I’d like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Safe’ by S K Barnett in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Six-year-old Jennifer Kristal is only going two houses further along the road for a playdate with her friend but she never turns up. Twelve years later Jennifer is back and her parents Laurie and Jake welcome her with open arms, but she isn’t clear where she’s been or who she’s been with and doesn’t want to tell the police anything.

Although ‘Safe’ is a difficult novel to read due to its sexual and abusive content I enjoyed it and couldn’t stop reading until I’d found out all there was to know about Jennifer. Her parents and older brother Ben are keeping secrets and it isn’t until the final pages that all is revealed. At times I’ve found it difficult to keep track of which character is narrating the story but other than that it’s a very tense, though disturbing, story with lots of twists and turns and surprises. I can recommend it.

12 years ago a 6 year old Jenny Kristal went missing whilst walking to her street to her best friends house. 12 years later Jenny has found her way home much to the joy of her parents, although her older brother doesn’t seem to happy to see her return.

Jenny soon realises that the Kristal household contains some dark secrets and she begins to question whether she is safe in this house.

I must say I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked. I thought I had guessed how this book was going to end, but I wasn’t completely wrong on so many levels.

This book is well worth a read.

Thanks to net galley for providing me a copy of this book in return for an open and honest review

I really wish books came with some sort of classification rating similar to films to give an idea of the content and help you choose what's right for you and avoid what's not. Without wanting to spoil the plot, this book had a heavy theme of sexual child abuse - when I say heavy it wasn't overtly graphic but it was the main theme and it was constant throughout. I read on but for me personally it was uncomfortable reading at times and not a book I would've chosen had I been pre-warned.

That said if you can get past that it's a good read and plot. It's an interesting concept of what happens when a now grown-up child is reunited with their family after being abducted twelve years earlier. But, is she actually safe back home and/or are her family safe from her? There's plenty of twists and turns and with each answer comes just as many new questions. You would never guess from the beginning where/how this was going to end up.

When I first started to read Safe by SK Barnett I thought I knew exactly where it was going. I was so pleased to discover that I was wrong in so many ways. This is a very clever and original storyline. I read this quickly and got very much caught up and needed to know how it was going to end.

12 years ago 6 year old Jenny went missing walking from her house to her friends down the street. She had. It been seen since, despite efforts to find her from the police and a private investigator. Now Jenny has walked back into their lives. Not everybody is pleased and Jenny soon starts to wonder if she is safe in this house. Her reappearance brings u so many questions of where she has been all this time and how did she get away. It quickly becomes evident that all the members of the family have secrets and will do anything to keep them.

A quick, twisty read with a shocking ending. Really enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

An engrossing psychological thriller about 18-year-old Jenny who went missing as a 6-year-old under rather unbelievable circumstances. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and though you figure out pretty early on what happened to Jenny, there are still enough twists left over to surprise you. The ony thing I found a little odd was that there seemed to be no investigation/suspicions about the <spoiler>re-disappearances of the girls Jobeth impersonated</spoiler>.

The writing was a little confusing at times, and Jenny's background had a lot of holes (or I missed them). Even so, one of those thrillers that do actually thrill you with the eventual reveal.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

The formatting of the book was terrible,there were numbers everywhere and it just made it really difficult to read.It wouldn't have been such a problem maybe if the book had gripped me but it didn't. I found it to be too slow and I just struggled with this book.Sorry not for me.

I thought this book was going to tell the same old story that I’ve read before with this storyline, but there was a twist that made it so much more. It created the suspense and the dread this story needed to be original and to make me keep flipping the pages in a big hurry.
Recommended, though I will add there are trigger warnings (won’t say for what, but if you have any, steer clear).

I was looking forward to reading this book. It sounded like a brilliant storyline from the book description.
This book is about a young girl, Jenny who was kidnapped when she was six years old.
12 years later she arrives home.
the who, the why, what, How does get you while reading this book.

Unfortunately it was also quite hard work reading it as the formatting in the book was terrible, the line numbers at the beginning of each line and random numbers scatter throughout the text made it a hard work read. This wont be the case once the book is actually published. I do plan on buying the paperback and reading it with a little more enjoyment.

This book is about Jenny who was kidnapped as a six year old. 12 years later she escapes and goes back home. Jenny thinks that she is safe now but is she?

