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

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Dear Child begins with a Mom, who was abducted 13 years ago, and her daughter at a hospital, where the mom, Lena, was in a very serious car accident..but wait, is any of the above really true?! What follows is the horrific, heartbreaking, twisted tale of a monster who abducted women to make them play “house”. And what a twist at the ending!! 😳 but also with a really great wrap up in the epilogue that makes you hopeful in the resilience of a person!
“Love. It’s love. No matter how sick, distorted and misunderstood, it’s still love. Love that spurs us on. That turns us into monsters, each in our own way.”

The creepiest book of the year award goes to Romy Hausmann's German bestseller which builds to an incredibly thrilling ending. Kept locked in the woods in a windowless shack, Lena and her two children live as virtual prisoners to her "husband." When Lena escapes, the nightmare should be over. Yet things don't seem to be adding up, and Lena isn't who she claims to be. With the English translation among the October 2020 book releases, you are in for a treat this Halloween.

First of all, thank you so much to Flatiron Books, Romy Hausmann, and Netgalley for my copy of Dear Child. This book had a crazy premise and was a quick and fast-paced read! It starts with a girl brought in to the hospital with her mom who was hit by a car. Come to find out, the daughter, her brother, and the mom were all held captive and just escaped from a remote cabin in the woods. Everything is not what it seems and there are so many layers that begin to come to light as the story goes on.

Thoughts: I loved the premise of this story! It was so twisted from the very beginning and it was hard to know who is telling the truth. I liked all the layers and the way this story revealed itself slowly with little details. The more I learned the more confused and intrigued I got. The narrators were completely unreliable so I knew that I could be surprised at any minute. I liked Lena’s narration best, followed by Hannah. My heart was pounding the entire time and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

Something I really liked was that I had no idea where this book was going or where it was going to end. I usually am able to guess the ending of thrillers, but this one caught me completely by surprise. I enjoyed the character development and the twists and turns, and gave this book 4.5 stars! I highly recommend it if you want a fast-paced thriller.

Well, that was intense! 😳 Dear Child is seriously chilling and twisty...not a light read, but captivating from page 1 - could NOT put it down.
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Lena Beck has been missing for 13 years. The book begins when a woman matching Lena's description is found badly injured, along with a young girl claiming to be her daughter. The story continues with several rotating narrators piecing together the mystery and trying to determine what happened to Lena....
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#DearChild has been described as "Room meets Gone Girl." I actually enjoyed it the best of the three...the entire time I kept feeling like the answer was so close and something was missing, but what was it!?

@bookrecfromafriend

Thank you Netgalley and Flatiron Books for allowing me to read this ARC. This was a 3 1/2 star read for me. The first third or so was really good. Then it slowed down and got a little tedious. I had read reviews that hinted that there was a lot going on, so I kept reading. The 'end' really surprised me, but it went on so long. At least by that point the action had picked up. I have to give credit to the person that did the translation-I usually don't like translated books, but this one I couldn't even tell it was translated.

This book was a bit of a challenge to get through for me. Usually I fly through thrillers.

I would probably break down my rating like this:

0-30%- easily four stars! I was sucked in and wanted more, more, more about this mysterious plot

30-80%- I got a taste of what could possibly be a great thriller but this huge chunk kind of killed it for me. You're given clues which is nice but it was so random and choppy that I was left confused a lot of times.
Imagine, you have a puzzle but you can't see the picture but it's described to you in the first 30% of the book. You're hooked and you want to figure it out. Then instead of being given a piece in some sort of order, it felt like someone dumped the whole box of pieces out in front of you. I was disappointed.

80-100%- another four stars! This mostly was four stars because everything gets explained. There is finally some sort of order to the chaos from the middle of the book. It wasn't bad chaos, more like I had a hard time trying to sift through all the clues and figure out what is what.

Overall, a decent read but wished it had a few changes here and there.

Thank you Netgalley and Flat Iron Books for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Fast paced creepy thriller that kept me up all hours of the night. Plenty of twists to make you keep on reading! Thank you so much to Netgalley and Flatiron for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a good one this is! It's a super fast read that keeps the story moving along quickly and keeps you turning pages even quicker. The ambiguity and misdirection are incredibly clever and most of the time I missed the clues completely or never saw them coming. I think that is talent when an author can slip you the clues, and they are so casual or hidden, that you didn't even notice. If you like a good twisty tale this is a really good one for you.

Dear Child... whew where do I start with this one?!

Dear Child is a dark, disturbing, and creepy read. It's a look into a woman's horrible capture in a cabin until she escapes.
The pacing is fast and each chapter leaves more and more of what's behind this creepy cabin. Wow... ok let me say when the bad guy was revealed.. the author definitely threw my ass for a loop! I didn't see that one coming at all!!

I have to say the ending left me with more questions and felt it was a bit chaotic. I always find my plots intriguing and this one kept me turning those pages!!!

I'd give this one a try if you're a dark mystery lover.

Overall, this was a good one!

3.75 stars/4

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Flatiron for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 10/6/20
Published to GR: 8/6/20

For 4,993 days and nights, Matthias Beck waits for the call revealing the whereabouts of his daughter Lena, dead or alive. A victim of a hit-and-run accident, bearing a distinctive scar, seems certain to be the young woman who disappeared 13 years ago in Munich. Heart-broken Matthias knows disappointment again when it is not her, that is until a young girl, her daughter Hannah, appears looking exactly like his Lena as a child.

Three traumatized narrators, each a liar, tell their story. It is eerily intelligent Hannah who reveals their disturbing existence in an isolated windowless cabin where Papa controls them to an agonizing degree. Lena sleeps chained to a bed, using the bathroom at appointed times, and all must employ impeccable manners for they are the perfect family now, despite the abuse. When Lena seizes her chance to escape, the trauma is not over. Indeed, it intensifies.

Hausmann’s debut is absorbing and sinister with a steadily tightening web of psychological intrigue. This shivery tale is fast-paced with tiny clues inserted steadily creating a twisty story with an unforeseen denouement. Inevitably likened to Emma Donoghue’s "Room", this will also appeal to fans of Sarah Pinborough’s dark novel, "Behind Her Eyes."

I was intrigued with this book from the synopsis. The novel gives three points of view, that of the victim, a child, and a father wanting answers about the daughter who vanished 13 years ago.

What does life look like after surviving an abduction? Is it ever truly over? What about the children?

An outstanding thriller. I could not put it down. The ending was was amazing. I truly did not see it coming and was as surprised as two of the characters in the book were.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Dear Child by Romy Hausmann. In the beginning this story reminded a little bit of Room by Emma Donoghue, but then it took a completely different turn. Lena, who was kidnapped and kept in a crazy, windowless room, finally escapes after 14 years. After returning to her family, even though they know this is the Lena who was taken all those years ago, something is amiss. Lena knows it too. I won’t give any spoilers, go check this book out. I really enjoyed the suspense and look forward to other books by Hausmann.

Many , many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me this read!

The first thing you should know about this book is that it's very good. Romy Hausmann is a very talented writer. The second thing you should know is that this book is everything that it has been promised to be. Everything. Rarely is that 100% true, especially with psychological thrillers. But Dear Child perfectly sets up and delivers. It keeps you reading. It really does. The story is dark and emotional. The author does a great job of showing rather than telling, allowing the reader to figure some things out for themself. I guessed part of the truth but through Hannah's version of events and "the woman in the cabin's" state of mind you do question things. You're not sure what's always real. I really enjoyed the chapters written from the father's perspective. Matthias and Karin's experience and characterizations were portrayed well. There are many secrets and surprises for the reader and characters which I loved because they didn't just pop up out of nowhere. Pay attention while you're reading. There was a small detail that didn't dawn on me until very late and it's quite sad to think about when you finally understand. If you are interested in this book then you should definitely read it.

Amazing book! I could not put it down! This was hands down one of the best books I’ve ever read! You have to read this! I’m not going to give details because this is a must read! Any details would ruin to story in my opinion!

**Full review to be added to NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon closer to publication!**

Dear Child is one of those books that are impossible to put down and look away from! I really enjoyed seeing how the author brought everything together with the great pacing and compelling plot—I look forward to more from them!

Wow!!! Dear Child by Romy Hausman is a breathtaking thriller that took hold of me and didn't let go until the very end. Even at the end of the book it left me pondering the events of the story. It's a deliciously disturbing story about abduction and trauma after discovery. Is Lena who she says she is? Who is the abductor? Highly recommend!!!

"What a gruesome miracle life is."- Dear Child.

REVIEW: Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Romy Hausmann for proving me with an Advanced Reader's Copy of "Dear Child" in exchange for an honest review! This book follows Lena and her children's story as they are captured and held to strict rules by their father. Every part of their day is determined by strict rules regarding eating, sleeping, and even set times where they are allowed to use the bathroom. However, one day Lena manages to escape, but she isn't able to avoid the nightmare for long.

This book was a wild ride. I read a lot of thrillers, and *usually* I am able to guess some twists or aspects of the story, however, I was not able to guess a single twist in this book. That in itself is amazing. The twists were done so well and really enhanced the plot of the book. I also liked how this book followed two different timelines: the past where Lena was held captive, and the future where Lena is able to escape. This back-and-forth adds to the mystery of the book, as the reader is kept in the dark about what all the characters know. This was definitely a page-turner and a well thought out thriller! I am rating this book 4.5 stars overall, but have rounded it down to four stars for review purposes. Overall, I would recommend this book to others who love thrillers or mystery novels, or those who enjoyed the book/ film "Room". The. I would also recommend going into this book as blind as possible so that you are able to enjoy all the dark twists and turns.

"Sometimes there simply isn't a reason...Sometimes two people cross paths in a most unfortunate way and all you can do is accept this and somehow carry on."- Dear Child.

SYNOPSIS: In 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. It seems as if her tormentor wants to get back what belongs to him. And then there is the question whether she really is the woman called "Lena," who disappeared without a trace 14 years ago. The police and Lena's family are all desperately trying to piece together a puzzle which doesn't quite seem to fit.

Dear Child by Romy Hausmann is an excellent Psychological Thriller. Dark, twisted and full of twists and turns that keep you wondering how it will end. Highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.

This book was fantastic! I was a little worried it would read too much like Room by Emma Donoghue and while it does have similarities this book was much more of a wild ride. After disappearing without a trace 13 years earlier, Lena Beck finally escapes her cabin prison. Things are not right though-is this really the Lena Beck who disappeared all those years ago? What really happened in that cabin? The book switches viewpoints between Lena, Lena's little girl Hannah who has spent her whole life in captivity, and Lena's father who is beyond desperate to discover what happened to his daughter. Dear Child has a lot of twists and surprises and while it took me a second to get into the rhythm of this book I tore through it and didn't stop reading til way past bed time. The author does a great job dropping new tidbits at just the right time to make you rethink what you already "know" about all of these characters. Really enjoyed!