This is my first book by this author, but it will definitely not be the last. I will be reading the first book in the Jane Doe series as soon as possible. Jane Doe had a difficult childhood. Did this contribute to her being sociopath—that old argument of nature versus nurture? We may never know. However, Jane recognizes this in herself and seems to have learned to work within the parameters of ‘normal society’. In this, the second book in the series, Jane has quite a bit going on. Her boyfriend wants to change up things between them. One of her colleagues needs to get a better understanding of teamwork, and her niece is missing. It is interesting to have a peak inside Jane’s mind as she deals with each of these scenarios and more. Looking forward to the next installment of this series. I can’t wait to see how things progress! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I didn’t read the first book, and honestly it didn’t make a difference. This was a pretty good book. I really enjoyed Jane Doe, and it made me want to go read the first one, and more from this author

The first installment of the Jane Doe series had me captivated from beginning to end! I love Jane's character, her sarcasm and dark humor make her character truly fly of the page. And although I did fully enjoy the first novel, I feel as though the second one, while gave more depth into who Jane is and where she grew up, drove away from her almost psycho lovable nature seen in the first book. Jane appears more docile, less murderous, and more willing to start a true relationship with her boyfriend. However, as things happen, like life, Jane unsure of what she wants takes the chance to go back home under the disguise of searching for her estranged young niece Kayla. The mystery surrounding the young girl's disappearance leaves Jane to wonder if Kayla has more in common with Jane than she initially realized...like her cold piercing eyes and revulsion of other people.

As I went further along in the novel, the mystery of where Jane niece was and who she is begins to deflate. I had high hopes that Kayla would be presented as more of a psycho than Jane, leaving Jane to battle with her internal voice of whether to save the girl or get rid of her. Instead the novel took an entirely different turn and Jane showed actual compassion and a tiny bit of fear once she realized her mistake. I give this novel a 5 out of 5 rating for keeping each chapter fresh and me guessing of which one is more dangerous, Jane or her teenage niece Kayla. Can't wait until the next installment to see the conclusion between the two.

This was a pretty good book. I didn’t read the first book, but that didn’t seem to make any difference. I really enjoyed “Jane Doe” as she uncovers the mystery of her niece. I will most likely now go back and read the first book. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

I liked that the main character was different from other characters, it really made her feel like a real person. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more from the author.

I so enjoyed Jane Doe last December - I was excited to learn it was going to be a series. (Would recommend reading that one prior to picking up Problem Child.)

Stone has managed to craft a strong voice in her main character; I really feel like Jane comes alive in these pages. In this installment in the series, Jane's niece has gone missing. Ordinarily Jane wouldn't care, except she hears that the niece is like her - and she realizes that looking for a missing child will paint her in a favorable light at work.

Problem Child is a page-turner like Jane Doe, but it didn't quite live up to that one's level for me. It felt like there were too many reminders that Jane's a sociopath - in general, a little too much telling the reader, rather than showing.

I am intrigued to see where this series will go next. I can't help but wonder if the third book will see Jane (or another character!) diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. I felt like the ending to this one really set that book up well.

Recommended for anyone who wants to get inside the head of a self-proclaimed sociopath for awhile. I'd also classify this as good escapist reading during the time of COVID-19!

I do enjoy catching up on Jane and her sociopathic tendencies but this sequel is much more tamer than then first book which blew me away last year. The writing it engaging, and you will be on Jane's side but there is no wow factor. Even the plot is ho hum and doesn't have much to it. Even the twists and turns are more on the mundane side. The first half is the strongest, but as Jane confronts her past (which gives us some insight on why Jane is the way she is) and the motivation of her niece, it grows tiresome. I wanted to be shocked. That didn't happen, even with the ending that occurs on the last three pages of this tale.

This is a solid read but because Jane Doe #1 made me pump my fist in the air in glee, this second in what might become a series left me shrugging and wanting so much more.

Oh Jane, How do I love thee? Quite a lot!

You do beat all Girl!

Are you truly evil? I think not, actually. I kind of think you have misjudged yourself and I do believe there’s a heart in there.. Somewhere.

You make me laugh hysterically and smile oh so wickedly.

Your antics - they are freaking brilliant! While I have never ever had any cause to take the sort of action you do (and am not a sociopath) and would never ever in a million years do anything of the sort, I applaud you and yes, I have actually thought, BRAVO!

Let me just say that I will never look at Wind Turbines the same ever again, Baah!!!

As for ending, can I just say: Hell Yes!!

“Problem Child” was a fun buddy read with Ms. Kaceey! I can’t wait to read the next installment together!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Victoria Helen Stone for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 8.30.20.

Five stars for my favorite little Sociopath 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Oh Jane! I just love you❤️
Just when I think you couldn’t possibly shock me more, you’ve got me reeling once again.

Jane knows she’s different than everyone else. She also knows she’s a sociopath and owns it. Fortunately, she’s able to control herself (for the most part) to effectively make her way through society without attracting too much attention. Even her boyfriend thinks she’s just “different”.

Jane receives a call that one of her nieces is missing, filing it away in her mental trash-can without a second thought. She doesn’t know the girl and honestly, couldn’t care less. That is until the description of the girl stops her in her tracks. She so closely reminds Jane of herself, that this distant relative now has her undivided attention! She must find this girl...if for no other reason than to see if her niece is a younger version of herself.

