Sweet Damage by Rebecca James

‘Tim, you’re going to have to grow up,’Lilla says. ‘Get a real job.’

‘I do have a real job,’ I say. ‘I go to work. I do stuff. I get paid for it. Seems real enough to me.’

Published by Faber in March 2014

When Tim Ellison finds a cheap room to rent in the perfect location in Sydney it looks like a huge stroke of luck. In fact the room comes with a condition, and the owner of the house, the mysterious Anna London, is unfriendly and withdrawn. When strange and terrifying things start happening in the house at night, Tim wonders if taking the room is a mistake. But then his feelings for Anna start to change, and when her past comes back with a vengeance, Tim is caught right in the middle of it.

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I feel really bad! I read this in March and I’m only just  getting around to reviewing it.

This book was amazing.  I think I might have developed a real taste for contemporary thrillers, as this one had me glued to the pages.

Tim is an easy going guy – you know the type – chilled, surfer boy, living for each wave and strolling through life like the future doesn’t really matter. This grates on the nerves of his OCD, career climbing, ex girlfriend, Lilla, who appears determined to push him into his future, whether he likes it not. Fed up with him sleeping on her sofa, she finds him somewhere to live.

When Tim moves in with Anna, he realises there is a lot more going on in the house, than he first realised. Nervous and a little bit wary of his new landlord, Tim worries that he might have made a mistake. As he spends more time with Anna, he realises that everything really isn’t as it seems.

This book has lots of hidden secrets, just waiting to spring out at you and take your breath away. There are some rather creepy moments, that have you looking over your shoulder on more than one occasion.  The ending blew my mind. It was totally unexpected.It goes to show that people aren’t always what they seem.   And the moral of this story is…DON’T TRUST ANYONE!!!

A thrilling, page turning, gripping, suspense novel that everyone needs to read. I shall definitely read more by Rebecca James in the future.