I never repeat the blurb. Didn't really enjoy this...a bit too disjointed with random interruptions to another story...annoying and unnecessary.

Remember Joyce Vincent?
How in a population of 9.5million can someone pass away alone, and no one notice their absence from the world?
This is the tale of a Jennifer Arden, , a housing officer, who discovers the body of one of her tenants in a flat that she manages. This has a profound effect on Jennifer who makes it her mission to discover more about the dead Woman's life, and in turn has to face her own demons..
A captivating tale of hidden traumas and modern life and loneliness and love....Read it, and remember Joyce Vincent

I love a dark book with interesting characters and unusual circumstances and Safe and Sound really ticks those boxes for me.

Set in Brixton, single mother Jenn is trying to juggle her work life and her family life caring for her young son Charlie as well as dealing with crippling anxiety.

Jenn works for the local council in the housing department and when she attempts to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent she discovers the body of a young women lying on the sofa, radio playing in the background and the table set for 3. Shaken by this discovery and then horrified when she learns the victim has been dead for 10 months, Jenn starts a personal investigation to try to discover how this situation could possibly happen.

Jenn has issues herself, anxiety, panic attacks, constant concerns about her son’s health, a dysfunctional family and this situation tips her over the edge. Following Jenn’s journey to find out more about the young woman, Jenn puts herself in potential danger and difficult situations when her obsession becomes out of control. This is a very claustrophobic tale, written beautifully about mental health issues, obsession and isolation.

Safe and Sound is, in my opinion, a stunning book and I highly recommend it. Out on 18th February 2021.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This author and this genre were both new to me and I really didn't know what to expect. "Safe and Sound" introduces us to housing official Jennifer Arden, a character with a troubled life and mental health issues. When she is sent to Brixton, to evict a tenant with rent arrears, she discovers the young female tenant dead having lain undiscovered for almost a year. What follows are a series of events, as Jennifer is drawn into her own investigation as to how the victim died.

Jennifer turns out to be an unreliable narrator and as the plot unfolds several twists are revealed.

Sadly, I don't know how it all turns out, as I was unable to get further than halfway through the book, an almost unheard of situation for me.

Maybe it was the dual timeline that confused me. Maybe it was the slow introduction of new characters. Or maybe it's just not my kind of book. The writing was fine, albeit rather plodding, and I certainly found it hard to like Jennifer. I'm sure fans on Girl on a Train will enjoy the book, and would certainly recommend giving it a go.

This is a new author for me but unfortunately I wasn't keen on this book, I couldn't get into the story line and I found the characters to be a bit boring and I am sorry to say I did give up on it just over halfway through.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Domestic thrillers set in compelling London destinations are very ‘here and now’ and this is a novel that will no doubt appeal to readers of Louise Candlish, Louise Doughty, and other highly accomplished and versatile authors that feed this genre. Safe and Sound transports us not to the wealthy enclaves of North or West London, however, but to a house in Brixton where housing official Jennifer Arden turns up to evict a tenant with rent arrears. When Jennifer discovers the young female tenant is in fact dead and has lain undiscovered for a while, an unstoppable chain of events is set in motion as Jennifer struggles to get to the bottom of this shocking discovery. Like The Girl on the Train’s Rachel Watson or The Woman in the Window’s Anna Fox, Safe and Sound’s Jennifer Arden is also a highly unreliable narrator struggling with mental health issues and issues that are gradually unpacked as the plot unfolds.
I initially found the dual timeline that switches between twenty-first century Jennifer and an earlier time featuring a girl called Prin rather confusing. Coping with these shifts in perspective became more satisfying, however, as it became clearer how Jennifer’s and Prin’s narratives were connected, and as it became easier to evaluate the additional characters that surface throughout the novel. Overall, this was an interesting, engaging read and I thoroughly recommend it. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for me writing this honest, unbiased review.

This is not an author I am familiar with but decided to read this novel. Unfortunately, the characters and storyline did not hold my attention and I could not complete the book. I know fans of Philippa East will enjoy this novel, but sadly, this was not for me.

I give a 2 star rating

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I felt like I was taught about mental health issues. Then a weird story to illustrate these issues. Would have been a better story without the teaching.

I have to admit for me this book didn't really get going. Jenn is mentally ill and lives with her son Charlie. Her paranoia is triggered by the unexpected death of an old work colleague, who lays dead for months before being discovered, due to Jess' negligence. She becomes intrigued and tries to find out more about her mysterious past. All comes good in the end which is good as I feared for Charlie's health!!! Kept waiting for it to be exciting but for me it lacked something...

