Dear Child is a gripping thriller full of twists. The opening chapter sets the pace and mood of the book "... while I contemplate how I'm going to kill their father." From this point I was hooked. The tragedy of a woman and two children imprisoned in a cabin in the woods starts to emerge through the story told by 13 year old Hannah, and the apparent mother, Lena. The different points of view work well, and I found myself stopping at times to try and piece it all together. The way Lena describes her captivity is terrifying, and the book is creepy and disturbing throughout. Highly recommended.

Dear Child will forever be the physical reminder for me to never give up.

Not literally, mind you. But for the two thirds of this book I was bored, confused and annoyed with the characters, their actions and the plot.

The last third blew me away. It was hair-rising, thrilling, shocking, revealing and twisty like the clown in American Horror Story! What a reveal!!

I am so glad I stuck with it and got the glimpse of why so many of you have enjoyed this book so much. And whilst the majority of the book wasn't for me, it was all worth it in the end.

What a fantastic, gripping thriller this book was! I was consumed by Lena's disappearance and how the events all unfolded through the pages. Romy Hausman is a great author who also explores the psychology behind a trauma like abduction superbly in this story. The twists and turns, through the eyes of different characters, is really well written. It was the first of Hausman's books I've read and will be certainly giving more of them a go after this one!

4825 days ago, Lena Beck went missing. Today, it seems she has returned, having finally escaped from the cabin in the wood, and soon to be accompanied by her two children, Hannah and Jonathan. But a lot can happen in 13 years, and is soon becomes clear that the woman who emerged from the cabin in the forest might not be the same one who went in...

Oh my gosh this was incredible. Honestly, I've never read anything like it. It takes the concept of similar reads such as 'Room', but manages to create something completely new and exciting and unique. It also offers the rarely seen approach of beginning where other stories often end - after the escape. This meant you got a heartbreaking and gripping insight into the numerous hardships facing someone who has escaped from something unimaginable and so must try and create a new life for themselves, whilst also living in fear of what could be coming around the corner.

I will admit, it did take me a little bit to get into this one. I think partly because the narrative structure is a tad unusual, alternative between the POV of several characters who's identities and connections to each other are not immediately obvious. As such, the beginning few chapters are quite confusing, but if you just go with it and enjoy the ride then it soon becomes clear.

This is a strange and captivating tale of the trauma of captivity and the complexities of adjusting to life after such an experience, whilst also including elements of the more traditional thriller model. I honestly cannot recommend this one enough, especially for those who enjoy dark thrillers with a good handful of twists and a gorgeous use of language. Littered with cliffhangers, it's definitely a book that you want to read in one go, and ideally without distractions, so as to fully immerse yourself into the dark and twisted world Hausmann has created.

Disclaimer - I was lucky enough to receive an advance reading copy from NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

Absolutely addictive reading, I was gripped from the start to the end. One of the best thrillers I have read in a very long time. It’s a great read and the twists and turns are well done you don’t see them coming at all. It’s chilling and difficult to read at times, the multiple POVs are well written and clear distinct voices between the three. It leaves a lot to your imagination which is always good as there is no more terrifying thing. A great terrifying thriller.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Dear child is an incredibly gripping and chilling thriller, it is one of the best thriller novels I have ever read .

Lena Beck was 23 years old when she went missing on her way home from a party. For 13 years her parents hoped and prayed for her safe return. The police investigation had gone cold , the press had written all kinds of stories , evidence was lacking and the pain her parents felt increased a little every day .


4,825 days after Lena beck was reported missing an unidentified female is rushed into a hospital after being hit by a car , accompanied by a young girl . The girls name is Hannah, she says the woman is her mama and her name ? Lena.

It is really her ? After 13 years has the daughter of Matthias and Karin really been found ? Where has she been all this time and what has she been through ?

The chilling account of events that follow reveal things are much darker than anyone imagined . In a cabin in the woods a young boy called Jonathan is discovered as well as a dead body.
The cabin was the only place Jonathan and Hannah ever knew and it hides a heartbreaking truth.

The story is told through the perspectives of Hannah, the Woman and Matthias Beck and shows the different ways traumatic events effect the human mind . You read about the pain , anger , love and frustration of parents who feel the world had given up looking for their daughter. Then there is the innocent mind of a child who has been so conditioned she doesn’t realise the magnitude of what has happened and a woman who has been abducted , her world shrunk down to four walls and been forced to be a wife and mother to a family that isn’t hers, trying to come to terms with what she has experienced and become herself again .

Out of the cabin, far away from the woods and with people who love them they are safe .....or at least the think they are .

This book is incredible and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers . The characters are so well written and the plot twist at the end is one I didn’t see coming . A truely fantastic novel .

Many thanks to Netgalley, Quercus books and Romy Hausmann for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review

This started off as such a promising book but unfortunately became rather tedious and muddled. A bit of a mess really. Sorry.

A creepy psychological thriller told from multiple POVs which I really enjoyed. There are plenty of twists and turns which kept me guessing throughout. Would recommend. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Dear child by Romy Hausmann.
This was a good read. This story was told by three people. Hannah Lena and Matthias.
Lena has been in a very bad car accident. Her daughter Hannah is with her. As they question Lena they find out that she is not Lena but Jasmine. What happened to Lena? What happened to the father?
A good read little confusing but I read it. Just took my time. 3*.

Lena has been missing for 13 years when in the middle of the night her parents get a phone call to say someone matching her description has been admitted to hospital in Munich. Mathias and Karin race to the hospital only to be disappointed the woman isn’t their daughter, until they see Hannah, the girl who accompanied the woman, she is the mirror image of their daughter.

A twisty thriller, with a few untied up points. I enjoyed the book but would have liked all the lose ends to be tied in up.

I liked the premise of this but as it continued I found the different story threads to be unbelievable. The way it was piecing together worked for me at first but the more it continued, the more I felt like the story wasn't working for me. The idea was solid but the execution wasn't there for me.

This book had me in two minds most the way through it, I loved the plot and never saw some of the twist coming however found it sometimes a little confusing trying to keep up with who what doing what. Over all it was engaging and I would recommend this to anyone who wants a deeper read, its not a book you can read with distractions around you.

Based on the blurb I thought I knew how this one would play out but I had underestimated the author. Each time I had ‘worked out’ what was going on there would be a twist which proved me wrong. As readers we often talk about books that kept us guessing until the end and this, for me, was a perfect example of that.

Well, this book really did keep me on my toes throughout! We start with Lena and her two children held captive in a cabin in the woods, bound by a very strict timetable. But Lena is planning her break for freedom and the day comes when she manages to flee the cabin, only to be involved in a car accident. Taken to hospital, along with the daughter she managed to rescue, she thinks she is now safe. They find the other child along with the dead body of their captor in the cabin. The authorities believe her to be the same Lena who vanished without trace 14 years ago but when her family arrive to visit things take a bit of a darker turn and her ongoing safety, and that of others is called into question...
This is a strange and tangled tale of abduction and captivity and all things in between. It's hard to go into much more detail and insight into the characters without giving anything away and I believe it's always best to learn things, even small things, as and when the author intends. But I can say that I did find the fallout to be fascinating, and by that I mean the difference between the children and how they handled their new found freedom, post conditioning. Lena is a whole different story but that's not for here.
We also hear from Lena's family and the difference between how the father Matthias and mother Karin cope both with the loss of their daughter and the possibility of finding her again.
It's a story spun around so many secrets and lies, layer upon layer of intrigue is slowly peeled back to eventually expose the whole shocking truth which literally made me gasp. With little cliff hangers interspersed throughout the chapters it was an extremely hard book to put down. That and I really, desperately needed to get to the truth.
It's been compared with Room and Gone Girl. Well, I have to say that I didn't really get on with either of those books but I thoroughly enjoyed this one so please don't let that put you off.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a very dark read. A woman and child are in hospital, having apparently escaped from an abductor, who kept them and a boy captive in a cabin in the woods.
There is hope that the woman is Lena, a young girl who disappeared many years ago.
The story is told from various view points and is very descriptive.
It's a difficult read as the story is so horrifying. However, I did persevere and it's neatly tied up at the end.

Not one for the fainthearted, but, a well written, dark, heartbreaking tale and it's difficult to believe that it's a debut novel as it's very well constructed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

Lena Beck went missing 14 years ago, but when she turns up in hospital after being involved in a car accident, what will happen next. Is Lena who she says and what has happened to her for the last 14 years.
It soon transpires the girl with her, isn't actually her daughter, and Lena isn't actually Lena. This is a heavily involved book in terms of plot that you do really have to concentrate on. There are multiple characters each playing quite a big part.
I enjoyed the plot line of the book but did find it a little difficult to keep up with everything at times.

A 23 year old girl named Lena disappears from a party one night .....Matthias her father spent 13 years trying to get somebody to find her. Dead, or alive. One day Matthias gets a phone call to say Lena could still be alive but she is in hospital.....This book was thrilling and engaging.Narrated from three different perspectives...
Is this Lena or not read it to find out .......

A story of abduction, terror, fear and power. Hooked from the first to last page. I literally devoured this book in one sitting. Terrifying, chilling, hard hitting and at the same time so emotive. A really powerful read which had me choked at times. Heartbraking in places, this read carries on where ROOM ended. This is the first book I have read by this author and it will definitely not be the last. A well deserved five stars and so Highly Recommended and in my opinion A MUST READ!!!!!
Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

Wow! I really enjoyed this book once I got into it.
I initially struggled as I was confused as to who was narrating each part ( this could be because it was an unedited arc) but once I got to know each character better it became clearer.
Let’s just say I never once suspected who was responsible and believe me I had a few suspicions as I read.
This was my first book from this author but I will definitely be looking for more.
Thanks go to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review

The blurb of this book really intrigued me. I’m morbidly fascinated with true crime stories like this, where girls have been kidnapped and find themselves free years later, so I was keen to read a fictional version.

It took a little while for me to get used to the writing style, which I assume is because it’s a translation of an original text and some of the references are still very Germanic. Once the story started unspooling I was hooked.

The twists and turns of the story were very cleverly executed, to the extent that I thought I had guessed the twist and been proven correct before another twist happened. It was satisfying to think I’d been proven correct, but even more satisfying to then be so shocked by the ending.

I really enjoyed this book and found myself reading faster and faster to find out what had happened which I think is the mark of a truly good thriller.