My students who are Christian often want to see themselves represented in books. This text provides that element. The throwback element is nostalgic. The surfing element is interesting. I’m sure the story will appeal to some readers.

Oh boy, this was a hard book for me to read.

Let’s start with the good. There’s a great story here. It’s 1980-something and teenager Ellie is pulled from her life in New York after the death of her beloved father, and sent to live in sunny southern California with her aunt and uncle. As she struggles to cope with the loss of her father, she also deals with school bullies. When her mother joins her in California, things get worse. Mom is acting weird, she’s sleeping a lot and just being an overall terrible mother. Meanwhile, Ellie’s aunt and uncle have introduced her to surfing and while she’s on the water, she finds peace and calm from her turbulent life on land.

Unfortunately, that great sounding plot was hard to slog through. The dialogue continuously made me cringe. It wasn’t even that I felt like I’d stumbled into a stereotype of Valley Girl/Surfer Talk, even the “New York” dialogue didn’t feel natural.

And then there’s Ellie’s relationship with her mother. She was a daddy’s girl, and as much as she kept proclaiming that she wanted to spend time with her mom, it seemed that her mom had never been in the picture much before Dad’s death anyway. I got the impression that her mother only had her to make her dad happy, and now with him gone, she didn’t really want to be a parent.

Ellie was a really difficult character to root for. She struggled to make friends at her new school, but she also put in exactly zero effort. She was so upset when the one friend she had betrayed her, but were they really friends? They sat at the same table at lunch and the girl wasn’t openly hostile to her. Is that all it takes for Ellie to view someone as a friend? The author spent no time building up any relationship between the characters, so when the “friend” turned on her, Ellie was absolutely distraught by the loss of her friend, but as a reader, I never saw a friendship there. As the book dragged on, Ellie did eventually make true friends, but I couldn’t help but wondering why? There was nothing about Ellie that would make someone want to be friends with her.

As far as the surfing, I loved the descriptions of the ocean and the dolphins, but I had a couple of issues with the actual surfing. First, it seemed unnatural how quickly Ellie got good at surfing. I’ve never surfed myself, but for a girl who had never spent time in the ocean in her life, the first time in the water, she’s up on the board? Seems unlikely. The descriptions of the surfing were also unnatural, at times I felt like I was reading a boring text book on surfing instead of a fiction novel with surf details sprinkled in. In the end, you could quiz me, and I still couldn’t pass a surfing test due to the delivery of the information.

There was a romance thrown in for good measure, but it certainly wasn’t the main focus of the book. I definitely enjoyed it, though again, I couldn’t figure out why this boy liked Ellie.

As much as I’d wanted to like this book and recommend it, I can’t. With a few more drafts with a solid editor, I think this could be great. But as is, with the cheesy and clumsy dialogue and slow pacing, it was a struggle to finish.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced e-copy to read in exchange for my honest review. Even though this book didn’t work for me, I hope the book finds an audience who can overlook the things I could not.

"One with the Waves" by Vezna Andrews is a coming-of-age novel that beautifully captures the journey of grief combined with the chaos of emotions within the teenage years. The story follows Ellie, a young girl who undergoes a series of life-changing experiences after the tragic loss of her father.

Ellie's world is suddenly and drastically changed when her mother, Julia, decides to send her from New York to California to live with her Aunt Jen and Uncle Charlie. The move acts as a catalyst for Ellie's personal growth as she navigates the unfamiliar terrain of a new home, school, and friendships.

As Ellie adjusts to her new life, she develops almost an obsession for surfing, which becomes a metaphorical escape from the ongoing struggles in her life.

As the story progresses Ellie endures painful bullying at her new school. Gradually, she forms a new group of supportive friends in Chris, another girl who surfs. Other members of her group include Aisha, who stands with her against the bullying, Liam, Danny, Toma, and Chris’ girlfriend, Trini. In addition, Ellie forms a strong bond with Nick, an intriguing boy who shares Ellie’s strong passion for surfing.

