Once again, Jane has won my heart. While I felt the book dragged a bit in the middle, the beginning and ending sections were more than enough to make up for it. A lot of the middle section was her telling the reader again and again how sociopathic she is. I honestly couldn't tell if the author was trying to imply that she is in denial about having feelings (I hope this is not the case)? But it did get tiresome after the first few repetitions.
Luckily, Jane is at her best when she is plotting and enacting revenge on jerkface dudes, which made the beginning and end of the book much more fun to read. Based on the revelation at the end, I am crossing my fingers for a third Jane (or Jane & Kayla?) book.

Wow! Jane Doe is the ultimate bad ass! She is so manipulative and crazy but you can’t help but rooting for her because she doesn’t take any mans bull crap! I wish I hate a friend like Jane Doe lol.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.

When a high powered lawyer finds out her niece is missing, she dismisses it. She has no regard for the family of her past and has long since cut them off completely. However, when she is told that this young girl Kayla is similar to her, her interest is awakened. Could this young girl have the emotionless life of Jane? She heads off on a mission to find her and hopefully another person just like herself.

I found this novel absolutely riveting. It is so interesting to see the world through the eyes of a sociopath and the reasons she decided to do or not do certain things. The manipulation and the complete emotionless life she leads is completely the opposite of a lot of novels high on emotion.

Definitely recommend this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jane is a sociopath and a lawyer who is great at getting revenge. When she finds out her niece is missing she sets out on trip back to her hometown in Oklahoma to find her, believing she too is a sociopath.

3.5 stars.

I absolutely loved Jane the first time around in Jane Doe. I loved every step she took to get revenge on the snaky guy that caused her best friend to commit suicide. This book just wasn’t as good for me. I totally agree with other reviewers that said the middle of this book was too drawn out. We get a real look into Jane’s childhood and that honestly became boring. I think I enjoyed the side plot where she got revenge on her co worker more than anything else. This book gave me the same feeling as when I read Hidden Bodies after reading and LOVING You. Just not as good. But it does seem to be setting up for the next installment, which I will surely read.

3.5 stars

Jane is back, and she is colder and scary calculating than ever before. At times I was cheering her on, and other times, I was cringing with the length she went with her deception.

I started off fascinated and couldn't wait to find out more about Jane's niece and I was turning those pages as fast as I could till the very last page. I loved that last paragraph and what a way to end the book. However, I felt a bit let down as I think I missed the plot of the story here and didn't get much more out of Jane other than just how mean she is. It was entertaining at times but didn't feel like a developed plot. So after sharing some thoughts with my friends, I think we are in store for a fascinating character to come. I just wished it didn't feel like it took a whole book to set that up.

Traveling Friends/ Sister group read.

I received a copy from the publisher from NetGalley

I'M JUST SO HAPPY to have receive the opportunity to read the sequence of JANE DOE that my heart can take it!

I remember that when I ended the book i thought to myself: i can see a sequence happening, and be a interesting and moving story about a woman dealing with her sociopath and helping people in her own way. I didn't know that we would have a sequence until i saw in net galley and I COULD explode of happiness.

The book isn't what i was expecting, but IT'S BETTER. Jane is back and she is on fire. I loved ALL THE PLOTS, they're so in point to present not only her way to see life, but how she acts and deal with everything. This book isn't about Jane trying to save her niece's life, but is about HER as a person, as a sociopath, as someone trying to find a place in the world as who she is and present to us, readers, how is this world to her, how she feels (or better not feel), how she pretend to be like us, how she see us. IT'S INCREDIBLE. All the perspective, her POV, her way to walk around untouched.

THE END it's A MUST. I was kind of expecting this turn of events, but somehow, the way that Victoria gave to us, made me feel like i "was expecting for that, BUT OMG THIS REALLY HAPPENED LIKE THAT?????" The turn gave me chills. AND WE CAN EXPECT A THIRD BOOK???? YES????? RIGHT????

