WOW. this debut thriller was insanely good!!!!!!! OMG I read this in 2 days and was engrossed the whole time. This debut author has got an amazing career ahead of her!!!!! I couldn't figure out what was going to happen. The characters even had me sucked into their lifestyle and everything. If you haven't read this you need to get a copy on July 14th when it comes out. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my early copy.

Emily is down on her luck- her acting career that never started has tanked, she can't keep a job and the temp agency she goes to won't be of much help, and she doesn't have anyone left to turn to. So when her (former) boss offers her a job as an assistant to his wife and daughter at a secluded mansion in France, she doesn't hesitate to say 'yes.'

I found myself relating a bit too much to Emily. Too talkative at times, too trusting, too absent-minded... so I think that as a reader, reading about Emily's experience can be relatable to many people who feel down on their luck lately-- "a perfect beach read," for lack of a better phrase.

The format of this book is a bit strange. We get the story from two points of view: Scott (Emily's former/current boss) and Emily. Scott's perspective is frustrating: he reiterates how everything always falls perfectly into his lap again and again. As for Emily, she is written in third-person, with the narrator revealing the 'suspenseful' tidbits when Emily isn't looking. For example, Emily 'feels' something is off as she goes inside a building... and then we're told the camera outside has started blinking. Dun Dun Dun. It happened a few times in the story, and each time I rolled my eyes a bit.

'The Safe Place' is a quick read. It is predictable, but it has its fun "what if" moments to consider. Not a favorite of mine, but a good one!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an e-ARC through NetGalley.

I enjoyed this story. I found it hard to put down, and I HAD to know what happened next. This is the author’s debut novel, and I am excited to see what she writes next.

This book reminded me of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Especially the opening where she's being driven into the grounds of the French estate.

Much like Rebecca, there are some beautifully written passages. along with a bland and naive main character and a story that drags along.

This book left me wanting more. Not just a stupid girl who heads off to a remote and isolated estate in another country to do manual labor for strangers without telling a single person what she's doing. It was so predictable. I kept waiting for a big twist. Maybe the groundskeeper? Nope. Maybe the weird smells in the basement? No ma'am. Maybe an unreliable narrator? No.

Also the characters are English but they often use "Americanisms" such as cookies (later in the book, they are called biscuits), Colgate, acetaminophen, zucchini and eggplant, and the most unlikely "counting Mississippis". This was very distracting especially since the author is English.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

I don’t know where to start with this one. I read a lot of mystery/thrillers so it is hard to find one that completely surprises me with the twist. This one, however, I did not see coming.

Our main character, Emily, has no direction in life. She’s working temp jobs while trying to break in to acting, until she loses her job, loses her agent and loses her apartment all on the same day. When her ex boss offers her an once in a lifetime opportunity to move to France and help out his wife and child, she thinks it’s too good to be true. And it just might be....

I did not expect this book to go quite the way it did. Emily is a self-conscious, young lady with a lack of confidence and the mistakes she has made in her life following her and burdening her. She works temp jobs and is trying out an acting career and none of that is working until the owner of one of the temp companies decides to try her out in a new role. What started out as a simple story of an employer helping out an employee by giving her a different type of job turned into mystery and suspense. When Emily meets Nina, Scott's wife and their daughter Aurelia she thinks she has found the family that she has always wanted. Querencia is the home she has dreamed of. As she becomes more comfortable with them and there, pieces start to unfold. What unfolds is not what you expect.

It took me a little bit once I started reading this to figure out exactly what was going on. But it goes a bit like this. Emily has lost her job, her boyfriend, and doesn’t even really like her family all that much. Oh and her dream to be an actress? Well, she also lost her agent.
So when her former employer, Scott, offers Emily as job as a nanny/maid at his home in France, she jumps at it. Kind of a weird scenario. Not necessarily one I can imagine ever happening to anyone I know. But she goes, despite the fact that she probably never saw herself as a French housemaid, and that’s there the story gets going.
Things are weird at the estate. The daughter, who she is vaguely told she may watch from time to time, has that rare sun allergy – you know, the one that occurs much more often in movies and books rather than real life. And there’s that instance where the person is stuck out in the sun and you’d think they are melting? That one.But Emily, bizarrely starts enjoying her time at the beautiful, if not run down estate despite family dynamics being a bit off – or way off. Because Scott’s wife, Nina, something is going on there. And Emily’s about to get pulled in deeper.
This one was definitely a good read. I identified with Emily’s isolation on the French Estate – I think we can all identify with isolation right now. I was definitely surprised by the plot twists while also feeling like they didn’t come out of nowhere.
If you want to magically whisked away to France in your isolation, check The Safe Place out. It might even make you feel fortunate for your situation. Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. My review will be published on my blog, Women in Trouble Book Blog on July 14, 2020.

