Ride the Wave gives you exactly what you sign up for. A fun sports romance about a surfer with a lovely beach setting. It tries to give you a bit more than that with some emotional plotlines but they aren’t super important to the book.

I do think the pacing could’ve been a bit better. They had some cute moments but they went from dislike to ‘I want you in my bed’ very quickly. I’m also not the biggest fan of both characters having pretty high stakes but then also throwing it all to the side just so they can have sex a bunch of time. This man is coming back to surfing after 12 years away and yeah we see him train a bit and we hear about his diet and coaches, but he seems incredibly chill about the whole thing?? I don’t know, I just didn’t really believe what she was trying to sell me.

I felt the same way about Iris and her as an interviewer. At the start we get quite a bit about her job and the process, but at the end we barely see any of it? Even just an epilogue with a snippet of her article could’ve been a great tie in.

I’ve been complaining a lot but I really did enjoy reading this book. I love that it was about surfing. Don’t know much about the sport but the vibes are amazing. I loved the little town (where somehow almost everyone could speak perfect English but that’s alright lol) and I did think the characters were a good match.

I’ve read better sports romances but if you’re looking for a fun summer read, this is definitely a great book to pick up!

I’m currently totally in the mood for summer romances and Ride The Wave by Katherine Reilly is perfect for that. This is the story of Iris and Leo.
 
Iris is a very career-oriented woman, and she gives her all as a sports reporter. This world is still male dominated, so she works extra hard to make a name for herself. She gets the opportunity to write a piece on Leo and she even goes to Portugal to meet with him. I loved how Iris became more relaxed throughout the story and she started to live and be happy again.
 
Leo Silva was a surf champion and everybody’s darling. But his career got overshadowed by scandals and bad press and he paused his dream. It was so interesting to learn more about him with each page and at first, he’s very grumpy and reclusive but underneath that he’s such a charming and lovely person. I haven’t read a sports romance with surfing before, and I loved it.
 
Iris and Leo are stuck between their work requirements and their feelings for each other and that makes this book a rollercoaster of emotions. The story is very sweet with a little bit of spice and that was honestly perfect. I was enamoured by these characters and that in combination with the lovely setting in Portugal made me enjoy this book very much.
 
I totally recommend adding Ride The Wave to your summer tbr. 4 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

I read Katherine’s first book, ‘Match Point’, and absolutely loved it! So I was sure I’d enjoy this one just as much, and I did. I don’t know much about surfing, but that didn’t matter at all while reading this book. The story is written in such an easy and flowing way that it’s impossible not to follow along and understand everything!
The plot is really fun and the characters are super likable. The setting Portugal - Australia is amazing! It immediately makes you want to pack your bags and go there. It had been a while since I flew through a book this quickly, and that’s all thanks to you, Katherine! I truly hope you’ll keep writing books like this, because I’m already a huge fan.

This book really surprised me in the best way. I went in expecting a light beachy romance—and while it definitely had those sunny, laid-back vibes, there was also a lot of emotional depth that made it stand out.

The main character’s journey was so relatable—she’s going through a rough patch and trying to figure out what’s next for her life. I loved the way her personal growth was written. It felt real, a little messy (in a good way), and really satisfying by the end.

The romance was sweet and slow-building, with great chemistry. Nothing felt forced, and I appreciated that the love interest was supportive without trying to "fix" everything for her. It’s got a nice balance of introspection and swoony moments.

The writing is heartfelt and easy to get into—I flew through the book in a couple sittings. Definitely recommend if you're in the mood for something cozy, emotional, and uplifting with a side of romance.

★★★★★ ➤ This book is a cozy surf sports romance with intriguing characters, fun facts (thank you Leo), and to know what it means to overcome hurdles in order to get back up on the board and 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘷𝘦! I have no objections to this novel!

* ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ‘𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵,' 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘸𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦. '𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘰'𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯: 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.’ ✧˖*°࿐

I enjoyed this more than I expected myself to. This book had a lot of mixed reviews BUT if you want something that’s lighthearted, cozy with a touch of spice, then this surf sport romance is definitely one to pick up.

If I had to describe this book with a song, it’d be:
⤷ 𝐒𝐞ñ𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚 ▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊|• 0:10

୧ ׅ𖥔 ۫ 𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫, 𝐋𝐞𝐨 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐚 - 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐬𝐬’𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐧 - 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐲 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐥, 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐨’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞, 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟? ⋄ 𓍯

🏖️ Sports Romance
💕 Journalist x Surfer
🌊 Forced Proximity
🏖️ Enemies to Lovers
💕 He fell first
🌊 Cozy
🏖️ Slow Burn (4/5 🌶️)

Overall, I found the story well written with a steady pacing with the lead up to the main event in the story. The chemistry between both characters was intense, even the deeper connection they shared by opening up about their pasts showed how well their relationship grew and where they stand on certain aspects of their personalities. Even when Iris stood up for Leo thanks to his mother’s PR stunt, I could feel how much they loved each other (even though they hadn’t said it yet) (˶‾᷄ ⁻̫ ‾᷅˵)

I haven’t read the author’s first book which is about Iris’s friend Flora, so maybe I’ll pick it up to see how that story plays out. I definitely liked this one, the vibes were really good and thank god there was no misunderstandings and no toxicity within the pages. I would love to see more… I think this author has now sparked an interest with surfers cause let’s be honest here, Leo… he was something.

