“The Safe Place” by Anna Downes
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I was given this ARC by @netgalley for a honest review!
What would you do if you were broke, unemployed, and feeling lost? Would you accept an unconventional job to get a fresh start?
This is a debut novel by Anna Downes. I found this very well written and enjoyable. The characters are relatable as mental illness is real. Everyone probably knows someone that suffers from it, but everyone deals with it differently.
“Emily lost her job, apartment, and acting agent in one day.” She calls her mum for the hundredth time asking for money to get her by until the next job comes around. If she can’t be an actress she doesn’t know what she wants to do. When her mum says no she starts feeling desperate.
Scott Denny is the CEO of a successful business and is looking for the perfect person to work for his family. His estranged wife and daughter live hours away in France while he works in London. His desire to go “home” and see them becomes less and less. His wife is lonely, but unwell and needs help around the property.
Emily is the perfect person for his family. When she accepts the unconventional job offer he calls Nina (wife) and tells her he’s sending someone.
Emily arrives at Querencia and is estonished at how beautiful it is. An Oceanside property with two homes and farmland. She can’t shake the feeling something odd is happening here. It is so remote there are no phones, no internet, and no outsiders. There is Nina and her six year old daughter Aurelia plus a groundskeeper Yves.
Emily falls into a routine and is loving the simple life. She starts questioning things that are going on around the property. One minute Nina will be sweet and motherly and the next she will rage out. She thought she finally found the family of her dreams. When Emily starts to investigate the Denny family she is shocked at what she finds. If there is no escape from Querencia how will she survive?
Thrillers make you work for that heart stopping, throat gripping feeling.

This is *the* summer thriller for your beach bag! Man what a wild ride.. Downes has crafted a supremely suspenseful story full of believable but yet surprising twists and turns. I wasn't sure where the story would take me, but I had to stay up late to find out. The writing is superb - smart but accessible. The plot moves quickly but thoughtfully. The characters seem genuine and complex. This is a definite recommendation for fans of Ruth Ware - a similar creepy gothic sensibility.

When a blurb invokes Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell, it gets my attention. The Safe Place is billed as “atmospherically tense” with “morally complex family dynamics,” but it delivers something else.

A slow starter, The Safe Place begins with the decline of Emily Proudman, an adopted, down-on-her-luck young woman who has been let go from her job. She’s over-extended and begrudgingly about to turn to her adoptive parents for money when she gets an offer she can’t refuse from her dreamy ex-boss, Scott: a sort of mother’s helper job on a remote French estate that solves all of her immediate problems.

Emily falls into a natural step with Scott’s wife, Nina, and their daughter, Aurelia—until…

It’s hard to fully explain my complaints about this book without giving too much away, but there are painfully slow chapters where I had hoped what was being described would tie up to a shocking ending; there were tense scenes that, in the end, left me with more questions than answers about Aurelia’s “true condition,” Scott’s self-mutilation, and the Emily’s past prior to her adoption. I didn’t identify at all with Scott and Nina as parents, nor did I particularly understand Aurelia’s apparent hatred of Scott.

The author employs the usual tropes: a character’s basic needs overriding common sense, rich people and a Non-Disclosure Agreement, and a troubled, special needs child. It’s nothing I haven’t read before, other than that, in this case, it all falls flat.

The author sets up for a far more original ending than what’s delivered, and I can’t help feeling disappointed. While the writing, itself, is evocative and atmospheric, a great book is more than a collection of well-constructed sentences; it involves a cohesive, original plot. This one was just a bit too disjointed for me and felt like it needed a few more drafts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing an ARC of The Safe Place.

Emily has landed in the best place ever. She is helping Nina take care of her daughter Aurelia. She's kind of a personal assistant. She does lots of different things. Mostly she's a companion. In France of all places. At a beautiful place. She was interviewed for the job by her ex-boss. She had been let go as a temporary receptionist for being late to work several times. She was being evicted from her apartment, she was overdrawn on her bank account and her parents weren't going to bail her out again. The job offer was a great opportunity at the perfect time.
This is a very suspenseful book. It is intense and keeps you reading faster and faster to see what happens next. At the same time you don't want to miss anything, and you don't want the story to end. Excellent read!!

This is one of those mysteries that I could just keep on reading. There is nothing that I did not like about this story - it flowed well, the characters came to life and the storyline was intriguing.
Emily is a want-to-be actress. She has even skipped work to go for some readings, but has never been chosen for any parts. One day she loses her job and when she gets home to her apartment, she finds that she has to leave her apartment also. Just when she thinks that her life cannot get any worse, her ex boss Scott offers her a position that sounds too good to be true - a housekeeper/companion for his wife Nina and their daughter in a beautiful house in France. Emily arrives and falls in love with her surroundings, but she senses that something is not quite right. Eventually she becomes friends with Nina and everything seems to be good except that she is never allowed to discuss her job to anyone. Then Emily discovers something that will turn her life upside down.
This book has a surprising ending and one that will not disappoint.
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a great book! So twisty and unpredictable. It kept me entertained the whole time. I love books that keep me guessing. It made my imagination go nuts trying to figure out was happening! Thats the best kind of book!

In the world we live where everyone is so connected to their phones, computers, internet, etc, I was dying to see what would happen when that was all taken away from someone. This book definitely gave me that creepy vibe and had me guessing all the way until the end!

First, a thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC! It was one of those keep you on your toes, keep guessing but kept getting it wrong type of reads! I read this book in 2 days because it kept me on the edge of my seat. The dreamy cover is what caught my attention first and then the book description was all kinds of suspense and wonder. Emily has lost her job, her acting career is not working out, she finds her parents annoying, and she lives in a sh*thole apartment above a smelly restaurant. A too good to be true opportunity of a lifetime presents itself and she takes it! I won’t spoil the rest but if you love good writing and a suspenseful read, this is the book for you! Well done on your debut novel Anna Downes! You have a new fan for life!

Awesome read! One you just don’t want to put down! I miss the water so definitely a book to imagine while reading! Highly recommend

This book was hard to rate. I had such high expectations, and it fell a little short, but at the same time, I couldn't put it down. I kept expecting it to get better and it was just a little short of what I wanted it to be.

I finished this book awhile back. I’ve been struggling with how to write my review. I really couldn’t figure out if I liked it or not. Some parts I did like which I found added to that suspense factor but the rest of the scenes didn’t support them. There were some scenes that had me trying to figure out what they had to do with the story. They didn’t further the plot and I ended up confused. I did like Nina. She had many layers and I admit I wanted to know more about her. Emily fell flat for me. I think as a whole, I did like the book. It didn’t wow me or have me on the edge of my seat. I felt the wrap up was ok and the twist wasn’t enough to save it. I wanted to like it more than I did. I will read more of the author’s work because her writing is good. I give this 3 stars.

The Safe Place
Anna Downes
On Sale: 7/14/20

If you are looking for an easy poolside or beach read…here it is! The Safe Place is an escape to Paradise! Set in a remote house of the coast France this book was the perfect binge read!

I enjoyed the suspense and pacing of this book. I liked the flawed characters and my time spent just trying to figure out WTF was going on. The atmosphere was 1 part scenic and beautiful while still being weird and creepy enough to spook me occasionally.

I do want to say that I found the book predictable. I solved the twist early on but was still driven by my need to know why it happened the way it did. For most of the book I enjoyed the writing style, however the end felt a little wordy and strange.

Overall, I give this one 3.5 stars. I would pick up another book by this author.

Thank you @Minotaurbooks, St. Martins Press, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book for my honest review!

I did not see a lot of this book coming, which is always good. A nicely paced read, although some of the middle could have been cut.

Thanks to Netgalley for the read in exchange for an honest review.

This was ok.. I really wanted more, like a lot more. It kept me almost on the edge of my seat. It was entertaining enough for me to want to finish. It was was odd and predictable but not creepy enough. I don't get how her husband could have kept up with all of it. At the beginning i wanted that job. High paying and easy job.. What can go wrong....

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC

It took me forever to dive into this amazing novel and I apologize to the publisher who granted me access to the advance copy. HOWEVER, once I was properly hooked, a couple of chapters in, I just couldn’t put it down. THE SAFE PLACE is a stunning debut, full of mystery and heartbreak. You just have no clue what’s really going on and what’s happening next, although all the details point in a very certain direction to help you figure it all out. Very likable, well drawn characters, well executed story and well written.
Thanks again to the publisher and Netgalley.

I enjoyed reading this thriller. My favorite thing about it was the atmospheric gothic feel to the location. I also enjoyed the tension and sense of suspense and mystery throughout the story. This was not a thriller full of crazy twists and turns, rather it was one where layers of revelation happen, and even if they didn’t all shock me, the real thrill was living in the moments with main character, Emily.

Although I enjoyed and recommend this book, I did find the ending somewhat anti-climatic. I am being intentionally vague, but there was something that was hinted at being revealed, but was not, about Emily’s past that would have helped explain some things that were left hanging and unanswered. Yet, this is a great pick for anyone looking for an entertaining thriller that incorporates a large and isolated estate.

As far as I can recall, this is the first time I've ever given an ARC five stars. This is thriller fiction done right. Apart from Sharp Objects, this is probably the fastest I've ever read a thriller or mystery. I literally could not put it down I was so compeled to find out what happened next.

The Good: There was so much I loved about The Safe Place. The setting, the characters, the descriptions, the "there's obviously something deeply wrong here" vibes. This is everything I love in a thriller. The writing is definitely a step above that of many of the British thrillers I've read, and the setting felt so real to me I almost felt like I was there. So many things that could have turned into cliches were not, and I was literally on the edge of my seat for then tire last 30% of the book.

The Bad: There's not much I have in the way of complaints, but I do stress that this is a thriller and NOT a mystery. The actual 'mystery/twist' was fairly predictable and is revealed at about 60% of the way through. However, the action and suspense after was so well done that I didn't even care. Just as a warning though, if you've read a lot of mysteries before, don't expect to be totally shocked because you won't be. I can guarantee you will be thrilled though. ;)

TL;DR: I loved The Safe Place and I will absolutely be purchasing any future Anna Downes books! Highly recommend this for a quick, fun beach read.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to R&R

The Safe Place by Anna Downes

Young and naive Emily is hand picked by her boss, Scott, to be the au pair for his family. But, why her? A chance to live in France and to change her miserable life in London, Emily jumps at the opportunity.

Little Aurelia is a handful and somewhat odd, but Emily’s friendship with Nina, the mother, makes it all worthwhile. Though things never add up or seem quite right, Emily gets caught up in the lavish lifestyle and endless funds, so why ask questions?

With just the right amount of tension, this book hits the mark. The reader knows something bad will happen, but must wait for the perfect build up to find out what that is. The author carries the reader’s interest throughout the story, which should appeal to all readers.

Many thanks to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an ARC for my review.

Wow! I couldn’t stop reading! You think you know what’s going on or going to happen and then it doesn’t, so many twist and turns. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it!!

In The Safe Place author Anna Downes gives us the story told in the voices of the two main characters. Emily, our heroine, does things that the reader with find themselves mentally telling her not to do....of course, there wouldn't be a story if she listened to us! I want to thank Net Galley and Minotaur Books for an early copy to review,