This is a fun twisty thriller that I enjoyed for the scenery as much as the mystery. Lulu is such an interesting character and I loved the way the story played out. It has a relaxed vibe throughout making mefeel like I'm a part of this vacation whodunnit too.

Is it possible to return to a 'normal' life after having had a troubled upbringing, and living as a grifter and con artist for years?
Allie is that person - damaged by a childhood in the foster care system, she is taken under the wings of an older conman, who teaches her the trade but also abuses and bullies her. After a con gone wrong, Allie tries to untangle herself from her abuser, and also, unexpectedly, finds another purpose with her life.
The book has lots of twists and turns, and in the end the reader must ask themselves, who is conning who.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for the chance to read and review this book.

Thank you for this ALC in exchange for an honest review. I will first start by saying that I love a good con story. I also enjoyed the narrator a lot! I’m going to follow that up with the disappointment I had knowing the synopsis, I would say it’s more of a thriller than suspense. I wasn’t anxious to see what’s next. Just because this one isn’t for me, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try!

A fun an compelling low stakes, light don novel perfect for summer beach reading.

Ali and Sean are low-level con artists befriending the rich and scamming them out of nominal amounts of money in order to fund their itinerant lifestyle. The risk/reward feels worth it for Ali until a con goes horribly wrong and her life is upended.

With nowhere to go and fearing both the law and her former partner in crime, Ali makes a choice about what to do next that produces a snowball of unintended consequences.

It’s a fun setup and a fun narrative, mostly set in the south of France amid wealthy vacationers who might have some secrets of their own. Ali is, to be sure, not exactly a truly good con artist, but she’s also a pretty alright person, which makes it easy to root for her.

The big twist is very easy to guess, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good twist, and I enjoyed the book despite feeling certain I knew what was coming.

The story works well for the audiobook format, and the narrator (while a bit overwrought and angsty at times) mostly does a good job.

A great choice for a beachy summer read and for those who like their crime novels to stay on the lighter side.

A fast pace page-turner that keeps you guessing until the end. I didn't love the book but it was good. There are some cringe-worthy moments.

A twisty psychological thriller that sees a con go wrong between two partners in the South of France. With one running away in fear that they accidentally killed someone and deciding to impersonate the woman as a way of hiding from her former partner.

A great beach read and perfect for fans of good heist/con artist stories. I liked the audio narration by new to me narrator, Sabine Durrant. Recommended for fans of books like Stone cold fox by Rachel Koller Croft or Lucky by Marissa Stapley.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC!

I did not like the writing style and I felt that the plot was very predictable and obvious. I did not like the ending and thought the set up was odd. I felt nothing for the characters and if they solved or didn't solve the mystery.

I’m a sucker for a good con artist story and this one kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed our main character and, despite her deception, I was rooting for her. The ending was a satisfying turn of events that I didn’t see coming.

Sun Damage, by Sabine Durrant, was a mixed bag. I did enjoy aspects of it, but I feel it did not deliver on all its promises. The beginning was indeed tense and suspenseful, as the blurb claimed, but when the tension dissipated, all that was left was a not very exciting domestic drama. It seemed that Durrant was attempting to leave us hanging a bit at the end, but I found it rather pat and neatly wrapped up. I liked the setting and Durrant did description well, even if she did mention cicadas a few too many times. The characters and plot were pretty average. Overall, I'd say Sun Damage would make a good beach read/ listen, but I doubt it will stand out in my memory for long.

NetGalley provided me with an advance copy of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is an audiobook that caught my attention quickly. We have two con artists, Sean and Ali, who work together preying on the wealthy. For the most part, it seems they’ve been successful. But will their new mark in France, Lulu Fletcher Davies, be the downfall of their chosen career?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for the story to take a turn that is hard for me to imagine. Plus the story begins to slow and lacks the page-turning element that a book needs.

While I rarely have a problem with zoning out while listening to an audiobook, I have to admit that there were times I had to work to keep engaged.

In an attempt to add suspense to this story, secrets are shared and loyalties challenged.

