Safe at Home by Lauren North is the first book I’ve read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In short, Anna is a struggling mother of three young daughters, twins, Harrie & Elise and Molly. Anna’s husband works away abroad because of money problems they were forced to move to sleepy Barton St Martin’s, miles away from their previous privileged life in London and Anna has to manage life at home alone. All becomes very dark, when one night whilst driving home Anna witnesses a fatal accident which delays her journey home by a couple of hours leaving one of the 11 year old twins, Harrie home alone. When Anna eventually returns home it is obvious that something has happened which has traumatised Harrie but Harrie refuses to tell.
It’s a very twisty, intriguing thriller that had me hooked from the beginning. As the story unfolds we are given flashbacks of Harries story which gives us the insights to events which Anna is unaware of, building up to the eventful conclusion…and what an ending! When you think it’s all over, think again!
It’s cleverly written, with plenty of relatable characters and I certainly felt the story had all the t’s crossed and the i’s dotted…definitely a satisfying ending. The book is written in the 1st person which isn’t my preferred style of writing, however, Safe at Home totally grabbed me and I genuinely couldn’t put this book down…I’m looking forward to reading more from Lauren.
Big thanks to Lauren North, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest.

Wow! This is my first read from this author and I definitely plan to seek out more of her writing in the future,

The story is told from the dual viewpoint of Anna and her 11 year old daughter Harrie.

Fast paced, well written, great twists and very gripping. I was drawn in from the first page and struggled to put this down reading long past bedtime. It’s hard to describe too much without giving the story away but I enjoyed the dynamics between the characters and the ‘chat groups’ definitely added an extra element of suspense!

A solid 5/5!!

Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley from an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book I’ve read from the author Lauren North and I can honestly say I am hooked. I want to read her other books instantly.
Safe at Home is a book that I got through within 48 hours, I would have gone through it much quicker but you know responsibilities and that.
The book is addictive, tense and suspenseful. I’ve read so many suspense books but with this book I just couldn’t guess what I predicted the ending to be like. Also as a mum the book resonated with me further because every parent worries about their child and I just wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The storyline packs a punch right from the first page and grips you all the way to the end.
This is definitely a book suspense lovers should give a read and it’s for sure a book I will be sharing with the other schools mum on the playground.

Wow!!! What a read!!! Was gripped from the start. The story skips between past and present and is told by Anna and her daughter Harriet.
I was kept on the edge of my seat, didnt want to put the book down. That last plot twist!!!! Shocked!!!!! Literally grips you till the last page.

Anna left 11 Yr old harrie safe at home while she takes elise, harries twin, to gymnastics along with her youngest daughter molly. However a car accident means she's gone hours longer than she should be. The story then starts to unfold, we know something has happened to Harriet that night. Then it's discovered a villager has gone missing. How does whats happened to Harriet connect the missing person?

Definitely recommend this book. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This domestic thriller was a fantastic read! Having never read anything by this author before I wasn't sure what to expect. I was drawn in from the very beginning and was kept engaged by the breathe-taking suspense. right up to the very last page. The jaw-dropping finish was completely unforeseen, and this comes highly recommended to all thriller fans. I will definitely be looking out for more books written by this author.

Anna James is an anxious mother. She has three daughters Elise and Harrie who are twins and Molly. Her husband is working away in Nigeria on an oil rig after the family business went bust and left them all in a whole lot of debt. Anna has left 11-year-old Harrie alone home on her own while she picks her twin sister Elise up from gymnastics. She is worried that she has made the wrong leaving Harrie on her own. What could happen to her when they live in a small village of Barton St Martin?
On the way to the gymnastics class there is a car accident that blocks the road. It won’t be cleared for a couple of hours so as Angela is nowhere else to go she messages her friend kat to keep and an eye of Harrie until she comes home. But when she finally arrives home Harrie is no where to be seen and when she does come home, he is distraught and will not tell her mother what happened.
Thank you, the publisher, for a copy Safe at Home. This is the first book from the author, and I was surprised how good this book was. This book is full of suspense and intrigue and was hooked straightaway. This about one mother’s plight to single handily juggle her life and to everything she can to look after her children. I really enjoyed this and will be looking out for the other books that she has written.

What a crazy, exciting read. With every character came a new secret, was hooked from the very beginning. Couldn't put it down loved that I couldn't guess what was going to happen next.

Anna thought she had a perfect life - living with her loving husband and three beautiful children in a big house and a lavish lifestyle. That is until her husband, Rob wakes her in the middle of the night telling her he is in trouble and they need to leave now.
They set up a new life in a quiet little village and the twins, Elise and Harrie are settled into their school and take part in lots of after school clubs, gymnastics, football and swimming. Rob has a new job working away on the oil rigs leaving Anna to juggle home life and making sure all the children get to their clubs on time.

Things go from bad to worse when Harrie starts becoming withdrawn and secretive - even to her twin Elise. Anna is determined to get to the bottom of what is going on and why Harrie is suddenly getting into lots of trouble at school. Little does she realise just what actually goes on in the village - and who is involved.

The description makes the story sound intriguing but it is incredibly repetitive, slow and drawn out with nothing really happening until the last couple of chapters. Quite a disappointing read

North's writing kept me guessing the true occurrences until the very final pages - I was hooked! Each character was hiding something and went to great lengths to keep it all under wraps. It wrapped up very neatly, which some readers may not like, but it didn't wrap up perfectly, which is an important distinction to make.

A thriller book that had me gripped from the 1st page ,I loved this book and this is the 1st book I have read by the author but won’t be the last , I won’t ruin this book with any spoilers but have recommended it to,everyone
Many thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for the arc of this book

I never repeat the blurb. Loved this - unusual premise, quite Christie-esque in the ensemble of village characters and element of 'whodunnit' which runs throughout. Good stuff.

