THE SURF HOUSE by Lucy Clarke

4 STARS

I love Lucy Clarke's books. She's able to intertwine mystery, suspense alongside meaningful character development and atmospheric settings. The Surf House is no different.

Bea is a disillusioned model, who joins The Surf House in Morocco, alongside a host of different characters. Marnie, Pedro, Aiden and Elin - all surfers and travellers. We also learn of a girl who disappeared 1 hear ago, Savannah, and whose brother has come to investigate her disappearance.

The first half of the book is dedicated to story telling and setting the mystery; around three quarters through, the pace picks up and accelerates towards the conclusion. Overall, an entertaining and thrilling read.

Thank you netgalley and harpercollins for the opportunity to read this book. Lucy Clarke has done it again this book takes us to Morocco you can visualise the scene and imagine you are right with the characters. The Surf House is a fast paced thrilling page turner i demolished this book in a matter of days and it left me wanting more. I didn't expect the twist which i most definitely didn't see coming. Lucy clarke please write faster I can't wait to read more adventures!

Lucy Clarke never fails to captivate me with her stories. This was no exception to that, it was a gripping read that had me on the edge of my seat from start the finish. The pacing was very well done and I was always excited to pick it up and read.

The Surf House 🌊

Synopsis: When Bea gets attacked in an alleyway in Marrakesh, she finds refuge at the Surf House.

She discovers that the last person to occupy her room was a young woman the same age as her, that went mysteriously missing a year ago. And she was last seen at the Surf House.

🌊

I loved this new thriller by Lucy Clarke! This was a fantastic, atmospheric read. This book had the right balance of eerie suspense and unpredictability. 

I was rooting for Bea throughout the whole book and was hoping she would find out what happened to Savannah.

I did guess one of the twists so I knocked a star off my rating.

If you love stories with immersive settings, multi-dimensional characters, and suspenseful plots, this story is absolutely for you. Highly recommend!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Surf House by Lucy Clarke was a WoW excellent book from start to finish especially as it is full of secrets and You know what happens with secrets they have a way of coming out, so The Surf House was a great read full of twists and turns that will have you turning the pages quickly to find out what happens next. WoW especially as it was sent in set in Morocco - I love this place.

The Surf house was a great easy read with great characters that are full of life. I love the way Lucy writes.
I highly recommend this excellent book great for your holidays sitting by the pool etc.
Perfect cover for this book.
A 5 star read.

My second read of Lucy Clarke's and while it was an easy read, I wasn't wowed by it.

I loved the descriptions of Morocco, from the crowded markets of Markaessh to the beaches of Mallah, Lucy Clarke is great at painting a picture for us. I also liked Bea, for the most part, despite her naivety.

But I could see the main twist coming. Overall, the book was enjoyable and had my attention throughout.

Thanks to Netgalley & HarperCollins UK for the e-copy!

Right away I was gripped by this book, it was full of secrets, danger and intensity. Such a suspensful read overall.

Bea has her rucksack snatched and is rescued by Marnie, who agrees Bea can stay with her for a while as her passport was stolen along with her other possessions.. Later, Seth comes looking for his sister who disappeared a while ago and was last seen there. The storyline goes between his search for his sister and the events leading up to her disappearance.
A compulsive read

I love the holiday destination settings of Lucy Clarke's thrillers and set in Morocco this was no exception. Her writing really transports you there and I could imagine only too well the fear of getting lost in the souks. The destination, flawed characters, twisty storyline and short chapters combine to make this a compelling and easy read. Unusually I guessed this one fairly early on but there were plenty of curveballs along the way to make me doubt myself.

Bea becomes fed up of her latest model shoot and leaves abruptly. She finds herself in the back streets of Marrakesh where she is saved from attack by Marnie. She then travels with Marnie to her Surf House, where surfers stay for food and board, sea and surf. She finds she is following in the footsteps of a missing girl and she attempts to unravel the mystery.
Various twists and turns with a dual timeline, keeps you hooked.

Lucy Clark has written another fast-paced and enjoyable book! 

Bea, on a modelling contract in Morocco, has a small meltdown (literally and figuratively). She leaves her modelling assignment in Marrakesh and wanders the city, suddenly finding herself in a dangerous situation from which Marnie bravely saves her. Her bag and passport are missing, leaving her stranded, and this is how she arrives at the Surf House, a picturesque location where surfers gather to enjoy the sun, sea, and surf. However, not everything is as it appears.

This thrilling destination novel offers blackmail, mystery, a missing girl, and a body or two. Presented in a dual timeline, this book will keep you entertained from start to finish. While I anticipated some of the plot twists, it was nonetheless a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

A fast-paced and well-written destination thriller from one of my favourite authors, who does an amazing job of conjuring the atmosphere of Morocco and creating believable and compelling characters.

Bea is only supposed to be in Morocco for a few days on a photo shoot, but the isolation and pressure of her life is even more oppressive under the stifling heat. Before she knows it she has walked away from what some, especially her mother, would call a dream job, but she is sick of the scrutiny and having to suppress her own feelings throughout her whole life.

She leaves the hotel searching for somewhere no-one will find her, but in her daze of emotions on the unfamiliar streets, she realises she has wandered into trouble. Just in time a young woman steps in to help, but soon events are spiralling out of control.

She has no option but to flee to the coast, where she is able to find a place to stay and work to earn her keep. The setting is glorious, with travellers enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and excellent surfing. But there are secrets lurking beneath the surface, and when a man arrives in search of his missing sister, Bea has to try to unravel the mystery, both for his sake and her own.

Wow, this was a great read with a brilliant twist at the end I didn’t see coming.
Bea walks off a modeling job and gets attacked on the streets of Marrakech, but Marnie is there to save her. They head back to her surf side house and Bea thinks her troubles will go away.
An easy read with some great characters full of life, the writing was excellent and was fast paced. A 5 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Rating - 4.5 stars rounded off to 5

In love with the sights, vibes, waves and colours of Morocco!

Take a bow, Lucy Clarke - the queen of destination thrillers!

Thanks HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for the ARC!

Synopsis -

Bea’s just survived a nightmare in the dark, narrow alleyway of Marrakesh. Seeking solace and a peaceful place to regroup, she arrives at The Surf House, in the quaint, idyllic fishing/surfing village of Mallah. While she runs from her tedious past, Bea might just be getting entangled with a dark, convoluted web that’s built on lies, subterfuge and secrets, that might be hiding ugly things under its beautiful, calming facade.

Review -

Of course, it’s the setting that takes the centre stage in this well-plotted thriller. Bea’s journey begins in the chaotic yet elegant and energetic city of Marrakesh with its souks selling colourful wares, hawkers yelling and the heat enveloping us like a blanket. Later, it’s in the remote hamlet of Mallah, a surfing haven, where the beautiful meets ugly and eventually everything unravels.

Clarke’s personal experience with surfing adds to the magic. Her writing is immersive, atmospheric, evoking both the adrenaline jolting and the serene, mind settling characteristics of this adventurous sport.

The surfing lexicon is woven in just the right amounts to help us really feel the breaking of the waves, the misty, salty spray of the white water - as though we ourselves are the surfers experiencing the sheer head rush and excitement that surfing promises.

The storyline is crafted around The Surf House, bringing together the threads of its inception and a missing woman who stayed here a ago. The light, easy going, calming vibes of the narrative gradually begins to turn sinister, packing tension and building up intensity, as Bea’s findings and troubles cast an ominous shadow on everyone involved- her questions and discoveries deepening our suspicion and doubts.

The ending was a string of revelations that turn up totally out of the blue, as we gasp in shock, unable to believe how it all just unfolded. However, it was a relief to see Bea finding a way back to herself, truly connecting with who she is and and she wants to become.

Don’t miss this twisty, exotic destination thriller.

