The Safe Place
Ratings10
Average rating3.5
I personally found this a really, good read. Tense and very atmospheric...you could really tell as you read, that there was something very weird and sinister going on at Querencia, the family home where Nina lives with her daughter, Aurelia.
However, my one disappointment was the lack of proper background for the characters. There were the odd snippets here and there, but I felt it wasn't the full story. It made it difficult to fully emphasize with the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Downes and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.
The Safe Place is the story of Emily, an aspiring actress who seems to be having no luck lately. However, her luck starts to turn around when her former boss, Scott, offers her a new job as the housekeeper and helper for his wife and young daughter on his estate in France. After some thought, Emily jumps at the chance. Spending a summer on a beautiful secluded property on the water in France? What's not to like? So she heads there and finds that it is everything Scott described it as. Has her luck finally changed? While the estate is beautiful, as is Scott's wife, Nina, Emily starts to feel like something is off. Is it their supposedly ill daughter? Why is it that Nina won't even let her in the main house, instead banishing her to just the guest house, as beautiful as it is? The more Emily starts to notice about Scott's home and family, she starts to wonder if this is really a dream or more of a nightmare.
This is Anna Downes first novel, and it is a doozy. I was into this one from the start! It's such a fascinating premise. Girl is down on her luck and gets an offer that's too good to refuse. I know I'd be tempted to go stay at this awesome place in France too. Of course, there's almost always a catch. But what are Scott and Emily hiding? One thing that kept me sucked in was that I really didn't know what the twist was. You know from the very beginning that something is going on, but it could be so many different things. I have to admit, the ending really wasn't what I was expecting. But that's a good thing!
One great thing about this book was the slow burn. But not too slow. Just enough to keep you hooked and make you want to keep reading to find out more. The book is told from both Scott and Emily's perspectives, alternating chapters between the two. You got to see both sides this way. There's also some scatterings in there from even Nina's perspective. You find out bits and pieces but it's not quite enough to piece together the whole story until you're meant to. And that's about as much as I can say without giving away spoilers!
The Safe Place was a perfect summer read. Whether you're stuck inside or sitting by the pool, pick this one up when it comes out next week. Anna Downes is a great storyteller, and I can't wait to read whatever's next from her – hopefully there will be more to come!
A very enjoyable and formulaic beach read. I devoured this fairly quickly but suspect I will forget it rapidly as well.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review.
Emily is a quiet, sometimes flustered, aspiring actress. She is trying to get her foot in the door and instead is met with disaster after disaster. She freezes at an audition, loses her job and is soon to be evicted from her apartment. Not knowing where to turn...she ends up being chased down by Scott (her ex-boss) with a job proposal...one that sounds too good to be true.
Emily is whisked away to France to become the au pair for Aurelia and house assistant to Scott's wife, Nina. At first everything is perfect and Emily can't believe her good fortune. Soon, perfect sways to suspicion as Emily begins to see that all may not be as it appears.
I saw this ARC all over Bookstagram and had to snag a chance to read it. It has such a slow buildup that I thought about DNFing but stuck with it. For me, it took until about 80% before it started to gain momentum. This is definitely not a thriller. More like a domestic drama with a very predictable bit of mystery. While I did enjoy the writing style and imagery, the extremely slow burn made it hard to fully enjoy, however the last 10% of the book will definitely have you flying through the pages. #thesafeplace #netgalley
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A thrilling debut. Struggling actress, Emily, is offered a dream job working for a wealthy family on their estate in France. She loves her job and quickly befriends the glamorous and beguiling Nina. But this paradise hides secrets.
Anna Downes weaves gorgeous descriptions of the French peninsular and mansion with ominous and mysterious undertones creeping through at unexpected moments. There's sexual chemistry, a sinister caretaker, a troubled child and a house with secret rooms and no escape. All elements that make for a fun and twisty read. Throughly enjoyable.
I could just close my eyes and float away reading this book. Caught up in the laughter and friendship, it seemed like the perfect, safe place.
Emily is having a tough time of it. Losing her job, apartment, and her agent all in one day, when the opportunity to escape and hideout for the summer, she jumps at the chance. A summer working in France, helping out the wife and daughter of her CEO former boss on a beautiful private estate, with a beautiful guest house AND vehicle to go along with it... how bad could it be?
I tore through this one in about 2 days. I felt like “one of the girls” reading it and was as blindsided as Emily was when the truth came out. It sounded so perfect... Anna did a fabulous job of sucking me right into this perfect little fantasy and left me wanting more. Another first book by an author that will have me coming back for sure!