The Perfect Child

A Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller.

A page-turning debut of suspense about a young couple desperate to have a child of their own--and the unsettling consequences of getting what they always wanted.

Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that's missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own.

But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie's true nature.

Hannah knows that Janie is manipulating Christopher and isolating him from her, despite Hannah's attempts to bring them all together. But as Janie's behavior threatens to tear Christopher and Hannah apart, the truth behind Janie's past may be enough to push them all over the edge.

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Published Mar 1, 2019

370 pages

Average rating: 7.27

268 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Paolas_shelf
Dec 28, 2022
6/10 stars
While each chapter did keep me wanting more, WTF KIND OF ENDING WAS THAT? or I guess what kind of ending was it not? Who ends a book that way…? I feel like the author just decided to quit writing the book!
Nesie.marie
May 06, 2023
6/10 stars
The story was fine, once I started it I wanted to finish it so I could find out exactly what was going on. Parts of the book were frustrating because one of the main character’s was so blind to what was actually going on— I wanted to reach into the book and shake them. I was really sad about how two of the characters stories unfolded. All in all I’d say it is worth a read, but I wouldn’t say you’ll love it.
Katrina154
Feb 23, 2025
10/10 stars
Started reading it at 9:30 pm and finished it at 4:30 am the next day lol. Full of suspect and very much reminded me of the movie “Orphan”.
Summer1108
Jan 22, 2025
6/10 stars
Meh....a bit lackluster and predictable. I can see why others like it, just wasn't my jam.
Tdjdltc
Jan 21, 2025
4/10 stars
It was anticlimactic.

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