The Safe Place by Anna Downes

☆☆☆1/2
ebook, 295 pages
Expected publication: June 30th 2020 by Affirm Press
About the Book:
Even paradise has a dark side.
For struggling actress Emily Proudman, life in London is not working out as planned - in fact, it's falling apart. So when she is offered a live-in job working for a wealthy family on their luxurious coastal property in France, she jumps at the opportunity to start over. The estate is picture-perfect, and its owners exude charisma and sophistication. But as Emily gets to know the family, their masks begin to slip, and what at first appears to be a dream come true turns out to be a prison from which none of them will ever escape - unless Emily can find a way to set them all free.

The Safe Place is page-turner from Anna Downes and one that, if you are anything like me, will have you back and forth wondering what you would do in the characters’ shoes. The book is an intense and heartbreaking family drama about marriage, parenting, friendship, love and loss. The narrative switches between Emily's and Scott’s points of view and that worked really well here. The author also throws in a bit of "before" that is supposed to be from an unknown source...but it is quite obvious who it is.

As we move along towards the end of the story, and as certain events happen to finally alert Emily to behaviors that are concerning, even issues she might have overlooked, we are offered a peek behind the scenes and learn the dark secrets that would change everything. As for being in Emily's shoes...I’m pretty sure I know what I would do. Enticing and so intense at the end...I couldn’t stop reading.

Thank you NetGalley, Affirm Press and Anna Downes for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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