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Safelight
Emily Fillan is the proud owner of a prickly mouth and a mountain of emotional baggage. In one year, she has suffered a nervous breakdown, dropped out of college, and acquired a mean case of writer’s block. To top it all off, she is burying her father—the police officer who offered more sympathy to the criminals he arrested than to his own daughter. In tying up her father’s loose ends, Emily encounters the wounded individuals who made up his universe.
Among them is Joe Corner, the worst, most irresponsible, best babysitter Emily ever had. Spending time with Joe, Emily realizes her vision of her father may have been obscured by the grey-tinted glasses she donned as a child after her parents’ contentious divorce. Emily’s reconnection with Joe develops into a warmth she quickly labels her soul’s salvation.
But Joe is no savior. He is already in a committed relationship with the white powder that helps him forget his crooked roots and the sinister figure emerging from his past.
Emily’s father always insisted no one is beyond redemption. How long can one man’s loving influence survive after death, and is it too late to inherit her father’s compassion to save those she loves? Only one thing is certain: If Emily is to heal her wounds and Joe’s, she must learn that saving and helping aren’t necessarily the same thing.
SAFELIGHT is character-driven contemporary fiction. It is a gritty, coming-of-age story of wounded protagonists, blending new adult angst with irreverent, dark humor. Content warnings can be found on the author's website.
Among them is Joe Corner, the worst, most irresponsible, best babysitter Emily ever had. Spending time with Joe, Emily realizes her vision of her father may have been obscured by the grey-tinted glasses she donned as a child after her parents’ contentious divorce. Emily’s reconnection with Joe develops into a warmth she quickly labels her soul’s salvation.
But Joe is no savior. He is already in a committed relationship with the white powder that helps him forget his crooked roots and the sinister figure emerging from his past.
Emily’s father always insisted no one is beyond redemption. How long can one man’s loving influence survive after death, and is it too late to inherit her father’s compassion to save those she loves? Only one thing is certain: If Emily is to heal her wounds and Joe’s, she must learn that saving and helping aren’t necessarily the same thing.
SAFELIGHT is character-driven contemporary fiction. It is a gritty, coming-of-age story of wounded protagonists, blending new adult angst with irreverent, dark humor. Content warnings can be found on the author's website.
- GenresContemporaryFiction
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 30, 2021
3 people are currently reading
749 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
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March 9, 2024
He pressed his forehead against her collarbone. “It’s like it’s there waiting for me, Em. Even when I was done with it for years. It was there all along.” His shoulders jumped with suppressed sobs. “Like it’s my shadow.”
I’m actually really glad I didn’t read the whole summary before starting this book - it made everything twist and turn, taking me along for the ride. It’s a beautifully well written novel about grief, addiction and love. A wholly unexpected tale and one I’m glad I picked up!
SPOILER WARNING
I haven’t read a book with this subject matter in a while, but I was immediately pulled into the story Lown has created.
After Emily’s father dies, she’s left with a house, photographs that don't make sense, and a whole host of bad memories, guilt, anger and confusion. At her father’s funeral she meets Joe, who she knew briefly for a summer during her childhood. But she hasn’t seen or heard from him since. Joe, she discovers, remained close with her father, a fact made even more bewildering for Emily when everyone in her father’s circle tells her to steer clear of Joe. The reason, she soon learns, is Joe’s long time struggle with addiction to cocaine.
Despite the warnings, and her own growing apprehension, Emily falls for Joe hard and fast.
“Just trust me.”
“I want to,” Emily whispered against his shirt, eyeing the baggie on the ground as if it were an exposed landmine ready to destroy them both.
Joe is such a complex character. Like Emily, he’s rough around the edges and not always likeable (when he uses he’s an awful jerk, but each time this occurs, Emily or another character tells him off and he apologises once he’s sober), but you still find yourself rooting for him to turn things around, get clean and be the man Emily (unlike her father’s friends) believe him to be. His use of drugs, of course, becomes the wedge between him and Emily. Luke, his best friend, tolerates his use, long having given up on trying to get Joe clean; her father, we learn, helped Joe get clean for three years, but he fell into bad habits again with an ex-girlfriend.
I really liked the part where Emily put her foot down and walked out on Joe after one too many bad moves on his part. My heart broke for Joe, too, but he was lying to her at every turn and I’m glad she stopped tolerating it. (Not to mention best friend Luke’s epic I will not be your go between moment. Good on ya, lad.) I know this all sounds bleak, but these characters are so easy to root for even when the subject matter gets as dark as it does. Like, it’s not Girl, Interrupted levels of dark; it’s more like Skins or Euphoria. I also really loved their relationship, which balanced out the dark moments (especially when his brother later shows up, ooooof). They were easy OTP material from the get go.
I really liked Luke as a side character; Mary, too. The characters all feel real; actualised and dynamic. Emily is a character I found myself deeply empathising with. Yes, sometimes she was downright frustrating, especially when she jumped wildly to conclusions. But also? I so get why.
Lown made Emily so completely relatable that even when I wanted to scream at her, I also wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay. Her struggles with her parents left her so guarded and jaded; follow that up with her ex-boyfriend’s figurative knife to the heart and all she had to go through alone, and you get a lady who doesn’t trust anyone and often snaps, snarks and snipes at those trying to help her protect herself. She was such a colourful and believable character. Vibrant in a way that leapt off the page. And I think that is a feat solely down to Lown’s skills as an author. Tough, rough, gruff characters are incredibly tricky to write well, and I really liked how well Emily, and Joe, were woven together.
To that end, the writing in this novel is straight up fantastic. It flows so eloquently, and Lown spins beautiful prose. There are some seriously wonderful lines in this book and the story as a whole is utterly immersive. Hats off to the author, this is an impressive debut.
Thank you so much to the author for the review copy!
☆ Book Reviews | Bluesky | Twitter | Threads ☆
I’m actually really glad I didn’t read the whole summary before starting this book - it made everything twist and turn, taking me along for the ride. It’s a beautifully well written novel about grief, addiction and love. A wholly unexpected tale and one I’m glad I picked up!
SPOILER WARNING
I haven’t read a book with this subject matter in a while, but I was immediately pulled into the story Lown has created.
After Emily’s father dies, she’s left with a house, photographs that don't make sense, and a whole host of bad memories, guilt, anger and confusion. At her father’s funeral she meets Joe, who she knew briefly for a summer during her childhood. But she hasn’t seen or heard from him since. Joe, she discovers, remained close with her father, a fact made even more bewildering for Emily when everyone in her father’s circle tells her to steer clear of Joe. The reason, she soon learns, is Joe’s long time struggle with addiction to cocaine.
Despite the warnings, and her own growing apprehension, Emily falls for Joe hard and fast.
“Just trust me.”
“I want to,” Emily whispered against his shirt, eyeing the baggie on the ground as if it were an exposed landmine ready to destroy them both.
Joe is such a complex character. Like Emily, he’s rough around the edges and not always likeable (when he uses he’s an awful jerk, but each time this occurs, Emily or another character tells him off and he apologises once he’s sober), but you still find yourself rooting for him to turn things around, get clean and be the man Emily (unlike her father’s friends) believe him to be. His use of drugs, of course, becomes the wedge between him and Emily. Luke, his best friend, tolerates his use, long having given up on trying to get Joe clean; her father, we learn, helped Joe get clean for three years, but he fell into bad habits again with an ex-girlfriend.
I really liked the part where Emily put her foot down and walked out on Joe after one too many bad moves on his part. My heart broke for Joe, too, but he was lying to her at every turn and I’m glad she stopped tolerating it. (Not to mention best friend Luke’s epic I will not be your go between moment. Good on ya, lad.) I know this all sounds bleak, but these characters are so easy to root for even when the subject matter gets as dark as it does. Like, it’s not Girl, Interrupted levels of dark; it’s more like Skins or Euphoria. I also really loved their relationship, which balanced out the dark moments (especially when his brother later shows up, ooooof). They were easy OTP material from the get go.
I really liked Luke as a side character; Mary, too. The characters all feel real; actualised and dynamic. Emily is a character I found myself deeply empathising with. Yes, sometimes she was downright frustrating, especially when she jumped wildly to conclusions. But also? I so get why.
Lown made Emily so completely relatable that even when I wanted to scream at her, I also wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay. Her struggles with her parents left her so guarded and jaded; follow that up with her ex-boyfriend’s figurative knife to the heart and all she had to go through alone, and you get a lady who doesn’t trust anyone and often snaps, snarks and snipes at those trying to help her protect herself. She was such a colourful and believable character. Vibrant in a way that leapt off the page. And I think that is a feat solely down to Lown’s skills as an author. Tough, rough, gruff characters are incredibly tricky to write well, and I really liked how well Emily, and Joe, were woven together.
To that end, the writing in this novel is straight up fantastic. It flows so eloquently, and Lown spins beautiful prose. There are some seriously wonderful lines in this book and the story as a whole is utterly immersive. Hats off to the author, this is an impressive debut.
Thank you so much to the author for the review copy!
☆ Book Reviews | Bluesky | Twitter | Threads ☆
April 19, 2024
I didn't realize how invested I was until I turned the last page and shouted "That's it?!" LOL.
This isn't my typical genre but Casey made me enjoy it more that I thought!
This isn't my typical genre but Casey made me enjoy it more that I thought!
August 25, 2021
I won this book in a giveaway and wanted to share my opinion of it. This book is relatable for anyone who has known someone addicted to drugs but it was a great read. You really get a sense of the characters and get to see real growth. I enjoyed the book quite a bit but wished it had ended a little differently. I do recommend reading this despite how I feel about the ending, it was so worth it!
September 4, 2021
Finding myself time and time again desiring to have these characters as real people in my life.
Luke is my favorite.
Luke is my favorite.
September 1, 2021
READ IF YOU ENJOY:
• seriously flawed characters overcoming self-hate and addiction
• tons of angst and dark humor
• judgmental horses
• seriously flawed characters overcoming self-hate and addiction
• tons of angst and dark humor
• judgmental horses
September 10, 2022
This book threw a couple punches at the end.
November 22, 2021
Perhaps one of my fave reads from this year. Loved how flawed the characters were and the emotional toll the story evokes
December 22, 2021
This was - a lot. Interesting, sympathetic characters, well-written, but stuff. just. kept. happening. In the end I skimmed the last 15% and I'm glad I did because even /more/ stuff happened that was even more traumatic. And it doesn't end with any kind of easing off point. Not really a romance (or only barely) and I wouldn't have attempted it if I'd known that (feel pretty sure it was presented to me as such).
BUT, that said, if you are someone who likes literary fiction, then this is well-written and interesting and certainly had me thinking about the characters and their situations in between reading.
BUT, that said, if you are someone who likes literary fiction, then this is well-written and interesting and certainly had me thinking about the characters and their situations in between reading.
March 7, 2023
This book had me captivated. In a refreshing change I didn't instantly like the main character, Emily. In fact I thought she was a cold, closed off, ice queen bitch. But that's what this book does so well. None of the characters are perfect. They are human. And humans are flawed. But by books end, I was rooting for them. Rooting for Joe and Emily to make it work. Rooting for Luke to be true to himself. Rooting for them to all get some happiness where life had weighed so heavily on them. And while those answers, and more, might have been left up in the air, I was left with a sense of want. I need to know what happens to them all. I crave that happy ending (as cliche as it may be) for them.
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December 27, 2021Full of angst and the complications of young adult life. Safelight’s characters are very relatable and easy to care about, despite their very human shortcomings and traumas. The book should provide readers with many opportunities to reflect on their own passage into young adulthood and beyond. It did for me!
August 21, 2025
This book will grab you and take you along for the ride. Every chapter left me begging for more. You will laugh, cry, scream with rage, and fall in love with every character. I will recommend this book a million times over! 10/10. I will definitely be purchasing more books by this amazing author! Casey, you knocked this one out of the park! Thank you for such an amazing experience!
December 15, 2024
Good read! Well written, full of drama and angst. Not my typical genre but I’m glad I read it and I enjoyed it, two thumbs up! I do feel it could have used more physical character descriptions because I had hard time picturing some of them (especially the main character).
February 11, 2023
Highly recommend to anyone looking for a well written book with tons of twists and turns.
November 3, 2024
Well written novel with incredibly complex characters. Definitely gritty and at times hard to read because of realistic intense plot line and character struggles. Make sure to check trigger warnings!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews