An abduction tale that is just a little different form the pack .
Lena has been missing for 13 years .
When a woman is admitted to hospital following a car crash -she is badly injured -but manages to tell them her name -Lena.. Could this be the missing Lena ?
Happy Endings ? Think again !

A gripping tale that keeps you guessing to the end -highly recommended

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

Took me a little while to get into this story but it got a grip and I was hooked. I was a little bit confused throughout as to who was saying what, where, when but I think that was probably deliberate to keep the whole thing scarily dark and threatening. I could pull holes in many parts and characters but for the purpose of a tale well told, I won't. This is a page-turning psychological thriller that keeps you guessing.

Wow, what a dark, twisted read, which had me completely absorbed and hooked to the pages I was reading! Kept me up way past bedtime, with all the fantastic thrills, chills, and shocks! Highly recommend to those who like darker thrillers that are sure to knock you about in the mind a bit! Highly, highly recommend!
Will make sure to buzz it up on all the different platforms!

A fantastic thriller - a dark and compulsive read with twists and turns aplenty. Fleshed out, well drawn characters, a chilling read

#DearChild #NetGalley
A good read. Highly recommended.
A windowless shack in the woods. Lena's life and that of her two children follows the rules set by their captor, the father: Meals, bathroom visits, study time are strictly scheduled and meticulously observed. He protects his family from the dangers lurking in the outside world and makes sure that his children will always have a mother to look after them. One day Lena manages to flee - but the nightmare continues
Narration of the story was excellent. Characters were awesome and are able to thrill you.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for giving me an advance copy of this book.

“You haven’t got us, not really. It’s your prison, not ours.”

After finishing this book earlier today and sitting with it for a while to gather my thoughts, I still feel a bit conflicted about it. Initially, as it was off to a very rocky start with me, I berated myself for choosing a story that centred around characters kidnapped and held in captivity, a theme that has never really been my cup of tea. I’m one of the few people who weren’t totally enamoured by ROOM, or SILENT CHILD, or LOOK BEHIND YOU. So what initially attracted me to this one?

The premise is intriguing: a young woman is critically injured in a hit-and-run accident. She has a young child with her who calls her “Mummy” and claims that they are living in a cabin in the woods. Initially it appears that she is Lena, a woman who disappeared without a trace 14 years ago. Soon, however, facts don’t add up. Lena’s father is adamant that the unconscious woman in hospital is not his daughter. So who is she, and what happened to Lena?

All my doubts dispersed around the 50% mark, when I suddenly found myself totally invested in the story. I think that the game changer was the tightening web of intrigue and secrets that kept me turning the pages. As well as the character study of our three main protagonists, who have all been victims of the crime in their own way. I felt especially fascinated by the child character Hannah, whose view of the world is so crazily distorted by her early childhood experiences. I am trying really hard not to give any spoilers here! As the psychological aspect came more into play, I was well and truly hooked.

Hausmann writes well, and the omissions in the separate POVs that give each character a slightly unreliable edge (I was suspicious of everyone!), really ratcheted up the tension in the second half of the book, as it marched towards its unexpected finale. I wouldn’t say I loved the cliff-hangers at the end of every chapter, because they kept me turning the pages way too long into the night, but they were cleverly done and obviously achieved their desired effect!

With her debut DEAR CHILD, Hausmann has served up an intelligent, multi-layered and intricately plotted novel that only gave up its secrets after peeling back all the layers. I dare you to guess the outcome – I certainly didn’t. It contains some truly chilling themes and scenes, some of which were concealed in the implied and unsaid, and in Hannah’s perception of reality. It was frightening to me to think that this horrible situation has happened to real people, in real life!

All in all, if you loved Emma Donoghue’s famous novel ROOM and are fascinated by the psychological aspects of captivity, then this book should be on your radar. For me, it was the final chapter that really wormed its way into my heart and made sure that I will remember this book for some time to come. Once you read it you will see what I mean.

