Thank you Random House / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Safe and Sound in exchange for my honest review.

I became a fan of Laura McHugh after reading her last book, What’s Done in Darkness. Her books tend to be dark, emotional, haunting reads and this latest one is no different.

This book is incredibly atmospheric, with that small-town feel really pulling you in. One of the aspects of I love of the author’s writing is how well is she does gritty, dark stories with a human touch. This one tackles the complex bonds of family and how trauma can affect us whether we realize it or not.

I loved the strong sisterly bond we see play out over the course of this book. As I mentioned, this is a dark, and at times disturbing read, but what got me through it was seeing how these sisters stuck together time and again through it all. The bond that Amelia, Kylee and their cousin Grace had is what really drives this story. This is most definitely a character-driven story and one that gets under your skin in the best way…I haven’t stopped thinking about these characters since I put the book down!

Right from the start I knew I would love this one…I just didn’t know how much. I was so emotionally invested in these characters and loved the way the story unfolded, told in multiple points of view, with Amelia and Kylee’s chapters in the present and Grace’s chapters in the past. It really is brilliantly plotted and filled with just the right amount of twists to keep you engaged and guessing where it is heading.

If intense, dark, emotional thrillers are your type of reads, I highly recommend picking this one up!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful thriller by Laura McHugh. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Sisters Amelia and Kylee are desperate to escape small town Beaumont, where the only thing they have to look forward to is a job at the local meatpacking plant. Their cousin, Grace, used to tell them that they had to get out. Only Grace disappeared one night while babysitting the sisters and has never been found. Six years later, a body is found in the woods and the sisters are desperate for answers.

This was such an atmospheric book. You could feel the oppression of the town and its hold on its residents who don't even dream of something different. Amelia, Kylee and Grace's home lives left much to be desired, but Grace loved the sisters and they knew she would never leave them. The story is played out in both the present and the past, as the reader learns Grace's story as well as the sisters and you will be rooting for all of them.. This was a tense, suspenseful read and I never guessed the ending.

High school students Amelia and Kylee decide to investigate the disappearance and probable murder of their Aunt Grace after human remains are found on a nearby farm. Could it be that the guilty party is closer than they think?

Suspenseful read but may also be a trigger for some with child abuse issues. I did not see the ending coming and although it did resolve things, many were left hanging.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.

This book is 100% full of trigger warnings so proceed with caution if needed. However, the multi POV and the three girls in this book have stuck with me far beyond finishing it. Devastating and fantastic.

2.5 stars, rounded down-Some slight spoilers below so don't read if you want to be surprised.

I really liked What's Done in Darkness, it was twisty and kept me guessing. Unfortunately, this book was a huge letdown.

I'll start off by saying that there are trigger warnings galore here, not the least of which is child sexual abuse/pornography. This book is absolutely not for everyone because the most vulnerable here are ignored and neglected.

One of the main problems I have with this book , which made me round down instead of up, is due to the ending. It's confusing, not hopeful, and unsatisfying. If you like solid resolution, steer clear, because this book doesn't have that at all. Yes, we find out what happened to Grace (as anti-climactic as it was) but that's it. There are some other threads that are completely unresolved as well--the solutions are alluded to but not fully explained.

I really felt for all of these young women, with their hopes and dreams to break free and make a new life outside of their poverty and horrible upbringings. Spoiler alert--it doesn't happen.

The writing is strong, as with McHugh's other books, and the mystery of what happened to Grace takes somewhat of a back seat to the creation of the atmosphere of claustrophobic hopelessness. Many people have really connected with the story, so if you're going to read it make sure you're in the right headspace before starting it.

Laura McHugh hardly ever misses in her psychological thrillers and “Safe and Sound” is no exception. The story takes place in Missouri when sisters Amelia and Kylee deal with the mysterious disappearance of their older cousin, Grace. Extremely thrilling novel.

I’m a die hard fan of @lauramchughauthor and I can truthfully say this is her best! Gripping and intense —kept the pages turning at a breakneck speed!

Beaumont, Missouri, a tiny place outside of Springfield, is your classic small town. You’re born there, and you die there. You go to high school (and graduate if you’re motivated), then you end up working at the meat packing plant, the Waffle House or the strip club, living in poverty until the jobs ruin your body and you eventually end up in the town’s cemetery.

