The Surf House by Lucy Clarke review

About The Book

Book: The Surf House
Author: Lucy Clarke
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date (UK): 27th February 2025

My Review

Clarke is the Sunday Times bestselling author behind nine destination thrillers. I joined Stu Cummins’ group read of The Surf House this May, as she is a new to me author and it was great to read along.

I actually read it whilst on holiday in my campervan, pitched up by the water. Both feature heavily in the book, so it felt as close as I could get to the optimal reading setting!

Bea is on a modelling job in Morocco when she’s accosted in an alleyway and has her backpack stolen, complete with her passport. Like Bruce Wayne, this becomes her origin story, as a dark moment in that alley leads to Bea’s life taking a huge and unexpected turn.

She’s helped by a passer-by named Marnie, who owns The Surf House, a guesthouse in a nearby town. Marnie provides Bea with a roof over her head whilst she takes stock of what has happened. It’s not long before Bea discovers that another woman stayed there before her. One who hasn’t been in contact with anyone for quite some time, as her brother arrives in town to try and find any leads.

I guessed the two bigger twists very early on (at around the 15% mark) but I still enjoyed watching everything unravel. Bea is a likeable character and it was great to witness her growth throughout the novel!

It’s purely a personal preference but I’m not generally a fan of relationship elements/spice in books. That being said there aren’t too many of them and they work well with both the motives and the overall holiday-read feel of the story.

If you are after a destination thriller and looking for a book to pack for an upcoming hot/water related holiday then I would recommend this!

Thank you to BeRead who have kindly sent me a copy of this. The version read and reviewed is one I purchased myself on Kobo.