I didn’t read the blurb on this book as was invited to read based on feedback given on a different novel and am so glad I didn’t, because it meant that I was engrossed immediately. Fast paced and intriguing from the very beginning, I read the entire thing in one day as I was immersed in the story of abducted Lena, her daughter and father. Haunting, disturbing and brilliantly written, this book deals with the aftermath of an abduction in a way I have never seen before. Packed with twists and turns, this is a book that will have you reading long into the night. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read such an impressive debut novel - this author has gone straight on my must-read list.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

What happened to Lena who has been missing presumed dead for 13 years. Lena’s father never gave up on finding his daughter ,however instead they find Lena’s children . Hannah and Jonathan who have been locked up in a cabin in the wood. They also find the children’s replacement mother Jasmine who was captured by the children’s father to replace Lena. The mystery deepens throughout this book. The author describes, the sheer persistence of Lena’s father and Jasmine ‘s terror when she has escaped. This book is a good read but at times not for the faint hearted.

Thanks so much for letting me read an early edition of this fabulous book.
I really could not put it Down and never guessed the ending.
I read lots of mystery books, but this was completely different to anything I have ever read before.
Lena i has been kidnapped and lives in a cabin in the Forest with her children.
The windows are boarded up and they have no daylight.
Lenas father is determined to find his daughter and wants to know what has happened to her.
Well done this book was excellent here’s to the next one.

4-5 stars rounded up.
This is a shocking and gripping story of abduction and captivity which goes beyond this to look at the effect of the trauma on the victims and their families. A young woman is injured when she is hit by a car, she is taken to hospital accompanied by a strange child Hannah, who says that she is the victims daughter and that the woman’s name is Lena. Is this Lena Beck who has been missing for thirteen years? Her mother Karin and father Matthias full of hope, rush to the hospital near the Czech border to identify the injured woman. Unfortunately their hopes are dashed as the woman is not Lena and proves to be Jasmin Grass who has been missing for four months and the story she tells police chills you to the bone. Her evidence leads them to an isolated cabin deep in the heart of some woods where another child, deeply traumatised Jonathan is found along with a dead body. Why does Hannah claim Lena is her mother? Why does she say that Jasmin’s name is Lena? The truth is a long time coming and is more twisty than you can imagine. The story is told in alternate storylines by Hannah, Lena/Jasmin and Matthias alternating with extracts from newspapers in particular Bayerisches Tagblatt.

One of the most praiseworthy aspects is how Romy Hausman explores the psychology behind a trauma like abduction. Each of the victims reacts differently. Jasmin suffers nightmares, shuts herself off, can’t eat and so on. Jonathan becomes almost mute the damage is so deep. Hannah is composed, almost robotic and lacks empathy and emotion. Matthias is a puzzle and you have sympathy but I can’t say he’s likeable. He uses the media to keep Lena’s story in the headlines which is understandable but then becomes apoplectic when he doesn’t like what they print. The role of the media in a story like this is examined too especially the lengths that journalists will go to to get a story and an angle.

This book is very well written with a good, gripping plot. It’s dark, scary, makes you ask many questions and has a lot of surprising and dramatic twists and turns. The end is good and feels right. Overall, a very good novel which intrigues throughout and is translated well. Recommended for fans of this genre.

Very reminiscent of Room as others have said, though less focused on life in captivity than with its aftermath, this twisty thriller kept me guessing, despite a ton of plotholes and unlikely coincidences. You just have to put the 'but why?' stuff out of your head and go along for the chilling and suspensful parts.

Dear Child by Romy Hausmann is a thoroughly intriguing mystery that kept me captivated (no pun intended here!) all the way through!

The premise is an age-old one: a woman goes missing only to be found years later with an horrific tale to tell. The problem is, she’s not telling, and can you believe those who are?

The main characters were intimately developed, and I felt vested in their wellbeing, but my favourite was Hannah. She’s such a clever girl, with a rare understanding of the (her) world and her place in it.

The themes of parental love, nurturing, abandonment and sacrifice are at the forefront of this novel but certainly not in any way you would expect. It’s heartbreaking and endearing…and then it shocks you in unexpected ways!

And if you think you have it all figured out before that last chapter – you don’t!

A brilliant debut novel from an author who is definitely on my “to follow” list.

#netgalley #dearchild #romyhausmann #quercusbooks

Omg what a book! It had me hooked from the first page, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The fear & suspense jumped out from the page and didn’t let me go until the last sentence. I slept with the light on!
The characters were believable, I loved them, was wary of them, didn’t trust them and hoped for them!
Wow just wow what a read, I haven’t read anything this thrilling in a long time. Massive well done to the author!