‘Ride The Wave’ by Katherine Reilly is a fabulously spicy sequel to one of my 2024 faves, ‘Match Point’, trading tennis balls for surfboards and SW19 for Portugal’s beautiful beaches…

The story follows sports journalist Iris Gray as she travels to a quiet seaside town to write about Leo Silva’s shock surfing comeback. As she gets to know Leo and digs deeper into the scandal that ended his string of world championships successes twelve years previously, she is torn between focusing on her career and exploring the swirling chemistry between them.

This novel was full of sizzling spice, made meaningful by loveable characters and some super sweet scenes… including Leo helping Iris overcome her fear of the sea with a tender and empathetic surfing lesson. The setting was also enviable and immersive, making me NEED a European beach holiday!

Overall, this fun and sexy sports romance is a perfect summer read, and gets 3.5 stars from me. I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Aria and Aries via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Ride the Wave was a fun summer romance. It had a unique setting, fun plot and the characters were deep.
Iris, a successful sports journalist is tasked with writing a piece on retired pro surfer Leo, who is returning to competition following his loss years prior. He is a mystery and no one really knows what or where he has been since then. Iris is given the challenge to write about Leo with the possibility of getting a promotion if it is successful.
With Leo completely closed off to any media, the interview process is rocky as he is closed off completely but Iris is very persistent and visits Leo wherever possible to sell her idea of her project.
The only problem is that the pair do not expect one another. They have fantastic chemistry, they get on really well and Iris begins falling in love not only with Leo but also the small Portuguese town he’s established himself in.
As Leo’s competition approaches, more conflict seeps its way into their relationship and Iris and Leo fight for one another.
This was a great book. The characters were great, Leo was a fantastic male main character. Iris was successful in her job and was confident about it. I will definitely be looking into Katherine Reilly’s other work.
Thank you for the eARC!

Ride the Wave is the most perfect summer read with such a unique concept!

I don’t see many sports romances that focus on surfing so I was very excited and intrigued to read Ride the Wave. This is my first Katherine Reilly book too so I had no idea what to expect going into this and I can definitely say I was pleasantly surprised.

The way Katherine immediately jumps right into the story made me so curious and I instantly wanted to find out more.

Iris, our determined and hardworking sports journalist, is willing to do anything to write a good report despite the pressure she is under. Leo, world champion surfer, is extremely closed off and hard to read after facing a difficult past, but together Iris and Leo are unstoppable.

I was unsure of Leo at first. His unwillingness to talk to Iris even when he had agreed to do the interview with her annoyed me slightly, but I love how Iris didn’t let this hold her back. The way she approached the situation and got him to slowly open up made this such a fun and interesting read. I just wanted to know more about Leo’s “downfall” and what lead him to his new life.

I absolutely loved Iris. She’s such a strong fmc and I honestly admired her work ethic so much. Not just that, but getting to see her open up about her struggles too was very important and I love that she allowed herself to be a little reckless at times too. Leo & Iris together were absolutely adorable and I was so surprised by how sweet Leo was in the end because of his hostility in the beginning. He was such a gentleman and I was definitely rooting for them to be together in the end!

For the most part I enjoyed reading about the surfing aspect of this book as I have never really delved into this side of a sports romance before, but I did find myself getting a little bored of it by the end of the book. It was definitely interesting to learn all of the terminology at first though and the way Katherine Reilly writes was fascinating. I will definitely be going back and reading Match Point now!

At times I wish this book was a little bit shorter as it was dragged out a little bit, but overall this was such a perfect summer read and I just wish I was sat on a beach or on balcony in Burgau reading this!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the arc! <3

🌊Ride the Wave by @katherinereillyauthor 🏄📸

This book is everything I love in a spicy rom-com — sunshine, surf, and serious tension. Set along the dreamy Portuguese coast, Ride the Wave gives us forced proximity, and all the sizzling moments in between.

☀️Tropes:
✔ Sports romance / bad boy rep
✔ Forced proximity
✔ Slow burn
✔ Spicy + heartfelt
🏄 Surfer x Sports journalist

Iris and Leo’s chemistry is electric, and their banter? Perfection. There’s depth here too — about risk, gut instinct, and living in the moment.

🌊 Fav quote:
“You can’t plan what happens out there in the water — ultimately, you have to go on gut instinct. A little bit like love itself, I think.”

