I really enjoyed this debut novel of mystery/suspense/thriller by Anna Downes that is told by three different point of views. First there is Emily, an out of work actor that cannot keep a temp job, can’t pay her rent, and her life is one hot mess. Then there is Scott, an extremely wealthy business man, and his beautiful wife Anna. Scott is looking for the perfect assistant/nanny for his beautiful, doted on wife. They have a big estate in France with all the amenities, including a pool and a cottage for Emily to live in. Scott offers the nanny job to Emily, who was just fired from her temp job at his firm. She is the perfect candidate, which is great for her because she has no place to live, wants an escape from her life and her situation. It sure doesn’t hurt she’s attracted to Scott, so she takes the job.
She is flown off to France in a private jet. Emily is amazed at the beautiful, secluded, huge French estate where she meets Nina and her sickly daughter Aurelia. Life is pretty great in France, all be it there is no wi-fi, and Nina and Aurelia are a little different.
But something isn’t quite right, and as time goes on for Emily, she finds Scott and Nina have secrets, very big secrets…
I found this book hard to put down at times. It was well written and kept me interested throughout. Good character development. The story keeps building up with each characters life, their past with secrets being slowly revealed. There was one big twist at the end. Which wrapped the book up, and tied up the ends. I was a little bit confused at one small part to the ending, but it wasn’t a big deal.
I didn’t have a lot of time to sit down and read so I purchased the Audible version. Great narrators. There were three separate narrators for each of three main characters, so it was easy to tell each person apart. Definitely one credit worthy.
*Special thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Book for the advanced readers copy, in exchange for my honest review* All opinions are my own.

This book was hard for me to get into, and I ended up having to stop reading. I feel like the character development at the beginning took too long. By the time anything really happened in the story, I was too tired of reading about the characters and had to give up.

This is one of those books you finish and say WOW! You stay at the end of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. A small group of main characters that you bounce back and forth wondering whether to love or hate them. Twists and turns! Amazing book with great writing, makes for a quick read.

The Safe Place
By Anna Downes
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 Stars

This is a very interesting book that kept me wondering the whole time. The story is different than everything I've read before and it's a mix of mystery, family dramas, with an unexpected and tense twist but a predictable ending (after reading the twist you kinda know how it will end). The beginning was very slow and I only got into the book after reading about 20%. The first 20% of the book is basically for you to understand how Emily's life was before she got the job at the "Safe Place" and it's important to read it but it's very slow. Once she goes to the house to work things start to get better and you keep wondering what's wrong with that family. I really enjoyed this book because it is different than other book I've read and it was very tense twist. I recommend it, it's a great summer read.

The Safe Place was a great read by Anna Downes. Emily just lost her acting agent, job and apartment all in one day. Scott is a successful CEO who meets Emily and believes that it may fix his problems. Emily takes a job from Scott to be a housekeeper on his French estate. Emily gets enchanted by everything until she realizes that Scott and his family are hiding a dangerous secret. This was a great read by the author.

So this is a 4.5 star that I am upgrading to a five star review. This story brings in all the elements of a good story, easily relatable characters, a touch of mood and mystery, and a sinister plot line shrouded in a perfect varnish. I think most of us have probably been Emily Proudman at some point in our lives. Having hedged all her bets on an acting career that isn’t panning out, she has been stuck in a loop of failure after embarrassing failure, culminating in getting fired from her temp job as a receptionist, while almost simultaneously getting tossed off her acting agents list of clients. Facing an imminent eviction, and with no options, Emily can’t believe her luck when her super handsome former boss, Scott Denny, rescued her by giving her a job opportunity. On the surface it sounds like a dream, go to his luxury compound in France and basically act as elevated housekeeper to his wife Nina and their medically fragile daughter Aurelia. Sure the wife is a little odd, and has some weird rules, but for a regular paycheck and a more or less permanent vacation at an exclusive French hideaway, some things can be overlooked. Perhaps she would have been better off turning a blind eye to all the odd things going on, but something about this seemingly perfect family strikes her wrong. Following her gut Emily uncovers a family secret so horrible, it threatens to suck her in, and never let her go. This story could have gone a couple different ways early on, and I will admit I didn’t really see the reveal coming, so I was surprised just a bit. This is a strong debut in a world full of good psychological thrillers. Review posted to Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, Litsy, and LibraryThing.

