REVIEW: Blue by Lisa Glass

What even is it about surfing books? I read one and I absolutely crave more. Such was the case with Blue by Lisa Glass.  What thrilled me about this book in particular, aside from the awesome surfing is that it is set around an actual English seaside town and not Hawaii or the US or Australia, but somewhere closer to home.  Let's have more of that, okay? 

And I really quickly fell for this story and these characters. At parts I found it a little surprising that we hear so much about secondary characters and their side stories, especially when it came to Zeke's family and the things they get up to but it all made sense in the end.  I had no idea until I turned that last page that is the first book in a series! I'm really quite excited to read more about Iris and her surfing experiences. 

So, Blue tells us this story spanning one momentous summer with our main character, Iris.  She's really down in the dumps at the beginning of Blue, having just broken up with her ex-boyfriend, Daniel, and she's finding it hard to move on.  Her best friend, Kelly, drags her off to a yoga class and there Iris meets Zeke, this hot surfer dude and they really hit it off. 

These first few chapters of Blue were so wonderful to read, especially as it's really awkward and there are some embarrassing moments as Iris and Zeke first interact. It was obvious how much Iris fancies the pants off Zeke. And to be honest, so did I right from the start. He's gorgeous and talented and it seemed pretty clear to me (not so much to Iris) how smitten with her he is too.

But there are so many things standing in the way of their relationship.  First off, Iris is totally unsure what Zeke feels or what he wants from her. Then she finds out that actually he's this big-time surfer who travels the world surfing the hottest spots and being sponsored. And there's also Iris's conflicted feelings about her ex-boyfriend and the fact that she might not yet be over him...

I found this book to be pretty surprising. I loved meeting Zeke's family. His brothers, his parents, his nana, they were all lovely and I just wanted to be part of that family unit.  There was an incredibly touching scene involving the three Francis brothers and Nanna that had me nearly about to cry. And at the same time, I really felt for Daniel.  He really cares about Iris in his own way but makes so many mistakes trying to win her back. It was a very emotional ride.

But, of course, the thing I really did love the most about this book was the surfing. Blue takes us through all sorts of different aspects of surfing. From learning to surf, surfing as a fun hobby, the competitive nature of trying to get into more pro circles and also that of someone at the top of their game in surfing.  I found it all fascinating. I loved hearing about the different lingo and different things to consider and be aware of, the different boards and places to surf. Honestly, I lapped up every single detail of surfing in this book. It was all so very satisfying.

Blue was such a fun and romantic, summery beach read. I really recommend that you pick this one up and fall in love with surfing all over again!