I was worried I wouldn’t love this read as much as book one, Jane Doe. Simply put, I loved every single word! Giggling along with Jane right from the beginning as she “plays” cat and mouse games with everyone she encounters. Poor folks…they never stood a chance! Well played, Jane!!

Please! Please tell me there’s a book three in the works! I am already going through my Jane withdrawals!

A buddy read with Susanne that we were both howling at (ie the windmill scene).

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC to read and review.

This was such a great follow up to the first book. I was so unsure of what to expect and Victoria Helen Stone blew me away again. This is what a follow up to a wonderful thriller SHOULD be. I can't wait to see what else she does with this pseudonym!

This is the second book in the Jane Doe series and though reading them in order will probably enhance the whole experience it’s not necessary and this can be read as a complete standalone.
So we are back with Jane self-confessed Sociopath with all her many games and manipulations.
Currently working for a law firm and now settled with her boyfriend of a year Luke.
The boyfriend who has just sprung the let’s move in together conversation out of the blue totally ruining things and Jane is far from comfortable contemplating moving the relationship goalposts forward.
On top of that, she’s had a phone call off her brother's ex regarding her niece Kayla and looking at the girl’s picture Jane recognises herself in the eyes staring back at her.
Needing the distraction from Luke and his ultimatum Jane decides to head home to do some digging into Kayla’s disappearance herself.
So this is again totally from Janes POV.
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as it’s predecessor it was much slower and it did find it dragged taking a while to get around to the point.
It’s basically Jane indulging her sociopathic and narcissistic tendencies while she looks for her niece Kayla and reconnects with her past.
At the same time shes also deciding what to do about her boyfriend luke and his current expectations.
It was well written and unique just not as interesting as the first book in this series.
A shame really as with the unusual subject content this contained it could have been epic.
Still, it was a solid read and very different and I adored that last bombshell we were given what a great note to go out on.
It definitely made me want a third book from Jane.
Overall this one was an intriguing read but a lot slower pace than the first book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of problem Child.

When I first heard about this book (Jane Doe #2) I was excited. I thoroughly enjoyed Jane Doe and what I felt was the authors unique voice.
I found this follow up to be a little lacking in plot. I still enjoyed it but would like more of a full storyline next time.
Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oooh this one was creepy and super addictive!! It’s incredibly different from the author’s previous book but still good!

I’m gonna start off this review by saying if you haven’t read Jane Doe #1 then I highly recommend you go do that right now. As you can tell I absolutely love Jane Doe so when I found out there was going to be a follow on I was thrilled.
Jane Doe is a sociopath and in this book she’s out to find her niece, Kayla, who is missing. According to her estranged family, Kayla is as much of a ‘bitch’ as Jane is.

I really like the way that Stone has written Jane and she continues that on so well in this book. I thought the plot was quite unusual and not one I’d really heard of before. I thoroughly enjoyed this and it was definitely great finding out what Jane is up to in her life.

Again one of my all time favorite anti heroines. The thriller part it's not very shocking but it's a good satire about violent women. The writing is easy and it's not hard to empathize with the MC, I liked the new characters introduced in this book and can't wait for the next book in the series.

I love this series and following this utterly unique main character. Great sequel and I highly recommend if you loved the first.

I enjoyed reading several aspects of this book! The pacing was wonderful, characters were well drawn, and the reading experience on the whole was delightful.

My sincerest apologies to the author and Netgalley for my delayed review. This is an amazing book from page one until the last I. Let's get into what I liked about this read. Victoria Helen Stone knocks it out of the park again for me with Problem Child. THis is book two in the Jane Doe series if you haven’t read that then I would stop reading right here and go pick up book one. It is an awesome and quick read.

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, who has an uncanny ability to really get inside of her characters heads, shines a light on the differences between people. I have said so many times that I need a bit of a twisted book between all my romance reading and this fits that oh so well.

In this book, Jane is at the top of her game, underhandedly giving her colleague a much needed kick in the pants, and just enough rope to hang himself with at work. But she 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 the witty comebacks and loved the twist at the end. I really do hope there is a book three in this series because this was truly a fun read. Thank you again to Netgalley and all those involved in my receiving an arc of this book.

I love Jane! She's real, she's bitchy, and she absolutely loves a handful of people, in her own way. But everyone else needs to watch out. She's cold, and a true sociopath, but I can't get enough of her. Eagerly awaiting book three in my new favorite series.

I was so excited to dive into Problem Child having loved Jane Doe so much. However, this one didn't work for me for the first 3/4 of the book. Jane wasn't quite the Jane we knew and loved from book 1, I thought she came across as way too snarky, sarcastic and often just plain mean. Where was her quirky, witty side? Not sure if the author wanted to delve more into the sociopathic aspect of her personality but it made for a less enjoyable story. In this, Jane goes in search of her niece and I was confused as to why she even cared to do this. Also, all the backstory with her very unlikeable relatives was pretty boring and felt like filler. The story picked up in the last quarter and ended with a pretty good cliffhanger so I may give Jane another try in book 3.