Wow! The Safe Place is one of those books that is impossible to put down, with plenty of well-crafted characters, plot twists, and drama! The novel follows a young actress, Emily, who is manipulated by a wealthy and successful businessman. She is given an opportunity to work in France, and at first everything is ideal. As she begins to uncover some truths about the family who has welcomed her into the fold, she is forced to make some hard decisions. Overall, a great read!

Emily is struggling actress, and when she is offered a job as a housekeeper on remote French estate is beyond excited and accepts.. She soon learns that behind nice faces lie some dangerous secrets.
Amazing characters, dark complex plot in great atmosphere.

Entertaining and a quick read.
Loved it!

Scott offers Emily a move to France - in the lap of luxury. This, in return for housekeeping duties and working as an au pair for his 6 year old daughter who needs home schooling. Scott's wife, Nina, may have other ideas...

Twisty and surprising, this story is fun and keeps the reader guessing. Emily is a great protagonist - as she wins your heart!

Many Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a very good read.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Affirm Press for an ebook arc of The Safe Place. The cover is stunning and absolutely drew me to it (yes, I judge books by their covers!). I binged this book in just a couple of days. It was completely addictive and I couldn’t help but keep turning the pages to find out what the mystery was and ended up staying up till midnight last night to finish it 😂 I’m honestly not usually a big thriller person but I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for more books by Downes in the future!

When Emily is offered a job as a housekeeper as a picturesque mansion on the coast of France, things seem too good to be true but she quickly agrees and boards the private plane to her new home. Settling in with her new employers wife, Nina Denny and daughter Aurelia, she slips into her new life in paradise perfectly. However, as the months go by Emily can’t help but notice strange things about the wealthy family. Why is she still not allowed in their home? What is this mystery illness Aurelia suffers from? Why is Nina’s husband never around? Emily slowly begins suspects that the Denny’s are hiding a a dark secret and uncovering it could be deadly...

Anna Downes debut novel The Safe Place was inspired by her experiences working on a remote French Estate. And the feel of that estate comes through strongly in the opening framing of the book. Emily is whisked away by private plane to the South of France and then taken by a silent driver to a massive, remote coastal estate called Querencia. Clearly this is not Emily’s milieu and from the start it seems that something is a little off. But what that something is takes quite a while to get to.
The story then rewinds to Emily’s disastrous life. She is an aspiring actress who can not land a role and when the book opens is also being fired by the firm where she is temping and being evicted from her flat. She is already on the outs with her adoptive parents partly because she craves more than their small British village life but at the same time is always coming to them for money. So when her ex-boss Scott runs into her, apologises for her sacking and then offers her a job as a housekeeper and companion for his wife and daughter in France she really has little choice. But of course Scott knows this. Scott’s story is also being told in parallel, including the way he has manipulated Emily into a position where she has to say yes to his proposal. There is something decidedly creepy about Scott (including the occasional act of self-harm) but nothing more than that is revealed until much later in the book.
Upon arrival in France, Emily meets Scott’s wife Nina and their silent, reclusive daughter Aurelia. From the beginning she knows something is not right. There are plenty of rules, including not allowing her into the family home (she has a guest house of her own), and a strange damp smell that permeates the paradise that might be more than just mouldering buildings that need some TLC. All of this keeps the reader slightly on edge until finally (they take a long time coming), secrets are revealed and some hell breaks loose.
The Safe Place is effective if languorously paced. It takes a long time for anything to happen, so that the bulk of the middle of the book just feels like Emily’s adventures in paradise. The revelations when they do come are not particularly surprising, partly because they have been seeded but partly because they are par for the course for this type of domestic thriller. And there are plenty of creepy elements here that are thrown in but not really explained or used particularly well, they are just there to add atmosphere. All in all, though, this is a reasonable diversion for those looking for a sunny, but slightly twisted, escape to the South of France.

Wow! I just put this book down and am sad it's over. The suspense had me at the very beginning. I was hooked almost right away. I typically don't gravitate to thriller, suspense type books but I think Anna has made me a fan.
At the beginning I was worried it was going to be like Fifty Shades of Grey based on Scotts character. I was pleasantly surprised that that wasn't the case. My imagination wondered while I pictured Querencia and all the dark beauty it was. My predictions at the end were a little bit different than I expected and it was a great surprise. I would definitely recommend this book for people look for a thriller.
Thank you #netgalley and Anna Downes for the opportunity to review #thesafeplace

This was an easy book to get drawn into. A beautiful, remote location in France, what's not to love? I knew that something was amiss with this family. I couldn't be certain if Scott or Nina was the one to be feared. Then there is whole what happened to Emily when she was a toddler? I had no trouble diving in and getting to the bottom of all the mystery. I enjoyed the book and will recommend it to other. However, I feel a little unease about the ending. I didn't get to satisfy all my unanswered questions.

Thank you to Affirm Press and NetGalley for the ARC of The Safe Place. All opinions expressed are my own.

I LOVED this book! It was super twisty, creepy, suspenseful, and had me always guessing what would happen next. I am recommending this book to all of my friends and will definitely read more by this author. I received a copy of this ebook from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Safe Place by Anna Downes, where do I start? First off, I find it hard to believe that this is the authors debut novel. Her writing is impeccable! This is a mystery/thriller type book that kept me wanting to read way past my usual bedtime. This particular story was virtually impossible for me to figure out until just before the very end. I knew something was off with something or someone, but I just couldn’t figure out what it was or with who exactly. Emily, who was the main character, was a bit of a loser in the beginning of the story but what made me happy was that at the very end, she did the right thing. She was sort of like a hero in a way. It goes to show that there are good people in the world. This is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading this genre. I thought it was a fantastic read and am very much looking forward to reading more by this author. I think she has a very promising career ahead of her. I’d like to thank Netgalley for the arc to read and review. All feelings expressed here are my own. This definitely deserves a 5 star rating in my opinion!

I was anxious to begin this book, as the description was right on with what I’ve been reading. I was not disappointed, the story had a few twists and turns that took me by surprise. I thought I had it figured out but I was really wrong. The ending was a complete surprise. I can’t wait to see what else this author puts out. Definitely on my must read list. Fantastic debut.

Was the plot kind of predictable? Yes. But was it entertaining and a quick read? Also, yes.

I enjoyed my time while reading “The Safe Place” by debut author Anna Downes. The plot follows Emily who is a bit of a scatterbrain. She wants to be an actress but is down on her luck, very broke and about to be thrown out of her apartment. In comes Scott, her boss at the hedgefund where she temps as a receptionist and offers her a job wherein she would go to France, live in his sprawling house there and help out with his wife and child. Sounds to good to be true right? Yeah, you were right.

From the very beginning you know that something is off with this situation. There’s a feeling for foreboding and creepiness that was underlying through the book. But then there are times when you’re lulled into happiness and ‘Oh, things seem okay.’ and then BOOM, things are not.

I’m not going to lie, I did get a little bored in the middle but I still think that this book ended up with a 3.5 star which I rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an arc of this book!

It seems like Emily Proudman’s life is falling apart as she loses her job, is on the verge of getting evicted, and has only a small support system. Then, her past employer offers her a job which involves moving into his home in France to help his wife and daughter. Only the house is secluded and there is no cell service. The daughter has an unusual medical condition and the wife is oddly over protective of her. The rest of the book takes a suspenseful turn as strange events begin to occur and Emily must get to the bottom of what is really happening.

I really enjoyed this book and it was well written. This book had total Ruth Ware vibes and was both a mystery and a thriller. It took a few chapters to get into it and then I was hooked. The first half of the book was so intriguing and suspenseful and I had no clue what the mystery could be. Then it became more predictable but the plot was still engaging. I did want a little more resolution with Emily in the end but overall I really liked it!

Well, that was interesting.

The problem I had with this book was not the writing or the protagonist (which usually are my biggest complaints) but it was the plot itself. This may have been the most disinterested in the actual conflict or the suspense of the book ever. I even forgot for a second that this book was told through both Scott's and Emily's perspective because I don't remember anything important happening in Scott's. And to say the least, the first 60 percent of this book was pretty slow and only had a few "spooky" moments which I still didn't feel added a lot to the story.

Except for my very major plot complaints, I enjoyed the writing. It was fun and good for fast-paced thrillers like this and I also enjoyed the protagonist who was CONSTANTLY getting mixed up in trouble.

A Safe Place didn't seem very threatening as the cover gives off until the end where I still didn't feel that much in danger surprisingly with the protagonist. But, I will be checking out more Anna Downes' books because I'm interested more in the writing itself instead of the disappointing plot this book brings to the table.

The Safe Place is a slow-burn psychological thriller with a cast of well-drawn characters each with their own deep-seated emotional issues, which are slowly revealed throughout the book.

