I’ve really enjoyed several of Lucinda Berry’s books in the past, but unfortunately, The Golden Child is not one of her best for me.
Ava and Bentley are siblings born just eleven months apart, but they couldn’t be more different. Ava is the family’s “golden child”—successful, driven, and headed to Amherst—while Bentley has always been considered the screwup. Then one night, Ava is driving after a party and hits the star quarterback as he’s walking along the road. She calls Bentley for help, and he convinces her to let him take the blame. After all, everyone already expects the worst from him. What follows is a web of lies that involves their entire family as they try to figure out what really happened that night.
The story is told from all four family members’ points of view, which sounded like a great setup for a psychological thriller about family dynamics, favoritism, and the lengths parents will go to protect their children. Unfortunately, I found it incredibly repetitive. We revisit the same events and conversations from different perspectives without learning enough new information to make those multiple POVs feel worthwhile.
I also struggled with how flat the characters felt, particularly the parents. For a story built around such a huge moral dilemma, I wanted to feel much more emotionally invested in this family and the choices they were making. Instead, I eventually found myself skimming because I mostly just wanted to know how everything was going to end.
And then I got to the final few pages.
Friends, I practically rolled my eyes into the back of my head. 😂 I obviously won’t spoil anything, but that ending did NOT work for me.
That said, this is a quick, accessible psychological mystery without a lot of gore or a high body count. If you’re looking for something you can fly through without having to think too hard about it, this might make a perfectly fine library read. Berry has written books I’ve enjoyed much more, though, and I’d recommend starting with one of those instead.
⭐️⭐️ 2/5 stars
The Golden Child will be published January 12, 2027.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy. All opinions are my own.
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