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The Perfect Child cover art

The Perfect Child

Written by: Lucinda Berry
Narrated by: Christine Williams, Erin Bennett, Dan John Miller
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©2019 Heather Berry. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What the critics say

"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

What listeners say about The Perfect Child

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
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    2 out of 5 stars

is there a part 2!

the story was interesting but the ending makes no sense. I don't think I recommend.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting!

I thoroughly compelling story. I like the way it was told by three different people.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Blah.

Had potential but just ran on and on. hard to get through. I wouldn't recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Is there a second book?

The ending is abrupt. I was more shocked that it seemed to end mid sentence than anything else. ?

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Meh…

I was expecting more. The story was fine, I stayed entertain. I thought the ending would leave me shook, but not really. If there is a second book, I won’t be reading it. Sorry!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Story! Ending left a little to be desired

Loved this book! Kept me second guessing things the whole time…however the ending seemed quite abrupt, left so many unanswered questions!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I was perpetually angry the whole time..

This was a hard one for me not to skip through. Everything seemed familiar as I've seen this kind of story line time and time again. It wasn't bad by any means but it wasn't unique. I was also mad at the main characters like 90% of the time for being so daft.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A fantastic listen but missed opportunity

The performances were great. The characters were equally relatable at first yet infuriatingly naive and ignorant by the end. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing as people can just suck sometimes. The biggest issue I had was the climax didn’t feel very climactic. I expected the heat to turn up a lot more than it did. Then it just sort of ended in a pit of despair. But the characters were also left in the same pit so maybe it’s a great ending?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Highs and lows

Oh my goodness! How did this book ever get its title? So many times, like never before, my hand automatically went over my mouth because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I listened to the last 4,5 hours in one sitting because I couldn’t turn it off. However, when the ending came, it had me as surprised as the rest of the book. 😢

Halfway through, I went and pre-ordered her next novel. Best new author whom I’ve read in a very long time!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Difficult story executed well but no ending

It's a heart wrenching story, written well, although the beginning is a little drawn out. It took me a while to get into it, as the real action starts at the last half of the book. But that ending, or more accurately the lack of the proper ending is just unacceptable and I am quite furious with it! It's not your regular open ending, it's a major cliffhanger, though without any next installment. Just plain stupid and shows no respect towards the readers. Later I found out that there was supposed to be an Epilog that was cut out, not smart at all. To those who would like to hear the Epilog you can find it on the author's FB page.
The performance of all the narrators was spectacular!

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