This novella was the perfect way to reintroduce Janie. What a chilling and interesting character. Berry perfectly nails what the reactions to Janie should be. Lucinda Berry is now an auto-buy author for me.

What a great sequel to The Perfect Child! It was fast paced and exactly what we have come to expect from Lucinda, a book we can't put down. Janie's story is so fascinating and intriguing. I would have loved a full-length sequel but that is because I didn't want it to end!

Thank you, Lucinda Berry, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Perfect Child and all the creepiness that came with it. It was a 5 star read for me. But unfortunately A Welcome Reunion is a perfect example of leaving well enough alone. It just wasn't up to par with the original. This was a disappointment.

I have been wanting a sequel to the perfect child but this was not it. So much more could have been done. This book proved to be a quick read, tying up some loose ends from the previous installment, but offering little beyond that.

I don’t see the purpose of this story. Lucinda's abrupt endings kill me already but this ending was just insane. I still hate Christopher. I think there could have been so more after the this ending. I think it could have been a lot longer with the potential to be a really good read.

Unfortunately, it lacked the unsettling atmosphere that captivated me in the first book. The characters felt like caricatures of themselves, and the dialogue seemed unrealistic. The second half felt rushed and did not match the natural flow of the story.

I also truely believe you should not be allowed to read this book if you have not read The Perfect Child. I saw so many negative reviews for this novella and the reviewers hadn't even read The Perfect Child and now won't because they didn't like A Welcome Reunion. I did not like A Welcome Reunion but I absolutely loved The Perfect Child. A Welcome Reunion should have never been written because I think it leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth and taints The Perfect Child.

Nevertheless, it did offer a return to a familiar tale that I loved.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

OMG Lucinda Berry knows how to write. I have read a few of her books and she always makes me feel like a psychopath is the writer. LOL....She knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat and wanting more. I just listened to The Perfect Child before this came out and HOLY CRAP did that book make me glad I don't have kids. I don't think i'd sleep again if I did. This quick novella was so good. I loved the few twists she had and how it all came together. This is a must read along with any of her other books. Highly Highly recommended this quick read.


Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t realize it was a follow up to on of Lucinda’s previous novels, but I didn’t feel like I had to read it in order to read this book which I was happy about.

I loved the shorter length book, it allows avid readers like myself a little breather from reading long novels. Sometimes when you read one book after another that has more than 300 pages each, it can get exhausting and start to feel a little like some areas in longer books could have gone with out certain details.

A Welcome Reunion really made me feel for all the characters involved. When I can get emotionally involved in a book, that is always going to 9/10 times be a 5/5 star rating for me. Feeling like I am actually a part of what is going on. Whether that is being a real fly on the wall, or feeling like I am truly looking through the eyes of the character we are reading through.

Loved it!

This is the short story sequel I didn’t know I needed 👏🏽 THE PERFECT CHILD was such an incredible read and has stuck by me since I read it a couple of years ago, but was pretty open-ended, so obviously I requested this the second I realised it was a follow up!

This was dark, chilling and to the point, packing a punch in just 82 pages. There were enough little points mentioned to refresh your memory of the previous plot line, but I would 100% recommend reading TPC first to 1) appreciate the characterisation, background and immersive plot, and 2) to avoid spoilers, as this recaps all the major points of the first book.

Although this ended pretty abruptly, this was a super bingeable, captivating + eerie short story, and I loved seeing Janie, Hannah and Christopher again— the perfect little sequel🙌🏽

[𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 @𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 (𝘐𝘎), 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩.] —— 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍🦇

Super interesting read. Made me want to pick up the book this one is a prequel to.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC

While I was excited and intrigued to read a sequel about Janie, it didn't leave me quite as shocked as The Perfect Child did. Janie is still the same manipulative sociopath she was at six years old but as an adult she is even more terrifying. The way she is able to convince people that she is changed and portray herself as the victim is frightening.
I loved the pacing of the first book but I felt like this sequel was a bit rushed and there were so many things shoved together into a short story that I think it took away from it.
Overall, I enjoyed reading and seeing how all the characters were still impacted by Janie and her actions.

