I certainly have a treat for you this Bank Holiday weekend & it is ‘Safe At Home’ by Lauren North, a book I devoured in just a couple
hours!

Here is what I thought…

If you’re looking for a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat, a psychological thriller that keeps you guessing, then I have the book for you. Gripping, Addictive, Shocking. ‘Safe at Home’ plays on every parents worst nightmare, feeling that your child is in danger.. but you don’t know how to stop it. I still can not stop thinking about ‘Safe at Home’. I am obsessed!

’Safe at Home’ is beautifully crafted, written from multiple perspectives, an anxious mother, a child in danger & a reporter looking to find the truth, North intricately weaves questions and theories that keep you guessing right until the very end… and what an ending it is!

I've read two of Lauren North's previous books and loved them, so was excited to get my teeth into her latest one, Safe At Home.
She is a fantastic author of Psychological Suspense, and her plots keep your mind ticking over, second-guessing every thought you have, throughout the books she writes.
Safe At Home is no different.
Anna is bringing up her three girls alone, while her husband, Rob, works overseas. After some incident prior to the start of the book, they are living in a different area and living a completely different life to what they were used to.
She's become an extremely protective mother, not trusting anyone, despite the local community trying to welcome her into their folds.
A decision, not taken lightly, to leave one of her girls at home alone for what should have been a twenty-minute period, becomes the catalyst for an event that changes the lives of not only her family but many people around her.
I was on tenterhooks throughout the whole book, I have to admit. What a fantastically told story, with so many twists, and possibilities, to make you think you know what is going on, before you get thrown off the scent, again.
Loved it!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Corgi for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anna James is an anxious mother. So when she has to leave eleven year old Harrie home alone one evening, she can't help worrying about her daughter. But nothing bad ever happens in in the sleepy village of Barton St Martin. Except something goes wrong that night, and Anna returns to find Harrie with bruises she won't explain. The next morning a local businessman is reported missing and the village is sparking with gossip.

We have three different timelines: 1) leading up to the event 2) the event 3) the fallout. It's fast paced, gripping and very well written. .It's also been cleverly crafted and told from Anna and Harrie's perspectives. I was pulled in from the first page and the intrigue and suspense quickly builds. This is a story you're better off going into blind. You'll be kept guessing and the ending is quite shocking.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHOuseUK #TransworldPublishers and the author #LaurenNorth for my ARC of #SafeAtHome in exchange for an honest review.

This was fast-paced and intense and I absolutely loved it. A real page-turner thriller that kept you guessing right to the very end, Safe At Home was the perfect summer holiday read.
This book was clever, it never quite revealed enough that you could guess the plot, and jumped around in the timelines a lot which really threw you off the scent to keep you in suspense. I loved the way it also flipped narratives between Harrie and Anna, an adult and a child, and seeing the situation at hand from their different perspectives; the over-worried, and panicky mother and the shut-off and reserved child that seems to be hiding something...
I loved this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for letting me have an ARC of this book and to Lauren North for writing an incredible piece of fiction.

Against your better instincts you let your child have some freedom but there’s a horrible outcome. Missing child. People who are friends are secretly talking about you. Read this to find out what happens because you won’t regret it. It’s a twisty tale and one I enjoyed.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC and my first read by Lauren North.

Anna has recently moved to a small village with her eleven year old twins and 7 year old while her husband works abroad for months at a time. One autumn evening Anna leaves one twin Harrie at home while running errands and notices from that evening a rapid change in behaviour from Harrie that she can't figure out.
Why the sudden behaviour change, what are the local clique gossiping about, when will her husband return from abroad? Anna has so many questions and is desperate for answers.

I thoughly enjoyed this book in particular the reference to modern technology such as iPhone and WhatsApp, these small details make the storyline so much more relatable.

The first book I've read by this author.

Anna is mother to three daughters, twins Elise and Harrie, and Molly who is the youngest. Husband Rob works away for months at a time, leaving them isolated and feeling anxious. They live in the sleepy unspoilt village of Barton St Martins, relatively new arrivals and not in with the Parish Council clique.

The story is unusual, something happened one night involving Harrie while Anna was taxiing Elise and Molly from their activities. Was Harrie a victim or the perpetrator?

The characters and relationship of Anna and her daughters is very well captured, and for me the element that works the best. I felt I got to know them, and found the girls believable in their actions.

There are quite a few characters to Remember amongst the village residents, the Parish Council, and gossiping school mums. I wish I had kept a list, or had the chance to read in one sitting to help keep better track. The format jumps between present / the night of the incident / online chat groups and journalists questions in the aftermath so you need to pay attention.

I was entertained throughout, rather than gripped, but I enjoyed it overall.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House

This is a belter of a psychological thriller that will leave you reeling as struggle to grasp just who you can trust.

Everything, from the hideously poisonous WhatsApp groups to not always being able to make contact with loved ones, to the stigma of debt and a general feeling of loneliness absolutely sang from these pages. Anna's fears and worries were palpable.

Lots of great characters - my favourites were probably the twins. 

Anyone planning a move to a small, safe, quaint, sleepy little village probably shouldn't read this book...

Quick and easy read which draws you in from the beginning. The story was full of suspense and I was wracking my brains wondering what had happened to Harrie. The conclusion of the story was somewhat disappointing, and it felt like everything suddenly tied together neatly even though some of it didn't make any sense.

This book started off promisingly, but somewhere along the way I believe it lost it's way. The plot was a bit far-fetched and there were many pieces of information that I did not believe realistic. I finished the book but was somewhat disappointed by the ending.