The story was well planned and executed. I was gripped very early on and was absorbed into the story to want to find out the endings. The story tells of Jen who has suffered from her own mental issues and discovers the body of one of her clients. She then sets out to find out the reasons why. There are two other characters who seem superfluous but this becomes clear by moving between different time frames. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this. It was a well thought out and executed thriller. The characters were likeable, and I was rooting for them throughout.
It took a while for me to understand the importance of the Prin and her cousin subplot, but I definitely didn't predict the twist and I loved it!
I personally would have liked more twists but I think I am a very demanding reader!

With thanks to HQ and NetGalley for an early reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely not a story to read when you’re feeling emotionally fragile.

While it’s partly about the circumstances which led to the tenant dying alone with no friends or family to raise the alarm, it’s also about Jennifer’s circumstances. Due to Jennifer’s guilt, she’d missed some routine check-ins with the tenant because of a personal situation, she becomes very invested in finding out what has happened. However, her personal mental health means she’s not necessarily in the best place to cope with that search. This has a knock on impact for Jennifer and her eight-year-old son as she struggles to cope with the past.

Everyone in this story has secrets. They put on a public face which hides their personal anxieties and guilt. While the circumstances may feel more extreme in the novel, the desire to hide your worries and perceived failings certainly felt familiar to me. This story shows how secrets leech into all areas of life, and how hard it can be to ask for help.

Well-written and absorbing this is a great read. It’s not gory or spooky, but it is unsettling. Well worth adding to your reading pile.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Safe & Sound - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars.

This had me gripped! I just couldn't work out where it was heading.
The books main character, Jenn is suffering with her own mental health and anxiety. When, in her job as a housing officer she discovers the body of a young women, one of her tenants, who has been dead for 10 months.
This books flicks back and fourth between present and 'back then'. You are taken on a journey with Jenn, who wants to get to the bottom of why nobody discovered the body sooner, her own mental health deteriorating, becoming anxious over her son and finally the truth about her own past.

This book involves mental health, loneliness and grief.

I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from the author, Philippa East. Thank you to both author and @netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Safe and Sound. I found it well written and fast paced. Each chapter gave enough information into the story to keep me wanting to read more but not enough to make the plot obvious. I thought the twists and turns were fantastic and I did not want to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my ARC.

I really enjoyed Safe and Sound by Philippa East. It is the story of single mother Jenn who discovers the body of a young woman that has lain undiscovered for 10 months. Jenn takes it on herself to find out how this could happen. It was a slow burner to begin with but there were plenty of twists and turns along the way which kept my interest to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my ARC.

Follow the world of Jennifer as she stumbled from one problem to another. Is it her imagination or is someone else playing with her life and why. A really good read.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. At first, I found it very slow and ponderous. The passages where it went back in time to Prin and Jane flowed better and the pace picked up towards the end. The subject matter of mental illness leaves you wondering what is true and is very disturbing.

I’m sorry to say I could not finish this story. The story never seemed to get anywhere and unfortunately Jennifer is not a particularly attractive person. She is trying to look after son Charlie and do her job with the Housing Association but during the course of her duties finds a body in one of the apartments which has been there for some time. Jennifer has history but we don’t quite know how this has made her the character she is and by the time I had reached halfway in the story I no longer cared. Sorry!

The book starts with Jenn (a housing manager) along with bailiffs, going to a tenant’s flat to try and recover an outstanding amount of rent which is arrears. Their horrific discovery sets off a chain of events which are graphically explored as the story unfolds.
Jenn lives with her son Charlie; both are complex characters and I found it interesting how the author draws in events from Jenn’s past which have bearing on her life today. Several chapters are written by characters from the past, and as the story builds up it’s intriguing to discover how these characters link into the plot. From finding the tenant in her flat, Jenn’s mental health starts to deteriorate but she is reluctant to seek the help she desperately needs.
I found this to be a gripping and absorbing story in which the secrets of Jenn’s past are uncovered and their relevance to her current life. The author has skilfully drawn a picture of a troubled woman and it was interesting discovering the events which led to Jenn becoming the complex woman she is now. Although, occasionally the story lacked pace, I felt empathy for her character and enjoyed reading the book. Recommended reading.

Safe and Sound by Phillipa East
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-
-
-
When single mum Jenn attends a routine check on a property her company manage, she wasn’t expecting to make the horrifying discovery that tenant, Sarah Jones, had passed away many months before. Jenn, clearly struggling with her own anxiety battles, takes it upon herself to investigate why this young woman had no one who missed her in the 10 months she lay dead in her bedsit. Weaved amongst this is a story from the past of two young girls, Prin and Jane, who’s connection is revealed late into the book. A clever story, well told by East. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
-
-
-
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the ARC
#books #booknerd #bookworm #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstack #bookchallenge #booklover #reader #read #2021reads #readersofinstagram #reading #bookswithcookandacuppa #safeandsound #phillipaeast #NetGalley