Nothing is going right for Emily Proudman.
She's been fired from her temp job and dropped by her acting agent. She's not being offered any acting jobs, her career has stalled.
She's about to be evicted from her place and she's somewhat estranged from her parents.
Scott Denny, the CEO of the London company that fired her, offers her a summer job as a housekeeper/companion for his wife Nina and their daughter Aurelia.
They live on a secluded French manor with a guest house and pool in an isolated area in France.
Feeling a bit desperate, but hopeful, she takes the job.
She is charmed by the charismatic Nina and enjoys keeping busy with the projects and chores.
But daughter Aurelia is quite odd. She doesn't really speak, and seems to have some severe allergies, especially to the sun. Emily struggles to build a rapport with the girl.
Scott doesn't visit often, or keep in contact much, but she daydreams about him and has a little bit of a crush on him, as well as the lovely Nina.
She begins to notice some strange things on the estate, nothing is quite what it seems.
Emily stumbles onto some mysterious secrets that could put her life in jeopardy.
This slow burn thriller was a great read that kept me on edge with the dark and sinister gothic atmosphere. The tension notched up up to an exciting ending.
A fun summer book.
Thank you St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

The theme of this book was a little bit far-fetched but I did stick with it as a good beach read. I read a lot of books of this genre and this one was average

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A strong, stunning debut!

I had such a great time reading The Safe Place. The beginning grabbed me, the middle was awesome and it just got better from there! So many twists and surprises that it was hard to figure out just what was happening. And just when you thought you figured it out, they just kept comin’ atcha!

There are four main characters. Emily is an out of work actress trying to make ends meet. When she gets fired from her office job, she is at a loss about what to do. Scott (who happens to be an executive at the company that fired Emily) and Nina are a married couple and they have a young daughter, Aurelia. When Scott finds out that Emily gets fired from her job, he makes her an offer she cannot refuse. Move to the French countryside, Querencia, to essentially be a caretaker for Nina and Aurelia. All expenses paid, and then some.

Side note: I have to say that I loved the story’s setting. As I was reading, I had a very vivid picture about what I imagined Querencia looked like. I love that in a book.

Okay, back to the review.

Told in alternating POV‘s, this book was super easy to follow because of the small number of characters. The end of every chapter left me wanting more, which is why this book was so hard to put down.

For me, there’s just nothing like a story that is FULL of secrets! Juicy secrets that just keep you guessing. There are no shortage of secrets in this book and I loved it.

I would recommend this to anyone, but especially my thriller loving friends! I can’t wait to see what Anna Downes comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books and Anna Downes for my advanced copy to read and review.

A fun, summer thriller! Loved the twist, with the Aurelia, but felt there was more to explore with the Scott (the husband).

Side bar: I'm not sure I understand why Nina spent so much time and energy fixing up the guest house-- it's not as if she really could have guests on the property with the secrets they were hiding.

If you're in the mood for a dark, slow-burning suspense/thriller, with gorgeous scenery in France, I'd recommend! If your a discerning thriller reader who easily figures out plots and actively looks for plot holes and such, maybe not for you. I tend to just read, enjoy and the ruminate the details after finishing, so this fit the bill for me.

3 stars

Frequent thriller readers know that, in general, there are really only so many possible plot points. The magic is often in the telling, in the execution of the twists, not necessarily in the twists themselves—even for thrillers with unique and/or outlandish premises, there are only so many categories of plot twists (mistaken/hidden identity, not-really-dead, conniving unreliable narrator, etc.). The Safe Place, as a domestic thriller involving wealthy characters and a class disparity, only really had so many directions to go. To me, the question isn't whether a thriller is predictable or not (this one was, for the record), but whether the route the author took was compelling and entertaining or not. The Safe Place is compulsively readable and consistently entertaining. Emily is a realistically flawed young character, someone who's made a mess of her life and is seeking a reboot—she was easy to connect with, somewhat sympathetic and complex/individual enough to stand out in a sea of generic thriller protagonists. Downes clearly has a talent for crafting characters, and I look forward to reading whatever she does next.

Wow! This was a fantastic book! It was intriguing, suspenseful and full of twists! I thought I had it all figured out but was so, so wrong! I highly recommend it!

This is one of those books you finish and clasp it saying WOW! You stay at the end of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. A small group of main characters that you bounce back and forth wondering whether to love or hate them. Twists and turns, you constantly wonder why? Amazing book with flowing writing makes for a quick read.

Unfortunately, I had a difficult time getting into the groove of this book. I'm not sure it was the plot or the writing, but I found myself putting it down quite often and taking a very long time to finish it.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I did feel the middle moved a bit on the slower side. However once I saw the shape the book was taking I understood.

Emily was just let go at her place of employment. Her boss had bigger plans for her. He needed someone to take care of his wife and daughter. In France at their very secluded house. Emily feels she has hit the jackpot with this job. She loves his wife and daughter. Then things start to feel off but she just can't put her finger on it. Till one day she goes to town and does an internet search. Now she wishes she didn't know.

I loved the twist, I did go in blind as I typically do. Great read, great book!