The Safe Place was very err... safe? It was a great escape read but it lacked the suspenseful tense atmosphere I was hoping for. Maybe I’ve read too many thrillers. I wanted a bit more! It was an interesting, fun and light read - words I don’t usually use to describe a thriller. The ending was anticlimactic and left me with more questions. Nonetheless, it was a good debut which intrigued me from the start and I would read more by Downes in the future.

This was the fabulous book one that kept me up till 3:30 in the morning and I read it in two sessions wow really really a good book.

This was a first book for me by Anna Downes.


Emily lives in London she works temp jobs... down-on-her-luck kind of girl.. things just aren't going her way... being fired from your job not sure where you'll go from there..


Asking mom and dad for a lone again isn't the ideal thing.. the last time Emily called home forgetting mom's birthday .. things just kind of went South..


When your Ex Boss Scott Denny approaches you with a deal of your life.. offering you the safe place.... but is it really the things that will happen there are things that you learn some things aren't always what they seem.



I honestly found this book hard to put down and I couldn't wait to finish it..
This was an arc book and I would like to thank the publisher for this book as well as the author and netgalley for this early edition
All thoughts in this review our my own....

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review**
The Safe Place, by Anna Downes was a 5-star read for me! I read it over 2 days, neglecting many important things that needed to be done in order to finish it. I simply could not put it down. I was hooked right from the start, then I sped through, not able to wait to find out what on earth was going on with this family.

Emily Proudman is down on her luck. An aspiring actress with no work, and an agent who dumped her, she has hit rock bottom. In comes Scott Denny, the CEO of the company she was temping for, prior to being fired. Scott offers Emily the job of a life time-to help his wife with housework and childcare at their beautiful estate in France. Emily jumps at the chance, but not long after starting, begins to see odd behaviour from Scott's wife, Nina and their 6-year old daughter, Aurelia. Something is not right with this family, but Emily tries to overlook the strange occurrences, continuing to make excuses for Nina, until she can no longer explain what is happening...

If you are looking for a gripping thriller to read at the beach this summer, The Safe Place is the book for you!

Ms. Downes definitely knows how to create suspense! It was difficult to put this book down. A flaw in the book, however, is that the main character seemed to be too "different" after she moved to France: she seemed quite lazy and not very smart at the beginning of the book, yet she worked her butt off in France and figured out the secret of what was going on fairly quickly. Some tweaking of the character's growth would help the story. Overall, it was a suspenseful story that I wanted to keep reading, and enough clues were given to help you figure out the secret.

As the blurb promises, Emily is indeed a mess. She’s klutzy, she talks too much when she gets nervous, and she’s a bit of a drifter who has trouble keeping a job. But this new job her boss sends her to is perfect. Gorgeous house, property, and an amazing friend in Nina, it’s everything she could ever want. Sometimes when things seem too good to be true, we overlook the warning signals because of the sudden euphoria, and that’s exactly what happens to Emily.

While it didn’t feel like a thriller until we got towards the end, the suspense element is truly at play. The reader isn’t sure what’s going on with Scott, Nina, or Aurelia. You question what is up with Scott’s scheming, Nina’s strange behavior, or the fact that Aurelia has these violent tendencies. As things at the house got worse, first with the loss of wi-fi and then with the inability to call out, the alarm bells were ringing.

I felt there was a bit of a missed opportunity when it comes to exploring mental health a bit deeper. Nina was clearly suffering, and while that was addressed, there was only a bit of a reference to Emily’s issues at the very end. Perhaps it would have taken away from the book, I don’t know. While some elements were a little predictable, it didn’t detract that this is a well-written book, with wonderful characters and the perfect setting. I’m always a fan of alternating viewpoints, and Downes did this well. It was practically a one-sitting read for me. Thank you, St. Martin’s for sending this one along!

Thanks to a Netgalley, Minotaur/ St. Martins Press and Anna Downs for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. I read this is 2 days, yes, I loved it ! A great first book for this author. It was unpredictable, tense, funny, bit of romance, and thriller suspense. Who could ask for more in a book ? This is my opinion... A 5 star for sure, and hoping there is more to come by this author.

A thrilling debut novel that I just could not figure out until the end. ⠀
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Emily’s life is falling apart - she lost her job, acting agent, and apartment all in one day. Scott Denny, a rich CEO, saves Emily by offering her a housekeeping job at his enchanting French estate. Emily quickly becomes friends with his stunning wife, Nina, and odd daughter, Aurelia. Wine by the pool at noon, luxurious grounds, and endless money. Life is perfect! But as Emily starts to uncover their secret, she must play along or it could turn deadly. ⠀
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With flawless writing and numerous twists, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 is the perfect summer read. The beginning was an enjoyable slow burn, but the ending bursts with suspense that punches you in the gut and leaves you breathless. ⠀
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Anna, you are a spectacular writer. Is this really your first book? Sign me up for your future novels, I’m a fan. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review before it’s available July 14, 2020. ⠀

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Downes and St. Martin’s Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I had heard some mixed reviews on this one, and now that I have read it I can see why. This thriller won’t be for everyone, but I did enjoy the slow build of the suspense and the main character, Emily. I did keep wondering what was going on with this very strange family, but I did love the scenery of the novel. I did enjoy this novel mostly and I enjoyed the twist, but I do have to agree with some of the reviews and say that I just felt like something was missing in the ending. I think I felt like I needed more closure in the ending, especially with Emily’s past. It was still an enjoyable novel!

