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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
This book ticked so many boxes for me, and it's hard to believe that this is a debut offering. I could picture the mysterious French mansion so vividly in my mind. I loved how layers upon layers unfolded across each other, and how Scott and Nina's secrets were revealed. The writing truly is excellent, and the storyline definitely hooked me and reeled me in. I loved every moment, and am looking forward to Anna's next book!
Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc!
Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Kidnapping
A good holiday read, lots of page-turning developments kept me interested the whole way through. The central plot was a bit of a stretch but I really enjoyed how the main character grew and developed through the course of the novel.
I wasn't crazy about this one. I really liked the examination of trauma, but that was about it. I didn't really get the creepy vibes I wanted from it! Which is a bummer bc I was SO looking forward to it.
The Safe Place really defines the essential ingredients required for a top-notch thriller – tension, desperation and the growing apprehension that things are nowhere near where they seem. Added bonuses are characters that you come to care about, even with serious flaws and a beautiful location. Anna Downes has created a brilliant debut novel that can’t be put down.
Emily, the main character, is a big mess when introduced to the reader. She’s a failing actress, failed temporary secretary and soon to be homeless. She doesn’t get along with her parents nor does she have any real friends. It’s (un)fortunate that she catches the eye of her former boss, who knows that she would be absolutely perfect for a role he has at a luxurious estate in France. It’s helping out his wife with some renovation work and acting as a general PA. The unfortunate part is that Scott knows that Emily is desperate, so she will keep any secrets she discovers in France. At first, living on a beautiful estate with Nina and her daughter Aurelia is perfection. Sure, there is work, but Emily and Nina become kind-of friends and there is a never-ending wine cellar. Then Emily starts to notice things that don’t make sense. A funny smell…Aurelia’s reactions to events…the way life doesn’t exist outside the estate… Can Emily figure out how to leave safely or are the stakes much higher?
The characters in The Safe Place are deeply flawed and somewhat unlikeable but they grow on you. Emily is helpless, having messed up pretty much everything in her life and looking to Scott as some kind of saviour. Scott isn’t your usual successful CEO as he hides a world of pain, some inflicted by his wife and others stemming from earlier events. Sometimes it appears that he does have it all under control but at other times he’s just as helpless as Emily. What separates the two is Scott’s endless ability to charm, cajole and appear like everything is under control. Nina is much more of an enigma with her strict rules, yet overtures of friendship towards Emily. Her protectiveness towards her daughter seems extreme, but given Aurelia’s condition, it could be justified. In a way, Nina is like Emily. Both have been saved by Scott but Nina is much more independent.
The growing sense of unease underlying the progression of the story is exquisite. It’s just enough to keep the reader wondering and thinking, ‘just one more chapter’. The finale is great, not too rushed with multiple plot points that turn up the drama even further. Anna Downes has given the reading world a fantastically chilling debut. I can’t wait to read more of her work.
Thank you to Affirm Press for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Emily, the main character, is a big mess when introduced to the reader. She’s a failing actress, failed temporary secretary and soon to be homeless. She doesn’t get along with her parents nor does she have any real friends. It’s (un)fortunate that she catches the eye of her former boss, who knows that she would be absolutely perfect for a role he has at a luxurious estate in France. It’s helping out his wife with some renovation work and acting as a general PA. The unfortunate part is that Scott knows that Emily is desperate, so she will keep any secrets she discovers in France. At first, living on a beautiful estate with Nina and her daughter Aurelia is perfection. Sure, there is work, but Emily and Nina become kind-of friends and there is a never-ending wine cellar. Then Emily starts to notice things that don’t make sense. A funny smell…Aurelia’s reactions to events…the way life doesn’t exist outside the estate… Can Emily figure out how to leave safely or are the stakes much higher?
The characters in The Safe Place are deeply flawed and somewhat unlikeable but they grow on you. Emily is helpless, having messed up pretty much everything in her life and looking to Scott as some kind of saviour. Scott isn’t your usual successful CEO as he hides a world of pain, some inflicted by his wife and others stemming from earlier events. Sometimes it appears that he does have it all under control but at other times he’s just as helpless as Emily. What separates the two is Scott’s endless ability to charm, cajole and appear like everything is under control. Nina is much more of an enigma with her strict rules, yet overtures of friendship towards Emily. Her protectiveness towards her daughter seems extreme, but given Aurelia’s condition, it could be justified. In a way, Nina is like Emily. Both have been saved by Scott but Nina is much more independent.
The growing sense of unease underlying the progression of the story is exquisite. It’s just enough to keep the reader wondering and thinking, ‘just one more chapter’. The finale is great, not too rushed with multiple plot points that turn up the drama even further. Anna Downes has given the reading world a fantastically chilling debut. I can’t wait to read more of her work.
Thank you to Affirm Press for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
The Safe Place by Anna Downes
Available July 14, 2020
Emily’s life is a complete mess. Her acting career stalled before it even began, she’s estranged from her parents and just lost her job. Even worse? She called her mother for rent money only to realize she missed her birthday. Again. When her former boss Scott Denny offers her the job of a lifetime, she jumps on it. Working as a personal assistant to Nina, Scott’s beautiful and mysterious wife, seems like a dream job. She quickly finds herself spending her mornings helping to restore the French mansion and sprawling grounds and her afternoons drinking wine and lazing around the pool with Nina and her daughter Aurelia.