Thank you to Victoria Helen Stone, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review

When I first stumbled across the sociopath character of Jane in JANE DOE I thought I had hit the book jackpot – not only was she an interesting person who stood out from all the other protagonists in the huge sea of thriller out there, but she was also kick-ass, funny and ruthless. I was totally in awe of her determination to right a wrong done to her friend, going to extreme lengths to get revenge. Sociopath or not, I thought she also had a soft and fuzzy side, which she hid under the somewhat pragmatic view of herself as a cold-hearted, abnormal person who could not feel the same emotions as others. In short, I absolutely adored her, and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the second book in the series.

Now, after having delved into the ARC of PROBLEM CHILD with a gusto reserved for my most anticipated new releases, and finishing it way too long before publication (sometimes I just cannot resist those temptations), I've been sitting with it for a while and I'm still not sure about it. Often I find that I love the first part of a book and then feel let down by the end. Here it was the opposite. For the first 3/4 of the book I found Jane somewhat mean-spirited, sarcastic (which I normally enjoy but sometimes she crossed a line into plain rudeness), crass and a bit of a bully. Where was the soft side she showed us in Jane Doe, even if only in her feelings of affections for her cat? Sometimes I felt that the author was trying too hard to show Jane’s sociopath side, pushing it a bit over the line into unlikeable character territory for me. The interactions with her unlikeable family members were utterly depressing, as was her background story, and I would have preferred not to learn all that much about it. The story initially moved along very slowly for me, and I didn’t feel fully invested as Jane goes in search of her niece. What exactly were her motivations? Boredom? The thrill of the chase? Certainly not love for her long lost relative, she makes that very clear from the start. I was gutted that I didn’t love the book as much as I had anticipated.

All that changed at around the 3/4 mark. Suddenly it all got very interesting! I can’t really say any more without giving away spoilers, but now there was the potential for Jane to kick butt again and get her own back with some nasty people (with the help from an unexpected ally). And then came the ending - uh-oh! Now Jane has a problem. I really wished that all this had come up earlier in the book rather than the filler story I had slogged through with little emotional involvement. Now I was fully invested again I wanted more! Talk about a bookish cliff hanger!

I guess I will just have to wait for Jane Doe #3 to come out to get exactly what I had hoped for in this one. It certainly has a great premise to make a great read, and I will be lining up to get my hands on it as soon as it comes out. So even if Jane did not deliver all the goods in this book for me, she set the scene for the series to continue with a bang! I very much look forward to finding out how this will pan out – and I have a feeling that Jane may have bitten off a bit more than she can chew. Watching this space with anticipation.

This book is the love child of JANE DOE and Robert B. Parker’s EARLY AUTUMN. It has all the twisty psychological turns of the first book and the procedural beats of the latter. And the kid that’s taken on board as a result..

But this is a JANE DOE kid. So. If you’ve read the first book, you’ll have an idea.

It’s amazing. I can’t review any further without spoiling.

I was given an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

normally I try to read and review my Netgalley books close to their publication date, but with this book I could not wait. Jane Doe, released in 2018 is one of the best books I've ever read and Problem Child is also known as Jane Doe 2. Jane is back and badder and madder than ever. I loved it. I read this over one weekend. Problem Child is dark, shocking and insanely funny, the same as it's predecessor. The story is engaging and mysterious and narrated by Jane which is awesome. Highly recommend both of these books. Fingers crossed there will be a third xxx

*Thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

<b>2 stars</b>

<i>Problem Child</i> did not surpass or even come close to the same level as <i>Jane Doe.</i> I kept waiting for the crafty thrills and the smooth, sharp-witted Jane I got in its predecessor... instead, I got a very bland, unnecessary story which followed Jane again, this time on the search for her missing, and potentially sociopathic, niece.

The book started off strong but quickly turned lousy. I was looking forward to seeing what Jane was going to do next, but I kept getting bombarded with Jane reiterating how "sick" she is and how "evil" all men are, apart from her bf of course and I got fed up with it. Every character that Jane interacts with is horrible and they all seem to be either a molester, abuser, criminal or a cheater. No part of the book made me want to keep reading or see what the outcome would be, which is disappointing because of how much I enjoyed the first one. I don't remember Jane being so annoying in the first book but I grew to really dislike her in this one and I have no interest in following her journey anymore.