Entertaining, but not needed addition to Janie’s story. While I was curious about what came after The Perfect Child ended, this short story didn’t leave the same chilling impact that the original story did. It didn’t have nearly the same eerie, suspenseful vibe. The first third felt like too much of a recap, the second third was an information dump, and the last third was a bit rushed. I would have also liked to have had more dialogue and action involving psychopathic Janie, rather than just discussions about her. A easy, quick read, but didn’t quite leave a mark.

Thank you to Lucinda Berry, Amazon, and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a great wrap up to one of my favorite books. This is the follow up that I didn’t know I needed and I was very happy with the ending. Thanks to the author/publisher/and NetGalley for the ARC

I literally couldn’t put this book down from the moment I picked it up. When their long ago adopted daughter who brought many troubles to their life suddenly returns back to town it leaves the parents wondering what to do. Is it really her? Should they talk to her? Do they want to? This book has so many twists and turns it left my head spinning and holding my breath to find out what happened! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A great novella follow up to The Perfect Child! Lucinda Berry is an auto-buy author for me so I didn’t hesitant to read this one, especially since The Perfect Child was my intro into her writing. As a former psychologist, she really nails the mental health and trauma aspects of her books. Can’t recommend enough!

An excellent follow up to 'The Perfect Child' and focuses on Janie/Hope and what becomes of her.

Creepy, haunting--Janie's sociopathy never skimps on shock value. And even in the few pages of this novella Berry drops several equally shocking twists. I was riveted and on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Gobbled it up in one sitting.

Ahh I so wanted to love this.

Unfortunately I felt this one didn't hit the mark with me when comparing to the first. Although it was quite fast paced, it felt rushed and the ending left alot of questions. I felt the communication and reactions between characters felt disingenuous compared to Lucindas usually very realistic and believable writing.

Overall I'm very glad I read this book and grateful to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC of this book! It didn't hit the mark for me however it won't stop me reading every single book that Lucinda releases!

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC! A sequel to The Perfect Child—I thought this was the perfect follow up. We get to find out what happened to Janie years after being institutionalized because of all the craziness that happened in the first book. If you liked The Perfect Child, you HAVE to read this one. It will make you angry, sad, and somehow still shock you. And I can only hope that there will be another installment…

I have been a big fan since i read “a perfect child” once I dived in that book I knew I loved this authors books. Lucinda Berry thank you for writing the sequel!

18-year-old Janie has recently been released from juvenile detention, changed her name to Hope and has written a startling memoir. She's moved back to Clarksville where Hannah and Christopher Bauer, the couple who adopted her 11 years ago, still live and they're worried about her intentions.

A creepy look at a young manipulative sociopath, well written with believable characters and a very quick read. Like other reviewers, I didn't like the abrupt finish but maybe there'll be a sequel to the sequel!

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories via Netgalley for the opportunity to read this short story. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication: August 15, 2023

This was a quick read—not too unique but enough to keep the readers attention as you follow the suspense. Finished in the same day!

I have never read any of Lucinda Berry's books. I am very happy that I did and it turns out that even a short story, it was a great book!. For me, there was a tiny bit of suspense and it kept me on the edge of my.seat. very few authors do that for me. Now I need to read the rest of her books. If you like Short stories with a bit of a thriller and mystery, then you should read her books. Its a.great book!!

I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

A Welcome Reunion by Lucinda Berry. Pub Date: August 15, 2023. Rating: 4 stars. This is a short story continuation of the author's previous novel The Perfect Child. I personally have not read The Perfect Child, but that did not deter me from being able to understand the story line and be completely engrossed into this traumatic and dark novella. This is the story of "The Perfect Child" after she is released back into the world. Family dynamics are at an all time high and this book brings the darkness and grittiness to thriller readers. The child is manipulative, violent and a psychopath. The author does a great job painting the story and leading the reader into the mind of a psychopath. Perfect for a short story for thriller readers. Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #awelcomereunion