Member Reviews
I unfortunately did not read the first book that went with this so with it jumping right into it. It was a bit challenging for me to know what was going on but I was still able to enjoy besides that.
For me, I could easily predict what was happening next. For someone else I think the book could easily grab your attention and have you wanting more. I would have liked to be a bit more surprised.
Thank you netgalley and Amazon original stories for the EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts.
Loved!
Great ending to this story. Or is it the ending? So much more can come out of this storyline, and we would eat it up! Janie is one evil girl. This was exciting to have a follow-up. Fantastic as always.
#Netgalley
#lucindaberry
#janie
#awelcomereunion
Wow! This short story is disturbing, dark, and intense. It's all-absorbing from start to finish with a conclusion that was completely unexpected. This is a sequel to The Perfect Child, but you don't have to have read that to enjoy this thriller. It is perfect as a stand-alone. This novella is a page-turner that will stay with me for a long time. Thank you, NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for my copy. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So, I loved the original book. It was so creepy and excellent. I was super excited to see a follow up but a short story wasn’t quite enough in my opinion. If it had been like 150ish pages it would t have felt less abrupt.
Oh me, I made the mistake of reading this before The Perfect Son, because I totally forgot the two were connected. So I loved this one, now I’m gonna have to read the other!
A Welcome Reunion is the short-story sequel to The Perfect Child. Although it’s a standalone novella, reading the first book will give you some context. Hannah and Christopher adopt a severely abused child, Janie. But Janie’s mental issues are too severe, and Janie kills Hannah’s sister by pushing her down the stairs. Now 18, Janie is released from custody, but Hannah is not convinced she’s rehabilitated. Taut and suspenseful, the sequel is a fitting end to this story! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I had high hopes for this, I LOVED The Perfect Child, this was just a bummer. I wish it hadn't been written as a short story. I love her books but this was my least fave . 2 stars
The Perfect Child left me speechless and I am so happy that I got to return to that world for a bit more closure. It was way too short for my liking, but maybe a short story might hint that another book is in the works?
Yeeeeees!! A perfect end (no pun intended) for Janie/Hope and a well written Novella from Lucinda Berry
✨️TINY TALE TUESDAY✨️
Thank you so much to @netgalley @lucindaberryauthor & @amazonpublishing
➡️ SWIPE for synopsis 👉🏼
MY REVIEW:
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This short story is very powerful, it's also very heavy. It highlights alot of issues within the adoption system and the children placed in foster care and how they act and are treated /taken care of.
How social workers are overloaded and unable to properly tend to each case to monitor them safely. It shows how people will go to any length to make abuse stop and to protect their family.
This was a great sequel to her previous book, "The Perfect Child".
*I don't condone what happened just describing the fiction tale here.
QOTD ❓️⁉️❓️ Do you think you could ever foster/adopt a child?
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First, I haven’t read ‘The Perfect Child,’ which is the origin story for this novella. Now, I want to go back and read about Janie! Even though the book is less than 100 pages, I was on the edge of my seat the entire read. I wish that this was a full novel....but I'm starting the Perfect Child now! #netgalley #AWELCOMEREUNION
Here’s Janie! A fantastic, suspenseful short thriller that updates the reader as to what happened after The Perfect Child book ended. Janie has a new memoir coming out and she is publicly promoting on television and online. A perfect sequel and ending! I thank Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Short stories are tough to rate as there usually is not enough "meat" for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this follow-up to The Perfect Child.
Janie is all grown up now, but The Perfect Child was actually more frightening as she was a little girl then. I wish this sequel was written as a novel instead of a short story to provide more time to expand Janie's entry into adulthood.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC. After reading Lucinda Berry’s “The Perfect Child”, I was super excited for this short story follow up, “A Welcome reunion”. Super quick story on life after where “The Perfect Child” ended. I thought it was interesting to get a look at what happens after, because you hardly get that with these type of thrillers. I did think the ending was abrupt, but I don’t really know how else it could have ended. I definitely wouldn’t say it was bad. I enjoyed reading it, but also could have done without it as “The Perfect Child” being a standalone.