Paradise comes at a price as Anna Downes shows readers in her debut novel, "The Safe Place." It's a story of privilege, sadness and redemption of sorts. Leading the cast is Emily Proudman, a young woman who lost her acting, agent, job and apartment in one lousy day. When a richer-than-Midas CEO named Scott Denney offers her an opportunity to escape and recharge, she jumps at the chance. Who wouldn't say yes to be a summer housekeeper and child's companion at a secluded French mansion? At first, Emily is exchanged by Nina Denney and her daughter Aurelia. Both are eccentric, but Emily takes she can get past the quirks, enjoy the peace and bathe in the luxury. She soon learns seclusion comes at a price, and money is not the answer to all problems. Kudos to the author for creating a suspenseful drama that sends readers' moral compass spinning.

The main character of this story, Emily, is one of those people that if she didn’t have bad luck she wouldn’t have any luck at all. Its no wonder that this down-on-her luck wanna-be actress jumped at the chance to live a fairy-tale life in France. When she is let go from a job she desperately needed, and yet offered a different type of job by the owner of that same business, she felt she had no choice but to accept. That Scott Denny was undeniably one of the most handsome men she had ever met, helped him to talk her into the job. A few warning bells went off for her, but her circumstances were such that when she was offered this “easy” job with tons of perks, it seemed to be a no-brainer for her to say “yes”. After all, how difficult can it be to assist with the care of a child, keep house, and do other odd jobs? As she meets wife Nina and their daughter Aurelia, is given the tour of the property, and already notices a few odd things, more warning bells sound, but they are again dismissed. The more Emily is drawn into the arms of Nina and Aurelia, the more she discovers that little by little she is losing her own independence and just how much the property is shut off from the rest of the world. The more she attempts to discover what everyone is hiding, short bursts of memory from her own childhood prior to her adoption pop into her head and she fears what is happening within this small family. As she pursues her fears, the more danger she finds herself in.....which leads to a dramatic and surprising ending . I enjoyed this book and can definitely recommend it to readers who like domestic psychological thrillers. I received an ARC of this book from NetGAlley and St.Martins Press / Minotaur Books In return for an honest review, which this has been. #NetGalley. #TheSafePlace #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks

I enjoyed reading "The Safe Place" by Anna Downes. This book gave off gothic vibes, with enough mystery to keep you guessing. Emily, is a down on her luck, would be actress, who has a hard time keeping a job. Her last boss hires her to move to France to help with his wife & child. The narration of the book changes by chapter, giving off clues to each personality. You know something isn't right, but it's hard to put your finger on it.

The was an unexpected little gem! I was pleasantly surprised especially with so many mixed reviews. I really appreciate the writing as it’s easy to follow. I have to say the first half of the book I had no clue were it was going, and even contemplated DNF. I’m soooo glad I stuck with it. Fantastic book! Don’t let the first half fool you!

The Safe Place is a tantalizing mysterious story in which the reader, desperate to solve, willingly will exhaust themselves by staying up all night as they desperately try to answer the not so simple question, is this a safe place?

Emily Proudman wants to be an actress but is having absolutely no luck. At least she has a job to pay her bills and an agent to send her on casting calls. Although barely making ends meet, she still has a roof over her head. And then in a blink of an eye it’s all gone. She loses her job, agent and with those gone, her apartment.

Adopted at a young age, Emily has never really felt a bond with her mother. Perhaps she never gave her a chance since her childhood prior to adoption is a bit fuzzy. She rarely sees her parents and when she does it’s usually to ask for money. But this time they will not have it. Enough is enough and Emily must grow up and figure this out on her own.

Scott Denny is her very wealthy previous boss who unbeknownst to her has had her fired from the job she desperately needed. Although married, his wife and daughter live in a secluded house in France. He visits only once in a while. The work rumor mill runs rampant with reasons why. His life seems mysterious.

