The Safe Place is a slow burn of a thriller. The reader knows Emily's job offer to work as a housekeeper/nanny/companion to her rich, handsome boss at his estate in France is too good to be true. But like Emily, we can't quite put our finger on why. Finding out the dark secrets of this family kept me turning pages long into the night. Downes has crafted a tight plot, an atmospheric setting, sympathetic characters, and a satisfying conclusion in this psychological thriller that is sure to be a break out this summer.

Given that we are currently stuck inside most days due to the pandemic, a trip to the French countryside through Anna Downes novel The Safe Place was exactly what I needed!

The story had me hooked from the beginning and although a little slow burning I was completely invested the whole time as there were just so many possibilities of where the story could go. I love books that are told from alternating points of view and I think Anna does a fantastic job with this which really made the characters and their underlying eeriness come alive! Towards the end the suspense and feeling of dread I had whilst reading intensified so much that I just had to keep turning the pages well into the night until I finished- a great debut!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Affirm Press for this digital advanced copy to read and review!

A dark and twisted tale of a naive and lost young woman and an idyllic retreat in the French countryside.

It starts very slow with a heavy handed story of Emily, young woman down on her luck having made reckless life choices and not seeming to be able to keep it together. She's supposed to be relatable as the hot mess you were in your early 20s, and in many ways I still am, but those first couple of chapters are hard work from stopping your eyes rolling out of your head. The author revealed that this part is semi-autobiographical.

Enter the Knight stage left to rescue this broken bird and begin questioning everything you ever assume about a person or a fictional character.

I stayed up extraordinarily late two nights in a row to find out if my suspicions were well-founded or if I was to be taken way up the garden path.

You'll see what I did there.
It will spoil it completely if I tell you that it was inspired by a real event in recent memory, and is a retelling of an English classic. With only slightly less fire.

Good on the whole but a little problematic handling of mental health from certain characters POV

The Safe Place was a great read. I never felt bored while reading, even in the quieter moments. I will say that too much of the plot was given away in the blurb, so I was getting a little antsy by the time we started seeing the "dark side" of the family. In terms of character, I thought Emily was a little bland. Her backstory had more potential.
I liked Nina a lot more, which is why I was disappointed with the ending she got. Yes, it seems inevitable that any person with moral character would turn her in for the kidnapping, but it seemed too easy. Emily clearly sympathises with her after the bond they've developed, yet this dynamic completely shatters when Emily takes Amandine. In the end, nothing about Nina matters except for her illness. This made the ending a little anticlimactic.
Overall, I liked that it was thought-provoking and well written. Kudos to Anna Downes on her debut.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Writing style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read The Safe Place while at the beach and think it’s a great quick summer read! It was interesting and definitely kept me guessing up until the end. I wasn’t able to predict the major twist which is a big win in my book—I hate figuring out the twist early on! This one is definitely a stay up late cause you NEED to know how it ends kinda book!

I think I was expecting more of a thriller but this turned out to be more of a slow burn in the beginning with most of the action occurring in the final 1/3 of the book. I also found some key aspects of this story to be a bit unrealistic. I think when it comes to thrillers, I have such high expectations because I read so many! Overall, it was a good and interesting summer read. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, you’ll probably like this one!

Thank you very much to Affirm Press for this review copy! Review will be posted on my Instagram on 6/30. Here is the link: https://www.instagram.com/tipsybookreviews/

Emily is in trouble again. She’s lost her temp job, her acting agent, and her flat. She can’t get money from her parents...again. So when her old boss, Scott, offers her a dreamy sounding job staying with his family at their mega mansion in France, she can’t say know. She spends her time getting to know Scott’s wife Nina and their daughter Aurelia. She soon discovers all the money and beautiful things are covering up dark secrets.

Okay. I think this a real, “it’s not you, it’s me,” situation. I just don’t think I like domestic suspense. This is definitely not a domestic thriller as maybe only the last 20% of the book has thriller aspects. For me, slow burn domestic suspense just doesn’t work. The Safe Place is slow burn domestic suspense...Finally, I saw the ending of the book way too early. There was no twist I did not see coming.

