I was really excited to read “Problem Child” since I LOVED “Jane Doe”.
Compared to Jane Doe, this is four stars. Compared to most other books, it is five. It felt a little rushed, I still love “Jane” but I’m hoping the third installment (fingers crossed!) is better.

4.5 Stars - Dangerously decadent, and playfully heart-warming.

My gosh, what an exhilarating, delicious book on our kick-ass modern heroine sociopath, Jane.

Jane is one part Dexter (a socially removed, quick-witted huntress, but not the killing type), one part Heartbreakers (the perfect con artist and femme fatale in a mentor-aunt capacity), and one part Ace Ventura (in those goofy, innocent, but 'Alrighty Then' smart-ass moments). And if you liked any of those references, you will love this book. This was a feel good thriller, I came out feeling motivated and playful. That's not a common impression most thrillers leave, mind you! So I am delightfully impressed/surprised.

Jane, attorney at law, the under represented (but visibly powerful) female in the work force, takes a knee-jerk, narcissistic trip out of her under stimulating and comfortable life to track down her troubled niece's whereabouts when reported missing. The reason? Not for family honour. Not obligation. Just a searing selfish curiosity that her niece could be the splitting mirror personality to Jane. The journey is not worth spoiling, because it is a highly recommended read.

Now here's the juicy psychological reasons I love coming across books like these:

What I enjoy, is despite how uncomfortable Jane's carefree sociopathic traits may appear, her assertions of logic and justice are grossly paramount to digging up, and crudely reviving a longstanding era of passive female psychology. Jane flips the tables by inserting what is typically associated as the commonly dismissed male mindset into a female character, throws a few tongue-in-cheek sarcastic societal comments in there for good review, a couple of uncomfortable scenes of power reversal, and bang - suddenly this is behaviour that should not go dismissed. But she doesn't exploit it, exactly. She relishes and channels her powers for the greater good. What she ends up doing is using those sociopathic powers along with her evolutionary female powers of networking/bonding to thrive not just for the short term, but for the long-term as well. She's definitely a taker, and not a worrier, but certainly warm-hearted on some deep level, which makes her all the more human and relatable. She's the slice of unashamed, unworried sociopathic pie we all wish we could insert in our too-nice, too-giving, too-passive programming of what it is to be the female species, too afraid to confidently take the equal resources available to all.
Very clever writing. Self-aware character projecting to self-aware readers while they participate in wish fulfilment fantasies of representing the overworked & depreciated females. I like this author.


Let's take a defining quote of this dangerously innocent femme fatale:
"I decide to go with the harmless ' I'm just a girl ' approach to reassure him that he's in charge here"

And another:
"But I'm not the type of girl to get worried and try to fix an uncomfortable silence, so I wait. And wait. Until he actually gestures to his groin with eyebrows raised. I nearly burst out laughing, because it looks like he's politely offering me a seat on his penis. Poor Derrick. He's really not used to such a tawdry interaction."

Bonus - Wind turbines as "colossal robots marching toward and invasion, determined to defeat all the things I hate about this place". Jane's giddiness to giant robots is close to my own love of robots! I just love her playfulness.


This book was everything I could gleam from the cover, and more. I'm so glad I stumbled across it!
Now, I should grab a copy of the first in the series! Can't wait to see what lies in store for the next in series, also!

Thank you to Victoria Helen Stone, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a follow up to the Jane Doe novel and can be read as a standalone. For those familiar with the first book in the series, this narrative moves a bit slower but is just as bit as entertaining. While the first book boasted a modest amount of urgency, this storyline is measured and exhibits an interesting character arc in Jane as the reader is granted a glimpse at “everyday” life. Victoria Helen Stone delivers her unique writing style, which is minimalistic, yet powerful and perfectly characteristic for the book. Loved it. 5 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #ProblemChild, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another fantastic book from this author. Didn't take me long to devour this book. A great read. Can't wait for the next book.

Thanks to the publisher and net galley for an early release of this book.

Second book in the series loved JanevDoe as much as the first dark crude wild ride of a read.Looking forward to next in the series,#netgalley#lakeunionpublishing.

