Emily Proudman’s life is imploding. She’s lost her acting agent, job and home all in one day. Scott Denny also has a problem, one he doesn’t think he can fix. He is a wealthy and successful CEO but neither of these things can help him. Then he meets Emily and she is perfect. He takes her on for a summer job, as housekeeper for his rambling estate in the South of France. Emily thinks she has fallen on her feet and charmed by his wife Nina, and their unusual daughter Aurelia, she throws herself into her summer role. Yet all is not what it seems. The family have dark secrets and
if Emily doesn’t play her part, the summer and even her life could be in danger.

Nina is keen to have Emily there, so greets her enthusiastically when she arrives. The mansion is eerie but then so is Nina, who seems to be a quiet and obedient wife. Aurelia is more of a shock. She’s shy to the point of introversion, but that could be down to living in such a remote location. Communication with others seems to be frowned upon as there’s no phone line or internet connection. What if something goes wrong out here? Emily tries to use her time well in looking after Aurelia and even turning her hand to a bit of renovation, but she feels herself becoming little more than a companion to Nina, sometimes losing whole days drinking wine by the pool. Aurelia is difficult to get to know, she flinches if touched possibly down to the rare skin disease she has, but it felt more like she simply wasn’t used to physical affection. Her silence could be shyness, but Emily starts to feel that there is something odd about this girl and the problems she has.

This is a modern Gothic novel, with definite shades of Jane Eyre - the remote mansion, the stepdaughter, a slightly odd wife and a new, young housekeeper/governess. However, instead of the usual first person narration we get multiple narratives but how many of them are reliable? The cover jumped out at me, making me long for sunnier climates and a chance to explore - something that’s even more of a fantasy at the moment! I think the reader is lulled into this holiday feeling, alongside Emily. We know something is wrong here, so does Emily, but working it out, when instead you could lie by the pool with a cold cocktail and a good book, seems unnecessary. When the secrets are finally exposed, Emily might find it’s too late. The characters have more depth than appears at first. Although Nina might seem like the perfect rich man’s wife, there is something else going on underneath. There’s a brittle edge to her character that allows us to glimpse her fragile mental health. Even Emily, turns out to be more intelligent and resourceful than I gave her credit for at first.

When the secrets of Scott Denny and his estate are revealed weren’t too much of a shock. This isn’t one of those twists that makes you rethink the whole book, but nor did it disappoint. Scott reminded me of the estate owner in Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw - working away a lot, only briefly at the estate and even then doesn’t really engage with his wife or stepdaughter. Furthermore, when it’s mentioned that Emily has briefly worked for Scott before I wondered whether their meeting was a coincidence or whether it was calculated. Perhaps Emily is the perfect person for this role? I think this was a great beach read and shows great promise for a debut author. I will be looking out for her future work.

Well they say bad things happen in threes and for poor Emily this statement proves to be true .. she loses her job, her agent and her landlord has given notice of eviction from her flat!!

Scott her handsome former boss has a proposition, he offers her a job as a “housekeeper slash au pair slash personal assistant” in France working with his wife Nina and their autistic daughter Aurelia.

For me the warning bells were ringing as this seemed too good to be true and the timing was too convenient.

Nina and Scott definitely have their own share of secrets and will stop at nothing to protect their facade, beware Emily!!

I was so gripped with this book I couldn’t put it down and stayed up late to finish it. I loved the twists along the way and an ending that left me stunned!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Emily is a lonely young woman who is kind of estranged from her parents and has no friends. When the boss at her latest temp job offers her the job of a lifetime, she finds it impossible to refuse him.

Scott rules a business empire while his wife and daughter live in France. Scott needs someone who can go and live on his estate in France and help his wife with general jobs and help care for his sick daughter. When he meets Emily and learns of her life with no roots, he realises how perfect she is.

I did enjoy reading this book. It is a slow builder but in a very character-based way. You get to know each individual and the steady building of relationships between them. Which I liked. I loved the way the author built such a slow and steady increase of tension and the way that even when everything seems happy and wonderful, you know that there is a darkness lurking just out of sight.

I did not think the twist was that good - I could see it coming a mile off and was able to predict most of the story. The build-up to the climactic event was great, but then that event, whilst dramatic was somehow lacking for me. I think because I saw it coming. I would have liked something shocking and unforeseen at that moment.

I did appreciate the way the ending was written. It felt like acceptance of the inevitable. The characters were also well developed. I love when I can sympathise with a character that is absolutely bat shit crazy.

Loved this book! The story is about endearing Emily who is a failing actress and failing at most things until she gets offered an opportunity of a lifetime to work with a family in France. Of course such an idillic role living in isolated happiness doesn’t exist and suspense and drama is what follows. Really enjoyed this thank you!

