It was a really wonderful experience to read this one while in Maui. It helped me to keep in mind how to be a better tourist while visiting such a special place. I love the author’s descriptive writing and was rooting for her and her causes the whole way through!

I asked for this book solely because of the cover. I really enjoyed the book. It was a good beach read

I received this book ARC from Net Galley, it was really good. I so enjoyed reading this book and feeling like I was spending time in Hawaii. The romance was super sweet and fun to share in their journey.

This book is the perfect beach read! Stubborn ‘Iwa is grieving the loss of her mom and content to escape to the woods high on the volcano of Haleakala. Dane is a globe-trotting surfer, chasing the one big wave that will finally get him noticed. Dane takes an interest in ‘Iwa, but ‘Iwa doesn't date surfers. But Dane might have something she needs. Can he help in her fight to save Maui from developers who want to endanger her beloved forest?

I really loved the way the author writes about the Hawaii culture of respecting nature and the beauty of the island. ‘Iwa’s love for the island really came through in the writing, and the Hawaiian chants were beautiful. I found myself connecting a lot more with ‘Iwa’s story and I wish we had more of her and not as much of Dane’s story. I would have liked more of ‘Iwa and Dane together and less of the surfing details, but I ultimately really enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who is interested in Hawaiian culture, environmental themes, or surfing.

I really enjoyed this one!!! The beautiful cover hooked me, but the story itself kept me coming back for more! This was a slow burn love story between a big wave surfer from California and a local girl from Maui who is fighting for conservation of her island.

There was tension and drama, palpable anxious moments, highs and lows, but I loved how everything came together in the end! The descriptions of the forest of Maui to the ocean waves make this a bucket list island for me to visit!

I requested this book as I was going to Kauai for my 40th birthday and thought it would be a fun read while there. I really enjoyed this book and all the characters especially the dogs!! I am not familiar with surf culture and lingo so I was a little lost during some of surfing scenes and had a hard time picturing it. I loved how Dane overcame and persevered. I will say I was a little disappointed that Iwa took Dane back so easily. I knew it was going to happened just expected a better and bigger speech from Dane to win her over.
Overall I enjoyed this book and it made it that much more special reading while on Kauai. 🏖️

Can we just talk about how gorgeous the cover of The Maui Effect is? The cover alone drew me in. This was such a good summer, beachy read & I am officially a Sara Ackerman fan now!

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing|MIRAfor an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Maui Effect by Sara Ackerman is a love story that goes so much deeper than the romance between the main characters, 'Iwa and Dance. As Ackerman paints a compelling and achingly human trajectory of love and hardships between 'Iwa and Dane, she also writes a tender tribute to Mother Nature and imbues her writing with reverence for the Earth and her natural majesty. The Maui Effect has something for everyone from the not-so-secret romantic to the eco-warriors.

This was a fun read! 'Iwa and Dane were such a great couple that recognized the each other's faults and chose to be together despite them. I wasn't a huge fan of how some scenes seemed to cut off rather abruptly, but I am hoping that is a formatting issue that will be fixed by time of publishing. This is a great read for people who love Lauren Asher (but make it beachy)!

This was a really sweet book! I love how authentic it felt to Maui/Hawaii - and to surfing! It felt very culturally respectful, but also educational. The story felt very real - I believed everything that was going on with the characters and found myself rooting for various ones in all the situations they were in. I really enjoyed the sweetness (and slow-ness) of their love story too.

First off, the cover of this book is beautiful and eye catching and makes me want to go back to Maui. If you have ever been or even ever wish to go to Maui, the love for the island shines through in this book and the imagery is breathtaking. That being said, the actual love story was a bit of a miss for me. I didn't really feel the connection between the two main characters. It was still a good read but it was just missing a little something for me. I did like the surfing bits as I have always been enamored with surfing despite never having tried it myself.

I have not read any of this author's other works yet, but I do think this one was well written enough to try another even if this one wasn't a 5 star read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"From the mountain to the ocean, from the windward to the leeward side," Sarah Ackerman takes us on an adventure to explore the depths of love, passion, and the beauty in nature.

As someone who was born and raised in Hawai'i and then moved away, this book brought me back to my roots. I knew all of the Hawaiian references, language, and dialogue. It has made me miss home.

Although the pacing was slow, the author does a wonderful job placing the audience in the scene with 'Iwa as she traipses through the mountains and the streams connecting with the creatures and the tress around her. And with Dane as he floats through the ocean soaking up the water through his veins as if it were his blood. Their love story develops slowly and takes a dive in the deep end while their relationship is challenged through long distance and doing what's best for their careers.

In Sara Ackerman’s author’s note, she said “So, this is my love story to the ocean and to surfing, but also to the native Hawaiian forest.” This comes across clearly. The picture she painted of Hawaii-its oceans, mountains, flora, wildlife, culture, and customs- was breathtaking. It was my favorite part of this novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

I enjoyed this! Made me want to visit Hawaii even more! I didn’t find the emotional depth in this book that I have in some of her past novels but good all the same!

This story is a true love letter to surfing, big waves, and the island of Maui. You can feel the authors connection through each word written. I learned a lot!
Our FMC, Iwa has lived her life on the island of Maui. Her family has history there and she is a true part of the community. She works to help catalog and preserve the natural habitat of many plants and animals in the mountains of Maui. She has a great support system of family and friends.
Dean is a big wave surfer to his core. He strives for the thrill, the connection with the ocean and her waves. He has built his own family through surfing and as Iwa says, his roots may not be deep, but his branches are wide. I felt that.
I learned so much about surfing, the ocean, and waves in this book. Some terms I still didn't quite get, but it didn't detract from the overall story.
Iwa and Deans love story is a struggle. There are deeper topics such as loss, injury, and addiction covered and handled in a respectful way.
The romance isn't overly done and spice is kept to a minimal which fits the overall tone of the story.
Getting Iwa and Dean to the end of their journey was truly satisfying and I was sad when I read the last word.

The Maui Effect is a captivating romance set against the stunning backdrop of the Maui rainforest and the thrilling world of big-wave surfing. Field biologist 'Iwa Young is determined to save her forest from a developer, but her resolve is tested by her growing attraction to Dane Parsons, a surfer with a deep connection to the ocean. Their romance blossoms as they join forces to protect the environment.

Ackerman's immersive storytelling transports readers to Maui's vibrant surf culture, blending adventure, environmental themes, and heartfelt romance. The richly described settings and the chemistry between 'Iwa and Dane make this a compelling read. Fans of romance and nature will love this enchanting story.

I've enjoyed all of Sara Ackerman's books to date, and enjoyed this one as much as all her other books. My favorite parts were reading about Maui's rain forests, as field biologist Iwa searched for waterfalls, rare birds and endangered species. Iwa is trying to stop an 'eco developer' from building an 'eco resort, thus destroying the land she so loved. It was also enjoyable reading about the budding romance between Iwa and Dane.

DNF - love the cover, love the description, however the story was slow and lacked interest (to me). More in depth characters could help. However, i dont feel comfortable rating fully because i didnt finish.

This book was so hard to finish. It did a lot to immerse the reader into the Hawaiian environment, but that’s about it. I was so bored with the characters and with their interactions. I see that the author has written several other novels - would hope this is an anomaly and that the others are more intriguing.

“One is all you need.”

From the few surf-related books I’ve read, I’ve noticed that they all center around a quest - an epic swell, the perfect wave, a great adventure or sometimes a narrow escape. Ackerman’s book has all of it. Her heritage and boots on the ground in Hawaii have given her the stellar ability to write about getting acquainted with the waves, the culture around them and the relationships that are made and broken as surfers follow their passion.

I’ve loved Ackerman’s historical fiction stories and was hesitant about reaching out for her romance/women’s fiction novel, especially one centered around a sport I’ve never even tried! Let me tell you this: I wasn’t prepared to be swept away by the perfect blend of surfing and mystery as I joined Iwa and Dane on a quest to follow the call of the surf and the call of the forest. The forest nymph and the sea creature pulled me into their story, kept me riding the waves of emotion, and held my attention to the final page.

Ackerman was able to:
1) transport me to Maui and immerse me in the surf culture. It was so immersive that I felt I could close my eyes and have the ocean spray and salt water kiss my face.
2) Show me that surfing can be a solitary lust as well as a place of tight community
3) the obsession to chase surf and capture the exhilaration and freedom that comes from riding the perfect wave. I highlighted many places where I could almost feel the raw energy of the swell.
4) Explore the sacrifices and struggles that come with committed surf lust
5) Examine themes of identity, friendship, addiction, redemption, the pursuit of a passion, and the search for meaning

I loved the references to my favourite pastry, Pastel de nata, the reminder that love and loss are inseparable, the importance of walking through fear, the history behind the name of Mavericks, California, the warning about not confusing a single failure with a final defeat, and the differences between a sea lion and a seal. Most of all, though, I loved a deeply affecting story showing how surfing led a character back to redemption and finding his true self.

*This contains a tastefully written open-door romance

I was gifted this copy by Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.