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I received a copy of One With Waves by Venza Andrews in exchange for this review.
One With Waves by Venza Andrews
I’ve always loved the Ocean and I’ve wanted to visit it all my life which doesn’t seem like it will ever happen. Having a copy of One With Waves allowed me the opportunity to visit the Ocean and to get to know the animals that live in the Ocean. At times I felt like I could have reached out and touched them.
One With Waves allows us to follow Ellie to the West Coast after the death of her father. If you know a teen One With the Waves is is a inspiring story for any young adult trying to navigate their teenage years. You will find the One With Waves is a letter to the Ccean and what it provides.
The Author has created a story about family and friendship, set in 1980s Manhattan Beach, California. After moving from New York to Southern California, Ellie does NOT fit in with the preppy girls at her new high school. Ellie begs her aunt to teach her how to surf, and surfing becomes Ellie’s passion and refuge. Ellie experiences surfing’s spiritual and healing qualities.
Through surfing, Ellie develops confidence and finds a group of like-minded souls who show her what true friendship is. I could understand what Ellie went through with her mom’s drinking because my father was a acholic but back in my childhood men didn’t get help. Families just had to deal with his drinking. I was the one who got the brunt of my dads anger and wasn’t blessed like Ellie and sent away.
Though her relationship with her mom grows strained, Ellie becomes close to Aunt Jen, Uncle Charlie, and their community of surfers. Through surfing, Ellie develops the confidence and strength needed to navigate her own path in life—surfing literally saves her.Fun story about surfing, relationships, and family.
About the book:
Can surfing change your life? For Ellie, it most certainly does. Vezna Andrews’ debut novel is set in 1980s Southern California, where sixteen-year-old Ellie discovers herself through her love of surfing. Born and raised in New York City, Ellie’s world is turned upside down when her father unexpectedly dies and her mother sends her to Manhattan Beach, California to live with her Aunt Jen and her Uncle Charlie—both avid surfers.
Ellie’s new home is a sharp contrast to the loft in New York City’s garment district where she grew up. Heartbroken about her dad, and worried about her mom, who drinks too much, Ellie doesn’t fit in with the preppie girls at her new California high school, who eventually gang up on and bully her. Thankfully, with the encouragement of Aunt Jen and Uncle Charlie, Ellie discovers surfing, which becomes her passion and her refuge.
While surfing California’s wild coast, Ellie experiences surfing’s spiritual, healing qualities, including magical experiences with wild dolphins, whales, and sea lions. Eventually, Ellie finds a group of like-minded friends, develops a crush on fellow surfer Nick, and grows extremely close to her Aunt Jen, Uncle Charlie, and their community of surfers. Through surfing, Ellie develops the confidence and strength needed to navigate her own path in life—surfing literally saves her, and changes her relationship with her mother forever.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
