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15 Days With You
“Filled with tumultuous emotions of grief, romance, guilt, secrecy and anger, 15 Days With You is an accomplished work of drama sure to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.” 5-Star Review, K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
A mother’s dying wish. A son in search of answers. A fifteen-day surf odyssey with the California girl who will dare him to rethink everything.
Alone after his mother’s unexpected death, seventeen-year-old Shep leaves Texas to crash with his uncle’s family in Malibu. Before he can hang his cowboy hat, Shep learns something that blows his mind—in her youth, his hard-working single mom was a gifted surfer on her way to international fame. And her dying wish was for him to recreate the surf tour she completed when she was eighteen—the summer she got pregnant with him.
Along with his cousin Carmen (the red-blooded competitive surfer) and her best friend Samantha (the opinionated and mildly annoying beach goddess), Shep hits the road for a surf trip up and down Pacific Coast Highway. Armed with his mother’s ashes and fifteen sealed envelopes—each containing a page from her high school diary—Shep will discover a new side of the complex woman he’d only thought of as Mom, and might finally learn the identity of a man he’s never met—his father.
But each time he paddles out into the waves, a nagging question haunts him—the one he may not be ready to answer: Is he learning to surf because he wants to honor his mother’s dying wish, or running from the real reason he can’t go back to Texas—his own terrible mistake?
A mother’s dying wish. A son in search of answers. A fifteen-day surf odyssey with the California girl who will dare him to rethink everything.
Alone after his mother’s unexpected death, seventeen-year-old Shep leaves Texas to crash with his uncle’s family in Malibu. Before he can hang his cowboy hat, Shep learns something that blows his mind—in her youth, his hard-working single mom was a gifted surfer on her way to international fame. And her dying wish was for him to recreate the surf tour she completed when she was eighteen—the summer she got pregnant with him.
Along with his cousin Carmen (the red-blooded competitive surfer) and her best friend Samantha (the opinionated and mildly annoying beach goddess), Shep hits the road for a surf trip up and down Pacific Coast Highway. Armed with his mother’s ashes and fifteen sealed envelopes—each containing a page from her high school diary—Shep will discover a new side of the complex woman he’d only thought of as Mom, and might finally learn the identity of a man he’s never met—his father.
But each time he paddles out into the waves, a nagging question haunts him—the one he may not be ready to answer: Is he learning to surf because he wants to honor his mother’s dying wish, or running from the real reason he can’t go back to Texas—his own terrible mistake?
348 pages, Paperback
Published September 24, 2019
18 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Ara Grigorian
7 books118 followersAra Grigorian is the international award-winning author of GAME OF LOVE, his debut novel. He is a technology executive in the entertainment industry. He earned his Masters in Business Administration from University of Southern California where he specialized in marketing and entrepreneurship. True to the Hollywood life, Ara wrote for a children's television pilot that could have made him rich (but didn't) and nearly sold a video game to a major publisher (who closed shop days later). Fascinated by the human species, Ara writes about choices, relationships, and second chances. Always a sucker for a hopeful ending, he writes contemporary romance stories targeted to adult and new adult readers.
Ara is committed to helping writers tell better stories. He is the co-founder of the popular Novel Intensive seminar. Also, he is a workshop leader for the Writer's Digest Novel Writing Conference, the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and the Southern California Writers' Conference (both Irvine, CA and San Diego, CA). Ara is an active member of the Romance Writers of America and its Los Angeles chapter.
He is represented by Stacey Donaghy of the Donaghy Literary Group.
Ara is committed to helping writers tell better stories. He is the co-founder of the popular Novel Intensive seminar. Also, he is a workshop leader for the Writer's Digest Novel Writing Conference, the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and the Southern California Writers' Conference (both Irvine, CA and San Diego, CA). Ara is an active member of the Romance Writers of America and its Los Angeles chapter.
He is represented by Stacey Donaghy of the Donaghy Literary Group.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 19, 2020
Rating: 4.5/5.0
The journey this story takes the reader on is unparalleled, raw, and indescribably real!
Read full review in the 2020 Summer issue of InD'tale Magazine.
The journey this story takes the reader on is unparalleled, raw, and indescribably real!
Read full review in the 2020 Summer issue of InD'tale Magazine.
March 19, 2020
Outstanding read. Grigorian writes about love in the most wonderful way. It's journey of surf, sun, summer trips along the California beach, friendship, death, and hard decisions that ultimately lead to the highest kind of love. What a beautiful wave to ride.
