One of this year's best books. Creepy! Kept me gripped throughout. A must read for any fan of this genre.

Having loved the previous books by this author I was looking forward to reading her latest book. It’s quite a creepy storyline but as this type of book is my favourite genre I am usually quite good at guessing the outcome. Well this book had me well and truly flummoxed which is unusual for me and the sign of a great read! This author seems to be getting better and better with each book, I can’t wait to read some more of her books.

The Foster Child was an amazing, chilling read, that had me hooked and not wanting to out my kindle down!! This is the second book that I have read by this author and both books have been amazing.

I've had to have a breather from this one. I absolutely love Jenny Blackhurst's writing but i found this story too menacing and creepy for my liking.

I loved How I Lost You and adored Before I let you in, but I found the Foster Child just didn't work for me. Jenny Blackhurst is a master of intrigue and suspense, but this book was too uncomfortable for me.

If you're after an absorbing read and can cope with the dramatic nature then this is for you!

When child psychologist Imogen Reid takes on the case of 11-year-old Ellie Atkinson, she refuses to listen to warnings that the girl is dangerous.

Ellie was the only survivor of a fire that killed her family. Imogen is convinced she's just a sad and angry child struggling to cope with her loss.

But Ellie's foster parents and teachers are starting to fear her. When she gets upset, bad things seem to happen. And as Imogen gets closer to Ellie, she may be putting herself in danger...

I loved this book. It has a few major twists. I’d like to say so much more about it, but can’t for fear of giving spoilers. I would highly recommend this book. 5*

Scary and brilliant. I still have chills running down my spine. This book is amazing. I read it one sitting. It had me totally gripped from the start. It is scary and brilliant and wonderfully written. There are so many parts of the plot I did not see coming. The narrative is shared between Imogen and Ellie which adds to the suspense. Imogen is trying to work out if Ellie is responsible for the acts she is being blamed for. Is Ellie dangerous? This book will stay in my head for a long time.

this is the first book i’ve read by this author. many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

after reading the narrative for this book i was intrigued how it was going to end. whilst i enjoyed it the storyline did feel abit rushed towards the end and confused me leaving questions unanswered. however still a decent read.

Ellie hasn't had a great start in life. She lost her family in a fire where she was the only survivor. She is now with a foster family but is struggling to fit in at home or at school. Her foster sister tries to take care of her but she isn't around all the time. Sometimes when Ellie get upset, strange things happen resulting in rumours that she is to be feared- this is not helping her adjustment to her new life!

Imogen Reid returns to her hometown where she was never very happy. She has her own issues, but when she is assigned as case worker to Ellie's school and hears what is being said she is determined to protect this poor child- but is Imogen the one that needs protecting?

I had read reviews of this book describing how chilling & scary it was. That intrigued me, as an avid reader of early Stephen King I haven't had a good scare for a while! The Foster Child soon saw to that! This is a gripping read where you are on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next & mentally saying, "Don't go there/ do that!"

Definitely five stars.Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read this haunting book. I think I need something a bit lighter after it!!

What a fab story following the life of Ellie a girl within the care system and her counsellor Imogen. I enjoyed this page turner which kept me hooked till the end. Excellent writing and chapters of just the right length which is a big positive for me. A must read thriller.

Having loved both previous books by this author, I was dying to read The Foster Child. The only reason I left it this long is because I got it on NetGalley and was tricked into believing it wasn’t published until 16th November, when in fact the eBook version was published in September. I’m a fool for falling for such trickery!

So, after giving Jenny Blackhurst’s previous two psychological thrillers 5 stars, was her third book able to live up to my expectations? Yes, absolutely! I LOVED this book!

This is rather a creepy thriller. Honestly, I think I may have a phobia of children, and books like this really don’t help. There was a hint of Stephen King’s Carrie to this story, and having loved Carrie ever since watching the film as quite a young child, I happily devoured this dark and emotional tale of quirky foster child, Ellie, who was struggling to settle into her new school, bullied by other school kids, and treated rather unfairly by some adults too.

Looking back at my scribbled notes while reading this book, I’m reminded that I had a giggle at Ellie watching A Nightmare on Elm Street as a kid. I watched it when I was eleven years old while I was at my friend Sara’s 12th birthday video night. A few of us girls always watched horror films on her birthday, so there was plenty of screaming and hiding behind cushions on those nights. The reason I make a point of this is because that’s the only time I giggled, as the story became darker and more intense as it progressed. This book has actually left me feeling rather uneasy and somewhat haunted by the whole experience.

At first I was suspicious of Ellie, but then I grew to love her. Due to being able to relate to her bullying experiences, I really felt for her. Then I think I felt suspicious of her again, but also felt sorry for her at the same time. Somewhere amongst all that was feelings of tension, confusion, not knowing who to trust, shock and occasionally relief. By the end I didn’t know what to think as I was so emotionally disturbed and exhausted by all my guessing and worrying myself sick over the welfare of certain characters. This story and its characters had my mind in a spin. Ooh, don’t you love that?!

