Riptide

Mar 21, 2013 Alise (Readers in Wonderland) added it

Did Not Finish.

This irked me from the start. The writing seemed too juvenile but the innuendos and teenage dialogue made it clear it was anything but. There were one too many, "Whatevs," for my taste and the main character really got on my bad side. She was whiny, boastful, and way too full of herself. She lets her boyfriend-not-boyfriend zip up her wetsuit "not because I can't do it myself but it's something nice he can do for me." Right away I could tell we were going to have problems. Ford se...more

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May 16, 2013 Jasprit rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-galley, out-2013, ya-cc-13, read-in-2013

3.5 stars

I love picking up books where you go into them expecting a light summery read, but you’re left ending up with a deep emotionally overwhelming story.

Surfing is Grace’s thing, it’s always been something she’s good at. So with a big surfing tournament around the corner and well known scouts rumoured to be there. Grace knows she has to up her game but this gets difficult when her best friend Ford and surf trainer decides to intern at Grace’s dads law firm over the summer. On top of that Gra...more 3.5 stars

I love picking up books where you go into them expecting a light summery read, but you’re left ending up with a deep emotionally overwhelming story.

Surfing is Grace’s thing, it’s always been something she’s good at. So with a big surfing tournament around the corner and well known scouts rumoured to be there. Grace knows she has to up her game but this gets difficult when her best friend Ford and surf trainer decides to intern at Grace’s dads law firm over the summer. On top of that Grace’s dad puts extra pressure on her to get into one of the Ivy League colleges. Has anyone stopped to see what Grace actually wants to do? She’s getting all this pressure from everyone but shouldn’t she just follow her heart?

I really did feel for Grace, she was always one to keep what was going on in her life private. Her perfect family image everyone saw was a big lie, and these feelings she had for her best friend Ford, she decided to deny whenever it came up. Grace was super talented and she knew she had a great shot at getting scouted, but her parents had entirely different opinions. Grace’s parents were the worst; her dad had a fake facade that had everyone thinking he was a decent man, but then at home he was just hell. Then there was Grace’s mum, she was always quick to make assumptions about everyone and then always put Grace down. However what pained me the most about her was that she was never there when Grace needed her the most, she just shut down everything Grace did or said. Despite having crap parents, Grace tried her best to rise above it all, and I truly did admire her characters strength. She did make a few mistakes along the way, but hiding a secret as big as she did, I understood why she kept everything away from Ford.

With dual narratives from both Grace and Ford, we were given great insights into both characters. I adored Ford (his real name is Ferdinand, which I preferred) he was sweet, down to earth and such a fun guy. He had his over protective role over Grace nailed, but he was also able to lighten the mood with his jokes and banter. But what I adored the most about was him that he always knew what mattered to him the most; his family and his roots, he was never one to forget how important this was and tried to as much as he could to make a difference. Ford’s parents were also great; they clearly illustrated what honest parents are meant to be like with their insightful wisdom they imparted on Ford, and how they were also quick to take Grace in whenever she needed a place to hang out.

Despite some of the focus on dark family issues, Riptide was also a story laced with scenes of summer fun and beautiful friendships. There was a lot of surf lingo dotted throughout, but just like Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar, I still found myself enthralled by a mesmerising read. Riptide was a story I’m glad I gave a try; it was littered with beautiful achy scenes, but also a lot of fun along the way. If you’re in the mood for something different I definitely recommend giving Riptide a try. (less)

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May 16, 2013 Sara (sarabara081) added it

Shelves: dac-2013, ebooks-for-review, may

You can find more of my reviews at Forever 17 Books.

DNF

I promised myself that I would learn to let go of books that weren't working for me instead of wasting so much time forcing myself through them. Unfortunately, Riptide is another casualty of this.

