I received an Advance Reading Copy of THE SAFE PLACE by Anna Downes through Bookish First! Thank you to Minotaur Books for the chance to read and provide an honest review review!
THE SAFE PLACE begins with Emily, a down on her luck struggling actress whose life is falling apart. After another failed audition, she is let go from her temp job. With her rent check bounced, she is facing likely eviction and she has no cash for food or other necessities. Her relationship with her parents is broken and she doesn’t have any friends in the city close enough to call on for help.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Emily gets the opportunity of a lifetime. Her former boss Scott wants to hire her for a different job, helping to take care of his wife and daughter at a gorgeous estate on the French coast. Emily has few options and can’t imagine a better offer, so she grabs her passport and heads out. The setting is idyllic just as described, but the little girl is unusual and there’s something off about the wife.
I was instantly hooked to this one and I wound up reading it in less than a day. We get different POVs, Emily and Scott in the present day and Nina’s flashbacks to her history with her husband and child. It was obvious early on that this setup was too good to be true with even Emily having early suspicions, but the reality of what was going on wasn’t clear.
I really enjoyed Emily as a character, though there were times when she made some frustrating decisions. She hasn’t had a perfect past and her struggle with her family leads her to be the perfect pick when Scott wants to send someone to this isolated estate. Scott’s motives aren’t initially clear, but as we see into his head, the worry for Emily is real.
This was a bit of a slow burn, but only in the best way as the mystery of what exactly was happening kept me hooked and turning pages.I wasn’t really surprised by the big twist, but I didn’t predict all of the nuances and I didn’t mind having my suspicions confirmed. I would recommend you keep your eyes out for this one when it’s released on July 14!
THE SAFE PLACE begins with Emily, a down on her luck struggling actress whose life is falling apart. After another failed audition, she is let go from her temp job. With her rent check bounced, she is facing likely eviction and she has no cash for food or other necessities. Her relationship with her parents is broken and she doesn’t have any friends in the city close enough to call on for help.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Emily gets the opportunity of a lifetime. Her former boss Scott wants to hire her for a different job, helping to take care of his wife and daughter at a gorgeous estate on the French coast. Emily has few options and can’t imagine a better offer, so she grabs her passport and heads out. The setting is idyllic just as described, but the little girl is unusual and there’s something off about the wife.
I was instantly hooked to this one and I wound up reading it in less than a day. We get different POVs, Emily and Scott in the present day and Nina’s flashbacks to her history with her husband and child. It was obvious early on that this setup was too good to be true with even Emily having early suspicions, but the reality of what was going on wasn’t clear.
I really enjoyed Emily as a character, though there were times when she made some frustrating decisions. She hasn’t had a perfect past and her struggle with her family leads her to be the perfect pick when Scott wants to send someone to this isolated estate. Scott’s motives aren’t initially clear, but as we see into his head, the worry for Emily is real.
This was a bit of a slow burn, but only in the best way as the mystery of what exactly was happening kept me hooked and turning pages.I wasn’t really surprised by the big twist, but I didn’t predict all of the nuances and I didn’t mind having my suspicions confirmed. I would recommend you keep your eyes out for this one when it’s released on July 14!