Fast paced thriller which hooks you in right away! You will not be disappointed with this one - but be warned it is very dark the plot takes you on twists and turns and will definitely have you on the edge of your seat wanting to read more.

I read this over a couple of days and couldn’t believe how fast I was hooked on this book.

I reached the end of this novel and realised I’d been holding my breath. My whole body was tense. This is a dark, thrilling, journey to the centre of that place we all imagine to be the safest: our home.

Twelve years ago, six year old Jenny Kristal left home to play with a friend two doors away. She never arrived. Now, she’s back. Parents Jake and Laurie are pleased to have her back. They’re not asking many questions about what happened to her, just letting her settle. Yet, when her brother Ben comes home there’s a very different reaction. Ben seems to freeze when he sees her. He doesn’t try to communicate at all. As time goes on, he starts to ask questions, awkward questions. He also brings up memories of the two of them, but are they real or is he trying to catch her out? Does he suspect she’s not his sister? Is he paranoid or is he right?

I love novels and films that subvert the missing child genre. This had shades of the series The Missing where a family are unsure if their daughter is genuinely returned. The mother is sure it’s not her daughter, whereas the father can’t see it, causing huge conflict within the family. Also on the BBC, was the series Thirteen with the incomparable Jodie Comer as a girl returned to her family after years of captivity. She faces the inevitable questions and suspicions of why didn’t see escape before and why now? How do you match up the child you’ve lost with the young woman who returns? There’s bound to be dissonance between the the version that returns and the girl you remember. The conflict of emotions much be bewildering; you’re meant to be happy and yet there’s a sense of loss for the girl you expected. How hard would it be to return and face those conflicting emotions?

It’s so hard to write about this novel without ruining it with spoilers, but I’ll do my best not to reveal too much. In between the short, sharp, chapters full of dialogue, the author gives us glimpses of dreadful details of what this girl has endured. Whether she is Jenny or not, she has been through a terrible ordeal at the hands of people she calls Mother and Father. Sometimes it’s just a snippet of information, such as a memory brought about when looking at photographs of herself with Laurie. Into her memory comes an unwanted image of a different kind of photograph, taken by abusive parents. Other memories are longer, such as being in the black laundry cupboard for long periods. To be dragged there was terrible, but even worse was to walk yourself there knowing you were powerless. Surely now she’s safe? Between the suspicion of Ben and the girl two doors down,where Jenny was going the morning she disappeared, she feels anything but secure. Prompted by messages from someone called ‘Lorem’ she’s reminded that a little girl disappeared from this house. Is everybody in there as normal or harmless as they seem? So she starts to dig a little deeper to finds out whether this seemingly perfect and tragic family have secrets of their own.

I was so busy following Ben’s back story: the nightmares and catatonic state he went into after his sister disappeared. Shut away in a school for traumatised children, run by the Catholic Church, he continues to have a terrifying, recurring nightmare. Is this linked to Jenny’s disappearance? Do we take it literally or is it symbolic? Then, I started to wonder about the parents too. Jake and Laurie don’t seem to even have the same doubts as their son. They seem happy to accept she’s home, never questioning or even offering to talk to her about her ordeal. They don’t seem curious at all. Are they doing this out of consideration for her feelings or are they too scared to hear what she’s gone through? The final revelations are unexpected and shocking. They come just as the reader thinks an ending has been reached, so they have even more impact. It’s tense, gripping and doesn’t shy away from portraying the darker aspects of family life. For some people, home is anywhere but safe.

This review is going to appear on 11th June for the blog tour organised by Anne Cater at Random Things Tours. It will then be shared to the usual places online.

This is an absolutely thrilling read! What a plot! What twists! I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen when the truth was discovered, then again when the darker secrets were uncovered, and then the author throws out a few more twists and I was just so relieved that the truth was finally out. I was so relieved for everyone!

I absolutely loved the protagonist. To have had such an awful life, and then to get thrown in at such a deep end when all she wanted was a sense of normality and belonging- it was just so sad what she went through before and including the nightmare she found herself in.

