I could not get into this book. I tried two times, weeks apart, but it never clicked. The writing was good though. Don't let my review discourage you from reading. It may be just the book for you!

DNF at 25% - all the characters fell flat for me and I couldn’t get into this. Every step seemed so implausible.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful escape read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2020
I really liked this story and the twists that it took. The characters were well written. A perfect read for this time of limited travel. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion

I know it took me forever to read this but I had a baby so lol
I will say the first 60% of this book had me hooked. I was constantly looking forward to see what was going to happen next and why there seemed to be such a hush hush vibe over Scott's life/family. The more I read about Emily's troubles the more I felt empathy for her. Who hasn't struggled in their 20's?! In one way or another money always slips through our hands and we find ourselves against a wall figuring out our next step. The fact the Emily got the job of a lifetime to nanny/assist/DIY for a family in France is so dreamy. Like I said, I was entranced for the first 60% of the book. The last 40% I found myself rolling my eyes and forcing myself not to skim pages and skip to the end. After awhile it just seemed like the book was droning on and on just for the sake of filling out the pages with words. It was way past time to find out what the deal was with Nina and Aurelia and why everyone was so secretive. I also felt like the character development for Scott wasn't enough. It was bare minimum information so I almost felt like we could've gone without his POV and just stuck with Emily's and Nina's.

If you need some new travel lust, I am now obsessed with visiting this area of France. Creepily chosen by her ex-boss to become a Nanny/Personal Assistant to his wife on their private French estate, Emily leaps at the chance to escape her failed acting career and shared flat. When she arrives to help beautiful Nina and eccentric but strange Aurelia, her days are filled with play, work, tasty dinners and wine by the pool, but soon the sense that something is not right starts to seep through the lush foliage and exotic climate. I enjoyed this book a lot. It was not a tired storyline but instead had fresh twists and plots.

This work was a very slow read for me; I tried getting into it multiple times and just could not. The beginning was slow, the middle was slow, and the ending was slow. I was not impressed. I finished it so I could review, but it took much longer than it should have.

The Safe Place kept me wanting to find out more. Emily has so much going for her yet she didn’t have what she wanted. Finally, an opportunity that looked like a dream! Why not go for it? Emily found out that things aren’t always what they seem In theatre and in real life. I liked this book and would recommend it to others.

Thank you, Netgalley, for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Emma, Emma, Emma, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is not what it looks like. You thought you would be the exception, well, you made your bed and had to lay in it too!
With that being said, I have to say that the house, the wife, the child, and the driver were creepy from the beginning. If I were Emma, I would have felt the bad vibes from the start. Would I have given the family the benefit of a doubt, probably. But something was definitely wrong with the idyllic picture.

This book kept me shaking my head (at the characters), creeped out, excited to find out what would happen next, and anxious to find out how it would all end. To be honest, at some point this story gave me The Exorcist vibes. I think this was a fantastic debut novel, Mrs. Downes!

Another book from my current wave of catching up with NetGalley, it has the usual added charm of "I don't remember why I picked this up, but let's find out!"

And as I mentioned to the author on Twitter when I'd finished, I'm so upset with myself for not reading this sooner.

THE SAFE PLACE is a brilliant little book, with a charming everywoman heroine named Emily, whose life is a disaster. Loses her job, loses her agent, relationship with parents strained, the works. Until she is swept off her feet (almost literally) by Scott Denny, a stupidly wealthy businessman who just so happens to have an opening at his French estate to help watch the place, along with his wife and their daughter. Emily jumps at the chance...and well, not everything goes as planned.

It's easy to make everyman-style characters into absolute "Mary-Sue" nightmares, and Emily never really falls into that category. She's got more than her fair share of flaws and issues, but balances them nicely with her virtues and humor. The friendship between her and Nina - and later, Aurelia - grows organically, never really feeling forced as it could when in such close quarters with each other. (No matter how big the estate is, it's going to feel like close quarters after a while.) The tension with Scott played beautifully; it's almost a cliche, but these stereotypes come from somewhere, and it's hardly surprising in Emily's case. Handsome man comes along to play Prince Charming? Uh huh.

