Leslie Stephens

You're Safe Here by Leslie Stephens is a so-so science fiction drama following three women and a fleet of floating personal pods in the Pacific.

The company run by tech and wellness guru Emmett Neal she named WellCorp has created a successful at-home sanctuary "nests." Now, Emmett has come out with WellPods. They are personal pods which float in the Pacific Ocean. The single occupants of a WellPod have two months to relax and regroup in an isolation environment where all their needs are met. Maggie, a 25-year-old newly pregnant artist, signed up for a WellPod and is at sea. Her fiancée Noa is a 38-year-old coder for WellCorp and she has just discovered something that places doubt on the integrity of the pods. Now Noa realizes that Maggie may not be safe at sea in a WellPod.

The narrative is unfolds through the point-of-view of the three women in chapters dated by the number of days pre- and post-launch. The choice to switch back and forth in time while telling the story didn't work out well in this plot for me. Additionally, as a fan of science fiction, it felt like I've read this story before so no new ground was covered. There is interesting world building, in spite of an almost obsessive need to describe in detail the food prepared by the pod. I didn't connect with any of the individual characters and their development seemed inconsistent at times.Thanks to Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
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