Set in small town America ,Damage is a book about male rape and the effect it has on the victims family ,friends and of course the victim .It is a slow burner sometimes distressing but the subject is treated very sensitively but nonetheless it is a tough read probably not for everyone .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

A sensitively written book about the sexual assault of a young man and the aftermath of how he and his family try and deal with it afterwards. This deeply explores family loyalties and the lengths that people will go to to protect their own and the complex relationships and interdependencies.
The premise of this book was excellent and very well executed, I did, however, find it a little slow in places but you could argue that was allowing time to build up the familiarity and understanding of the various characters.
The ending was (slightly) surprising and definitely memorable and the story was very thought provoking. Recommend.

I received a copy of this from the publisher Penguin Michael Joseph, and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure where it was going to go and it took a few turns before it got to the end, this was a good thing as it kept me guessing for a while!

The story is told from a few different points of view. There is Nick, Tony, Julia and Detective Rice. I really felt for Nick the whole way through the story. The first thing that caught my attention about this book was the male sexual assault storyline, it’s not something I think I remember reading in a book before. So this piqued my interest. Poor Nick, the trauma he endured and was going through afterwards was awful and my heart really went out to him.

Julia I liked, she is a strong woman and knows what she wants. She is Tony’s wife, and Nicks sister in law. Tony was a strange one. I liked his character and the caring nature behind him, but he was easy to snap. I can’t imagine I wouldn’t feel the same though, so I understand his anger and frustration. Detective Rice was one to figure out too, he seems sneaky and underhanded.

The story has so much hurt in it, sadness and love. It digs deep into relationships with marriage and family. I’d definitely read more from his author.

Thank again to Penguin Michael Joseph, and Caitlin Wahrer for my early copy of the book!

The last thing Nick remembers is going back to a hotel room with the handsome, charming stranger he met at the bar. Then - nothing until he wakes up, alone, bleeding and violated. When Nick reports his rape, his over-protective brother, Tony, is beside himself. He has always been a father figure to Nick, and the fact that he hasn't been able to protect his brother leaves him devastated and reeling. And Julia, Tony's wife is worried about both brothers. Can Tony let justice take its course? And will Nick ever be able to recover?

I'm always a fan of a dual narrative, and enjoyed the way this novel switches between past and the present, where Julia is sitting with the detective who investigated Nick's case, and the two are looking back on the events of Nick's assault and the consequences, with more and more of the story being gradually revealed.

The novel is at times very dark, but I also found it sensitively written, and realistic, with the central characters developed beautifully, flaws and all. I would definitely recommend this book, and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As an avid psychological thriller reader, I am always delighted to find fresh voices and looked forward to reading this new novel set in Maine, New England. The protagonist of this novel, young college student Nick Hall, suffers a brutal rape by an acquaintance he had encountered in a bar. Recounted in flashbacks, we find out how Nick fares in the local justice system as he tries to take his attacker to court whilst also processing memories and experiences of childhood abuse meted out by his alcoholic father. Whilst authentically written (the author has herself worked as an attorney) and highlighting a compelling twenty-first century issues, I am afraid the plot of this novel proved too brutal for me – I prefer the suspense to develop through allusions and carefully crafted prose, rather than layers upon layers of brutality and evil spelt out on the page. I will therefore most probably not read any further Wahrer novels but would nevertheless thank the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC provided in return for this honest and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this book although I don't really like books written in two time zones where the reader is constantly switching between events several years apart . However, it is engaging and a good page turner and tells the story of a family torn apart after the assault of a young man who has a one night stand following a chance encounter in a bar on a night out. Society always seems to want to apportion blame in such a case and particularly so if it a homosexual relationship. .The reader is lead along to a probable ending when the perpetrator Ray, goes missing but a twist to the tale provides an unexpected ending.

An intelligent, intriguing thriller that deals with a brutal rape of a young man and the ripple effects through his family and friends and the investigating officer. Excellent plot and characters and twists to the end.

I was interested to read this book, it deals with a subject close to my heart and one that needs to be brought more into the open - too many men struggle with situations like the one Nick finds himself in, support is very hard to find and even harder to ask for in the first place.

It's a difficult read, and one that I struggled with - not in terms of writing but in the subject matter. Wahrer really doesn't pull her punches. I guess that's probably the idea, though!

II know this is a short review, but the book is brilliantly done if hard to cope with. Five stars for the quality of the writing. I'm sorry that I'm not able to provide a fuller review.

WOW! This was a hard hitting, intensely emotional thrill ride of a book and I couldn't put it down once I started. As others have said, the subject matter was difficult to get through often, but that's how life (sadly) is all too often: difficult and ugly. The take on a rape storyline here was, for me, unique and highly interesting. I will be thinking about this one for months. Five stars, thanks for a great read!

What a brilliant novel. Nick goes out and meets a man in a bar. Couple of drinks later they leave together. A decision to be regretted. Nick accuses Ray of rape, which he denies.
How do you cope with this trauma? How to those who love you cope?
So well written and you really care about all involved. Full of trauma, tension, lies, truth, risk, dander and a little hope. Kept me gripped throughout, enjoy.

Chilling, atmospheric, visceral, emotional and absolutely grips from the start! It'll make you take a sharp in-take of breath!

Set between 2019 and 2015; Detective John Rice is on the case and Nick is the victim of a sexual assault. Tony Hall is his brother, who along with his wife, Julia want to protect him. Tony and Julia have their relationship issues and what's happened to Nick furthers that stress.

This in a way tells an important story with a deep subject matter - it shows a young man being sexually assaulted and both brothers being damaged, not just by this, but the book also hints at the sort of man their father is. It shows their raw emotion and reaction, which is so heartrendering. This is all handled with realism and sensitivity, especially when it comes to Nick meeting Lisa who questions him. It's a very moving book with the way the characters interact with each other and how they are affected by the secrets that spiral through the book.

The level of high intensity is consistent throughout the book. As much as it is an emotionally affecting read, it is powerful and so much so, it's quite hard to put down. It magically draws the attention in, even though the subject matters within it are hard ones. 

There are twists and turns as a result of so much damage being caused to people, that are deeper and darker than expected and that grip ferociously to the very end as the effects are huge and cause behaviours to spiral out of control.

Bookmark and Stages

This is a really good debut novel by Caitlin Wahrer.
Damage is a hared read at times due to the subject matter. Nick is the victim of a violent sexual assault whilst at college. It’s good to see authors acknowledging that men are victims of rape to. This book also shows what effect this offence has on the family and friends as well as the victim.
I’m usually not a fan of a book being a slow burner but I’m glad that this one was because it needed to be due to the subject matter.

Thank you to NetGalley the publisher and the author for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review

I enjoyed this debut novel by Caitlin Wahrer. The themes of the book are original and tackled a difficult subject as well as highlighted the downsides of social media; very relevant. I found that I was intrigued straight away but at times I found the pace quite slow, but the story was good enough to keep me reading on. I liked the different points of view and going back to past sections added to the suspense .I didn't guess the ending, although there were some questions left unanswered.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the writer for my advanced copy.

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

This was a slow read at first but as it picked up I became engrossed. I enjoyed the parallel storyline from past and present, and the premise of the book was original.

I really enjoyed this, it had me gripped from the beginning. I’ve been so busy at work it took me so long to read which disrupted my enjoyment of the book as I just wanted to read on and find out what was going on. I found Tony a little annoying at times but I feel like this was intentional from the author. I was gobsmacked to hear it was a debut novel as the writing was so mature and I would definitely like to read more from Caitlin in the future. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Penguin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good debut novel by Caitlin Wahrer. The book is set in the U.S.A and the main characters are a family living in Maine, Tony & his wife Julia Hall, their two children, Tony’s brother Nick and Detective John Rice. Nick , a young student, hooks up with an older man in a bar and willingly goes to a hotel room with him, where he is brutally beaten up and sexually assaulted. It’s a less commonly talked about topic and may not suit everyone.

I was drawn in straight away and although I do agree with some other reviewers that at times the story seemed a bit long and drawn out, I was keen to stay with it. It addressed some very valid points about the downside of social media and asked some searching questions about how far a person would go to protect their family? It was told from the view point of the different characters, which I liked but did also jump back in time for different parts, a style of writing I’m not so keen on.

The end was a surprise and I would have liked the ending to be definitive and with a bit more detail but all in all, I enjoyed it and kept finding excuses to sit down and read a bit more!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. When 20 year old Nick is the victim of a violent sexual assault, he and his family are devastated. His older brother, Tony, has always looked out for him, and swears he will kill the attacker. Tony's wife, Julia is concerned that Tony will do what he's threatening, and she is determined to keep her family intact, come what may. I really liked the characters in the story, including the police officer, Rice, and the plot was pacy. This really is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat til the very last paragraph!! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

Twisty nuanced mystery regarding sexual assault and social media. I was able to keep reading despite my preconceived biases on this topics, and I felt myself bouncing back and forth taking on all the characters' perspectives. I look forward to reading more from this author

I'm sorry that I can't rave about this book which in my opinion was just an okay read, It was slow and I didn't particularly gel with any of the charecters. I felt sorry for Nick and what he was going through although it was a change from having young women as victims it never seemed to take off. I have no idea what goes on in the US legal system but it certainly didn't seem to be on the side of the victim, allowing speculation to be aired in the press was something I found irritating. All in all not for me.