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Lucy Clarke is one of those authors who I will always jump at, at the chance to read whatever her newest book is.

The Surf House was so mysterious and I loved it.
We meet Bea, an ex model, who finds herself in a tricky situation in Marakesh. She is saved by a random woman, Marnie, who she has never met, and drives her to safety at The Surf House.

Throughout the story, we get to learn of Bea's time at The Surf House and what she overcomes, and we join her on a new adventure. Thinking of home, Bea finds herself wanting to stay exactly where she is, until a piece of The Surf House's history is unveiled. Bea makes it her mission to understand what happened to Savannah, a US traveller who went missing the prior year.

I found the story addictive and thrilling and could not put the book down once I got stuck in! Lucy has a way with being able to introduce twists and turns, and when you think you've got it all figured out, she swoops in and adds a twist and you're caught off guard!

This was a 4.5 star read for me.

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I really loved this book. Bea is working as a model in Marrakesh. When she decides to pack in her job, she becomes involved in a nasty incident in the city, from which she is rescued by Marnie. Marnie takes her to the property on the coast that she owns with her partner and which is a haven for surfers. Bea starts to work their in exchange for her board and lodging. But all is not as it seems in this idyllic spot and when an American man turns up looking for his sister who was last seen at the Surf House a year ago, Bea finds herself helping him in his search. This is a great story in a lovely setting and the twists just keep on coming! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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The Surf House by Lucy Clarke is out on 25th February 2025...

I have followed Lucy's writing career since her debut novel The Sea Sisters...

Lucy shares with us on social media her huge passion for surfing and travelling...
Both are incorporated in to her new novel..

Book Review
Colours always grab your attention immediately don't they, they certainly do mine..
I just love the cover of The Surf House...
We meet an array of characters in this story....
Bea is working as a model in beautiful Marrakesh. She seems almost detached from her job and one day stands up and leaves. It all becomes too much for her. While taking a walk, she is followed by two men who try to rob her. While help comes to her unexpectedly, a life changing moment sends her life on such a different path to the one she was just on.
Settling in at The Surf House and needing her friendship with the owner Marnie, Bea sees that she also needs to reconnect with herself and find out who she really is.
I loved how she begins to find out the things in life she enjoys and bring comfort, most of which have been suppressed or curtailed due to her career. Her love of baking helps her focus and gives her a moment to enjoy something wonderful.
Learning to surf gives her hope and seems full of promise.
I adored Bea in this story. Her strength and resilience shone through so many times even though she seemed almost as if she had nothing to give anyone.
She needed someone to love her for herself..
I so wanted that for her.
The authors descriptions of Marrakesh were wonderful and encouraged me to perhaps research it for a trip some day. I must admit I was swept away by its sunshine and beautiful setting..
Seems almost too good to be true...
Secrets and lies are entwined in Bea's story and all is not as it seems in The Surf House.
She values her friendship with the owner Marnie and seems very taken with night surfer Aidan.
But why does nobody seem to know or want to talk about the young woman who vanished the previous year without a trace.

Well worth your time...

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Thank you to the publisher for approving an arc via netgalley!

I was really excited when Lucy Clarke announced this book, having read The Castaways and The Hike, I knew I was in for a ride with this one!

The Surf House follows Bea, a model who quits her job mid shoot, and gets into trouble, and ends up meeting Marnie, who own the surf house. She stays with Marnie and Ped, whilst helping out for board and food. But then Seth shows up, looking for his sister Savannah, who went missing a year ago after staying at the surf house. I genuinely didn’t know who to trust, I even thought Bea might know more than we see on the page. Thisbook had so many twists and turns, and they all joined so perfectly at the end, everyone seemed to be hifing something and I had new theories every few chapters, some closer to the actual truth than others, but I was satisfied with how it turned out.

The Surf House is a tense book, and has a general feeling of unease woven throughout, and the reveals at the end had me literally gasping, because it was such a crescendo of everything that had happened! I flew through this book, and I have to read the rest of Lucy Clarke’s backlist, and I am bow a massive thriller person, but Lucy Clarke’s books always end up being such brilliant reads!

I am giving The Surf House 4.5 stars and I am looking forward to both the next one, and reading the backlist!

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What can I say, another great thriller from Lucy Clarke. I have read a few of her books and this book doesn’t disappointment.
I loved the beautiful setting of this book and could visualize the setting of the landscape. I was particularly attracted to the cover.

Bea is sent to Morocco on a modelling assignment. Upon leaving her hotel, she is mugged and a woman (Marnie) helps her to escape. Having no money, bag, passport Bea travels with Marnie to the Surf House that she manages and story develops from there.

This is a fast paced thriller which I read within a few days, with a lot of twist and turns in this story line leading me to continue reading to get to know the truth, I was totally immersed.

I would recommend this book thanks to netgalley for an ARC of this book.

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Another city, another modelling contract and another day of being posed, powdered and photographed, it all becomes too much for Bea and after plunging herself fully clothed into the pool of the Marrakesh riyadd where the photoshoot is taking place, Bea walks out on her modelling contract.

Tired and alone, the Medina well behind her Bea finds herself in a very different part of Marrakesh, realising her mistake she turns to head back only to find her way blocked by two men, menace radiating from every pore. Thats when she meets Marnie, appearing out of nowhere and coming to her aid, taking her home and giving her a place to stay whilst she sorts out her stolen passport and belongings.

Home is a remote hostel on the Atlantic coast where life is easy, people come and go as they please, the waves pound the beach and the days turn into weeks as Bea finds herself giving a hand run the place in return for her accomodation.

Impeccable scene setting and great characterisation made this an an enthralling read. The sights and sounds of Morocco radiated off the page and the twists kept on coming. Nothing is as it seems and this was a gripping read from start to finish. Totally recommended.

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Ohhhh this was was my first Lucy Clarke book and I can see what all the hype is over this author !!

The Surf House is a very colorful slow burn , that will make you feel like your in Morocco and pick up surfing !

The premises of this book was very different and bounced back and forth between two time lines and dual narrators, and the first few pages you are pulled in by the unstable , spiraling out of control model Bea who has had enough of living a life she does not want, and finds herself in an encounter that could end her life.

From here the story takes a turn of it's own and your left juggling what is going to happen and what did happen ??!!

Lucy's writing is very descriptive and had the sense of danger lurking, but my only qualms about The Surf House was I felt the story kept repeating it self and I did struggle to keep engaged , but overall I am really glad I toughed it out and want to head to Tofino now and take up surf lessons .

Thank you so much Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and Lucy Clarke for this taunting ARC!

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

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Absolutely brilliant book!
I am a big fan of this author and love the writing style!
I cant wait to read more!

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A very tense and atmospheric mystery book that is well written with strong characters and an interesting suspicious plot.
The setting of Morocco is picturesque but also fraught with cultural differences that often takes Bea by surprise.
As the plot unfolds and the twists build up, it all culminates in a harsh satisfying end!

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The Surf House by Lucy Clarke.

Welcome to The Surf House Where everyone’s escaping something…

From the start this book will you hooked. Bea is working as a model on a shoot in Marrakesh when she walks out and doesn't return. She gets attacked and her things are stolen when Marnie comes along and saves the day and of course Bea. She lets her move in to the surf house. A beautiful tranquil spot. She starts to help out to pay her way. When an American turns up looking for his missing sister everything starts to unravel. What happened to Savannah? And will the truth finally come out.

As soon as I was accepted to read this one I jumped straight in to reading it on my kindle. The Surf House is definitely one of those books that will be hard to put down. I found it fast paced and quite an intriguing read. I enjoyed all the characters and the location was superb. The flashbacks from Savannah was a lovely touch and her diary entries.

Thank you HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for a gifted copy of this book.

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Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC. I love Lucy Clarke so was very excited to get an early copy. Her destination thrillers are so fast paced you can read them in one sitting. I loved the tension in this book combined with the beautiful setting. Lucy Clarke has such beautiful and descriptive writing that makes the world feel real and this book was no different. The twists aren’t too predictable either so they have great payoff and I really enjoyed how the mystery was unveiled!

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Wow what a fantastic read. When Bea walks out of her modeling job and immediately gets into a very serious situation she eventually finds safely at the Surf house but things are about to get much worse for her. Full of twists and turns with plots that will keep you guessing the outcome right to the end and can she really trust anyone anyone as she eventually finds out the secrets that have been covered up. Highly recommended 5🌟read

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Rating: 4.0/5

I enjoy Lucy Clarke's writing style. It is fluent and engaging and there is invariably a filmic quality to it that makes it no surprise that her work ends up being dramatised for the screen. That said, although her two novels prior to this one were good, I felt they were guilty of being a touch formulaic. However, I am pleased to say there is no such issue with "The Surf House".

Over recent years Lucy Clarke really has staked a claim to be regarded as "The Queen of the Destination Thriller". She regularly serves up appealing locations for her books, but manages to avoid simply using the same hackneyed settings that some other authors opt for.

This latest offering, "The Surf House" has the Moroccan coast as its backdrop. Unhappy career model, Bea, has just walked out on her latest shoot only to immediately find herself in trouble when she strays into a dodgy area of Marrakech. Having been set upon by muggers, Bea is saved by the intervention of Marnie - but not without some additional drama that threatens to have serious consequences. Marnie takes Bea to the coastal haven of Mallah, where she runs the eponymous "Surf House". The setting is idyllic and the laid-back lifestyle seems to offer Bea everything she felt she was missing from her life - but she is still haunted by the shadow of events in the back streets of Marrakesh and, as time goes by, the addition of some further mysteries too.

After the exhilirating drama of the opening chapters, the pace may be a little slow for the likes of some readers until the latter stages of the story. This is not particularly unusual for a Lucy Clarke mystery. Personally, I have no real issue with her choice of structural approach with an often subdued tempo. Lucy Clarke's narrative style and sound characterisation are sufficiently engaging to ensure I remain rapt in the proceedings.

Regular readers may be able predict some of the major plot developments, but regardless of whether you do or not, the road to the eventual unravelling of the mystery is an enjoyable one to travel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

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I loved all the secrets and drama surrounding Bea and her companions staying at The Surf House in Morocco. It's all set against the glorious backdrop of surfing in the sea. A great entertaining and enjoyable read.

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Lucy Clark is such a clever writer. She keeps you guessing right until the very end. This book is every bit as brilliant as her other books. Grab a coffee, set yourself in a comfy chair and watch the hours disappear as you lose yourself in the story.

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A twisty thriller set in Marrakesh amid the heat and sun and surfers. Very atmospheric but I didn’t connect with the characters but that maybe me. A good summer read.

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I loved all of Lucy Clarke’s previous books so was delighted to get to read an early copy of The Surf House.
I had a weekend break to Marrakesh this year so delved right in and the author captured the atmosphere perfectly..
An engrossing read I would definitely recommend

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I enjoy Lucy Clarke's books and this was no exception. I think the way she writes is so clever as she tells gripping stories with complex characters yet manages to keep a lightness of touch and tone in her storytelling. The setting was interesting and the cast charismatic. Overall this was suitably engaging and I couldn't put it down! Many thanks

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Set in Morocco, Bea is a model and is on a modelling shoot when she has a meltdown and walks out. Checking out of her hotel she wanders around Marrakesh when she falls prey to a mugging. But she is helped by Marnie who is passing by but Marnie is no match for the muggers and Bea end up stabbing the mugger in the neck as he was strangling Marnie.
They flee, going to Marnie beach house in Mallah. But Bea had dropped her backpack, passport and the bloodstained knife with her fingerprints.
Here the story unfolds, gripping with tension and Bea is stranded at Mallah, a beautiful place on the coast. Lucy Clarke describes Morocco so good, it made you feel like you were there. Good characters and the storytelling is great, I loved it.

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This is a substantial and fast paced thriller from an author who’s adept at creating characters and developing a strong sense of location. I’ve never visited Marrakesh, but felt a real sense of the place from the descriptions and that helps the reader buy into the story. Bea goes there to escape and ends up embroiled in things she can’t control. What Stewart’s as a glitzy glamour world soon turns dark and I was hooked by the characters and the careful plotting. Unexpected twists make it diff to predict where this story is going and I just lived the pure escapism, but one lacked with intrigue and excitement. It’s another winner.

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