Rating: 4 out of 5.

3.5 stars rounded up

This book is hard to describe, but I enjoyed it. It reads like part fiction, part spiritual guide, and part self-help book. The story is told in first person, which isn’t my favorite, but as I got into the story, my irritation went away. Zoe is a professional surfer on the World Surf League. Two years ago she was a champion, but for the last two years she’s been flailing. Now at the end of the tour, she realizes she needs to make a change, which includes breaking up with her long-term boyfriend. In a funk, she returns to Australia to stay with her best friend’s family. Zoe has lost her confidence and wonders if her career is over. She decides she needs to do some deep soul searching to figure out what is wrong and make some important decisions about her career and life.

I really liked Zoe’s ability to face what she felt was wrong in her life and make difficult choices. She took an honest look at her relationship and realized it wasn’t working for her. Instead of just going along and dragging things out, she faced the issue, had a frank talk with her boyfriend, and they end things amicably. Did it hurt? Of course. But at least she cut out what wasn’t working in her life so she could focus on healing and figuring out what could work. She did the same thing with other aspects of her life, and as she took back more and more control of her life, she felt the funk slowly lifting.

Zoe found the strength to make these changes through visits with an angel who provided guidance to find herself. This spiritual/self-help part of the book initially made me a bit uncomfortable, but as I kept reading, I found myself highlighting some of the gentle guidance being provided. A lot of the advice was something that we already know, like “believe there’s more to life than meets the eye”, “I give myself permission to fully enjoy the simple things in life”, “ you must release the need to control the future by staying present in the moment” and “let compassion lead the way”, but sometimes we need to be reminded of them.

There was a lot of talk about surfing – almost like a beginner’s instruction manual – that completely went over my head. I’ve never surfed and know nothing about it. While initially this information was informative and fun to read, as Zoe described more complicated aspects of surfing, my eyes started to glaze over and I found myself skimming those portions of the book. But that’s just me. It was very well done and think that people interested in surfing will really enjoy it.

The book is a quick and easy read and I felt like I had been wrapped in a big, warm hug as I finished it. This was a very different kind of read for me, and I liked it. I think it’s important to get out of your comfort zone, which includes reading books you wouldn’t normally pick up on your own.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Love Book Tours and the author. All opinions are my own.