October 29, 2019
As addictive as riding your first wave, Grigorian has put absent characters fully on the page in a exploration of grief that's wrapped in a love letter to surfing. A perfect hang-ten!
January 25, 2020
A heartwarming coming of age story about second chances with a cast of characters with which you'll wish you could spend a day at the beach. The perfect summer read—wholeheartedly recommend it!
April 18, 2021
Shep moves in with his uncle after losing his mother. He is given a 15 day planned trip to learn about his mother, that turns into a journey of self discovery.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 26, 2019
This is my first book by this author but I am glad I was given the chance to read it. I had not read a blurb when I got this book so I was going into it blind but the cover intrigued me as I am still wishing it was summer and I was at the beach.
Shep, who has recently lost his mom to cancer, loads up her old truck and moves from Texas to California to live with his uncle and aunt. When he arrived there he meets Sam, who is basically a sister to Carmen, his cousin. She is known as a clutz to the family and when she tries to help Shep move in, she breaks a picture frame of Shep’s, his uncle comes in saying “what has Sam broke this time” only to find out that behind the picture was a letter for Shep to only be read after talking with his uncle. So they all head down to the kitchen to talk and it comes to light that his mom was a surfer back in the day and went on a 15 day surfing trip up the coast and wants Shep to take the trip and spread her ashes at each of the spots she visited.
In her letter to Shep, she tells him that she is not proud of the choices she made when she was younger but she wants him to take this journey and on each day there will be a letter for him to read that will give insight to her life 18 years prior. Shep and Carmen decide they are going to go on the 15 day trip but Sam wants to go as well and it takes a little convincing for his uncle to let Sam go, with the rule being that Shep has to sleep in a tent so they are not in the RV together.
During the 15 day trip, Shep learns a lot about his mom, which as she warned was not all good, but he learned to push past his own barriers and do what she wanted him to do. When Shep left his old home and school he left some, let's slay demons, behind and it has been eating at him while on the trip. As the three of them travel, Shep and Sam get closer but she can tell he is hiding something from her, but he tells her he is not ready to talk about it. When he was younger he had learned to surf but had a traumatic experience so now being afraid of the water feels like he can’t honor his mother's wishes and as time goes by, he finally asked Sam to teach him how to surf.
I want to keep talking about the book, but I feel like if I do then you won’t even need to read the book. So I’m going to stop there and tell you that the lessons he learns while on the trip are much needed to help him heal. I felt like this book was very well put together and it sucked you in from the beginning.
I received this as an ARC for my honest and voluntary review.
Shep, who has recently lost his mom to cancer, loads up her old truck and moves from Texas to California to live with his uncle and aunt. When he arrived there he meets Sam, who is basically a sister to Carmen, his cousin. She is known as a clutz to the family and when she tries to help Shep move in, she breaks a picture frame of Shep’s, his uncle comes in saying “what has Sam broke this time” only to find out that behind the picture was a letter for Shep to only be read after talking with his uncle. So they all head down to the kitchen to talk and it comes to light that his mom was a surfer back in the day and went on a 15 day surfing trip up the coast and wants Shep to take the trip and spread her ashes at each of the spots she visited.
In her letter to Shep, she tells him that she is not proud of the choices she made when she was younger but she wants him to take this journey and on each day there will be a letter for him to read that will give insight to her life 18 years prior. Shep and Carmen decide they are going to go on the 15 day trip but Sam wants to go as well and it takes a little convincing for his uncle to let Sam go, with the rule being that Shep has to sleep in a tent so they are not in the RV together.
During the 15 day trip, Shep learns a lot about his mom, which as she warned was not all good, but he learned to push past his own barriers and do what she wanted him to do. When Shep left his old home and school he left some, let's slay demons, behind and it has been eating at him while on the trip. As the three of them travel, Shep and Sam get closer but she can tell he is hiding something from her, but he tells her he is not ready to talk about it. When he was younger he had learned to surf but had a traumatic experience so now being afraid of the water feels like he can’t honor his mother's wishes and as time goes by, he finally asked Sam to teach him how to surf.
I want to keep talking about the book, but I feel like if I do then you won’t even need to read the book. So I’m going to stop there and tell you that the lessons he learns while on the trip are much needed to help him heal. I felt like this book was very well put together and it sucked you in from the beginning.
I received this as an ARC for my honest and voluntary review.