I could not stand Emily. I can’t do a poor me MC, and Emily blames everyone but herself for her actions. She’s entitled and doesn’t want to put the work in for anything. I just could not with her inner monologue sometimes.

I did get some mild Ruth Ware vibes. It’s the whole: girl goes to mildly creepy mansion to take care of a mildly creepy child thing. The setting is atmospheric and Anna Downes does a great job making you feel like you’re there. The writing is great. She also does a great job with the narration of the audiobook!

So here’s the thing, this didn’t work for me, but if you like domestic suspense...it’s going to work for you. I ended June 2020 with a couple domestic suspense books and didn’t like any of them. I’ve decided then that it’s me..not them. So you should definitely check out The Safe Place if that’s your thing. Thank you to Netgalley, LibroFM, Macmillan sudio, and Minotaur for my review copy.

This was a slow burn. Or shall I say the slowest burn. It's like that last log`on the campfire that just doesn't want to burn out. So slow that I just couldn't finish this one. I try to finish all books, but especially ARCs. I can usually tell by 80-100 pages if the book is for me or not. The author is clearly talented, but I'm not sure I would categorize this a thriller or mystery. The premise is there. Emily is sad, lonely, lost her job, can't make rent, can't make it as an actress, has family issues, is offered a mysterious job...check, check, check, check, check, check, check. Ultimately, though, I just wasn't connected, invested, or interested in these characters. Thank you to Affirm Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this for an honest review.

It very well could just be that this is not my kind of book, but I DNF'd it (which would be the first time ever for a review book). It had a promising intro, but the background/stage building was too long and dull.

I must say this was not one of my favourite books but it was a good read and had all the makings for a great book yet it was somewhat predictable and left me wanting more.

Emily was a messy character, the story went on and on and it wasn't thrilling or intriguing enough for me.

Sorry to say it was just OK!

This is the perfect thriller for summer of 2020! Emily is an enjoyable character and her interactions with Scott keep the reader on edge.

This book was in interesting read, you have to stick with it to the end. To some degree it is hard to understand the decision that Emily makes, but in other ways it seems like a perfect opportunity for the struggling actress. Going off to an isolated place, with no communication would be disturbing I think, but the author does a good job with the writing which keeps you reading to the end. I received and advance copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. An aspiring actress loses her day job and her agent with nothing to look forward to she feels her luck changes when she is offered a job as an assistant to a woman living in France with a child in a luxury estate. It feels like just the lucky break she needs. There are a few rules, no phones, no visitors, do no enter the main house. These rules seem such a small price to pay for living a life so far from her current dismal circumstances. I was captivated from the moment she enters the estate, the suspense builds throughout the book when she starts to realise things aren't quite right or as they first appeared. The old saying of 'Too good to be true' kept ringing in my head whilst reading this book. A great debut novel from Anna Downes. #netgalley #annadownes #thesafeplace #tea_sipping_bookworm #bookstagram #bookqueen #amazon#kindle #litsy #bookqueen #greatreads #thriller

Anna Downes' The Safe Place was a good read. It was moderately placed and took some time introducing the characters and setting the scene. Emily Proudman, failing miserably in her pursuit of becoming an actress and life in general, is at her nadir when she's kicked out of her temp job. So, she jumps at the chance when her boss offers her a better albeit unusual position at his French mansion. It is clear from the outset that something is not right with Emily's new place of work. But she decides to ignore the warnings and soldier on. And we get to experience the lurid aftermath in beautiful prose with a few shocking revelations thrown in.

I can read this book just for the location and the setting! I couldn't help but wonder what a beautiful home Querencia would have made if only the adults it housed showed better judgement. Emily came across as a particularly thoughtless person. Take for example, the way she treated her adoptive parents. There was nothing mentioned that made them deserve such awful treatment from her. Scott and Nina didn't fare much better and we get early glimpses of what a train-wreck their intertwined lives was going to become.

I couldn't say I felt deeply for any of the characters other than the little child. I could understand where they come from, but all three of them kept making one bad decision after another that by the end, it was a surprise when Emily did something quite sensible.