My Concerns
Unfortunately, the characters weren’t developed enough for me to care one way or the other about them.

In short, it was a plot that felt over the top and left me shrugging when it ended.

Final Thoughts
While it had potential, parts of the story were unbelievable and a bit too predictable.

I felt the narration was basically fine, but could have been better in making the various voices more distinguishable.

While there were things I liked about this audiobook, it didn’t quite make the grade for me. However, I still recommend you give it a try since many reviewers have enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperAudio for the ALC

I really wanted to like this audio book, but despite the skill of the narrator, the story and characters fell short. The story is just not believable and the characters are despicable.

This debut by Durrant will surely not be her last. This devilish tale of con artists drew me in right away. The book begins with Ali describing how to find the perfect mark. Ally and her partner Sean are in France and they find Lulu Fletcher Davies. She's perfect--she's rich and naive. As the reader, we get to be the fly on the wall. We get to observe all the little mistakes that are made that no one else notices---the con is on.

This tale had me on edge. The middle 1/3 lagged a good deal, a one-point Sean and Ali's story goes in different directions and it's here that you are waiting for the other shoe to fall.....for a long time. But the story is well-planned and the ending is so sweet and only good revenge can be.

I'll be keeping my eye out for more from Sabine Durrant. Plus, the narrator was a fabulous choice for this time.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to have access to this advanced listening copy.

Set in the south of France this book is what I call a slow burn.
Lots of tension and twist and turns. I loved the crisp, descriptive writing.
This reader and could feel the sweltering heat of the story and often felt like she was right there, walking the beaches and experiencing the food and shops in French markets.

The slow build up leading to the twists at the end of the story were terrific and kept me guessing the whole time.
This book made for a great listening experience and is the perfect beach read.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the audio ARC which I received in exchange for my review.

Sean and Ali are con artists that prey on the wealthy. One day, one of their cons goes wrong and Ali is forced to flee. She has to try to hide and keep her true identity a secret. Will she be able to do it?

The premise of the book was an interesting one. I think it had potential but it seemed anticlimactic to me. I found it very predictable. the book started off good, but then it fell apart. The characters lacked any depth and they were hard to connect with.

I would consider this book more of a suspense than a thriller. I was definitely not on the edge of my seat.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

This novel has a strong start that grabs your attention. Unfortunately, it slows down after that and doesn’t get interesting again until the end. It lacks the suspense and tension of a thriller and I think it would be better labeled as contemporary. There is one interesting twist near the end but I would have liked more suspense and excitement. I really liked the main character but I didn’t enjoy the supporting characters as much. I just didn’t feel any convention to them. I did enjoy the setting of this novel. It is perfect for a summer read. It has the feel of a lazy summer pool day. I would recommend this book to fans of Lucky by Maria’s Stapley.

I did not finish this book. The story seemed to jump around so much that I had a hard time keeping track of past versus present. I also had a hard time tracking the characters and keeping them straight. It might have been a better read in a book form, but the audio version was a big miss for rme.

I think this was a case of the perfect book at the perfect time. I loved every single nail biting second of this story.

I love a good con artist story. In Sun Damage, we follow a conning duo who feed off one another for their jobs, scamming people wherever they go.

When one con goes horribly wrong, our protagonist breaks from her partner in crime, who is increasingly worrying her with his antics. She assumes the identity of someone they conned and takes a job that was supposed to be hers as a private chef for a family summering in France.

In the days moving forward, she is waiting for the other shoe to drop. While she waits for him to eventually find her, she begins to learn the secrets this new family holds.

I loved this listening experience. The narration was fantastic and I just thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I loved this book. I loved the connections that were made and the ending was amazing!!!! Quick read and couldn’t put it down!

Vacation getaways and reunions are the new place to be murdered if you’re a fictional character these days. Nine friends arrive for a luxury vacation at a swish home in Provence. Their host, Lulu is not quite the person she presented herself as; she has an agenda for her guests. And her guests have an agenda for her. Nothing and no one is quite what they seem in this twisted thriller. The perfect beach read