This was an easy read, a page turner and kept me guessing until the end. Which in my mind already makes a great book.

It was a slow burn but done in the right form. It would build up at just the right time which made you want more. Made you want to keep reading to find our more about what’s happening with Emily.

I had so many moments of yelling at the book saying wait...don’t do that or don’t go in there! Can’t you see it’s a bad idea.

The character development was great and I enjoyed the writing. With a fairly good storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ebook in exchange for my honest review which is my own opinion.

The Safe Place is a psychological thriller, leaving a breadcrumb trail of clues along the way. In a book like this, striking the right balance of clues without drawing the story out is essential to keep me interested, and The Safe Place pulls it off. While the start is a bit slow, it ramps up once Emily arrives at Querencia and you can just tell something is... off.

I also enjoy when a thriller doesn’t wait until the last two pages for things to start coming together, and instead we get to also be included in that part of the story in this book.

Recently finished up The Safe Place and WOW. The entire time, I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what the heck was going on! I was so creeped out at some points and a couple times I suspected maybe a little bit of paranormal activity was involved. I eventually DID kind of guess what was happening, which isn’t unusual for me and DID NOT take away any of my love for this book!
I so loved the writing, characters, plot, all of it! I couldn’t bring myself to dislike any of the characters, no matter how sketchy and wrong I knew they were. I give this book 4 stars and can’t wait to read more from Anna in the future!

Things aren’t going well for Emily. In one day, she lost her job, her acting agent and her apartment. She doesn’t want to go to her adoptive parents as their relationship is not the best. Scott, the charismatic CEO of the company she was fired from offers her a job in France on his luxurious estate. His wife and daughter live there. She is to be an assistant and help out wherever needed. She’s thrilled with this new opportunity. However, things are not quite as they seem. As time goes on, Emily begins to realize that things are not just unusual, they may be very dangerous. The ending completely blew me away!

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This book was a bit of a slow burn for me but kicked up towards the middle. I knew obviously something was wrong, but the twist was not what I expected. The beginning starts with Emily, an emotional mess who can’t seem to keep a job and is fired from her temp agency. Her old boss from the agency contacts her with an offer. Go to France and help take care of the beautiful grand house his wife and ill young daughter live in. Emily naturally jumps at the chance. But when she gets there, little by little, all is not what it seems. The daughter is prone to outbursts and is on a cocktail of meds. But Emily doesn’t know why. As things began to get stranger, the book gets better. And you begin to wonder, IS this a safe place?

I feel like it's going to be kind of difficult to review The Safe Place without any spoilers, so this review will likely be very vague. There's a lot going on within this book and it gets pretty twisty-turny, so I definitely don't want to reveal anything.

Emily Proudman is kind of a mess - she's a aspiring actress who can hardly get a gig, and her aspirations always make her late to her actual temp job, so she gets fired. Her parents and her aren't what you'd call close. So needless to say, things are tough. Enter Scott Denny, a rich guy who needs someone to be a bit of a housekeeper at his second home in France, someone to spend time with his wife and sickly daughter, since he's always in London for work. Fortunately, Emily fits to bill. In fact, she perfect - no job, no money, few ties. And the house is basically a mansion, waterside, secluded - everything she could ever want. But the seclusion is a bit intense, and there's no cell service, and a weird set of rules. What exactly has she gotten herself into, and will she be able to get out?

The Safe Place is twisty and suspenseful. In fact, it's much more suspenseful and mysterious than thriller (as it's marketed). One of my first impressions of this book was the kind of vividly graphic self harm that happens through the book quite a few times. Graphic enough that I could feel it and it made me cringe. And I went into those scenes with no warning, so I highly recommend if that's a trigger for you - do not read this book. So, that was definitely one of my big issues with the story. I can deal with gore and graphic scenes, and I guess I can see how it fit with the character and their story, but it also felt unnecessary and sensational, which really bothered me. I don't enjoy problematic scenarios being used for shock value, and it felt like that's what was going on. It definitely wasn't something that added to the story or was ever really discussed.

Besides those graphic depictions, the story was quite a slow burn, which was fine but was also just really slow, as in slower than I'd ever expected. I wanted things to happen that would really pull me in and instead I often found myself being really bored. I also found the flirtatiousness and weird romance to be another piece of the book that didn't really add to the storyline.

I did like, however, the final outcome of the book. I was worried it may go in a different direction, would honestly would have left me pissed. Instead it seemed like the best ending to actually wrap up the story, but that's where things really sped up in comparison to the rest of the book, and I wish the ending could have been better developed and delivered. I needed more to happen, and I just finished the story really feeling disappointed. The novel just had really weird highs and lows in terms of speed.

"If you wait around for other people to approve your decisions, you'll be waiting a long time. Approve them yourself. Be proud of yourself." - The Safe Place, Anna Downes

For me, this was another book that used sensationalism to try and tell a story and ended up falling a bit flat and problematic. The book had potential, but was really delivered in a way that didn't make the most sense.

