I had no idea this was a spin-off to The Perfect Child (which I haven't read) and went into it blind. That might be why I found this completely flat and underwhelming despite a great premise. The characters and plot were both promising but neither delivered. I was expecting so much more.

Despite being a highly readable and engaging novella that I finished in one sitting, there was no tension, suspense, thrills or chills. I was left questioning the point of this book but perhaps those who loved original novel will enjoy the fan service.

A SEQUEL TO THE PERFECT CHILD?!?!?

I screamed when I saw this book. I STILL think about TPC and wish I could read it again for the first time. I think I might have had too high of expectations for this.

This will inevitably be pretty spoilery so I’ll go ahead and mark it as such.

The thing about the perfect child, was just that, that it was a child that was so creepy and capable of these horrific things. So, in this book, for her to be all grown up it just didn’t hit the same. We know what adults are capable of. And it’s safe to say when a child was the way this one is, she will always be that way.

Anyway, I think there was just too much packed into one little novella. I’d have loved it more drawn out. More flesh to the story. I didn’t really feel anything bc we didn’t know much about these characters now all these years later.

I know one thing for sure, I still hate Christopher. Like girl, get a divorce already.

Janie’s ending was good closure, I suppose. Still, I much prefer her creepy child self!

Fast paced…edge of your seat suspense/thriller.

Wait…that’s it? I was really getting into the story waiting for a twist or an ah-ha moment when the story ends…leaving me wanting more. Then I realize this is the sequel to The Perfect Child…so I am definitely gonna read that!

Dear Lucinda Berry-please continue this story with a 3rd book!

I’ve never read any of Lucinda Berry’s books until now, and wasn’t aware that this novella was part of a series—what a way to enter the world of these characters!

Even though I didn’t have all of the background on these characters and this plot, I wasn’t confused at all and was able to grasp what was going on quickly. Even in a short read like this, the characters were very fleshed out and I quickly got a good sense of what each of them was like. Hannah’s and Piper’s actions both surprised me, but in good ways, giving excellent depth to these characters.

My only criticism: I felt like the ending of this story was REALLY abrupt. Regardless, this novella has made me want to go back and read the other books in the series! I liked Ms. Berry’s writing style a lot, and I’m looking forward to reading her other books, even if I’m doing so in a backwards sort of way.

I received an ARC from Netgalley. I just finished A Welcome Reunion by Lucinda Berry.

Wow. Just wow. Not how I was thinking this one would go. It starts 13 years after Janie left the Bauer’s. Has she changed after being away?? Only Lucinda can tell you in this gripping read!!

Really enjoyed it. It was definitely a much needed novella to give the readers closure to The Perfect Child. I highly recommend!

Quick easy read. Short stories are hard for me to love because it all feels so rushed but overall it was good.

This short story was a very quick read. I wish I had known it was a follow up to the Perfect Child before I read it. The Perfect Child is still on my to be read list, not now I feel like I know everything.

The second part to the Perfect Child. This short story was suspenseful but the ending, ughhh. I did not like the ending. I felt as thought it was as unanswered as the first one !Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the arc in exchange for my fair review.
Spoilers?

AHHHHH!! Stop what you’re doing and read this immediately if you loved The Perfect Child! Janie is back and this is so so good! This was the perfect sequel and I’m forever wanting more

1,2… Janie’s coming for you…

Anyone else hear the Freddy Krueger song when they think about Janie… oh, wait! I mean, Hope.

In this short story sequel to The Perfect Child, @lucindaberryauthor gives us a look into where our favorite little psychopath has been for the last 11 years. Janie is 18 now. No longer a ward of the state, she’s ready to start over. New name, new look, new life! Her best selling book claims that she is no longer the angry, hurtful child that she was. But can you really rehabilitate a psychopath?

This was a fast-paced thriller that was hard to put down. The emotions were high and I appreciated the surprises that ramped up the tension.

I haven't read the original book but exposition was handled well and it all read very smoothly.

4/5 stars just because I thought the ending was a little fast. I would've enjoyed a some more dialogue. But overall it was a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley.

I didn’t realize it was a sequel and that’s probably was I was a bit confused. I want to read The Perfect Child so I can reread this and enjoy.

The sequel to The Perfect Child picked up years later when Janie, now Hope, has gotten out of juvie and written a book. Naturally, she acts like a different person and the “victim.” She comes back into the lives of her former adoptive parents. I enjoyed this sequel to see what Janie was now up to. I only wish it was longer

Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing and Lucinda Berry for an advanced copy of 𝐀 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 that comes out August 15, 2023!

This was a quick novella that I read in one sitting. I didn't find it had the same terror or excitement of the first book had but you could still feel how sinister Janie was. I would recommend reading The Perfect Child first but Lucinda Berry does a great job of summarizing the book so you could keep up with everything that has happened. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and left wanting more.

Melodramatic and super predictable. This story was also too short to have two alternating points of view. I've never read anything by Lucinda Berry before (not even The Perfect Child, which is apparently the backstory to this one) so I don't know if this is a typical representation of her work or not, but I'm not a fan at all. Piper was a semi-likable character, at least (none of the others were), but I thought that her actions at the end were pretty improbable and ridiculous. Based on the other Goodreads reviews, however, I'm obviously in the minority on this one, so take from that what you will.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me with an advance copy of this story to review.

Short, sweet, and to the point. Well, minus sweet. Lucinda Berry never writes what I expect her to, and that’s why I keep coming back for more. I’m always on the fence and debating amongst myself how I wanted her books to end. A Welcome Reunion was no different. I would have enjoyed more, as I binged The Perfect Child. However, I would have loved to see more of Janie’s manipulation, as that’s what makes her character so enticing.

A welcome reunion is a short sequel story to the Perfect Child. And it’s exactly what fans of Lucinda Berrys previous book needed. While I think she could have written an entire book around this story. It was short, sweet and to the point and we finally got a conclusion to Janie’s story.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This was a follow up to The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry. It was a quick and easy read, I really like her writing style. It gave you a glimpse into the future of everyone involved in the previous book. It answered some questions but left some new ones unanswered. I wish that it would’ve wrapped up better in the end but I did enjoy reading about these characters again. I would recommend reading it if you’ve read The Perfect Child.

Thank you to NetGally and the publishers for this ARC.

I had no idea this was a sequel to her book “The Perfect Child” until after I had finished it, I don’t feel like you need to read the other book to understand this one at all but I’ll definitely be going to read The Perfect Child now!

This was a short and tense story that I devoured in one sitting, the ending was a bit abrupt and the book could have done with being a tiny bit longer but that’s my only negative.