diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b9552e2..bc01b8f 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 - **Change**: Update package-lock.json file
 - **Feature**: Added support for asyncronous .env and .rc files
 - **Feature**: Added support for a programmatic API
+- **Fix**: Keep newline (`\n`) characters intact when parsing env files
 - **Change**: Added node v10 and v12 to build automation
 
 ## 8.0.2
diff --git a/src/parse-env-file.ts b/src/parse-env-file.ts
index 87fcedc..c4683e2 100644
--- a/src/parse-env-file.ts
+++ b/src/parse-env-file.ts
@@ -53,7 +53,9 @@ export function parseEnvVars (envString: string): { [key: string]: string } {
     const value = match[3].trim() || ''
 
     // remove any surrounding quotes
-    matches[key] = value.replace(/(^['"]|['"]$)/g, '')
+    matches[key] = value
+      .replace(/(^['"]|['"]$)/g, '')
+      .replace(`\\n`, `\n`)
   }
   return matches
 }
@@ -78,4 +80,4 @@ export function stripComments (envString: string): string {
 export function stripEmptyLines (envString: string): string {
   const emptyLinesRegex = /(^\n)/gim
   return envString.replace(emptyLinesRegex, '')
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/parse-env-file.spec.ts b/test/parse-env-file.spec.ts
index b3ca10c..22d6c5e 100644
--- a/test/parse-env-file.spec.ts
+++ b/test/parse-env-file.spec.ts
@@ -97,30 +97,19 @@ describe('getEnvFileVars', (): void => {
   it('should parse a json file', async (): Promise<void> => {
     const env = await getEnvFileVars('./test/test-files/test.json')
     assert.deepEqual(env, {
-      'development': {
-        'THANKS': 'FOR ALL THE FISH',
-        'ANSWER': 0
-      },
-      'production': {
-        'THANKS': 'FOR WHAT?!',
-        'ANSWER': 42,
-        'ONLY': 'IN PRODUCTION'
-      }
+      'THANKS': 'FOR WHAT?!',
+      'ANSWER': 42,
+      'ONLY': 'IN PRODUCTION',
+      'GALAXY': 'hitch\nhiking'
     })
   })
 
   it('should parse a js file', async (): Promise<void> => {
     const env = await getEnvFileVars('./test/test-files/test.js')
     assert.deepEqual(env, {
-      'development': {
-        'THANKS': 'FOR ALL THE FISH',
-        'ANSWER': 0
-      },
-      'production': {
-        'THANKS': 'FOR WHAT?!',
-        'ANSWER': 42,
-        'ONLY': 'IN PRODUCTION'
-      }
+      'THANKS': 'FOR ALL THE FISH',
+      'ANSWER': 0,
+      'GALAXY': 'hitch\nhiking'
     })
   })
 
@@ -137,7 +126,8 @@ describe('getEnvFileVars', (): void => {
     assert.deepEqual(env, {
       'THANKS': 'FOR WHAT?!',
       'ANSWER': '42',
-      'ONLY': 'IN=PRODUCTION'
+      'ONLY': 'IN=PRODUCTION',
+      'GALAXY': 'hitch\nhiking'
     })
   })
 
diff --git a/test/test-files/test b/test/test-files/test
index 1444f3b..bee4cae 100644
--- a/test/test-files/test
+++ b/test/test-files/test
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 THANKS = FOR WHAT?!
 ANSWER=42
-ONLY= "IN=PRODUCTION"
\ No newline at end of file
+ONLY= "IN=PRODUCTION"
+GALAXY="hitch\nhiking"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/test-files/test.js b/test/test-files/test.js
index baf2325..63d3f99 100644
--- a/test/test-files/test.js
+++ b/test/test-files/test.js
@@ -1,11 +1,5 @@
 module.exports = {
-  'development': {
-    'THANKS': 'FOR ALL THE FISH',
-    'ANSWER': 0
-  },
-  'production': {
-    'THANKS': 'FOR WHAT?!',
-    'ANSWER': 42,
-    'ONLY': 'IN PRODUCTION'
-  }
+  'THANKS': 'FOR ALL THE FISH',
+  'ANSWER': 0,
+  'GALAXY': 'hitch\nhiking'
 }
diff --git a/test/test-files/test.json b/test/test-files/test.json
index c1ccf3b..a90c062 100644
--- a/test/test-files/test.json
+++ b/test/test-files/test.json
@@ -1,11 +1,6 @@
 {
-  "development": {
-    "THANKS": "FOR ALL THE FISH",
-    "ANSWER": 0
-  },
-  "production": {
-    "THANKS": "FOR WHAT?!",
-    "ANSWER": 42,
-    "ONLY": "IN PRODUCTION"
-  }
+  "THANKS": "FOR WHAT?!",
+  "ANSWER": 42,
+  "ONLY": "IN PRODUCTION",
+  "GALAXY": "hitch\nhiking" 
 }
\ No newline at end of file