We have three young women in the book who tell us the story of what happened to Grace, who went missing six years prior. In the present, Amelia and her sister Kylee are working hard to leave Beaumont, but before they do, they want to know what happened to their cousin. They have no other reason to stay; their mom (Grace’s aunt, Shannon) is a stripper with a substance abuse issue, who probably wouldn’t even notice if they were gone, and neither of them want to follow in her footsteps.

The second half of the books is set in the past, from Grace’s perspective. She was a high school student who had big dreams, of leaving this town and the awful things that happened to her there. (I don’t normally post trigger warnings, but this does deal with her being sexually abused, and it’s heartbreaking.) Grace loved her little cousins, loved her boyfriend, Levi, and was about to be the first person in her family to go to college...then she was gone. What happened to her?

I left this ARC for too long, largely because sometimes I get tired of the “x years ago, tragedy struck, and now someone wants answers” trope. I shouldn’t have let this sit - this isn’t a light, cliche mystery/thriller. This is a book to savor; it’s dark and dramatic and haunting. The town’s characters were great, like the sweet Mrs. Mummer and the misogynistic Mr. Copeland, along with Javi, the cook at Waffle House, and Ketch, who mapped out his plan to become a soldier when he was barely out of diapers. They were all flawless, along with the writing and the story overall. Five stars.

(Thank you to Random House, Laura McHugh and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Safe and Sound by Laura McHugh is a book I will not soon forget! It is a dark story about Grace, a young woman who goes missing six years prior. Her two younger cousins, who she took care of when they were younger , Amelia and Kylee, decide to figure out what happened to her.
This story is told from the point of view of Grace and also Amelia and Kylee. We get to hear Grace’s story from when she was a child and what led up to her disappearance. Grace is one of the best characters I have ever read about. Her story is frightening, and all too real. The chapters from Amelia and Kylee‘s point of view demonstrates what it’s like to live and grow up in a very dysfunctional world. The setting of the book, small town Missouri, is almost like another character. The author does a great job of describing the setting and making you feel like you have actually been there.
The story alternates between Grace and the two sisters, having several chapters from each character’s point of view, and then switching into the other’s. This makes for a very suspenseful read. I could not read this fast enough, trying to figure out what happened to Grace and if her cousins will discover the truth.
Definitely check trigger warnings before reading this! There is some material that certain readers may find too upsetting to read about. Laura McHugh always writes gritty and real characters and I think this is her best book ever. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

**4.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads**

I know when a new Laura McHugh book comes out that it’s going to be equal parts mystery and an examination of society with a touch of heart and melancholy. Safe and Sound is no different. This is a tense read going back and forth with present day sisters Amelia and Kylee and their older cousin Grace in the past. I was surprised by the very dark (and twisted!) twist at the end. My only complaint is I wish there’d been a little more to the ending but overall an excellent dark, emotional, family driven story which is Ms McHugh’s special brand of Ozark noir.

Each character, especially the females, is fully developed. I especially loved Grace and Amelia.

**Thanks to the author and Random House for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**

"Folks want to think it's strangers you gotta watch out for, but a place like this, we eat our own."

Set in a rather bleak, poor, Missouri factory town, this novel could be considered Midwestern noir. Expertly written, it evokes feelings of claustrophobia and despondence, while at the same time you are desperately rooting for the protagonists.

Amelia and her sister Kylee are underprivileged teens, the neglected daughters of a single mother who works as a stripper in the local seedy strip joint. Their elder cousin Grace watched out for them as children. Grace was the one determined to get out of this insular, dead-end town, and she had the smarts to do it! However, it was while she was babysitting the two girls when she disappeared from their home leaving only a bloody handprint in the kitchen...

"We haunted ourselves with her memory, and there was no easy cure for such things."

Now, Grace's mother holds a vigil each year praying for Grace to return. Meanwhile, Amelia and Kylee are determined to find out what happened to their beloved cousin.

Amelia has graduated from high school and is working as a waitress in a Waffle restaurant off the interstate highway, where she has to fend off her 'handsy' boss. Kylee, who is besotted with horses, is in her last year of high school, and is threatening to leave school behind...

In a previous timeline, the reader also hears the narrative of Grace, before she disappeared.

Written with insight and empathy, this novel has some scenes that might prove distressing to some readers. The subject matter is quite dark, so be warned.

The ending was not what I expected, but it was apt and disturbing. This was an emotional story exploring whether a person's background can seal their fate.

