Total Wipeout [bxb]

Seventeen-year-old Rowan Flynn is used to moving. As a military brat born in Sydney but raised all over the world, he's mastered the art of being invisible. But when his family finally settles in Newcastle before university starts, Rowan makes a promise to himself: he's going to stop surviving and start living. That means fitting in, learning to surf, and-maybe-figuring out who he really is when no one's packing up the house every six months.

Kaien Blake, better known by his beach nickname "Peppa," is a local legend with bright red hair and a tongue just as fiery. He's cocky, competitive, and effortlessly magnetic-a surfboard under one arm and a clever retort always ready. But beneath the confidence is a guy who's used to being everyone's favorite distraction and no one's real choice.

When Rowan is dragged to the beach by his neighbor Mallory Dupré, he's thrown into a tight-knit group of surfers with too much sun, too many inside jokes, and one red-haired heart attack who immediately calls him "newbie" like it's a curse. Kaien offers to teach Rowan to surf-half as a joke, half as a challenge-but what starts as surf lessons becomes something deeper.

While Rowan learns to stand on the board and stand up for himself, Kaien is forced to question what it means to actually feel for someone instead of just flinging charm like sunscreen.

With a crew of friends that range from fiery to soft-hearted, secrets that echo beneath the surface, and a beach that holds more than seafoam and sand, this is a story about learning when to dive in-even if your heart might wipe out.