This book kept me gripped right until the very end! I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story; I had no idea who was behind the 'goings on.' I loved the fact that the story was told by the two main characters: mother and daughter.
I look forward to reading more books by Lauren North.

Anna leaves her daughter Harrie at home for 15 minutes, an accident on the motorway means she doesn't get home for a few hours. When she is home Harrie is asleep but things don't seem to be right. Plenty of sub plots that keep you on edge right to the very last page. What happened in the past, what is happening in the village, where was Harrie and where is her husband all become clear but expect the unexpected....

A hold your breath Novel. What could go wrong? Anna leaves her daughter Harrie at home by herself for a short period while she collects her other daughter from her after school activity but thing don’t go as planned. When Anna returns home hours later Harrie’s life has been turned upside down but how and why? Harrie will not talk. You won’t see this coming.

What an addictive read this is, I was hooked from the first few pages and really wasn't sure what to think at times.

I mean we quite early on realise something terrible happened to Harrie the only night she was allowed stay home alone for what was meant to be 20 mins. We know there is a missing person, and there are other things being hinted at - with the various interviews we see transcripts of.

But everything is revealed rather slowly, as a way to tantalise into reading further and it worked, as while I wasn't sure what the real truth was for a large amount of the book and even then there are revelations right up to the last possible moment - I had a million and one theories running through my head at all times.

I wasn't even 100% convinced if our main characters would still be alive by the end of the book - and I'm not telling you whether they are or not!

The narrative is split between Anna and Harrie, as was discover just what happened in the run up to Halloween and just after it. I was terrified for Harrie even without initially knowing why, just due to the immense change in character.

This had me on the edge of my seat and it was a wrench at 4am to leave the last 20% until I was awake, as I really didn't want to put it down!

This is another fabulously gripping story from Lauren North, who is becoming a force to be reckoned with when it comes to these psychological dramas.

Thank you to Transworld and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A gripping thriller that kept me on the edge is my seat. Anna and Rob have three children, twins Harrie and Elise who are eleven and a younger daughter Molly who is six. Rob works away and calls every Sunday. When Anna agrees to leave Harrie home alone while she picks her sister up nothing can possibly prepare then for the events that follow. As Harrie’s behaviour becomes more and more erratic getting in trouble at school, covering up bruises and lying Anna become more and more anxious. When Anna’s friend Dean is reported missing she knows that she has to get Harrie to tell her what happened the night she was left at home.
This book was cleverly written, addictive and dark. Thrilling from the first to last page.

This is my first book by Lauren North and I will be keeping my eye out for her others. This was such an anxiety-driven read, and as a fellow sufferer of anxiety I really felt for Anna.

Anna is a major worrier, especially over her children - like a lot of mothers - and she has to leave her daughter, Harrie, who is 11 at home. On her return, Anna finds her daughter covered in bruises and Anna's anxiety heightens. The next day there is a murder that comes to light and this is where this story is mainly centred around.

This is a brilliant read and you really feel for Anna, the tension is gripping and will leave fellow readers hooked, as it did me. Lauren North really knows how to make a novel tense, thrilling and she writes to captivate her audience. I finished this novel super quick as I really got invested with Anna and her daughter Harrie, and just wanted to know what was going on.

Thanks to Lauren North, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this epic novel. Read it as you will not be disappointed.

This is the third of Lauren North’s books that I’ve read and this one is just as good as the other two. In fact I’d go as far as to say probably the most tense out of all three. I really felt the continuous idea that something was very wrong. ‘A wonderfully dark, addictive, intriguing and twisty read’ says the blurb and it is indeed all of these things. It certainly kept me turning the pages and with relatively short chapters that always ended on a ‘need to know more’ basis, I flew through this book.

The story is related both by Anna, the mum and 11 year old Harrie (Harriet). We know early on that something quite frightening happened with Harrie on the night of the crash, when her mum only meant to leave her for half an hour after months of Harrie pestering her to let her stay home alone, just while she went to pick up her twin sister from a class. Unfortunately there was a serious crash on the way back home which Anna was caught up in for a couple of hours.

After that night Anna feels that Harrie just isn’t herself any more and has become argumentative and sullen which is not like Harrie at all. Yet as much as Anna tries to find out what happened to Harrie, the more Harrie clams up refusing to tell.

From Harrie’s point of view we the reader are slowly drip-fed what happened that night as well as learning of the terrible secret Harrie feels forced to keep.

A fantastic thriller which keeps you constantly guessing, biting your nails and wondering where all this is going to lead. I loved it, another seriously good read from this wonderful writer of psychological suspense.

**Posted to goodreads and will appear on my blog on publication day in September**

An enjoyable read that kept my attention throughout. No heart dropping twist but maybe that's because I read so many of this type of book. Nevertheless, an engaging read with great characters.

Anna is a very anxious mother, keeping her kids under her wing at all times. Under pressure from her husband, she allows her 11-year-old daughter, Harrie, to stay home while she drives to pick up her other daughter from gymnastics. But there is an accident on the road that delays her return home. She worries about her daughter but reassures herself that nothing would happen in their sleepy village.
Except, something does happen. The next morning, Anna find bruises on her daughter, but Harrie refuses to tell her what happened.

I enjoyed the author's previous book, so I was excited to receive this ARC.
The story gripped me right from the beginning, and it had me racing madly through it. It was fast-paced and full of suspense. I found the ending surprising, albeit slightly disappointing, but overall, it was a great and gripping read that you're bound to race through.