This book was a predictable slow burn. Figuring it out in the beginning of the book always disappoints me because I like shock factor in a thriller. It was an easy, summer read. Who wouldn't want a job opportunity in paradise? Paradise isn't what it seems and in this case becomes a nightmare.

I liked this book. It was a well written thriller that sticks the ending in my opinion. I emjoyed the twists and turns and the characters were engaging. I was rooting for them through the whole book.

It’s gripping, entertaining, mysterious, weird, predictable. From the beginning I knew this book would be a great choice. This was such a fast read for me. I loved the characters. I like reading be authors and the writing style was amazing.

The Safe Place 3.5/5 💥💥💥
7/14/20 publication

Quick synopsis: Emily is desperate; broke and recently let go from her temp job, she jumps at a job opportunity presented to her by her former boss, Scott Denny. The job sounds almost too good to be true: live on a secluded French estate to assist Scott's wife, Nina, and daughter, Aurelia. Weeks pass and Emily starts to feel like family to the Dennys; however, she slowly begins to suspect that appearances aren't as they seem, and that Scott and Nina are hiding something...

Overall: Recommend. While I did predict the ending, the ride the story took was thrilling and difficult to put down. I stayed up until 2am to finish and then a bit past that while I obsessively checked on my sleeping child. 😬 I wasn't quite sure the ending for Emily was resolved, regarding her mysterious past, which I was a bit disappointed by. However, still looking forward to reading this author's work in the future!

I read this in one day! It leaves you hoping there is a part two, so you can keep reading and figure out all the loose ends. Even thought I tried to guess what would happen, I was mid way through the book and still did not have a solid idea of what the twist would be. Of course there are many red flags popping up everywhere but nothing that makes it obvious what will occur. It was a very well planned book & Anna is a brilliant writer! I thought the ending was a bit rushed and left too many loose ends but that is my opinion on the ending. Perfect summer book to just get lost in the paradise and mysteries that come with this book!

Just when Emily is down on her luck, having lost her job, unable to pay her rent, her former employer comes to her with a proposal of sorts. Who wouldn't want to live on a remote island in a different country? Scott offers Emily the opportunity of a lifetime, a summer on a French estate helping his wife and young daughter. Having the time of her life, spending time in the sun, befriending Scott's wife and their daughter, Emily soon comes to realize that not everything is what it seems. This is such a fun book and a great beach read. Just when you think you know what might be going on, you soon realize you're wrong. .

The major message of this book is that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Emily learns that after one of the worst days of her life: losing her job, her home, and the agent supposed to help her find acting roles. But then, like a fairy godfather, the head of her last temp position offers her an amazing opportunity to work for him, living in a secluded enclave in France helping take care of his wife and mysteriously ill daughter.

To be honest, Emily is not terribly likable and when her life upends it's clearly all her fault. And a normal person would have far more qualms about the job she's offered. Suspending that natural suspicion leads to an interesting tale with an unexpected twist. And by the end, Emily hasn't quite redeemed herself but she's slightly less pathetic.

eARC provided by publisher.

I really really really loved this book. But let me tell you why...

I really love those books that kind of feel creepy without being obvious or transparent. You just start to feel "Off" while turning the pages. Its like deep down you know there is something really freaking wrong but you havent a clue what it is.... thats how I felt when I started reading A safe place. I felt creeped the F out and anything but safe. But as I read all these odds and ends came together to form this insane picture that somehow the main character remains abysmally ignorant to. Realistic? No. Did it make for a good story? Yes, honestly if she didnt take the job there would have been no story to tell.

From the start the characters add to the unsettling feelings. Scott sent off major creep vibes from the moment we meet him. Emily ( ohhh girl...what were you thinking?!) is obviously naive and going to have a crude wake up call. Nina and Aurelia... hello creepy helicopter mom and strange child that live in BFE. But in all the setting, the characters, the descriptions, the "creepy" vibes meld together to create a fast paced thriller.

I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley im exchange for an honest review.

I started this book thinking I knew what I was in for, but I was so wrong. I expected one thing an got a completely different book. It was a pleasant surprise. The mystery fizzled up at me from the pages, and I loved it.

So, basically, a chick named Emily is down and out. Then, she gets a life redeeming chance for a new job. Let’s just remember, If something seems too good to be true...it probably is.

The synopsis calls the daughter that Emily is tasked to nanny, “eccentric,” but that is putting it lightly. The mom is something special, too. It’s a family thing, I suppose. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Also, I did not see all of the twists coming and this book deals with psychological trauma and deep desires.

I *almost* don’t want to say anything more, because I want everyone else who reads this to be as blindsided by the plot as I was. But I will say, this story was pretty crazy once you make it to the 70% part. It had me on edge! But I wish the ending had been a little more wild. I just craved something to make me absolutely go 😱.

Overall, this book is legit. If you want a unique thriller, PREORDER this bad boy. It is a slow burn, but still fascinating enough to keep my interest. I just had to know what was going on! That is exactly what you want in a thriller. 👌🏻

Thank you @netgalley for providing this ebook for me in exchange for a review. Make sure you preorder or get a copy on July 14th!

Emily does temp jobs while waiting for her big break into acting. She's a receptionist but is fired after a few weeks. Her boss has been watching her and investigating her and feels that Emily would be perfect as a live-in companion/assistant to his wife, who is holed up in a French estate with their daughter. He offers her the job and she grabs it. She soon learns that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is...

The Safe Place by Anna Downes
Book Review by Dawn Thomas

354 Pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books / MacMillan
Release Date: July 14, 2020
ASIN: B0818B89T9

Drama, Literary Fiction, Psychological Thriller

Emily Proudman is wants to be an actress but hasn’t found a job. In the meantime, she is working as a temporary receptionist at Proem, an investing company in the U.K. After she is fired from the position, she is approached by Scott Denny the CEO. He offers a job of a lifetime – to work at his country estate in France. Out of work, being evicted from her apartment and not having enough money to pay for groceries at the grocery store, the decision is a no brainer for her. She tells him she can start right away.

When she arrives in France, she meets Scott’s wife Nina and daughter, Aurelia. The place is magnificent, and Emily feels like the luckiest woman in the world. That is, until she doesn’t. Things take a turn from light to dark in a very fast turn of events. Now she must try to escape paradise, but will she make it? With no Wi-Fi or cell phone service her options are limited.

This book was a fast read. The story moves quickly and takes place over the period of several months. It is written in first person switching narration from Emily to Scott with memories from Nina scatters in between. If you like psychological thrillers, you may enjoy this book.

"The Safe Place" had such great promise and a great premise for a plot. Unfortunately, I felt it fell victim to using traditional suspense/thriller tropes, so it became predictable and just sort of so-so.

The Safe Place is a gripping psychological thriller with many twists and turns. Emily has nothing going for her, just lost her temp job, pending eviction from her apartment, no friends and on rocky ground with her parents when a dream job suddenly falls into her lap. Jetting off to France to help her former boss’s wife & child as a sort of house-keeper, Emily can’t believe her sudden good luck. She soon begins to realize maybe things aren’t all as perfect as they seem as so many odd behaviours and inconsistencies add up.

I liked how the suspense was built by alternating the perspectives between Emily and Scott. It wasn't predictable for me, so I didn't know exactly what the problem/twists would be.
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However I had a problem with Emily's character from the beginning to the end. I think she was unrealistically scatterbrains, had no redeeming qualities and all her decisions were questionable. I didn't really care what happened to her. My motivation to keep reading the book was to discover what dark secret Scott and his wife were hiding.
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I'd say that the middle was a bit slow, but the last quarter of the book was definitely intense and suspenseful. It's was an enjoyable summer read and I would have rated it higher if I hadn't found Emily so unrealistic. And this is only my opinion, and am sure many other readers will not have this issue and enjoy the book even more.
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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a page-turner! Once I began, I couldn’t put this book down. I found the characters believable and full of layers that intrigued me. Emily was likeable and I found myself rooting for her as well as wanting to know her secrets.

This book killed me into a sense of safety, then took my emotions on a rollercoaster. This is the perfect summer read for those who love suspense. I highly recommend this read. Absolutely loved it!

I really enjoyed this book as it pulled me into this heroine’s semi dysfunctional life. All the machinations that are required to put her exactly where she needed to be and when she needed to be there kept me glued to the pages. Her journey is well constructed and the relationships she builds along the way added to the emotions I experienced at this book’s end. This story definitely took me out of my comfort zone and plopped me down in a remote location only to lure me into relaxing before throttling me with what was really going on.

This story will be lingering in my mind for a good while.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Safe Place is a gripping thriller that catches your interest from the beginning. Emily's life is falling apart. Her acting career isn't taking off, she was fired from another temp job. Then her old boss offers her the job of a lifetime. This book was not what I expected at all, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Loved it! Did not see the major twist in the story. Very shocking! This book will keep you reading because you have to know what will happen next. I would read this author again.

WOW. this debut thriller was insanely good!!!!!!! OMG I read this in 2 days and was engrossed the whole time. This debut author has got an amazing career ahead of her!!!!! I couldn't figure out what was going to happen. The characters even had me sucked into their lifestyle and everything. If you haven't read this you need to get a copy on July 14th when it comes out. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my early copy.

Emily is down on her luck- her acting career that never started has tanked, she can't keep a job and the temp agency she goes to won't be of much help, and she doesn't have anyone left to turn to. So when her (former) boss offers her a job as an assistant to his wife and daughter at a secluded mansion in France, she doesn't hesitate to say 'yes.'

I found myself relating a bit too much to Emily. Too talkative at times, too trusting, too absent-minded... so I think that as a reader, reading about Emily's experience can be relatable to many people who feel down on their luck lately-- "a perfect beach read," for lack of a better phrase.

The format of this book is a bit strange. We get the story from two points of view: Scott (Emily's former/current boss) and Emily. Scott's perspective is frustrating: he reiterates how everything always falls perfectly into his lap again and again. As for Emily, she is written in third-person, with the narrator revealing the 'suspenseful' tidbits when Emily isn't looking. For example, Emily 'feels' something is off as she goes inside a building... and then we're told the camera outside has started blinking. Dun Dun Dun. It happened a few times in the story, and each time I rolled my eyes a bit.

'The Safe Place' is a quick read. It is predictable, but it has its fun "what if" moments to consider. Not a favorite of mine, but a good one!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.