I loved and devoured the first book in this series so I was so excited for book two. However, it’s just not grabbing me. I still love the character, but this plot hasn’t pulled me in during the first 1/3 of the book so it’s moving to the back burner for now. Maybe will revisit a different time.

Man, I really enjoyed this book! I loved reading the first book, and while I was doing that, I just so happened to see a review of this book mentioning that it was on NetGalley, so I just had to request it, and I was approved, and then I just had to read it! So the timing worked out very well for me!

This book is different from the first. Obviously, because Jane got her revenge. But she was pretty single minded about that, whereas in this book, the search for her niece, it's not as pressing, plus she's juggling work and her home life. It's different, but still so enjoyable!

We got to go back to Jane's hometown, to see what she grew up around, and some stories from her childhood made me cringe, because nobody should have to live like that. And given that it was how she was raised as well as her genes that shaped her to be a sociopath, well, kinda proves my point.

I really enjoyed her investigation, and her commentary on how society views and treats women and girls. And her interactions with Kayla were so interesting, because they are pretty similar. And that ending! I heard that there's going to be a 3rd book, and if there is, I'm thrilled, because I need more!

Loved this book so much, and if we get more, I can't wait to read it!

After enjoying the first book in the Jane Doe series, I was looking forward to reading Book #2 which did not disappoint us even though we still don't know Jane's real name as in this book she is still known as Jane Doe, we do get to see where she came from and meet her family members. The book starts off with the storyline of a work colleague she has been set up to fail as he keeps stealing her credit and a talk with her boyfriend Luke who wants to take things to the next level in their relationship, when Jane gets a phone call from one of her brother's baby mamas to say her niece Kayla has gone missing. Jane being a sociopath doesn't care one bit until the baby mama mentions Kayla is like her - a cold-hearted gal. Jane is then intrigued as she has never met someone else like her and if Kayla is like Jane then Jane can use her to her advantage and mentor her. Jane heads back home and is faced with her past and some bad memories but as she gets on the hunt for Kayla she learns that her niece has blackmailed the wrong family. I have to admit I didn't really like Kayla's character as she was just a sex-crazed teenager and not much else. I was hoping for a more sociopathic type teen but really she was a girl with an ego the size of Africa and thought she could get away with everything and that sex solved all her problems. Overall this was another good book in the Jane Doe series and I am looking to see what might come next in the series and maybe one day discovering Jane's real name. For more Jane Doe adventures, check out Book #2 Problem Child by Victoria Helen Scott today.

Jane is back and instead of revenge, our favorite sociopath is seeking out her missing 16 year old niece who Jane suspects might have sociopathic tendencies as well.

Jane is fascinating. We're dropped into this unusual headspace - someone who lacks empathy and see (almost) everyone else as game pieces to be moved about and manipulated. When the book starts, she's living an everyday life, playing out little workplace intrigues and struggling with nearly having a feeling for the man she's dating. But she's bored, a dangerous thing for her to be. So she jumps at the chance to play hero by tracking down her missing niece.

It's hard not to compare this book to Jane Doe. Jane Doe is one of my favorites - a revenge fantasy against terrible men. This book falls short of Jane Doe for me, but maybe because I loved that revenge narrative so much. This feels very much like a middle chapter (and there's a solid set-up for a third book), but a solid middle chapter which reveals more about Jane's background and evolution into the Jane we know and fear today. And I am very curious to see what the third chapter has in store...

My rating would be 3.5 which I'm rounding off to 4.

I liked this book. Not as much as the first one though. In Problem Child Jane goes on a mission to find her missing niece who is supposed to be like her - a sociopath. She plays amateur detective and heads back home to do that giving insight and background to her roots and childhood.
There wasn't much of a plot in this book but I still enjoyed getting to know Jane. I wanted to know more about her, what she thinks, how she is, how she behaves and the book gave me all that. It was a quick read.

I will definitely read the next Jane Doe book!

