An excellent read. Did sort of guess where this was going but didn't spoil the story at all. I felt really sorry for Ellie as well as being creeped out along the way. Will definitely look for more by this author.

Wow! This book had me gripped from the very start! The story follows Imogen, a child psychologist and her involvement with Ellie, a child who lost her family in a fire and who is now in foster care.
A brilliant plot that's very well written, full of twists and turns to the very end.
This psychological thriller left me chilled to the bone, it is disturbing, scary and full of suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed it and fully recommend.
I am sure it will become a best seller!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in return for an honest review.

Started off well, but I'm afraid by the end of the book, it had lost credence for me.

It is not often that a book leaves me lost for words but this one certainly did. The writing was sublime and left me feeling uncomfortable from beginning to end. The story of Ellie and Imogen and of the bad things that seemed to happen when they were around left me chilled to the bone. I don't want to say a lot more as It might give the game away - just wow!

Thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book as an arc.
I loved the author's first two books and although I really enjoyed this one, my favourite is still her second book Before I Let You In.
This book follows child psychologist Imogen who is involved with the case of foster child Ellie. Bad things happen to people close to Ellie and many believe she has paranormal powers to harm others, in fact Imogen's husband refers to her as Carrie White at one point. Poor Ellie is tormented by bullies at school and Imogen can identify with her due to the neglect she suffered at the hands of her mother.
This is a real rollercoaster of a story, the reader's perceptions of the characters change as their backstories and motivations are revealed.
Very enjoyable psychological thriller and also a sad read which examines the plight of neglected children and those who go through the care system. Would certainly recommend.

this book was amazing i loved it ive read all of jennys other stories and i loved them but this book will stay with me for a long time wow how much heartbreak and twists can you put into one book reading this book was like riding a rollercoaster you get on and you are flying threw the twists and turns and you just cant stop reading you just cant get off the ride....amazing.... i found this book really spooky and kept you on the edge of your seat this book was so chilling i had goose bumps this book will be a best seller and it defenitly deserves it

An absolutely chilling thriller, this had me gripped form the first page and I couldn't put it down. This was genuinely scary full of twists and turns Amazingly creepy, one of the best psychological thrillers I've read!

What a page turner! A gripping read indeed! This story kept me on my toes, trying to work out what on earth was going on with the foster child! Intense and totally gripping I couldn't work out the ending and it wax a good one! I would certainly recommend this book and will be looking to read more of the authors books.

Great book. I was a little confused at first and it took a little while for it to get going for me but once it did I couldn't put it down. Takes you in all sorts of directions until you don't know who or what you believe any more. Great storyline, liked the way all the characters were portrayed, even when some of them are not that likeable, and love the author's style of writing. I definitely think it's a story to keep your interest throughout and highly recommend it.

A wow book only comes along every so often and this is most definitely one of those times. The build up and suspense is off the scale, one minute you have it sussed and the next minute you have no idea who to believe and what path to follow. The end is no exception with an absolutely mind blowing twist. It is a book I didn't want to finish thank you for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. I only ever read psychological thrillers and have become a master at figuring out plot twists. Not with this book, which I relished.

I loved both of Jenny's other two books, but in this one, you can feel her confidence growing as a writer, which is fabulous to experience.

Highly recommended.

This is a cleverly written darkly twisted read but I also found the storyline amusing until the final twist on the very last page had me questioning just how much of a victim Ellie really is.