The novel also sheds light on the harsh realities of addiction, as Ellie's mother battles alcoholism and drug addiction. Through Ellie's eyes, readers witness the devastating impact of her mother's struggles and the profound effect it has on their relationship. The exploration of this sensitive topic adds depth and emotional weight to the narrative, highlighting the challenges faced by families affected by addiction.

Andrews’ writing style is engaging, effectively capturing the raw emotions and challenges faced by Ellie. The characters are well-developed, and authentic, allowing readers to form genuine connections with them.

Although the author is skillful in portraying the complexities of teenage life, some moments feel slightly uneven. The timing from the climax of Julia’s addiction to the ending felt somewhat rushed.

Overall, "One with the Waves” is a heartfelt and compelling tale of resilience, friendship, and the power of self-discovery. It navigates through themes of loss, addiction, bullying, and the healing nature of passion. Readers will find themselves rooting for Ellie as she finds her place in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Santa Monica Press for giving me an ARC of One With the Waves in exchange for an honest review.

"The pale blue sky was reflected in the water below, with nearly no difference between the two. It was as if I'd come to the edge of the earth, and in front of me was only air and sea."

One With the Waves is a historical fiction story about a young girl named Ellie, who moves to California from New York after her father passes away from lung cancer and struggles to move on because she was so close to her dad.

I really enjoyed a lot of aspects of this book including the beautiful imagery of the sunrises, ocean, and animals as well as how the author handled a lot of difficult subjects including loss, grief, and drug abuse (definitely look up trigger warnings for this book before you read it). All of the surfing scenes were incredible as well, including a lot of beautiful metaphors for life.

I also connected to a lot of details in this book including the lung cancer, the extreme loss of someone close to you, and being bullied. My grandfather has lung cancer and it really hit close to home. I also lost one of my really good friends not too long ago and this book really reminded me that although it may feel like you are in a dark bottomless hole, there is still beauty in the world and things in the world that will help you move on. I was also bullied in middle school and high school and I would've absolutely loved to have the friends and the support that Ellie has by the end of the book.

One of the things that really frustrated me about this book was about Ellie's mother. She is super selfish and forgets that she has a daughter that is trying to move on from the same horrible event that she is. Julia spends much of the book not even caring about Ellie and that genuinely hurt my heart from the beginning to the end. The only other thing that kind of bothered me was that I felt that the book could've been about 100 pages shorter. Ellie's internal monologue started to get repetitive and boring about halfway through the book and her mother started to really frustrate me at around the same point in the book.

Overall, I would give this book a solid 3.5 stars. It was a solid historical fiction read.

One with the Waves is a truly charming with the author's ability to capture the essence of the ocean, and its power is remarkable. The story follows the journey of a young woman who finds solace in the waves after a devastating loss. Andrews' writing style is poetic, allowing the reader to fully immerse themselves in the story.

I’m not quite sure why I requested this young adult book from NetGalley and Santa Monica Press, but I imagine it had something to do with the fact that Ellie is a teenager whose father dies, and I was a teenager when my father died. I decided to revisit those feelings by reading this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ellie is lost in her grief and not getting any help from her mother, who has taken to drink as a coping mechanism. She also realizes she can’t handle Ellie and take care of her, so she ships her from New York City to Manhattan Beach, California, where her younger sister and husband live. When she gets there, her aunt and uncle slowly teach her how to surf, and it’s a cathartic experience.

I have a feeling the book was set in 1983 was it was pre-home computer/cell phone/internet days, which makes it harder to get ahold of someone. There are frequent mentions of the music of the time and a song list at the end of the book. There’s also a lot of cheesy lingo that’s used repeatedly throughout the book that got old quick. I lived through that time, and we didn’t constantly talk like valley girls. The preppie girls who have nothing better to do than pick on an outsider are very real, however.

