Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for my review. I had this on my "to read" list for a little while so naturally I was very excited that I was offered an ARC. The cover is what initially caught my eye and interested me. Boy, Anna Downes did not disappoint!

Emily is a vulnerable girl who has trouble supporting herself and figuring out her life. She is offered what seems to be, the ideal dream job from the CEO of her temp job. Of course, she takes it and while it's everything she could have imagined, things suddenly take a turn. You never really know someone, do you? Life away in a different country, living in a complete dream home all while having everything you need without having to set foot off of the property. As they say, if it seems too good to be true... it must be.

If you're looking for a book you don't want to put down and one that you will get lost in, pick this one! My only complaint is that I felt the ending could have taken a different path. Overall, still a great read!

Loved this book! Fast paced and enjoyable characters. This read had me hooked from the start. The Safe Place is the perfect escape from what is happening today and will be an amazing read for summer 2020. This is a dark read with salacious family secrets that will keep you guessing until the end. A quick page turner put this on your to be read list you won’t regret it!

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This book is one WILD ride! I could not put the book down since there were surprises around every corner. I am obsessed with these kind of suspenseful books, and I love how the twists and turns caught me by surprise! Anna Downes has a way to make you as a reader feel like a fly on the wall in the room with all of these dynamic characters. I cannot wait to recommend to my book club, followers, and friends! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Out 7.14.20 | Free from Netgalley/ Minotaur Books | This was one of those books that had me wondering at about 15% or so if I should keep going. There was a lot to like about it and the flaws were ones I could get past, so I’m glad I stick with it. A young girl is trying to make it as an actress in London and just when she hits rock bottom, her incredibly wealthy boss intervenes and recruits her to become a housekeeper at the remote French estate where his wife and kid live. Once the scene was set, I thought there was fantastic tension and buildup. Some points were unbelievable- how is he so rich? - but if you buy into it it's very enjoyable. This reminded me a bit of Verity mixed with The Girl Before. Very good debut- I will be interested in more from this author! 4 stars.

3.5 Stars
What I liked about this one was that it had that eeriness factor that I love in books and it was a quick read. I love a good thriller that involves a creepy house and an unsuspecting nanny. Although Emily isn’t really a nanny. She is really there to watch over Scott’s wife, Nina, but all Emily knows is that Nina is unwell. The setting is described beautifully. It is a stunning place in France, but Emily finds many things unsettling. However, instead of investigating further, she is blinded by the beauty of the estate and by the beauty of the couple, Scott and Nina. Something I did not like was Emily’s lack of caring about these odd happenings. She has suspicions about why she is not allowed in the main house, why Nina’s daughter takes all these pills, why there is no service/wifi, why Nina acts out sometimes... but she doesn’t really do much about it. I also did not like the odd relationship between Scott and Emily. The twist was good, but I was hoping for more. I enjoyed reading the book, but it was a very slow burn.
Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was the kind of thriller you put everything else down for, until you can get to the end. It was enjoyable, but it was definitely a mindfuck to read, especially as a mother. Did not see any of that coming. Five awe-struck stars. I know I won't sleep well tonight.

I wanted to read this book because I had read so many good reviews. If I didn’t have high expectations I might not have been so disappointed. This book was just an average read. I found it very predictable. Many times the writing style was annoying with goofy sayings thrown in.

Emily's character seemed to change from the beginning of the story to the end. I didn't her change in morals and behavior was supported by the storyline. In addition to Emily's character change, the way her parents treated her changed.

I think the story could have been improved with more supporting details. There were several times I thought the relationship between Scott and Emily would develop and the author would end the chapter and pick up on something else.

This was a fast easy read. If you don't have a lot on your "To Read" shelf this might be a good beach read.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

If it weren’t for bad luck, poor Emily Proudman would have no luck at all. She’s lost her temporary job, she didn’t get the acting gig she auditioned for, she’s been dropped by her agent, her parents won’t lend her any more money, and, because the rent check bounced [again], she’s evicted from her apartment.

But her former boss, Scott Denny, thinks she’s perfect to help his wife, Nina, on their French estate. Emily cannot believe her good fortune, especially when she sees the lovely estate and learns she will have the entire guest house to herself. As the days pass, she comes to consider herself part of the family, and she believes Nina and Scott feel that way, too.

But it isn’t long before Emily begins to suspect Nina is hiding something terrible, and she begins to have second thoughts about remaining at the isolated estate. Will Emily discover the secret of Querencia or will the secret claim her as its victim?

There’s a strong sense of place anchoring this suspenseful, atmospheric tale. Querencia is so well-crafted it becomes a character; Emily, Nina, Scott, and Aurelia are well-developed and nuanced; there’s an ever-building sense of tension that captures the reader and keeps the pages turning as rapidly as possible. Astute readers will guess the closely-guarded secret long before its reveal, but this does not detract from the percipient telling of this dark tale.

Almost two-thirds of the story is told from Emily’s point of view; the remainder from Scott’s viewpoint. Interspersed are pieces of backstory [memories?] that slowly reveal the closely-held secret shared by the husband and wife. There are times readers will find Emily exasperating, but as events unfold, she begins to put things together, discovering that she must be true to herself and be mature enough to face her problems.

Readers may find that more backstory would have helped them understand some of the characters' actions, particularly Juliet and Peter and the dynamics of their family. Why are they so estranged from their daughter?
Unfortunately, the much-mentioned plot point concerning Emily’s early life remains a mystery as the narrative concludes; with so much made of this within the story, disappointed readers are certain to find this lack of clarification particularly frustrating.
In addition, the unnecessary use of an offensive expletive is likely to be off-putting for many readers.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheSafePlace #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Emily Proudman tries to juggle her work as a receptionist with acting auditions but she seems to be failing at both. Her relationship with her parents is damaged due to her keeping her distance from them until she has to ask them for money. When she loses her job, her agent and is facing eviction from her apartment, Emily doesn't know what to do or where to turn for help. Her former boss, Scott Denny, swoops in to save the day with a job offer that's too good to be true.

Emily travels to Scott's remote, isolated French estate to help his wife and daughter. Emily will function as a housekeeper, help with renovations on the estate and whatever else Scott's wife Nina needs. Emily develops a close friendship with Nina and her special needs daughter Aurelia. They spend days by the pool, drinking wine and exploring their own private paradise. However, Emily sees some troubling behaviors from both Nina and Aurelia. Eventually, Emily realizes there is something very, very wrong. However, is it too late?

I read The Safe Place in a day. It's a fast-paced thriller that will have you guessing. The twists and turns were surprising and unpredictable. The characters are fascinating, well-described and interesting. The remote French setting was so vividly described. It was such a juxtaposition between the peaceful, beautiful estate and the building tension throughout the story. Emily makes some bad decisions that had me feeling frustrated but they were believable with how desperate she was. Overall, this was a compelling, unique thriller.

3.5 stars rounded down

This book was a great read to escape a bit and pretend I was living in an isolated French villa. While some plot points were pretty predictable, there were enough twists and turns to keep me engaged.

My main gripe was the ending, which lacked resolution for several characters, especially Emily. The whole novel she is fighting with her past and possible repressed memories, but she (and the reader) never get any answers, despite multiple scenes with another main character mentioning how he's learned all about her past. So frustrating.

This book is a blistering, whip-smart twisty thriller that absolutely blew my mind! Everything seems so real when told by the author. I felt like I could hop a plane and wander through the lush exclusionary Querencia. I could sit at a cafe and see Yves watching Emily as she sips a cafe au lait and learns the truth. I could feel Nina’s visceral fear, hope, and brittle link to reality. Scott strolls by me while blushing from a text that Emily sent. This was a hell of great story, and I’m so grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for my free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! I have a new author to enjoy!

Enjoyed this domestic thriller. Lots of dark twisted secrets relating to mental health and all of issues related.
Creepy in the best way. Crazy good characters that were easy to love and hard to figure out.
The chilling thought of being watched 24/7 and then held against your will.
So much love but manipulation goes on throughout this book.

When I first read the description of this book, I knew I would love it. The main character, Emily, gets a "too good to be true" job offer in France. She takes it and immediately loves her interesting employers & unique work responsibilities. But as you guessed, it is too good to be true, and she begins to uncover some really shocking dark discoveries. What I love most about this thrilling mystery is that it is told from different perspectives. The author keeps you guessing the entire time with an ending that you won't see coming, I highly recommend this book and will be talking about it for a very long time!

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I didn't really enjoy this novel as it was very bland and not much original plot points.

“Querencia was a little like Narnia. You could spend weeks there without ever leaving, months even, and on your return to the real world it seemed that no time had passed at all.”

I really liked this. The Safe Place is this slow burn mystery suspense read. Like legitimately the entire time I was just waiting for our poor naive heroine to actually have something happen to her. Like something was there, out of focus, just waiting for this unsuspecting woman to get too close.

I think as you read things slowly click into place, but you don’t quite hear them clicking, and by the end I honestly felt like I was the naive heroine of the story. Like, what just happened? Have I been bamboozled. I clearly don’t want to say too much, because what mystery suspense reads well without the mystery? I was left with a few questions at the end, but I’m pretty sure that was intentional and while I wish I had actual answers, I understand that leaving the reader to dream up their own answers, leaves a certain strong impression as well.

All in all I enjoyed this one. I’d love to pick up another from this author in the future, because while a slow burn story isn’t usually my favorite, Anna Downes did a fabulous job keeping me interested in this cast of characters and all of their secrets.

Review Copy

A good novel novel to escape and not think too much. A bit too predictable for my taste, however. By the time I finished reading I had asked myself several times when the big twist was coming. Without that, why did the characters even do what they did? It was a little too far fetched for me.

In spite of the plotting, it was well written, the sentences grammatically correct. That's a huge plus in my mind! Three stars for an ok, not bad read.

I really enjoyed this book. The idea of Emily taking care of his former boss’s wife and daughter in their safe place was different. I felt myself dragging it out because I didn’t want it to end. I wish there was a little more background on what made Nina tick.

This was a most unusual and well done read. Emily, an unemployed actress, was working as a temp Receptionist at a London company. After she was fired for incompetence she met the company’s owner who offered her a companion/housekeeper type job at his home on the French coast. She took the job and was flown there in a private plane. It was a gated two house estate in the middle of nowhere. His wife and child lived there with a very stoic handyman who came in daily. Emily and Nina (the wife) developed a very close relationship and she also became close to their child, a six year old girl who didn’t speak and also had some behavior issues. Going further into the plot would lead to too many spoilers but for anyone who enjoys reading psychological thrillers, I would highly recommend this novel. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur for an ARC for an honest review.

Anna Downes has won me over! I absolutely enjoyed every bit of this story and I found myself excited to head back to this beautiful French estate even if something is off and not right at all. Being cooped up in my home with what seems like the fifth winter this year I was so quickly lost into the story, the people and the setting. I felt the characters were likable and relatable. This is the summer read for 2020. A place you can go when you can't go on vacation. While some may find it predictable I did not at all and enjoyed the mystery unravel before me. I will put Anna Downes right next to my Ruth Ware books as she has earned my respect. Bravo! I highly recommend as the read to kick-off summer or a good mystery beach-read.

So this is definitely one of my favorite types of books where you have multiple characters telling the story. This makes it interesting because you are seeing both sides of the story as it happens. This style of storytelling also compels you to want to turn the page to the next chapter.

Poor Emily's day went from good to worse but little does she know that some of it is totally out of her control. I will be curious to find out why Scott has "chosen" Emily and what he has in store for her. Does it have something to do with Nina and if so what? At this point in time anything positive that is offered to her will be pleasing as her life cant get any worse than it currently is. Or can it??