Weird! This was a drawn out story -- predictable and just not plausible. The only character worthy of feeling any empathy towards is the poor child. This was just too strange for me.

“The Safe Place” is a slow burn, similar to a Ruth Ware book, but not as creepy or mysterious. It is just too slow. I would give it 3 stars because it’s a solid, quick read, but it is by no means a mystery/thriller as marketed. Even the cover and cover blurb is misleading. This is not a book about a holiday gone awry; it’s a domestic drama with mystery woven in at the halfway mark.

Emily was a solid character at the start. A realistic person, stumbling through life and making bad decisions. This job, though? I’m not sure I believe that even a fool like Emily would have fallen for this scheme AND been completely fine with it so far down the rabbit hole.

Scott’s chapters are ridiculous with the bizarre self-harm, his own stupidity and tunnel vision.

I predicted the big reveal (there was a pretty good horror movie with this exact plot), shrugged my shoulders, and finished the book out of obligation. But for me, it was a flatliner.

It might have worked better if we had some Nina chapters, present day, not just the italicized past entries.

The cover and the synopsis is watch convinced me to read this book. The prologue started out so good pulling me right in. But then the pace slowed down a little too much. It took too long for the story to get back where the prologue left off but it did pick back up eventually. It was told from two POV, Emily and Scott (the boss). I loved the writing style and the setting (France and the Estate were beautiful). I connected really well with Emily and felt like I was inside her head. Emily kept noticing small details that seemed out of place and that is what really kept me reading. As things were being revealed I had to know what secrets they were hiding. But the ending fell a little flat for me. After the big secret was revealed I would have liked to see what happened to the characters a little more than what was told. Overall I really enjoyed it. The writing and the plot were well written but I was wanting more throughout the entire book. I wish there was more to the ending and I would have loved to learn more about Emily’s childhood as well as a POV for Nina. For those reasons I could not give it 4 stars.

3.5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Fans of Ruth Ware will find a lot of familiar elements in this story.
A heroine whose life is on a downward spiral.
A family with secrets.
The all too perfect offer.

Emily Proudman might as well wear a target on her chest, for how easy she is to manipulate.
No money.
No job.
And a family who has almost given up on her.
Scott Denny seems that target clear as day and moves in. For what purpose? It takes some time to be clear. Her job, to help Scott's wife, Nina, care for her daughter Aurelia, as well as household chores at their home in France.

The story is told from 3 POVs, Emily, Scott and Nina. The latter two make it easy to see that Emily was being used and that the future didn't bode well for her. I think if you are asked to sign an NDA and go to a remote location with no WiFi service, alarms should be going off. But Emily, out of options in her mind, just ignored those warnings and tried to make the best of things.

What surprised me with the story, was given the setup, I thought it would be a nightmare for Emily. Although Aurelia is a difficult child given her multitude of conditions, I thought Nina and the overall life at Querencia (the name of their estate), seems very pleasant. I think if Emily hadn't been nosy, life would have gone on fine for her. But what's a thriller/mystery without a nosy heroine.

The author leaves a lot of clues as to what secrets this family holds. I put some together but not the full story. I found the reveal to be a tragic one, and while I felt for the characters involved, their actions were still inexcusable. What I did like was how Emily seemed to be the best version of herself toward the end of the book. I loved seeing that character growth.

If you are a fan of the thriller/mystery genre, this author's debut is worth checking out.

Being fired from her temp job isn't the worst thing to happen to Emily - not yet, anyway. It may even be the best, followed as it is by a totally unexpected offer v of a new job, in a much nicer place, with a potential new best friend and her charming young daughter, who've decided themselves in the lap of luxury in an isolated country estate in the French countryside. It's supposed to be the safe place of the title, but the dangers it's appealing inhabitants face aren't clearly spelled out. The uneasy feeling this somewhat gothic tale engenders gathers force as the extended holiday from real life, including Emily's career failures and disappointing family, goes on. Emily is a well-explicated character, but the family that she finds herself enmeshed in, are barely drawn and the denouement telegraphed to the reader long before Emily experiences it.

Anna Down’s new thriller, The Safe Place, is a gripping tale of young Emily whose life went from bad to worse. Although predictable it was thoroughly entertaining and kept your interest to the end. Emily learns beware of things to good to be true when an idyllic job becomes a nightmare. Her relationship with her boss, Scott, and his wife Nina becomes complex and frightening. Her own past is also a mystery. I enjoyed reading this book but would have like a more convincing conclusion. Thanks to Net Galley to providing this book in exchange of my honest review.