⭐️ 5/5 — Add this to your summer TBR now!

3.75
“Ride the Wave” is an excellent summer read. Nicely written, great setting, lovely side characters, solid main characters.

I do have to say that I was mostly intrigued by this book because of the sport. I feel like all I see is ice hockey and Formel 1 with the occasional tennis or swimming thrown in. Surfing though, haven’t crossed my path, which of course doesn’t mean those books aren’t out there.

Now, Iris is a journalist and Leo doesn’t like journalists and so naturally these two make up a perfect pairing.
In the first 35-40% of the book were several moments, when I thought both of them finally found common ground, but then almost every time Leo destroyed it with “wished you could have recorded that, right”. I kinda get it and I get that he has a certain level of trust issues, but found myself being annoyed at some point.
There was a really lovely moment, when Iris wanted to learn how to surf and Leo finally opened up to her.

The first half was rather fast and once the two of them actually admitted to their attraction and somewhat feelings for each other, around half way through the book, the pace slowed down.
I went into this expecting that the main part would be Iris’s time in Portugal, which ended up being the first half of the book. The majority of the second half was spent with them as a couple during the competition in Australia.

This book doesn’t have an epilogue, which sometimes can work, sometimes not. And I think this is a case where it doesn’t work, at least for me.
I would have loved to see how Iris & Leo’s life in Portugal looks like. What’s up with the surfing school and the construction work that was supposed to take place in Burgau to attract more tourists? How, if so at all, did the relationship between Leo and his mom change after the competition in Bell’s Beach?
I guess half of those points you can guess, but others and more were left off without some sort of conclusion.

Simmering tension, emotional depth, and sun-soaked chemistry—Ride the Wave delivers it all.

Retired surfing legend Leo wants nothing more than to rebuild quietly in a sleepy Portuguese town. But when Iris, a determined freelance sports journalist, shows up under orders from his media mogul mother, he's far from welcoming. What follows is a slow-burn clash between a woman chasing the truth and a man desperate to outrun his past.

I adored Iris—her persistence, her strength, and the way she handles her own trauma with honesty and heart. Leo’s gruffness initially grated, but it quickly became clear he’s a man carrying deep regrets, trying hard to redefine himself.

Thrown together in close quarters, the spark between them is undeniable. Reilly blends humour, emotional vulnerability, and spice with her trademark finesse. A captivating story of second chances, personal growth, and learning to see someone—not for who they were, but who they’ve become.

Another gorgeous, unputdownable read from Katherine Reilly

3.5⭐️

This book was sweet for summer! The vibes were definitely fitting for the season & the redemption plot for our mmc was something worth rooting for.

I enjoyed Iris’s determination in her work & her eventual willingness to work through her trauma & shortcomings to improve herself & her relationships.

I did find a few parts of this book to be unrealistic, a bit too drawn out, etc. but thought it was a fun time.

After receiving Match Point as an arc and loving it. I was so excited and glad to receive Ride the Wave as an arc. I fell in love with this book and absolutely adore it !

Ride the Wave had me feeling all different types of emotions throughout reading it. Not many books make me feel that way and when they do I know its going to be one amazing book.

I absolutely adore Iris and Leo. The author has wrote them in such a beautiful way that made me fall in love with the both of them.

Ride the wave is a surfer romance book. I haven't read many surfer romance books but i now need to find more because I just loved this one. I'm glad that the story focuses on surfing rather than having it a side plot. I enjoyed reading about it and enjoyed the way the author portrayed surfing in the book. I found it really fun and interesting to read.

I absolutely loved this one its became of of my favourite summer reads and im so excited to read what Reilly does next.

Ride the wave is a great summer read set in a beautiful beach setting. So if you are looking for your next summer read then I recommend you picking this one up !

*Thank you NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing me this arc in return for an honest review*

Iris meets Leo when she is sent to write an article about him. She knows that he should be of limits but will that stop her from falling for him. A great setting in Portugal.

ARC Review: Ride the Wave by Katherine Reilly
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ride the Wave is a slow-burn sports romance that pairs a grumpy retired surfer with a sunshine journalist in a charming small-town setting. The story follows Iris, an ambitious journalist sent to write a comeback piece on her boss’s son, Leo—the once-legendary surfer now off the grid.

I’ll admit the beginning was a bit slow for me; it took about 25% of the book before I really connected with the characters. But once it picked up, I was all in. The forced proximity trope worked well here, and I genuinely enjoyed the chemistry between Leo and Iris. Their dynamic brought out the best (and sometimes the worst) in each other, but watching them grow—individually and together—was a highlight of the book.

The grumpy x sunshine vibe was spot on, and their relationship felt earned, not rushed. I especially loved Leo’s dad—he’s the ultimate GOAT and added real heart to the story.

