Thank you to the author, Minotaur and NetGalley for an e-arc of The Safe Place.

Emily has hit rock bottom. She has just lost her temp job, she gets rejected in all her acting gigs and she is late to pay her rent...again. She also doesn’t get along with her adopted parents.

Just when she feels life slipping away from her, her ex-boss, Scott, offers her a very lucrative job of being a housekeeper to his wife and sick child in a secluded French estate. She is offered perks no housekeeper would normally get.

Unbeknownst to Emily, Scott has a major problem at his estate and he has deliberately chosen the most gullible person, who seems a perfect match to the problem... and a perfect match for himself.

Emily is treated almost like family by Scott’s wife, Nina and their daughter. However, Emily slowly discovers things are terribly wrong with this place and its owners... starting with an awful permeating stench. Emily realizes she is trapped in this beautiful prison for a reason but can she get out? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭!

This was a perfect psychological thriller with events and narrators that kept you guessing from beginning to end. The book was divided into 3 POV: Emily, Scott and a third mystery person which you can easily figure out who it is. My only chagrin with the story was how gullible Emily was for her age and therefore gave me many eye-roll moments. I also felt the same about another character who could have easily fixed things but attempted to fix it in all the wrong ways. I was satisfied with the ending because that ending is possible and does happen but I can see that ending wouldn’t work for everyone. 4 stars from me!

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I love suspense novels and the blurb on the book made it sound like that's what I'd be getting. It had some weird elements, but I kept holding out for the end. I never did figure out what was going on early. I felt led there along with Emily. This was an enjoyable read and I'd read another book by the author.

The Safe Place kept me on my toes for most of the book. It was intriguing wondering what would happen next and thinking hmmm that seems pretty shady! You know right away that something isn't right with Scott's wife Nina. The weird phone calls and Scott keeping his distance all while trying to keep Nina in her right mind, you know there's a secret there but you don't know what. They have a daughter Aurelia and her and Nina live in France in a big tucked away estate. I thought there was good character development and descriptions and the flashbacks helped give a bit of backstory to the why's in this book. I could feel the suspense of not knowing what would happen next and even when I thought I knew I didn't.

Toward the end, I did start to figure out what was going on around the same time Emily started figuring it out, as if your minds were unraveling the details together! Through it all, I loved the mystery journey the book took me on but was disappointed in it's ending. Although I'm happy with how things turned out, I felt it was done so in a very anticlimactic way. So for that I deducted a star. Overall, great debut and a perfect summer beach suspense read!

This is a great debut novel with a weird vibe. So weird that you can’t stop reading. I am interested to see what else this author has to offer.

This book was suspenseful, filled with questions, a woman who is lost, unanswered questions on her past, usual boss/situation to be in and lots more!!

I found the book to be quite suspenseful at times. I was asking myself and trying to figure out what was going to happen next.
And I have to say I did love the scenery so much at their home she was housekeeper for. Loved the idea of being without technology too.

That being said, I enjoyed this gripping, physiological read. However, I was hoping for a bit more at the end. I felt like it was left open a bit.. not enough closure.

4 stars from me.

*Recv'd an copy of this read via Netgalley.*

Ahhh! I was worried about this one because I had seen mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it. I am a fan of the thriller genre but some of them can be so predictable. This one was not! Thanks for the ARC. Was happy to read it!

This book ticked so many boxes for me, and it's hard to believe that this is a debut offering. I could picture the mysterious French mansion so vividly in my mind. I loved how layers upon layers unfolded across each other, and how Scott and Nina's secrets were revealed. The writing truly is excellent, and the storyline definitely hooked me and reeled me in. I loved every moment, and am looking forward to Anna's next book!

Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc!

When you hit the bottom, how can you say no to an offer like this?

You don't. That's all there is to it. Fired from her job, without money to survive, and now facing eviction, Emily has hit bottom. But Scott, her ex-boss, offers her the job of a lifetime - assist his wife at their grand French estate. Access to a car, housing, and all the cash in the world. Where's the catch, right?

From the very beginning, the author relays that something is off about the entire thing. Her writing is easy to read and enjoyable, written from the POV of Emily and of Scott, with snippits from the wife thrown in once in awhile. The story, however, wasn't nearly as thrilling or exciting as I was looking for. It left much to be desired in the way of a good thriller.

If you're someone who isn't into sick and twisted books, but enjoys a little thrill once in a while, then this is perfect for you!