September 8, 2019
This was such a moving story. 15 days to find pieces of himself he didn't realize were missing, 15 days to reconnect with his mom whom had just passed away, 15 days to find answers to the question lurking int he back of his mind about the trouble at his old school. Shep is looking for a fresh start, especially after his mom death and the case against some of his past teammates. When his mother last wish is for him to travel the path she took 17 years earlier, a path in which her surfing career ended and his life began. A surfing past he knew nothing about. With an RV, his cousin and her friend Samantha both angels on the waves. This journey will be one not to be forgotten.
I loved the way the author wrote and had us connect to the water, it made me want to get out and learn to surf as well. |It did make me google a lot of surfing terms and heroes too.
It lost half a star because i felt unfulfilled with answers of what was waiting for him back at his last school.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved the way the author wrote and had us connect to the water, it made me want to get out and learn to surf as well. |It did make me google a lot of surfing terms and heroes too.
It lost half a star because i felt unfulfilled with answers of what was waiting for him back at his last school.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 12, 2019
Truth in lending, I don't read romances. Except when they're well written. This one is very well written! Ara has created a wonderful journey of discovery. Seth, a young man coming of age amidst serious challenges, not the least of which is the loss of his mother, embarks on a final journey at her request. Along the way, he finds out who his mother really was, friendship and love, and who he himself is. Ara may have spent a great deal of time researching the technical details of surfing, but the magic is purely of his own creation, and he nails it! Seth rides a roller coast of grief, moving from anger to sadness to confusion and back as he discovers how much his mother loved him and what she sacrificed for him. There were many passages that caused sand storms to form around me; why else would my eyes be wet if not sand in them? OK, I admit it, i teared up. Ara's prose is lean and to the point, and hammers at your heartstrings, making you feel both for and with his characters. Well done, sir! *SPOILER* I am especially grateful for the last chapter; I needed the closure!
September 24, 2019
ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!!!
Surf's up! Ara did an absolutely beautiful job bringing out all of my swirling emotions in this heartwarming and gut-wretching little gem. So many things to happen in just a short time. Grab your tissue when you pick up your copy cause trust me, you're going to cry. No way around it. The characters were awe inspiring and full of life after having difficult issues and heartbreak to deal with. I really loved following the characters along witnessing their personalities bloom and blend together with such love and devotion. Yes, I cried. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Just don't tell my kids. Just kidding. The scenes were so detailed and vivid it was easy to get lost in the whole adventure. I felt like one of the characters following along. I was hooked from the start and my focus glued on the pages. I couldn't put it down. Such a great read. I'm still a little emotional so forgive me if I mess up a little. Awesome job Ara, thanks for sharing this remarkable jewel with us.
Surf's up! Ara did an absolutely beautiful job bringing out all of my swirling emotions in this heartwarming and gut-wretching little gem. So many things to happen in just a short time. Grab your tissue when you pick up your copy cause trust me, you're going to cry. No way around it. The characters were awe inspiring and full of life after having difficult issues and heartbreak to deal with. I really loved following the characters along witnessing their personalities bloom and blend together with such love and devotion. Yes, I cried. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Just don't tell my kids. Just kidding. The scenes were so detailed and vivid it was easy to get lost in the whole adventure. I felt like one of the characters following along. I was hooked from the start and my focus glued on the pages. I couldn't put it down. Such a great read. I'm still a little emotional so forgive me if I mess up a little. Awesome job Ara, thanks for sharing this remarkable jewel with us.
September 25, 2019
15 Days With You is a loving sucker punch that Shep feels time and time again as he's traveling the California PCH with his mother's memories. Her dying wish was for him to visit the places that were so special to her and to discover more about the girl she was and, possibly, the boy she loved. I had to take some breaks to compose myself when I'd be hit by one of those sucker punches that carried the weight of pure love and amazement. As Shep, Samantha and Carmen find his mother's favorite places, he learns that she was an aspiring surfing champion. Who was this woman he called Mom? Ara speaks with an eloquent and expressive voice that touches our hearts and fills our minds with possibilities. Ara Grigorian has written a wonderful book that creates and holds its mood, pace and form from the first page to the last. Stunning!
September 22, 2019
A very emotional read so get your tissues out. This book was exceptionally written and so very enjoyable. Shep has lost his mother and is now going to live with his Aunt and Uncle. This is the place where he will learn so much more about his mother and the life that she gave up. She has left him letters for each place she loved and wants him to go there to see why they were so special to him and maybe finally find out things about not only her but his father. So his cousin, her friend and Shep go on a trip. From here the emotions will not only him hard but the reader as well. I felt like I was on the trip with him it felt so real. The characters were very enjoyable and as I said previously the story was exceptional. Well don.