Without delving into spoiler territory, Scott's character is really handled nicely--particularly since we don't necessarily see too much of him. There is a lot on this man's shoulders, whether he put it there himself or not, and he's got to walk that line now and figure out what steps can come next. Really really nicely done, right up through the final pages.

And Emily gets a nice rounded story arc as well--again, not something we always see from this type of heroine. It would be simple to take the easy road, and Emily doesn't crumble.

And while there's part of me that says "well but what happened to..." and "what happens next?" I don't think there's really a cliffhanger at the end. A few unanswered questions, but some of my favorite thrillers are like that. There's no need to tie up every last loose end. The ones that needed tied, are tied, and everyone is off to where they ought to be. (We assume.)

Absolutely worth noting that this is apparently Downes' debut novel, which makes it all the more impressive in my mind. Nicely done, well-paced, well-written. A strong debut, and one with sure promise of that which is yet to come. I'll be interested to see what Downes comes out with next.

Rating: **** - Recommended

I thought this was a really good one and it kept me in the whole time!

It was also fast paced and had some likeable characters. 4 stars from me!

I so tried to get into this story but it just didn't hold my attention. I'm sure it's an excellent novel but just not for me. I put it down after the plane ride.

This was a great debut novel. With debut thrillers, it can go either way, so I'm happy it went this way. This book keeps you reading and not wanting to put it down. I know I'm not the only one who stayed up way past her bedtime reading. Every time I thought I had something figured out, Downes hit us with another plot twist. It was a puzzle I just had to solve.

I really enjoyed The Safe Place by Anna Downes. It was a seductive and suspenseful read that had me hooked. The writing kept me on edge and I did not anticipate the twist. And did mention how beautiful the cover is?

I had trouble with this one. The premise sounded good, but I couldn't really get past how naive Emily was and how predictable the story became.

Feeling kind of eh about this one. It had promise, but unfortunately suffered from a few shortcomings:

1. Slow build. I lost interest at 42%, but picked it back up during a rainy afternoon - mostly because I didn't have wifi and this was already loaded, oops. The last 30ish% was where things started getting interesting for me.

2. A mostly predictable plot

3. An ending that offered some resolution but felt unfinished and left unanswered questions.

The Safe Place by Anna Downes had deep character development for Emily but once again I was reading a suspense-domestic thriller that had a female main character that was out of her mind. This is getting tired for me. It was entertaining enough but nothing I will likely remember in a few months. Also fairly predictable early on. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. The Safe Place is now available.

Emily is looking for a new life because hers is a mess. She has just lost her job, her acting career is going nowhere, and her parents are tired of her only calling when she needs something. She finds it when her former boss asks her to become a housekeeper of sorts at the home where his reclusive wife and daughter live. Emily is at first excited for a new start and amazed at the place where she will live. She soon starts to suspect that all is not as it appears...

A good summer read if a little bit predictable. I suspected early on what was not right but found it enjoyable just the same.

This was a DNF for me. I just couldn’t get into the writing...too descriptive. I enjoy books with less fluff.

4.5 stars, rounding up to 5!

This is a great psychological thriller (and a realistic one at that)! I could NOT put it down! Honestly, I had no idea what was going to happen in this book & I loved it. With every chapter, I just kept thinking “what’s going on here...?” but I couldn’t figure it out, so I HAD to keep reading until the final twist was revealed. It was well worth staying up late to finish because that ending was crazy - and so satisfying! Someone needs to make this book into a movie, for real, because it would be amazing on screen (especially that wild ending)!

All in all, this is a great read & I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good thriller (with a side of some dark family drama)! So good! I already can’t wait for Anna Downes’ next book.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for providing me with a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

When Emily's life, which was on a downward spiral, hits rock bottom, nothing could seem more like a lifesaver than the job offer from her ex-boss. She moves to France to be a live-in house/grounds keeper for his wife and young daughter. It doesn't seem like life could get any better, she's in one of the most beautiful places she's ever seen and living a great life. But then things start not adding up and she very quickly finds that her Shangri-La could actually be her prison. Filled with suspense and twisty surprises this book is a must read!