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a Digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Problem Child
By: Victoria Helen Stone
After reading Jane Doe earlier this year, Problem Child became top in my TBR. So when I got approval to read it early thanks to Netgally I could not wait to read it in one sitting!
Job? What job I have a book to finish!
The story picks up 1 year after Jane Doe, Jane has a steady job at a law firm, her relationship with Luke has also been going well, and has a beautiful home that she enjoys. However behind the facade she gives the world she is still a sociopath, and finding herself bored with the life she has worked hard for. So when she receives a phone call about a missing niece she has never met she is curious, especially when it is implied that they are both alike. She takes it upon herself to find the mini Jane, but on the way she revisits her past.
I enjoyed this book, however not as much as I enjoyed Jane Doe’s revenge plot. Problem Child is more like an amateur detective plot to find a missing teen. Nevertheless Jane does not disappoint, she is still smart, fierce and ruthless especially when it comes giving people what they deserve because they have either wronged her or are just bad men.
The ending has a nice set up for a third book, and I can’t wait to read it, I just love the story and highly recommend it.
Thank You to NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel for an honest review

It's Victoria Helen Stone and the sequel to JANE DOE so of course it's brilliant. But I didn't love it as much. Not quite sure why - maybe I wasn't in the correct mood to feel rage? RTC.

I wasn't aware til the end of the book that I had read a few of Victoria's previous works under an old pen name. I was not as happy with this one as I had been those others. This one often loses readers in its primary storyline with its sex obsessed main character.
I did have to laugh at first because she sounded like me in the first few pages of the book but that was quickly lost by chapter 2. The book surrounds Jane, a 30 something lawyer who receives a mysterious call that her niece, 16 year old Kayla, is missing. After cinching up a great deal at work, Jane takes the time off to help search for her in her home state of OK. She soon realizes that Kayla may be caught up in an underage sex ring. She meets some shady characters through her search but they ultimately lead her to Kayla. She gets to know the girl and invites her to change her life around by moving in with her. The story is also one about broken families. Jane has never had a great relationship with her mother and father, but needs their help in the initial search. Instead what she gets is her mother calling poor Kayla a little slut, her father making rude comments...she knows they are going to be of no help whatsoever. Brother Ricky, Kayla's father, is doing another round of time in the county. He too could care less about his own daughter.
This is a story about redemption and love but again the main focus is lost on many occasions because of Jane's obsession with sex. It takes up too many of the pages.
A good read but could have been better

Problem Child.
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Thank you for the copy @netgalley :)
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Two books from @netgalley and both turned out to be spectacular. Problem Child is a gripping novel with a very unique protagonist and a dangerous story. Jane Doe is a thriving lawyer who works in an affluent firm. She has a steady job, a kind and loving boyfriend and a beautiful home. But what makes Jane different from everyone else is that she's a sociopath. She displays no emotions be it love or affection, she draws no joy in having a family but enjoys exacting revenge.
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Jane never had a happy childhoods. Having irresponsible parents, a crude brother and no friends, turned the once vulnerable Jane into something stronger. After years of abuse, she rewires her brain to protect herself. After high-school, she moves to the City and leaves behind her family for good. After cutting ties with them, Jane receives a phone call from her hometown many years later. Her niece, whom Jane has never seen is missing and she has been asked to find her. Jane almost refuses to help until she has been told that the niece is so much like her. Curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to locate her niece to see if she's a sociopath too.
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Jane's visit to hometown turns interesting as she finds her niece involved in something bigger. An old town with drug addicts, kids dropping out of school and flesh trade being run openly, Jane is determined to solve the puzzle. When she eventually finds her niece, she is now sure that they are the same. Her mind whirs as she thinks what can be done to groom the kid and work together. There's a subtle twist at the end which made me like the book a bit more. Though the story is quite predictable, Jane's character development is what stole the show. Her intense likes and dislikes, her painful past and the bright future, is something that enhances the book. The author gives us a glimpse of her life at work and how she destroys people who happen to take credit in her behalf. She's fierce and knows what she wants.
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This book is crude, I'll say that. Jane's language, attitude and thoughts are dirty but honest. Considering her character, I do believe this was needed. I recommend it.
4.3/5

Thank you so much for approving me to read this book. I loved Jane Doe! This is now one of my favorite series. Jane is the best. Comical and downright crude.