While it didn’t completely blow me away, Ride the Wave has its strengths, especially if you’re a fan of slow-burn romance, redemption arcs, and characters who challenge each other to be better.

Tropes: Grumpy x Sunshine, Slow Burn, Forced Proximity, Small Town Romance
CW: Mild language, emotional family dynamics

⭒ Rating: 4.5
🌶️ rating: 1 / 3

Cute cover? Check! Summer vibes? Check! Then I read the blurb and it’s set in my country? I HAD to read it! This was like only the second book I read set in Portugal. And this one is set somewhere in the Algarve I hadn’t even hear of, so it made me even more excited!

I loved the small coastal town vibes, the local people, all the summer activities, culture & food, and the surfing! The training and then the competitions! It was so fun actually. I loved learning about this cute heartbroken surfer superstar. Loved watching him open his closed off heart to this special and sweet journalist. Iris was so cute. I really liked her. I loved watching her work her magic on people. The way she made people open up to her without even realising was a talent eheh. I honestly really liked both characters! And really enjoyed watching them fall in love!

I loved Leo’s dad so much. He was an Iris fan from the start and knew these two had something special. I loved how much he loved and supported his son. On the other hand, I despised Leo’s mother! What a trash woman. She was not meant to be a mother! I swear the one scene where Iris went off on her and defended her man, even though she was her boss’s boss, it was EPIC. I was literally screaming YES GIRL, GO OFF ON THAT B****! I really liked Maria too, she was such a nice person and friend. She really made Iris feel welcome. Honestly, I loved the vibes and the secondary characters. I hope this isn’t a standalone and this wasn’t the last we saw of this town and these characters!
 
𝜗𝜚 Tropes: journalist x interviewee, small coastal town, dislike to love, forbidden romance, work trip, sports romance

4.5 stars
I absolutely loved Katherine Reilly's previous book, Match Point, so eagerly anticipated her next adult romance, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I loved everything about this, from the setting to the romance. It was pure fun and was a great dive into my first ever surfer romance!

I really loved our main characters and really enjoyed getting to know more about Iris, who we met in Match Point. She's such a strong and amazing character who you can't help but admire and root for. I adored her interactions with Leo, and seeing the two open up to one another was just perfect. Leo was fantastic, with amazing character development, and I was lowkey obsessed with him calling her London.

Ride The Waves is a fun and well paced story that I absolutely devoured. Katherine Reilly writes incredibly realistic and relatable characters, mainly and side, and describes locations so perfectly I felt transported to Portugal. I really recommend picking this one up, especially if you are a lover of sports romances!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries/Head of Zeus for my review copy. These are my thoughts:

Sports journalist Iris is tasked to write a profile about a retired pro surfer who’s making a comeback, during Australia’s famous Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach contest. She flies out to Burgau, Portugal, to meet the extremely handsome, yet very reluctant Leo Silva. He will do all he can to keep her and her questions away and she, in turn, will try and charm her way under his skin. Will Iris write the article of a lifetime, or will she find that there is more at stake as she rides this wave?

This was a cozy, fun and entertaining story. I felt like it was split into three-acts: Portugal and Iris trying to get Leo to tell her his story and open up; when things turn unprofessional between , which was also the moment they both opened up and allowed themselves to be seen for whom they really were, and then there was Bells Beach and the surf competition.

I was surprised by the way the story unfolded. There were some turns I was not expecting but they worked. I liked Iris and Leo and together, their shared vulnerability made them relatable and a sweet, tender couple. They also made a hot couple - their chemistry was sizzling! But the quiet moments they shared in the ocean or at home in the evenings, added depth to their connection, which I very much appreciated.
I like how Iris stood up and defended him and I loved how gentle he was with her, when she was facing one of her biggest fears.

The Burgau setting was calm and inviting. And Bells Beach was thrilling and bursting with life and excitement.

I loved Adriano and Marina. Their support and subtil (maybe not so subtil) nudges made all the difference.

This book will make a great summer read! Filled with heart, humour, spice and the thrill of surfing!

[Spice: 2.5/5]

Thank you Netgalley for my eARC!

Ride The Wave is the perfect sports romance to spice up your summer/holiday.

Sports journalist Iris is tasked with writing the 'redemption' piece about retired surfer Leo who is making his big comeback.

This is very much a slow burn, with grumpy x sunshine vibes and a bit of forced proximity with the nature of the job at hand.

Both MC's are great, they show vulnerability and compliment one another with undeniable chemistry.

The story is well-written and it is an easy page turner that makes you feel all of the emotions.

Can't wait to see what Katherine writes next!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in change for a honest review.
Loved this sports romance! This was my first surfer romance, really liked that it explained the sport without it being too much about the sport.
Reading this book made me want to hop on the next plane to Portugal, the perfect summer sport romance read!!