Dear Child is almost an everything book. It's a psychological thriller, domestic thriller, a bit of horror (at least to me), crime, mystery and I'm sure I've missed something along the way. This book took turns pulling my heart strings in sympathy for the characters while simultaneously horrifying me with the circumstances.
Based on the disappearance of Lena, a college student, nearly a decade and a half ago and her subsequent return after being involved in a hit and run accident. Told in three voices, that of Lena, her father Matthias, and Hannah the small girl that turned up in the ambulance with Lena.
But everything is not what it seems. As a detective says early on, it's a onion. There are lots of layers to this case.
Dear Child seems to pick up where Room ended. Transitioning after an abduction of 14 years isn't easy. There are scars and secrets and fears and guilt. So much guilt.
Thank you to NetGalley for my early e-copy for review. All opinions are mine alone.

I could not put this book down, I wanted to know how it ended. What happen to Lena, where is she and who is the person, who says she is Lena, lying. If you have read "Room", then you will definitely what to read "Dear Child". The ending will surprise you.

I was really I go this book most of the way through, I felt like the ending did get a bit too jumbled with how everything came out, and somethings didn’t come together for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
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Trigger Warning: Abduction, Abuse, Violence
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Super quick synopsis: Lena was held captive for 13 years, but managed to escape the remote cabin where she was a prisoner. This should be the end of Lena’s nightmare, but it’s only the beginning. Lena’s dad is frustrated with the police response to her escape, while Lena’s children (yes—she has children...think Room by Emma Donoghue) remain secretive towards the police and their therapists. This story keeps the reader asking, who is Lena and why was she captured?
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Dear Child is a creepy, psychological thriller. I am OBSESSED. I couldn’t put my kindle down! Dear Child’s pub date is October 6, 2020. Mark your calendars and pre order this one if you’re a big thriller junkie!! You will NOT regret it!
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I won this ARC from @bookbellas giveaway! Thanks for hosting ❤️ Also, thank you to @flat_ironbooks , @romyhausann , and @netgalley for making this read possible!!

I was captivated by this book from beginning to end! It focuses on a middle aged woman, who has been the victim of an abduction, after she escapes her abductor, and the family who has been impacted by this abduction. There are so many twist and turns, and I want to keep everything very vague so that you can read it and get all the surprises I did! Well written, fascinating, and one of those books you will stay up late to finish! I'm adding the author, Romy Hausmann to my list of authors to keep an eye out for!!!

Special thanks to Flatiron Books & Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my review.

Alice Feeney said this was like a mix of Room and Gone Girl and that’s exactly right. It has the psychological depth of Room and the suspense of Gone Girl. It was a bit hard to get into in the beginning, as the reader really has no idea what is going on, but quickly the pieces begin to come together to fit a cohesive story. I was reading another thriller at the time where a woman had survived a similar experience. It is interesting to read how different individuals react to trauma. In many stories the victims come out powerful and strong. That was not the case here, which I think is likely more realistic. The victim was scared, vulnerable, and it was hard for her to tell her story. This added an extra frustration to the reader, but I think it made for a realistic twist to a bit of a far-out thriller. The translation was done very well. I really had no idea that it was originally published in German.

“I can flood the room with sunlight. I can fetch the stars from the sky. And one day I know my children won’t just see all of this through my eyes and my stories. One day they will step through these doors and out into the world.”

Dear Child comes out 10/6/20.

Drew me in pretty quickly. About 25% in, made me wonder if it may become too disturbing or predictable, but those wonderings soon were obliterated. Then really took off and made my jaw literally drop more than once with the twist. Excellent writing.

Dear Child may be the best book I’ve read or will read this year. I loved it!

Without saying too much, I will say that it’s about the abduction and imprisonment of Lena and her children, born later. This book has it all, outstanding character development, page-turner writing, a unique technique with Jasmin ‘talking’ to Lena, and an ending I didn’t see coming. I devoured this enthralling novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Dear Child. Well done, Ms. Hausmann. You are a brilliant writer; I look forward to your next project.

This was a fascinatingly dark and brilliant novel telling the story of a girl who has been missing for 14 years. The book will take you down an terrible journey of what happened to these characters. There are so many secrets, but as you are drawn further into the book you'll learn the truth. If you like Psychological Thrillers, this is a must read!

Dear Child is about a woman being held captive along with her children in an isolated cabin. The story alternates between several characters and goes back and forth in time. I can’t say a whole lot more without giving the plot away but I will say that the ending was really surprising and completely unpredictable to me. . I have really had trouble with thrillers of late because I read so many they have become easy for me to predict.. This story is incredibly intense and a bit heart wrenching.and the portions narrated by 13-year-old Hannah really tugged at my heart strings.. Hannah was such an amazing character. The author has done an outstanding job of developing all of the characters as well as writing this intense multi layered story. I highly recommend this book if you love psychological thrillers. Easily this is one of the best books I've read lately.

For years, Lena and her two children Hannah and Jonathan have been held captive. After escaping her captor, Lena gets into a terrible car accident. Fortunately, there are no casualties, but when Lena's parents arrive at the hospital, they do not recognize her. They claim she isn't their daughter, but she claims that her name is Lena and she's been held captive for as long as she can remember. What is going on here? Is this the real Lena? If not, who is? And who and where were they being held captive?

I thought Dear Child was interesting and proved to be a story that I wouldn't be able to uncover. I felt at times the dialogue was lacking and would've preferred less "thinking moments" and more interaction between the characters. Overall, the story is compelling enough for those who enjoyed Room, but want a domestic/family thriller aspect added to it.

I LOVED this book and was able to breeze through it in a couple of days. When I wasn't reading, I found myself worrying about the characters, especially the children. My heart ached for Lena's parents at the end of the book and I wish it focused a little more on the children's well-being, because they experienced extreme mental trauma. Overall, I would highly recommend it!

Ok, fair warning: don't think about doing much adulting once you've started this book. It's intense and riveting and compels you to the end. Lena has been missing for 13 years and her parents are devastated, believing the police haven't followed enough leads. Suddenly, another young woman who claims her name is Lena escapes from her abductor and is the victim of a horrific car crash that leaves her in the hospital along with her daughter, Hannah and son, Jonathan. But nothing is as it seems. She has the scar that Lena did, but when her father attempts to identify her, he knows it's not their daughter. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel is much like Room with all the creepy elements: an isolated cabin in the woods, an unhinged man, malleable children, and the truth that is buried just beneath the surface. Don't even attempt to figure it out; just let yourself be satisfied by the end as Hausmann is a talented writer!

I’m not even sure where to begin in writing this review. This is one of those books where the reader has to dive right in without knowing very much. It involves a kidnapping and woman being held captive along with her children in an isolated cabin. The story alternates between several characters and goes back and forth in time. I can’t say a whole lot more without giving the plot away but I will say that the ending was insane.

I had trouble at the beginning of this because I found the first part of the book to be confusing and I almost gave up. I had read some rave reviews so I stuck with it and was duly rewarded. The story is incredibly intense and heart wrenching. In particular, the portions narrated by 13-year-old Hannah tugged at my heart strings. She was a very complex character, as were all of them. The character development in this is outstanding and the author depicts a great deal of talent in writing such a multilayered story. I highly recommend this to all fans of psychological thrillers.

Thank you, Netgalley and Flatiron Books for providing me with this book to review.

Lena Beck disappeared without a trace 13 years ago. Now, a woman claiming to be Lena is taken to the hospital after being injured in a hit and run accident. With her is her daughter Hannah, who is the spitting image of young Lena. But her parents have confirmed the woman in the hospital is not Lena. So who is she? And what actually happened to Lena?

Told from multiple perspectives, including that of young Hannah and Lena's father, Matthias, Dear Child is a different take on the typical abduction/thriller story. Although the writing style is a bit choppy (which may be due to the translation), the characters are extremely well-developed, giving the reader an opportunity to really get in their heads and know their thoughts and emotions. Once you figure out the writing style and become more engrossed in the story, the pace moves along really swiftly and the plot keeps you guessing all the way through.

The story explores some very dark and disturbing topics, so I would caution anyone with serious triggers to be aware of that before diving into this book. But for the brave of heart, this is a must-read.

Review shared here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3497424427?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Romy Hausmann has created an intense, wickedly dark thriller. Creatively misleading and enigmatic, the plot dips back and forth pushing the reader forward. The writing is brazenly unique with a choppy, candid structure. It shouldn’t work but it does and it’s brilliant! Loved this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #FlatIronBooks for the ARC of #DearChild which was read and reviewed voluntarily by #wayward_readers

Intriguing and strange read! The little cliffhangers at the end of almost every character switch worked to keep me reading on. Not sure I loved how it ended, but the majority of the book was great.

This was a dark, twisty read and I throughly enjoyed it. Definitely my genre. You could imagine yourself in Jasmin’s situation and feel her frustration. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Not sure if something was lost in translation but writing was stilted and choppy. While I was hooked mid way through left a lot to be desired. Not my favorite

A dark psychological thriller told in a narrative that had the hairs rising on the back of my neck multiple times. It's uncomfortable yet addictively compelling.

Told in multiple POV's this is truly a page-turner. I found myself unable to put it down and read onto the wee hours. It's also a book that has stuck with me. My mind returning to it over and over days after I've finished. If you are someone who loves a good mind turning thriller, Dear Child is perfect for you. October being the release month is a brilliant move as this would make a delicious treat for book lovers of this genre.

~Tanja