September 23, 2019
This was my first time reading a book by this author and I wasn’t sure what to expect since I didn’t even read the blurb. But I have no words to describe how glad I am that I took a chance on this book. It was absolutely amazing!
Writing and characters sucked me right in and I couldn’t put it down until the end. Shep, Samantha and Carmen were all well developed and it was like I was right there with them on their road trip. The storyline is wonderfully written with all the feels that made me shed some tears as well as smile happily.
This story will stay with me for a long time and I will definitely re-read it more than once!
I received an advanced copy of this book from BadBoyUpdate and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
Writing and characters sucked me right in and I couldn’t put it down until the end. Shep, Samantha and Carmen were all well developed and it was like I was right there with them on their road trip. The storyline is wonderfully written with all the feels that made me shed some tears as well as smile happily.
This story will stay with me for a long time and I will definitely re-read it more than once!
I received an advanced copy of this book from BadBoyUpdate and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
September 16, 2019
I wasn't sure what to expect but I was blown away and sucked into this book right away. Shep is forced to go live with his Aunt and Uncle in California. He is grieving the death of his mother, and hiding from his past in Texas. He is shocked to find out that his mother was not who he thought she was. Her dying wish was for him to recreate the the things she did the last time she was in California. His cousin Carmen and her best friend Samantha head out with him on the 15 day journey. It is a journey that gives him insight into his mother, raises questions about his father, and slowly learns to open up an love. Fabulous story, loved the characters, loved the book!
September 22, 2019
I don't usually read young adult books but this one caught my attention. This book just sucks you in and you have to keep reading. It was very hard to put down, hence why I am writing this review at 1 am. Shep just lost his mom to cancer and was pretty lost. He needed answers about his mom's past and his unknown father. His cousin and her friend take him in a 15 day road trip that retraced his mom's from so many years ago. The lessons he learns, and the things he discovers are amazing. The detail in this book are so good I had no trouble at all picturing the events and beaches. I really really enjoyed reading this amazing book!
September 23, 2019
When Shep's mother died, he left Texas to go to live with his aunt and uncle in California. He takes a journey with his cousin and her friend, a journey that his mother had planned out for him. Along the way, he find out things about her that she never shared when she was alive, learns about his father, and gets an amazing dose of self-realization. This was an incredible book to read, a very heartwarming story. (Hint - need tissues!) The author made me feel like I was there every step of the way.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 23, 2019
I liked the cover and the blurb but I had never heard of the author, so I decided to read this. Man! Best decision ever!
This story is well written, the characters and the plot very developed.
Shep grows from boy to man in 15 days spending time re-doing a tour his mom did at his very same age, years ago. He learns about his mother's past as well as learns new things about himself.
Ara Grigorian has now been added to my list of good authors. I would read this book over again, the story is that good.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Original, page-turner, wonderful characters
This story is well written, the characters and the plot very developed.
Shep grows from boy to man in 15 days spending time re-doing a tour his mom did at his very same age, years ago. He learns about his mother's past as well as learns new things about himself.
Ara Grigorian has now been added to my list of good authors. I would read this book over again, the story is that good.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Original, page-turner, wonderful characters
September 26, 2019
After the death of his mother he is determined to honor her last wish and that was for him to experience the same surf tour she experienced as a child. He has 15 envelopes filled with 15 pages of her diary which will allow him to know her not just as his mother but as a person with her own hopes and dreams as well.
This is an emotional story as he learns not only about his mother but about himself as well and that although she may not be there with him physically she lives on in his heart and thoughts.
This is an emotional story as he learns not only about his mother but about himself as well and that although she may not be there with him physically she lives on in his heart and thoughts.
October 7, 2019
One minute will change his life, in 15 days he will find himself.
Emotional and beautiful journey.
Shep just lost his mom to cancer and was pretty lost. He doesn’t know his father and now he needs answers , and fulfill Mom’s wish .
Him, his cousin and her friend are on road trip that retraced his mom’s past, and maybe find the answers.
The lessons he learns and his journey is amazing.
I really really enjoyed reading this amazing book.
I received a free copy of this book and this is my volunteer review.
Emotional and beautiful journey.
Shep just lost his mom to cancer and was pretty lost. He doesn’t know his father and now he needs answers , and fulfill Mom’s wish .
Him, his cousin and her friend are on road trip that retraced his mom’s past, and maybe find the answers.
The lessons he learns and his journey is amazing.
I really really enjoyed reading this amazing book.
I received a free copy of this book and this is my volunteer review.
September 7, 2019
A beautiful, epic experience that is emotional, spiritual, motivational and so unforgettable.
