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theknitterwithabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
...I'm kidding! This child is evil.
The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry
This book was so upsetting yet so captivating. I couldn't stop reading.
If you liked the movie The Orphan, this is the perfect book for you. It has similar vibes while being quite different. The child is obsessed with the father figure but she's so much more than that.
The author has a background as a psychologist and a researcher in childhood trauma. Therefore, you get a very clinical, copy/pasted from the DSM-IV type of child. You cannot have a more perfect example of a psychopathic kid.
All characters have issues of some kind but one that stood out, other than the child, was Christopher. He is both the victim and the villain and I didn't think I could despise a character more than that.
Be careful to check TW before going in as there's some mention of abuse and a ton of gaslighting.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
emilycyr14's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Infertility and Gaslighting
victoriagfuller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse
brecken's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse
amarachireadss's review against another edition
4.25
The couple deals with taking care of this child that is not okay and has issues surrounding her past and the neglect and trauma she’s faced. Bringing this child into their home causes the couples relationship to change and leads them to do things that aren’t great. There are a lot of themes dealing with trauma, mental illness, manipulation, child abuse and neglect so be aware if you choose to read this. While I was reading the only thing I could think of was that the child should not be in a home. They should have be in 24/7 therapeutic program or something cause i would have also gone insane as the parent.
The last 10 percent of the book was crazy, a lot of things happened, were revealed and it happened too fast. It also annoyed me because I needed to know more about the child past and I had so many questions. Read this book if you like thrillers, the author was a trauma psychologist and it shows in the she wrote this book and the character interactions. I definitely need to pick up the short story because I need to know more.
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and Excrement
emama's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
callmejes92's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Moderate: Murder
knik's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Excrement, and Murder
dilani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Excrement, Vomit, and Murder
ianb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy