Dear Child by Romy Hausmann is a psychological thriller, and a really good one! I finished this book in just 6 hours! It grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go.
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Lena, is walking home very late one night when she is abducted. She is never seen or heard from again, despite many lengthy searches. Mathias and Karin are her parents and they never give up looking for their daughter. One night they are called and told about a young woman who has come by ambulance to the hospital whose name is Lena. But when they arrive at the hospital and see her, they realize that this Lena is not theirs. However, this Lena's 13 year old daughter, Hannah, is the very image of their daughter. From then on this story unfolds quickly and while I won't give any more away, I will say that I never guessed who did it. Not once did I see that coming, and for me that makes this a really good book. At times this book can be hard to follow. Each chapter is spoken from another's point of view and at times there is a lot happening. 4⭐
⭐
Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

From newcomer Romy Hausmann comes DEAR CHILD, a twisty and chilling thriller about what happens after a victim is saved.

When a woman is struck in a hit-and-run accident, she and her daughter are taken to the local hospital. With the mother unable to identify herself, the nurses turn to the girl, Hannah, who is well-spoken and polite, but says things that quickly raise the hospital’s alarm bells --- like that she and her mother live in a cabin in the woods, and her brother is home cleaning up a blood stain on their stairs. Readers instantly will be reminded of books like ROOM and headlines about women and children being held captive for so long that they forget what the real world is like. But this book has only just begun to shock and terrify you.

Thirteen years ago, a 23-year-old woman named Lena Beck disappeared one night after a party. Since then, her parents have done countless interviews, harassed the local police force and kept their daughter’s room ready for her safe return. So when a call comes in from a local hospital one night telling them that a woman who has arrived claiming to be Lena has just escaped from a cabin in the woods, Matthias and Karin are sure that their search is over. But the woman they find in the hospital bears no resemblance to their daughter. Or does she? She is the right age, has the same scar, and Hannah is instantly recognizable as coming from the same family tree as the Becks. So why is her story not adding up?

Alternating between the perspectives of Lena and Hannah, Hausmann unveils a terrifying story of abuse, captivity and the wounds that do not heal just because one has escaped. Lena has killed her captor and run away with her children, but she cannot shake the feeling that something is still out there, tracking her and waiting for her to turn her back. As doctors and police get involved, she slowly starts to share her story --- and it is, of course, every bit as traumatic and sickening as you can imagine. But even when Lena is telling stories of her abuse, the doctors are troubled by her lack of care for her children and the holes in her story. At the same time, it becomes clear that Hannah has not grasped the severity of her situation, even though she is unnaturally bright and well-spoken, leading them to wonder if she knows more than she says about why she and Lena were being held in a cabin.

Rounding out the narrative is the perspective of Matthias, who is obsessed with reuniting his family, including his new granddaughter. Even as Lena’s story falls apart and his wife begs him to reconsider, he cannot help but leak photos of his granddaughter to the media, forcing connectedness on his family members and flying into rages when his beliefs are challenged. This is a twisty and convoluted story, but it unfolds perfectly, with each character revealing another oddity, another brush with darkness and a violent past.

DEAR CHILD is a perfect mash-up of books like ROOM and DON’T LOOK FOR ME, but don’t ignore this one just because you’ve read others like it. Hausmann has an innate talent for writing chills into the most innocent of scenes, and her crafting of the mystery at the heart of the novel is cinematic in its scope. I loved how she focused on the moments directly after Lena’s escape, rather than her time in captivity. So often we forget that victims of crimes will live with their trauma for much longer than the time they were held captive or assaulted, and Hausmann has clearly researched the psychological effects of events like these. Each victim in the story reacts differently, and she handles their journeys to acceptance with grace and compassion, even as she refuses to shy away from the darker, more violent scenes.

This is a truly chilling book, and though it feels ripped from the headlines, I feel confident that few readers will know what to expect from it. You may be good at guessing endings, but this one will absolutely shock you, even if you're convinced you’ve figured it all out.

I’m usually hesitant to read translated works, and though I raced through this book, I thought that several transitions were too abrupt, to the point that they were distracting. I couldn’t put it down, but I still felt a bit disconnected from the plot, almost as if the syntax was too flat. It is obvious that Hausmann is talented, so I am hoping that something was lost in translation, but I can see other readers being turned away from the occasionally disjointed narrative.

Shocking, raw and absolutely horrifying, DEAR CHILD marks the emergence of a bright new talent and a perfect addition to any thriller reader’s library.

Lena went missing 13 years ago. When a women is the victim of a hit and run, her daughter Hannah reveals that her mother is Lena. The story then comes out of a family kept in captivity by the husband. Told by 3 narrators, Lena, Hannah, and Lena’s father, this thriller is a page turner and hard to put down. You definitely want to keep reading to see what happens next. I had a little confusion a few times during the book, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying it. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, this one is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ok so I have been sitting in front of my laptop for a while trying to write a review for Dear Child. This book was amazingly written and extremely disturbing. I was glued to my kindle most time but sometimes the chill was so deep I had to put my kindle down. But I never wanted to give up on this amazingly written tale. The story and characters that Romy so wickedly wrote will stick with me forever. Go into the story blindly as I did, don't read spoilers just let this wicked book engulf you as you read it.

I would not recommend this book for students, but I would certainly recommend it for my coworkers and friends. It reminded me a lot of Room, but not too much so that it felt like a copy. It was it's own original story, and I loved following the characters and all the twists and turns. I seriously loved this one.

I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out WTH was going on. Lena Beck disappeared 14 years ago. Now, a woman is hit by a car and taken to the hospital. She says her name is Lena. Lenas parents say she is NOT Lena. Ok I don't want to say alot, because that's the fun if this book. But let me tell you, this book is chilling. I found the writing very unique, as the POV was from 4 characters. Lena, Jasmine, Hannah and Lena's father Matthias. From paragraph to paragraph, you get different POVs. It took me a bit to catch on to that style of writing, but I loved this intense read! Just so crazy, what a ride!!

 There are trigger warnings in this book such as rape, imprisonment, physical abuse, and murder! 


Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this gifted copy!

Gone Girl meets Room? Sign me up! While this definitely leans more towards the psych thriller aspect of Gone Girl, there was just enough of Room tossed in to pull at my emotions. 343 fast-paced, clever, and well developed pages. Stunning.

I love a book that reads quickly with surprising twists, and Dear Child did not disappoint. The more I read, the more I distrusted each character and questioned each of their moves and possible lies, which of course led to the quick read. Highly recommend!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

"A woman held captive finally escapes - But can she ever really get away?"

I am usually quite an unemotional person when it comes to reading books or watching films, which I know are completely fictional. However, this is the third or fourth book in as many weeks, where I have almost been moved to tears and have felt super invested in the characters and highly emotional about the storyline. I think I need a short break from stories of abuse, after all, how many tissues can a girl get through!! Definitely another 5 star rating and a place on my 'favourites' shelf for this one!

Having said that, I wouldn't have missed the chance to read this one for the world. A book which drew me in completely, left me desperate to escape its clutches yet needing to know that things were going to turn out okay in the end, and then spat me out when it was done with me, leaving me a shaken wreck!

The translation of this book from its native German into English, is skilled and totally seamless, making the dialogue and narrative authentic, moving, rich in atmosphere, totally immersive and very fluid.

This is a dark and downright scary story, told in short, meaningful chapters, from three different perspectives and through three pairs of eyes; those of Matthias who is Lena's father, Hannah who is Lena's daughter, and Lena (Jasmine) herself. Eventually Jasmine is telling parts of her story to Lena, whom she never even knew! A little unconventional maybe, but it worked really well and all those connections become clear almost as soon as you begin reading!

Looking back, my reading journey actually moves along at a fair pace, a nice way of saying that I just couldn't turn the pages fast enough! From its explosive, scene-setting prologue, which drew me in immediately; through the multi-layered, well constructed and intense storyline, with an added thriller element which only heightened the suspense; to an ending which has just a hint of future promise, but unfortunately, with no silver lining in sight for this cloud just yet!

A study rich in human behaviour, there are so many social and moral issues touched upon to varying degrees and with so many subtle twists and turns, both in the storyline itself, and also in the psyche and mental well-being of the characters. The darker side of love and obsession and the trauma of minds bent and twisted beyond recognition. My overall feeling whilst reading underwent several gut wrenching changes; from gripping to disturbing, compelling to desperate, suspenseful with just a faint glimmer of humanity and light at the end of the tunnel, but all with that over-riding sense of outrage and of being completely emotionally drained and yes - heartbroken!

The narrative and dialogue, which dealt with so many difficult issues, was written with great authority, excellent perception and total confidence. The attention to detail was equally as impressive, with many subtle nuances in the narrative and dialogue, which kept me on my toes. Hannah may have been prone to flights of fancy and a vivid imagination, and with such highly charged narrative, it was sometimes almost impossible to detect whether much of what she was saying, was fiction, fact, or fact as she believed it to be. The writing was skilled, observationally astute, visually descriptive and, so it seemed to me, totally intuitive.

I was truly invested in all the characters and relationships, and was captivated by author Romy Hausmann's exploration of the individual psychology behind each traumatic event:-

That first and fatal mistake in judgement by one fickle girl, who thinks that she can manipulate a more seasoned and experienced male adversary, only to find to her cost that she can't, despite the fact that she does try above and beyond most normal people's endurances to then meet the demands and expectations of both him and her young family.

The angst and total desolation of the family of a missing person, for whom there can be no closure without knowing what happened to their loved one, be it good or bad.

The total mental horror and physical destruction of a person abducted and forced to take another's name and live their life, then to discover that you are only one in a long line of previous 'another's'! The lifelong horrors and feelings of misplaced guilt may never really heal, and whilst therapy may help with the PTSD, life will be lived on knife edge for some considerable time to come.

The destruction of a long-held friendship and breakdown in trust, between family and authority, so horrendous and unforgiving that the rift can never be truly reconciled.

The abject depravity of one individual, whose view was so distorted and mind so deranged at having lost one family with such futility, deciding that it is never going to happen again, no matter what the cost.

And finally, the two young people central to the whole storyline, who have suffered the most. My heart was broken for their shattered lives as they knew them. To them it must have seemed as though the very people who were purportedly there to help them, were the ones who were ripping the heart out of their family as they knew it. Everything happening in their young lives was perfectly normal to children who had never seen the outside world, only in their imagination. Their journey of recovery will be long, terrifying and traumatic, and who knows what grudges will fixate in those educated but unworldly, vulnerable minds, which will pursue and engulf them for the rest of their lives.

Personal endings and futures, which although they may not be final with no loose ends, feel so right and appropriate, with just that spark of hope.

A brilliant debut translated novel, full of heart and feeling, Romy and Jamie make a fantastic team.

Long may they keep collaborating on those wonderful storylines, which take me on such a unique and personal journey.

Going in, I wasn't really aware of Dear Child's plot. The cover reminded me a lot of ROOM, and lo and behold, the story was not too dissimilar. We have the tale of a woman and two children (and a couple other adults), and how they all came to be together. There's a lot of ROOM type things that happen. There are some twists and turns, and even a couple moments where I said "oh hell no". All in all, a pretty good story.



4/5 Stars

😲 Whatever it says about me, I absolutely love this type of psychological thriller read. I was instantly hooked from the very beginning. A family held captive and finally an escape. But this escape is just really a continuation of the horror already lived.

There are a lot of twists and turns with this one and the author keeps us on our tippy toes and I think there was actual smoke coming out of my ears trying to figure this one out. I was flipping pages with the absolute NEED TO KNOW FEELING. Don't you just love it when that happens?! Hausmann bombards us with quite the cast of characters and at times going from one POV to another could be a bit jarring and I had to adjust my thinking with each turn. I think my favorite character was Hannah, the little girl that was highly intellectual and you never knew quite where she stood or what was happening. I don't know a lot about one particular note regarding this character to know if it was handled correctly, but I am assuming it was. (Won't go into it to avoid any potential spoilers).

Y'all, there's a LOT going on in this book. The psychological aspect of the victims and how they varied. What you can get used to when you HAVE to. How strong mentally anyone could be - especially if they never know any different... it's all highly fascinating stuff in my opinion. I do think that maybe it got just a little *too* convoluted as one reveal was probably unnecessary. However, I did appreciate the Epilogue for a variety of reasons but I'll just leave that thought there. 😉
At the end of the day, this is one gripping, crazy, psychological thriller that I think will grab your attention and keep you guessing until the very end. Proceed with caution.

Dear Child
Mysterious Book Report No. 423
by John Dwaine McKenna
A woman—who’s been kidnapped and held in a boarded-up hovel deep in some remote woods, while being forced to act as a wife to a strange and brutal man and a mother to his two small children—manages to overcome her captor and escape . . . “But the end of her ordeal is only the beginning of her nightmare,” in a searing debut entitled, Dear Child, (Flatiron Books, $26.99, 349 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-76853-7) by author Romy Hausmann. The novel, which is already a runaway best-seller in Europe, has just been translated and published in English, and what a wrenching tale it is.
Told in three first person points-of-view by: a young girl, whose entire life has been spent living in the windowless, dank and cramped cabin . . . the abducted woman, who’s been trying to stay alive and escape from the monster who’s abusing her mentally, physically, and sexually . . . and the missing woman’s elderly father, who’s losing his mind from rage, grief and the strain of a thirteen year quest to find his beloved daughter.
As each narrator speaks, small details are revealed on every page, which tell the story drop by drop by drop—but as each new clue appears—so do new plot twists that show how the narrator has held something out, some character detail, or flaw, which then points the reader in an altogether new direction. Therefore, as each new AHA! moment comes to the reader, so does another different revelation, which makes Dear Child one of the most compelling, engaging page-turning psychological thrillers to cross the MBR’s desk this year. It will keep readers enthralled and riveted to the end!
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NUTS. I loved ROOM so was eager to read this one - definitely dark but could not put it down!!! A quick & thrilling read overall - would recommend to suspense fans.

Brilliant!! Truly Brilliant!! This is one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read. Impossible to put down. Outstanding character development and pacing. Truly an amazing ride!! Thank you for allowing me to read this exciting novel in exchange for an honest review. I am looking forward to reading more from this US debut author!!

Romy Hausmann's international bestseller, Dear Child, has just released. And if you're a suspense reader, you're going to want to add this one to your must read list.
From Flatiron Books - "Gone Girl meets Room in this page-turning, #1 internationally bestselling thriller from one of Germany’s hottest new talents." Well, two books I've really enjoyed, so I was hooked by this description!

A woman escapes a locked and boarded cabin in the woods, only to be hit by an automobile. One child makes it out with her, the other stays behind. In hospital, the woman says her name is Lena. One family has been searching for their missing daughter Lena for fourteen years. Against all odds they pray that it's her. And the children? The girl who ran with Lena knows more than she's saying.

Okay, a few chapters in I thought I knew how this was going to play out. And....I was happily proven wrong. Hausmann had me guessing with each new chapter and revelation.

Now, Dear Child is a dark novel, as evidenced by the premise. But it was the puzzle of 'is this Lena' that had me turning pages late into the night. Lena is an unreliable narrator. I truly enjoy this literary gambit, seeing if I can ferret out the truth amongst the red herrings and garden paths Hausmann sends her readers down.

Dear Child is told from three points of view - Lena, Hannah the young girl and the captor Matthias. Each entry adds to the story - and the uncertainty of what is the truth. There are a number of supporting players - Lena's parents, old boyfriends etc. that also muddy the waters. I felt bad for Lena's father, but on the other hand, I truly despised him. Hausmann does a great job manipulating the reader and their emotions and perceptions. Lena is an enigma. We know little about her and when we do get some insight, I find I'm not sure about her at all.

And the ending? Not what I expected at all. Again, I really appreciate being surprised by a book. Dear Child is an unpredictable, twisting, dark tale guaranteed to keep you up late.

"...he has already helped himself plentifully. To her body, her pride, her dignity."

"He gets everything from her; he grasps his opportunities valiantly and he has already helped himself plentifully. To her body, her pride, her dignity."

This is a disturbing novel written by German author Romy Hausmann and translated into English by Jamie Bulloch (both who did a masterful job BTW).

A young woman stumbles from a forest in Bavaria, Germany and is hit by a car. When the ambulance comes to pick her up it also picks up a young girl found with her named Hannah.

After the young woman is able to be questioned, they get conflicting stories but realize she was abducted to become the mother to Hannah and her younger brother, Jonathan, at a cabin deep within the forest.

There is a problem correctly identifying the young woman and it soon becomes evident there is a level of evil and perversion involved in this crime seldom seen.

I think what stood out the most for me while reading this book was Hannah and Jonathan's situations and wondering how they could ever possibly live any type of normal life in their future.

This is a difficult story to read and imagine but evil like this does occur in our world, sad to say. There are a couple of twists along the way which I did not expect.

I highly recommend this book to those who read psychological thrillers but be prepared - it's not a light read.

I received this book from Flat iron Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read and review it.

What an intriguing premise! A young woman escapes her captor and finally finds freedom after years in captivity. She manages to bring her young daughter Hannah with her. The book was off to an amazing start!

Told from several different points of view, this book is extremely disturbing in its description of the woman's captivity and builds tensions immediately.

The victim's father Matthias has never given up searching for her, even after many years have passed since her sudden disappearance. He pressures the police and at times is at odds with them. The media has hounded him, and he fears another circus with the discovery of the woman he hopes to be his long-lost daughter.

Revealing anything else about the story would be a plot spoiler since this book is filled with shocking twists and turns. The narration switches back and forth between the past and the present and undoubtedly the most chilling voice is that of young Hannah. She has had to adapt to years of abuse but is smart and articulate beyond her years.

I loved the plot of this book and the author is incredibly creative. I think some of the story may have gotten lost in the translation from German, and made some of the characters appear lifeless when they should have been strong, driving voices. The middle of the book dragged a little for me and then the ending felt very rushed.

I started off reading this book ready to give it 5 stars but then the pacing and the conclusion lost me. I was also confused about the main character's relationship with her best friend. Were they romantically involved or just friends? I nevertheless enjoyed this very chilling story;  it has many glowing reviews so if you are a fan of darker thrillers, then you might love this one!

Dear Child held me riveted, caused me to flinch and squirm, and made me want to wash out my mind with sunshine and wildflowers after I finished reading.

“Dark” and “twisted” are apt descriptors, but this story is so much more than the brutal content. When you look deeper, you find a serious study of victims; how they survive and cope, and how we, the public, perceive and treat them.

I want to say that I found the characters exceptionally well developed, which is true, but not quite the point I’m trying to make. They’re complex and surprising. They’re products of their situation, real in a way we don’t often consider, damaged and fascinating and resilient.

Dear Child is the kind of psychological thriller that will stick in your mind and might just haunt you afterward.

Rating: 5 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷!!!!!!!

Dear Child gave me just enough level of creepy, thrills, suspense, and mystery to keep me from wanting to stop reading. The storyline was so lowkey intense. You don’t realize how intense it is until there’s a reveal then another one then another one!! This book definitely has some Room (by Emma Donoghue) feels to it but with more suspense and gasping turns. Everyone was a suspect at one point in time and some I suspected multiple times. Slow clap for the character Hannah, because she was in my head so fierce that I had to know what drove her, who she really was, and what was going on in that mysterious, creepy head of hers. My head was spinning the last 25% of the book as Hausmann switched into high gear and never let up. Dear Child is an absolute MUST READ and will be in my top reads of 2020!

Book: Dear Child
(AVAILABLE NOW-Release Date: October 6, 2020)
Author: Romy Hausmann
Genre: Thrillers, Mystery, Suspense

Thank you to @NetGalley @FlatironBooks and @RomyHausmann for an advanced copy of @DearChild

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