A great novel that I very much enjoyed. Strong.characters and a fascinating storyline make for an exciting read. Highly recommended.

I read this in a day as I was totally engrossed in it and didn't want to put it down. What appears to be a missing woman Lena appearing in hospital with her daughter takes a twist when it is revealed she's not who she says she is. Lena's dad Matthias has fought tirelessly for years to find her and he thinks he's now close to the truth, he takes Hannah his granddaughter under his wing, she's a very complex character very intelligent and totally conditioned by her father. Both Lena and Jasmine were victims of an abductor and kept locked in a cabin in the wood. But who is he and what has happened to Lena, will Jasmine recover and will Matthias find the truth. I was shocked by who the kidnapper was an unexpected twist.

This book is hands down the best book I have read in a very long time. I finished it within 24 hours as I just had to know the ending.. I have read a lot of thrillers, but none have kept me guessing as much as this one. I truly was surprised by the ending. I advise anyone, who loves thrillers, to make this the next book on their tbr pile. Hopefully there will be a number two thriller by this author very soon.!

I'm not sure "enjoyed" is the right term to use about this thriller as it is quite grim but it certainly held my attention. The narrative zips along and it becomes clear things are not as they seem. There is a twist in the tale, which you may see coming but is still shocking in its revelation. I thought this might be a Room, by Emma Donoghue clone but it certainly isn't. It has it's own style and story. Very well tod. A real page turner.

Absolutely loved this book - I was drawn in immediately and could not put it down. Initially it seemed very similar to Room but it quickly took on its own distinct storyline with its own distinct characters. A number of twists along the way (most of them believable although on occasion I definitely had to suspend belief to fully buy into it). My only real criticism is that a few of the twists or stories around the characters seemed to be taking them too far just for the sake of adding more ‘drama’ which I didn’t feel it actually needed. But overall I thought it was a great page-turner and would recommend it to any lovers of books such as Room or Gone Girl.

Two days it took me to finish this book; it is that I had to go and get some sleep otherwise I would hae finished the book in one sitting.

Since I read German books for review purposes too I was curious as what to expect from a translation in English. I tend to find German thrillers a bit bleak, serious and full of people who are constantly shaking their head.
I want to pay a big compliment to the translator of this book. Of course, Romy Hausmann wrote it, and it is incredibly good and the story and character are all her own, but the translator succeeded in keeping the original 'feeling' of the book. And yes, this book is a bit bleak too, and there is a lot of head-shaking, but you know what? It didn't matter.

I love books where the story is being told from various POV's and this one is no exception. What makes this book exceptional is that there are surprises on almost every page. What can I say? I hope Romy Hausmann is working on her next book ;-)

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus books for this digital review copy.

Firstly I would like to say thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for allowing me to read an eARC of Dear Child. I am very grateful for the opportunity. 

Thrillers used to be my go to book, I used to read nothing book this until approximately a year ago when I discovered fantasy. I know predominantly read the fantasy genre and rarely dive into anything else. I read that many thrillers during my time of reading them that they all became predictable and boring which really put me off. However, I must say I am very glad I asked to read this book because I did not regret it. 

Dear Child sent shivers to my spine throughout the duration of my time reading it. It was a really bumpy ride, a book that I could not put down. I read it within a few sittings as it was really difficult to stop reading once I started. 

I love the way that this story was told. You almost have the end scenario presented to you at the start with numerous characters then recalling what happened on the run up to these events. What particularly disturbed me was Hannah's point of view. Hannah was such a strong thought-provoking character. I just wanted to jump in and give the poor girl a hug. I think what struck me most about Hannah's character was how innocent she came across; for a young girl that had been through and witnessed so much she is so calm and collective. Such a chilling sequence of events. 

I really enjoyed the perspectives of different characters throughout the book. It really did add to the chilling experience. It helped me to build up different theories surrounding the story ... all of which I must add were wrong. I had characters that I really liked, some I didn't and some that I did not trust. There are literally so many twists and turns in this book, you sometimes don't know if you are coming and going. But this definitely adds to the excitement. I was definitely absorbed into this story and the plot and I just really wanted to know what happened. 

This is a really fast paced book, that you will not be able to put down. There is excitement just around the corner and it will take you off guard. I enjoyed (probably not the right word), but I liked seeing the trauma that Jasmin is clearly going through and how this affects her behaviour. I work with victims of crime and this is so reflective of my experiences of trauma with them. The author has definitely done her research which is very favourable for me in books like this. 

