Appetite for Innocence

Lucinda has done it again! Great read, yes a dark PT but gets your attention and can’t put it down, twists as well.

I downloaded this a while ago based on recommendations but then passed it over multiple times for other books. Turns out I should’ve started it. It was good. Yes you could see where it was going the whole time and no there weren’t any twists but it was still gripping and kept me turning the pages. Now I just have to say that I have ZERO triggers but that hanger scene had me gagging. I mean I was squinching my eyes, holding in a gag and trying to speed read through it. The pain was described so vividly I couldn’t help but imagine and feel it with her and I just could not. 🤢🤕 the mom really pissed me off. I just don’t know how realistic that was. You just got your daughter back from being kidnapped and months of torture and instead of doing anything for her you immediately go and do the exact opposite of what she’s asking?! Then she’s telling you the girl essentially helped keep her hostage and helped him with all of it and you just say you thought it’d be good for them both to live together again, all with you loving on her all in your daughters face?? I don’t believe it. I think any mom, especially one as good as she was described would do ANYTHING for the child that they got back when everyone else’s is dead. anyways it was a quick read and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is trying to decide whether to read.

How am I just finding Lucinda Berry books ?! This is my 4 th one this week and I'm hooked. This book is emotional, and devastating . Check your triggers. Then if u can, Read this book. The way she delves into all these different aspects of abuse is Phenomenal. I couldn't put it down. Definitely check the triggers , it's definitely a tough subject to read about .

Well written and probably very true to reality when it comes to these kinds of issues. Its not only easy to get into the story right from the start, but Dr. Berry grabs you from the beginning and holds on to you for the duration. The subject matter of kidnapping, child sexual assault and murder is open, aggressive, sickening and rough. Sometimes the book is hard to read because of how rough it gets. You can tell that the author has a lot of experience and knowledge in this field. TBH, I wanted the happier, storybook ending that seemed to be brewing before things went ballistic at the end. I didn't like the abrupt change to one of the main characters in the finale. It seemed to mismatch her progression up to that point. The biggest problem I had with this book is that all of the men in the book were either cold, heartless or pure evil. It would have been nice to be shown that good men do exist out there and not just the differing varieties of monsters depicted. I think a good male character would have helped the reader to heal after enduring the hell along side the protagonists. Overall it's worth reading. I will probably look for more from this author.

Interesting premise – POV switching between two teenage victims of a kidnapper/rapist. The POV of both girls switches between the past and present. Sarah Smith was John's first – first girl he took, the first girl he conditioned for his sick purposes. Problem was due to her horrendous childhood before he took her she gets things mixed up in her head and he becomes her life – her everything. She would do anything for him – including conditioning the new girls he takes and getting rid of them when he is finished. Ella is/was the latest girl taken. As with every girl that has been kidnapped and put in the celler all she thinks about is how to escape. After a while she sees that she is going to have to endure horrific things to be able to achieve that. The books start out right after Ella was taken and put in the cellar with Sarah and Paige (another girl who had been taken) giving us both Sarah and Ella's POV of that. You can see right off that Sarah is not quite right in the head but aren't sure if she is totally on the side of John or has just learned to accept her fate. The we jump to present day with Ella in the hospital – she had managed to escape and is being questioned by the police and FBI about the man who kidnapped and raped her. She is understandable in a very fragile state. We soon find out that both she and Sarah escaped and are both in the hospital. From here we bounce back and forth between past and present until the timeline catches up. The present shows us how the two girls cope with being free and the intense therapy they both start. John is not captured until towards the end of the book so one girl is in fear he will find her again and the other wants him to find her. These two girls couldn't be more different. You feel Ella's pain the most and at first struggle with how to feel about Sarah. Her past is slowly revealed and its an even uglier one than what she went through with John. But in the back of your mind you know she had a psychotic break at some point and may be irredeemable. Even though the POV is from the girls and the subject matter is very dark. This was a decent read that I found through BookBub daily deal of the day...

Was a roller-coaster read. Many ups and downs and graphic iik topics and images go through your mind with this one. Easy to read and the right amount of shock vs predictability. Another good one. Thanks lucinda 😁

This was way out of my normal read but I really good read it grabbed me from start to finish i watch a ton of true crime shows but it was well written and gave whole new perspective from the victims views from Stockholm to actual victim it was whole new view of both sides from thinking Wtf with Sarah's (Petras) side to Ella's side if this is your normal read Great book I would highly recommend 😀

Que Livro! Esta autora surgiu quando na brincadeira e por indicação de minhas filhas, fui ao Tik Tok ver reviews de livros. Apesar de ter o Tik Tok instalado há algum tempo, era completamente "analfabeta" acerca desta app ou plataforma ou lá o que seja. E se calhar até deveria ter-me mantido nessa ignorância uma vez que, depois de ter assistido a várias reviews acerca dos livros de Lucinda Berry, acabei encomendar quatro na semana passada... Na segunda-feira chegaram através da Amazon e este foi o primeiro a ler. Para fãs de thrillers psicológicos que dominem o inglês, não esperem muito mais tempo. Estes são os livros dos quais falamos quando conhecemos alguém que partilha o mesmo gosto literário. Aconselho mesmo os mais reticentes a ler em inglês, não domino a língua na escrita ou discurso, no entanto na leitura flui sem qualquer stress, para mim... "A diferença entre ler em português ou em inglês, é a mesma diferença de estarmos de férias e ficarmos perto de casa ou ir para fora."

Absolutely fantastic! This book completely captivated me from the very first page. The pacing was perfect—never a dull moment—and it kept me on my toes the entire time. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the plot twist hit...The author clearly put a lot of thought into every detail, and it paid off. A truly immersive and unforgettable read. Highly recommend!

5sterne