Cover Image: Safe With You

Safe With You

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Member Reviews

This is a gripping read. The story is told from multiple POVs in alternating chapters. The ending wasn’t what I was expecting. This is a very thought provoking read.

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A good read and a nice twist on the missing child genre. I didn't expect some of the surprises and I really enjoyed it.

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Kath has lived on the same estate for years in London and everyday her next door neighbour Mina knocks on the wall when she is home from school. But one day the knock doesn’t come - what has happened to the child?

I really enjoyed this thriller and the who done it? I really had no idea who was to blame for Minas disappearance and the twisty plot had me going back and forth between the characters. All of the suspects had flaws and I just couldn’t quite work it all out and when it was revealed I was really shocked. This was a great thriller - this was my first book by the author but I’d definitely read more.

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Expect the unexpected in this thriller that thrives on delivering shock after shock, keeping you engaged in its electrifying narrative.

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This one was a little slow to start, in part because I was expecting a pretty routine story. To my surprise and delight, though, it ended up developing into something more twisty and intriguing.

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Safe with you is a story of loss and second chances. Little Mina is missing. Did someone take Mina, or did she willingly run away? Kath, the elderly neighbor is the best part of this mysterious whodunnit. As the suspects begin to surface, Kath is nicknamed Miss Marple, as she attempts to uncover the truth behind the tragic disappearance. The action definitely picked up toward the end, leading to a shocking conclusion I never saw coming. Thank you NetGalley and HQ Digital for my copy.

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Wow! That twist! I always wish for books to throw an absolute sucker punch of a twist in and none of them ever seen to shock me anymore but boy did this one. Absolutely never expected what was going on one bit and it was just a brilliant twist; the culprit literally could have been anybody.

I liked all the different perspectives, well except Sandy probably but I get why it was necessary.

I didn't really see the point in the epilogue from the wee girl's perspective as it was the only time we actually heard from her.

This is a must read, if only for that twist alone.

*Thanks to NetGalley, HQ and R. M. Ward for the copy of this book. All views are my own.*

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Absolutely loved this book
Had me hooked from the first page to the last
Lots of twists and turns
Couldn’t put it down
Can’t wait for the next book from this author
Thanks NetGalley

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Wow the ending on this one was spectacular. It held my attention the whole way through. The ending was unpredictable just the way I like it.

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Kath looks out for the little girl next door but one day she doesn't come home. Wow what a brilliantly mind blowing physcological thriller. With complex characters and a jaw dropping twist I loved this!

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I was fortunate to receive a space on the blog tour from HQ for this book, and also to read along via Pigeonhole.

This book is about a young girl who goes missing on an estate. It's about family, community, right and wrong, making judgements.

It was a very moving read and although the ending wasn't a huge shock, it was still powerful and really made me reflect on how we live our lives and interact with those in our area.

My favourite quote:
"They were very Marks and Spencer, if you know what I mean. Nicely turned out, quiet sort of people."

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When Mina disappears whilst her mum is working, Kath gets involved in the police investigation. Mina was last seen in a cafe where Den works, with a past he doesn't want exposed. As the story unfolds, more secrets are uncovered.
A rivetting thriller, with lots of twists and unexpected turns! I had to read it in one go! Excellent writing, with superb characters and plot!

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Good book, like the premise, complex characters and social circumstances. Nice to have a different edge but still get the same tension as a good thriller.

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Mina is a little girl that lives next door to Kath. They implemented a system that lets Kath know that she is home safe. One fateful day the knock that Mina usually does, didn’t happen. Kath is alerted by this and takes upon herself to search for answers. A thrill ride, with some twists that will keep the reader guessing until the end.


Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for this review copy, I received this review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Kath has lived on the same London estate for decades. Lately she’s become friendly with the little girl next door, who is often left alone for hours at a time while her mum is at work.

They have a system. When Mina gets home from school to the empty flat, she knocks on the wall three times. Knock, knock, knock. I’m home safe and sound.