Emily, the protagonist of the novel, who lives in London, is in a financial and career slump. She has lost her job and her dreams of becoming an actress are squashed when her agent announces she is moving to New York. Unknown to Emily, both these situations have been engineered by her boss, Scott Denny, who offers her a job as a caretaker at his French coastal home where she will live with his wife Nina and their daughter Aurelia, who he informs her needs constant “medical attention.”

At first, the walled and gated compound with its Guest House, Family House and ocean views enchants Emily. She immediately feels close to Nina and her sick daughter, but beneath this seemingly idyllic setting, Emily begins to sense that something is not right in paradise. With no access to Internet or phone, Emily begins to feel like a prisoner on the walled, gated estate. Slowly, her doubts about Nina and her physically and emotionally delicate daughter are reawakened and the truths begin to come to light.

This book is so well written it’s hard to believe that it’s a debut novel.
The characters are complex and well-drawn, and each has their own emotional damage which unfolds as the two women get to know each other better. The plot slowly unfurls until reaching its dramatic climax. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes psychological thrillers with well-drawn characters and evocative descriptions.

So kind of mixed feelings on this one although I enjoyed it overall! It would be a fun read to sit by the pool with. There is mystery, drama, and thriller aspects woven throughout. Yet this is tempered by a predictable plot and a mostly unlikable protagonist.

In fact the protagonist, Emily, was not only unlikable but I was convinced that she would die because almost every decision she made was stupid. There is no other word. The novel does dig deep into our protagonist's history though and, by the end, I felt like I understood and empathized with her a bit more. The setting was intriguing and the idea behind it definitely hooked me.

I believe this is a debut author and I can say with confidence I would be interested in any other books she might put out. There was a lot of entertainment here so all the applause for an entertaining tale!

The Safe Place by Anna Downes is an excellent suspense novel that adds thrills, twists, and turns from beginning to end. This book is the debut novel from Ms. Downes, and she does not disappoint with this psychological thriller that kept me guessing and kept me interested. There were even a few surprises and twists scattered throughout.

I enjoyed the characters of Emily, Scott, and Nina. Emily is thrust into what should be an ideal position and location in secluded France as a housekeeper/groundskeeper, all-in-one. What should be the first clue that there could be hiccups in the plan is the isolation factor of no phone/internet. What the reader then gets to experience is a slow burn of a mystery that picks up pace as the book proceeds.

The pace and dialogue were a breeze, and I enjoyed this book immensely. I look forward to future works from this author.

5/5 stars

Thanks to Ms Downes and Minotaur Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am submitting my review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

While it did take a little bit to get into this book, once I did I was thoroughly hooked and entertained. Once the book gets going and you can see what is going on, it becomes a real page turner and you need to see how things turn out and even how things things were put into motion in the first place The story is told through the eyes of the three main characters (one more in flashbacks) and this works to reel you in with well defined characters. This is the debut novel by Anna Downes and what a debut it is!

Emily Proudman is a young struggling actress living in London and her life is falling apart. She just got fired from her temp job, her acting agent is dropping her and she's in the verge of being evicted.

Just then Scott Denny, the CEO of the company she was temping at offers a once in a life time opportunity to come be a housekeeper / au pair / live in personal assistant to his wife who's living in a beautiful house in France.

Eager to get away from her life, Emily jumps at the opportunity and moves into the estate where she meets Nina, Scott's wife. Emily has heard some rumors around the office that Nina is crazy and that Scott hates her but when she meets Nina she finds her to be ethereal and lovely and the two become friends.

However, there is definitely something more sinister lurking beneath the surface of this perfect exterior.

I found this book started off strong - I was invested in Emily's life and sympathetic to the mess she's made of it and the need to find an escape - who wouldn't? I was also curious about her and Scott's story line as it seemed that there was a hint of chemistry there.

Once Emily get to their estate in France I also found it to be a bit unsettling and there definitely seemed to be a lot of tension building. However, the execution of the ending fell flat for me. I found that this book seemed like it was taking way too many twists and nothing was really coming to fruition - it all struck me as a bit jarring and disorienting. I couldn't find the novel coming together in a seamless way and it was disappointing after the set up and the premise seemed fresh and new.

This book is available on July 14, 2020.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Emily finds herself down on her luck when her boss offers her the position of a lifetime. Emily takes the job but soon finds things aren’t what they seem and her need to sign a NDA become more and more clear. Twisty and dark, entertaining. Well written

I *love* a thriller set in an idyllic location - this one at a beautiful estate in France - especially right now, when most of us are confined to our homes. This book is a good slow burn mystery where you just know something is wrong but can’t quite put your finger on it…until the last 30% is when secrets emerge and everything starts to click into place. Perfect summer read!