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!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️

A slow begining, but a fun ride.

🏄🏼‍♂️Sports Contemporary Romance
🏄🏼‍♂️Grumpy x Sunshine
🏄🏼‍♂️Forced Proximity // Must work together
🏄🏼‍♂️Small Town
🏄🏼‍♂️Disgraced pro-surfer and the sports journalist trying to orchestrate his comeback
🏄🏼‍♂️Work relationship // He's off limits
🏄🏼‍♂️Chemistry, banter, tension
🏄🏼‍♂️Slowburn romance with some spice 🔥

Leo x Iris were a hoot together, though the characters could have been fleshed out a little better, it was still an entertaining read, romantic and steamy. I'm not a huge sports romance reader but the cover was so cute! And I wasn't disappointed! It did take a little while to get into it and become swept by it, just because of the slow-burn element, but I do recommend it.

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.