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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
This was the first book in a LONG time that I have sat down and read start to finish in one day. It definitely starts out a little slow and the storyline is a bit strange at first, but once it hit a certain point I just couldn't put it down. This is definitely a bit of a slow burn but the underlying tension and suspense was palpable throughout and stuck with you clear to the end. The book was well written and provided enough details to allow for good character and plot development but still moved at a good pace. I also liked some of the underlying themes and thought the author did a great job of tactfully handling what might be tough subjects for some readers.
Emily is in a tough spot. She's just been fired after turning up late at work again due to an audition. An audition that led nowhere, by the way. And now her agent is dropping her as a client. What's more, she's got no money in the bank and has just been informed that her rent check has bounced and she's being evicted.
Then her knight in shining armor arrives in the form of her ex boss. It seems he needs an all around assistant/housekeeper to work with his wife and young daughter at his home in France. Emily will have room and board, access to the household credit card, and a car for her very own use. Oh, and the house, it's in paradise!
But there's something odd about the family. Scott almost never leaves London, Nina is pretty as a picture but a bit too intense, and Aurelia doesn't talk. At all. But the young girl also suffers from some pretty severe health issues too, which Emily suspects is the reason for any weirdness.
Unfortunately for Emily, she's about to learn that paradise isn't all it's cracked up to be. And if a job seems too perfect, it probably is!
Anna Downes's debut is a spectacularly page turning one!
Emily is young and somewhat downtrodden. She doesn't have a great relationship with her parents and she basically has nowhere to turn when everything goes to shit. But Scott has had his eye on her for some time.
And Scott is where the reader first begins to learn that things are...off. He comes to Emily's rescue but she's completely unaware of the fact that she's being manipulated. Plus, she has something of a crush on the man as well, which keeps her from really noticing anything off.
In fact, Emily is soon starstruck by Scott's entire family and existence. The house—actually two houses: the family home and the guest house where Emily is living and working— is amazing. The estate sits on the water and seemingly has acres of gardens, tons of animals, a pool, a fully stocked outdoor kitchen, the works. So when Emily arrives and is told emphatically that the main house if off limits, it's not that big of a deal. She understands the family wants their privacy.
All of that conspires to keep Emily from recognizing all of the things that aren't quite right. The NDA she has to sign before accepting the job, the reminders that she not post anything on social media, even the overall privacy of the estate itself is somewhat disconcerting. But again, the family wants privacy.
Chapters alternate between Emily, Scott, and Nina, which gives the reader the chance to see things that Emily isn't privy to or just plain doesn't notice at all. It also keeps the reader, and Emily, on their toes throughout the story. All in all, Downes does a really excelling job of building the suspense throughout!
If you're a fan of audiobooks, I do have to recommend that edition of the book as well! Downes herself narrates and does a phenomenal job!
Dark secrets in blissful paradise, what more could you ask for in a perfect summer read? The Safe Place is such a fun debut! I can't wait to see what Downes will do next!
Then her knight in shining armor arrives in the form of her ex boss. It seems he needs an all around assistant/housekeeper to work with his wife and young daughter at his home in France. Emily will have room and board, access to the household credit card, and a car for her very own use. Oh, and the house, it's in paradise!
But there's something odd about the family. Scott almost never leaves London, Nina is pretty as a picture but a bit too intense, and Aurelia doesn't talk. At all. But the young girl also suffers from some pretty severe health issues too, which Emily suspects is the reason for any weirdness.
Unfortunately for Emily, she's about to learn that paradise isn't all it's cracked up to be. And if a job seems too perfect, it probably is!
Anna Downes's debut is a spectacularly page turning one!
Emily is young and somewhat downtrodden. She doesn't have a great relationship with her parents and she basically has nowhere to turn when everything goes to shit. But Scott has had his eye on her for some time.
And Scott is where the reader first begins to learn that things are...off. He comes to Emily's rescue but she's completely unaware of the fact that she's being manipulated. Plus, she has something of a crush on the man as well, which keeps her from really noticing anything off.