So when Scott offers Emily a job at the house in France assisting his wife Nina with their daughter Aurelia, doing odd jobs around the house and running errands, even giving her a credit card and use of a car, she jumps at the chance to make some money.

At first the job is perfect. Nina is loving, a bit obsessed with her daughter, but that’s natural right? Although Aurelia has her problems, they all begin to bond. Emily is taken by Nina’s beauty. She realizes Aurelia has two sides, a good one and a bit of a destructive one. But Emily had been warned that Aurelia had been very sick as a baby and figures this acting out must be part of the illness. The days easily flow into each other and Emily could not be happier in this picturesque world.

Until Emily starts to think perhaps something is not right. Maybe what she is seeing is not real. But how can she question Nina’s passion and love for her daughter? And then she sees something she should not have and her world explodes. She begins to question everything, including why Scott wanted to hire her for this job. Is he aware of what’s going on?

But by the time she realizes there is something not right with this perfect little family, it may be too late for Emily. She is now trapped in paradise. As the walls begin to close all around her will she be able to break the hold this family has on her? Will she ever be able to leave this wonderland turned prison?

The Safe Place is a wonderful mystery with a compelling ending as all the clues and suspicions the reader has gathered come together for a jaw dropping ending.

Thank you #NetGalley #MinotaurBooks #AnnaDownes #TheSafePlace for the advanced copy.

When it seems to good to be true, it usually is. The Safe Place is the debut novel by Anna Downes. It features a young woman, Emily, who is still trying to find her purpose in life. She just lost her job, so when she is propositioned to accept an assistant position on a secluded estate in France, she more than jumps at the opportunity. The position is to assist her boss’s wife with his daughter’s caregiving., as well as, tend to the estate’s upkeeping.

While it was easy to guess the outcome, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read. Downes created a protagonist that is really like able in her struggle to find her way in the world. Many people will be able to identify with her predicament. This is a breezy beach thriller. There is really nothing new, plot-wise, but Downes’s writing is so entertaining, the reader will easily forgive the story’s predictability.

Very forgetable. A week after reading this book I completely forgot what this book was about! This book did give off major Summer Vibes, which is what I wanted for a Summer Thriller, but other than that, it was quiet unremarkable.

I wanted to love this book but it was a bit too slow of a build up for me. I feel like it is a 3 star read. It didn't really get moving until almost the very end of the book. Emily is basically a hot mess and just cannot seem to get her life together. When her old boss Scott offers her the job of a lifetime, she quickly agrees. Emily is going to France to become an au pair for Aurelia and helper to Scott's wife, Nina. At first everything is perfect and Emily can't believe how she lucked into this "job". Soon, perfection moves to weird and then to suspicion as Emily begins to see that all may not be as it appears.
Unfortunately the fast moving thrilling bit came a little too late in the novel for redemption. I felt as though I spent too much time in the dark with Emily. 3 stars.

The tagline of this book had me from the start. "No phones. No outsiders. No escape."? That sounds exactly like my kind of book. I love the ever classic amazing trope of a group of people stuck together someplace, bad or suspicious or mysterious or just plain weird things start happening, and readers and characters alike know that at least one member of the group is up to something nefarious.

And this book had some of that for sure. The massively down on her luck Emily is chosen by her former boss, Scott, for what sounds like a dream job-being caretaker, companion, and nanny to his wife and daughter, who live on a secluded estate in France. At first, everything is idyllic, but then Emily starts to pick up on small things that make her think all is not what it seems.

The suspense was my absolute favorite aspect. The tension was so thick sometimes it felt like I was really there with Emily, creeping around and trying to figure things out. There were all these small things that were just so strange, but all meant something bigger. The set up was really great.

I struggled with the main character, Emily. I did grow to root for her as her character was developed more, but in the beginning, she came off pretty terrible. She only calls her mother to ask for money, and makes her mother cry when she forgets it's her birthday and once again calls asking for money. I know there's a backstory there about feeling like we don't belong within our family, or like they don't understand us, but it's still really uncomfortable.