The writing here is top notch. The pace is perfect. The characters are believable and feel real - even those who only appear in short bursts. The tension is palpable and keeps building. The story is compelling intriguing, shocking, disturbing, amazing and so well done that it feels like I've just watched a movie instead of read a book. And I love that - when I can immerse myself in a book so deeply that it plays out in my mind, that's when I know I'm reading something great.

I can't wait to see other people's reactions to this when it's published. I know it's one I'll definitely read again, recommend and that will stick with me as a great read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review


*this part is not going on my goodreads review but I noticed that at one stage Ben's middle name is Horace, but when they go through the hospital files it's down as Joseph. Also, it wasn't formatted very well, with numbers st the end of every line - I didn't have much trouble with this, because I read a Bible with end of line references, but it may cause problems for some readers. Perhaps something to think about for review copies in future?

I read Safe over a few days. Initially I wasn’t loving it as I found the format hard to read and as other reviewers have stated there are a lot of characters which can lead to some confusion. However I am glad I stick with it as the plot quickly gathered pace along with some twists and turns thrown in to keep you intrigued. Overall I would rate this 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK Cornerstone and the author for the chance to review.

From the first page of this book, I was gripped to the narrative and the writing style. Safe is a dark, twisty novel, and it pulls you in deep into the story, you won’t want to stop reading until you have found out the truth.

The pace in this book rockets along. In the opening chapters, a young woman turns up in what was once her hometown and goes to the police station. She believes she is a girl who vanished from the town in 2007, who hasn’t been seen since. The case sparked a massive public effort to find her when she first went missing, but now there is little evidence that a kidnapping happened in the town all these years later. When the girl’s parents meet her, they are delighted and thankful to have their daughter back. But her brother has reservations. But what is it that he knows about his sister’s disappearance that his parents don’t? Why doesn’t he believe that this woman is the sister he lost twelve years earlier?

I was intrigued from the moment I first met the girl who claims to be the missing girl. As the police sat down to interview her, I wanted to know where she had been for the past twelve years and how she managed to escape from her kidnappers? I also wondered if they would come after her, and it seemed as though she was in constant danger. This was what I thought made this book original. Once a missing child is found, you would expect them to feel safe, for the nightmare to be over. But that isn’t the case here.

It’s really hard to talk about this book without giving anything away. S.K. Barnett created a claustrophobic feeling as the girl becomes reacquainted with the family who lost her. But there was an eerie atmosphere as she begins to settle into her new life. I was desperate to know what was really going on here and if everything was as it seems. It was the same feeling that you sometimes get when you wonder if something is too good to be true. I knew there was a lot more to discover here.

From quite early on in the book, I thought I had the ending worked out, and although I was partly correct, S.K. Barnett managed to throw in a final twist that I didn’t see coming. I thought the whole concept of Safe was very original, and I thought it was told really well. The author creates heart-pounding suspense and keeps you guessing as the story unfolded.

This is definitely one of those books that will have you reading well into the night. It was a top read for me. Highly recommended.

Fast paced thriller which hooks you in right away! You will not be disappointed with this one - but be warned it is very dark!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the story I’ve always wanted to read, and I am utterly speechless at how much it drew me in from beginning to end! With so many dark twists, completely unpredictable outcomes and a great big handful of deceit, this book has quickly become one of my all time favourites. Just when I thought I’d cracked the case, the author threw in another curve ball and simply amazed me with her plot even more. I’ve never felt so many emotions all at once when reading and there is enough character variation, disturbing scenes and unpredictable twists to satisfy anyone who loves this genre. I can’t wait to get my hands on the paperback!

I am afraid I have been unable to read this book. The formatting is not good and there are numbers throughout which are off putting. I have tried to read this but it’s too distracting. I would be happy to read it when it has been corrected.

This was a really good read. I was not expecting the twists. The book is well written and well thought out. I was glued the whole way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Safe is a tension filled page turner that has you gripped. The sensitive subjects discussed with in it are handled with care. A really engrossing read.

