The Safe Place

by Anna Downes

Book Overview

Superbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, Anna Downes's debut, The Safe Place, is the perfect summer suspense, with the modern gothic feel of Ruth Ware and the morally complex family dynamics of Lisa Jewell.

Welcome to paradise...will you ever be able to leave?

Emily is a mess.

Emily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.

Emily is desperate....

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250264804
• ISBN13: 9781250264800
• Release Date: July 2020
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Finished in 1 day.

Could not put it down. Did not put it down. I was sure I knew what was coming, and was so surprised at how wrong I had it. I will definitely read it again.

Excellent Build-Up

Emily Proutman’s life is a mess. She’s broke, she’s just lost her job, and her acting agent has quit on her. Desperate and without any prospects, she’s suddenly offered the perfect job by the CEO of the company she previously worked for. The job is as a housekeeper and assistant of sorts on his beautiful French estate, Quarancia. At first, she is completely in awe of Scott’s fabulous wife Nina, and the two quickly become friends. But the longer she stays at Quarancia the more questions she has, like why doesn’t Scott visit more, and what is wrong with their daughter Aurelia who seems to be overcome with maladies. As secrets start to unravel it becomes increasingly apparent that Emily could be in danger if she stays at Quarancia. The Safe Place was an incredibly fast read for me once I got into it. The build-up a bit slow at the beginning, but it quickly picks up pace. I found it a bit predictable but overall incredibly well done! I didn’t feel an immediate sense of danger but maybe an overall weariness, a “too good to be true” gut feeling, and slowly you can begin to see the danger build piece by piece.

Predictable

The Safe Place I spent about 250 pages of this book confused about what genre it was meant to be. It felt like a genre I had never read before, something like a fantasy for a world I wished I lived in and a romance. So I decided to search and find out. Oh. It’s a thriller? This is a thriller? It’s a very slow burn thriller for lack of better words to describe it. There’s a lot of build up that doesn’t amount to... much. I didn’t dislike this book, it just wasn’t the thrillers I’ve read in the past. So here’s what I thought Win- -I’m jealous of Ninas lifestyle. The paradise that was created was honestly beautiful, it is definitely somewhere I could live. -when the actual suspense part hit it was pretty good, the pages started turning a lot faster at that point and I found myself somewhat enjoying it. -the multiple perspectives. Normally I don’t like this, but it helped during the actual high suspense moments to keep it interesting -the parts that were Nina. It gave us an insight into everything about her, and I enjoyed it. We got the full story from her, and not in the moment. Opportunities -characters. I really didn’t love any of the characters. I feel for Nina, and I liked Emily, but I’m going to forget their names in a week. Scott was your typical rich hot boy that everyone swoons over. -the actual plot is sloooow. I was genuinely convinced I was reading a romance that just hadn’t amped up yet. -the suspense and thriller aspects just weren’t there. I like heavy thrillers that keep me guessing the entire time. -predictable. I didn’t predict 100% correctly but I saw it coming from a mile away So all in all, it wasn’t a bad read, it just isn’t one I will go out of my way to recommend to people. I really like the writing style, so I would love to pick up more of her books, hopefully fantasy novels or even romances. It didn’t feel like a thriller until the last 50 or so pages which was kinda disappointing.

So Twisty and Fun!

It didn't take me very long to read this book because I had trouble putting it down. It is such an intense story! Weird, and wild and a great read to help you forget about the crazy times we are in right now. When I first started getting into the book, it reminded me of the great classic, "Wuthering Heights," mainly because of the romantic nature in the story. Later on in the book, Emily says the same thing. It was pretty cool that I was in the same mind frame as the protagonist. Though some of the choices Emily made...if something sounds too good to be true, like after being fired your ex boss offers you a job in an isolated house with no cell phone signal or internet and you still decide to stay... but I guess there wouldn't be much of a story if she decided to be smart and get right out of there. I think anyone who loves a good intrigue will want to pick up a copy of the book. Though you should be sure to set aside a chunk of time for reading it! Anna Downes is a new author and I'm anxious to see what she does in the future.

Twisty, suspenseful and atmospheric

Emily's life is out of control. She loses her job, her apartment and her acting agent all in one day. She is a good but flaky person who has trouble with keeping a job and has flashbacks to some kind of early trauma. Her circumstances make her desperate and she takes a job with her former employer Scott Denny. She is to be the house-keeper, grounds-keeper, nanny, and personal assistant to Scott's wife Nina and his daughter Aurelia on their enormous isolated waterfront estate in the south of France. It sounds too good to be true. At first, Emily is entranced by Nina and her daughter and the wine-soaked evenings by the pool, but cracks start to appear in the façade. Without revealing spoilers, this book is full of drama, suspense, twists and turns. I could not put it down.