Out July 14th!

A moody, lush thriller that escalates slowly but surely to a satisfying fever pitch. I honestly wasn't sure what the book was building to for the longest time--this is not the type of commercial thriller that lays it all out for you, but I was pulled along for the ride nonetheless. I loved sinking into the descriptive prose of the luxurious yet eerie setting, reading along with Emily trying to figure out what could possibly be going on. The ultimate twists and turns were thought-provoking and compelling.

This is a rare third person POV thriller, but only occasionally did I notice it. The slight distance worked really well for the overall story conceit and approach, while lending itself especially well to description/mood. The POV still felt close enough in Emily's chapters to pull the reader along like in any good thriller, but provided the necessary distance in Scott's chapters to keep the suspense going.

What you know: Emily is a failed actress about to be evicted, with a strained relationship with her adopted parents. She's a temp at a startup and the boss, Scott, sees something in Emily he likes... so he has her fired (!), bribes her agent into dropping her (!!), and then offers her a dream position: move to his estate in France to be an live-in personal assistant/handywoman to his wife Nina. Nina desperately needs help so she can spend more time on homeschooling their sick daughter, Aurelia, so it would be Emily's job to do the home reno projects Nina is struggling to complete.

So going in, we the readers know Scott is kind of dodgy, and something must be up at the estate. From there, it is a slow burn, and mostly in Emily's POV. The estate is, indeed, isolated but also gorgeous--Emily gets an entire guesthouse to herself, but she's forbidden from entering the family home. Aurelia is a bit peculiar--totally mute, and with a deadly sun allergy. She is sensitive to touch and sometimes has episodes of panic and screaming. Nina is beautiful and winningly social--she and Emily strike up a fast friendship. As the reader, you're wondering when things are going to turn... and honestly the turns aren't huge. Though subtle, they ratchet up tension and pull you along. The third act was INTENSE.

So this is less of a "guessing what's going on" (though you do plenty of that) and more of a "be carried along with the current of the story until everything explodes." I enjoyed the ride a lot. Downes has some particular passages of description that were breathtakingly vivid. I reread a few of them because I liked them so much. I will say that at times Emily as a character got a bit lost for me, though by the time the third act kicked off it didn't really matter because I was so emotionally invested. Scott has his own turns that I thought were interesting, and then I was pleased when the book didn't do the thing I was worried it would do. I liked the ending.

My only note for some readers is that if you are sensitive to aspects of mental health being used to build suspense/as a plot device, this book ultimately might not work for you. Difficult to cover without spoilers, but I can say that some characters deal with trauma, and there are hints of other mental health concerns some characters may have, that may not sit right with some readers.

Menacing, yet entrancing, Anna Downes’ THE SAFE PLACE is a story of the façade of an idyllic family and the darkness that grows beneath their secrets. One woman will fall into something too good to be true just when her life hits rock bottom when her former boss hires her to be a companion/nanny for his wife and daughter at their secluded estate. What Emily failed to realize was that she was rushing headlong into a disaster she could not prevent. Can she survive the truth?

Atmospheric and almost dreamlike, this tale has dark underpinnings that will burrow into your soul, because you know something is wrong, but this author has cleverly hidden the truth until the end. Certainly not fast-paced, often more like “a day in the life” of the elite, these characters are almost as haunting as Emily is naïve.

A good read to escape into that will make one’s own life seem more like a breath of honest and fresh air, no matter how mundane.


I received a complimentary ARC edition from Minotaur Books! This is my honest and voluntary review.

Anna Downes has written a creepy, twisted thriller! Emily has lost her job, but her former employer presents a new job opportunity: become housekeeper, nanny, etc. for his wife and daughter and their home in the middle of nowhere in France. Sounds too good to be true? Something strange is going on, and the more Emily investigates, the more dangerous it gets. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a forseeable, but fun read. It was a great escape novel from everything happening currently. It was a fast paced book. This is a great read if you just want something easy to read-- if you question the characters too deeply you may be disappointed.

While there was an ending that led to a resolution, I wanted more. I still have questions that could have been addressed in the conclusion. Overall this was an enjoyable read.

The Safe Place was the perfect summer, beach read--if you enjoy picturesque thrillers, which I do! I knew from reading the description and seeing the cover of the book that The Safe Place was going to be a book I was going to love. That being said, I would have loved to be able to read this on an actual beach which isn't possible due to the current COVID situation but at least I was able to imagine myself laying in the sun, by the pool and sipping a delicious fruity adult cocktail while reading this salacious thriller. I am so excited to keep my eye out for new Anna Downes books!