The big reveal is a really good one, but I had actually figured out the biggest part of it quite a few chapters ahead. I also wasn't crazy about Emily needing to go off site into town to find the huge dramatic piece of information she needed to put the whole puzzle together. I know it wasn't cheating, but when the suspense is built on this claustrophic intense feeling of isolation, just leaving and clicking on a computer to solve the biggest clue felt a little bit like a let down.

I definitely did enjoy this book. The suspense was so well done, and everything just feel tinged with this fantastic sense of eerieness. Anna Downes, the author, also did a good job of exploring that area of gray between good and bad, right and wrong. I really didn't know how characters were going to act and react, and I like being kept on my toes with a book like this. This isn't my favorite book I've read in this genre, but it's a solid and gripping read.

I read this over quarantine as a nice escape. I love novels that are extremely fictions. This fits the bill. Have you ever felt like life as you knew it was falling apart? That no matter what you planned for yourself, it just doesn’t happen? Well that’s what happened to the main character of The Safe Place. She helps out he boys and some how ends up in a some what worse place than she as in before.

You know, when everything is going badly, and suddenly everything is looking up... But too good to be true? Well, maybe it is. Emily discovers that the plan is not all sunshine and rainbows... And she has to make a hard choice.

I didn't know if I'd like this one until everything started to unfold (after maybe half of the book)... Everything was too calm, too beautiful, too perfect, I kept waiting for the moment when it would all fall down. And it did. Spectacularly!!

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and Affirm Press for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Nothing is going right for Emily Proudman.
She's been fired from her temp job and dropped by her acting agent. She's not being offered any acting jobs, her career has stalled.
She's about to be evicted from her place and she's somewhat estranged from her parents.
Scott Denny, the CEO of the London company that fired her, offers her a summer job as a housekeeper/companion for his wife Nina and their daughter Aurelia.
They live on a secluded French manor with a guest house and pool in an isolated area in France.
Feeling a bit desperate, but hopeful, she takes the job.
She is charmed by the charismatic Nina and enjoys keeping busy with the projects and chores.
But daughter Aurelia is quite odd. She doesn't really speak, and seems to have some severe allergies, especially to the sun. Emily struggles to build a rapport with the girl.
Scott doesn't visit often, or keep in contact much, but she daydreams about him and has a little bit of a crush on him, as well as the lovely Nina.
She begins to notice some strange things on the estate, nothing is quite what it seems.
Emily stumbles onto some mysterious secrets that could put her life in jeopardy.
This slow burn thriller was a great read that kept me on edge with the dark and sinister gothic atmosphere. The tension notched up up to an exciting ending.
A fun summer book.
Thank you St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

The theme of this book was a little bit far-fetched but I did stick with it as a good beach read. I read a lot of books of this genre and this one was average

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A strong, stunning debut!

I had such a great time reading The Safe Place. The beginning grabbed me, the middle was awesome and it just got better from there! So many twists and surprises that it was hard to figure out just what was happening. And just when you thought you figured it out, they just kept comin’ atcha!

There are four main characters. Emily is an out of work actress trying to make ends meet. When she gets fired from her office job, she is at a loss about what to do. Scott (who happens to be an executive at the company that fired Emily) and Nina are a married couple and they have a young daughter, Aurelia. When Scott finds out that Emily gets fired from her job, he makes her an offer she cannot refuse. Move to the French countryside, Querencia, to essentially be a caretaker for Nina and Aurelia. All expenses paid, and then some.

Side note: I have to say that I loved the story’s setting. As I was reading, I had a very vivid picture about what I imagined Querencia looked like. I love that in a book.

Okay, back to the review.

Told in alternating POV‘s, this book was super easy to follow because of the small number of characters. The end of every chapter left me wanting more, which is why this book was so hard to put down.

For me, there’s just nothing like a story that is FULL of secrets! Juicy secrets that just keep you guessing. There are no shortage of secrets in this book and I loved it.

I would recommend this to anyone, but especially my thriller loving friends! I can’t wait to see what Anna Downes comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books and Anna Downes for my advanced copy to read and review.