The Safe Place took me to a place I wasn't expecting. You got the feeling something was up with this house in France but you couldn't put your finger quite on what. The story took good twists and turns. It was quick paced and kept you trying to figure out what was going on with Nina and Aurelia. I read this book in one day. I liked how it switched from Emily and Scott's perspectives and had that sort of diary voice in it that you had to figure out who it belonged to. I thought it was a great overall book.

Emily's life is falling apart. Everything is going wrong. Then her boss offers her a job as his wife's personal assistant. It's a dream job. Great pay, great environment. But things start getting a little curious, causing Emily to think that everything may not be quite as they seem on the surface.

Seriously, a great read. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I stayed up all night to finish this book because I couldn't put it down without knowing what happened next.

When something seems too good to be true, it usually is. I loved this debut novel by Anna Downes. A fast-paced, can’t put down mystery that is such fun to dive into.

The story predominantly alternates between Emily and Scott. Emily is a struggling actress. Extremely naive and clumsy, she has lost her job, her agent, and her apartment. The perfect time for Scott to swoop in and initiate his plan. But why, and what exactly is his plan?

Scott, the successful and charming CEO of a London based company offers Emily the chance of a lifetime. A fresh start to her otherwise disastrous life. A job as a Nanny/housekeeper helping his wife Nina who just happens to live with their young daughter on an isolated estate in France.

The estate is described in beautiful detail, I think I’d actually move there in a heartbeat. Of course in reality most people wouldn’t run off to a secluded French estate, cut off from everyone and everything to live with someone they’ve never met, for a job that sounds seriously sketchy. Yet Emily’s character fits in with this idea so perfectly that I really believed she would do just that and that is what makes this book so much fun.

With enough mystery and suspense thrown in to keep me entertained, I often found myself flying ahead, desperate to find out what happens next. Sometimes stories don’t have to be realistic or plausible, they just have to be enjoyable to read and The Safe Place is definitely that.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for this wonderful read. 4.5 stars

This was a very good debut thriller. It was well written and the characters were interesting and believable. The author did a great job of describing the location and details of the house and the grounds. I would have liked to know a little more about both Nina's and Emily's childhoods but not knowing did add to the mystery. And with Scott's high profile job, I did find it a little strange that his wife's absence was not more of an issue. I liked how the chapters alternated between Emily and Scott with Nina's thoughts added in here and there as well. This will make a great vacation or beach read this summer. I look forward to reading more by Anna Downes. I received a ARC of this book from the publisher.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

‘I’m sorry I’m such a massive disappointment to you guys,’ she said, ‘but you were the ones who adopted a kid from fuck knows where. If you wanted perfection then maybe you should’ve left me where I was.’

This was an absolute whirlwind of emotion. Anna had me coming up with so many different theories - the most obvious being Munchausen's. Although the "twist" was obvious in hindsight, I vehemently wish that Emily did more to save herself from Nina in the scuffle, and evaded everything on her own, and didn't even contemplate being bought for a second. Whilst this was the catalyst for the ultimate character growth of Emily, I wish that it was carried out differently. I'm still left reeling and with unanswered questions about Amandine: what happened to her? Was she reunited? Why was her birth mother made to look uncaring? Did she just forget her daughter? How did she not learn English while held captive?

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys watered down domestic thriller and suspense novels. The start of the story, with the dual POVs was quite jumpy for me until we reached the crux of the plot - and these early chapters where quite slow for me. When the flashbacks started to clearly indicated the journey the characters would take the reader on, and during the escape scene, I was very much at the edge of my seat.

After reading the author's note, I felt very moved and impassioned. I wish her nothing but the best and success for her and her family.

Overall this was a good book. There was a good storyline and held my interest Until the end. The story line was good and Scott’s character was one of the more interesting out of the three due to the separate lives he led and how it affected him mentally. The outcome was a bit predictable and it would have been good to see how Emily fared once she settled back into her life again

A very good, twisty story. I read in one sitting since i was completely unable to put the book down!

The Safe Place is the first novel by Australian actor and author, Anna Downes. Aspiring actress, Emily Proudman seems to have hit rock bottom. She’s jobless, her agent has dropped her, the bank account is almost empty and the landlord has given her four weeks’ notice. She’s burned bridges with her parents and has no friends left in London, so she’s incredulous when her ex-boss offers her a job that looks too good to be true.

But when she is led onto a private plane, chauffeured to a luxurious estate and shown the place that will be her home and work, well, it seems that it is indeed true. So she stops wondering why she was chosen, or if she deserves this, and throws herself wholeheartedly into the job.

Scott Denny gets what he wants. He has always worked hard to achieve, and those who invest with him know he’s ruthless. Life has gone smoothly: a brilliant career, a spectacular corporate palace of his own design, a beautiful wife, a French coastal estate with twin mansions; surely there is nothing else he could wish for? And yet, he’s feeling restless, jittery, agitated, violent.

When he sees Emily, who is clearly naïve, flaky and inattentive, he believes she is just who he needs. Because she is also sweet, quirky, witty, funny, loyal, compassionate and trusting to a fault. She is exactly what the situation requires. He is a master manipulator, and does what is necessary to ensure she accepts his offer.

At Querencia, Emily meets Nina who is beautiful and friendly, and six-year-old Aurelia, who clearly has some problems, but Emily is confident she can win her over. But despite her welcome, there is something off about the whole situation. Scott, occupied with business, is absent, and gradually Emily settles in and dismisses her niggles. It’s much later, when she eventually realises just what is wrong, that she also understands the danger that knowledge puts her in.

Oh boy! If you think you know where this is going, think again. Downes constructs her tale so skilfully that when you work out what’s going on, you see all the little clues that preceded, hinting at the reality. Two-thirds in is the big “aha” moment, and then the tension really ramps up as the story charges to a nail-biting climax.

This clever plotting does not come at the expense of quality prose, of which there is ample: “Gradually, the roads became narrower and the trees became thicker. Then, with no warning at all, Yves swung the car onto a dirt track. Leaves brushed the sides of the car like fingers, and branches reached out to one another overhead, forming a tunnel of green. The bonnet dipped low as the track sloped downhill, giving the impression that they were burrowing deep into the earth”

Nor does is do to judge these characters before all their facets are revealed. The story is mostly carried by alternating narratives from the perspectives of Emily and Scott, with occasional historical interludes from Nina. Both thrilling and thought-provoking, this is a brilliant debut from an author whose next work will be eagerly anticipated.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Affirm Press.

I really enjoyed this book, Emily was a compelling and engaging character, and you could feel yourself getting seduced alongside her by the beautiful estate and family. This is a relatively light read, making it perfect to break you out of a reading slump! A gorgeous story with a gratifying end, that will make you genuinely terrified in parts.