Her First Lie (Hannah Bauer, #.5)

About two years ago, Lucinda Berry gave us a sequel to The Perfect Child — and now she’s back with the prequel I didn’t know I needed. Her First Lie pulls back the curtain on Lanie’s real mom, Becky, and the dark, tangled history of her life. I loved seeing the backstory and the moments that pushed Becky into impossible choices.

Getting to know Becky as a child — the trauma, the survival instincts, the desperate decisions — made her journey even more heartbreaking, especially knowing it all leads to Lanie. The generational secrets, the toxic “love,” and the way good intentions twist into danger make this a gripping, emotional origin story.

This prequel doesn’t just fill in gaps; it reframes the entire world of The Perfect Child and makes Lanie’s story even more chilling.