I made it to about 44% before I gave it the heave-ho. It wasn't necessarily bad. And I didn't find myself hating anything I did read. But I felt no connection the the characters and no interest in what was going on with them. In a word, I was BORED...more

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May 09, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sports, 2013

2.5 stars

I feel like this book had the potential to be a lot better than it was--the bones of something unique and moving were there. But, there were numerous plot holes and some elements that just needed more development as well as some key points that were not particularly realistic or believable for me. It's a three star book because the surfing scenes were great and the multicultural aspect was good too. I wrote an actual review of this one on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves - http://cleareyesfulls ...more

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May 08, 2013 Gillysegal added it

I cam away from Riptide with mixed feelings. I fear it's an instance in which the book jacket copy did the novel a disservice because I was rather surprised by what I got. I expected a novel that was mostly a romance and a high school athlete's journey to compete at the highest level in college.

Unfortunately, the competitive surfing story didn't really play out. Really, it was more of an issues book - something destructive is going on in Grace's family and that story edged out those elements I h...more I cam away from Riptide with mixed feelings. I fear it's an instance in which the book jacket copy did the novel a disservice because I was rather surprised by what I got. I expected a novel that was mostly a romance and a high school athlete's journey to compete at the highest level in college.

Unfortunately, the competitive surfing story didn't really play out. Really, it was more of an issues book - something destructive is going on in Grace's family and that story edged out those elements I had been expected to see. It was more about whether Grace could overcome/survive that family drama, and less about whether she'd make the UC San Diego surf team (and I'm not clear that she ever really needed a scholarship . . . ) More's the pity.

There were some very interesting choices in the telling of this novel. For example - it was a dual narration between Grace and love interest Ford (another thing expected based on the summary). From Grace's early chapters, I had no idea Ford was Mexican. None. Ford is about 1000 times more Mexican in his own mind than in Grace's. That could be a really compelling characterization technique - is Grace a truly color blind person? But even if that were true, though, wouldn't she at least hear the Spanish he peppers into his sentences? Or does Ford identifies so strongly with that element of his heritage that it affects the way he views himself in his own mind? Either one would be really interesting and they're plausible based on the characters - but the novel never really committed to either. It could just as easily have been the author's way of differentiating between the voices because of the dual narration.

Some inconsistencies in Grace and Ford kept me from identifying with them as characters. See above. The way Grace responds to her family drama is another example - she and her mother seems to run sort of hot and cold and I thought that story line rode the fence over-much for such a main plot point. Between the unresolved plot line regarding Ford's immigration activism, the diversion away from the surf competition focus, and a few other elements that ended up pushed aside or wrapped up too quickly, this book just didn't quite go where I was expecting or hoping for it to go.

I do think it will appeal to fans of YA contemporary issues books - like What Happens Next, Dreamland, and the like.

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Apr 28, 2013 A Canadian Girl rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-stars, flux, 2013

When I requested Riptide by Lindsey Schiebe, I figured that there would be a lot of surfing in the novel. What I wasn’t expecting was Riptide to be an issues book that used surfing as a metaphor for Grace's life – and quite heavy handedly, I might add! Another problem I had with Riptide was that I couldn’t care about Grace, which made the book feel even longer. Lastly, Riptide had a second, unexpected main character – Ford. Unfortunately, Ford’s POV detracts from Grace’s story rather than being...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Soma "Insomnia Of Books" rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love light contemporary reads with cute, unforgettable characters. But contemporary reads are also a great risk. Since, one little slip by the author and it may be too much and turn the book 180 degrees. This book was not my favorite but it had its nice moments.
Grace is an ambitious surfer with over-achieving parents who want her to attend the Ivy Leagues. But Grace has other plans, including getting accepted at a surfing college and getting her best friend, Ford to notice her in a new way....more

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Jan 17, 2013 Lucie rated it 3 of 5 stars

My feelings are mixed.

On one hand, the surfing descriptions on the way to catch the waves carried me in the middle of the ocean. From my couch, I felt the salt in the air, I inhaled yummy Monoi sunscreen and my toes reveled in the warmth of the sand while it was snowing in Paris. So I really enjoyed the trip to the beaches of San Diego.

Also liked to go behind appearances. But I found this part too little exploited. Indeed, the reader follows Grace's desires of freedoms. She wants to become mast...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Alex Sharrock rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Riptide follows the story of Grace, a teen who lives for surfing and catching the best waves. She has one summer to prove to everyone that she is good enough in order to get a scholarship to UC San Diego and it is a very bumpy ride.

This novel came in to form of dual POV's. I much preferred Ford as I wasn't keen on Grace as main character. She was kinda childish at times and she could be unintentionally spiteful. Ford is a ladies man at heart but has never been with anyone since he set eyes on...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

I gave this book a solid 3.5 out of 5. Thank you net galley for providing an advance copy. A full review will be coming closer to the publication date.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters, the relationship between them and the surfing. I always enjoy a friendship to more story. And this book dealt with some intense issues which added to the story. The only slightly negative aspect for me was that I found the characters (although likeable) a little bit immature with the relations...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley I was able to get an advanced copy of RIPTIDE, the debut novel by Lindsey Scheibe.

It was pitched as the movie Blue Crush meets Jennifer Echols and I thought that was a spot on description.

Grace is a great surfer along with her best friend Ford and can't wait to get the hell of out of dodge.

I don't want to say too much about this book, but I thought the voices were very true to their characters and I could really picture the surfing, the beach, the town and Grace's life.

I...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

When reading the description of this book I thought it had some really great potential and all though it didn’t meet all the needs I thought necessary to make this an amazing book it was a good read. If only for the surf lingo alone was interesting enough for me to read it all the way through, I just love surfers, they are so intriguing.

We meet Grace who is training to surf in a competition that will hopefully get her into her college of choice. But her parents have other ideas about her future...more When reading the description of this book I thought it had some really great potential and all though it didn’t meet all the needs I thought necessary to make this an amazing book it was a good read. If only for the surf lingo alone was interesting enough for me to read it all the way through, I just love surfers, they are so intriguing.

We meet Grace who is training to surf in a competition that will hopefully get her into her college of choice. But her parents have other ideas about her future, more in the field of the ivy leagues. They are very prim and proper and everything has to be a certain way, it’s all about the façade even though behind all that it’s anything but perfect. Grace’s father definitely has a bit of a temper problem and her mother is a complete doormat.

Ford is Grace’s best friend and helping her out with the competition, but at the same time he is also interning with her father at the law firm in hopes of one day becoming a lawyer who can help illegals stay legal in the country. He seems like a good guy and really likes Grace, but she keeps pushing him away. So he finds someone else who actually wants to be with him. It’s very back and forth between the two of them.

Towards the end of the books Grace really needs to make a big decision, whether she follower her dream of surfing or to follower her parents idea of what is going to be her future. It’s a hard decision for any kid to make, but sometimes you just have to do what makes you happy and deal with the consequences in the end. You really only have yourself you can count on in life and you have to make the best of it. That is one great lesson I think I got from this book. Sometimes you have to be selfish in life if you know it’s what the best is for you and those around you.

Overall the book was interesting and again loved the surfing in it. The cover is amazing, and I can completely picture the whole book while it’s happening in my mind. Although I wish there was more depth to the characters, seemed very straightforward with not enough background. Make sure you check the book out when it comes out.
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Feb 02, 2013 Sana (Breathing Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, reviews

Surf to your heart's content. Chase your dreams.

Grace Parker needs to prove to herself, her family and the coach at UC San Diego that she's good enough.

Lindsey Scheibe weaves a tale about Grace's hardships in terms of her family and how she comes to understand her feelings for her best friend Ford, who has wanted no one but her ever since he met her.

Every chapter starts off with a quote or a meaning of a surf term, which helped me a lot. Because, truth be told you sort of get confused with all...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Lissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

I read this book in one sitting because the domestic violence plot line made me tense.
I enjoyed the alternating chapters from Grace and Ford, although I thought Ford's could have been a bit deeper sometimes.
The helplessness, stress, multiple demands on time and attention and epic sense of responsibility of these teenagers was dead-on although some parts were almost preachy...it is written in first person so that is also excusable.
The surfing seemed straight out of that surfing movie I like...bu...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Deidra (Simply Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: net-galleys, 2013-contemporary, debut-author-challenge, debut-2013

I liked this book a lot more than I was expecting to. I was expecting a light contemporary read, with a lot of surfing, and a summer romance. That is not at all what I got, the exception being a lot of surfing. There was a lot of that.

