Review by Booklist Review
Nikki Graziola is a scholarship student at elite private school Thornton Academy. Raised partially in foster care and partially by her widowered, single father, she is determined to prove that she belongs at Thornton. Like many teens, Nikki can't wait to graduate and leave the small beach town of Alara Cove in her rearview mirror. When her best friend, Mark, dies suspiciously at a party, Nikki blows up her own future to shed light on the cover-up surrounding his death. Fleeing town, Nikki joins the professional-surfer circuit. Fifteen years later, another devastating loss sends Nikki back to Alara Cove and forces her to grapple with the loss and grief she left behind. Full of surf, rediscovered love, and second chances, this perfect beach read will be enjoyed by Wiggs' many fans. A significant part of the book is spent during Nikki's teen years, and some readers may wish for more details about her years on the surfer circuit. All readers will cheer for Nikki as she navigates great personal tragedies and finds home, peace, and a new chance at love.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Wiggs's (Sugar and Salt) timely, unputdownable coming-of-age novel is set in fictional Alara Cove, CA, "Surfer City, U.S.A." Former self-described trailer-park kid Nikki Graziola, scholarship student and valedictorian at the prestigious Thornton Academy, had a bright future in store until she went off-script during her commencement speech and revealed the school's cover-up of a hazing incident that killed her best friend. Her whistleblowing implodes her life, so when she's offered a chance to compete in the Global Surfing League in Australia, she jumps at it. Fifteen years, minor fame, and little fortune later, Nikki faces another life-changing tragic event that leaves her no choice but to return home. Readers will be awed by this novel's flawless narrative. Wiggs spins a poignant and convincing yarn while epitomizing her very believable cast of eclectic characters, including Nikki; she is a heady mix of vulnerability and tenacity, a woman who is not afraid of new challenges or of learning and growing from her past. VERDICT Fans of the prolific Wiggs and of strong women protagonists will stay up all night to finish this speeding bullet to the best-seller list.--Debbie Haupt
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