So good to be back with Jane Doe, everyone's favourite sociopath! She's settled down in Minneapolis, has a good job as a lawyer, a cat and a steady boyfriend who sort of gets her. She's working out ways to get back at a lazy colleague who takes credit for her work but apart from that she's bored. When she gets word from her home town in Oklahoma that her sixteen year niece Kayla is missing, she really couldn't care less until she hears that her niece is somewhat like her - cold, smart and calculating - and now Jane has a project to capture her interest.

While I enjoyed the first and last third of this book, the middle section felt a bit lacking in substance and sharpness. Maybe more could have been made of Jane's plotting against her colleague back at work as that was dealt with fairly superficially and it's always a pleasure to watch Jane at work destroying someone. As before, I enjoyed Jane's snarky thoughts and approaches to problems as well as her awareness of her sociopathic nature. Kayla is a new force to be reckoned with and from the ending it sounds like we'll be seeing more of her in the future. Can't wait!

Jane has a new job, she's still in a relationship with Luke, and her life is as close to normal as it can be, but Jane is bored...
So when she learns that Kayla, her 16-year-old niece who is apparently "just like her" is missing and no one seems to care, she jumps at the opportunity for an exciting adventure and decides to look for her on her own, thrilled at the possibility of encountering someone like herself.

I absolutely loved Jane Doe and delved into the sequel with the highest of expectations, but although it was a good entertaining read, I must say that it wasn't half as good as I hoped it would be.
Jane is still witty and sharp but not to the same extent as before, and the story just isn't as interesting and suspenseful as the previous one.
The middle of the book was dragging, and I found myself losing interest. 
The story does pick up towards the end, and the ending itself is a great introduction for another installment, but I was rather hoping that's what this book would have been about in the first place.
I found the subplot with her work colleague more interesting than the search for Kayla.
Either way, hopefully, the next installment will be more gripping and will save the series from going downhill.
Overall it was a fairly good read, but it didn't even come close to matching the brilliance of the first book.
I give it 3 stars and hope for a more thrilling ride next time.

Jane's back and unexpectedly in love.

While Jane doe will actually be my favourite, this was pretty good too. Am still wrapping my head round  jane and her niece being sociopath though like it runs in the family.

Jane’s deeply troubled sixteen-year-old niece, Kayla, vanished, and no one seems to care. Neither does Jane. Until she sees a picture of Kayla and recognizes herself in the young girl’s eyes. It’s the empty stare of a sociopath. And it seems only Jane cares enough to find her. 

Pretty interesting, fast paced and moving.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC copy

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

I love Jane so bad and it's interesting to see her dive into more ethically ambiguous waters- hoping to save her possibly sociopathic teen niece as an avenging angel for antisocial girls, exploring monogomy- while still maintaining her Jane shenanigans.  I would read a book about Jane at the DMV or Jury Duty (interesting!) so this was a no-brainer.  If you like stories about female sociopathic protagonists, you can't go wrong with Jane.  

Five antisocial stars.

After snagging a free copy of Jane Doe on Kindle Unlimited and finding myself totally infatuated with Jane, I was thrilled for the chance of an early read of the next book in the series, Problem Child.  Jane, a self-diagnosed sociopath and fellow bookworm, is once again out to seek sweet revenge.  Jane is estranged from her dysfunctional family until she sees a picture of her missing niece Kayla, and recognizes herself in Kayla's detached sociopathic stare.  Jane, knowing that she is the only one that can understand Kayla and willing to help, sets off on a mission to find and save Kayla from not only the dark dangerous crowd she has fallen into, but also herself.  Is it possible to find a sociopathic main character completely lovable? It is when Victoria Helen Stone writes it! Problem Child is a quick-read thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Jane is dark, disturbing, and deceptively cunning, and by the end of the book, you’ll want to be her best friend because she is just that cool.

"People are afraid of us. Afraid of the idea of sociopaths, lumping us in with serial killers and mass murderers. But I've never killed anyone. I probably never will.

Still, if they knew the truth, they'd be even more afraid. There are so many of us. We're everywhere. Sure, we're petty criminals and fraudsters, but we are also CEOs and surgeons and military bras. More than that, we are the most successful CEOs and surgeons and military brass. The very people the world admires. Why do we have success? Because we're not scared of anything, and we're willing to accept the kind of risk/reward exchange that pays off in millions. We're eager for it."