But one day Mina’s knock doesn’t come. Kath raises the alarm and the police begin the search. Kath was the only person looking out for Mina – now she might be the only one who can bring her home.

Unputdownable psychological suspense

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This was a very twisty story, kept me interested, kept me guessing. I loved the ending. Such a great book. Creepy characters lots of dead ends . Highly recommend. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

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Wow, just wow…. I really didn’t see that ending coming! This was a great read and I couldn’t put it down. Amazing book! A definite must read!

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Safe With You is set on a council estate in London. I had to research what this means and it's essentially a neighborhood that was planned and built at the same time. We don't seem to have anything similar here in the states, here I think we would just call it our neighborhood. Based on books I've read based in the UK these estates seem to be communities where people live, work, look out for their neighbors, and do lots of gossiping. Kath is an elderly woman who has lived in her flat or apartment for 40 some odd years. In the time that she's lived there the neighborhood's gone downhill, now there's lots of crime and little children who appear to be neglected by their parents. Some of this crime is being committed by said children and teenagers. Kath has new neighbors, a mother and daughter, and having noticed that the mother is away often has been keeping an eye out for the little girl. One day the little girl, Mina, doesn't give Kath their agreed upon signal, three knocks on a shared wall. When the signal doesn't come the next day Kath decides to go out looking for her, and so begins the search for Mina.

This neighborhood has several shady characters, at the cafe there's a young man who after an incident in college has been labeled some unsavory things. Den seems nice, but also seems very nervous at times. His father, Tony, has been disappearing at odd hours, also very suspicious. There's a construction worker that comes in and out of the cafe, that may or may not have been seen talking to Mina, who is also acting very suspiciously coming in and out of his work site on days off. Some of the teenagers have also been seen bullying and following Mina on different days, they're known to be violent with each other, would they be violent with Mina? Then there's Mina's mother, Sandy. Sandy isn't the best mom, she's trying her best though. She has to work a lot to make ends meet, she's also very young and a little selfish, but as we read we find out she's really not a bad mom, just not a great mom, but did she have something to do with Mina's disappearance? Kath inserts her busy body into every possible conversation and starts to help the police and even the community in their search for Mina. She seems off herself but she's an old lady, maybe that can explain her confused state and wandering mind.

Chapters alternate between Kath, Den and Sandy in the four days after Mina's disappearance. All are desperate to find her for different reasons and we find out different details of the situation from each pov.

I really enjoyed the author's writing, the characters were fairly easy to like, even the ones that we weren't supposed to like. I would definitely read more of this author's work, and would recommend it to my reading buddies who enjoy a good, fast paced mystery.

A huge thanks to the author RM Ward, the publisher HQ, and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC for my review purposes. This did not influence my review in any way.

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Eleven-year-old Mina Dimitriou and her elderly neighbour Kath Cartwright are friends who look out for each other. Living side-by-side on the tough Nelson Flats estate, Mina is a child often left to her own devices who knocks on the wall to let Kath know when she’s back from school, and Kath responds in kind. This practised ritual provides security for both females, but one day, the wall remains silent. Did Mina ever come home? How will her careworn, hardworking mother Sandy react? And does fellow Nelson Flats resident Den play a role in Mina’s disappearance? Constructed in alternating points of view, the different sections told from the perspectives of Kath, Den and Sandy combine to create an overall picture of human ingenuity and goodness against the toughest of backgrounds that is even more interesting to explore than following the police operation that threads way through the pages. Highly recommended, this is a novel that deserves lots of new readers. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC that I received that allowed me to read this novel and to produce an honest, unbiased review.

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Mina Dimitriou, 11yo, always gives three knocks to her elderly next-door neighbour, Kath Cartwright when she gets home from school at 3.40 pm. Kath gives three knocks back until one day Kath doesn’t hear from Mina. Mina's mum, Sandy works, doing a bit of everything to make money. The school that Mina attends reports her missing to Sandy and the police are called in. Well-plotted and engaging.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HQ Digital via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

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