This book had me up and down as much as the story line. Initially I wasn’t taken in by the book, I didn’t quite get what was happening. I felt like something wasn’t quite right but couldn’t place it and had so many questions but no answers. From the moment Scott turned up at Querencia though things started heating up. I was reading this before bed and had to force myself to stop because I felt like it was going to give me nightmares. The writing was so good that I was scared things were going to jump out at me at my own home. Safe to say they didn’t and I slept peacefully! I was so intrigued at this point to keep reading as I could just tell that something massive was going to happen. The ending actually left me rather deflated though, it wasn’t at all what I had expected - I’d definitely thought something more sinister was going to happen and that there would be more of an explosive ending.

In this slow burn thriller, Emily is given a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a housekeeper the CEO of the company she worked for, Scott. Scott, his wife Nina and daughter, Aurelia, have a dark secret and will do whatever to keep it hidden.
Emily joins Nina and Aurelia on their estate in France, and on the surface everything looks normal. But the closer Emily gets to the family, the weirder things become. And the perfect family ends up not being so perfect.
So it was slow burn and didnt really pick up til a little over halfway in. And the big secret that was being kept was a little lackluster. Its a great beach read.

A chilling domestic thriller with heart - I enjoyed this page-turner, found the twists and revelations satisfying, and was on the edge of my seat during several tense life & death scenes! When Emily takes on a mysterious new job as housekeeper/nanny/help out of semi-desperation, we're swept away to the eerily isolated French mansions on acreage. Tucked away in a world of wealth, excess & convenience, author Anna Downes makes sure we know that all is not as it seems... a sense of unease and decay haunts each page.

An exploration of the way our childhoods make us who we are as adults - can trauma lay hidden under the surface and influence us to take drastic measures? Do we keep secrets from even ourselves? Will the truth always out?

You'll be kept wondering at the fate of Emily and the not-so-picture perfect family she becomes intertwined with throughout the story.

How far would you go to make someone happy?
Emily luck had run out, she was struggling to get an acting job, she’d been fired from her real job, her card declined, she missed rent and was going to be evicted. To top it off called her mum to borrow money forgetting it was her birthday, she’d officially hit rock bottom.

That’s when Scott Denny interjects himself into her life. Multi millionaire who wants to offer Emily a job at his home in France living with his wife and daughter to help out around the house and be somewhat of a PA. It doesn’t take Emily long to agree and she’s handed keys and a credit card. She is then asked to sign an NDA and is told that his daughter isn’t well and needs extra care.

She fly’s to France and meets Nina and their daughter Aurelia. She looks normal until things start happening and she begins acting out. Emily isn’t allowed in the main house. She’s confined to the guest wing and outside areas.

Pretty quickly Emily begins to question the way they live. Off the grid and with no communication or access to the normal world. Nothing is as it seems. Emily pieces together the missing puzzle pieces and uncovers their big secret! But to what consequence.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book. I was on the edge of my seat towards the end and like how this played out!

I had no idea where this story was going to take me other than to a remote property in France where the main character was hired on by a family as a “helper” of sorts. I loved the description of the setting and it was a nice escape. A great summer thriller.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy.

#TheSafePlace #NetGalley
wow! I loved it! loved Emily's bubbly quirky character where she can throw the funniest lines in the most serious situations. True there's one thread of the story predictable but to weave the full picture is not the same. Get ready to have a full free day because once you start following Emily, Scott, Nina you wouldn't be able to stop before you discover their destinies.
The writing style is engaging and the author knows how to keep the reader on edge turning the page for more. I will indeed be looking for Anna Downes following book.
Thanks #NetGalley for this digital copy.

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. I never connected with Emily, the main character. While the mystery aspect was interesting, the ending felt rushed.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. Each chapter had a different POV (Emily or Scott). Seems to read a little faster.
Emily day by day struggled financially while working for Scott as a receptionist at his office. She ended up being fired from her receptionist job, eviction notice and a strange parent relationship. This all to make her feel vulnerable and weak so when Scott offered up a “nanny job” to help his wife and child on at a very secluded home there was no way she would pass this up. Strange things start to happen and her curiosity got the best of Emily. At the end I wanted more though.

A well-paced, unsettling read! Perfect mystery read for the summer holidays, with enough tension, drama, and suspense to keep you gripped all the way through. It is, unfortunately, a little predictable but still kept me questioning and wondering "what the hell is going on" for a good half of the book. The use of the prologue was also a little bit questionable. It actually made me think, eh, do I really want to read this? Why is this the prologue? What's it telling me I'm not going to find out later? Turns out, not much.

Still a great debut, and I really loved reading the author's thoughts at the end of the book. I'll definitely pick up Anna Downes next novel.

Took a couple days off to recharge and finally finished The Safe Place by Anna Downes. Poor Emily. Nothing seems to go right for her. Loses her job. Can't make rent. Almost gets hit by a bus... Lucky for her there's a man with a master plan. A man who wants to fly her to France to keep his wife company, and pay her to do so. A dream come true. But is it?!