This was a really fast thriller full of secrets and lies. I managed to read most of it in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down. At times I did get confused as there was a lot of names to remember and the story goes backwards and forwards. I will definitely be looking out for more by this author.

Safe by S. K. Barnett was a gripping read. Very good premise and well executed to make you pleased for Jenny & her folks and yet fearful in case things weren’t just as they seemed. What a neat little twist in this. Maybe the ending was a little too neat but, overall, I felt the characters had good depth and the storyline was sound. Unravelling Jenny’s story was gripping and a little bit sad. The dynamics of family and the impact/consequences of addictive behaviours was very well done. A very enjoyable 4 star read

There were so many twists in this labyrinthine story that I almost needed a trail of breadcrumbs to keep it all straight in my head. It is a story that grabs you by your collar from the first few lines and doesn't let go until you come to the end. It certainly kept me burning the midnight oil. I will be looking out for this author in the future.

It took me a long time to read this book - I was not gripped by it at all. Usually when I start a book, I become hooked within a few chapters. That was not the case here. I actually stopped and started this book over several months, hoping to get into it when I tried again. Unfortunately it didn't help. The idea of the story was good but I just wasn't gripped. Not for me, sorry.

Oh my goodness, what a book!
It absolutely gripped me from beginning to end, the story was so well told and put me through every emotion while keeping me up late to read just another chapter.
I was absolutely hooked and every time I thought I had it figured out it transpired that I had no idea at all, I was holding my breath for the ending.
I thought the main character was really well written and I really liked her albeit her story was so heartbreaking.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Sadly, the formatting of this review copy makes it impossible to read. I did persevere for 7% of the book but the scattered numbers and line numbering make it extremely difficult, and so I had to give up.
This review is based entirely on that therefore .

Wow. This book kept me gripped.
From the description I wanted to know more and this feeling kept with me right up until the end. I definitely recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk for the advance read.

Disclaimer: I have been sent a copy of this book for review purposes. This has not influenced or affected my opinions in this review.

Safe by S.K. Barnett is a thriller you won’t forget. I was immediately intrigued and once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. This is a thriller like none other. The concept of the novel is something I haven’t ever read or come across before. I sped through this book in two days as there is something about it which makes you constantly need to know what is going to happen. I adored the writing style and it keeps you on edge throughout. There are so many twists and turns throughout Safe with a final twist you won’t see coming. I felt the ending was a little bit rushed but in spite of this I loved this book so much. I suggest that everyone who enjoys a fast-paced and enticing thriller should immediately buy and read this.

*5 stars*

This book had great potential but sadly it did not hit the spot for me. I found it a bit far fetched at times and also a tad confusing with all that was going on. I realise it’s a review copy but there was lots of numbers on the pages and the page layout was all over the place which made it difficult to enjoy reading. Saying that though I would be interested in reading more books by this author.

I have mixed feeling about this book I enjoyed readying it but I did find it a bit far fetched in places which spoilt it for me.

Jenny Kristal was only 6 years old when she disappeared from outside of her home in 2007. 12 years later, a miraculous development occurs. Jenny Kristal returns home.

Safe is such a powerful and emotionally heart-rending rollercoaster of events. You'll have to have a strong stomach to see this through, but it's so worth it.
S.K. Barnett writes carefully as she approaches sensitive details of child abuse. There were moments of gut-wrenching sickness, tears of sadness and bouts of anger of knowing that there truly are monsters in this world that kidnap and abuse.
What really got me through this book were the twists and turns in regarding Jenny and her relationship with the family that she has come back to. Jenny's little brother doesn't seem overwhelmed to have her back in his life and although her parents welcome Jenny back with open arms, something seems amiss.

Despite the awful circumstances surrounding this book, I did enjoy it immensely, couldn't put it down, and would definitely recommend.

Thankyou to Penguin, Random House UK and Netgalley for my proof copy of Safe in exchange for an honest review.

Jenny went missing at age 6, taken from the path when she was on her way to visit her friend. One day, 12 years later, a miracle happens and Jenny finds her way home. But as she settles back into family life the questions begin. Where has she been? How is she back? And is home the safest place for her?
This book had the potential to be great. However it was over complicated, wordy and far to many characters. I felt there were too many unbelievable parts to it and at times I was confused as to what was actually happening.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for this ARC