I really enjoyed this book, it's so well written. The author is very talented. The story did not disappoint. The story kept my interest throughout. Some slow parts but it all fit together; great character development. This book lived up to the description and then some. Different story line and topic, expertly written.

I received a copy of THE SAFE PLACE on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

Five stars and here’s why:

TOTAL BOOK HANGOVER. I dropped everything to finish this book given the serious number of plot twists that I did not see coming. The writing was fast-paced, beautiful even, and the character development was rich and fulfilling. I was transfixed by the story and couldn’t put it down. I feel so lucky that I got to read an advance copy. I look forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend.

Anna Downes debut novel was a triumph! Never a dull moment. Emily Proudman is kind of a mess. Acting career circling the drain. Temp job not great. She’s not very good at anything she does but she does have a good heart and passion. That’s why when her former boss at the advertising agency notices her, he feels that Emily would be perfect for a different job entirely. Moving Emily to France on his Estate to act as a house keeper/companion/child minder/a little of everything helper for his wife Nina and their sick child Aurelia.

I mean it’s not like Emily has a lot going on at the moment and Scott Denny is very handsome. Taking the job and signing the non disclosure agreement (why on earth would she need to do this?) Emily packs her small bag and heads to the French Estate on a cliff by the ocean. Where she has access to a generous salary, an unlimited amount on her new (paid for by Scott) credit card, her own private lodgings and a beautiful SUV the locals have nick named “The Tank”

Once in France (Private jet naturally) Emily is met by the gruff and uncommunicative Yves. The general handyman. Or is that henchman? But all of Emily’s doubts soon fall away when she finally enters the gates of “Querencia” the amazing estate she will work and live on.

She is soon meets Scott’s wife, Nina. Nina is like no one she’s seen before and so nice. Surely those rumors about Scott hating his wife that were ripe at work are unjustified. There is no way Scott could hate a woman as beautiful, ethereal and kind as she is. Perhaps she is a little protective of daughter Aurelia, but surely that’s justifiable as Aurelia is ill with some condition. Emily is not quite sure what it is. But Aurelia does not like Emily. This is going to be tough going. But maybe, as the weeks pass and a rhythm in their day to day lives Aurelia is the key to everything and although non verbal, it is Aurelia who has something to show Emily.

The keys to the proverbial castle are all brought to a head one awful night that begins and ends with a thunderstorm. And quite the storm it is. Leaving the reader with the thought that calm waters are just fine regardless of what stage of life you find yourself in.

I look forward to reading more from this author! As always special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins press for this excellent ARC. 4.5 stars.

I wasn’t sure I was going to continue this novel.
It took awhile for me to get into the book. But when I finally did, I was very glad I stuck with it.
The Safe house is the story of Emily, a want to be actress in London. She usually works temp jobs as she persues auditions.
The boss of one company offers Emily a job as an assistant to his wife who lives with a 6 year old on an estate in France. Emily’s arrival in France is when the story becomes very intriguing.
Definitely a book to keep your interest At this point. I recommend this book!

I can't say enough good things about this book! It was super suspenseful, and had me surprised with every plot twist! I read it in two days because I just had to know what happened next. Great twisty thriller book, and I would definitely recommend!

Emily needs a break. She left her parents and her small-town behind for all the excitement of London. She works temporary jobs while going on acting auditions. The problem is she can't keep a job, or ace an audition, and can't even remember her mother's birthday. So maybe she doesn't deserve a break, maybe she just needs to rethink what she wants from life, and perhaps to think about someone else for a change. I am thinking at this point, nope, not going to happen!
Out of the blue, her former boss offers her a job. Scott's wife Nina and their daughter Aurelia live on a remote estate in France. Scott can't get away from work as often as he would like, and he needs someone to help Nina renovate their home and do general housekeeping. The position comes with a great salary, a car, and a credit card. Emily is one step away from being homeless and nothing is holding her in London. So what if she doesn't technically have any of the qualifications Scott wants. She is crushing on the very married Scott and after all, how hard could it be.
When Emily arrives at Querencia, her first reaction is to go right back to London. The location is beyond isolated and Nina and Aurelia are both in a word, strange. But Nina shows how charming she can be and soon Emily feels like she belongs. As time passes, Emily starts to see cracks in the facade. The question is, what is she going to do about it.
Well, fasten your seat belt because you are in for a turbulent ride. I had my suspicions about what was wrong with this family but was still surprised how it all wrapped up. I was furiously flipping pages for most of this book but just didn't love the ending. I was willing to put my doubts aside at the implausibility of the characters' actions because well it was well-written fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Emily is struggling in life and feels that she hit the jackpot when she's offered the opportunity to be a personal assistant to her previous employers wife on a house on the coast of France. As she gets to know the family, she begins to suspect there are a lot of secrets that are being kept from her.

I couldn't put this book down! Each chapter ended on a suspenseful note and I could never tell what twist was coming. I loved the dreamy descriptions of the house in France. This is a very well written, fast paced thriller that I will recommend to library patrons as well as friends and family.