The Safe Place starts out feeling quite chick-lit (a term I hate, but I can't think of another). Aspiring actress Emily's life is in disarray: she's broke, she's working at temping jobs but can't even keep those, her relationship with her adoptive parents is disconnected, she's been dumped by her agent and she's on the brink of eviction from her flat. When her (handsome - of course) ex-boss, successful businessman Scott Denny, offers her a job working as some kind of unspecified assistant to his wife and daughter at their house in France, it seems heaven sent. But it's obvious to us the reader, if not to Emily, that Scott is a bit weird and has a hidden agenda, and the weirdness continues when Emily gets to France and meets Scott's wife, Nina, and young daughter Aurelia.

Clearly, there's something going on beneath the surface. Aurelia doesn't (can't?) speak and suffers from a range of unusual medical conditions and violent outbursts. Nina is friendly but seems fearful and defensive, banning Emily from setting foot in the family home (she lives instead in a guest house on the property).

Although it sounds a promising setup and there's nothing wrong with the story or the writing, for some reason it just never really grabbed me. The reveal, when it comes, is not that surprising (although I didn't guess it in advance, so maybe it is). The characters are so peculiar, especially Scott (who we first meet self-harming at his desk) that it all just felt a bit odd - not that that's necessarily a bad thing. Emily is a bit of a mess - although there is some explanation given for this - but I didn't find her easy to relate to.

What happens in the end, observed from a distance, is actually a little distressing and I did wonder what would happen to certain characters.

It's certainly not a bad book and worth a read - maybe I just wasn't in the right mood.

The blurb reads 'Emily Proudman has been offered the chance of a lifetime - leave her messy London life, move to a beautiful estate in France and help her boss' wife take care of their daughter, Aurelia. It seems like the perfect opportunity to start again.
But once there, Emily soon starts to suspect that her charismatic new employers aren't telling her the whole truth. That there are even dangerous secrets hidden beneath the glamourous facade.....'

This was a fantastic story, great writing with well developed characters. Emily was a mess basically, no relationship with her adoptive parents to speak of, few friends, zilcho money or prospects of any so the offerof the job in France came at a perfect time in her life.

The tale is told from the points of view of Scott and Emily, I found the descriptive prose very evocotive and quite creepy at times, i thought i knew what was going on but didnt guess correctly at all!

The ending was really well written and quite scary, I was turning the pages faster and faster to find out what was going to happen. The book would make a great movie or short TV series.
A very exciting and atmospheric read and a brilliant debut novel for Anna Downes - cant wait to read more from her.

I am very grateful to Netgalley, the author and the publisher Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read this advance copy of the excellent book The Safe Place.

Brilliant! A well deserved 5 stars.

When we meet Emily we realise her life is a mess. Struggling to make it as an actress she’s sacked from her temping job and has no other options. Then a chance meeting with her boss ends up with her being offered the job of a lifetime...housekeeper/assistant in her boss’s home in France.
Naturally, things aren’t quite as they seem. There’s plenty of secrets and - very slowly - Emily starts to work them out.
She’s put in a difficult position, having to choose between her head and her heart. There’s also some very strong hints that Emily herself may have more secrets to uncover. Some we may be putting in place, but others took far too long to come out.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

After losing her job, her agent, and her apartment in one fail swoop, Emily Proudman is reluctant to turn to her disappointed parents for yet another hand out. What she needs is someone to believe in her. Enter her former boss, Scott Denny.

Scott has been searching for just the right person to help him with a problem that no amount of money can fix.

Unable to believe her luck, Emily takes on the role of housekeeper at Scott’s remote estate in France where his wife Nina, and their daughter live. Emily can’t quite believe how perfect it all is... until it’s not.

Wow, this thriller was fantastic! The perfect amount of intriguing and unsettling. The tension I felt as Emily started to discover the things that weren’t quite right with Nina and her daughter had me enthralled! It’s a real page turner. Emily is super likeable and the fact that she’s just a little bit broken makes her all kinds of endearing.

I was on edge for so much of the story and the remote setting only added to the tension. A well paced thriller that I would recommend!

Actual rating 4.5 stars

Ellie's life is a mess. She can't hold down a job, her relationship with her adoptive family is troubled and she is about to be evicted from her flat. When Scott offers her the job of a lifetime in France, she can't refuse. There are lots of rules and secrets in her job but can she discover why.

I enjoyed this book. It's well paced and the characters are well written. The twists are good and I found myself reading well into the night.

This is definitely one of those its probably me
I have been onna huge psychological thriller kick and this was just a tad too predictable and drawn out. If you havent bene binging this genre you will probably enjoy it more. I felt getting into the book was the hardest part is just didnt seem to reel me in to it

This was amazing. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. From the very first chapter, I was hooked, and I wanted to know what happened next. And the climax had me completely reeling! Can highly recommend this.

Wonderful book with lots of twists and turns. Well written and it kept me enthralled right up until the last page.

Emily is down on her luck. A failed actress, sacked from her temping job and soon to be evicted from her home. She isn’t close to her adoptive parents and doesn’t know what to do to escape her quandary. But then her ex boss appears, like a knight in shining armour and offers her the chance of a lifetime. To move to France, and be a companion to his wife and child. To Emily it is a chance to escape and she doesn’t mind that she can’t tell anybody her whereabouts or that she has to sign NDAs. She is just ecstatic, and when she sees her new home and builds up a good relationship with Nina and Aurelia she couldn’t be happier. But as Emily gets more settled she realises not everything is as it seems.

I didn’t think of this book as twist driven but there were a few surprises. The flashbacks at the end of certain chapters added to the intrigue and made me think about what might have occurred in Nina and Scott’s past. I thought I knew what had happened but I was completely wrong.

Emily was a character who I didn’t warm to straightaway. At first I thought her to be petulant and self pitying but seeing her relationship development with Aurelia and the way she reacted when she realised what was happening in the family home I appreciated her more.

The Safe Place is perfect for that holiday read.

4.5 stars.
As soon as I read the blurb for this book I was immediately intrigued.
The pacing of this was fantastic. It kept me engaged the whole way through and had me completely gripped. I looked forward to picking up this book and reading more each night.
There was a twist half way through which really caught my attention and that I wasn't expecting.
The characters were very believable and I found myself rooting for Emily and in her shoes throughout.
The ending was a bit of let down for me. There was a big build up which didn't really come to anything. And there were also a few things that weren't resolved, which was disappointing.
I would, however, be interested in reading more from this author. And I definitely liked the way that it was written, with the alternating chapters for different characters. As it lets you get into their state of mind from the very beginning.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the pattern of being told from 2 characters points of view.
It was a very good read, I felt the right amount of description where needed without becoming boring. It was intriguing and provided enough suspense to keep me hooked. Highly recommended

Loved the cover. Thought the description sounded very exciting. But sadly the book itself didn’t live up to my expectations. It wasn’t the thriller I anticipated. It was predictable and rather long winded.

I really really really loved this book. But let me tell you why...

I really love those books that kind of feel creepy without being obvious or transparent. You just start to feel "Off" while turning the pages. Its like deep down you know there is something really freaking wrong but you havent a clue what it is.... thats how I felt when I started reading A safe place. I felt creeped the F out and anything but safe. But as I read all these odds and ends came together to form this insane picture that somehow the main character remains abysmally ignorant to. Realistic? No. Did it make for a good story? Yes, honestly if she didnt take the job there would have been no story to tell.

From the start the characters add to the unsettling feelings. Scott sent off major creep vibes from the moment we meet him. Emily ( ohhh girl...what were you thinking?!) is obviously naive and going to have a crude wake up call. Nina and Aurelia... hello creepy helicopter mom and strange child that live in BFE. But in all the setting, the characters, the descriptions, the "creepy" vibes meld together to create a fast paced thriller.

I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley im exchange for an honest review.

This was a solid thriller about a young woman who is offered a job in France as an au pair/housekeeper for a reclusive family. The story explores a number of topics from childhood abuse to adoption. Although it jumps around a little and at times is a little predictable the end took me completely by surprise and was very different to what I had initially expected.

Can't wait to read more from this author.

I really wanted to enjoy The Safe Place but sadly I just found the whole book a bit of a let down. It seemed to take an age before anything happened and when it did it was somewhat predictable. Thrillers are one of my favourite genres but sadly this book wasn’t for me. I would rate this book 2.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for the chance to review.

This is a stunning début from new author Anna Downes!

In The Safe Place, actor Emily Proudman is certainly not in a good place at the moment. Just having lost her job, she has also lost her agent and her landlord has kicked her out of the flat she lived in. What a day! Meanwhile, CEO Scott Denny could use some help with a problem that he can't handle himself, so it's just as well that Emily is available. He offers her a summer job as a housekeeper, living on his remote, beautiful French estate, and Emily can't believe her luck at being handed this timely opportunity. Then she realises that the Denny family are not everything they seem...

The Safe Place is a fine example of a novel in one of my favourite genres, either contemporary or domestic fiction. Anna Downes makes great use of the setting and with the majority of the action taking place on the French coast, this one was an absolute delight for the mere descriptions of the locale. Lead protagonist Emily was a flawed heroine, though she was easy to empathise with because of her career crisis and her other personal issues. There was a great cast of well-drawn secondary characters, and the Denny family that Emily works for were ably composed.

With its strong psychological focus, The Safe Place is not a particularly fast paced thrilling ride with twists in every other chapter. It slowly advances to a revealing climax, and the final result is shocking, though fulfilling. I am eagerly anticipating reading Anna Downes' next offering.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.