Another brilliant read from this very talented author.
Lucy Clarke writes in 3D, you can feel the intense Moroccan heat on your shoulders, sense the swell of the surf on your body and smell the exotic smells. You’re immediately invested from the first page you just don’t want to stop reading. The book centres on Bea and the cast of bohemian characters she meets at the Surf House but as the story unravels it gets twistier and twister until your head is in a spin. A true unputdownable read.

It is always very exciting to receive a copy of the latest Lucy Clarke novel. I know that I'm going to be transported to a fascinating location with a strong set of characters and a mystery. Even better in a grey February to have a story filled with sun.

So, I set time aside, gave the dogs some chews so that they didn't disturb me and started to read...

This novel is set in Morocco, and as is usual with Lucy Clarke's novels is strongly plotted, it moves at pace with twists and evocative descriptions. The characters are credible, I felt a sense of unease as the story progressed and it was hard to put down.

The sport of surfing is something that Lucy knows well, this is shown in the language used which made the story even more believable.

Bea, a model, is currently on a photo shoot in Marrakech, but is becoming more and more despondent about her life and career, so she decides to quit halfway through the shoot and wanders off into the night, unfortunately she takes a wrong turn and gets lost, she finds herself in a situation which Marnie rescues her from and takes her back to her home at The Surf House in Mallah, where Bea agrees to help out in the guest house. She is loving her new life until an incident happens which makes her question everything about the people she was beginning to see as friends, can she really trust any of them, and what really happened to Savannah who disappeared from here without a trace a year earlier?

The Surf House is the latest thriller by Clarke and once again her descriptive writing takes us to a place filled with beauty, intrigue and a lot of secrets and she tells her stories in such a way that the reader is transported there alongside the characters making you feel like you are actually there living that life. This latest story is told mainly from the perspective of Bea with regular insights into Savannah’s time there too, leading up to the day she was last seen. It’s a fast paced read, which drew me in right from the start, as have all previous books I’ve read by this author, being a huge fan of her work I was looking forward to getting stuck into this one and it was all I imagined and more and, in the true style of this author, just when you think you have worked out what is happening, she throws in a few twists which sends you off in a different direction and then hits you with a suckerpunch of an ending. Lucy Clarke continues to be one of my go to authors and I can’t wait for her next book.

I’d like to thank HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Netgalley for inviting me to read this, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

This book was so good! The setting? Absolutely perfect. I love how Clarke picks a destination and then crafts a whole story around it—it’s like traveling through the pages. The Surf House was such a vibe; I could practically hear the waves crashing and feel the salty breeze.
The ending? One of those where you think you know what’s coming... but nope, not quite. The twists were gasp-worthy, not just for the shock factor but because they were clever. That’s what made this book so great—just the right balance of eerie suspense and unpredictability. It was such a thrill to visualize the cliffs, the endless ocean, and the hidden secrets lurking beneath the surface. Definitely one of those books that pulls you in and doesn’t let go!

This book had me completely hooked from the very first page. It’s a perfect mix of suspense, emotional turmoil, and deep mystery. The plot centers around a missing person, a group of people dealing with heavy emotional issues like depression, and a van that drives off into the unknown. The setting of the surf house by the beach adds a haunting, almost eerie vibe to the whole thing. But what really stands out is the underlying tension—the search for answers, the need for freedom, and the desperate desire for something more. The characters are complex, and every time you think you know where it’s going, something unexpected happens.

There were definitely parts of the mystery I saw coming, but that didn’t take away from the experience. Discussing it with my buddyreaders revealed just how much we missed or misinterpreted, which kept the story fresh. And while the ending doesn’t tie up everything neatly, it works really well. That open-ended feeling makes it feel real, like there’s more to come, and that’s something I usually don’t enjoy—but in this case, it was perfect. All in all, this is by far my favorite book from this author, and it’s one I’ll keep thinking about for a long time.

The Beach but on acid!
A girl heads to Morocco and find herself in some very unique situations = there is danger all around and nothing is at it seems. Lucy ramps up the tension all the time with her atmosphere and evident love of surfing. What is the surf house and what has this girl got herself into?

Thrilling adventure! Trust no one!