Emily is struggling. Her rent is due, she just lost her job, she's not getting along with her parents. So, when the CEO of her former company, Scott, offers her a job working for his family at their summer estate in France, she is enchanted. It seems like the job of a lifetime. Unfortunately, all is not as it seems. Nina, Scott's wife, lives at the estate full time with their daughter Aurelia. Aurelia has some severe medical issues and is mute. Emily's job is to assist Nina with housekeeping and caring for Aurelia as well as rehabbing the estate. Nina is prohibited from entering Nina's and Aurelia's home. There is a guest house for Emily where she is to stay. As time goes on, it is obvious that the family is hiding some dangerous secrets and Nina has worked to be sure to seclude Emily from the outside world so that she is forced to keep the secrets too. What would you risk to do what's right?
This is an interesting suspense novel. At times a bit predictable, but a good read.

Wow ! What a great book ! Suspenseful, well written, great plot ! And such messed up characters ! I love that ! Lots of twists and turns along the way ! Especially the end !!!! Well done !

The Safe Place is the tale of a young woman struggling to make her way in the world, her difficulty in doing so in conventional venues and her disastrous and nearly fatal gamble on a too good to be true job offer. Not having much luck in her chosen field of acting or success as a temporary office worker, Emily, our main character jumps at a chance for the too-good-to-be-true opportunity to work for her former boss as a sort of glorified au pair assisting her boss's wife and their allegedly sickly child on a fairy tale estate in France, .While Emily is at first dazzled by the opulence of her new life style, she soon discovers the grim truth behind the job description. Author, Anna Downes manages to bring a fresh voice and original twists and turns to a familiar theme with this expertly crafted thriller.

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of The Safe Place by Anna Downes.
A absolutely crazy read at first it made absolutely No sense but I had to keep reading. Glad I did but I still have more questions.

This was a great choice to read when I really wanted something where things just didn’t add up and nothing made much sense. I love a book that makes me feel disoriented because I NEED to know what’s going on.

In this novel, Emily is chosen to work for the Dennys- a strange and somewhat creepy family, and it’s a job seemingly too good to be true. We are given short interludes into the past and from several points of view - and they make you want to know just what the heck is going on here?

I probably would have given this five stars, but I felt there were too many unanswered questions in the end.

I still have no idea what some of the flashbacks were about and who was even in them... as well as the big one - what happened to Emily when she was a kid?!? Scott gets to know, but we don’t. I feel cheated.

This book is INTENSE. I didn't see it going where it went. So many times I couldn't put it down during a crazy time. It had great build up and explanations on how the characters came to their situations. Emily ultimately is a better person because of her experience throughout the book. Recommend it for it's intensity and ease of reading.

Thank you @netgalley and Minotaur Books for an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

When struggling young actress Emily loses her office temp job and receives an eviction notice from her landlord for too many late payments, her future seems more uncertain than ever. Former employer, company CEO Scott Denny, takes notice of her and believes her to be the perfect fit for their family, serving as an assistant to his wife, playmate to his young daughter, and caretaker of their sprawling oceanside property. Emily accepts, quickly forming a bond with wife Nina as they spend hours a day together restoring the grounds, lounging poolside, and prepping elaborate meals. Young Aurelia is a bit more work, but even she begins to trust Emily as they spend more time together. But, something just feels off…

With a little research, Emily begins to uncover the family’s darkest secrets and suddenly her dream job by the sea is a complete nightmare.

Liked: I absolutely loved the setting - the description of the massive Querencia property and how Emily and Nina spend their days gives me the summer vibes. The story kept me reading, too, and I had fun with this one.

Disliked: Some of the lines in the book were a bit cheesy. The plot is a bit predictable, but still a fun ride.

Recommend for a great summer read.

Emily Proudman is a down on her luck actress who has just lost her temp job and her agent when her former boss presents her with the opportunity of a lifetime. Scott Denny offers Emily a job as a housekeeper/assistant for his wife Nina and daughter Aurelia at their remote French estate. Emily quickly gets sucked into the life of lounging by the poolside, gourmet meals and expensive wine. Sure things are different - no internet, no phone reception, the front gate stays locked, and when some lost hikers wonder through the property Nina goes off the rails. But, it is when Scott visits for the weekend that things really get uncomfortable, Emily starts to wonder exactly why she was chosen for this position and are things really as they appear.

When emotionally damaged people find each other and start to play games, it can be hard to find a winner. Such is the case here as three "adults" and one child - all with serious issues - come together trying to live in their own special world. Instead, they end up in a world of trouble.

Emily is a loser - if you don't believe that, just ask her. The actress wannabe just flubbed her umpteenth audition, lost her office temp job because she's so inept, and was kicked out of her apartment - all in one day. What's more, she's burned so many bridges between herself and her parents that she can't go home again.