In fact, Emily is soon starstruck by Scott's entire family and existence. The house—actually two houses: the family home and the guest house where Emily is living and working— is amazing. The estate sits on the water and seemingly has acres of gardens, tons of animals, a pool, a fully stocked outdoor kitchen, the works. So when Emily arrives and is told emphatically that the main house if off limits, it's not that big of a deal. She understands the family wants their privacy.
All of that conspires to keep Emily from recognizing all of the things that aren't quite right. The NDA she has to sign before accepting the job, the reminders that she not post anything on social media, even the overall privacy of the estate itself is somewhat disconcerting. But again, the family wants privacy.
Chapters alternate between Emily, Scott, and Nina, which gives the reader the chance to see things that Emily isn't privy to or just plain doesn't notice at all. It also keeps the reader, and Emily, on their toes throughout the story. All in all, Downes does a really excelling job of building the suspense throughout!
If you're a fan of audiobooks, I do have to recommend that edition of the book as well! Downes herself narrates and does a phenomenal job!
Dark secrets in blissful paradise, what more could you ask for in a perfect summer read? The Safe Place is such a fun debut! I can't wait to see what Downes will do next!
Reviews formatted for my Instagram page where you can follow along. Follow me at @turningpagesmm
**I received an ARC ebook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
3.5 stars rounded down to 3
Emily has just been fired from her temp job for her unorganized and scatterbrained work ethic. This is not the first job she's lost due to her carelessness, and she feels like it won't be the last. Until she is offered the dream job of a personal assistant/housekeeper at a secluded estate in France. She arrives in France and meets Nina and her daughter Aurelia. Nina is sweet, generous, and extremely overwhelmed. The homes on the property are in need of repair and Nina can't take care of it on her own. Her husband rarely visits since he is so busy at work and it's obvious that Nina is in need of adult company. Emily starts to grow more and more comfortable with her role, despite a few odd instances here and there. The longer she stays in France the more she becomes disconnected from her old life. Once she starts to become uncomfortable with Nina and Aurelia's relationship she may be in too deep to be able to get out.
I rounded my rating down to 3 stars since I still had a lot of questions are reading the book. This could have easily been a 4 star read for me if certain things were more clear. I wanted more background into Emily's childhood. The flashbacks confused me, I wasn't sure if they were Nina's or Emily's. The car crash was never explained. I could have sworn there was a flashback of a pregnant woman who was at her other child's first birthday party. They were meant to add mystery, but instead left me confused.
Thank you for the ARC
3.5 stars rounded down to 3
Emily has just been fired from her temp job for her unorganized and scatterbrained work ethic. This is not the first job she's lost due to her carelessness, and she feels like it won't be the last. Until she is offered the dream job of a personal assistant/housekeeper at a secluded estate in France. She arrives in France and meets Nina and her daughter Aurelia. Nina is sweet, generous, and extremely overwhelmed. The homes on the property are in need of repair and Nina can't take care of it on her own. Her husband rarely visits since he is so busy at work and it's obvious that Nina is in need of adult company. Emily starts to grow more and more comfortable with her role, despite a few odd instances here and there. The longer she stays in France the more she becomes disconnected from her old life. Once she starts to become uncomfortable with Nina and Aurelia's relationship she may be in too deep to be able to get out.
I rounded my rating down to 3 stars since I still had a lot of questions are reading the book. This could have easily been a 4 star read for me if certain things were more clear. I wanted more background into Emily's childhood. The flashbacks confused me, I wasn't sure if they were Nina's or Emily's. The car crash was never explained. I could have sworn there was a flashback of a pregnant woman who was at her other child's first birthday party. They were meant to add mystery, but instead left me confused.
Thank you for the ARC
This was an easy read, a page turner and kept me guessing until the end. Which in my mind already makes a great book.
It was a slow burn but done in the right form. It would build up at just the right time which made you want more. Made you want to keep reading to find our more about what’s happening with Emily.
I had so many moments of yelling at the book saying wait...don’t do that or don’t go in there! Can’t you see it’s a bad idea.
The character development was great and I enjoyed the writing. With a fairly good storyline.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ebook in exchange for my honest review which is my own opinion.
