Member Reviews

Overall, I enjoyed this story. As the main character, Emily, begins to connect with and learn more about the family she is working for, the twists start developing. The pacing lagged at times in the middle, but picked up in the last quarter of the book. Easy read for fans of psychological suspense. Thanks to Affirm Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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WOW! Such a fun book! Super creepy, atmospheric, and tense all the way through. I absolutely couldn't put it down. I found Emily (the protagonist) to be a very likeable character, and I definitely didn't see some of the twists coming. But since you know from the very first chapter that something is very wrong here, that feeling insidiously creeps under your skin until the very end (where I STILL wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen!) A must-read this summer.

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‘The world was a much darker and more complicated place than she’d ever thought.’

Life in London is not going to plan for Emily Proudman. She’s an aspiring actress and when she loses her job, she’s desperate. Her former boss Scott offers her a live-in job with his wife and daughter on their estate on a remote estate in France. Emily sees this as a perfect opportunity.

Emily moves to the estate where Scott’s wife and daughter Aurelia live. She has her own house there and while she must abide by strict rules, that’s okay. But Aurelia is a troubled child and Nina seems to have a few issues of her own. Scott visits occasionally but doesn’t spend much time there.

The longer Emily stays, the more concerned she becomes. There are secrets, and Emily is determined to try to find the truth.

‘The Safe Place’ is an interesting tale of suspense. The reader has more information than Emily, at least initially, but that heightens the suspense rather than relieves it. Any parent will be concerned. And the ending? Well you’ll need to read it for yourself.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Affirm Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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This was a perfect beach/summertime read! If you are a fan of thrillers with mystery and crime elements I think you would like this one! And the setting?! Paradise... off the grid... thriller perfection! There were definitely moments that made my skin crawl out of creepiness! Loved that! I also really loved how flawed each of the main characters were and I feel like that really made the story super bingeable for me! I will admit the first half of the book was a slower build but BAM 💥 after that it was faster paced with plenty of action to keep you craving more! I was satisfied with the ending, but I feel like I wanted more character confrontation to blow my mind just a little more!

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Emily wants to be an actress, but isn’t having much success. She isn’t very successful at her temp job as a receptionist either. Then her boss offers her a dream job living in France as a companion to his wife, and to help with their daughter who has health problems. And also to be a housekeeper of sorts. Then things start going awry. This was quite good. Really picked up about 70% in. 3 1/2 stars

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Emily Proudman is a struggling actor who temps to make ends meet. In one day she gets fired, fails to secure an acting role and must leave her apartment as she can't make the rent. Emily has a fractious relationship with her parents and feels utterly desolate. When all seems lost, her ex-boss Scott offers her a seemingly amazing job as live-in housekeeper/child-minder/PA to his wife Nina on their gorgeous, but isolated property in France. Emily can't believe her luck. When she arrives the property contains two houses, Nina is friendly and Aurelia, her child, is troubled and mute. Despite this, Emily settles in well and it all seems like an idyllic arrangement for all of them.

But all is not as it seems of course. Emily notices but doesn't delve into the odd things she continues to discover. Understandable when she feels so accepted and happy in her new life. But these odd things keep mounting up forcing her to question what is really going on here.

For a debut author, Downes has constructed a good mystery that keeps you turning the pages until the end. I enjoyed the way she lured the reader in and kept up the suspense as you knew there was something amiss with this whole arrangement but not knowing exactly what that 'something' was. Emily might have appeared naive but I felt that under the circumstances, who wouldn't want to have their problems solved in one go by a rich, handsome, ex-boss! An immersive, light read.

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To say that Emily Proudman's life is an absolute mess is an understatement. She gets fired from her job and loses her place to live all in the same day. Coincidentally, she meets Scott who offers her a job she cannot refuse. Emily accepts a job taking care of Scott's daughter and helping his wife Nina take care of their house.. Scott claims that his daughter is unwell and needs extra attention which should have been something Emily would want to look further into. The house is in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. That should have been another clue to Emily that something was very wrong. Majority of the book was rather slow moving and I had trouble figuring out what was going on. The flashbacks took a while for to realize who they were talking about. However, the book held my interest enough to figure out what was going to happen in the end. It wasn't until after the big "twist" was revealed that it all made sense to me. The ending seemed kind of rushed and I wish there was a little more too it. Overall, the book was okay and I appreciate being able to read a copy of The Safe Place from NetGalley.

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I was hooked in wanting to know what was going to happen next within the first few chapters, especially once we started to understand Scott’s true plan for Emma! But then they introduce his wife...

Couldn’t put it down! What a great read.

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A life in disarray and a job offer too good to refuse from a man you find yourself attracted to.....alarm bells should be ringing, however, off our protagonist goes and she finds a home amongst the beautiful landscape with said employers wife and daughter. Although, all is not well. There are things that are off. Off with the butler/driver/jack of all trades. Off with the wife. Off with the daughter, things are definitely off. Becoming involved in this mystery will send her down a rabbit hole she is definitely not ready for,. This was an unexpected read for me and kept me engaged.

