Between sleeping on the couch of his ex-girlfriend Lila and working in his father’s restaurant, Tim Ellison’s only other passion in life is surfing. Despite the pleas of his friends and family, he’s happy with his simple, uncomplicated life – except for the part where he has to watch Lila parade around with her new boyfriend. When a cheap room for rent in the perfect location pops up in the paper, Tim jumps on the opportunity – but there’s a catch.

Anna, the young owner of the house, is a withdrawn recluse, not exactly the type of housemate that Tim had expected. She’s awkward and edgy and their limited interactions set Tim on edge. As he starts to get closer to Anna and learn about her heartbreaking past, certain things become clearer but it’s not until Tim wakes up one morning to find an ominous message painted on the wall that he realises something bigger is going on. If he plans to piece it together, he’s going to need Anna’s help, a whole lot of luck and the strength to hold them both together when the ultimate truth is revealed.

If you’ve been looking for something to fill the Gillian Flynn shaped void in your life, Sweet Damage will do just that. It’s a riveting thriller that has you scrambling to put the pieces together because almost everything is a misdirection and the real story is much more chilling than you’d initially suspect. I will admit that the story took a few chapters to grow on me but before I knew it I was hooked!