Safe with Me by Amy Hatvany

Safe with Me

by Amy Hatvany

A "compelling and thought-provoking" (Kristin Hannah) novel about two mothers and one daughter who are linked by tragedy and bound by secrets, from the acclaimed author of Heart Like Mine.

The screech of tires brought Hannah Scott's world as she knew it to a devastating end. A year after she signed the papers to donate her daughter's organs, Hannah is still reeling with grief when she unexpectedly stumbles into the life of the Bell family, whose fifteen-year-old daughter, Maddie, survived only because Hannah's daughter had died. Mesmerized by this fragile connection to her own daughter and afraid to reveal who she actually is, Hannah develops a surprising friendship with Maddie's mother, Olivia.

The Bells, however, have problems of their own. Once on the verge of leaving her wealthy but abusive husband, Olivia now finds herself bound to him in the wake of the transplant that saved their daughter's life. Meanwhile, Maddie, tired of the limits her poor health puts upon her and fearful of her father's increasing rage, regularly escapes into the one place where she can be anyone she wants: the Internet. But when she is finally healthy enough to return to school, the real world proves to be just as complicated as the isolated bubble she had been so eager to escape.

A masterful narrative shaped by nuanced characters whose delicate bonds are on a collision course with the truth, Safe with Me is a riveting triumph.

Reviewed by Leah on

4 of 5 stars

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Amy Hatvany came to my attention a few years ago when I stumbled across her novel Best Kept Secret. I thought it was a simply amazing tale about a secret alcoholic and it rather put Amy on the map for me. After that I simply knew I had to keep up her next releases. I duly did, and although I didn’t love Outside The Lines as much as Best Kept Secret, I did enjoy it and I have Hatvany’s other novel Heart Like Mine on my Kindle for a rainy day (yay). So when I spotted Safe With Me up for review on Netgalley I was thrilled, because I thought it sounded really great. Amy Hatvany is rather like Jodi Picoult I find, they seem to write books about topics no other authors will touch, and that really does set Amy and Jodi apart, and it’s why I always look forward to their books a little bit more than I should!

Safe With Me introduces us to three narrators (yay – I do like a book with more than one narrator, especially when I’m interested in the characters as much as I was here) Hannah, Olivia, and Maddie. Hannah is in mourning after the death of her daughter, Emily, a completely random out-of-the-blue death, after she was run over while on her bicycle. But Emily’s death allows Maddie to live, as Maddie has a disease which means she needs a new liver and Emily’s liver very much fits the bill, and soon Maddie is thriving, and even able to go to a real school for the first time in a very long time. Her mother Olivia, never really expected to see the day when Maddie was fit and well again, and it renews her plan that she will leave her husband, but she needs to wait until Maddie graduates in two years, to ensure she won’t lose her. When Hannah and Olivia accidentally meet, it sets up a chain of events neither mother thought possible, and Hannah sees this as her chance to look over Maddie, and build a friendship with Olivia.

Safe With Me was SUCH a clever novel. It introduced us to Maddie, Olivia and Hannah during the first stages – Emily dying and Hannah’s grief and Olivia and Maddie’s excitement, tinged with sadness, that a liver had been found, before quickly fast-forwarding to a year later. I was really into the novel right from the word go – Hatvany is such a captivating writer that you can’t really help but fall into her novels and they do not let you go, let me tell you. The triple narrative was really great, because it allowed us to see the plot from all sides. The only side missing was James’s side and, since he was a monster, he doesn’t get a side, and I wasn’t interested in his side. I think Maddie was probably my favourite character, she’s closer to age than Olivia or Hannah, and it offered a nice teen insight into what was a pretty serious novel. I loved how she escaped from real life by using the Internet to be whomever she wanted to be. I also really enjoyed her friendship with Noah, who she meets when she starts going to a proper school again. He offered a nice aside to all the seriousness.

Novels about abuse are always difficult to read and I had real sympathy for all of the characters. For Olivia, for having to put up with it; for Maddie, because she knew about it and could do very little to help; even Hannah, who ends up embroiled in the middle of it. Abuse always provokes opinions in me and I’ve always been of the opinion that if somebody hits you just the once, that’s it, you should get out, but I could appreciate why Olivia stayed. James was SUCH a charming character to the outside world, and I could sense Olivia’s fear that her leaving would mean she’d possible lose Maddie. Leaving must be the hardest thing somebody who’s being abused can do, and I am slowly coming to that realisation that it’s not as simple as walking out the door, not when kids are involved. Hannah was an interesting character, too, her grief was palpable and almost had me in tears during those first few chapters. I sort of understood why she didn’t tell Olivia and Maddie who she was, because how do you tell somebody that? It’s massive. Life-altering stuff. Safe With Me was such a fascinating novel, with great characters all around. Hatvany really knows her stuff and her books are always super impressive. She’s once again produced another fantastic read, long may that continue.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 10 February, 2014: Finished reading
  • 10 February, 2014: Reviewed