The book is set with alternating POV's, Grace and her best friend Ford's. Ford is a great guy, in all seriousness, and it seems he was pretty attractive. I know for most people, that is always a plus. Both of them come from completely different backgrounds. Grace c...more I liked this book a lot more than I was expecting to. I was expecting a light contemporary read, with a lot of surfing, and a summer romance. That is not at all what I got, the exception being a lot of surfing. There was a lot of that.

The book is set with alternating POV's, Grace and her best friend Ford's. Ford is a great guy, in all seriousness, and it seems he was pretty attractive. I know for most people, that is always a plus. Both of them come from completely different backgrounds. Grace comes from the family that revolves around her hot-shot lawyer of a father who has some anger issues. Ford comes from a family with Hispanic culture, loving parents, and an incredibly well-educated and brilliant mother and mechanic father. Grace is so welcome into Ford's family. She is like the daughter they never had. Ford into Grace's? Not so much. Grace doesn't really let anyone into her home, much less a "come to meet the folks" kind of get together.

What do Ford and Grace do well together? Surf. Grace's father taught gave her the how-to when she was young, and from then on surfing is what she loved. It was her getaway from all things LIFE. And Ford is a great coach, adding to the education her father gave her. They work well together, and Ford has her back in the male-dominated sport of surfing.

So that all may sound like the fluff that makes a nice contemporary. There is so much more to the story though. Grace's home life? Not all it's cracked up to be. Ford has some demons in his life that push him to be a great lawyer, which leads him to an internship with Grace's father's law firm. That internship may just change his life. And his relationship with Grace.

Grace's urge to surf surpasses all the things the people around her want for her life. Surfing is her thing, what drives her, and where she escapes to. And the way the book is written, I could smell salty ocean air and feel sand between my toes. The book has some incredible scene setting.

There is so much more to Grace and Ford's story that the summary lets on. The book is so much more than fluff, but it has some hilarious and fun moments in between. The surfing backdrop is perfect for the story, and I really loved learning some of the lingo. Who knows? Maybe one day I will get to take some lessons, if I can get away from my land-locked environment.

Who Should Read It: My contemporary peeps, this book is for you. Add it to the pile!(less)

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May 01, 2013 Christina (Confessions of a Book Addict) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, arc, young-adult

Grace Parker lives a pretty sheltered life despite the fact the fact that she is going to be a senior in high school. Thanks to her overprotective parents, she doesn't do much other than study, surf, and hangout with her best friend, Ford. Her parents want her to be valedictorian and attend an Ivy League school; however, Grace has different plans. She wants to go to UCSD and join the surf team. This tremendously clashes with her parents expectations as they think surfing is pretty much a waste o...more Grace Parker lives a pretty sheltered life despite the fact the fact that she is going to be a senior in high school. Thanks to her overprotective parents, she doesn't do much other than study, surf, and hangout with her best friend, Ford. Her parents want her to be valedictorian and attend an Ivy League school; however, Grace has different plans. She wants to go to UCSD and join the surf team. This tremendously clashes with her parents expectations as they think surfing is pretty much a waste of time. Secretly, Grace enters a surf competition and she knows the scout for UCSD will be there. She is going to spend most of her summer training for this big moment. Thankfully, her best friend, Ford, will help her prepare, but things start to get sticky when Ford realizes he has feelings for her. Plus, her parents have different plans for her this summer. Readers will question whether Grace will stand up for what she wants or become a pawn in her parents' chess game. Riptide by Lindsey Scheibe is much more than a light beach read about surfing. It deals with some serious issues as the idea of following your dreams at all costs.

Grace is the type of character that I love rooting for. She plays by the rules, she's smart, tries to please her parents, and loves to surf. Ford has a major crush on her and she has feelings for him too, but she feels like she can't cross the line into romantic territory with him. What if it doesn't work out? Will she lose her best friend? Plus, Ford's internship is with Grace's domineering dad and he specifically asks Ford to look out for Grace....meaning keep all boys away from her since he doesn't want her to be distracted from her studies. If Ford doesn't do what Grace's dad asks of him, it could impact his internship as well as his future. So, needless to say, becoming more than friends isn't quite as simple as it initially appears in Riptide.

Grace's parents are horrible. Seriously. I would get anxious when Grace's dad would enter the storyline. He was THAT horrible. He is a major control freak from everything down to her chores, what she wears, where she goes, who she hangs out with and how she acts. Their relationship was so messed up and Scheibe definitely did a good job portraying this as I was feeling anxiety and stress right there along with Grace. I never knew what was going to upset her dad and make him act violently in Riptide. Her mom could have been a friend to Grace, but instead she nitpicked her every outfit, was brainwashed by her husband, and seemed to always be putting Grace down. I felt bad that Grace had no one to confide in other than Ford. I really wanted her to have a female BFF, but that wasn't happening. Obviously, Grace's home life is a disaster and surfing is one way she escapes.

One thing that I loved about Riptide was the surfing aspect. I have never read a book that deals with surfing and it was fun to be lost in Grace's world of bonfires, San Diego beaches, ocean spray and hot surfer guys. I could tell that Scheibe is someone who has surfed before because everything down to the description of the killer waves and the surfer lingo was spot on.

I did have a few issues with Riptide. The story is told from both Grace and Ford's point of view by alternating each chapter. Sometimes Ford's voice was a little too similar to Grace's and I wish that it had just been from Grace's perspective. I wanted more of a romance or tension between Grace and Ford, but that really didn't happen. It was definitely a very, very slow burn, but most of the time, Grace and Ford acted immaturely.

Although Lindsey Scheibe's debut didn't "wow" me, I think it would make for a fun beach read, but be forewarned that this story deals with domestic violence and isn't all just sunny days and tan lines. So, if you are looking for a beach read that has a serious edge to it, check out Riptide this summer.(less)

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Mar 25, 2013 Vivienne Serendipity Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, netgalley, kindle, received-to-review

Originally published on www.serendipityreviews.co.uk
I have mixed views on this book. There are elements that are wonderful and yet there are also elements that unfortunately let the story down.

Firstly, let’s look at what I loved. The surfing and sea descriptions are outstanding. This author truly knows the art of surfing and has the words inside her to bring the descriptions to paper. She has excellent details of moves in the water I wouldn’t ever have heard of. This author had delved into the d...more Originally published on www.serendipityreviews.co.uk
I have mixed views on this book. There are elements that are wonderful and yet there are also elements that unfortunately let the story down.

Firstly, let’s look at what I loved. The surfing and sea descriptions are outstanding. This author truly knows the art of surfing and has the words inside her to bring the descriptions to paper. She has excellent details of moves in the water I wouldn’t ever have heard of. This author had delved into the depths of her personal knowledge and brought it back to life as part of the story.

I also enjoyed the dual narrative, so that we could see what was going on in the minds of both the characters. I loved the Spanish elements of Ford’s life. You don’t tend to see a lot of Spanish YA characters, so it made a refreshing change. I felt for Grace. She was struggling to reach her dream and her parents were doing everything to stop her reaching her.

However that is where my love of this story stops, I’m afraid. My biggest problem with this book was the plot. It felt like it was full of contradictions. I felt I was being told one thing and then a few pages down I would witness something that totally went against the character’s previous actions. Here are some examples:

- Grace is known for always writing her texts in grammatically correct, yet she talks with so much slang in her sentences.

- Her father is a real ogre who beats her up, yet often in the book we are shown more of his nice side than his bad.

- Her mother hates living with her husband, yet she tells Grace to be grateful for having a father.

I think these would probably have been picked up during editing.

Also I found that in parts of the story there was far too much telling rather than showing. The whole story concerning the character that had died was told to us, rather than showing any elements of it, so it just fell flat. I found I couldn’t conjure any emotion for a character I had never met.

The romance was rather lacking too. I wanted to see the relationship between Ford and Grace blossom, but for quite a bit of the story they were both too busy eyeing up the competition, so the romance became rushed and I lost interest.

