Saving Noah
Ratings66
Average rating3.9
Contains spoilers
So, this is hard to review. Dr. Lucinda Berry is a clinical psychologist and a leading researcher in childhood trauma. I’m an investigator who has spent the last 15 years working Crimes against Children. I have arrested more child molesters, rapist, and baby killers than I can count. But wait, the arrest comes last. Most of the time, it starts with a call from dispatch. After the initial outcry, taking the child to get an exam/STD test (if necessary), then listening to them disclose the worst moments of their lives to a stranger (forensic interview), is crazy. After that, I have to collect whatever evidence I can, and interview everyone involved. The worst part is hunting down the bad guy (which, most times, it’s someone the victim knows) then interview/interrogate them.
I have sat across from the bad guy hundreds of times as they confess to what they have done to an innocent child (sometimes while they’re smiling and/or erect). Some of them seem remorseful, many do not. A lot of them are teenagers (16-18) and they typically target the very young. I try my best to talk to them like I would anyone else, but I can’t because they’re not like anyone else. I’ve even had a few of them cry their hearts out about how they can’t control themselves and love to watch babies “booty shake in their diapers”. It was extremely hard reading “Saving Noah” and trying to sympathize with him and his mother. And although I understood what Dr. Berry was trying to accomplish, the Investigator in me was more concerned about the two little girls he abused. I wanted to hear more about them. How were they doing? Hell, I was more scared for Noah’s little sister than I was for him.
Dr. Berry did a great job showing me what happens to some of them after I’ve finished with them in court. I’ll give her that. Because I never even thought about them after that. I did not sympathize with mom for killing her son. Murder is murder. And yes, I figured dad was a bad guy too. I rated it 3 stars because it was original and thought-provoking. And another star for pissing me off. Good job Dr. Berry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!
This book destroyed me!! I will never forget the turmoil it put me through reading this. Great book though.
Sad...disturbing... can't believe I read it...hard to rate...it was 0 stars, yet at the same time a 3-4...
Simple, effective language. Gut-wrenching, character-driven story filled with empathy from start to finish. My first Lucinda Berry.
I don't know what to feel about this book. You can't even sympathize with the characters because of the nature but the story is written in such a different perspective. And the plot twist???? WOW
i'm so confused on the purpose of this book, the reaction to this book, and what exactly i am supposed to be getting out of this. i kept waiting for the moment when it would click for the mother, for her to have this epiphany that even though she loved her son she couldn't condone or excuse what he'd done but still....all the way to the end she made excuses for him even going so far as to essentially say what happened to those little girls wasn't comparable to what noah suffered in response to his crimes because “there was no penetration.” i feel like i'm going crazy like people actually like this book? and felt moved by it? it was somehow more frustrating to be in the head of this mother than in the head of her underage pedophile son. i'm going to assume that anyone rating this highly has never dealt with this subject matter in real life, and i'm thankful for that, but as someone who has...i don't feel sympathy for a pedophile, regardless of age. an underage pedophile is still a pedophile, being molested as a child by another child still has the same ramifications of a child being molested by an adult i can promise you that. all of this on top of the fact that this book is just badly written. and the “twist” at the end really cemented my hate for this book tbfh. that final pov before the epilogue emphasises how this is clearly just a bait book, a book meant to shock and gasp and appall and that is it. i have to stop getting recommendations from tiktok
Oh. My. Gosh. This book HURT.
I felt extremely conflicted and it really made me think what would I do if I were in Noah's mom's position? The answer is that I don't know. All I know is that this book truly broke my heart.
This is my first book by Lucinda Berry and I will definitely be picking up more! The character development and the fast paced plot was captivating. It also acknowledged various mental illnesses which was done well. Despite all that, I felt like the epilogue was unnecessary and the book could have been more impactful leaving off on the revel.
