Anna Downes' "The Safe Place"

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.

Scott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.

Emily is perfect.

Scott offers Emily a summer job as a housekeeper on his remote, beautiful French estate. Enchanted by his lovely wife Nina, and his eccentric young daughter, Aurelia, Emily falls headlong into this oasis of wine-soaked days by the pool. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn't play along, the consequences could be deadly. ~taken from Goodreads

This was a wild read! So many loops and turns! Plot twists I didn't see coming! Wow! 

Emily is a struggling actress living in London who has lost her job and her acting agent. With no future she can see and at her whits end, she is offered an amazing job as a personal assistant/housekeeper to her ex-bosses wife. Everything from room, food and a vehicle will be provided to Emily. It also happens to be at a beautiful, remote, ocean-side estate in France. It is just what Emily needs and she is so excited for the opportunity. 

She hits it off with Nina, her ex-boss's wife, and their five year old daughter, Aurelia. Aurelia seems to be mute, and has a rare disease where she is allergic to the sunlight. Her mother dotes on her and even home schools the child. This gorgeous estate has everything they need and they never leave the vast and remote property. Emily's job responsibilities range from fixing up the guest house, caring for livestock, traveling to town for groceries, and just providing company for the mother and daughter duo. 

Scott, her ex-boss, rarely visits his family. Wildly rich and successful, Emily is lead to believe he is just a busy business man. She starts to wonder privately whether the marriage is in shambles. When Scott finally does come to visit, it is very apparent that not everything is okay. He seems oddly distant with his daughter, as if she is a complete stranger...

As the days progress to months Emily slowly starts digging into this strange family's weird quirks. What she discovers puts her life in danger...

Like I said, this was a wild read! I thoroughly enjoyed every single page! The author does an amazing job setting scenes and building characters. With every new plot twists I wanted to read faster, yet slow down so it never ended! 

The Safe Place is due to be released July 14, 2020 here in the U.S. and you will want to pre-order now so you have it as soon as possible! It is a phenomenal beach or pool read! 4 stars! 

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an advanced digital copy (as well as St Martin's Press sending me a physical ARC) to read and give my honest review! 

Happy Reading!