A young women escapes her captor where she has been held for sometime with two children. She is struck by a car and is brought into hospital, where her identity is difficult to establish. She is with a little girl whose identity is soon confirmed. There is lots to keep you hooked in this book and plenty of blind alleys. I did find the prose a little stilted at times but it was an entertaining book

This is a gripping suspense novel, and its twists keep you guessing right till the end. A young woman, missing for 13 years, but is she who she says she is? And if not, why not? What happened to the woman who went missing? Told from multiple perspectives, Romy Haussman weaves a terrific tale. The translation (from German) was also decent.

However, there were a few things that didn't work for me. For one, the father's character -- he was a bully, particularly to his wife, and dismissed every single one of her concerns and demands. Second, there was a weird place where he commented on the figure of his daughter, which was quite creepy.

The other thing is a question: if Hannah had been brought to meet her grandfather a number of times, why did he not recognise her or at least remark on her resemblance to his daughter?

(Review copy from NetGalley)

Student Lena Beck went missing 14 years ago in Munich after going to a party. When a young woman is bought into hospital after a hit and run accident, the child Hannah she is with calls her mommy and says she is called Lena, they live in a cabin in the woods with her brother Jonathon and their dad.

Lena’s dad has never given up looking for his daughter and pesters the police for more information, he is hopeful that Lena is still alive. The suspense builds as he rushes to the hospital only to find out the injured woman is not Lena.

I’m not normally a fan of kidnapped themed books, but this one drew me in straightaway and kept me captive until the end. Told from 3 people’s points of view it keeps you guessing with lots of reveals and red herrings along the way.

A thrilling book with a surprising ending. I will look out for this authors next book with great anticipation!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Certainly a surprise and a very different style of writing. Deliberately confusing at times which added to the air of confusion that lay within the main characters about their plight. Very sparsely written and the style felt very Germanic and harsh which again merely added to the empathy and visceral fear bound up in the process. Some books are not read for pure enjoyment but still render a new truth to the serious reader. I felt most drawn to Hannah who would eventually adjust but who knew no other existence than the one she was allowed.

Like many other reviewers, I seem to be conflicted and feeling a number of muddled emotions. I sat for a long time after finishing 'Dear Child' just thinking and trying to decide in my head how I felt about it. It's gripping, thought provoking, heart wrenching and highly intelligent. Although this isn't the usual book I'd find myself reading, the cover and description did quip my interest and I'm glad that it did as for a debut novel it's fantastic. I did find myself struggling to begin with to really connect with the characters and become invested in their stories, but half way through this all changed and I found myself hooked. This is a hard review to write as I still find myself trying to get my head around all the twists and turns that this novel gave, especially the ending which I did not see coming. All I can suggest is that people read 'Dear Child' for themselves and experience what I did.

I enjoyed this book and the twists around the identity of the captives were gripping.
Fans of Room will enjoy this.

Hmm I did enjoy this book which gives a different perspective to the very popular person imprisoned tales of which there have been several recently. I don’t know if it’s just me but I did find the ending slightly confusing as to the identity of the perpetrator but overall I found this an interesting read.

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.