Wow just wow is what i thought after reading this book. Safe at home is truly a nail biting novel by Lauren North, i went into this book expecting a good read but wow this was beyond good, i was speechless from that ending. It was addictive and i was not able to put it down as it was so truly engrossing, i needed to know what each new chapter was going to bring. Such well written twists and turns, the storyline was broke down into different parts which kept the reader wanting more and expecting more. Had the right amount of suspense, truly addicting and the feeling of being on the edge of your seat. This psychological thriller was so very well written, it has being added into my favourite books of this year. I would truly recommend this book to fellow book readers, it was so good.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book 5*

What an interesting and intriguing read!! Certainly kept me guessing with all the flashback scenes. I really felt for Harri, and just wanted to give her a great big hug to reassure her.

The twists and turns and turmoil that Anna went through, really showed that she would do anything for her girls.

I always wondered how sincere and truthful Ana's husband was, as there was so many hints that he was not all that he seemed. But still the ending was just pure brilliance. Thoroughly enjoyable read and would certainly recommend this book and will look forward to reading more stories by Lauren North in the future

Read through netgalley

Well it’s certainly a story I wasn’t expecting! It’s the story of anna and her children who move to a rural village to start again and then one of Anna’s children starts acting out. Has she witnessed something, is it all in Anna’s head or is something a bit sinister going on?
Well I didn’t guess the ending at all (always a good sign). Would recommend!

Wow! I'm still catching my breath from that ending.

This was an excellent novel from Lauren North. I love a story with a non linear structure and this had three different time frames, leading up to the event, the event itself and the fallout and North moves between the three with a deft touch that only a skilled writer could.

She teased each part of the story out just perfectly and left the reader begging to know what happened next. Just one more chapter was what I kept telling myself.

I won't spoil anything here of course but just when you think you have this sussed, it's taken away from you.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for an advance review copy for an honest review.

What an addictive read, I couldn’t put it down! I love how flashbacks to the ‘event’ added lots of suspense, and how the twists kept you guessing throughout - and that ending!! This psychological thriller was brilliantly written and I really do recommend it!

This left me guessing with its twist and turns. When Harrie goes missing on Halloween her mother Anna is distraught. Where is Anna and what has happened? The plot jumps back and forth to great effect.

I definitely enjoyed ‘Safe at home’. It is a gripping read and sits nicely in the genres of thriller/psychological fiction.

Anna is feeling the pressure of being mum to 11 year old twins Elise and Harrie and Molly (7). Financially stretched and baring the brunt of the parenting as husband Rob works for long stints off-shore, Anna succumbs to the pressure of allowing one of the twins to stay home alone one evening while she does what should be a quick chore. She returns to find her daughter traumatised but utterly denying that anything untoward has happened. The story that follows, narrated from perspectives of both Harrie ( the traumatised twin), and Anna, is shocking, original and twisty!

I loved that the ending looked to be going in one direction and then took a complete U turn! Fabulous!! It left me with a few unanswered questions but I can absolutely live with that and look forward to seeing what this talented author comes upon with next!

My thanks to Net Galley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story was easy to get straight into, although there were a lot of names/couples to remember.
The narrative flowed very well and was easy to read. Right from the start I was absorbed into the story, but the further on I read, the more engrossed I became, until I got to the point where I just couldn't put my kindle down.
The twists just kept coming and coming, and continued right to the last page.

This has been the best book I've read in ages, and my rating is five big shiny stars.

Lauren North has taken a dilemma faced by every parent and woven a scarily realistic psychological thriller around it. It’s always a worry when you have to decide it’s the right time to leave your child home alone as it needs to happen for the first time at some point but here, that decision leads to an horrific situation both for Anna and especially her daughter, Harrie…

I loved the way the narrative was written here. We have Anna, a woman I think that everyone can relate to, making the decision to leave Harrie while she takes her youngest daughter to pick up Harrie’s twin from gymnastics. She knows that she’s seen as a worrier but her anxiety may be justified as her past is revealed and her present situation explained. And then there is Harrie. What happens to her when she’s left home alone? Why won’t she speak to her mother about it? And why is there a silver car now following her? Then finally, we meet Anna’s friends via their what’s app group. It’s here that we realise all may not be as we think as the group also has a secret “spin off” group that Anna knows nothing about!

It becomes obvious when a newspaper reporter starts asking questions that the night Anna made her difficult decision has led to something quite shocking but we are kept in the dark about this till very near the end. In fact, there are so many twists, red herrings and secrets that I had absolutely no idea idea what had happened or why until everything was revealed! And that’s what I love about Lauren’s North’s books. She’s become one of those writers who is an automatic buy for me as I love the way she keeps me guessing throughout her gripping storylines.

Safe At Home is one of my hot picks for September. It’s tension filled from start to finish as we become heavily invested in this family and their lives. I can highly recommend it!

Would you leave your eleven year old daughter at home whilst you make a short journey to pick up your other daughter? This is the dilemma facing Anna her husband works away and she has to take her daughters to various clubs. So it's only a short time she'll be out Harrie will be fine, nothing bad ever happens in their sleepy village. Except when Anna gets home, later than planned due to an accident in the road, Harrie has bruises that she won't explain, and her behaviour has changed completely.... What happened that night and will Harris ever be close to Anna again?

Many thanks to Net galley for letting me read this book - would love to have a follow up to see what happens next.