Just as thrilling and amazing as the first book. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Fast paced and a highly addictive read. I look forward to reading anything and everything else this author writes.

Jane is back, Jane is BACK!

The first 25% and the last 25% were the best bits and the rest could have been cut way down but it was still loaded with "Janeisms" and her hilarious observations. Like fries that aren't quite crispy, even those parts were still better than most stuff.

The ending of this book sets the stage for the third installment and I'll be first in line!

Thank you to Victoria Helen Stone, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Okay, this is the first book by this author that I have read. I didn’t realise there was a first for Jane - and I will go off and read it straight away. As you can see, I really liked the book. Only one thing I didn’t like - the constant ‘I am a sociopath’. I got it first time it was mentioned. I didn’t need to read it another half a dozen times - that got tiresome.
But I liked the story. Want to read more. Hope for some sort of comeuppance for Jane’s parents.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an Advanced Copy in return for an honest review.

When I got approval to read this book early, I COULD NOT WAIT to read it!

That lasted till around the 25% point.

Then, I COULD NOT WAIT for it to end!

Jane is back, but this time, she is more CRASS than she is SNARKY!

She is playing amateur detective, as she try’s to find her 16 year old niece, Kayla, who has gone missing. This storyline is not as interesting as the story of REVENGE, which introduced us to Jane, in book #1, Jane Doe, one of my most frequently recommended books from 2018!

There is a lot of “filler” about Jane’s childhood, which I found boring, and the search for Kayla drags on too long.

At about the 75% point of the book, things get interesting again, as the author sets the scene for what seems to be an INEVITABLE , Jane Doe #3.!

Jane Doe #3 seems like IT WILL BE what I was hoping for from Jane Doe#2.

I wish the author had condensed the entire middle of the book into a few chapters, and given us THAT story now! Sigh!

But despite NOT loving this book...I really do think I will like the next chapter of Jane’s story...

Thank You to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Victoria Helen Stone for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review! This book will be available on March 24, 2020!

Yes, as like Sir Elton John’s song name: THE BITCH IS BACK! But best theme song for definitely coming from Talking Heads and let’s sing the chorus together for Jane Doe: “Psycho Killer! Qu'est-ce que c'est
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better! Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away!”

This time my mash up psychopathic, sociopathic, this woman is not a regular badass chick, she is completely out of control stars swinging between 3 to 4! (I feel like I put a glass on my quija board-yes I got new one to scare those mean kids next door, shooting my video when I was performing my happy dance!- it moves between 3 to 4, 3 to 4) Okay! I rounded up to 4 stars, but I think a sequel is coming up and I’m not so sure, I’ll give high stars to the third installment. I love Jane but I also love to meet new characters of the author!

Our favorite sociopath is back, working at law office, climbing career ladder by orchestrating the best schemes could be imagined! She has a stable, regular relationship with Luke (poor, innocent, decent, patient soul has no idea that he’s dating with Dexter’s soul twin sister), not giving any heck of the blood sucker parent’s drama till she gets a call and finds out one of her brother’s child from the flock of the woman he impregnated is missing and nobody cares about to find her. At first Jane didn’t care, too. But well… as she found out, her niece is also younger mini-Jane Doe, had sociopathic tendencies, that girl grabbed her full attention!

This book is a little slower, repeating itself but good thing is we learned new ugly facts about Jane’s family history and it gave me so much reason to declare them as the most despicable, punch-able, disgraceful fiction beings!

Ending of this book was creepy, because we already have our lovely predator and now we have her mini-Doe version but unfortunately this young minion is not easy to empathize! She really gave me chills!

I didn’t get bored any second and Jane Doe’s awkward antics, way of thinking, her POV about the world and her motives always got my attention. I loved her at the first book. I still enjoyed her new adventure. But I think
I’ll stop from here. If it’s planned as a trilogy and having a surprising, vengeful ending, I’m still in! But if more books to come and more minion Does are to be introduced to us! I’ll pass!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sharing this spooky ARC COPY with me and thanks to Victoria Helen Stone to bring my one of the favorite villanelle back!