I was completely absorbed by this story and found it really hard to put down. This is definitely one I highly recommend if you love creepy thrillers and psychological thrillers. Also, if you enjoyed this, definitely check out this author’s other books, as all three are brilliant.

My take on the book was that Ellie had difficult with fire despite losing all of her family .
Imogen is a disgraced phsycologist who helps Ellie to help her or not .

I do love a creepy and disturbing psychological thriller and The Foster Child by Jenny Blackhurst fits the bill perfectly. When a child is portrayed in a book as someone evil and not to be trusted I always find the read somewhat more creepy, I think it's because children are seen as sweet and innocent you never expect them to scare the life out of you, but Jenny Blackhurst has created a character who gave me the heebie-jeebies. From the start this book made for a chilling and genuinely disturbing read that took me by surprise at every twisted turn.

Rather like the book description for The Foster Child I’m not going to go into plot details I think the vagueness of the description helped to make this book all the more thrilling as you weren't sure what to expect. From my first introduction to Ellie I wanted to believe in her and I found myself hoping that “the bad things happening” to the people who upset her were a coincidence rather than something far more disturbing. As the story progresses you can't help but feel for Ellie, a child who is bullied relentlessly and “whispered about by children and adults alike.

Malice and discord bubble away through every chilling chapter, so I found myself becoming very anxious and increasingly unsettled as the author weaved her twisted tale. I'm very impressed by the author's ability to create an atmosphere that messed with my over active imagination to such an extent that every creak, every noise in the house made me jump! The market is saturated with Psychological thrillers at the moment, but personally I think Jenny Blackhurst has done a fantastic job in making sure The Foster Child stands out, it’s highly unpredictable compelling and original. Definitely a book I would highly recommend as it kept me guessing right up to the last thrilling, heart stopping chapter.

This review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog

Fantastic read that kept me hooked right from the beginning. Such a good physiological thriller that will keep you reading late into the night. When Ellie was taken into foster care after the tragic death of her family in a house fire she just wants to fit in. With issues at school and her foster family she turns to Imogen who has been assigned to help Ellie with her problems. Imogen soon discovers Ellie is what seems part of a local witch hunt, why? What could a young girl do that scares local people so much.
It's so difficult to review this book without giving away any spoilers. I will be recommending this to my family and friends

For fans of Jenny Blackhurst.... this book is not to be missed. With twists and turns, good characters and bad, the pages keep on turning. Fantastic plot which dips into the supernatural..... or does it?
Literally loved this book from beginning to end, it's a 'must read' psychological thriller' that will not disappoint

Thank you netgalley and headline publishers for allowing me to read another by this author ,Jenny blackhurst.
Three stars cause it does hold interest and is intriguing ,did remind me of the concept of Carrie by Steven king which the character in the story does acknowledge which I liked .
Never sure sure throughout wether there is some serious telekinesis going on or something more realistic of the real world and the domestic dramas and conflicts life can cause .
I did guess which way it was gonna go and the reasons behind the path that was taken
The end adds though a clarity that was uncertain throughout .sorry to be ambiguous but hey u may wanna read it right ?
Creepy at times ,heart breaking at others for the plight of Ellie but also a weariness of who she is and what she may or may not be capable of and the contagiousness of rumour and hysteria In a small town. (less)

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Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I devoured this book in a day, could not put it down. One of the best reads in 2017

Imogen, following the death of her estranged mother, has moved back to her old house with her husband and started new employment monitoring foster children. She left her old position in child psychology under a cloud- but we don’t know quite why. On the way to their new life they have a close encounter with one of the children she is later set to monitor- Ellie. Ellie was the only survivor of a house fire that killed the rest of her family and has already has a reputation around the village as someone rather strange. This is a well written book that you quickly get into. What happened to Imogen and why the intrigue around Ellie? Short snappy chapters keep you turning the pages to find out that little snippet more of the jigsaw. A fast paced novel that keeps you turning. I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

This is my first Jenny Blackhurst book and it truly had me on the edge of my seat, at times I was so scared whilst reading that I actually wanted to put the book down but I couldn't. You don't know what to expect as there are a lot of twists in this book. The ending left me with one or two questions unanswered but maybe that was the purpose. Great writing strange characters. A must read.
Thank you to TBConFB for the copy via Netgalley.

Blackhurst takes her perfect blend of psychological intrigue and downright creepiness to a whole new level with this book. I was thrilled, chilled, terrified and enthralled. This deserves to be a huge hit.

Wasn't sure when I first started this book but soon got engrossed and it kept me guessing to the very end. Twists and turns, creepy and chilling this book has it all. Thanks to netgalley and TBC for giving me the opportunity to read this book which I can thoroughly recommend.