Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

51 reviews

lazulisky's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Grief

bekahzabel's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Perfect Child is told in alternating points of view. Focusing on a couple who’s struggled with infertility, a social worker assigned to a strange child abuse case, and a seemingly innocent mysterious child.  

All the Bauer’s ever wanted was a baby. When a mysterious young girl shows up at the hospital with terrible injuries, she wins over Christopher Bauer’s heart. The Bauer’s decide to take Janie into temporary foster care, with the intentions of helping her transition and adjust to a better life. As Janie’s behaviors and past begin to unfold, things seem to get darker at every turn and crossroads. 

Boy oh boy, things got pretty dark between these two covers. Very hefty child abuse and violence trigger warnings. 

For me, The Perfect Child had me white knuckling my kindle, and salivating for the next page. Even though I guessed some of the twists, this dark tale was a great read for me. My only qualm is how abruptly it wrapped up. 4/5 stars! 🌟

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

laurenellisx's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Vomit

Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy

alreinwarth's review against another edition

Just no. This feels like it is demonizing mental illness and childhood trauma survivors. And then the brutal animal cruelty was just too much for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Confinement, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

averageawkwardasian's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Version: audiobook narrated by Christine Williams, Erin Bennett and Dan John Miller

 

Start slow and warm then gets rather upsetting towards the end. The contrast paired with the rush towards the stark ending makes the whole experience more unsettling. 

The 3-person narrative brings different perspective to the same events and added more suspense and mystery.

Certain triggers in the later part of story might be hard to stomach.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Infertility, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Confinement, Blood, Medical content, and Murder

amaranth_wytch's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Medical content

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

katelynndzindzio's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

If you have ever wondered if someone is born evil or if that is possible then Janie is here for proof. Chris and Hannah wanted nothing more than to have a happy family, as a surgeon and nurse they were the perfect parents for the problems that Janie had. Or so they thought. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

samantha_sahm_reads's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

2.75

I knew the ending by 60 pages in

Also Christopher is the worst husband ever 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

twistykris's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This is my first Dr. Lucinda Berry book and I am curious to read more, but if all of her books have a non-ending like this under the guise of a cliffhanger, then I don't know if they'll be a good fit for me.

A very disturbing book (PLEASE check the trigger warnings) filled with moments that made me recoil in horror and more that made me roll my eyes.

WHY ON EARTH would you get a cat for a seriously disturbed child who has PURPOSEFULLY injured her "friend", just because she's experiencing some jealousy over a new baby?? HUH???? And I'm sorry but,  y'all 

The ending left a lot to be desired. I can be content with a more open-ended, unconcluded ending; I am also okay with an unhappy ending. But give us ANY ending! This book genuinely feels like the last chapter was accidentally left out, or the author just gave up writing and published it.

What happened to Janie? Did the treatment facility help (I was fulling expecting for there to be some hint that she injured to killed the woman running it)? What happens to Piper and her job? Does Hannah ever find healing? Does she divorce Christopher because he is the WORST? (But seriously, HOW was this man so fucking oblivious and selfish and dismissive of Janie's problems???) What happens with Greg's lawsuit? There was some sort of hint about Piper's relationship with Christopher- was it she just had a crush on him or was there something more? That felt loose and not developed at all

There are just so many unanswered questions and the ending feels very unsatisfying and lazy.

There was zero character development and despite there being multiple POVs, there was no differentiation on who was speaking.. they were all written the same way. And the audiobook quality was just.. not good? The first narrator (the one for Piper) sounded too muffled and quiet, and the narrator for Christopher just annoyed me (only because of the character himself, not the narrator) and I just ended up reading the e-book for the majority.

Honestly, the more I think about Christopher, the more angry I get. 
I've dropped .5 more stars just writing this review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Confinement, Eating disorder, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Minor: Physical abuse and Vomit

gneumann's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this was a really tough read. i should not have read this

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Excrement, Medical content, and Abandonment

Minor: Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Medical trauma