These characters will tattoo your heart. You will never forget this book and the journey you were lucky enough to take with them. I received an ARC for an honest and voluntarily review.
These characters will tattoo your heart. You will never forget this book and the journey you were lucky enough to take with them. I received an ARC for an honest and voluntarily review.
September 21, 2019
This was my first time reading this author and it was amazing. I loved this story. It was very strong, very poignant. I liked it and I will definitely read more from this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 16, 2019
This book was very good.
The story touched me.
The characters had good chemistry.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book
from an advanced reader copy.
The story touched me.
The characters had good chemistry.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book
from an advanced reader copy.
September 17, 2019
15 days with you is an Unforgettable emotional journey! It was very good, and I would recommend it. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review after reading this arc.
February 17, 2021
*Some Spoilers*
Shep has packed up all his belongings and travels from Houston to L.A. for a new life after his Mother's death.
After arriving at his Uncles home, he is given an envelope with pages of his Mothers diary and vials of her ashes with a letter outlining where he is to travel to and what body of water the ashes are to be released into.
With his cousin Carmen and her best friend Samantha, Shep sets of on a journey that will give him an insight into a time in his Mothers life before she had Shep, a life where she could have become a pro surfer and which Shep had no idea about.
At the end of this journey Shep will not just learn about his Mother, but will learn so much more about himself, his beliefs, the two wonderful young women who accompany him on this journey and maybe a Father he only ever dreamt of.
Thanks to Booksprout for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Shep has packed up all his belongings and travels from Houston to L.A. for a new life after his Mother's death.
After arriving at his Uncles home, he is given an envelope with pages of his Mothers diary and vials of her ashes with a letter outlining where he is to travel to and what body of water the ashes are to be released into.
With his cousin Carmen and her best friend Samantha, Shep sets of on a journey that will give him an insight into a time in his Mothers life before she had Shep, a life where she could have become a pro surfer and which Shep had no idea about.
At the end of this journey Shep will not just learn about his Mother, but will learn so much more about himself, his beliefs, the two wonderful young women who accompany him on this journey and maybe a Father he only ever dreamt of.
Thanks to Booksprout for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 6, 2021
Going in, stepping in the shallows of this story I assumed I was heading for teenage heartbreak and young adult 'dramas'. I was totally wrong. A drama, a mystery, a discovery of self-this story has it all.
A mother lost, a mother found in the pages of a 20 year old journal. Seeing her for the first time as a person instead of a mum.
The characters all real, wonderful and fresh.
Beautiful beaches, exciting days learning to embrace change and new experiences this book makes you feel anything is possible, anything is reachable.
Never surfed but respect those that do (maybe a little jealous of their days, and nights too) This story has heart, soul and beauty. I was given this ARC to read & review.
A mother lost, a mother found in the pages of a 20 year old journal. Seeing her for the first time as a person instead of a mum.
The characters all real, wonderful and fresh.
Beautiful beaches, exciting days learning to embrace change and new experiences this book makes you feel anything is possible, anything is reachable.
Never surfed but respect those that do (maybe a little jealous of their days, and nights too) This story has heart, soul and beauty. I was given this ARC to read & review.
March 13, 2021
Have your tissues close with this one. It is an emotional rollercoaster that you won't want to put down. Shep's mom died and he had to go live with his uncle Jose who had news for him. As he takes up his mother's wishes, he learns things about himself and his mom. I like the way the main character grows and changes as he learns to be a man and face his challenges head on. This story will stay with you long after the last page is turned. I would highly recommend it. I received this book for free and I am voluntarily leaving my review.
May 1, 2021
This is the 3rd book I've read written by Ara Grigorian; I can’t wait to read more of her books.
This is the third book in Pacific Coast Sunrise Series; after his mother’s death Shep goes to Malibu to live with his uncle and fulfill his mother’s dying wish; she wants him to recreate the surf tour that she completed before she had him.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the third book in Pacific Coast Sunrise Series; after his mother’s death Shep goes to Malibu to live with his uncle and fulfill his mother’s dying wish; she wants him to recreate the surf tour that she completed before she had him.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
September 25, 2019
This book is about Shep and his mother's passing. He goes to live with his aunt and uncle and ends up learning so much about his mom. He learns about her life and about decisions she made that ultimately help him find his own path. This book is well written and takes you through an emotional journey. I received an ARC of this book and have left an honest review.
October 9, 2019
This is my first read from this itbornand I enjoyed it very much. I felt like I was on the adventure with Shep, Carmen and Sam. I loved very minuted of it. I just wished there was an epilogue.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews