In Alyson Noël's moving to sunny Southern Cal feels like punishment to 17-year-old Anne. The hippie-ish school is different from her old one on the East Coast, and the social scene is all about hanging out at the beach and surfing. And then there's Ellie: beautiful, competitive queen of the social scene who takes an instant disliking to Anne. So when Chris—one of Ellie's oldest friends and, oh yeah, the most gorgeous guy in school—reaches out to Anne and offers to teach her how to surf, sparks fly...in more ways than one ...