Jane Doe is one of the most original voices I've ever come across in fiction. I loved the first book so much that I've been eagerly anticipating this follow up. Problem Child brings us back to Jane and we get to see what she's been up to since the last book ended. We also get to see more of Jane's history - how she grew up, her family and things that shaped her. 

In the middle this book got a little slower for me - however I would still listen to Jane's descriptions of just about anything. There were so many moments that I laughed out loud or had to repeat something she said to a friend who already read it. And then THAT ENDING! How soon do we get the next Jane Doe book?? I'm ready right now! Also so excited to see it's been optioned for television. I think it will make a great show.

If you are a fan of Dexter or You - you absolutely need to be picking up the Jane Doe series! This is a character that will stick with you and is like no one else you've read before. 

CW: Child abuse referenced - emotional, neglect and sexual

Thank you so much to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

Jane Doe is back and she is meaner and fiercer than before. In book 2 of the series, we meet Jane’s niece Kayla. Jane hears that 16-year-old Kayla, who she is told is very much like her, is missing, possibly in a sex trafficking scheme. The news comes at what seems to be the perfect time for Jane. Her long-time boyfriend Luke wants to move to a bigger place TOGETHER with Jane and well, that kind of commitment is pretty scary for her. So off she goes to Oklahoma, where she is from, to investigate what happened to her niece and try to find her.

I enjoyed the book, but I thought the middle part was a bit too long and it didn’t hold my interest like the rest of the book. It was a bit too much Jane and not enough action. However, the beginning and the last third of the book was awesome. Jane’s niece Kayla is intriguing in a creepy way and I can't wait to find out what book 3 has in store about her.

I was very excited when I got this ARC of Problem Child because I loved the first book, Jane Doe. With that being said, I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as the first one. I loved the beginning of the book and the last 1/3 of the book. I found the middle of the book tedious to read and it finally picked up when Jane finds her niece. What I really did like was the ending of the book and look forward to the next installment. I do not want to give away any spoilers but want to say the way the book ended leaves one wanting for another book revolving around Jane Doe. I want to thank net galley for this ARC I received for an honest review.

 


.

Jane Doe is back and she is as snarky & stabby (snabby?starky?) as ever! Jane is one of my all time favorite characters, and she does not disappoint in this book (the opening scene was *chef's kiss*). She is still deeply in tune with the way society is tilted against those not in power (women, poor people, etc.) and is still exploiting those insights to work situations precisely in her favor. VH Stone does a masterful job of making Jane incredibly competent, but throwing the right curve balls and showing how she still has blind spots to keep the story engaging and suspenseful. The thematic content & character work in this were great-- I particularly love the ongoing exploration of what love actual is (emotion vs. action).
That said, I think the plot engine of this one didn't work as well for me as the first book did. While I enjoyed where we ended up by the end of the story, I wish I'd had more time with Jane stalking her prey and less time on a road trip exploring her past. 
All in all, though, still very enjoyable and I think people who loved the first book will be satisfied by this one

I started this with really high expectations but I found it slightly lacking. The best part was the sarcasm of Jane which was truly hilarious. I enjoyed the first part of the book and thought that the amazing sarcastic Jane was back, but the second half felt flat for me but thankfully the ending was interestingly good. Jane and Kayla have an interesting setup for thriller plot. 

So its been mostly mixed opinions but I will be looking forward to next installment for sure to see what happens further.

Very much enjoyed this follow up in Jane's story. 

Love her humoured sarcastic remarks and her outlook on the world.

Personally the first in the series is more readable for unputdowness but the storyline in this book takes Jane out of the city where she spent so much time in the first and introduces a whole slew of new characters.

Captivating, suspenseful, entertaining novel! This beautiful story kept me on the edge of my seat while I was reading it! Would highly recommend to those who enjoy this genre.

I have received a NetGalley copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. 
Jane’s deeply troubled sixteen-year-old niece, Kayla, has vanished, and no one seems to care. Neither does Jane. Until she sees a picture of Kayla and recognizes herself in the young girl’s eyes. It’s the empty stare of a sociopath.

I am absolutely in love with Victoria Stone's Jane Doe. She is finally back. I have the most fun reading deeper into Jane's character and her self diagnosed sociopathic tendencies. I actually do not see anything wrong with her. Yes, she is not as warm as society tells us a woman should be, but would we be that shocked if Jane Doe was Jake Doe? We probably wouldn't think twice. Stereotypes?  She just sees things as they are cutting through manipulation and bullshit. Go, Jane!

This is suspenseful, unique, creepy thriller, Jane hasn’t  felt love, or any emotion other than hatred for her abusive family. All of that changed when she met Meg, her roommate. However, when sweet  Meg became involved with Steven, her personality changes drastically. Meg went from a funny and outgoing woman to a submissive girl who accepted Steven’s cruel comments and control. Eventually, in great despair she kills herself. Now Jane tries to get close to Steven by going to work at his company. Jane becomes everything Steven wants her to be, mousy, and needy. It’s fascinating to hear Jane. The author does a great  job creating Jane ‘s sophisticated character, This helps add an extra layer of scary to the book. 
I enjoyed the thriller. I appreciated the fresh take on what could have been a very predictable book. I will definitely recommend this book to others who enjoy this genre.

The first 25% and the last 25% were the best bits and the rest could have been cut way down but it was still okay. 
Thank you to Victoria Helen Stone, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars!!! I loved it. My favorite sociopath is back. Jane doesn't sugar coat anything and pretty says whatever she is thinking. Not sure if I like the addition of Kayla. Hopefully, she will not be too much for Jane to handle. Although, I'm pretty sure Jane could handle anything thrown at her. How can you not love Jane? Yes, she loves revenge and and I would never want her on my bad side. She also "loves" her cat and Luke. Luke is perfect for her. He normalizes some of her crazy. I'm not even sure how Jane survived her childhood. Her parents and brother are simply awful. I loved everything about the book- the story, characters and writing style. Kayla might cause some problems. Actually, I'm pretty sure Kayla will cause tons of problems in Jane's life.

Definitely recommend the book. I find Jane very humorous. She has a way with words, usually four letter words when talking with her family. She is smart and tough and knows how to get stuff done. She also knows how to blend in as "normal." She's simply AWESOME!!! I'm hoping there's more books in the Jane Doe series. I LOVE her!!! I can't wait to read more mores by the author!!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC. Jane is a lawyer living her best life in Minneapolis when her brother’s ex calls to tell her that her niece has disappeared. She heads to her small town Oklahoma to find her. I enjoyed the mystery and I enjoyed hearing about OKC, Jenks and Tulsa. I don’t care how authors portray Oklahoma to be only red dirt and red necks. Good read. #problemchild #victoriahelenstone #march2020

I loved the writing style of this book. And while it definitely dealt with mature and serious parts of life, the character was quite funny.  I was kind of torn on what to rate this book.  It is fairly entertaining, but at the same time there were a lot of repeated phrases or moments.  Or overly descriptive portions of the book that made me want to just move forward.  But overall considering the deep and disturbing storyline the author was able to capture a lightness to the book as well.

After reading the first book about Jane Doe and absolutely loving it, I couldn't wait for the next installment. I love reading anything from the crime/ thriller genre and will read anything I can get my hands on. I loved the first part of the book and thought that the super bad-ass Jane was back! After this, I became disappointed, she started to become rude and sarcastic - this made me unsure of how the author actually wanted to portray the character. It made me have absolutely no emotional involvement with the character, Then, towards the end, it suddenly became interesting again and left the reader on a complete cliffhanger. I am now left wondering what is going to happen and need to read the third installment to find out!

I would recommend this book - even though a lot of the book, I feel could have been condensed.

Very much enjoyed this follow up in Jane's story. Love her snarky remarks and how she sees the world. I would say that the storyline of the first novel was a bit more compelling as it directly related to Jane's life. The storyline in this book takes Jane out of the city where she spent so much time in the first and introduces a whole slew of new characters. I did enjoy seeing her background and how she was "created" though. Either way, I am fully committed to this series. Love Jane and can't wait to see if she gets up to anything else in subsequent books!