This book was a fast paced thriller set in a sleepty little town. Outrageous but also believable there were many twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The first time I have read a book by this author but I will look for her again

Oh my! I loved this book, I couldn't put it down until I'd finished it and was not ready for all the twists and turns which were so well written right to the last sentence of this book. My favourite read of 2021 so far and another brilliant book written by Lauren North.

The book starts at a fast pace, Anna has reluctantly left her daughter Hellie on her own while making a quick journey to take her other daughter to classes. Expecting to be away only a short while, due to unforeseen events the journey takes much longer. Her stress levels increase when Hellie fails to answer her frantic phone calls, and when she eventually reaches home it is obvious that something terrible has happened.
Consisting of short chapters, the story zips between differing timeframes, increasing the pace as the story unfolds. The family has a secret backstory, and you feel empathy for Anna, whose husband Rob works abroad for most of the time. She is hard up and has trouble managing her three daughters and running her home.
However, as with every great thriller, all isn’t as it seems and as events are revealed I became totally engrossed. The book looks at family relationships, the pressures when a partner is working abroad, and Anna managing the children alone, friendships, deceit and debt.
Although some of the events are incredible, I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller, with its twists and turns, and couldn’t see the end coming.
Recommended.

Really enjoyed this book. On one level, a plausible story of normal life, with, for me, unexpected twists and such emotional ups and downs. Who is trustworthy, who is not? Such betrayal!. A great read.

Anna James is an overly distrustful and overprotective mother, and when she is unable to find her daughter Harrie on a chilly Halloween night, she is incredibly distraught. Has this got something to do with the secretive people in the village of St Barton? Or something got to do with the night she left Harrie at home alone, and something happened – something that changed Harrie – something Harrie is hiding from her?

I honestly can’t believe how quickly I got sucked into this story. Fear and anxiety genuinely coursed through me at points in this book, especially when Anna comes home to find the backdoor unlocked and muddy footprints in the kitchen – considering she is a meticulous and paranoid person who would never leave the door unlocked. Anna is a very relatable character, and I immediately liked her.

The story was written in a way that jumped back and forth and worked seamlessly, in my opinion. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing all the way through, and the suspense was gripping. It is essentially a mystery story with so much to it that I think people will love it – I certainly did!

It’s Halloween in the sleepy village of Barton St Martin and Anna James is frantically searching for her daughter Harrie who is missing. Why does Anna only have herself to blame according to the ‘Village Girlies Chat Group’? Does it link to an accident a week ago that delayed her getting home? Is there a further link to Dean a missing local business man and friend of Anna’s? Beneath the surface of this pristine village lurks a toxic underbelly which is very well conveyed.

I like the format of the book which takes the narrative backwards to the night of the accident and forwards to Halloween and beyond. This allows the mystery to build well and ramps up the tension leading to a bunch of questions in your head trying to fit together the pieces of the jigsaw. Interspersed between the timelines are some interviews with local dignitaries who assume ‘eminence’ in the area and some of them cast illumination on where the power actually lies in this community allowing you a glimpse at the reality not what they choose to show. Anna’s character is well portrayed, her frantic up and down emotions and constant anxiety are well conveyed and the reasons behind some of this are revealed as the book progresses. She is a very over protective mother although understandably so and although you sympathise I do want to shout at her to be a bit more forceful at times! Harrie’s emotions and behaviour is extremely well done and feel like the authentic actions of an eleven year old and her closeness to her twin Elisa is very obvious. The ‘girlies’ chat group, a WhatsApp version of the school gate mafia, well, what can I say? You get the picture with the cringe worthy use of girlie! There are some good twists, a couple that are quite shocking and these keep you turning the pages gripped to get to the unravelling nuggets of truth. The ending is maybe a bit too neat although the clues are there and so it’s not left field. However, one aspect is predictable and you can definitely see that one coming!

Overall, it’s a good, solid, easy to read mystery thriller and leaves me wanting to read more by the author.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK Transworld, Corgi for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This was my first Lauren North book and it won't be the last, although I did say " just get over yourself" so many times out loud to one of the characters - I will let you guess.

There were so many twists and turns which made you think one way and then it went another, I really enjoy that in a book.

Loved the ending - felt just before there was a bit missing so still left me wondering.

I am giving too much away - just read it and you will enjoy.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

This was my first book by lauren North and I found it to be very enjoyable

Anna James s a very anxious mum and against her better judgement she leaves her 11 year old daughter home whilst she pops out , she knows something has happened , mud on the floor and bruises that Harrie will not explain , her usually happy go lucky child becomes moody and sullen and starts to get in trouble at school .
Does she have something to do with the disappearance of a local prominent business man . With troubles of her own and a husband working away Anna does not know who she can trust , very good read and highly recommended

Safe At Home was a good story, it played on a parents fears of what if; all the things which could go wrong when leaving their child home alone for the first time. The story is told as a series of flashbacks between now and before the incident happened, this was a good way for the story to unfold and I couldn’t wait to see what had happened. I makes it down a star as I felt the ending to be a little unbelievable and I don’t think I will be ruining anything for anyone if I say where had he been?? It was never explained.

