“A Welcome Reunion” by Lucinda Berry is a gripping short story that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. This short story is an easy read that can be finished in one sitting. This story follows Hannah and Christopher as a child they once called their own returns into their lives. This short story will be released on the 15th of August.

Janie is a troubled child who was put in juvenile detention following poor decisions and a horrible upbringing. Upon release Janie releases a tell-all memoir but leaves out half of the ‘real’ story. Janie is that last person Hannah and Christopher want in their lives but Janie finds a way to be the center of their stressors. Secrets are shared and new revelations occur throughout this novel.

This is the first thriller novel I have read and I will be reading more of Lucinda Berry’s work. This short story is the perfect way to introduce new thriller readers to the world of thrillers.

Although this is a short story Lucinda Berry keeps readers gripped throughout, with a thrilling storyline and the same amount of shocking revelations you would find in a full sized novel. The execution of this story is immaculate and is perfectly done for a short story. This short story is a four star read for me, which is saying something as I don’t usually rate short stories so highly.

I wish that I got more from Janie’s POV or potentially a look into her thoughts and more information into her back story, however that would’ve taken away from the quick pace of this story. Now knowing that this is the sequel to the perfect child I am very excited to find out more about Janie. Nonetheless, this is a great read that I will be recommending to all.

“A Welcome Reunion” by Lucinda Berry is a gripping story from start to finish and I recommend this to any readers wanting to dive into the world of thrillers. The easy to follow thriller story along with the twists you don’t see coming are the reason I rated this book 4 stars. I thank NetGalley and Lucinda Berry for allowing me the opportunity to read this book before the release date and will be continuing to read Lucinda Berry’s novels in future.

Let me start my review by saying that I haven’t read The Perfect Child. I didn’t know when I started it, that this is basically an epilogue story to that one.
This can be read as a standalone, the author did a good job explaining what happened in the past, I never was confused about what happened.

Unfortunately I really didn’t enjoyed my time reading this one. I was so annoyed with literally all the characters, I disliked all of them.

I don’t know if I read The Perfect Child I would have liked this more. Maybe, but honestly I don’t want to find out, I really hated Janie who is the evil child in the story. And I know I’m not supposed to like her but still, she was so annoying.
She just turned eighteen in this one and I definitely don’t want to read about the things she did as a child.

I really want to say something positive about the book… but sadly I can’t. The only reason I didn’t DNF’d it, is because this was just a short story. But it felt so long and pointless.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This novella is apparently the sequel to The Perfect Child. As is becoming the norm, I haven’t read the first one 😂 That said, this little nugget packed an enormous punch and I was able to quickly get the gist of where the Perfect Child ended with the backstory cleverly peppered through.

Fundamentally, Berry explores the age old nature vs nurture child development debate. It’s pretty brutal and there are heavy (TW’s) child abuse of both physical and emotional themes throughout.

It was a gripping, terrifying and suspenseful wild ride with an ending that left me wanting for more. 4 ⭐️

Many thanks to @netgalley @amazon for an advanced reading copy ⭐️

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.