I just could not get into this audiobook. The story just dragged. There was nothing wrong with the narrator it was just one of those things

One day, Jennifer Arden goes with some bailiffs to see a tenant who has fallen behind on her rent. But there's no answer. She calls the police to gain entry to the house, and she's confronted with something she'd never have imagined.

This story is told predominantly from Jennifer's perspective in present day but is peppered with snippets from the past told from the perspective of a character that we only know by her nickname of Prin.

Jen, plagued with her own anxieties is desperate to find out the story behind what she discovered that day.

This book was ok. I think it was a little slow for my liking if I'm honest and it felt like I was listening to it for a really long time. That said, it was still a good plot, the character development was interesting and the story played out really well. Just probably could have been quite a bit shorter.

There is nothing wrong with this book, but it didn’t grip me.

I listened to it as an audiobook and I always recognise that this can affect my rating rather than reading it in hard copy.

I felt a disconnection with the characters, each had their own troublesome pasts but I felt little relevance between the Jen, the main character and the deceased girl.

That’s not a spoiler, all psychological thrillers have a deceased person....

Jen is a housing manager and when she visits a property she finds the tenant dead, 10 months dead. The police don’t want to investigate it any further, but she feels a duty to find out what happened and why this girl had no one to find her.

I will say that I like the way it highlighted how traumatic events can change you. How the body and mind adapts and changes to manage, or try to forget about reality. A very poignant subject matter which is something that wouldn’t be thought about day to day.

I found the cause of death rather disappointing, a bit of an anti-climax. Not one of my favourites I’m afraid 🤷‍♀️

A great book with a brilliant narrator which discusses mental illness with compassion.
Moving imagery shines through the writing. I really feel for Jenn. I enjoyed Little White Lies too, East isn’t afraid to tackle hard subjects, I’d be thrilled to read her future books

An intriguing and perceptive story about self-doubt, anxiety, and loneliness.
The narrative of Safe and Sound shows an insightful look into the struggles, doubts, and frightening experiences of living with mental health issues and being unable to ask for help. The story describes the downward spiraling of Jennifer, the main character while she tries to uncover the mystery of her Tenants death Sarah Jane.
I enjoyed the mystery, the look into Jennifer's anxiety but at times it felt like a modern version of female hysteria and I had some frustration of just wanting to shake the main character. I think this could have been a 4/5 star if it had been about 100 pages shorter and had a faster pace. At times the plot descended into monotony and self-interest which I wanted to skip and get back into the action.
But overall I think this is an interesting read, with real issues, and offers a sympathetic look into someone struggling with life. If you are a character-driven reader or love slow builds this will be well worth the read.

I could feel my blood pressure rising as I listened to Safe and Sound-what a twisty, shocking ride it was! Two timelines seamlessly drawn together with a such a sad premise at the heart of it-that a young woman can lie dead in her flat for months with no one even noticing. A true tale for our generation where people have separated from their families and friends and just disappear into the city, eaten alive by the lack of social interaction.
The narrator did annoy me at times and she’s not one I would choose to look out for, her make voices in particular didn’t convey the same character as I think reading the book would have done. But apart from that, this is an addictive narrative with an ending that both gave hope for the future but crossed with an incredible sadness.
I love how this author hooks me in and I will definitely seek her out in the future.

This was a well written story , but it was a slow burner taking a while for the story to move on.
Jennifer works for a housing association and one morning visits a property to evict the tenant due to non payment of rent and finds the remains of a body and this is where the story begins.. Jennifer starts her own investigation in to Sarah Jones’ life.

I listened to the audio edition and enjoyed the narration by Josephine Arden.
The story is told from two points of view and the reason for this comes quite late into the account. Jennifer suffers from mental health issues and finding the remains only adds to her issues , which is understandable due to her fragility.The writing is descriptive and poignant ,,describing Jennifer’s turmoil and vulnerability.
Jennifer has a son and her illness at times makes her fixated on Charlie’s health , making her appear over protective. The characters are genuine in their nature and I thought the portrayal of mental health issues was well written in an authentic manner. On reaching the conclusion, it makes clear why Jennifer has the issues she has and you can make sense of her worries.
I expected more of a thriller than the story transpired to be ,and have mixed feelings overall about the book although it was beautifully written and narrated.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for this copy.

Very mixed feelings about this book
The main character Jennifer lives with her son Charlie there are so many mysteries in this book it gets confusing but you also want to find out why???
Jennifer is totally neurotic and sometimes that just annoyed me ., Jennifer works for a company who manage let properties and on a home visit she finds something she wasn't expecting and can't seem to let it go and continues to investigate what happened herself
There are two stories on the go in this book so it flicks between "Now" & "Then the second story drops in every few chapters and involves Prin an only child who's parents bring Jane her cousin to live with them , There is obviously a reason for why this has happened but you don't find out the real reason why until you are well into the book and its chapter 34 before it all starts coming together

The storyline deals with a few delicate subjects with mental health being the main one. The pace is quite slow and does make you wonder where its going. The plot runs with a dual storyline of past and present but with this one it was hard to see how they linked with each other until it all comes together. I found Jennifer the main character really unlikeable. The narrator suited Jennifer’s character though. There was a lot of hints towards secrets and past traumas but very little is given away till the book concludes which was somewhat frustrating as that’s what keeps you interested. Was a little disappointed that there was some information not explained so the reader is left with unanswered questions which isn’t ideal. It was only ok unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this ARC that was published on the 18th of Feb.