This was a solid thriller. I had no idea what was going on for most of the book, and couldn't begin to guess where the author was taking the story. At one point, I thought this was going be more of a horror story than a thriller, because the little girl creeped me out so much! The author did a great job tying everything together neatly at the end. Overall, this was a fast, enjoyable read!

Debut novelist Anne Downes is a native of Sheffield, England, and studied drama at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. In 2009, she decided to travel and ended up working as a live-in housekeeper and caretaker for a wealthy family at their remote French estate. It was a fortuitous assignment because it provided the inspiration for The Safe Place. Downes says the experience was "eye-opening" for a number of reasons that she explores in her first novel.

Emily Proudman is down on her luck and her last attempt to extract money from her parents is unsuccessful. She has borrowed money from them in the past, and broken promises and forgotten milestones. Her relationship with her adopted parents is complicated, largely due to Emily's internal struggle to understand who she is, where she belongs, and what her purpose in the world is meant to be. With no options left, she accepts Scott's surprising offer, agreeing to live in the remote French countryside with Nina, and their troubled young daughter. When Emily arrives, she finds that there are two homes on the estate called Querencia, and she will be living in the guest house, but must maintain professional boundaries that include not entering the family home.

Emily immediately notices that there is something distinctly odd about Nina, who explains that Aurelia can never be exposed to direct sunlight, and is clothed head to foot at all times and wears hats with large brims to protect her skin. Aurelia does not want to be touched and sometimes acts out, screaming hysterically, which shocks and frightens Emily. Nina regularly gives Aurelia medication. But Emily is determined to get acquainted with and gain the trust of the little girl.

Downes credibly relates how Emily settles into her new role, developing an affectionate friendship with Nina and becoming attached to Aurelia, as well as her new lifestyle in the countryside. The weeks pass quickly and Emily grows close and protective of Nina and Aurelia, even as she is mystified by the ailments Nina claims plague Aurelia and the child's strange behavior.

The Safe Place is atmospheric and Downes deftly evokes the feeling of warm summer days spent caring for the animals and renovating the main house before enjoying a rejuvenating dinner on the patio and swim in the glistening pool. Despite her poor judgment and irresponsibility, Emily grows more empathetic as the story proceeds and Downes reveals details about her childhood. She explains how Emily came to be utterly lost, making her attachment to Nina and Aurelia believable, and her desire to be rescued by Scott compelling.

Throughout the book, Downes injects portions of a first-person narrative describing events that appear to have occurred before Emily took up residence with the family. The narrator's identity remains a mystery as the story progresses and Emily's instincts lead her to seek answers about Scott and his family. Downes expertly accelerates the story's pace as Emily inches closer to the truth, ramping up the dramatic tension and inspiring readers to cheer for Emily when she realizes that her discoveries have placed her in grave danger. Downs says her own time on a remote French estate revealed that "anything could happen and nobody would know it." She employs the isolation of Quarencia to great dramatic effect -- Emily is cut off from everyone she has ever known and must save herself.

The Safe Place is ultimately a story about a young woman who reconciles herself to her past and learns that it does not have to define her. Her experiences at Querencia place her in an ethical quandry, her life hanging in the balance if she makes the wrong choice. Downes provides a satisfying and credible conclusion to a story about a young woman who learns about empowerment and independence, and just how resilient, brave, and loved she really is. Ironically, she comes to understand that Scott hired her because "he'd seen her heart." As the story concludes, Emily is confident that her heart is good and she knows where her safe place is.

The Safe Place is a noteworthy debut and readers will find themselves anxious to read more from Downes.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

This novel started out slow, and I wasn’t almost ready to abandon it, but I’m sure glad I didn’t. A fresh mystery/thriller that is different from anything I’ve read. The main character really grew on me and I ended up empathizing with her and cheering her on. A fun summer read

Emily is a would-be actor who can’t catch a break. She tries to work auditions around her temporary jobs but can’t seem to make it work. She is always late for something. After the latest disastrous audition, Emily is fired when she returns to the office. Emily has caught the eye of the owner, Scott, for a completely different job. Scott and Nina have a remote estate in France. Nina lives there with their daughter, Aurelia. Aurelia has many health issues and has to be closely supervised. Scott arranges to “run into” Emily and tells her she wasn’t supposed to be fired. He has a fantastic opportunity for her. The opportunity is to move to the remote estate as a personal assistant, housekeeper, gardener, and companion for Nina. Emily is about to be evicted from her apartment and is overdrawn on all her accounts and cards. She quickly accepts Scott’s offer. Life is wonderful. Days full of sun, food and drink. But sometimes the safe place isn’t so safe after all.
This is truly one of the best books I have read so far this year. There was no where else for the book to go, but I was sad when it ended. I have a book hangover. Five stars for sure!

Unfortunately, I came away from the book feeling as through I had read nearly 350 pages of something resembling a poorly executed Lifetime movie (and I like Lifetime movies - I know, don’t judge me). The first 2/3 of the book are spent on character development and setting the scene, but it’s not as though this amounted to a satisfying, well-executed ending. I often considered not finishing this book, and I forced myself to sit down and continue reading it in order to move on to my waiting TBR stack.