I spent most of the book trying to figure out the theme. Was it growing up after the loss of a parent? Or was it coping with a mother who shut down and had become an alcoholic? Was it the ability to make new friends when your life is turned upside down and you move across the country? Or was it about finding one’s passion while still finding oneself? I was never quite sure, and I felt the book was uneven because of it.

If you know nothing about surfing, you will learn a lot about it while reading this book. My eyes kind of glazed over half the time when discussing moves and types of waves, and I feel like the importance of surfing for Ellie could be explained without getting into the minutiae of surfing lingo.

There were some good parts to this book, and for a teen that’s going through a hard time, this might strike a chord, but for me, ultimately it was a bust.

I really enjoyed this book. It immersed me in the time and place that this book took place. It was easy to tell that the author is well versed in surfing and the locations in the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Santa Monica Press for the ARC on this one in exchange for an honest review.
Talk about a beach read.....
If this book were any beach-ier, there'd be salt spray in your face and piles of sand pouring into your lap every time you opened it.
Overall, all the stuff I loved about "One With The Waves" while diving into it (literally) outnumbered some few intrusive, annoying aspects of it.
Best of all.....its near rapturous evocation of the lore and romance you ever imagined about surfers and surfing. Everything you'd expect is all included here. The excitement, the natural beauty, the sheer exhilaration, hair-raising risks and danger of the sport. And most especially, the daredevil courage, athletic skill and physical stamina demanded of those brave hardy souls who dare the Pacific ocean's turbulent surf and towering waves.
The storyline, however, combining a teen girl's rocky coming-of-age with the adventurous challenges of surfing, suffers a couple of problematic bumps along the way.
Following her father's tragic illness and death, Ellie and her mom transplant themselves from New York to the Pacific coast home of her Uncle Charlie and Aunt Jen, both dedicated surfers.
Both grieving and suffering from their loss, Ellie and her mother seek solace in different directions.....Ellie escapes into the whole world of surfing, while her mother's rapidly succumbing to drugs and alcohol. As Ellie finds strength, comfort and confidence in honing her surfing skills she begins to acquire new friends and a first love. But on the down side, she's relentlessly bullied by a pack of high school mean girls straight up from the depths of hell.
Couldn't help but thrill to the many surfing sequences, most of which include Ellie's spectacular, endearing encounters with dolphins and seals. And surfing enthusiast Vezna Andrews takes readers on a deep, deep dive through just about everything in surfing culture, making the descriptions both fascinating and instructive.
Oh and the problematic moments? Well there's a little too much over-exaggerating in some of the characterizations. Uncle Charlie most of all, whose constant, overbearing goofball behavior would send any teen girl fleeing in embarrassment. And the villainous mean girls carry on like cardboard Cinderella step-sisters via the Brothers Grimm.
But fortunately, none of that will stop you from rooting for Ellie to overcome every obstacle in her path, sigh with her first kisses and dream of paddling out your surfboard right along side her to say "hi" to the dolphins....and become......ah, no wonder the book has a perfect title.

One with the Waves is set in South California in the 1980s. Following her father's death from cancer, Ellie Brzozowski's mom, a NYC gallery curator, sends her to live with her Aunt Jen and Uncle Charlie in California. She doesn't fit in with the preppie girls at her new high school, who bully her and call her a beach rat. Both avid surfers, Jen and Charlie foster her interest in surfing, which becomes her passion and her refuge. Her magical encounters with dolphins, whales and sea lions, as well as other accomplished surfers who befriend her, aid in the healing process. When her mom arrives for the summer, Ellie recognizes her mom is an alcoholic and fears that she will force her to move back to NYC. Ellie navigates the challenges at school and with her mother, employing the newfound strength and confidence she has developed through surfing. The author, who is a "soul surfer mom," fills the novel with authentic details about surfing, beautifully capturing the solitude and healing power of being a one with the ocean.