I really wanted to love this story, but it felt that it needed more work to it. I think the author really does have talent and has captured the surfing community really well. Unfortunately this one just wasn’t right for me. (less)

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Mar 24, 2013 Maryam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-netgalley, march-2013

Full review up on the blog: http://gloriousbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2...

I've never read a book about surfing before so this was something different for me.

I really loved the descriptive writing when it came to the sea and Grace actually surfing. At times I really felt like I could look out of the window to find myself looking at the sea. Its power, beauty and even smell are all amazing to look at and experience. It made me miss going to the beach, just throwing myself in the water and revelling in t...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Estelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-new-releases, young-adult, summer

Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog

This is the second time in a row that a vibrant book cover oozing with the feel of summer ended up taking on a much more serious tone than I imagined.

Riptide is told from the alternating perspectives of Ford and Grace, two best friends/surfing buddies, who are so in love with each other but for various reasons cannot get it together. Ford is all for being upfront with his feelings, but Grace’s avoidance makes him question if she likes him like th...more Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog

This is the second time in a row that a vibrant book cover oozing with the feel of summer ended up taking on a much more serious tone than I imagined.

Riptide is told from the alternating perspectives of Ford and Grace, two best friends/surfing buddies, who are so in love with each other but for various reasons cannot get it together. Ford is all for being upfront with his feelings, but Grace’s avoidance makes him question if she likes him like that at all. Of course, we know that she does and the foundation for some mega-tension between the two is set.

But this is more than a romance. Grace has many secrets at home, and her trust for people is pretty non-existant. Her parents pile on the pressure for her to go to an Ivy League school and her mom is constantly worried about appearances. (There’s a certain irony in that detail.) Since forever, Grace’s main escape and passion has been hitting the waves. She’s pretty damn good at it too, and would rather pass up her Ivy League chances to stay close by and be part of an awesome college surf team.

When Ford signs her up for a big-time competition, Grace hones in all her energy (or as much as she can) into succeeding and hopefully finding the courage to stand up to her parents about what she really wants. In the meantime, Ford is embracing his own future by interning at Grace’s dad’s law firm and hoping to learn more about immigration return, after an unfortunate incident that hit close to home.

Scheibe does a great job of injecting diversity into this cast of characters from Ford’s new friends at work to the Spanish frequently spoken at his home. I never see this enough in the young adult genre, and it’s always refreshing when it pops up in my reading.

Unfortunately, at some point, Riptide becomes more of Grace’s story (for good reason) and we lose a lot of Ford’s perspective, weakening the second half of the book considerably. His story was worth fleshing out too, and I wish more balance had been achieved. His friends were intriguing and so were his ambitions. As the book went on, I continued to question whether the book as a whole would have been stronger if Grace had been the only voice we had been introduced to.

Even as the book winds down, despite real change coming to all the characters, everything was sewn up a bit too perfectly for me. Too much emphasis was placed on how surfing related to real life, and, while yeah, that makes a ton of sense… I don’t think the reader needed it spelt out quite the way that it was.

While Scheibe did bring a rare family dynamic to the forefront and forced Grace to make necessary but tough choices, a fair amount of tweaking would have made Riptide a more impactful, well-rounded story.
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May 09, 2013 Renae M. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013, contemporary-or-realistic-fiction, debut-2013, published-2013

As a general rule, when I dislike books I do just that: dislike them. I don’t tend to actively or emotionally react in a negative way, except in very extreme cases where a book crosses some of my safety lines. Objectively speaking, Riptide isn’t exactly a bad book, and I’d consider recommending it to certain readers (albeit with hefty misgivings). For myself, however, I hated this book; it made me physically ill, and believe me when I say that does not happen often.

I walked into Riptide ready fo...more

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May 06, 2013 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I saw Riptide on netgalley it sounded interesting, and while I had not previously read a surfing book I wanted to read this one. Grace Parker is a surfer, and along with her friend Ford, they surf every day. When a competition comes up Grace jumps at the chance to enter it, hoping to get noticed and get a scholarship to UCSD,and with the help of Ford begins training for this event. But unknown to Ford, Grace is hiding a big secret.

