I am changing the way I organize a product line and I need to move some existing child listings to a new parent.
Before beginning this project, which is likely to bankrupt me if I’m not involuntarily committed first, is there a reasonable chance that the reviews earned by the children will make the move with them to the new parent?
Or do the reviews belong to the old parent?
The reviews are tied to the child ASINs and not the parent, so they should stay tied to the child listing no matter what variation group they are in. When moving the child to a new group, it can take a little bit for everything to work through Amazon’s systems, so the reviews may not show right away but should after 24-48 hours.
I wish you luck on your variation organization mission 
Thank you @MisMeliss, that’s exactly what I needed to know and now I can make my changes like the daredevil I am.
MisMeliss is correct, but had to comment because your post made me chuckle - well done, you daredevil!
BUT don’t fret if it’s longer or they don’t show.
I recently had a revision take about 3 days for the reviews to show
I had another that I had to remove and reattach the children when they hadn’t shown up at 4 days.
@submerged: Suck it, old parents!
Moving variations to a new parent.
When my kids were 16 and 17, I considered the same…
Boy children, obviously.
Girl children face the same test rather earlier, in my experience (because they be chasin’ the 16-17 year-old boys, and vice versa).
Well do I remember, pining as a child, for that magical year “13” to arrive.
Better do I remember, pining as a parent, for that horrific year “13” to pass. 
Yeah, when mine were around 12 I put them in a barrel with a knothole in it. When they hit 14 I plugged up the knothole. (respectfully borrowed from W.C. Fields)
I was a badass too, until the 8541 errors breached the moat.