Wow! What a fantastic book! I didn't want to put it down because I had to know what would happen next. It was so dark and twisty. There was never a dull moment during this fast-paced story. The ending was shocking and horrifying. I highly recommend it!

While the mystery of what really happened to Jenny was intriguing, many details throughout the book were too dark and disturbing for me.

SAFE started off a little slow for me. It didn't really get going for me until about 60% into the book, but then holy moly what a ride!

When Jenny Kristal was 6 years old, she walked down the street to visit a friends house, but never made it there. After being missing for 12 years, Jenny has escaped, and has finally come home. She is now 18. and it's a shock to her family, the community, but most of all her brother Ben. Who has some suspicions.

I had some suspicions myself of where it was going to end up, and I ended up being right about most of them. I didn't love the rushed ending, and it felt a little too tied up - but it was fun read nonetheless and I'm glad I read it!

The plot is the reason for the four stars. It is obvious from the tag line what the first twist is in this plot. Each new change is a little less obvious than the previous one, all the way to the coup de grace. The book does a great job of pacing out the story so that the ending is a clear evolution of the interactions of the present, so that the plot remains plausible even though that same plot is extraordinary.

The structure of the book is largely single-narrator (the returning teenager). Certain chapters expose the viewpoint of other family members. Those help to create deeper characters, especially the brother. The chapters themselves are very short: 52 and there's an epilogue and an after too, all in only 319 pages. That structure keeps the brisk pace of the plot; any exposition has to finish somewhat quickly. It's as if everyone's mind is racing the entire time with no break.

As for the writing style it's terse and filled with references. I thought it was OK. There isn't much elevation, but everything is clear. The scenes themselves aren't that vivid, and the psychology isn't that interesting. But that's OK. This story isn't meant to be told in a deep literary style. The story is meant to take you from event to event to event, so you're aware from the onset that you should be going through this book in two or three sittings.

Other books like this I usually give two or three stars, but the journey of this plot is why this is a four star book. I recommend this book, and I recommend that you finish the book in three sittings maximum. One if you're an avid reader.

Thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss, Penguin, and Dutton for providing me the e-book to review.

Safe by S.K. Barnett is a fast-paced thriller about Jenny, who was kidnapped at age 6 and has now returned home 12 years later. Although you'd think she would feel much safer being back in her childhood home with her family, it quickly becomes clear that both Jenny and her parents have something to hide.

Safe has a gripping, unique plot that makes it hard to put down. I love a thriller with a twisty ending, and this one definitely delivered! Although Jenny was an interesting, well-developed character, her family and friends were a little flat. There were some parts to the story that were a little too unbelievable but overall I enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to fans of thrillers with big twists.