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur books for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

A fairly predictable thriller that had it's moments that had me trying to figure out where the author would go next. For a debut novel, it's solid and am excited to see what Anna Downes writes next.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This novel had lots of twists and turns and the reader does not know what to expect.

Emily is an out-of-work actress and temporary receptionist. She receives a job offer to live with and care for a mother and child in France. On the surface this seems like a perfect opportunity, but is it too good to be true?

The estate in France is magnificent, but can money truly buy happiness? The situation and characters get stranger and stranger as time progresses.

The story will keep you turning pages to see what happens next!

I would rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

This was a really interesting thriller with good atmosphere.

It was a quick, easy, if somewhat predictable read.

This was about a 4 star read for me!
I was so excited to get a ARC copy of The Safe Place

Emily is a mess.

Emily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.

Emily is desperate.

Scott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.

Emily is perfect.


This book a wonderful read. I think I was expecting a little more from the book.
But overall it was a good read!

“The Safe Place” feels very familiar in many ways, but still manages to be gripping and exciting.

It’ll feel familiar because almost every plot point feels like something I’ve read somewhere before, and the broad strokes (okay, almost all the strokes) became obvious pretty early in the story. It’s also a little clumsy in places; I didn’t need the author’s afterword to tell me about her interest in a particular real life event. Character names and descriptions had already told me, if not the plot.

Sometime actress and temp office worker Emily has lost her latest job. This is hardly a new sensation for this barely competent girl, but the timing is unfortunate. She’s about to be evicted; her acting career is largely a figment of her imagination; and she can’t ask her parents for any more money. They’ve had enough of her incompetence at basic survival.

So when a new job opportunity drops into her lap, Emily is ready to jump at it, even before she realises how great it is. A sort of dogsbody, true, but very enjoyable work – and with room and board at a fabulous estate in France.

Except… it’s very isolated. And after a while, small odd things and the occasional strange behaviour from her employer start to accumulate. Emily becomes increasingly uncomfortable. And then she finds herself forced to confront a dangerous realisation.

Despite the very obvious plot, “The Safe Place” nevertheless manages to be a serviceable thriller. It kept me engaged and interested in events even when I had a strong sense that I knew exactly what was going to happen.

This is in part due to the characters. They’re vivid and believable, and even when you’re thinking “how could she possibly…” you know why. It’s credible behaviour and it’s presented in that way. It’s true that some characters’ behaviour ultimately spirals out of control – but that’s part of the story, and Downes introduces it gradually enough that it’s mostly credible.

I found the climax of the novel a little melodramatic, but overall Downes carries it off. She’s laid a solid groundwork so that the melodrama doesn’t seem extreme.

This isn’t particularly memorable, but it was an enjoyable reading experience. It’s a serviceable thriller that many will enjoy – it just doesn’t stand out much.

I rated this book 3. 5
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Safe Place. I enjoyed this debut novel by Anna Downes and I look forward to her next novel. As a sidebar, I found it interesting reading how her real life experiences led to this plot. It just goes to show, life is fodder for a book!

The book starts with Emily entering a Cinderella like experience. Her acting career was going nowhere, she's even lost her temp job. Then suddenly her ex-boss Scott swoops in to offer her the chance of a lifetime, to act as a helper for his wife, Nina, and daughter, Aurelia, who has unknown medical issues. And the location is a stunning mansion on the coast of France, beautiful but isolated. There is one complication. Emily has already started falling for Scott. This was one of two plot areas that made me not give this a 4. The romance seemed sudden and a bit contrived to me and I just couldn't get onboard.

Emily finds a lot of things that confuse her at the mansion. Why is she not allowed in the house (she has her own living quarters). Where does Aurelia's extreme behavior come from? Why does this family keep themselves so isolated? At first Nina and Emily really bond, then things begin to happen which confuse Emily. Unlike some reviews which state they thought the plot was obvious, I didn't see it coming. I thought it was a good story and it kept me turning the pages.

The reason I didn't give it a 4 (a 5, for me, is a book that makes me marvel) is there were a few things that gave me pause. I found it hard to really care about these characters. Emily's character does develop and change, and this was an aspect I enjoyed, but it happened a bit late for me.

Overall I found this an easy and enjoyable summer read with some intriguing plot twists. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

Link to goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51171999-the-safe-place

Emily is down on her luck. After being fired (yet again), she also receives notice that she’s being evicted and her acting agent is moving and she’s being dropped. To make things go from awful to worse, when she calls for a bail out from her adoptive mom, she interrupts her birthday dinner without realizing the date and her parents are ready to write her off as well. So when her old boss, Scott Denny, is in the right place at the right time and rescues her from an oncoming bus, Emily is ready to let him be her white knight. Indeed, Scott decides Emily’s bad luck is exactly what he and his family needs as they’re looking for someone without any ties or commitments to uproot their lives and move to France to help with a renovation and anything else his wife might need.

