Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book for me to read. It kept me so interested I read it in one sitting. I had no idea what was going to happen!

Thank you so much for this ARC!

First, beautiful cover! Without even reading the details of this book, I would have requested this title.

Obsessed with this story! I loved watching Emily (who was a bit lost in life), get granted such a unique experience. When you have nothing to lose, a dream house in Paris sounds ideal. Well, it was not. At first I was a little envious of Emily, but knew something weird was going to go down! I didn't expect this!

Great story, great character development and overall wonderful writing. Cannot wait to read more books by this Anna Downes!

Available: 7/14/20

This had the potential to be a lot better than it actually was. Who wouldn't want a job opportunity in paradise? Paradise isn't what it seems and soon becomes a nightmare. Sound familiar? That's because there are so many other books with this same idea!

Great premise but it was predictable AF.. I wasn't surprised with the ending either. Beautiful cover though. Almost a DNF.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a woman, Emily, who is hired by her former boss as a housekeeper/assistant for his wife and child. She is immediately drawn to the atmosphere of the estate, but then starts to find things are not as they seem.

What worked for this book was the author was creative in her word choices within the book, creating interesting imagery and through it flashbacks that provided insight into some of the characters.

Although the book did have an intriguing plot, I found that sometimes there were some disconnects between chapters, which made it a bit difficult to transition.

Overall, it was a good read, and I would say this book if for anyone that wants to read a suspense story in a unique location.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books for the ARC.

#TheSafePlace #Netgalley

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It never tried to hide there was a mystery and honestly I figured out the big twist pretty early on. Regardless it was a fun mystery/thriller and I struggled with putting it down. The writing is well done and the characters are well developed. The book is told from Emily and Scott (her boss)’s perspectives and they’re both flawed but still relatable.

Emily is fired from her temp job but the boss has something else in mind for her - a house keeper/nanny/companion to his wife and child living in France. With no other prospects Emily accepts and finds herself in a perfect paradise isolated from everyone. No phone, no internet, no strangers.

Wow! Loved this book.. great characters, great plot, great writing. Just when you think you know how it ends, there's another plot twist. Couldn't put it down!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the cover to the ending, I loved this book. It is full of twists and turns kept me turning page after page. My first book by Anna Downes, but will definitely not be my last.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. The author has a very descriptive writing style without being too wordy. I could visualize both the property in France and the market where Emily went shopping clearly in my mind.

This is not a scary book but it is definitely a good psychological mystery. Nina's character was disturbing and written perfectly. I truly felt bad for their daughter. There were a couple of questions that were not answered for me and I would have liked a bit more character development for Scott and for Emily.

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book

Please keep the dreamy cover. I was looking for a suspenseful story that would make me wonder "what the heck is going on?" Well I found it. Twists, turns, heart-pounding rush to the end. Boom. Surprise.

"The Safe Place" is a twisty thriller of a book! Follow along with Emily as she finds what she thinks is the perfect job. But everything is not as it seems. I definitely could not have predicted what happened! I do wish the ending had been more conclusive. I felt that there were several questions that were never answered.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

If you were offered the opportunity to move to France for a job, would you go? Or does it seem too good to be true? After all, most things are. . .

After Emily relocates to France, she begins to realize that things aren't quite as they appear. Working in residence as a caretaker, she begins to notice things seem off. Not quite right. What is going on? Why is this house that Emily is in so isolated from everything?

I really liked this book however it took a little while to get going. There wasn't much development in the way of characters, while it was more plot reliant. After about the 50% marker, things started to take off. It ended up being a solid novel. 3 stars.

The Safe Place is THE must-read psychological thriller this summer. Clean, crisp writing couples with sinister family secrets and the beautiful French countryside to create the most juicy and devourable story. I can't recommend this enough.

A good story which helps you to escape from whatever you need to escape from! Takes you by surprise and keeps you guessing. An easy read likely to keep you reading long past your bedtime.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A good suspense book with an unusual and interesting plot. Many satisfying twists and turns that surprised me in the end. 3.5 stars out of 5/

Not really my favorite, but good. The writing style I’ve seen before (think Mary Kubica or a much watered down Elizabeth Haynes) and the plot was enough to want to see how it will all come crushing down. Emily (the MC) has a habit of doing one stupid thing after another, like not “listening to her gut,” that little voice that says, ‘run away’, which is a bit frustrating... but I get it. Anything to keep the story going.

Originally it was the cover than drew me in (the clear blue sky, sparkling pool and ocean background) but this book has so much more than a beautiful lush setting. A story of forbidden desire, of distance between spouses, and a girl down on her luck and just looking to survive on her own. When Emily is given the opportunity of a lifetime to become a live in caregiver/housekeeper/helper for a woman and her sick child in a beautiful, isolated French estate she jumps. She has everything she could dream of there, including a car for her use, but she soon discovers it is very cut off from the world, as it has no cell reception, wifi or outside callers for that matter. Emily soon discovers all is not as it seems, and there is a reason certain amenities are missing, why she is forbidden from entering the main quarters, and why Nina and Aurelia never seem to leave the estate.

I really liked this book. I did not know where the author was going with it for while. I enjoyed the characters and I liked the back and forth of the writing style. I would recommend this book by Anna Downes!

Emily can't seem to get anything right. Her biggest problem is herself. She's just meandering through life expecting something amazing to fall into her lap, and, suddenly, it does. She doesn't stop the wonder why.

Here's the thing: There is zero tangible action in this book before 75% of the way through. I mean, stuff kind of happens, but it's all setup stuff and not real stuff. So, when the time comes that something goes down and you have to make a choice about who you want to succeed? You want no one to succeed. Eh.

This book is not your normal mystery. The subject matter, the location (author does a great job of making the location show in your mind - like a movie set!) And the ending was totally not what I expected - even a few pages from the end!
Easy read, interesting enough to keep you up reading all night.