You know it’s going to be a good read when the first chapter pulls you straight in! I knew it was going to be a long night of reading. Finished it this morning and wow! Definitely want to read more by this author so keep sending them my way :)

Anna is convinced there's a connection and that Harrie is in trouble. But how can she protect her daughter if she doesn't know where the danger is coming from?
Narration of the story is excellent. And I loved Anna’s character. Other supporting characters were good. Was desperate to find out what happened to her daughter!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld Publishers for giving me an advanced copy. Fully recommend!

Great book wtih so many twists and turns in it. This will keep you hooked in from the very beginnning and keep you wanting more.

It has become abundantly clear that Lauren North has insight and precision when it comes to crafting a psychological thriller. Landing in September 2021, ‘Safe at Home’ is an intense chest-pounder of a book with Anna and Harrie’s stories interwoven as the truth gradually spills out. The character treatments in particular are finely sculpted, so expect to feel seen when one of these personalities is sharing their deep dark concerns.

The story launches pretty quickly, with Anna’s backstory and family sketched in outline form. Very quickly, we arrive at the fateful events of the night that features so prominently in the book. Anna allows Harrie to stay home alone while she picks up Harrie’s twin sister Elise. Delayed on the way home, we discover that something terrible happened while Harrie was alone.

It’s then time travelling time as the main thread continues onwards, interlaced with chapters that take us back to the night in question, or that provide glimpses of the future in the form of newspaper interviews with prominent members of the community. Along the way other smaller events join the milieu, each contributing to the general feeling that things are spiralling out of control. As you put together all the pieces, it seems like you are solving two or three separate puzzles; and the fragments are all used to great effect as the story concludes. (As always, you’ll find no spoilers here.) In short, the heavy events and intricate character rendering combine with, and enhance, the psychological suspense of this book.

Barton St. Martin may be a small village with a rhyming name, but the story fizzes through the streets, alleyways, and fields as if all the lies and secrets are phosphorus and truth is oxygen.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. This book was fantastic, it had me on the edge of my seat. It wasn’t what I expected at all which is good. The beginning kind of dragged on a bit, Anna been overprotective about her children a real worrier all of the time. We can worry about our children but she is a bit extreme. I felt sorry for Harrie and dean. Harrie had a big secret and it needed to come out and thankfully it did. Rob I honestly thought he had another family somewhere else. Very twisty come nearer the end of the book. Anna was right to be a worry wart, Harrie done the right thing in the end even though she feared for her family. Great storyline and brilliant characters. Hopefully Anna got rid of Rob he was no good for her. Sue was very generous too which made the ending even better.

I enjoyed this book though I did want to shake a certain person a few times and say get a grip and I couldn't visualise some aspects it's not something I could see that age group doing!!
The story was well thought out and it took me a while to put the pieces together (nearly at the end) I would recommend this book!!

I'm a fan of the author's previous books and jumped at the chance to read her new one. It didn't disappoint and I raced through it in a couple of days. The story was gripping and twisty and cleverly written and I was desperate to know what was going on. So many characters weren't who they seemed, and just when I thought it was all wrapped up there was a twist I didn't see coming.

Highly recommended.

Amazing well written book it’s about Anna who has twin girls and a younger daughter who she has to bring up on her own as her husband works on an oil rig when the unthinkable happens especially in a sleepy village where nothing exciting happens. Anna comes home one night after leaving Harrie on her own for the first time but finds her traumatised and bruised but Harrie won’t tell her anything then the nightmare begins. It’s definitely worth 5 stars I loved it and thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy.

Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley to offer this opportunity to me in exchange for my honest review.
Well-written with excellent tight plot with a variety of interesting & great characters. This is a brilliant book and Lauren North is genius. The story is very intriguing and definitely a page-turning thriller that satisfied completely. Compelling read and full of twists and turns, you won't be disappointed. It would keep you on the edge of seat. I was absorbed from the first page and I couldn't put it down until the very end. The tension was gradually increasing as it goes. The twists and turns would make you couldn't keep your breath steady anymore. There was a great shock at the ending. Absolute highly recommend this book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ FIVE STARS!!!!

I'm a big fan of Lauren North and the genre, and I wasn't disappointed by this book, full of twists and turns and an excellent read overall.
I'm rating it 4/5 because I found it jumpy in places, possibly worsened by the pre-publishing formal. I also thought the interview parts didn't add anything to the story itself.
Still an author I'll be watching for new releases from though!

This is a fanatically written book. I could sense both Anna and Harrie’s anxiety with every passing page. It kept me guessing right to the end. I loved it.

This was a remarkable edge-of-your-seat thriller, telling the story of a mother who suspects that something awful happened to her child that was briefly left home alone. The tension is insurmountable!