I know absolutely nothing about surfing, but by the end of this book, there's nothing that looks more appealing than hopping on a board and paddling around in the water near a pretty beach. As a Journalism graduate, I had the best time reading about fellow journalists and the whole story reads like a great movie. It's so well-written and a great summer read for anyone loving a summer fling turned into more, a sports romance or just a swoony story. I didn't know I needed this book as badly as I did. SO much fun that I read it in under two days.

3.5 stars? I'm still undecided.
This was a good book. It was sweet, well written, and a different but good pacing.

There was very little drama over all, so it's a great book if you want to read a couple chapters at the beach or out and about, put it down to go for a swim, and come back to it.

It felt slightly drawn out at times, not in a painful way, but just like someone retelling a story slowly..

I really only have 2 complaints. I would've liked some more depth about what drives the FMC and who she is. Besides sports and heels, and some feelings about her parents divorce. I don't know much about her or her likes. She just didn't draw me in. The heavy lifting was really done by the beautiful settings, and wanting to know what happened to the MMC. Which is my second gripe, it doesn't really feel like there's a payoff. What happened that night and who was there, could've been a lot more monumental.

This is a spicy book, not overly spicy, but it is open door. However, I don't think the scenes added much to the overall story. I think adding some more emotion or vulnerability to those scenes would've gone a long way. If you were so inclined, you could easily skip the scenes and it not affect your interpretation or enjoyment of their romance.

Thank-you NetGalley and 'Aria and Aries' for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars
Ride the wave follows Iris, who has travelled to Portugal in order to interview Leo on his big return into surfing when he decides to compete in the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach contest. Leo is a grumpy man who only agreed to the interview to please his mother and to bring attention to his dad's surf shop in Portugal. Iris is determined for him to open up so that her story is true and honest, and she will attempt anything to get him to relax around her. This book was so cute, and I really enjoyed the plot and the setting. I loved the friendships that Iris made, and I loved how Leo became happier and more open throughout the book. The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is because it took me a while to get into it, and it felt slightly instalovey as the book takes place over maybe a month and a half, which includes the week of him ignoring her when she first gets to Portugal. I definitely think this is a very cute summer read, even if you know nothing about surfing 🫶

This book had me hooked from the very start. I was so drawn to the amazing setting and vibes, going to Portugal is now on my bucket list!!

I loved grumpy/sunshine dynamic between Iris and Leo. The tension was very palpable and the spice was SPICING!!

Another thing I really enjoyed was reading about surfing. It was so refreshing and made me want to read more books in this genre.

If you like sport romance, summer vibes, lighthearted read, I highly recommend giving this one a try!

Thank you Netgalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Aria & Aries and the author for providing me with an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 ⭐
Ride the wave is Katherine Reilly's second book, this time we follow Iris, a sports journalist, and Leo, a pro surfer. This was my first book by the author, but I've had her debut on my radar since it came out so when I saw this was available for request I immediately tried to get it.

Sports romances are probably my favourite type of romances, but I think this is the first time the sport in question is surf. I have to say I really enjoyed the way the author portrayed the sport, I loved the fact surf is central in this and not just a detail.

Overall, I liked the story and I liked the characters. I think there could've been a little more depth to them, but the story was still entertaining and enjoyable. The setting was perfect, now I need to get on a plane and go to Portugal.

Grumpy ex-surfing legend + ambitious journalist = slow-burn chaos with ocean views.

Leo, once the golden boy of surfing, is now brooding in a sleepy Portuguese village, dodging fame and feelings. Enter Iris, sharp, ambitious and under pressure to get the scoop on his comeback. Sparks fly, waves crash and professionalism doesn’t stand a chance.

The chemistry is there from the start, the coastal vibes are dreamy but the slow burn really takes its time. It lagged a bit in the middle and Leo’s whole “closed-off surfer” act wore thin, but once it got going, I was fully on board.

A solid beachy romance with enough depth to keep it interesting and just the right amount of heat to keep you hooked.

𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 : ★★★.75

Thank you to Katherine Reilly, Aria & Aries & NetGalley for my e-ARC copy.

Ride the Wave is a fantastic romance novel following a journalist and the closed-off pro surfer she's sent to interview. I absolutely loved the Portuguese setting, and Reilly did a phenomenal job at describing the locations. I really felt I was there alongside the characters! The side plots are equally as wonderful as the romance, which is saying something. I flew through this book!!

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ride the wave is a sports romance following Iris a sports journalist who has been tasked to interview and write a piece on Leo a retired pro surfer. I’ve never read a book with a surfer being the MMC and enjoyed it more than I thought and think I would pick up another in the future. This was the perfect summer read and would love to read another book by this author.

The pacing of the book felt a little off for me as it started off as a slow burn for the first 50% which I ate up but then felt full steam ahead and some of the story lines felt unnecessary.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

I enjoyed this book. It was sweet, well written and a good fun read. The plot was well paced, the points of contention weren’t under or overdone and I really liked the characters. There were a couple of minor plot points which I think either needed to be made more or of removed because they didn’t really serve the story as it’s written but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story overall.
If you’re looking for a fun summery read, I can recommend this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh the tension in the beginning growing between the pair, so good. The little bits of detail dropped into the story, which slowly helps to grow the tension and connection between the pair, had me constantly reading for more of it. The chemistry and connection between them. The teasing and banter is so good. Their connection is real and you can feel that through the pages.

All I'll say is flowers. OMG. Where does on find a man like Leo who pays that much attention, and then remembers it, and cares that much to do something so little, but the gesture is so big and full of love. Once they get together their caring nature towards each other really comes into play. The little things between them, the little comments, made their connection so much better.