It was a slow burn but done in the right form. It would build up at just the right time which made you want more. Made you want to keep reading to find our more about what’s happening with Emily.
I had so many moments of yelling at the book saying wait...don’t do that or don’t go in there! Can’t you see it’s a bad idea.
The character development was great and I enjoyed the writing. With a fairly good storyline.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ebook in exchange for my honest review which is my own opinion.
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.
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.
Emily is a struggling actress working temp jobs and is about to be kicked out of her small apartment when her boss, Scott, proposes an amazing job offer to her....or so it seems. Emily is asked to become a live in nanny/housekeeper/friend to Scott's odd wife Nina and their daughter Aurelia and will receive free accommodations, a car, and a credit card to use. But, Nina and Aurelia live separately from Scott at a gorgeous villa in France and Emily knows nothing about them. Feeling desperate and overwhelmed by this amazing opportunity, Emily accepts the job and moves into Querencia. Everything seems to be going well until Emily notices something is very odd about this whole situation. Is she really safe at this beautiful estate??
I absolutely loved the way Anna Downes set the scene for this novel. Querencia sounds like the perfect vacation spot filled with a beautiful pool, lush gardens, horses, animals and lots of wine and good food! As I kept reading I found myself wanting to be there and see it for myself. I loved the mystery Emily was trying to uncover and I did not see the twist coming til closer to the end of the book. I found myself feeling really proud of Emily for her growth throughout the story. I definitely recommend this one!
Thanks @netgalley for the e-arc! The Safe Place will be available on 6/30/30
I absolutely loved the way Anna Downes set the scene for this novel. Querencia sounds like the perfect vacation spot filled with a beautiful pool, lush gardens, horses, animals and lots of wine and good food! As I kept reading I found myself wanting to be there and see it for myself. I loved the mystery Emily was trying to uncover and I did not see the twist coming til closer to the end of the book. I found myself feeling really proud of Emily for her growth throughout the story. I definitely recommend this one!
Thanks @netgalley for the e-arc! The Safe Place will be available on 6/30/30
Emily is a struggling actress working temp jobs and is about to be kicked out of her small apartment when her boss, Scott, proposes an amazing job offer to her....or so it seems. Emily is asked to become a live in nanny/housekeeper/friend to Scott's odd wife Nina and their daughter Aurelia and will receive free accommodations, a car, and a credit card to use. But, Nina and Aurelia live separately from Scott at a gorgeous villa in France and Emily knows nothing about them. Feeling desperate and overwhelmed by this amazing opportunity, Emily accepts the job and moves into Querencia. Everything seems to be going well until Emily notices something is very odd about this whole situation. Is she really safe at this beautiful estate??
I absolutely loved the way Anna Downes set the scene for this novel. Querencia sounds like the perfect vacation spot filled with a beautiful pool, lush gardens, horses, animals and lots of wine and good food! As I kept reading I found myself wanting to be there and see it for myself. I loved the mystery Emily was trying to uncover and I did not see the twist coming til closer to the end of the book. I found myself feeling really proud of Emily for her growth throughout the story. I definitely recommend this one!
Thanks @netgalley for the e-arc! The Safe Place will be available on 6/30/20
****
I absolutely loved the way Anna Downes set the scene for this novel. Querencia sounds like the perfect vacation spot filled with a beautiful pool, lush gardens, horses, animals and lots of wine and good food! As I kept reading I found myself wanting to be there and see it for myself. I loved the mystery Emily was trying to uncover and I did not see the twist coming til closer to the end of the book. I found myself feeling really proud of Emily for her growth throughout the story. I definitely recommend this one!
Thanks @netgalley for the e-arc! The Safe Place will be available on 6/30/20
****
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. It's dark and has some depth to it as well. It tends to more a dark 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.
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. It's dark and has some depth to it as well. It tends to more a dark 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.
Emily, a down and out actress, accepts a job offer from her very wealthy former boss. The job is to help his wife care for their daughter at their secluded estate in France. Emily takes the job and eventually discovers a terrible family secret. A middle of the road thriller and a bit predictable.