I was hoping for some 80s nostalgia but there was nothing but the same lingo over and over. Uncle Charlie was the most irritating with his constant nicknames and stereotypical surfer themes. But most of the story was sweet - Ellie used her new hobby of surfing to deal with grief after losing her father and then her mother’s drug abuse. Overall 2.5 stars, rounded up for all the beach scenery. 🏖️

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Vezna Andrews has taken a great premise and buried it under overwrought descriptions and a poorly developed plot. Caught in the aftermath of her father's death, 15-year-old Ellie is sent from New York City to Manhattan Beach, CA to live with her aunt and uncle. During this time, she discovers surfing, which becomes her refuge from high school bullies and her alcoholic mother. It's a great basis for a story, but the implementation is weak and almost unreadable. Andrews's descriptions vary from the almost poetic: "Floating in the blue-gray glass, I was able to let go and breathe," to the overly simplistic: "The baby breached about twenty feet from us, jumping up into the air, and then it went back under." The lack of consistency continues with descriptions that are just overdone: "The resonance of the gushing, rolling, bursting whitewash." Finally, Ellie's thoughts are often conveyed through words and phrases that just aren't used by teens: "In harmony and rapture, I was transported to a place of communion with the ocean and the dolphin."

As for the plot, Andrews never clearly identifies the main conflict. Is it Ellie's grief process? The bullies? Her relationship with her mother? The book proceeds through each point with little development and often falls into stream-of-consciousness-style ramblings. In fact, when Ellie finally does begin to make friends, Andrews doesn't develop the relationships naturally; she just rattles off descriptions like a Playbill cast list.

With all of these shortcomings, I struggled to finish the book. I was not invested in Ellie as a character or in the outcome of her many challenges. As I mentioned, Andrews has a great premise, but her story would benefit hugely from a complete rewrite.

I had a hard time with this one. Ellie's father has died and neither she nor her mother have found a way to cope with that fact. Mother's drinking becomes a problem, so Ellie moves from New York to a beach community near Los Angeles to live with her mother's sister. Her aunt and uncle provide a loving family relationship that Ellie has been missing, and also a dog, which had not been possible in New York City. Ellie is fascinated by the beach, and her uncle and aunt are surfers, so Ellie soon becomes obsessed with surfing. The surfing was good for Ellie, but for those of us who are not "into" surfing, the endless descriptions of the waves and catching them and what they do get a bit tiresome. I received an arc from NetGalley and am under not pressure for a positive review..

Ramona Thompson

I am a person, who, when things are good or bad, wants to escape to the beach. To celebrate. To mourn. I don't care, really, I will take any excuse for the beach, and being there calms me like most things can't. So, it's fair to say I'm not sure what I liked more in this book: the plot and the characters, or the depictions of surfing! (I love surfing and have always wanted to surf, but a bad back killed that dream a long while ago. Still, I LOVE books about the ocean!)

In this book, Ellie and her mother move from New York to California, following the death of Ellie's father. Her mother is not coping well. Ellie is destroyed from the loss of her beloved father. And it's not like the kids at school are welcoming her with open arms.

In fact, the only thing that brings Ellie joy--and a sense of acceptance-- is surfing. Her aunt and uncle teach her, and with the help of them, and some new friends, Ellie learns how to surf. And surfing takes her away from her troubles, all the bad parts of her life. How the popular girls at school call her trash and make fun of her. How her mother seems to be drinking more, sick more...

This is a tale of a family broken apart, only for Ellie to find herself thriving under the care of her aunt and uncle. Now if only her mother could see how much Ellie loves, and needs, being a surfer. And if only she could stop all those late night parties...

I liked this book, it felt real.
My heart hurt for Ellie as she navigated this new unexpected season of her life.
The ocean became her safe haven, and I find that beautiful.
I was thankful she had her aunt and uncle supporting her and caring for her throughout the story.
The characters were likable, I kept wishing they weren’t having to go through all the sad things they did.
I would recommend this book:)
Would be such a good read to bring on a beach vacation or road trip!
-content warnings-
Mentions of: parent death, drug abuse, overdose, drinking, excessive bullying.
•
(Release date: May 23rd, 2023)
Book: One with the Waves
Author: Vezna Andrews
★★★☆☆

Thank you to the Santa Monica Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Santa Monica Press and NetGalley for an electronic advanced readers copy of this novel.