While Riptide starts out nice and relaxed, its not long befo...more When I saw Riptide on netgalley it sounded interesting, and while I had not previously read a surfing book I wanted to read this one. Grace Parker is a surfer, and along with her friend Ford, they surf every day. When a competition comes up Grace jumps at the chance to enter it, hoping to get noticed and get a scholarship to UCSD,and with the help of Ford begins training for this event. But unknown to Ford, Grace is hiding a big secret.

While Riptide starts out nice and relaxed, its not long before we find out what Grace's secret it, and when I found out what it was I felt so sad for Grace. She is basically living two lives, keeping her family life separate from the rest of her life, not even Ford knows what her secret is.
Riptide was not what I expected but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the surfing, even though I did not understand every move they made, I enjoyed the will-they-wont-they get together between Ford and Grace. I did not expect to feel what I did for grace, there are a few characters that are brave for being heroic, but Grace is brave (and stupid) for dealing with what she has to deal with and putting on a brave face for others.

Ford was the perfect friend for Grace, although the pair of them are totally blind to what the other person feels and this caused some tense moments and a lot of jealousy from both of them towards the other, however they do have their disagreements and silly moments where they don't talk. I admire him for still going to see Grace at her competition, and for also being there for her when she finally reveals the truth, he literally stops at nothing to get to her.
I love his family, how welcoming and friendly they are, and also how well they work as a family unit. They treat Grace as one of them and also drop everything to help her in her time of need.

The secondary characters brought into the story were just as rememberable, Brianna for turning out to be not what I expected, Damien for showing a more caring side to the front he puts up when surfing, Hop for trying to do what is best for others. Each character just adds to the story and makes it that much more enjoyable.

Riptide was a great read from start to finish, and while I can't relate to Grace in what she is going through, Lindsey Scheibe has managed to make me feel a wealth of emotions, sadness, helplessness, nervous, worry, happiness and excitement and I would not hesitate to pick up more of her work in the future.(less)

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May 19, 2013 Juhina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, flux, review-books, own

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Riptide's synopsis doesn't promise that it will be a light read, so I don't understand why readers are complaining on how misleading the book was. Just because the book is set in the summer, and the beach, doesn't mean it will be light. I loved every single page of Riptide. It is told from alternating POVs, Grace, our main protagonist, and Ford, her best friend. Both Grace and Ford are surfers however that is when their similarities end. While Ford's family consists...more More reviews on Maji Bookshelf

Riptide's synopsis doesn't promise that it will be a light read, so I don't understand why readers are complaining on how misleading the book was. Just because the book is set in the summer, and the beach, doesn't mean it will be light. I loved every single page of Riptide. It is told from alternating POVs, Grace, our main protagonist, and Ford, her best friend. Both Grace and Ford are surfers however that is when their similarities end. While Ford's family consists of a loving and supporting father and mother, Grace's family is the opposite. Her mom is always looking disapprovingly at Grace, whether it be her worn in jeans or flared shorts or her spending her summer at the beach surfing. However Grace's mother's way of showing her disapproval is through looks or a lecture, which is the opposite of Grace's dad, who tends to take matters into his own hand, literally. Grace has been the recipient of many slaps, and the host of many bruises by her loving father. He is a top notch lawyer but anything and everything sets him off, usually when Grace is present.

I hated Grace's dad, Mr.Parker, with all my heart. Hated how he would hit her one day, then take her shopping the next day and expect her to forget everything that happened the day before. I hated his expectation of Grace going to an Ivy League school and not even asking her what she wants. I hate how he tries to find anything to ram at Grace, whether her not doing her chores when it is only 7 in the morning, or her showing any signs of disagreement. He turned Grace's life into a nightmare. Of course I can't forget the mom, who just stands idly, with her eyes and ears closed to anything that happens in her house. I honestly can't imagine what Grace went through, and how she kept everything to herself, not even confiding in Ford.