Problem Child is just as vulgar and insane as the first book. I missed our deranged psychopath protagonist.
Jane is such an unforgettable character; she is unique with a dark sense of humour. I loved her character development in this book. However, the storyline for the sequel didn't excite me as much as "Jane Doe" did. I found the plot quite tedious. But the ending - Wowza! It was a great read, overall. Great yet disturbing and deliciously entertaining!

Kudos to the author. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for sending an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out in March 2020 so mark your calendar, folks!

Where to find me?
Instagram: @iqrareads
Goodreads: iqrareadsbooks

Victoria Helen Stone knocks it out of the park again with Problem Child (Jane Doe 2)!!!
I loved reading "Jane Doe" last year, the female sociopath, who decides to go on a vendetta mission to avenge the death of her best friend, by bringing down the guy who drove her friend to kill herself in the most subtle way possible. This author has an uncanny ability to really get inside of her characters heads shines a light on the differences between people.
In this book, Jane is at the top of her game, underhandedly giving her colleague a much need kick in the pants, but also shows a somewhat compassionate side when her 16 year old niece goes missing and nobody around her hometown seems to care. Jane makes it her mission to teach some child predators a lesson they will never forget.
Sometimes I think Jane appeared more than a little mean-spirited, especially with unwitting strangers whom she seemingly stalked for pleasure, but overall, this was a fun, satisfying read. I loved the dialogue and wish I could think of sharp things to say like that at certain times!

One of my favorite fictional sociopaths is back and she's got a challenge. There was less focus on Jane things and more focus on what I think is building a story arc to carry into a third novel, which I'm totally cool with. I like the writing and still like Jane despite her sociopathy.

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I became a psychotic delusional fan of Victoria Helen Stone after she released the the impeccable mystery/thriller, Jane Doe in the summer of 2018. Since then, I've picked up any book I can find by her—including her last book, romantic suspense novel, False Step. Every single thing that I've picked up from this author has been a complete treasure for me. Stone's writing is marvelous and her cunning portrayal of the character of Jane in her Jane Doe series is perfection.

Problem Child is the sequel to her (soon-to-be a television series) mystery/thriller, Jane Doe. Jane's still up to her old tricks, but it's hard to keep a sociopath still! As Jane succeeds at her law firm, she gets a call from someone very unexpected—a family member. She has been disconnected from her family for years as an defense mechanism due to her brutal upbringing. Jane receives a call that one of her nieces, sixteen-year old Kayla, has been missing. Jane does not feel or understand emotion, but she is triggered when she finds similarities between Kayla and herself—is Kayla a sociopath too? Jane's intrigued and ready to find out. Will Jane be able to find Kayla and prime her to suit her needs? Time will only tell.

Problem Child is in the same dark, comedic tone that it's predecessor was and it's definitely just as thrilling. This book is definitely more political with Jane's asides and commentaries throughout the novel, but I agree 100% with what she says so I'm good with it! Without giving away any spoilers, this book will have some divisiveness between fans of the series due to the way the story is portrayed this time around, but I am fully onboard with this book completely and I'm ready for the discussions! The second book in a series is often times difficult to craft, because the author has to connect it with the their anticipated third novel, but still have it written in a way so newcomers can try to follow along. I really enjoyed following Jane's dive into her family life this time around, especially while navigating the mystery behind her niece's disappearance. The book is very easy to breeze through—I finished within the day!

The last quarter of the book really sets the tone of what I believe will be an amazing and epic third novel. Problem Child is further proof that I will read anything that Victoria Helen Stone writes—and 2020 ain't ready for Jane!

I was really excited to read “Problem Child” since I LOVED “Jane Doe”.
Compared to Jane Doe, this is four stars. Compared to most other books, it is five. It felt a little rushed, I still love “Jane” but I’m hoping the third installment (fingers crossed!) is better.

4.5 Stars - Dangerously decadent, and playfully heart-warming.

My gosh, what an exhilarating, delicious book on our kick-ass modern heroine sociopath, Jane.

Jane is one part Dexter (a socially removed, quick-witted huntress, but not the killing type), one part Heartbreakers (the perfect con artist and femme fatale in a mentor-aunt capacity), and one part Ace Ventura (in those goofy, innocent, but 'Alrighty Then' smart-ass moments). And if you liked any of those references, you will love this book. This was a feel good thriller, I came out feeling motivated and playful. That's not a common impression most thrillers leave, mind you! So I am delightfully impressed/surprised.

Jane, attorney at law, the under represented (but visibly powerful) female in the work force, takes a knee-jerk, narcissistic trip out of her under stimulating and comfortable life to track down her troubled niece's whereabouts when reported missing. The reason? Not for family honour. Not obligation. Just a searing selfish curiosity that her niece could be the splitting mirror personality to Jane. The journey is not worth spoiling, because it is a highly recommended read.

Now here's the juicy psychological reasons I love coming across books like these:

What I enjoy, is despite how uncomfortable Jane's carefree sociopathic traits may appear, her assertions of logic and justice are grossly paramount to digging up, and crudely reviving a longstanding era of passive female psychology. Jane flips the tables by inserting what is typically associated as the commonly dismissed male mindset into a female character, throws a few tongue-in-cheek sarcastic societal comments in there for good review, a couple of uncomfortable scenes of power reversal, and bang - suddenly this is behaviour that should not go dismissed. But she doesn't exploit it, exactly. She relishes and channels her powers for the greater good. What she ends up doing is using those sociopathic powers along with her evolutionary female powers of networking/bonding to thrive not just for the short term, but for the long-term as well. She's definitely a taker, and not a worrier, but certainly warm-hearted on some deep level, which makes her all the more human and relatable. She's the slice of unashamed, unworried sociopathic pie we all wish we could insert in our too-nice, too-giving, too-passive programming of what it is to be the female species, too afraid to confidently take the equal resources available to all.
Very clever writing. Self-aware character projecting to self-aware readers while they participate in wish fulfilment fantasies of representing the overworked & depreciated females. I like this author.


Let's take a defining quote of this dangerously innocent femme fatale:
"I decide to go with the harmless ' I'm just a girl ' approach to reassure him that he's in charge here"

And another:
"But I'm not the type of girl to get worried and try to fix an uncomfortable silence, so I wait. And wait. Until he actually gestures to his groin with eyebrows raised. I nearly burst out laughing, because it looks like he's politely offering me a seat on his penis. Poor Derrick. He's really not used to such a tawdry interaction."

Bonus - Wind turbines as "colossal robots marching toward and invasion, determined to defeat all the things I hate about this place". Jane's giddiness to giant robots is close to my own love of robots! I just love her playfulness.


This book was everything I could gleam from the cover, and more. I'm so glad I stumbled across it!
Now, I should grab a copy of the first in the series! Can't wait to see what lies in store for the next in series, also!

Thank you to Victoria Helen Stone, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a follow up to the Jane Doe novel and can be read as a standalone. For those familiar with the first book in the series, this narrative moves a bit slower but is just as bit as entertaining. While the first book boasted a modest amount of urgency, this storyline is measured and exhibits an interesting character arc in Jane as the reader is granted a glimpse at “everyday” life. Victoria Helen Stone delivers her unique writing style, which is minimalistic, yet powerful and perfectly characteristic for the book. Loved it. 5 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #ProblemChild, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another fantastic book from this author. Didn't take me long to devour this book. A great read. Can't wait for the next book.

Thanks to the publisher and net galley for an early release of this book.

Second book in the series loved JanevDoe as much as the first dark crude wild ride of a read.Looking forward to next in the series,#netgalley#lakeunionpublishing.

I loved and devoured the first book in this series so I was so excited for book two. However, it’s just not grabbing me. I still love the character, but this plot hasn’t pulled me in during the first 1/3 of the book so it’s moving to the back burner for now. Maybe will revisit a different time.