I love Jenny Blackhurst's books and have read 'Before I Let You In' and 'How I Lost You,' so I was super excited when Netgalley approved my request for 'The Foster Child.' Settling down for a familiar dose of Blackhurst's brilliant characterisation and compelling narrative, I was immediately surprised at how different this book is to her previous ones. In saying that however, I found 'The Foster Child' refreshing, compelling, full of suspense and unexpected twists and turns and thoroughly enjoyable. I've read so much in this genre recently and am getting adept at guessing twists and endings but with this one, just as I congratulated myself smugly that I had guessed what was going on, the book turned on its head and led me down a different path entirely. What this succeeded in doing was hooking me in, right up to the very last word.
Without spoilers, here is a brief synopsis. When the main Protagonist, Imogen loses her job as a child psychologist for caring too much and going above and beyond the call of duty, she decides to have a fresh start and she and her husband Dan, move back to her childhood home which her deceased mother gifted In her will. As we learn more about Imogen's relationship with her mother, it unravels an interesting back story about the mother/daughter relationship and fits in perfectly with the themes and motifs weaved into this plot so cleverly. These themes are authentically and convincingly written and are fine tuned without cliche and with great care and attention to detail.
So as Imogen secures a 'lesser job' in her old home town, she is determined that this time, she won't get too involved and 'just do her job,' without drama. However, this is of course immediately scuppered when, she is given 'problem foster child, Ellie' as one of her cases.. As Imogen starts to ask questions of Ellie and those around her, she soon uncovers an apparent 'witch hunt' against foster child Ellie, and incensed by this, vows to stand up for her. However despite Imogen's insistence that the treatment of Ellie is unfair, Ellie's foster mother, teachers and school friends continue to believe she is evil. They insist Ellie is causing mayhem through telekenisis, thus making horrible things happen to people who have crossed her. Horrified by this blatant bullying of an innocent chikd, Imogen pushes on against her better judgement and unravels a nasty can of worms ( or spiders). The cause and effect of this interference by Imogen and the close relationship she begins to share with Ellie, taints Imogen's life, health and well being.
As the tension and terror escalates, Imogen puts her job at risk, pushing professional boundaries as well as those of her marriage. We also discover the secrets Imogen has fought to keep buried for so long both past and present. I don't want to say anymore about the plot than this, because I want you to be as surprised and delighted as I was as I huddled under my duvet until 3am this morning, desperate to get to the end. I also have to say this book was very creepy at times, laced with a slab of darkness and a sprinkling of goose bumps so be warned if you're reading alone late into the night like I was!
This new novel is a brave change of direction for Jenny Blackhurst and one which she pulls off effortlessly. The narrative and characterisation pull you in immediately and I became so engrossed in the characters, I was quite sad to see them go when I finished the book. Although the novel was scary, surprising, sad, funny and poignant all at the same time, it was addictive and beautifully written. All of the above is a great achievement and hard to pull off, particularly in the modern world we live in, where nothing surprises us anymore, and where often the news is more shocking than fiction.
In addition to this, the fiction and particularly the psychological thriller market seems currently saturated by similar storylines and copycat versions of 'Girl on the train or 'Gone girl. So I am delighted to say that 'The Foster Child' felt like a breath of fresh air and a much needed diversion. I can't wait to see what Jenny Blackhurst does for her next novel but rest assured I will be queuing up to get my hands on a copy,
In summary, I would thoroughly recommend this book particularly if you enjoy a page turning read and want something that will keep you interested. I am a huge fan of Jenny's writing and this book is her best yet.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book, had me hooked from the first few pages. I was conflicted whether to feel sorry for Ellie or fear her, and in my opinion that made for great reading!

Wow well that was creepy as all heck. Love it.

The Foster Child focuses in on Imogen, a disgraced psychologist with problems of her own, who takes on the case of Ellie, a child who has lost her family in a fire and is living in Foster care. Strange things keep happening around Ellie though - annoy her and terrible things occur.

This was a beautifully layered psychological thriller that was genuinely disturbing, utterly eerie throughout with a sense of palpable danger lurking within every chapter. Imogen is a compelling main protagonist, a disturbed childhood means she looks at things in a certain way - level headed and determined to help Ellie initially she soon gets affected by the attitudes and fears of those around her.

Jenny Blackhurst does a terrific job of keeping things unpredictable, completely engaging the reader into Ellie's and Imogen's world - anyone who has ever been targeted as "strange" will sympathise with both of them. The story twists and turns in a very compelling way, emotional trauma, themes of mass hysteria and manipulation, plus a darkly beautiful writing style makes this a real page turner with a wonderful denouement. The last little bit is honestly chilling as well as thought provoking.

Yep very good. I'll be thinking about this one, about Ellie and about Imogen for a good while to come I imagine. Sign of a damn fine read.

Recommended.

((Review also available on Goodreads))

this is a must read book scared the crap out of me very touching and very creepy and what twists highly recommend top notch read

Great book. Excellent storyline and brilliant main characters. I would recommend this book.