I recommend that you picked this book up. I haven't read a book that has chilled me to the bone quite as much as this has since reading Room. This is the only way I can compare it. This book isn't getting the hype that it deserves but I intend to recommend Dear Child to as many people as I can.

I nearly gave up on this book. I found it hard to get into the storyline because of the switching from past to present and the characters. On saying that I persevered and read through to the end. Don’t be put off by my remarks because it is a brilliant read with many twists and turns with an unexpected ending as to the villain. Would thoroughly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reading of this book.

Chilling from the outset!
Lena, kidnapped some 14 years previous and trapped in a grotty, windowless cabin in the woods with her two children. Never allowed out and bound to follow her husbands exacting instructions on every aspect of their existence.

Then there is Lena, the woman in the hospital bed, hit by a car on a road not too far from the cabin whilst seemingly fleeing some horror.

What is unclear is whether they are in fact the same person, searched for for 14 long years.
The story rapidly picks up pace with a full investigation into the woman, the cabin, a body and the children but things are not as they seem and the twists keep on and on, leaving you almost breathless with anticipation of the final unmasking of "Daddy".

Many Thanks to Net Galley and Quercus Books for a chance to review this book,

Gone Girl meets Room is the description given for this book and suffice to say, I was a little apprehensive going into it. I haven’t read Room; the subject matter is a bit difficult for me and probably am one among the few people who is not a huge fan of Gone Girl, I just liked it OK. And starting to read, it felt like all my fears were confirmed, a particular scene making me cringe and shudder that I had to stop reading and take a break. But then the story moves at just breakneck speed that the reader is left gaping and thunderstruck. I mean, what the??

Lena Beck has been missing for 4825 days, over 13 yrs. but Mathias Beck has counted and cursed each day and grieved for his daughter. Even when persuading themselves that there is no hope left, Karin and Mathias have hope. So, when informed about a woman named Lena admitted to the hospital following an accident, they both rush down to bring their lost daughter home. Lena has had an accident, a hit and run, the only witness her daughter Hannah, who sounds odd but intelligent and even though her appearance is of an 8-year-old girl, she’s 13. Nothing seems to be as it is, as the cops and Mathias finds out to their horror, Lena is not the missing Lena? Consequently, what is the truth and who is lying and even when the truth is out, can it be believed? The monster who abducted Lena is dead then who is sending threatening letters to Lena?

Romy Hausmann has done an extraordinary job in this thriller, keeping the readers biting their nails as Lena, Hannah and Mathias all try to muddle thru the maze and make sense of the bewildering puzzle. The opening chapter itself about likening the abductor to God, sends chills down the reader’s spine. And except for some scenes in the shack that had me keeping the book down and walking around (well, not the book’s fault obviously) I loved every part of this riveting and chilling thriller. Lena’s escape and her trauma affected me badly and then when it came to the kids Hannah and Jonathan, I really have no words. Hannah’s thought process and her practical reasoning of things are very painful to read but it was the epilogue chapter that had me cheering to the hilt and helped me close the book with a smile. Freaking Awesome!

Wow,What a book! Guessing til the very end. Heartbreaking to read at times. But I loved it. Thank you netgalley for the ARC. I will be reading more by this author. This book stayed with me long after I had finished it!

A dark psychopath thriller that keeps you guessing...
What starts as quite an ordinary abduction thriller soon has twists, that leave you questioning what you have read. When you think you have understood what has happened, another twist throws everything on it head again
Yes, there were times when it was a bit confusing as to whose voice was telling this part of story but overall a great suspense

Thanks to Romy Hausmann, Quercus Publisher and Netgalley for letting me read and review this in advance. This book is released on 14th May 2020 and available to pre order on Amazon now.

When I read that this story was somewhere between ‘Gone Girl’ and ‘Room’ I knew I had to read it as I really enjoyed both. ‘Dear Child’ definitely has the same kind of feeling as those 2 stories – if you enjoyed either of those this book is for you.

It took me literally zero time to get into this story, from the first page I was fully committed! The story switches between the different characters writing from their perspectives, beginning with a young woman called Lena who has been missing for 13 years. I know some readers don’t like this switching between characters, I personally do and the author does this perfectly in my opinion.

Full of suspense and twists, it had me second guessing certain characters. Just when I thought I knew what had happened, another twist came along and I had to pause and try and work it out again. Towards the end (on my Kindle around 90%, no page numbers,) I was confident that I had it worked out but then realised I didn’t! This isn’t just another ‘girl gets abducted’ plot it has a different edge to it.

This is the authors debut book, it is brilliant and I will definitely be watching out for the next one!