Seems to be a problem with the formatting on this review copy - I can see numbers on every single line which is making it quite unreadable! Happy to review if a new version becomes available.

Really enjoyed this take in 'missing girl returns' Somehow, this doesn't feel as though it's a typical cuckoo in the next thriller, perhaps because the writing manages to ramp up the tension so well. A good story!

Wow I thought I knew where this book was heading but I was totally wrong. I really did not expect the twists and just when I had a handle on them they twisted again. I even found myself saying "Oh" aloud towards the end.
So overall it was a gripping read especially in the second half of the book. Yes there were some distressing accounts of child abuse which is always an uncomfortable read but that was very much a part of the background of the story so necessary and not enough to stop me reading.
The author can certainly tell a suspenseful tale and I would like to read more books by them.
A book that grabs you and keeps a hold until the last page.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly I had to give up even attempting to read this ARC as there were numbers scattered throughout, on almost every single line. This made it impossible for me to read and for that reason I had to give up, which was a real shame as I was really interested in reading this book.
I would be more than happy to read and review properly if a new/updated ARC was available.
And for that reason the rating does not truly reflect the book at all but I had no other choice but to review/leave feedback and move on.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Twelve years ago six year old Jenny Kristal went missing and now she is back or is she???.
Be warned this is a very hard read, reading about child sexual exploitation is never easy but this story of Jenny ?? kept me reading. The plot was original and so clever, full of misdirection and so many surprises and as for the ending OMG. Dark, gritty and a very powerful crime thriller. A well deserved five stars and so Highly Recommended.
Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

There were so many twists in this labyrinthine story that I almost needed a trail of breadcrumbs to keep it all straight in my head. It is a story that grabs you by your collar from the first few lines and doesn't let go until you come to the end. It certainly kept me burning the midnight oil. I will be looking out for this author in the future.

Trigger warning required for child abuse of the sexual kind. The book itself was interesting and kept me hooked. The formatting was terrible but I forgive it cos it's an arc.

I’d like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Safe’ by S K Barnett in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Six-year-old Jennifer Kristal is only going two houses further along the road for a playdate with her friend but she never turns up. Twelve years later Jennifer is back and her parents Laurie and Jake welcome her with open arms, but she isn’t clear where she’s been or who she’s been with and doesn’t want to tell the police anything.

Although ‘Safe’ is a difficult novel to read due to its sexual and abusive content I enjoyed it and couldn’t stop reading until I’d found out all there was to know about Jennifer. Her parents and older brother Ben are keeping secrets and it isn’t until the final pages that all is revealed. At times I’ve found it difficult to keep track of which character is narrating the story but other than that it’s a very tense, though disturbing, story with lots of twists and turns and surprises. I can recommend it.

12 years ago a 6 year old Jenny Kristal went missing whilst walking to her street to her best friends house. 12 years later Jenny has found her way home much to the joy of her parents, although her older brother doesn’t seem to happy to see her return.

Jenny soon realises that the Kristal household contains some dark secrets and she begins to question whether she is safe in this house.

I must say I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked. I thought I had guessed how this book was going to end, but I wasn’t completely wrong on so many levels.

This book is well worth a read.

Thanks to net galley for providing me a copy of this book in return for an open and honest review

I really wish books came with some sort of classification rating similar to films to give an idea of the content and help you choose what's right for you and avoid what's not. Without wanting to spoil the plot, this book had a heavy theme of sexual child abuse - when I say heavy it wasn't overtly graphic but it was the main theme and it was constant throughout. I read on but for me personally it was uncomfortable reading at times and not a book I would've chosen had I been pre-warned.

That said if you can get past that it's a good read and plot. It's an interesting concept of what happens when a now grown-up child is reunited with their family after being abducted twelve years earlier. But, is she actually safe back home and/or are her family safe from her? There's plenty of twists and turns and with each answer comes just as many new questions. You would never guess from the beginning where/how this was going to end up.