Her boss at the company that just fired her, Scott, is on the surface a highly successful financial CEO who's married to a beautiful wife, Nina. Nina and their mute young daughter, Aurelia are living in secretive luxury in France. Even as he brokers deals, though, Scott is terrified that something he's been trying to hide will spring up and destroy his precious family. Suddenly, he sees an opportunity, and its name is Emily. Yes, she's flawed; but Scott is convinced that they're the perfect flaws to complement those of his wife and daughter, and adding her to the family as his wife's personal assistant will bring the stability they all crave.

Or not. Yes, the vast property is eye-popping, the money flows freely and Emily is enchanted with Nina. Even the shy Aurelia takes a shine to Emily (more like a dull luster, but for this child, that's saying a lot). But the longer she lingers, the more Emily starts to think something's amiss (not the least of which is no access to WiFi or cell phone service). Nina's reaction to accidental visitors instills even more doubts in Emily's mind about what she's signed up for.

Also clear, though, is that if Emily asks too many questions - or ventures too far from the complex - the consequences may be dire. Put another way, she's not sure she really wants to stay, but she's afraid of what might happen if she tries to leave. All told, an intriguing, hard-to-stop-reading book, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

The Safe Place is a creepy read. Emily arrives at an estate to begin her new job as a housekeeper. There is an adorable little girl who seems troubled and her parents who appear to have the perfect marriage, but do they? Scott and Nina are hiding many secrets amd after Emily stumbles across the truth, what will she do with it?

The Safe Place is a debut thriller written by Anna Downes. Although it begins slowly, it is a dark, suspenseful novel filled with twists and turns that is told by several different character's perspectives. I wish that some of the characters would have been developed more thoroughly in order to understand their motivation. The end felt rushed to me. All in all a very good read. I rate it 3 1/2 stars. Looking forward to more books by Ms. Downes. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Safe Place.

Emily is immature, irresponsible, but full of life. Her past is a mystery, but we know there was emotional and physical trauma in her childhood prior to being adopted by loving, but irritating parents. After being fired from her job, her former boss offers her a miracle rescue -- moving to a secluded French estate to help care for a sick child and befriend his harried and fragile wife.

From that point, it becomes harder and harder to suspend disbelief. The wife flips back and forth from a lovely, sensitive friend to a wildly irrational and violent nut job. The little girl is more than ill, she is violent and angry, emotionally damaged and mute. Emily becomes besotted with her ex boss, makes poor choices, and becomes unlikable.

When the terrible family secret is discovered, Emily makes a tense but predictable escape.
The ending, however, kept me reading and gave me hope for Emily's future.

Final analysis: Plot holes and unlikable characters prevented me from buying in to this novel and investing in the story. The beginning and ending were enjoyable and showed promise. The middle, for me, was disturbing, uncomfortable and unpleasant. That being said, there will be many who will enjoy this book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the for the ARC of The Safe Place by Anna Downes in exchange for an honest review.

Emily is having no luck becoming an actress and has just been fired from her temp job. But, to her surprise, her boss Scott soon makes her an offer she can’t refuse. Emily is somewhat confused; why would the same person who fired her offer her another job? Being down on her luck, Emily accepts. She will live at Scott’s beautiful home “Querencia” with his wife Nina and their daughter Aurelia. Emily will serve as the housekeeper. When she arrives at this beautiful home, she is awestruck. She hits it off with Nina and Aurelia and all is right with the world. But Emily soon starts to notice that things aren’t always as they seem. As time passes, she starts to notice strange behaviors from Scott, Nina and Aurelia.. She notices strange things in the home. She notices that things just aren't adding up.

Then, Emily discovers a “secret” or at least she thinks she does. She starts to make connections and soon it all makes sense. Will Scott and Nina find out that Emily has uncovered something hidden from their past? And if they do find out, what will they do?

Overall, I liked this book. However, I did have difficulty connecting to the characters. The Safe Place a good psychological thriller and it has an interesting plot. Overall, I give it 3.5 stars.

The Safe Place by Anna Downes will be published on July 14, 2020.

This review will be posted to my instagram account on June 1, 2020

How many times have we heard the saying, “it's too good to be true.” Apparently our very naive female protagonist, Emily has no idea what that means. Emily’s life is a hot mess and it is no surprise that she ignores the fact that the job her ex boss, Scott, offered her was WAY too good to be true. Not just a little bit too good to be true...I mean WAY over the top to good to be true.

Emily, as I said before, is naive. She may be one of the most naive characters I have read in awhile. Emily accepts a job that again, sounds too good to be true, and then once she arrives at this beautiful but completely isolated, cut off from all society personal oasis, she ignores and makes excuses for all the crazy things going on around her. Scott, our male protagonist, was cowardly and weak (my opinion after finishing the book). Nina was...well...extra special crazy.

The Safe Place was a great book to read during a pandemic because these characters were a great distraction. While reading, I was leaning towards a 3 star review, but as the story progressed, I changed my review to 4 stars because even though it was predictable, it was different. It wasn't the same twist/mystery recycled with different characters.