A review by jcpreads
The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

dark emotional sad 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

4.5

READ IF YOU LIKE:
- short chapters
- alternating POV's
- dark & twisty reads
- nature vs. nurture

MY THOUGHTS:
I have to start by saying that I really enjoyed this book despite how dark and twist it was at times. This book is written with alternating point of views of Hannah, Christopher, and Piper (Janie's social worker).

Characters within this book were both unlikable and likable - I found myself getting most frustrated/irritated with Christopher. He was far too easily manipulated/roped in to Janie's tactics and took an extremely long time to come around to the fact that she was just not nice.

If had to describe this read with two words they would be: disturbing and captivating. I could not put this one down, it was that addicting to read. I really enjoyed (but also really empathized with) Hannah's character's (un)development - I mean, she completed unraveled as the story went on and I really felt for her. 

This book covers lots of bases such as, but not limited to, the exploration of childhood trauma, mental health, parenthood as a whole, and nature vs. nurture. 

While I did really enjoy this book, I didn't love the ending. Mainly because there wasn't one? It seemed to build and build and build to just abruptly end with zero closure which left me a little unsettled especially given how heavy of a read this was at times. 

However, I would still highly recommend it to any psychological thriller lover.
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