I honestly had no idea what I was requesting when I joined this blog tour.  I’d never seen Wavehouse before but, as a girl from Michigan who’s never put a toe in the ocean, I’ve always been oddly obsessed with surfing.  It’s something I imagine I’d love… if it wasn’t in the ocean.

Anyway, the surfing plus the super shy heroine are the reasons I hoped to join this review.  So, thank you Rockstar Book Tours for selecting me!  You’ve helped me discover a new favorite book!

You guys are awesome!

Wavehouse by Alice Kaltman
Standalone
YA Contemporary
Fitzroy Books | June 15, 2018

Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads

I loved Wavehouse!  It was everything I look for in a YA book.  It had a really unique main character I adored, but who sometimes ticked me off.  (Just like the people I love in real life.)  It also had an interesting romance with a sexy surfer, but without allowing the love affair to take over the plot and overshadow Anna’s personal challenges.  There was a fascinating family standing behind Anna, who were all flawed but extremely beloved.  And it had a wonderful female friendship between Anna and her best friend Myra.  It also had sports!  Surfing to be specific, which I like to imagine would be my sport of choice, if I’d been raised in Cali (or apparently Montauk) and not afraid of the ocean.

First, Anna was so relateable.  I don’t even think it was because we’re both painfully shy, which we are.  I think I’d have understood and related to her even if I were an extrovert.  There was something about her that felt so honest.  She wasn’t perfect, and sometimes I hated how easy it was for her to villainize people, but we all have flaws and her heart and spirit were beautiful.  I loved how Wavehouse never veered from Anna’s emotional growth and self-esteem being the focus of the story, even when there were so many other great characters and relationships worth writing about.

I think my favorite relationship in Wavehouse was the relationship between Anna and her mother.  Sometimes authors rely too heavily on the ‘bad’ parent vs ‘good’ parent trope, when in reality we’re all somewhere more in the middle.  In this story the parental relationship was more of a gray one, and it was perfectly executed.  In fact, I think it was the most fleshed out relationship in the entire story.  Anna’s issues with her mother were the antithesis from the moment Wavehouse started, through to the beautiful ending.  Anna’s love interest Chris, her best friend Myra, and her grandparents all came secondary and I think that’s the main reason I loved this book so much.

Yes, there’s a romance.  Yes, there’s a positive female friendship.  Those were secondary, and in a sea of YA books that focus on friendship and love first, that is what makes Wavehouse standout and why I’m giving it 5 stars and counting it as one of my newest favorites.

Rating: 

Thank you to Fitzroy Books and Rockstar Book Tours for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alice Kaltman

As a young girl I longed to be a mermaid. My idol sat demurely on the Chicken of the Sea tuna fish cans. I peeled labels off to save her image. Every night before bedtime I squeezed both legs in to one side of my pajama bottoms and shuffled around the house pretending I was as beautiful as the tuna fish mermaid.

Real mermaid-hood proved elusive, so I became a modern dancer instead. For over twenty years I worked with brilliant choreographers and performed in amazing places. And while I’m still paid to do the occasional pirouette, I’m now mostly known as a Parenting Coach/Writer helping out moms and dads, and talking to kids also, about their (often annoying) parents.

But honestly? I’m most at home when upside down and underwater. I’ve been swimming my entire life, and surfing for the better part of adulthood. It’s no surprise my two novels are totally ocean-centric. Saving Grace is about a mermaid, and Wavehouse is about a surfer. And I guess they’re both about me, too.

My short fiction (for adults) takes place on land, sea, and air. I’m thrilled that Staggerwing, a collection of my favorites, is forthcoming from Tortoise Books in October, 2016.

These days I split my time between Brooklyn and Montauk, New York where I wear my pajamas regular style. But if too much time passes without a swim or a surf, I’m tempted to revisit my childhood shenanigans. Wouldn’t it be fun to flip-flop about like a fish out of water or a beached mermaid, restless and hungry for the incoming tide?

If you want to reach out about bookish stuff, send me an email via the cute little Contact pop-up, or via my literary agent, Zoe Sandler of ICM Partners.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

♦♦♦

2 winners will receive a WAVEHOUSE hardcover!
2 winners will receive a WAVEHOUSE paperback!
US Only.

Week One:

6/1/2018- Will Read Anything

Week Two:

6/4/2018- RhythmicBooktrovert
6/5/2018- Sincerely Karen Jo
6/6/2018- Ziggy’s Reading Corner
6/7/2018- Mythical Books
6/8/2018- Wonder Struck

Week Three:

6/11/2018- The Cozy Reading Corner
6/12/2018- Peaceful Oblivion
6/13/2018- Vylithylia Reads
6/14/2018- BookHounds YA
6/15/2018- Birdie Bookworm

Week Four:

6/18/2018- Parajunkee
6/19/2018- For the Love of KidLit
6/20/2018- Two Chicks on Books
6/21/2018- Caffeine And Composition
6/22/2018- Book Dragon Lair

Week Five:

6/25/2018- Lilly’s Book World
6/26/2018- Jaime’s World
6/28/2018- Daily Waffle