Emily thinks she's found the perfect job after a string of failed temp jobs and being dropped by her agent as a non-earning "actress." Her last temp job's CEO approaches her out of the blue and offers her a personal assistant/babysitter/homekeeper position with his wife in the middle of nowhere, France. At first everything seems fine but the longer she stays there, the more oddities she notices about the wife and the illness-bound child. After a minor injury, she discovers something that rips the lid off the secrets surrounding the family and has a desperate choice to make. Riveting, shocking, and endlessly thrilling, this book was a fantastic read!

Getting the books off the shelf 😂😂🤷‍♀️ thanks to #Netgalley I had the pleasure of devouring #thesafeplace #annadownes #macmillanusa o started this one last night and it was the perfect read while the winds were howling and the rain pummeled down outside. We start our story with an unlucky woman who is trying hard to be an actress while working various temp jobs. When the stars align and she finds the perfect job as a car taker/nanny/personal assistant/everything in a remote location in France. But all isn't as it seems and soon the story unravels. I enjoyed the book however the ending .... Ugh. It left me feeling incomplete. I wanted more.... All in all 3.5/5 ⭐ #bookreader #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #covid_19 #quarantined2020 #howdoyouspendyourtime #netgalleyreview

Emily is a bit lost and seems to be just out of reach of the successes she craves. We learn early on that the owner of the company she works for, Scott, isn’t exactly what he seems either.

Scott offers Emily a seemingly perfect dream job at his remote estate, as his wife’s new personal assistant. Emily jumps at the chance and initially she is entranced by the glamorous estate and the perks that come with her job.

Of course things are not as perfect there as they seem, and soon we start to see the ugly truth bubbling just below the surface. Scott’s wife Nina and daughter Aurelia are often whiny and needy, and Nina seems to be hiding something.

This book picks up the pace significantly about halfway through, and was hard to put down. However, the final conclusion was a bit lacking and left me with several questions, and feeling a bit unfulfilled.

Some of the flashback scenes were confusing as well, and didn’t seem to add much to the story.

Overall the book is enjoyable, but just doesn’t quite satisfy in the end.

One of my most anticipated reads of 2020 and it didn't disappoint! The setting was superb and I though the characterization was fantastic. I do want to preface this by saying that the story is definately more suspense/mystery than thriller/psychological thriller. For some reason, I had it in my head that this a psychological thriller. Anyways, moving on.....the author did a fantastic job with scenery and really building up the setting. The characters were also developed nicely and I could definately picture them in my head. The novel is a bit predictable, but that didn't make me enjoy it less.

*Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I sometimes get in the mood for a good gothic novel like those I read as a teenager, but this isn’t it. It jumps, the point of view is sometimes unclear, and it has a conclusion that is not satisfying at all. This one is a miss, for me.

I was so excited I was able to read this one!! I really loved the writing style and the storyline was fantastic! A must read.

I couldn’t put this book down! So twisty and I didn’t know where the story was going! I really enjoyed this book! Looking forward for more books from this author. Thank you!

YES to everything about this book and in this book! Loved it! Yes, it was a bit predictable but it was such an enjoyable read that I was able to get lost in. It was weird and it was creepy and was full of paranoia.
I also would like to say cheers on a beautiful cover!

The Safe Place
A Novel
by Anna Downes
St. Martin's Press
You Like Them
Minotaur Books
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 14 Jul 2020 | Archive Date 14 Jul 2020

Really liked this book and read it at one sitting! I will recommend it to patrons when we reopen. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me the ARC to read.

This was an incredible book. I read the book without reading any reviews or premises and had no idea where the book was going so for me it was one twist after another. I waited for things that never happened and was amazed at where the story went. I loved the development of the characters and how they all acted and reacted with each other. There were times when the book was inconsistent...like she would describe a room and two chapters later she said she never saw that room. She said she sent an email but the person received a text. Small little things that most people wouldn't really notice but I did some editing earlier in my life and so I did notice these things. They do not, however have anything to do with the plot or the intriguing storyline. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It is interesting, dark, and has many subplots that keep you thinking. I can't wait for more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 stars

I was intrigued by the description and reviews for The Safe Place, but was unsure how innovative it would be-- the setting seemed a bit played out. I will say that it started a bit slow for me-- the character development was a little choppy and the rising suspense felt a bit forced at times. But once it got going, it was a page-turner. There was tension at every turn, and I found myself eager for the next chapter.

Not a superstar for me, but definitely a quick read that kept me turning pages late into the night!

This book clicked with me from the very beginning. I especially enjoyed the author's writing style, a critical point for me after reading too many books with interesting plots but mundane craftsmanship. The language flowed, the characters were well-developed, and the suspense grew. Emily was not always likeable. Nina was a mystery; Scott had his quirks. I could "see" the hideaway in France and feel the tension when Emily was poking around in places she was not meant to be. The situation Emily found herself in was uncomfortable, awkward, and then just plain frightening as things escalated. People were not who they seemed to be. And through it all, the quality of the writing continued to keep me engaged.

I had a hard time putting this book down, which I consider to be a real accolade at a time when I find myself setting many novels aside in disappointment.

I loved this book so much that I had to go pre-order it immediately. I’m so thankful for Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The story was mesmerizing, the pacing was thrilling and perfect, and the writing was superb! I know there are scary things that happen there, but this book puts me on a relaxing escape that ends up giving me the HeebieJeebies, but I still want to vacation there!!! P.S. Don’t Disturb Auriela!!