When Emily arrives at Querencia, everything is almost too good to be true. Though the property is certainly in disrepair, Emily learns that her sweat and labor are worth the payoff. Scott, living in London, leaves Emily and his wife to it and Emily and Nina begin to develop a bond. Of particular curiosity is Aurelia, the Denny’s daughter. As a baby, she fell ill and has never fully recovered, now suffering from a variety of ailments including allergies to the sun and muteness. Nina’s helicopter tendencies feel excessive, on top of the extreme security and isolation of the grounds, but Emily quickly accepts what a doting and adoring parent Nina is. As the relationship between the Denny’s and Emily grows, Emily distances herself more and more from the life she left behind. After years of feeling lost and alone, has she finally found her footing and her chosen family?

Much of the novel is a family drama and I wondered where and when the eery atmosphere would come into play. Not exactly an edge of the seat thriller and not unpredictable by any means, but the book was still a total page turner that had me completely absorbed. I loved the depth of the characters, the building of suspense, and the writing overall was superb. I absolutely recommend this one for anyone ready for an engrossing and entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

No matter how much I tired, I couldn’t get I to this book. The characters were unlikable, the story was all over the place, and it didn’t hold my attention. It felt like I kept reading and reading and was getting nowhere until the final 10% of the book and then it was just rushed and fell flat. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy

For Anna Downes' debut novel, she graced the Mystery & Thriller genre with The Safe Place, and it is the perfect summer read. This book draws you in with its curious characters and compelling plot. As you get past the initial start of the book, you almost forget you are reading a mystery. Downes paints such a vivid picture of the settings, you feel as if you have traveled there yourself. You begin to fall in love with the characters and the relationships that form between them. Then little occurrences remind you exactly what kind of book you are reading, keeping you flipping page after page until the suspense is broken and you find out just how dark this plot is. The ending gets tied up in a neat little bow, which can be great when you read dark thrillers non-stop like me. You are let in on all the secrets looming over the characters throughout the book, except one. This left me longing for answers days after I had finished the book which was a little disappointing because it would have wrapped up the ending perfectly, but it is still such a fun read! Make sure to keep an eye out for this thriller because it gets released JULY 14! No doubt this book is going to be a best-seller, launching Mrs. Downes into a bright career as an author!

I’m a little bit disappointed with this book. It was pretty boring until 70% of the way through when I really started to enjoy it. I nearly gave up so many times.
Thank you to netgalley and the author for letting me read this book, unfortunately it just wasn’t really for me.

Emily is in a mess. Her acting career has no hope plus she has lost her temporary job as well. Because of issues with parents, she is not able to get any help from them too. She has no pay to bear her basic expenses and rent.
Being in bad state she accepted the offer given by her former boss (Scott).
The new job offers her a very good package and the only catch is that she has to leave London. Moving to France doesn't bother her much as she has no social life in London too.

Scott is a successful businessman who fired Emily from his office and hired her back for housekeeping job in France.

Nina is Scott's wife who is living in France with their daughter. Nina is trying to set up a guest house for which she needs someone's help. When Emily started living there she realizes that there is something suspicious about the house and Nina.

It is a psychological thriller which I really enjoyed reading. The storyline is good and gripping which kept me guessing. It is a fun and interesting book to read.

⭐⭐⭐💫

I would like to thank Anna Downes, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. 

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Emily seems to be in the right place at the right time. Her former boss, Scott Denny offers her the chance of a lifetime. A job on a remote French estate. Is it too good to be true? She is entranced by Scott and feels she has nothing to lose --she lost her job, has no acting career and her parents wouldn't care if she dropped off the face of the earth.

Emily meets Scott's. wife, Nina and their daughter Aurelia, who is sick. Soon she learns that things are not what they seem and she is right in the middle of it.

This book started off slowly. I had a bit of a tough time keeping interest, but I am glad I stuck with it. I ended up enjoying this book. Emily's character drove me a bit crazy. I thought she was extremely naive and should have figured out what was going on way before she did. I wasn't surprised by the ending, but that didn't affect how I felt about the book. I do wish there was more to the ending. Maybe a second book?? Overall, I think this was a solid debut for the author. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, Affirm Press and Anna Downes for the ARC!