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Emily Proudman is down on her luck and out of a job, so she agrees to work as a housekeeper on a remote, beautiful French estate. Hired by her former boss, Scott, Emily will reside on the island with him, his wife, Nina, and their daughter, Aurelia. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn't play along, the consequences could be deadly.

The Safe Place by Anna Downes is a debut, slow-burn suspense novel with atmospheric writing and a rich setting. Finding that to be the best part of this story, I rather enjoyed the estate and the characters, but I found the overall story to be lacking suspense. I was hoping for an unputdownable thriller, but there weren't enough chilling moments to thrill me. Although the ending was rather anti-climactic, I still recommend this to readers interested in venturing into the suspense genre.

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3.5 stars. I was really excited about reading this book. I read the blurb and the "perfect summer suspense" caught me and with the country in a tailspin right now, I needed a perfect summer suspense to distract me from everything going on.

I enjoyed this book, but it didn't really offer anything new or different as far as the suspense trope goes. Emily herself initially comes across as a hot mess, and anything and everything that can go wrong does, from disastrous auditions to losing her job. Come to find out the losing the job part was orchestrated by her ex-boss who offers her a job on his estate in France taking care of his wife and daughter. On the way to this estate she remarks about how far away it is from civilization, it's so remote and then finds out there's no internet, no way to contact the outside world but she doesn't think this is strange? Hmmm..

Reading fiction books, I am all for suspending belief on some things or giving an author literary license, but there were a few things that I just wasn't able to get on board with in this story. Mainly some of the things Nina has done which Scott is apparently okay with? I think I was expecting a jaw dropping plot twist as well, which occurs in most twisty suspense stories, but I didn't get one here.

The book did keep me glued to the pages to see what was going to happen and surprisingly I finished it in just a day when usually it takes me 3-4 days to read a book. The story was just predictable though, and the ending was not satisfying so it was a bit of a let down. There was so much potential with this story, I just don't think it was executed correctly. I am grateful that I was given an advanced review copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review, and I definitely look forward to what Ms. Downes has in store for readers in the future.

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Superbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, Anna Downs's debut is the perfect summer suspense, with the modern gothic feel of Ruth Ware and the morally complex family dynamics of Lisa Jewell.

Welcome to paradise...will you ever be able to leave?

Emily is a mess.

Emily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.

Emily is desperate.

Scott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.

Emily is perfect.

Scott offers Emily a summer job as a housekeeper on his remote, beautiful French estate. Enchanted by his lovely wife Nina, and his eccentric young daughter, Aurelia, Emily falls headlong into this oasis of wine-soaked days by the pool. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn't play along, the consequences could be deadly.


This book gives you exactly what you want from a suspense. It builds the picture gradually, drip feeding new details at exactly the right time to keep you reading on, finally delivering the shocking blow that has you sitting with your jaw dropped, powering through the rest of the story to find out what happens next!!
A brilliant read and one I will be recommending.

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This slow-burning thriller will have you on the edge of your seat from the first page. Emily is a mess. In fact, Emily is a hot mess. She's lost her job, she's lost her agent, she's lost her apartment and just about everything that seems to matter for her. Taking a job as a live-in worker for an extremely wealthy family at their picturesque home on the stunning coast of France, Emily thinks her life is turning around. Quickly, but while keeping the reader engaged in every page, the facade starts to slip away and Emily discovers more than she ever wanted to know about this family. What Emily knows could put her life in danger and the reader holding their breath.

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I thought this was a great debut novel. It was intriguing, compelling and gripping. It developed as a slow burn that provides a great escape. Yet it was similar to other thrillers, it was a bit predictable. The author has a great writing style and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending.

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I would like to thank Netgalley, Anna Downes and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy of “The Safe Place” by Anna Downes in exchange for my honest review.
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Emily Proudman’s life is a mess. She’s a struggling actor who can’t seem to even hold any temp jobs. One day she loses her agent, can’t afford groceries or her apartment rent and she’s not on great terms with her parents. Enter Scott Denny, a successful CEO full of charm. Scott sees Emily and thinks she is perfect for what he has in mind. He offers her a summer job at a remote, beautiful French estate as a housekeeper. Emily agrees and sees an opportunity to escape her messy life. When she arrives she is greeted by Scott’s beautiful wife Nina and daughter Aurelia, who has many severe health conditions. Emily is loving her new life drinking wine by the pool and getting to know the Denny’s. Until Emily uncovers some of their secrets ... if they find out Emily knows the consequences could be deadly.

Overall I liked this read, it was interesting and it kept me wanting to read more to find out the twists but it was definitely a slow burn for me! The writing is very well done and gets into detail about the characters and their backgrounds. Chapters are based from different characters perspectives, as well as includes flashbacks to get more of each characters back story. Although the ending gave a resolution, it still felt unfinished to me and I was left with questions. The plot and twists were good and I found them unpredictable but I definitely think I wanted more! This is the authors debut novel and I would definitely still recommend and check out future books by her!

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Thanks to a Netgalley, Minotaur/ St. Martins Press and Anna Downs for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. I read this is 2 days, yes, I loved it ! A great first book for this author. It was unpredictable, tense, funny, bit of romance, and thriller suspense. Who could ask for more in a book ? This is my opinion... A 5 star for sure, and hoping there is more to come by this author.

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Emily, a want to be actress had bounced from temp job to temp job while she auditioned for any part her agent would send her., Unfortunately, taking time to go to auditions, meant she wasn't really present too do the work she was supposed to get paid for. Little did she know, she had caught the eye of CEO, even as his HR director was firing her. When Scott invited Emily to lunch, she couldn't believe it. Nor did she really understand what he was asking of her. A salary to exceed anything she had ever earned, plus a luxurious home along the French coastline. All to do a bit of light housekeeping, some remodeling and occasional babysitting. Who cares if she couldn't tell anyone where she was going and she had to sign a non-disclosure agreement?
Emily arrives in France via a private jet and is whisked off to the estate by the mostly-silent groundskeeper, who leaves her with the new vehicle and she meets Scott's wife Nina. Scott had told her that their daughter, Aurelia, had some health problems and that she was homeschooled. Emily would be there for support and companionship. Piece of cake, right?
Wrong! The first thing Nina does is to ban Emily from the main house. It wasn't that bad, the guest house was where the remodeling was happening, and Emily's room had 360 degree views of the entire estate. They settled into a sort of routine - Emily would do the shopping, making use of her high school French and learning more and more as she was now embedded in the country. Nina was a trained chef and would cook elaborate meals in the outdoor kitchen and they would eat and swim, all the while shielding Aurelia from the sun as that was one of her many medical issues. Any Emily was still not allowed in the house. Scott visited rarely. One weekend he did come down, but Emily never really had an opportunity to chat about all she felt was strange. Including the fact that he drunkenly tried to kiss her. There was no cell phone service on the estate, and Nina 'never got around' to giving Emily the wi-fi password.
Nina's behavior was just so strange. And Aurelia never spoke, just drew pictures that Emily couldn't really decode. One day while playing near the pool, Emily tossed a chair cushion at Aurelia which knocked out a colored contact lens - who makes a child wear a contact lens in just one eye? And why did Nina react so harshly?
Emily decided she needed more information. If Scott and Nina were hiding something, she needed to know. She spent some time in town, finding more than she imagined while using a computer at an internet cafe. From there, the book rushes toward the ending with still a few more twists and turns.
This book is written in first-person from the POV of each of the 3 main characters. It spills out details in chunks and at times it is a little hard to follow. I picked up on the 'secret' not too far into the book, but that did not detract from the story, For a first book, Ms Downes has made a great debut into the world of psychological fiction. I look forward to see what's next from her.

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This book was exactly what I needed! I loved the french estate setting, the different POV of characters, and just enough suspense where I couldn't put it down. The ending was unpredictable, but also not super exciting like I thought it would be. I would definitely recommend this book, it is a great summer by the pool read.

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Emily is down on her luck. She manages to lose her job and apartment in the same day and barely has enough money left for a few meager groceries. She doesn't want to go crawling back to her parents but choice does she have? Luckily her former boss swoops in and saves the day. He offers her a job at his remote mansion in France helping his wife update the place and keep an eye on their daughter. Sounds too good to be true.... Can I just say that I didn't find this predictable like a lot of others did? Guessing the endings of books isn't my strong suit so maybe it's just me. Once again this book would have been better if some of the scenes were deleted. They didn't really pertain to the story and the book started to drone on. I enjoyed how fast paced the ending was at what became of each character.
I recieved an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was very excited to get approved for this book, as it was appearing on so many lists and publications for the year. It sounded like it could be a good slow build suspense, and I'm always excited to try new authors. The book had me turning pages at the start, and I was ready for a good read. And overall, I enjoyed the story. I thought the writing was done well and the character development was ok, but something was missing. But I do try to give a break to ARC's as they are uncorrected proofs.

After a while, I could see the next steps in the book, I was predicting what would appear next. And the ending was a little bit underwhelming. I felt that this book had promise, but didn't really deliver what I expected, based on the reviews I'd read for the book. But with some help, I could see this being a good suspense, so I will look out for the author's next book.

I read a lot of mystery/suspense/thriller books, and overall I don't mind it much when I see the ending coming - because sometimes I'm wrong and that's just so much fun! But even when the ending is fully predictable, sometimes it's fun to go along for the ride. I didn't get that with this book. But readers who don't live on a steady diet of this genre might really enjoy the book, so I would recommend this to those readers. I'm rating this book 3 stars, because I did like it, I just didn't love it.

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