To conclude, I do not regret picking up this book. Gripping in parts and easy to read throughout, it is good for whiling away a lazy afternoon.

Much thanks to the publisher for providing the eARC on NetGalley!

This book went quite slowly for the first quarter...building up and giving twisted insights into the characters. I actually didn't "like" any of the characters bit it was like a traffic accident...I couldn't look away! A little disturbing relationship between Scott, Nina and Emily...and poor Aurelia!

I really enjoyed this book - it's a quick read filled with suspense amidst the beautiful beaches of the south of France. The last 25% of the book goes from twist to twist, keeping the reader on her toes. Perfect for COVID quarantine times when we all wish we could jet off to an exotic location!

Emily is the sort of character you read about in a lot of thrillers - smart but aimless, with a troubled past, still waiting for her life to really start, And it does when she makes a deal with Scott to care for his daughter Aurelia. But something's just not right with Aurelia or her mother Nina. In between the main action, we get flashbacks that help bring the story to its conclusion.

Thank you to Affirm Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Really was hoping to like this more than I did. Just couldn’t get into any of the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Awesome book!!! This book had be gripped from the beginning. I had no idea where this book was headed or what was going to happen. There were so many clues but the clues made it even more mysterious. This is the type of book that is very hard to put down. You just know something is going to happen and have questions you want to be answered so you just want to keep reading. The ending was very surprising and I feel that the right decision was made at the end. I highly recommend this book.

Emily Proudman was destitute. Her acting career was over before it had even begun. She’d lost her temping job as a receptionist. The rent was behind – again – and the landlord had given her four weeks to get out. And there was no one left who would lend her a couch to sleep on, or money to see her through. She had no idea what she would do next. That was, until Scott Denny, her old boss, offered her a job that was far too good to be true. So much money, and to just be a companion to his wife, and help care for his daughter – in France! Absolutely.

Nina was incredibly beautiful, and her six-year-old daughter was sweet. She had a medical issue so it would take Emily time to get close to her – but the estate was divine. She lived in the guesthouse not far from the main house. Everything was perfect – until it wasn’t…

Completely isolated, no internet or phone; the uneasiness slid up and down Emily’s spine. She knew deep down there was something wrong – but what?

The Safe Place by Aussie author Anna Downes was one I was really looking forward to. Her debut novel, with an enticing cover and a blurb that promised chills. But I was disappointed. The storyline was choppy, the plot a little predictable. Emily – oh Emily. Have you not heard the saying: “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”? Naïve, gullible; but she finally found some sense. Recommended to fans of the genre.

With thanks to Affirm Press and NetGalley for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

The Safe Place is page-turner from Anna Downes and one that, if you are anything like me, will have you back and forth wondering what you would do in the characters’ shoes. The book is an intense and heartbreaking family drama about marriage, parenting, friendship, love and loss. The narrative switches between Emily's and Scott’s points of view and that worked really well here. The author also throws in a bit of "before" that is supposed to be from an unknown source...but it is quite obvious who it is.

As we move along towards the end of the story, and as certain events happen to finally alert Emily to behaviors that are concerning, even issues she might have overlooked, we are offered a peek behind the scenes and learn the dark secrets that would change everything. As for being in Emily's shoes...I’m pretty sure I know what I would do. Enticing and so intense at the end...I couldn’t stop reading.

The beautiful cover made me want to hop on a plane and go somewhere nice and tropical to read this book but that was not an option so I found a comfy chair in a warm room instead.

I think I can safely say that the main character, Emily, needed help urgently. To accept a job in France from someone she does not know, leave without telling anyone and then toss her phone as soon as she gets there and cease any contact with home. She was asking for everything she got.

However, despite the rather dodgy way the author set this all up, once Emily was in situ the story took off and I had trouble putting the book down. I guessed some of it as it went along but there was still plenty of suspense and I was so sad for that poor little girl. I loved the spooky caretaker, the magnificent house, the charming but slightly evil husband, the crazy wife. It was a Gothic novel translated into modern times.

The ending was realistic but I was still sad for the little girl. I thought this was an excellent debut novel and will look out for more from this author