Thank you Netgalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity forme to read an eARC of Dear Child.

I really enjoyed Dear Child and found it hard to put down. I kept doing the usual "just one more chapter" and was up till 3am !
The story centers on Lena who is abducted and held captive.
Lena has two children whilst captive and they are controlled by the abductor, and they have never left the cabin.
Lena does manage to escape, but there is confusion over her identity and if this really is Lena
The story is told from a couple of different perspectives and I dont want to give the storyline away, but this is a fantastic physcological thriller and I would definitely recommend reading it.

This is Romy Hausmann' debut thriller and oh my word. What a read! If you like books like Room by Emma Donahue you will love this.
The writing perceptive changes between 2 of the main characters but it's fairly easy to follow.
I dont want to spoil the plot but it's full of tension and twists that will keep you reading to the early hours.
I hope this author writes more of a similar style.
Wish I could give it more thab 5 stars

Firstly I want to say a big thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for allowing me to read an eARC of Dear Child.

Wow. What a chilling and wild ride this book was; I picked it up on the day I got approved planning to just read a couple of chapters... I read the whole book. I literally couldn't put it down it was just so thrilling and engaging. The storyline utterly chilled me; the way that Hannah calmly recalls what has happened to her and Jasmin's horrific retelling of what she experienced just chilled me to the bone.

This book is told from numerous perspectives; Hannah's, "Lena's", and Matthais's. All of whom are suffering through this tragedy but all in different and unknown ways. I have to be honest, I was half convinced throughout this book that Matthais was responsible in some way because his behaviour was so creepy and inappropriate at times. I found him to be a very unlikable character; although I completely understood his grief and trauma, his behaviour was just so wild and aggressive. He had little thought for anyone outside of himself and his quite creepy focus on Hannah made me convinced it was him. There are so many twists and turns in this story and it really keeps you guessing up until the last pages.I was really pulled into this story and my heart went out to Jasmin, and Hannah, and poor little Jonathon!

The pacing is fantastic in this book because it literally never lets up. Jasmin is clearly going through some utter trauma and I feel the representation of this is done so well and the little flashbacks she had to the kids were haunting. I wasn't surprised that there had been more "mothers" as it only felt natural, I was surprised that Jasmin was only held captive for 4 months though I thought it was going to be longer.

I would definitely recommend this to all psychological thriller fans; it really sinks under you skin and it is definitely one that will stay with me.

The premise was interesting - A woman named Lena and her two small children are kept imprisoned in a shack in the woods by their father. She eventually escapes some 14 years later with one of the children - imagine just having to take one of them!- and ends up in hospital. ' Is she who she says she is?

The story read very similar to the episode of The Missing and I was half expecting Baptiste to appear at some point. I didn't really get into the characters or the case to be honest and I'm not sure if it was a translation issue or the story itself. I suspect both.

Interesting but i you've read Room then it's very similar

A woman named Lena and her two small children are kept imprisoned in a shack by their father. She escapes with one of the children and is taken to hospital. 'Lena' went missing 14 years ago but there is some doubt as to whether she is who she says she is. I feel as though this book might have suffered a little with the translation as I found the text quite jarring and not very easy to get into. I felt as though the similarities to Room were too great but Dear Child became a little boring. It's not a bad plot but not for me I'm afraid.

The blurb for this book immediately caught my attention.

The book immediately grabbed my attention. It was fast paced and then lost a bit of momentum in the middle and then has a good ending with some twists thrown in. It was a good read and I was very eager to find out what would happen next. I enjoyed it.

If you're looking for a good psychological thriller then I would recommend this one.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this book.
While the subject matter was harrowing and sad, it was told in such a good way, passing from the viewpoint of the children and the mother. I don't want to use specifics here as don't want to give away the plot!
There were a few twists and turns that were genuinely unexpected. With some thrillers the same tropes can be used, but that definitely wasn't the case with this book.
It was gripping, and interesting, and kept my attention throughout - even with the 'little details' like fraulein tinky.
I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes thrillers, and who likes books like Emma Donoghue's Room.

Did not finish at about 40%. I got so bored with this as I felt like I had read it all before. After having read Room and Outside and so many others along the same lines, there just wasn't enough originality to make it worth the while.

The plot of this story was similar to a couple of other books that I have read in the past, but this book is very cleverly written. I was kept guessing the whole way through and literally had no idea when it came to the plot twist at the end. I was along the right lines but still got it wrong! I really felt for Jasmine and wanted her to be able to get better after her ordeal. I willed for both of the children to recover as well and find some peace in their lives.
I really didn't like Lena's father - I found him overbearing and couldn't understand many of his actions throughout the book. It did become obvious towards the end that he was a grieving father and wasn't coping as well as he probably thought he was - this did make me very suspicious of him throughout the book.

I really enjoyed the read and if I could have read it in one sitting then I would of. Definite 4 star read!

Lena disappeared without a trace 14 years ago presumed dead by her family and the police. But one day having fled from her captor her life over the last 14 years begins to be unraveled. However, somehow the pieces don’t seem to fit and more questions seem to need to be asked than are answered...

Wow! This is an incredibly accomplished debut novel. I have read some great psychological thrillers recently but this has raised the bar! My heart was genuinely racing whilst reading this book as I became so immersed in the intensity of Lena’s and those around her stories. This a book that really gets in your head and keeps you invested until the end with some brilliant unpredictable twists and turns.
A definite 5 star read.

I just could not put this book down! It was an addictive and surprising read, which I very much appreciate. There have been quite a few books that deal with kidnapping and holding women hostage over long periods of time. I assume that a lot of this has been inspired by the Fritzl case in Austria, as well as with the horrifying cases emerging every couple of years. But either way, I've read quite a few books that follow this plot line and until "Dear Child" have struggled to encounter something truly original. This book truly took me by surprise. I found myself empathising with the protagonist and enjoyed the POV of the child in the beginning. I think that the author has dealt with children's voices extraordinarily well. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an unputdownable thriller.

There have been many novels written about kidnapping but this one takes an interesting approach, and I found the point of view of the bereaved parents particularly interesting. More of a character study than a whodunnit, but very well written.

What a book! I’ve started reading it in the evening. I didn’t sleep. I only stopped for a bathroom break. I’ve read it in a night. That’s how good this book is.
Emotional, full of suspense. I found myself holding my breath a few times. Subtle twists that will keep you turning the pages culminating in this unexpected ending and hitting you with yet another couple of plot twists! All along being credible, believable!
The characters are relatable, the tension palpable and there is a pleasant discomfort in not knowing what will happen next that will keep you reading it until the end. I personally disliked one of the characters but all their behaviours were acceptable and understandable when facing what they were facing.
This book is so great I struggle to find words to describe it. I loved Hannah’s points of view and without wanting to give anything way, I was so impressed with the small details that made it so fantastic!
It might feel slow paced but believe me, your mind will be running several miles per hour until you finish the book. It’s narrated by different characters and you don’t want to finish reading their perspective but also can’t wait to continue reading about the others too!
Even the cover is such a nice touch! I’m thankful to #netgalley and #quercusbook for giving me the opportunity to read #dearchild ahead of its publishing date (14.05.2020) - and in exchange for an honest review - as an ebook but I cannot wait to be able to get my hands on a hard copy and add it to my favourite collection!
I’m astonished this was a debut thriller! I’m upset I have nothing else to read by #RomyHausmann and still struggling to find words to praise this fantastic book! Can you give 6 out 5 stars? Keep your eyes open because #RomyHausmann is coming to stir the world of thriller books and possibly take the throne!

Fantastically grippy page turner that keeps you hooked throughout. Lots of little twists that keep you guessing until the end. This is going to be a huge hit in 2020 and rightfully so
Brilliant