Having read Laura McHugh's debut novel back in 2014 and loving it, I'm ashamed to say that I've not read anything of hers until this book. The good news is that I have three of her backlist novels now residing on my TBR list.

Highly recommended!

Laura McHugh has just released her new book - Safe and Sound. I really enjoyed her debut novel, The Weight of Water. (my review) And I really enjoyed Safe and Sound as well.
McHugh again does a brilliant job of building the setting. Beaumont Missouri is a small town that the younger residents can't wait to leave. There's a heaviness to the town, dusty, dirty and worn with nothing to redeem it. Some folks get out - with a sigh of relief. Some stay. And some go missing...

Sisters Amelia and Kylee's older cousin Grace, is one of the missing. The girls are determined once again to try and find out what happened to her. Someone has to know something. And yes, omeone does indeed know something...

McHugh's prose are dark and gritty. There are moments where the sun shines through, letting hope in. And times where the 'wrong' comes to visit.

The plotting was excellent - with a finale that I couldn't predict. The ending was apt and right - I wish I knew what happened after the last page. An excellent read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read. I have been reading other genres a lot and when I got to this book, I was very impressed. It was quite good to read. It was interesting and to read about these teens in the past and the present and see how the plot twisted and unfolded was well done. I have read other books by this author but I enjoyed this one the most.

Amelia and Kylee are stuck in a dead end town, with little to no opportunities. They have had a tough life, and are doing everything they can to get out and never look back. But one nagging task at hand is holding them back…finding out what happened to their cousin Grace, who disappeared years ago while she was babysitting them.
Hauntingly familiar of small town tragedies all over the country, where there are no jobs and no chances. Will the sisters make it out? Or will they be stuck to continue the cycle?

One of the biggest things that stood out to me about this was the picture it paints of living in a small town and feeling stuck. It was so vivid, and pretty depressing, but impressive how well it was conveyed.

The story is sad but well told. The end kind of comes together quickly in a surprising way, when you consider all the parts to it. I’ve never read anything else by the author but I feel like maybe I should.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

In the stagnant town of Beaumont Missouri, a life working at the local meat packing plant is about the best on offer. Six years ago, Grace was a senior in high school with a scholarship to college and a means to escape and make a better life. She disappeared one night after babysitting her young cousins (Amelia and Kylee) and no one knows what happened to her. The blood left behind looks grim.

The girls are now close to the age Grace was when she went missing and have been saving money for their own escape. However, when bones are found on a nearby farm, they wonder if Grace has finally been found. Should they stick around to find out what happened?

I felt the author did a nice job painting the picture of what it’s like to live in a small town where you’ve known the same people your whole life and no one, including your family, wants anything more than what they’ve become used to. Whether it’s slaving away at Savor Meats, stripping at Sweet Jane’s, or waitressing at Waffle House, you do what you have to do to support your family and that’s about it. It would be easy to feel trapped by obligation.

The story is told from two POVs, Grace’s and Amelia’s, and two time periods, 6 years ago and now. Everything is easy to follow with all questions answers. I found it to be a thoroughly well-written mystery, though not fast paced or necessarily suspenseful or thrilling.

There’s an element of child abuse that is integral to the story so if that triggers you, steer clear.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Laura McHugh for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC. I always enjoy Laura's books. Easy to read, yet full of depth. This one was no different.

I enjoyed the book but I felt like it could have been better, the characters were pretty well developed but I felt like the bleakness of the setting could have been fleshed out more. Also the ending was really cutting off, which is a personal preference. I also knew who did it early on. I think it's more of a 3.5 stars

I have LOVED her previous novels and she still writes rural noir like no one else, but this one just didn’t have that extra bite I have come to expect.

Once again, Laura McHugh proves her mastery in capturing the gritty essence of Ozark life with her latest release. As an admirer of her previous works, I eagerly anticipated delving into her newest book. McHugh's skill in crafting vivid characters and immersive settings shines through once more, as she paints a portrait of individuals struggling to survive amidst harsh circumstances. From the memorable cast, flawed yet relatable, to the repugnant figures that evoke visceral reactions, every character is intricately woven into the fabric of the story. The juxtaposition of those striving to do right against those who have abandoned all morality adds depth to the narrative, making it a compelling exploration of human nature. As I turned the final page, I found myself immersed in the world of Beaumont, grateful to leave it behind yet profoundly affected by its raw authenticity. With its gripping plot and richly drawn characters, this book earns a well-deserved five-star rating."