I found this book very hard going and was very glad to get to the end. The issues raised regarding mental health and loneliness are serious ones but a thriller is not necessarily the place to raise them.

Well written story that is truly remarkable what I liked about the story was its characters and suspense that unfolds in a different way was fantastic.

This book will have your mind scrambled! The story follows Jen, a housing officer who is struggling with her mental health and is thrown into turmoil when she discovers a dead body in one of the flats she manages.

From here the book will have you both gripped and scrabbling around to make all the elements of the story match up. The writing is so clever as it draws each part of the story out and slowly, slowly shows you how they fit together.

A story of trauma, of the importance of processing trauma; of the difference between reality and make believe and why it is so important to look behind the front that people put up.

I am afraid that I found this story to be very unsettling. The main character was such an anxious person that it made me anxious reading it. Charlie seems a great little boy and some of the other characters seem very nice and agreeable, but other than that I struggled to finish it.
It is sad to say this when you can imagine how much effort has gone into writing it, but this one was not the best for me, especially during these anxious times. Sorry

I’m afraid I struggled with this book.

There are 2 stories interwoven; the first is of a woman with a young son who, when visiting a flat she manages, finds the tenant dead. Also, her son appears to have issues, but, what they are isn’t made clear.
Then there’s a little girl, Prin, who lives with her parents and a cousin is introduced.
I was keen to find out how it all linked, but, getting there felt a real slog.
An ok read

At the beginning of Safe and Sound, Jennifer discovers the body of a young woman in a flat she manages. The woman has laid there undiscovered for almost a year and Jennifer soon discovers a lie she told last summer has caused Sarah, the deceased woman, to lay undiscovered for so long. Fuelled by guilt, Jennifer is determined to find out what happened to Sarah.

Safe and sound is a book which draws the reader in immediately as you wonder how a woman so young and popular could go unmissed for almost a year. The story unfolds with two narratives - Jennifer who is trying to find out more about Sarah’s life and then chapters set in the past which feature Prin and Jane, two young girls on their school summer holidays.

In each narrative there is plenty on intrigue to begin with, with hints of secrets and past trauma. These hints are repeatedly given throughout the book but you actually learn very little until you are at the end of the book, which was really frustrating.

Jennifer is not a likeable character. She becomes obsessed with finding all she can about Sarah’s life and the actions she takes are often uncomfortable and cringeworthy reading. Her decline in mental health is written well and means that I suspected both her and every other character in the book in having a hand in Sarah’s death.

Despite the slow pace in the middle and the unreliable, irritating main character, I really wanted to know what happened to Sarah and how the two narratives would be linked, so I read into the early hours to finish the book.

I am afraid to say the ending was not worth the wait. The answers to the mystery seemed far fetched and flimsy and I feel there were unanswered questions about the plot too.

This is less a murder mystery and more about women who are lonely and the impact it has on their health. It’s a great concept for a story but it fell flat for me.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and HQ publishing for the opportunity to review and advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Safe and Sound by Phillipa East, Pub Date 18th Feb 2021
Single mother Jenn is suffering from tension concerning her son Charlie. She is juggling her job, her son and her well being. During her rounds as a housing manager, Jenn finds the body of a young woman who has died undiscovered for months. Jenn wants to learn how Sarah's life has gone unnoticed by anyone and decides she must find out more.
I enjoyed Phillipa's debut novel Little White Lies and was looking forward to reading and reviewing it. Sadly and slightly disappointed, I found this a slow-burning story and one I didn't particularly enjoy. This book has many themes - mental health, sadness, solitude, and unhealthy family relations. Although the subject matter was well presented through the characters, I'm sorry to say it is not one that I will remember as a satisfying read.
I want to thank NetGalley, HQ and author Phillipa East for a pre-publication copy to review.

A clever slow burn.

The manager of a housing associating armed with bailiffs goes to evict Sarah Jones after a period of no payment of rent. Once there they find Sarah dead.

This book is narrated by the housing association manager Jen and the book seamlessly moves through the situations that could have led this to happen.

Mental health and dysfunctional and toxic relationships are dealt with sensitively and are a good reminder of those lost in society.

Very good.

In a small London bedsit, a radio is playing. A small dining table is set for three. Curled up on the sofa is a body. Jenn is the one who discovers the woman, along with the bailiffs. All indications show that the tenant, arah Jones, was pretty, charismatic and ful of life.
so how is it possible that her body has lain undiscovered for ten months?

Jenn works for a housing association in South London. When she visits a tenant's bedsit, she finds the body of Sarah Jones curled up on the couch. The woman has lain there for ten months and Jen takes it on herself to find out how this could happen. But Jenn suffers with anxiety and the discovery of the body has only exacerbated it. Interwoven seamlessly into the story from the past of two young girls, Prin and Jane. We learn of their connection later on in the story. The book flips back and forth telling the two women's struggle with their mental health. At times it can be hard to read but it's also intriguing.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HQ and the author #PhilippaEast for my ARC #SafeAndSound in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book with two timelines both told from the point of view of a female character with no obvious link between the stories.
The bulk of the book is about Jennifer whose constant anxiety is so well described that I felt a general sense of unease throughout my reading. I was constantly waiting for something bad to happen which is pretty much how Jennifer felt.
This is a book that deals with loneliness and how powerful our minds can be. It shoes how even though you are struggling you can put on a facade that all is well and Jenn was a master at this, at the expense of her physical and mental health.
This book had many layers and, although a bit of a slow burner, the ending tied everything in a satisfactory manner.