Ellie, a high school student, suddenly moves to California after living in New York City after her father passes away and her mom can't cope. Living with her aunt and uncle, she discovers surfing and struggles to find her way in a new environment. Immersing herself in surfer culture gives her peace and helps soothe the grief of losing her father.

One with the Waves, by Vezna Andrews, is an interesting and detailed view on a surfer's life. At times, it delved too deeply into surfer terminology. As someone who is interested in sports and surfing, it was interesting but seems a little surface-y at times. There was a lot of descriptions of surfing, which I didn't mind too much, but I could see it getting tedious.

I enjoyed it overall, I liked the 1980s California surfer vibe and the songs mentioned in the book.

From the first line, this book is beautiful. Though I've never seen the ocean, I feel Ellie's heart as she connects with this piece of herself she was missing.

Historical fiction, but feels as timely as if it was today. Ellie is a character that most of us will empathize with, understand, and find ourselves in too.

Andrews crafts some of the most gorgeous scenes. From looking down on the polluted Hudson on the first page, to the hawks in the sky on a roadtrip to Baja, to waking at dawn before the start of school. So many vibrant scenes, expertly drawn; I forget this is the author's debut work.

"Walking into the shallows, I marveled at the dawn's light: yellow and pink fading into the silver-blue sky. The waves were breaking from little peaks. A perfect left unrolled and rumbled as it hit the sandbar, echoing in the wind, greeting me."

My biggest takeaway from this story is that we all deal with loss differently. And that sometimes we have to find our own way out of the dark.

This YA novel is a perfect pairing with The Guncle, Malibu Rising, and Lilo & Stitch.

Ellie struggles to fit in with the preppy girls at her new school and becomes the target of their bullying. However, with the encouragement of her aunt and uncle, she discovers her love for surfing, which becomes her passion and refuge. The spiritual and healing qualities of surfing are depicted beautifully in the book, and Ellie's experiences with wild dolphins, whales, and sea lions add a magical element to the story.

Through surfing, Ellie gains the confidence and strength to navigate her own path in life and overcome the challenges she faces. The character development of Ellie is well-written and realistic, and readers will feel proud of her growth and how she overcomes her obstacles.

The supporting characters in the book are lovable, and Ellie's close relationship with her aunt, uncle, and the surfing community is heartwarming. The author captures the spirit of the ocean and the 80s vibe of Southern California, making the book a fast and enjoyable read.

However, the book is a bit predictable in some parts, and some readers may find certain scenes too sappy. Nevertheless, One with the Waves is a well-written coming-of-age novel with a relatable protagonist and an inspiring message about finding oneself and the healing power of the ocean.

Overall, I highly recommend One with the Waves for anyone looking for an engaging and heartwarming coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the 80s surfing culture in Southern California.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher (Santa Monica Press) and author for allowing me an early copy of this book to read and review with my honest opinions.

This book revolves around a teen, Ellie, who is uprooted after her fathers death, from her New York lifestyle to visit/move in with her aunt and uncle is California. This book provided a great representation of the struggle Ellie experienced in her new “world” without her father, the new California life environment and the difficulty of “fitting in” with those in this new world. She eventually takes up surfing, which becomes life changing for her and allows healing and growth for Ellie. This story will tug at your heart strings in many ways. Very well written YA/coming of age story - I really enjoyed this read and seeing the character growth and development.

The author has found a way to let us capture the true magic of the ocean. The book shows how wave-riding can provide people with a refuge from emotional distress. It can serve as an avenue for building a spiritual connection to nature. We can use the ocean to feel our strength and affirm our belonging as we venture out into this great big world. Surfing always makes sense when nothing else does in life..

It was A warm kind of story. The main character in this story had a very strong character.
Ellie had many obstacles to face, but she remained strong and tries to face them all in her own way.