As the weeks go on, Emily realizes there is more to the family than she first believed. Aurelia’s mysterious health conditions leave Nina in constant fear. Nina is extremely private and doesn’t want Emily in the family mansion. Scott never seems to want to be around his family. Emily begins to see the cracks in their perfect image and uncovers a dangerous secret that will threaten her very life.
The Safe Place is a fast paced psychological thriller that excels at making Emily her own worst enemy. Her life is a complete hot mess. She can’t keep a job or remember her lines at acting auditions. She can never budget properly and is always short on rent money. Her strained relationship with her parents is further stressed when she makes the biggest mistake-calling her mother for money on her mother’s birthday. Her parents just want her to get her life together and Emily just doesn’t seem capable of it. She’s never really been around kids or worked as a personal assistant before she takes the job with the Denny family so it’s understandable how she misses so many warning signs. She’s immediately caught up in their wealth and beautiful property that the lavish lifestyle overshadows how odd it is that two women, with no construction or design experience, are renovating a large mansion.
Anna Downes crafted a tightly woven story full of twists and turns where the tension amongst the characters is a character itself. We know something is wrong, and Emily feels it too. Putting your finger on what is wrong is what makes for such an engaging and interesting read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.
Available July 14, 2020
Emily’s life is a complete mess. Her acting career stalled before it even began, she’s estranged from her parents and just lost her job. Even worse? She called her mother for rent money only to realize she missed her birthday. Again. When her former boss Scott Denny offers her the job of a lifetime, she jumps on it. Working as a personal assistant to Nina, Scott’s beautiful and mysterious wife, seems like a dream job. She quickly finds herself spending her mornings helping to restore the French mansion and sprawling grounds and her afternoons drinking wine and lazing around the pool with Nina and her daughter Aurelia.
As the weeks go on, Emily realizes there is more to the family than she first believed. Aurelia’s mysterious health conditions leave Nina in constant fear. Nina is extremely private and doesn’t want Emily in the family mansion. Scott never seems to want to be around his family. Emily begins to see the cracks in their perfect image and uncovers a dangerous secret that will threaten her very life.
The Safe Place is a fast paced psychological thriller that excels at making Emily her own worst enemy. Her life is a complete hot mess. She can’t keep a job or remember her lines at acting auditions. She can never budget properly and is always short on rent money. Her strained relationship with her parents is further stressed when she makes the biggest mistake-calling her mother for money on her mother’s birthday. Her parents just want her to get her life together and Emily just doesn’t seem capable of it. She’s never really been around kids or worked as a personal assistant before she takes the job with the Denny family so it’s understandable how she misses so many warning signs. She’s immediately caught up in their wealth and beautiful property that the lavish lifestyle overshadows how odd it is that two women, with no construction or design experience, are renovating a large mansion.
Anna Downes crafted a tightly woven story full of twists and turns where the tension amongst the characters is a character itself. We know something is wrong, and Emily feels it too. Putting your finger on what is wrong is what makes for such an engaging and interesting read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.
(Met dank aan uitgeverij de Fontein voor het leesexemplaar!)
Wat een twists en turns. De positieve versie, wederom - maar wat een boek. De hoofdvragen zijn natuurlijk wat is er aan dat hand met Aurelia en wat is er aan de hand met Nina. En bijvragen: wat is er aan de hand met Scott en met Emily. Dit boek draait absoluut om de personages die erin de hoofdrollen spelen, en verder is er niet zo veel dat er toe doet. Hierdoor zijn een heleboel van de overige karakters een beetje ondergeschoven kinderen - Verity, de ouders van Emily, Yves... wie zijn dit en waarom zeggen ze zulke mysterieuze dingen over de verschillende personages? Doordat dit mysterie een beetje in de lucht blijft hangen en er niet direct een goede oplossing voor komt, lijkt het alsof deze personages gewoon helemaal niet nodig zijn. Ik had liever gehad dat er iets minder van deze personages zouden zijn, of dat ze iets beter belicht waren geweest. Maar dit is een klein puntje waar ik zelf tegenaan liep in dit boek.
Wat een twists en turns. De positieve versie, wederom - maar wat een boek. De hoofdvragen zijn natuurlijk wat is er aan dat hand met Aurelia en wat is er aan de hand met Nina. En bijvragen: wat is er aan de hand met Scott en met Emily. Dit boek draait absoluut om de personages die erin de hoofdrollen spelen, en verder is er niet zo veel dat er toe doet. Hierdoor zijn een heleboel van de overige karakters een beetje ondergeschoven kinderen - Verity, de ouders van Emily, Yves... wie zijn dit en waarom zeggen ze zulke mysterieuze dingen over de verschillende personages? Doordat dit mysterie een beetje in de lucht blijft hangen en er niet direct een goede oplossing voor komt, lijkt het alsof deze personages gewoon helemaal niet nodig zijn. Ik had liever gehad dat er iets minder van deze personages zouden zijn, of dat ze iets beter belicht waren geweest. Maar dit is een klein puntje waar ik zelf tegenaan liep in dit boek.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes