The Safe Place

I loved this story. If something seems too good to be true then it probably is. I enjoyed the mystery and suspense part, and also the realisation by the main character that to some degree one had to be grateful for what one has.

Thanks to publisher, author and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an incredible domestic thriller that drew me in and never let go. I felt emotionally invested in the characters’ lives and couldn’t stop reading.

Wow, wow, wow! Excellent book that was absolutely well written, developed superbly, and engrossing!! What lies in THE SAFE PLACE, you need to read to find out! You’ll find yourself questioning so much when you finish, and having those mind boggling feelings which are exactly what you yearn for while reading thrillers/domestic suspense! This book should definitely be made into a movie, it’s one of those that will knock the breath out of you, just after you are holding it in chills! I highly, highly recommend! This is not to missed!
Will make sure to buzz it up on all the different platforms!

Who wouldnt swop a boring life for a life in France. After reading this book it does make you think twice before rushing into things

#TheSafePlace #NetGalley
A good read.
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's wife take care of their daughter. 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 glamorous facade.Why have the family been moved to this isolated house so far from home? Why does her bosses' daughter refuse to speak or be touched? Why are there whispers in the night?
It was full of twists and turns.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette UK for giving me an advance copy.

What sounds like the dream job working for her ex – boss, Scott and his family in France soon turns into a nightmare for Emily. Swapping her tiny flat in London for a picturesque estate in France, things quickly start to unravel for Emily, Nina (Scott's wife) and their daughter Aurelia.

This book was just perfection. Wonderfully written, with the perfect level of suspense building throughout. The ending put all of the puzzle pieces together, and made you understand the characters ways throughout.

It truly was a book I found impossible to put down, and I would recommend it highly to anyone and everyone!.

Thank you to Anna Downes, Hodder & Staughton and Netgalley for my ARC copy of this wonderful book.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into romance stories and girlie books therefore am extremely pleased and grateful to them for opening up my mind to something totally different.

I enjoyed this very much. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book was such a surprise to me. The cover makes me think it'll be a beach read, the opening made me think it would be chic lit/love story but it's actually a fantastic psychological thriller. Incredibly characters, the writing is fantastic and had me hooked from page 1. Highly recommend, don't trust your judgement of what this book will be!

Thank you NetGalley and Anna Downes for the chance to read an advanced copy of The Safe Place.

What starts out as a dream job working for her enigmatic ex – boss, Scott, at his second home in France turns into a nightmare for Emily Proudman.

Swapping her dismal flat in the UK for a gorgeous estate in France sounds like the perfect antidote to a run of disappointing years for aspiring actress Emily but her arrival at this perfect haven in France sets off a dangerous chain of events for our happy-go-lucky if a little ditzy protagonist.

We meet Scott’s beautiful if fragile wife Nina and their daughter Aurelia and almost immediately things start to feel off. The stylish, happy veneer beginning to peel and crack until the terrible truth beneath begins to come together for the reader and Emily.

Her fear is utterly absorbed by us as we will her to ger away from that perfect damaged place and it’s devastating secrets. To run as fast and as far as she can, If only she can find a way out.

Truly spine tingling, the tension creeps up on you in this subtly compelling novel.

I can’t wait to read the next book by this author.

I read this book in two days, a sure sign of a good book for me. I thought it was fantastic. It had the right level of realism to make me 'believe' in the characters and events but also kept me guessing until about 70% through as to what it was all about. I could really picture the french mansion and Emily's reaction to arriving there. For once in a novel I felt that the ending was not only suitable but delivered at the right moment and pace.
What a great debut by Anna Downes, thank you for letting me read it!

A really good debut novel set in a location that you will love. Anna Downes' writing is very good and not one of my theories proved right. I especially enjoyed the ending as I found it dramatic, fair and satisfying. The perfect psychological thriller to lose yourself in by the pool or on the beach...

Perfect summer read!
This is exactly the kind of book that you can pick up and lose yourself in! I literally couldn’t put it down and read it in a single afternoon.
It’s dark, twisty and chilling.

A great read with a fantastic ending. Really wasn’t sure where this book was going to go. Complex character, lovely locations and a chilling undertone. Brilliant. Thank you for letting me review this book. Definitely worth adding to the must read pile x

The Safe Place by Anna Downes
Thanks @netgalley @anna_downes_writer and @hodderbooks for my arc
Publication date 20th August 2020

#netgalley #thesafeplace

Brilliant debut, psychological chick lit, an easy but compelling read and beautifully written - setting the scenes and characters perfectly.

Just as I would get frustrated wondering where the story was headed, I would be drip-fed some further information to keep me engaged and intrigued.

A lovely underlying message of the inability to ever fully run away from your problems, and being true to who you really are.

I never usually read Author’s Note but honestly, this one completed the book just perfectly for me (and felt entirely relatable too).

Bravo!

Wow a terrific psychological thriller.A book that drew me in tense chilling great characters.Will be recommending to all my thriller love friends.#netgalley#hooderstouton

A great debut and a new author to look out for. I thought I had guessed the outcome but I was proved wrong. Highly recommended

The Safe Place by Anna Downes
Thanks @netgalley @anna_downes_writer and @hodderbooks for my arc
Publication date 20th August 2020
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An absolutely incredible book. I literally
Couldn’t put it down. The author has an incredible way of keeping you on your toes, only giving tiny bits away and making you wonder, on numerous occasions ‘what the cr*p is going on? But it works so well. Full of creepy twists and turns this story is absolutely amazing. A great read to take your mind off everything else. Highly recommended xxx

This book was really good and had me hooked from the first page. I had my suspicions about the back story but it turned out I was wrong. I found myself identifying with some aspects of the main character and the dilemma she faced. Will look forward to reading more books by Anna in the future.

Emily is an aspiring actress who temps just to pay what she needs (or at least to attempt to) with no luck.
However her knight in shining armer comes and peels her off of that concrete after being knocked down again and turns her whole life around by offering her the job of a lifetime. What could go wrong?!
This was SUCH a good book! It was one of those that I literally had no clue what was going to happen and what any characters motivation could of been. It kept me gripped and guessing and definitely did not disappoint! I wish the end had delved a bit more into Emily, and when you read it I think you'll understand what I mean but that it the only bit of which I could of done with more!