This was a fun little addition to The Perfect Child. I felt like it helped wrap up some of the things that were left in question at the end of the first book, but it also brought about a few other questions. I almost wish this had been a full length novel. I think there could have been a lot more happening with the older Janie, and I would have loved to see it
This captivating short story is the continuation of Lucinda Berry's original novel, The Perfect Child. It plunges readers back into the traumatic lives of the characters many years later while unraveling layers of untold stories. The sequel offers some closure while diving deeper into the flawed foster system and showcasing some of the realities that children, foster parents, and social workers face.
This short story has all the drama and suspense that made the original novel so engaging. It immediately draws readers back into the storyline and keeps them engaged. I devoured this story. 4 stars!
I didn't realize when I started this book that it was a sequel to The Perfect Child, which I have not had the opportunity to read yet. However, the author does a fantastic job giving just enough background that I did not feel lost, and it could be read as a stand-alone.
The book looks at the age-old nature vs. nurture debate.
Janie has written a book about how terrible her childhood was. She puts on the appearances that she has changed and moved on with her life, but the reader is left wondering if she has REALLY changed, or if it is even possible.
My only complaint was that I wish it was longer because I didn't want to put it down. I will definitely be adding the first book to my reading list soon.
I enjoyed this quick read! I didn't see the ending coming and was genuinely shocked! Lucinda Berry did a wonderful taking readers into the characters mindsets. 10/10 and a reccomendation! Special Thank You to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.
EXCERPT: Piper - I'd lose my job if anyone knew I was here, but nothing could keep me away from this moment. Absolutely nothing. I had to see the child killer. Excuse me, the reformed child killer. Because that's who she was now.
ABOUT 'A WELCOME REUNION': Janie is the last person Hannah and Christopher Bauer want to see again.
But Janie’s moved back to Clarksville. She’s no longer the frail child Hannah and Christopher adopted over eleven years ago. The child who destroyed their lives. Now Janie is out of juvenile detention—a beautiful, confident young adult—and publicly promoting her new tell-all memoir.
At just eighteen, Janie has a violent and tragic story to share, brimming with grisly details. Details the public can’t get enough of…and that the Bauers can’t bear to relive. Janie has taken a new name and claims to have reformed her sociopathic ways. She’s ready to make amends. But when the Bauers refuse to meet with her, she takes matters into her own hands.
After the social worker formerly assigned to the case makes disturbing revelations about Janie’s calculated behavior, the Bauers brace for Janie’s next move, determined to protect their family—at any cost.
MY THOUGHTS: Holy cow! That was one hell of a read! It was five stars all the way through from me - right up until the ending, which there really isn't one. It just stops. I turned the (virtual) page and . . . nothing. I went back and reread the final page and tried again - still nothing.
I didn't realize, when I picked this up, that it was a sequel to another book which I am now going to have to find. I really loved this amazingly disturbing read right up till the last page. Now, I am just left feeling short-changed. But I'll get 0ver it. 😉
⭐⭐⭐⭐
#AWelcomeReunion #NetGalley
I: @lucindaberryauthor @amazonpublishing
X: #LucindaBerryAuthor @AmazonPub
#contemporaryfiction #crime #familydrama #mentalhealth #novella #thriller
THE AUTHOR: Dr. Lucinda Berry is a former clinical psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma. Now, she spends her days writing full-time where she uses her clinical experience to blur the line between fiction and nonfiction. She enjoys taking her readers on a journey through the dark recesses of the human psyche.
If Berry isn’t chasing after her son, you can find her running through Los Angeles, prepping for her next marathon.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing a digital ARC of this Amazon Original Story A Welcome Reunion by Lucinda Berry for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Lucinda Berry is an amazing story teller.
What an amazing sequel to The Perfect Child. I appreciated the closure on Janie. This was a short read but kept my attention the entire time. I just love her style of writing. It’s a recommend for sure.
Thank you, NetGalley and Lucinda for this ARC.