Speaking of Ford, I loved him so much. He was so supportive, so ambitious, and the bestest friend. Of course he would rather be more than that with Grace. He lands an internship at Mr.Parker's law firm. You see the charmer that is Mr.Parker at his job and I seriously resented him. However Ford's POV mostly centers around his dream of becoming an immigrant lawyer as well as his feelings towards Grace and her hot/cold acts towards him. I loved Ford sticking around her even though she was stringing him along. I couldn't blame him since he didn't know what was going on with Grace, even when he tried to find out. He also helps Grace practice for an upcoming competition that might attract the scouts at the university she wants to attend. Of course this is all the opposite of what her parents want so you can imagine how everything went down. Scheibe was able to draw out so many emotions from me. There are many Grace's in this world, many without a supporting friend and a place to welcome them if they ever decide that enough is enough. I just felt helpless and I teared up on many occasions. I loved all the surfer lingo in the book and how Scheibe didn't lose sight of all three major plot lines, the sport itself, the romance, and the main issue. So much happens in the 288 pages of this book, I wished the book was even longer. Ford and Grace had such amazing voices. I loved both of their POVs.

Fans of realistic fiction will definitely love this book, but I would still recommend it to contemporary readers. This book is not your typical beach contemporary, it has depth and by the end of the book you just don't want to let these characters go. I will definitely keep an eye out for Lindsey Scheibe and any upcoming books by her. (less)

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Jan 01, 2013 Jana (The Book Goddess) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, blog-reviewed, debut-author-2013

Also posted on the blog: http://jana-thebookgoddess.blogspot.c...

I was really quite disappointed with this book and it pains me to give it only a two-star rating. The book summary and the cover just made me very excited for this and I'm afraid it didn't deliver.

I was quite surprised to find out that this was both Grace AND Ford's POV. From the book summary, I thought it would be all Grace, but obviously it wasn't. The dual POV didn't really work that well because I found their voices quite simi...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Jenna Cantino marked it as gave-up-on

Shelves: netgalley

I was fortunate enough to receive this as an advanced readers copy from Netgalley but unfortunately I cannot bring myself to finish it. I'm sorry, but this book is pretty bad. Maybe it is because I'm from the East Coast and don't get the California way or life or maybe it is because the writing is just that bad. I feel bad for saying that because I do am an awful writer but that is why I won't write anything but these reviews. I apologize to the author but this book just really isn't for me. It...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Becca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Scheibe paints an excellent picture of the surfing world. You can close your eyes and imagine yourself at the beach with her descriptive writing techniques. The sweet story of two best friends in a world of sand and surf; who face their own obstacles, will have readers rooting for their success.
This review is post at http://bsreviewers.blogspot.com

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Feb 26, 2013 Marise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, e-books

Excerpt: "He's oxygen when I can't breathe."

Excerpt: "People ask how you're doing, but they don't want the real answer. They want the nice one."

Excerpt: "He's my glue; he keeps me together."

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Aug 29, 2012 Mar marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2013

Surfing??!!! - CAN NOT WAIT!!! :)

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Mar 31, 2013 Laura rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-mt-bookpile

At first I thought it was because I just don't get surfing culture or language (but, you know, whatev). Then I thought it was the triteness of Ford and Grace's BFF-only relationship. Or maybe that Grace's father is an abusive one. Or Ford's interest in immigration law and Grace's father just happening to be an immigration lawyer. After 54 pages, it didn't matter. The writing was too loopy, the situations too stock. Result? DNF.

ARC provided by publisher.

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Feb 22, 2013 Jenia. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, ya, realistic, sports, friendship, arc, e-books, netgalley, for-review, 2013-dac, 2013-sarc, 2013-ya-contemp-challenge

Review Coming In May.

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Jan 01, 2013 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was initially excited to read this book as both the title and summary appealed to me. But I must say that from start to finish, I found this book hard to read. Overall, I felt the storyline was under-developed and the characters lacked a feeling of being genuine.

The author told the story from both Grace Parker's and Ford's perspective, navigating each chapter back and forth between the two characters. For me, this was very confusing, considering Grace Parker was the main protagonist, and Ford'...more

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title link	preview: Riptide
avg rating	preview: Riptide Goodreads rating: 3.25 (64 ratings)
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