Iris Mum chipping into the relationship and encouraging some reckless romance. I'm all here for it. Giving Iris a violent push in the righ direct, we all know she wanted but was a bit scared for.

Towards story starts quite slowly, as expected with a slow burn romance. However the pacing felt a bit off at times, and towards the end it felt rushed. I wanted a bit more at the ending, the story just stopped quite abruptly.

Thank you to NetGalley, Aria publishing and Katherine Reilly for allowing me to ARC read for ‘Ride the Wave.’

I really enjoyed this story.

This is book two in a sports series, however, you don’t need to have read book one (Match Point) to understand this. Previous characters are mentioned, but only fleetingly.

I thought Leo and Iris were great. They were well-developed characters who had great chemistry together.

There are some spicy scenes in this book, which were done well, and didn’t overtake the actual plot.

The pacing was done well, everything flowed in a good manner. And I loved the ending. I especially loved that there was no third act breakup. That was such a lovely change.

I’d recommend this book!

this was a very slow start for me and a struggle to get through because by the 30% mark I could just tell what was going to happen and was bored. I also didn’t feel connected to the characters or story so that didn’t help with me wanting to read it. now this is by no means a bad book but it was also just fine. overall it was an easy summery romance read but I doubt I’ll remember anything.

this is the second book in a series, I haven’t read the first one but there wasn’t any confusion or anything so It can be read as a standalone.

thank you NetGalley for the arc.

2.5 stars

Katherine Reilly's 'Ride the Wave' has an engaging premise. A sporty rom-com between an established sports journalist and a reclusive world champion surfer who is training for their big comeback at the legendary Rip Curl Pro has the makings of a great story. However it was the execution that let it down.

I found the characters to be quite two-dimensional and kind of boring? Even when delving into some traumatic backstories they were like "oh but I've talked about it now, I'm good".
The locations were fun and played a huge part in the story, and the romance was cute but for me it wasn't enough to save it. Overall, I wasn't a fan of Reilly's writing style and it's nothing personal.

The pull for me was definitely the Aussie representation and I started reading the weekend of the annual Bells Beach competition.

This was the first book i've read from the author and i already love her writing style so so much.
The tension? The spice? The characters? An absolute ten out of ten (or rather five out of five).
The setting between a sports journalist and a former surfer was new to me. I am not that much of a sports romance reader but i really enjoyed it. Also the character developement from both Iris and Leo ist just *chef's kiss*.

I really enjoyed a sports romance set in the surfing circuit, it was a nice change and I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. I adored this book so much and I rarely confidently say yep this is a 5 star read, Katherine Reilly has quickly become one of those authors that I will read whatever she publishes and I can’t wait for the next story.

This was a really fun summer read with a great romance. Leo and Iris were two great characters to follow, their back stories held a lot of intrigue and being whisked away to Portugal was definitely not something to complain about.

I definitely recommend this to any sports romance fans, get your copy when it releases June 19th 2025.

Set in Spain and Australia
Surfer x Sports Journalist
Slow burn
Sports Romance

Firstly I want to thank Katherine for a simple yet meaningful acknowledgement to the traditional owners, the Wadawurrung people.
I loved this book even more than I did Match Point.
I really loved immersing myself in the surfing world and it truly made the connections to Leo even stronger.
Leo and Iris were the perfect pairing.
Much like Match Point this book will make you want to join in by learning to surf.


Thank you to Katherine Reilly and Aria and Aries for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this - something a bit different in the sports romance world, while still hitting familiar beats. Iris and Leo have great chemistry, and it's fun to see them both gradually let their guard down and let their attraction and spark develop into something deeper. This is the first book of its kind I've read set in the world of surfing, and I thought the author did a great job of introducing a potential newbie reader to the sport, with enough establishing detail but nothing too overwhelming. It's also hard not to fall in love with the (initial) setting of Burgau, which seemed idyllic.

I think my main issue with this was pacing. It felt like it dragged in places, whereas other bits felt a bit rushed. And I appreciated that the author didn't feel the need to hand feed us every single detail, skipping forward in some places and referring to other things in passing, but I also felt like there were some things that could have done with a bit more time, not least Iris' relationships with her friends (most of which seem to happen off-page - maybe more show and less tell needed here), and there were a number of plot threads teased or introduced that ultimately went nowhere.

All that said, I think is a perfect summer read for fans of sports romance, and won't hesitate to recommend it to customers in the shop!

Ride the Wave by Katherine Reilly was everything I needed in the perfect summer romance!

In this unique sports romance about surfing, we get to follow Iris, a sports journalist, who is sent to Portugal to interview the famous ex-surfer Leo Silva. He has decided to enter one last competition, and the magazine Iris works for wants to show the world that Leo is still the sizzling hot topic everyone should talk about.

This book had me hooked from the start and I was so immersed in the story of Iris and Leo. I am now craving a trip to Portugal and even if I am as good as Iris at surfing, that's all I want to do now.

Another thing I enjoyed with this romance, apart from the fact that it's unique since it's about surfing, was how the feelings and the relationship between our main characters progressed. I loved Leo's grumpiness in the beginning of the story and the fact that this is forced proximity and forbidden love at its finest. I can't say too much without spoiling the plot, but I really really enjoyed this story, and I cannot recommend it enough for the summer! Loved it!!

This was a real easy-read hug of a book. I particularly really enjoyed the first half, and the slow burn romance between Iris and Leo.

Being an Aussie who grew up in London, and who loves travelling to Portugal and following the WSL, this book was a melting point of my favourite things, and I would definitely recommend as a fun holiday read.

Some points in the second half were slightly predictable for my taste, but all in all, it was an enjoyable read.

Many thanks to Katherine Reilly, Aria & Aries | Aria and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.