A lot of delicate subjects wrote very sympathetically.
Jennifer works for a housing association and goes to evict a tenant after non payment of rent, only to find a badly decomposed corpse.
Jennifer goes on a search for relatives or people who knew who the victim was and why she wasn`t missed.
Covers mental health problems and loneliness.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Safe And Sound by Philippa East is an absolutely gripping contemporary psychological novel that had me captivated from the start.
The narrative is split into two different time periods – present day in the first person through the lead characters voice and ‘then’ in the third person narrative. The reader is guessing who is the voice in the past? I failed to guess correctly – again.
Within the tale there are truth and lies, reality and imagination, those who can be trusted and those who cannot. It is up to the reader to work out where the truth and reality lie.
How much do we really know people? We imagine that others have better lives than we do – but do they?
There are fractured or strained relationships within the novel. Sometimes these are through love – a love that wants to protect but smothers instead.
The reader witnesses the effect of stress and anxiety on the lives of the characters. Sometimes people hide the fact that they are struggling when they really could do with asking for help but that is too hard. Asking for help is the first step to healing.
I really enjoyed Safe And Sound. I was completely immersed in the novel which was cleverly and masterfully constructed by Philippa East.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I was gifted my copy for the blog tour.

Well, this was an unexpected read for me. I was hooked on it but it was so full of twists and turns and a narrator you couldnt really trust made for a fantastic reading experience.

Jenn is a housing officer and one part of the job she hates is visiting tenants who have gotten behind on rent, but she believes she is a reasonable person and some agreement can be made if Sarah answers her door. When she arrives at the bedsit that morning with Bailiffs and a plan of action, she doesn't expect her life to change so dramatically. Yet Sarah doesnt answer the door and instead they find a body and call the police. However Jenn can't let it go - and all pointers seem to be that Sarah was full of life, was waiting for friends and was very sociable.

Jenn starts to dig deeper, but as she gets further down the rabbit hole that is Sarahs life, her own life seems to start to unravel with uncertainty at work, issues with her son and her grip on reality changing it makes everything that much more muddled.

I found this book put me on edge without knowing why - i had an uneasy feeling reading because i just couldnt place what was happening and it was done in such a brilliant way that it really kept the reading invested. I felt like the author created such a unique atmosphere and reading experience through her use of words and characters that this became such a stand out read for me.

Jennifer the manager of housing association flats comes across the body of a young woman. Follow a troubled Jennifer as she takes it upon herself to investigate the circumstances around her death.
The books addressed very important issues such as mental health and loneliness. It highlights issues within society that need the spotlight shone on them.
The two perspectives intrigue the reader leaving you puzzling throughout trying to slot the story together.
However I found this book incredibly slow burning and difficult to stick with. The descriptions in places were not needed and it would have held my attention better with things actually happening.
The characters were also difficult to connect with.
The ending was good and it was worth reading but it felt like a bit of a task to get there.

Safe and Sound - Phillippa East

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I thought I was going to be getting a run of the mill thriller with twists and turns and essentially a who done it.... however - this was so much more, I felt like I was on an emotional rollercoaster with the main character, who is definitely coming to terms with her own emotions and past experiences whilst trying to get to the bottom of the topic of the book (really trying not to give any spoilers here!) The book really does have a main focus on mental health and anxiety, but I feel that it was handled in quite a compassionate way. Overall a gripping read from a new (to me) author, who I will looking forward to reading more from.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for allowing me the chance to read the e-Arc in return for an honest review.

Not at all what I expected....a thriller but so unpredictable. Told via a dual timelines. I was hooked from the start., overwhelming tension and anxiety..at times quite a unsettling read.
This was well written, at times disturbing.. with Jenn as the main character unravelling a mystery and at times finding herself unravelling too. A compelling read

A dynamic and daunting story told in a dual timeline that merges allowing the characters to look inward on themselves. It epitomises the cause and effects of fragile mental health on an individual’s life and those around them. The story is told in a dual timeline that does effectively merge to give insight into the events within the story. It scarily makes you wonder what is real and what is imaginary.

Safe and Sound was a really unusual and interesting read. A thriller, but not a typical one. Jenn is a Mum to Charlie, and works for a housing association in Brixton. She eats little, and sleeps even less with constant worry and anxiety over her son. At work she maintains a professional demeanour, but doesn't allow anyone close to her.

On a seemingly ordinary day she is tasked with issuing an eviction notice to a private tenant. Only to be met with a horrifying situation. A woman, Sarah Jones, 26, dead in her flat. A table laid for three, and a body undiscovered for ten months.

Jenn cannot stop thinking about this pitiful story, and begins to investigate Sarah. But her own fragile mental health begins to suffer in her search for the truth.

Interspersed with the present, we are invited to read about back then. A seven year old girl taken to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin. What is the significance of this story? And Jenn herself alludes to a difficult past.

The tension is nail-biting at times, and unlike many thrillers, the plot is not predictable. The story is revealed gradually and I for one, became fully engaged with Jenn, at times feeling worried about her, and protective over her.

A really enjoyable and well-crafted story.

This book crept under my skin.

The way it starts with the main character’s anxiety really draws you in and makes you slightly uncomfortable but makes you invested in the investigation which is the main story.

Well written and enjoyable.

The story unfolds across dual timelines and it takes a while to realise how the plot lines tie together. There was a twist I wasn't expecting. The book is a thriller but there are various themes covered including mental ill health, isolation and familial dysfunction.