucinda Berry’s story is that she is dealing with extremes, specifically a very highly emotionally disturbed child, unbelievably do-gooder adoptive parents, a highly stretched and underfunded child services department and a new mother suffering from postpartum depression. I did find the pace excruciating slow, especially with husband and wife both giving their perspectives on the same events and along with saintly Christopher being unwilling to see any malice in Janie and excusing all manner of alarming behaviour due to her background, there is a total lack of communication between a couple who readers are supposed to believe are previously united.I had a number of serious reservations about the set-up which made it difficult to invest heavily in the story, from the unprofessionalism that Christopher displayed toward a patient - Janie - from the off, the ease with which he and Hannah were allowed to adopt an emotionally disturbed child given their lack of experience and the fact that despite seeking help from professionals, clearly being out of their depth and several visits to the emergency ward, there was a complete lack of intervention. Over and above all this remains the fact that despite being the subject of an active police investigation and Janie’s biological mother being confirmed dead this element of the story seems to drop of the radar after the initial few chapters only to be picked up again when the Bauer’s perfect life has dropped off the edge of a cliff. Scary but strangely riveting.

This book is going to stay with me for a loooong time. I really hope there is some kind of sequel because that ending was terrible, but everything leading up to it was near perfect.We’ll just add this fiction to the many reasons why I am glad I never had kids.

A colleague of mine read this book and recommended it to me so when I saw it was on kindle unlimited, I thought why the hell not! (Not that that effects my review in any way)I read the entire book in one sitting and was hooked by the first few chapters. I liked how it was written and the chapters were short. Normally I don't like books that flick between characters but I found this one really easy and didn't get muddled up at all. I liked how Piper's side of the story was set after the incident and it kept me gripped. "This case will live with me for the rest of my life" and "Maybe it would of helped" kept me guessing WHAT HAPPENED?! I thoroughly enjoyed The Perfect Child and will be looking into Lucinda Berry's other books.I never ever look at reviews before reading a book as I don't want my opinion to be swayed by others and I'm glad I didn't. After I finished reading, I came on here to have a look what others thought and am surprised others didn't enjoy it as much as me...Both my parents and my uncle and aunt are foster parents and I have grown up surrounded by the experiences of foster care and troubled children. A lot of the reviews I read were how it's unrealistic but in actual fact, it really isn't. My uncle took in a young boy a good 10 years ago who actually done a fair few things mentioned in The Perfect Child and my own parents have had troubles of their own. My parents have fostered one boy for the last 7 years and we've definitely had our up's and down's and there's been plenty of times my mum has physically pulled her own hair out and cried for hours over the stress of it, she has to write daily reports and have a weekly check in with social workers but not once have they ever felt the need to intervene or think we're struggling (when in fact we have, and we've needed help more than once) even when my mum asked for help!To read reviews on how this book is unrealistic and social workers/professionals would of picked up that Christopher and Hannah were struggling and needed help, is unrealistic in itself. People are blind to the real life of foster carers/social workers/foster children.I personally think The Perfect Child was a brilliant, well thought out, realistic story and will highly recommend it to others. Good job Lucinda Berry.

Gripping from page one. Perfect blend of psychological observation with page turning story

Lo acabo de descubrir y es una de mis mejores lecturas

“For eager adoptive parents, getting what they always wanted has chilling consequences.”Genre:Psychological ThrillerThrillerSuspenseMysteryHorrorTropes & Themes:Foster-to-AdoptBuyer’s RemorseOrthopedic Surgeon & ER Nurse 💕Adoption ParadoxAdoption HeroExpectation versus RealityDepartment of Child DisservicesTrigger 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

What can I say, I like Disturbing books and this "Perfect" read is just that!!If you liked The Push, The First Day of Spring or If You Tell, then you will definitely not be disappointed with this read from Lucinda!!Hannah & Christopher Bauer both have thriving careers , a great marriage and cute little home.. the only thing missing to make it "Perfect" is a child to complete their family.When a mysterious little child is found disheveled and covered in blood and taken to the hospital, it doesn't take long for Christopher to become attached to this little girl and Hannah and Christopher are quickly talking about adoption , it seems too good to be true after years of trying to have a child of their own, but luck is on their side and little Janie is now legally their child.The reader takes us to the dark side of child behavior issues and I myself as a reader was frightened of this little girl , is she the devil or just pure evil ... or is it neither and all in Hannah's head.Buckle up for this one because its a bumpy ride that will keep you gripping for more and an ending that literally had my Jaw dropping !!Thanks Lucinda Berry , you always seem to find away to compel your readers to the edge of darkness with no turning back and multiple surprises !! 😉Find me on Good Reads- Another Read by Angie

What I loved:• Different perspectives: Berry masterfully allows you to empathize with both parents, despite their differing experiences with their adopted daughter.• Extreme emotions: She delves into our darkest fears and hidden thoughts, exploring human nature’s terrifying parts.• Love in all its extremes: Berry’s portrayal of love, especially parental love, is gut-wrenching, making you wonder, “How far would I go for someone I love?”

This book got me out of my reading slump! You go through a rollercoaster of emotions with this one. Unputdownable!