Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

38 reviews

astoriareader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-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

5.0

SYNOPSIS

• Dr. Christopher Bauer and his wife,  Hannah, had been trying to have children for a long time, but they had come to terms with the fact that they might never be parents. One night, a young girl, Janie, is brought into their hospital's emergency room in a terrible state. 
• Janie is severely malnourished and has multiple fractures. As an orthopedic surgeon, Christopher is assigned to be her surgeon to repair her injuries. Janie is six years old, but she looks far younger. Janie quickly forms a bond with Christopher, and he feels a strong parental connection to her.
• The police are investigating what happened to Janie’s mother and to Janie. Piper, a social worker, is assigned to the case. 
• The Bauers end up fostering Janie. What could go wrong?

MY THOUGHTS

• I love Lucinda Berry, and I’ve steadily been making my way through all her books.
• This book reminds me of The Push by Ashley Audrain and Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage. Another story about a crazy child.
• Excellent writing. Told from alternating POVs (Christopher, Hannah, and Piper)
• Look into trigger warnings! There’s harm done to an animal in this book.
• OMG! I could not handle Christopher. He is an orthopedic surgeon, but simultaneously, the dumbest man alive. He has complete blinders on when it comes to Janie, and I can’t imagine a single reader likes him.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ fans of The Push by Ashley Audrain and Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage will like.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Pregnancy, Infertility, Child abuse, Murder, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness

thatnewbooksmell's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Medical content, Death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Animal death, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

hollyyym's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Animal cruelty, Torture, Child abuse, Confinement, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, War, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Vomit

Moderate: Medical trauma, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Medical content, and Domestic abuse

astralfeline's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

Really enjoyed this book. It was disturbing in a way that I haven't seen in other books (though I haven't read a ton of thriller so idk if thats just my experience). Also listened to the audiobook as I read and the narrators did a great job. It definitely kept me engaged and I didn't want to put it down. I was a bit disappointed with the ending because it felt a little anti-climactic though, it felt like it didn't really have closure in the story it just sort of ended so Idk how to feel about it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Medical content, Excrement, Pregnancy, and Animal death

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death, and Abandonment

Minor: Miscarriage, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Physical abuse, and Body horror

lish02's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, Death, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexual violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Animal cruelty, and Addiction

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

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

amaranth_wytch's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

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

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

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

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

Moderate: Medical content, Abandonment, and Excrement

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

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

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

3.5

I liked a lot about this one and hybrid reading it (audio and on kindle) really added to the experience and made me feel more immersed in the story. I don't think the writing was the best ever but the story in general kept me wanting to know what happened. The very end did me very dirty though. if you know you know. Now I'm gonna start the companion novella to this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Miscarriage, Self harm, Confinement, Physical abuse, Ableism, Body horror, Abandonment, Infertility, Mental illness, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Excrement, Medical content, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Sexual content, Addiction, and Alcohol