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get your copy here:
https://www.amazon.com/Safe-Place-Novel-Anna-Downes-ebook/dp/B0818B89T9/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=safe+place+by+anna+downes&qid=1593721692&sr=8-1
I just finished this book and all I can say is HOLY CRAP, to keep it lightly. We begin this book with Emily pulling up to a private jet center in a car driven by an actual driver. She then boards a private plane and lands with yet another private driver there to pick her up. They then arrive at an estate with the name Querencia. Ironic, since the street names that she passed were in French and the Estate name is clearly Spanish coming from the name Desire. We are then brought to Chapter One with Emily auditioning in a cold, drafty church hall. Not only did she bomb the audition, but she came back to work late from her “lunch” to be fired from her temp job. Quite the day! The next chapter toggles to Scott, as is the trend with this book. Back and forth between people. Scott is trying to self-mutilate himself before his next appointment. We then go back to Emily who goes to the grocery store and is unsuccessful in purchasing anything and then finds out her rent has bounced and is getting kicked out of her apartment-all this has happened all at once, where she seems like she cannot catch a break. The story soon unfolds as we learn that Emily had actually worked for Scott and that was how they were intertwined. Emily was a temp receptionist in his office. Scott found her entertaining, as she didn’t have a clue what was going on. Scott put her through quite the tasks, just to see if she would do them. Various tedious, redundant tasks, and she succeeded in doing these mindless tasks. Scott hatches quite the plan for Emily and while she is down and out and at her most vulnerable, she falls for it, hook, line and sinker. We are then taken on the adventure of Emily at Querencia. We are taken on quite the adventure! There were so many times that I was freaking out, screaming at Emily, questioning everything. Calculating, manipulative, masochistic, and so many descriptive words can be used to describe this book. I LOVED the author’s ability to describe every situation. I was on the edge of my seat throughout this book. I drank in this book in one afternoon! The author was just AMAZING! This story was soooo good! I am going to be chasing the next amazing book for the next month! Safe place, it was NOT! The ending had me blown away. I did not see that coming!

This thriller had me turning pages late into the night!

Emily has the worst day of her life. She gets fired from her temp job and finds her talent agent is moving and no one else in the practice will take her on. To top it off Emily missed her last scheduled audition after she runs in to the owner of the company that just fired her. The owner Scott insists that Emily meet him the following morning to discuss a new position he has in mind for her. During their meeting Scott offers Emily a job as an au pair/personal assistant off the coast in France to his wife and 6-year-old daughter who has significant health issues.

I will admit that I struggled with the first 18% of this book as Emily seemed a bit too ditzy for my liking and Scott seemed like a predator; however, I am so glad that I stuck it out because this book was suspenseful!!! I did not want to put it down! I love a book that has me guessing at every turn and I was still not able to figure out how it would end. Every guess I had in my head was wrong and I LOVE books that make me think and still prove me wrong. So, in order not to spill any of the plot twists I would just suggest that you pick up a copy for yourself.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Affirm Press, and Anna Downes for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book! I am already recommending it to many of my friends!

I have already left a review already on Goodreads.

The Safe Place tells the story of Emily a twenty-something with no real plan for her life. When given an opportunity of a lifetime to live on the coast of France, helping out a wealthy family, she thinks it's too good to be true but can't pass it up. As Emily settles in she feels like she's part of the family. Until some strange things start happening with the wife and child.

This one kept me on the edge of my seat for the last half. I just had to know what was going on with the kid! If you enjoyed No Exit, this would be a great read for you.

I also really enjoyed the author's note about how she got into writing as a place to find herself after having children.

-----
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the very start the beautiful cover of The Safe Place drew me in. It makes you think of warm summer afternoons sunning beside a beautiful pool perhaps with a fruity drink and no cares in the world. The story is much deeper than that and pulled me under from almost the start.

Emily is a failure. She has failed as an actress, lost her day job as a receptionist and even her agent dumps her. She has a non-existent relationship with her parents partially due to her own failings. Her ex-boss, Scott Denny, throws her a lifeline and offers her a job as a housekeeper/companion at his mansion in France. Besides being destitute she also feels an attraction to him so she accepts his offer. She is hired to help his wife Nina and their young daughter Aurelia.

Right from the start she senses that something is very wrong. The large mansion is creepy, Nina does not seem normal and the little girl has a mysterious ailment. Emily, however, becomes attached to the family and when Scott comes to visit for a weekend visit things take a strange turn. Emily begins to grow suspicious and from there the story picks up quickly. I must admit the last third of the book my heart was pounding a bit. Once Emily solves the mystery, which I did not see coming, things go to hell in a handbasket.

The story is told from several different views, Emily’s being the main one. Scott’s point of view is the second, and the third is left for the reader to question.

The book did lull in a couple of places, but I felt it kept my interest enough that I wanted to know what was going to happen. All in all, the author did an excellent job on her debut novel and I expect we will see great things from her in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book. I give it 3 ½ stars rounding up to 4.

The Safe place was a great mystery full of twists and turns. I loved how everything unraveled and couldn't wait for the ending. This was my first book by Anna Downes and I really enjoyed! I was given an ARC by Netgalley for my fair and honest review.

I was so fortunate to receive an ARC of this book! I absolutely loved it! I could not put this book down. I was on the edge of my seat more often than not waiting to find out what was going to happen next. It's an absolutely cruel world for a young girl trying to make it as an actress. Emily is fired from her job. But she is offered an amazing opportunity by an old boss. She agrees to come work for him and his family in what seems like paradise. You come to realize things aren't as wonderful as they seem. Emily tries to deny what is going on. This book was full of suspense and quite creepy. Great beach read with a margarita or tequila sunrise. I suggest you pick this one up as soon as you get the chance!

The Safe Place by Anna Downes
Rating: 3/5

Emily, an aspiring actress working as a temp is down on her luck. As if getting fired from her temp job for constantly showing up to work late wasn't bad enough, she returns home to find that she has been served an eviction notice. By some miracle, her former boss, Scott Denney invites her to work for him again, only this time as a live-in nanny/house keeper for his daughter and his wife.

Emily is whisked away to the beautiful French countryside and is lulled into a life of straight-up luxury. From the moment she sets foot on the Denney estate, called Querencia, she loses all sense of time and place, while befriending Nina, Scott's wife, and trying to win over Aurelia, Scott's sickly daughter.

As Emily spends more time on the isolated estate, she starts to notice that some things are off - the houses are in disrepair inside, Yves (the groundskeeper) seems to follow her around, and there is a mysterious stench coming from the main house. Just as she starts to question why she made this move, she discovers that the Denney family might not be what they appear...

So, this plot grabbed my attention from the get-go but left me with many, many unanswered questions at the end of the novel. Downes writes this story from both Emily and Scott's perspectives and intersperses parts of the past in Nina's perspective. I was left very confused after the first instance of this because it was not necessarily clear who was telling the story. Emily, as a character, was written well I just needed more of her backstory, but as a reader she was an easy one to sympathize and connect with.

My biggest issue with this story was the ending, I finished this book and felt really unfulfilled and had more questions than answers. There were many plot points that weren't resolved which was slightly frustrating, and the last chapter was written with almost a poetic take on the story (which didn't fit with the rest of book). This particular mystery wasn't super original and I was able to figure it out about 65% of the way through.

Downes' writing evokes a new level of creepiness and was a solid debut novel. I'll be interested to see what she comes up with in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Affirm Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a DNF for me unfortunately. It just didn't peak my interest. But I have heard so many other people enjoy this one so I think I'm just odd one out sadly. But I do think others will enjoy it and should definitely give it a go.

Emily is a struggling actress who is "between roles" and temping at a company owned by Scott Denny, a handsome, enigmatic mogul. When Emily is finds herself virtually homeless Denny offers Emily a different type of role than she envisaged when she met him. Denny is offering her a housekeeper/confidante/au pair role on his remote property in France with his wife Nina and daughter Aurelia. It sounds to Emily like an ideal getaway where she can truly put her past behind her, earn some money, and until she meets Nina and Aurelia Emily's motivations in relation to Denny himself may have been geared towards a potential romantic liaison.

From the moment Emily sets foot on the estate she finds herself in a place where the outside world ceases to exist. She befriends Nina in a way she does not expect, and makes inroads into a relationship with Aurelia, a seemingly troubled young girl with apparent medical issues and complex needs. Swimming, eating and drinking, renovating the property (despite no previous experience with a million dollar property, but you have to let that slide) is all idyllic - until it's not..

Emily, whilst not the most sensitive or insightful of young women, soon notices inconsistencies within her environment and oddities in peoples'' behaviour. She begins to think the move may not have been such a great idea but what can she do now?.

The Safe Place is a strong debut novel, in my opinion. It's dark and has some depth to it as well. It tends to more dark and domestic suspense rather than a thriller in my mind. The relationships between Nina, Scott and Emily were heading towards a critical point and I was thinking there might have been more than actually eventuated. It was a little predictable and a bit "tied with a bow". - I wanted to see more psychopathy and destruction that I felt was building and this is what made me want more.

Emily's growth as a character was.also evident - even if there was something about her that made her a bit unpalatable. In all, a nice read for mine that was a little slow getting to the good bit and one that nearly got there in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Affirm Press for the free copy of this release in digital form for review.. I'll definitely read Anna Downes next foray.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced novel. Told in alternating points of view by Emily and Scott with some prior history filled in by Nina along the way. it will take a while for Emily to work out what secrets are being kept hidden at Querencia and by then it might be too late to escape the nightmare she has landed in.

The reader is also lulled by the plot, full of serenity and sunny days with Aurelia's odd behavior explained away by her health problems. The characters are also more complex than they first appear. Nina might seem like the perfect mother, but there is a brittleness to her character that is easily shattered allowing hints of her unstable mental health to leak through. Scott is puzzling in his failure to spend much time in France, which he attributes to his heavy work load, but when he does arrive at the estate does not seem to engage with Aurelia and is distant with Nina. At first Emily seems to be the naive, downtrodden and placid girl Scott manipulates into becoming a companion for his wife, but she is smarter and more resilient than either of them realizes. An enjoyable and edgy debut novel from a promising new author.