The narrator of Safe and Sound does a good job when voicing the adults but I find an adult trying to speak in a child’s voice creepy. I suppose it would have been confusing had she not done so.
This book starts with a sad and lonely death. The sort you hear about in the news where a body lies undiscovered in their home for a long time. This woman was young, making it all the more sad. Jen tries to discover what happened to Sarah and is shocked to realise that she once knew her. Having suffered mental health issues in the past, Jen is worried that she had something to do with the death.
This book looks at loneliness, depression and anxiety in a number of forms. However, whilst sad, it does leave you with a feeling of hope. An excellent story that I couldn’t put down.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book. I listened to it rather than read which in retropect was a good thing. By listening (whilst doing mundane chores) the tension built and for much of the book I really wasn't sure how the different parts would meet up. However I do think it was an hour or so too long and if I had been reading I might have given up or just skimmed to the end as there was ooddles of description of even mundane actions which would have been frustrating to read. As it was the brilliant narrator did a good job of allowing the tension to build.
For once I was happy with the ending and didn't feel it came too soon or was cut into abrubtly. Overall a good listen if you want company whilst doing other things but not fast pace enough to be gripping.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for an advance audio arc for honest review.

This is a solid mystery. I would categorise it as thriller, it doesn’t really ever get to that point, but as a mystery it works well.

We have two separate POVs and timelines, the main perspective is a young mother who works for a housing agency and on visiting a tenant, she discovers a dead body that has been sitting in the apartment a long time. The second perspective is a young girl when her cousin comes to stay with them.

There is the use of an unreliable narrator in this, I didn’t mind it too much but I did find it a little overdone in places. It’s become such a trope in mysteries it’s starting irritating when reading. However this is one of the better ones.

I felt parts of the mystery were quite obvious as to what had happened. Some twists were well handled but some were a bit meh.

It was a solid mystery and I think new fans to the genre would really enjoy it. People who are looking for a high-stakes thriller might be disappointed. This isn’t that kind of book.

I would definitely consider more by the author I think they have a great style and prose.

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.

Safe and Sound - Philippa East
Narrated by Josephine Arden

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and Netgalley.

Home can be the most dangerous place…

In a small London bedsit, a radio is playing. A small dining table is set for three, and curled up on the sofa is a body…
 
Jenn is the one who discovers the woman, along with the bailiffs. All indications suggest that the tenant – Sarah Jones – was pretty, charismatic and full of life.

So how is it possible that her body has lain undiscovered for ten whole months?

I thought this book started out slowly, but overall the book is well-written and has a very compelling plot. As Jenn ‘investigates’ the pace picks up and I was intrigued by the twists the investigation takes.

As Jenn investigates, her mental health deteriorates and as a reader I thought this was portrayed realistically. East has written this novel in such a way, that as a reader I had trouble trusting the characters so I felt I was in the same position as Jenn.

This is a clever dual timeline through the story, although the significance of this is not made clear until near the end of the book.

Rating 4/5

I enjoyed the premise and the twist. The characters weren’t particularly likeable so I didn’t find myself having any sympathy for the main character. I think the book was a little too long. I listened to the audio version and it was over 10 hours long, 8-9 would have been enough. That said, I’m glad I listened to the audio and on the whole found the story enjoyable. I would like to read more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the audioARC of this book.

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.

4* from me makes this a great read.

A new author to me, Philippa East lives in London and worked in the NHS as a clinical psychologist before becoming a full time writer.
🎧 I had the audio version. It feels like a domestic drama.
A part of Jenn’s job is to accompany the bailiffs on giving notice of eviction. On arrival to a small London bedsit they find a tenant who has been dead for 7 months. When she realises she knows the victim and that the police have closed the case,she decides to investigate as she feels guilty due to missing an inspection.
My first thought was a flat, how have the neighbours not made numerous complaints about the smell which must have been god awful. The author addresses this satisfactorily.
Jenn’s issues of anxiety and obsessive behaviour are a main part of the story. She manages to put a coping front on at work.
I like the narrator. She adds drama the story. She does a good young Prins voice.
Its a descriptive character driven plot.
Most of the story is in the present, mixed with some from ‘back then’ where we see the character of Prin. We are left for much of the book to find her relevance.
It’s a long book at 400 pages. I feel that it could do with condensing to help the pace which is slow. The tension is created by the anxiety issues, but it wasn’t enough keep me fully engaged throughout.
I liked the characterisation of Jenn as she bravely battled her issues stepping out of her comfort zone to get recognition for Sarah.
I really enjoyed the unravelling of the plot. Everything came together well. I felt the book gave good insight of someone struggling to live with anxiety and addressed several mental health issues.
I especially liked the ending.
The writing style puts me in mind of Lisa Jewell,if you are a fan of her books I think that you would enjoy this one.

Safe and Sound by Philippa 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. The narrator has a wonderful tone which makes for easy listening