3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Great little middle grade novel with a sweet and moving story. I thought it was cool the author was able to narrate this audiobook, especially since it was poetic. It definitely gave me the opportunity to really soak in the intended intonation of the verse. I thought the story was really beautiful and had a lot to say about a young teenager's experience of life... what they enjoy, what they find beautiful, what frustrates them, how they feel about themselves and their place in the world... so many great little lessons and experiences that I think a lot of kids can find themselves in.

I think this would be a great book for a middle school classroom and definitely should be in school libraries!

This was unfortunately something I thought that I would love, but just couldn't get into. I didn't like how this was written and it had nothing to do with the fact that it's a novel in verse (because there are a bunch that I really enjoy, and I love poetry), but it just felt very simple and basic for verse. There was too much reliance on pop culture references and there were choppy beginnings and endings; I really think this would have been better as a novel but maybe this didn't translate as well via audiobook, despite being read by the author. I also have issues with books that have a chronically ill/sick/dying character and we get a viewpoint of someone else going through it. Yes these stories are important, but we get them more than the viewpoint of the actual sick person, and it ends up being about how other peoples' lives are affected by the death or illness of people, instead of what they're experiencing.

<b>PoV:</b> First person present
<b>ToN (Type of Narration):</b> Solo by the author, Diana Farid
<b>Audio book length:</b> 3h, 30m
<b>Genre and Sub genre:</b> MG Sports/Action, Coming of age, diversity
<b>Location:</b> California
<b>Time(s):</b> 1908's
<b>TW/CW's:</b> <spoiler> Cancer, child abandonment, loss of a pet, near drowning, birth of a child, blood draw, near drowning, hate speech, broken bones, CPR </spoiler>
<b>Language Rating:</b> 0
<b>Sex Rating:</b> 0
<b>Representation:</b> Persian female doctor

Ava is a pre-teen in 1980's learning to navigate the world around her. She is Persian-American, born to a single mother. Her mom spent many hours as a doctor in the hospital. Ava spends a lot of time trying to fit in with her Persian family, with her American classmates, and with the neighbors in her community. She struggles with wanting to feel wanted, after feeling like her father abandoned her. Her mother wants her to spend her summer volunteering in the hospital, but Ava wants to spend her summers on the beach, surfing the waves. Ava knows she wouldn't do well in a hospital setting, even though her mother has high hopes for her to be a doctor. Ava can't even stand the sight of blood! She is also struggling with OCD, and with the sudden resurgence of her friend Phoenix's cancer diagnosis. With all of the things going wrong in her life, she is grasping at the things she loves in order to remain grounded.

This book is a beautiful novel written in verse. I love the unique perspective of a teen in the 80's. And everyone knows that I am a perpetual #BeachRat and #OceanLover and #SurfGirl, any book that brings me back to the sea! I was first drawn to the beautiful cover on this book, the art really speaks to me! The story is great! It is really not my type of book, I struggle with the books in verse, but for those who love this style, it was done really well! I also love the way she describes the Hodgkins Lymphoma diagnosis and treatment in easy to understand terms and words for kids.

<b>Audio book review:</b> This book was narrated by the author, and she did a fabulous job reading her own work! Sometimes an author is really good at writing and mediocre at narrating, but that isn't the case here. Diana has a great voice for this book, and since she wrote it, her cadence is perfect. Diana has great diction and is clear when she isn't speaking English.
The audio book editing is good, all sections are the same volume. The narration speed is good. There aren't any flicker, impulse, or broadband noises. No plosives. A bit of sibilance.

**Audio book notes do not change my GR book rating, it is only here for reference. This entire review is also cross posted to Amazon and Audible**

Set in the late 80s, Wave is a novel in verse about Ava, a Persian American surfer girl who loves Rumi poems and spending time with her best friend, Phoenix. But when Phoenix's cancer resurfaces, Ava watches everything she's come to love about her life fall apart.

I don't read a lot of verse books, but this one was beautifully written and completely immerses the reader in the California sun and sand amid the music of the 80s. I liked Ava a lot, and I think there are definitely kids out there who can relate to her plight of not wanting the same life as her parents want for her. She's a well-written and likeable character who's not without flaws.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. The novel is read by author Diana Farid, and she's spectacular because who better knows how her novel is supposed to sound than the author herself. Recommended.