EAT, SURF, LOVE. A butterfly flaps its wings in New York City . . . and a groundswell forms in Mexico. . . . Sometimes the biggest ripples come from the smallest events. Like the day that Emma Guthrie walks into world-famous movie star Garrett Walker’s trailer. When she steps through the door, she’s a novice PA who’s just dropped out of college after losing her scholarship. When she walks out, she’s on her way to becoming Mrs. Emma Walker—wife of an A-list actor. Soon, Emma has made the transition from nobody to red-carpet royalty, trading jeans and flip-flops for closets full of Chanel and Birkin bags, swishing past velvet ropes to attend every lavish party and charity gala on both coasts. With her husband’s encouragement, Emma pens a screenplay based on her life, Fame Tax, which becomes a blockbuster sensation. Through it all, Garrett is her ally and her mentor . . . until their relationship is thrown into question by an incriminating text message that Emma discovers on Garrett’s phone the night of the Met Costume Institute Gala. Devastated by her husband’s infidelity and hounded mercilessly by the paparazzi, Emma must flee New York City to get away from it all and clear her head. Her destination? A sleepy coastal town in Mexico where no one recognizes her and there is nothing but unspoiled beaches for miles. Here, she meets Ben, a gorgeous, California-born surf instructor, who teaches her about the healing powers of surfing, shows her the joys of the simple life, and ultimately opens her up to the possibility of love. From Manhattan’s hippest restaurants to the yacht-and-celebrity infested waters of St. Barts, Katie Lee’s debut novel is an irresistible insider’s glimpse into a glittering world—and a captivating story about how losing everything you thought you wanted can be the first step to finding what you need. “A well-crafted, sentimental tale. . . . Groundswell deftly combines elements of healing, friendship, and love.” — Publishers Weekly "When you're fantasizing your life as a too-good-to-be-true Hollywood fairy tale, it probably goes a little something like this. An excellent beach read." —Pam Ribbon, author of Going in Circles “I loved this juicy, big-hearted novel about fresh starts and finding happiness on your own terms. Brava, Katie Lee!” —Melissa Senate, author of The Love Goddess’ Cooking School " Groundswell is the quintessential summer beach read—glitz, glamour, and romance—a real page-turner!" — New York Times bestselling author Beth Stern Katie Lee has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show , CBS News Sunday Morning, The Rachael Ray Show, The Nate Berkus Show , and Iron Chef America . She has been featured in publications such as People , Vanity Fair , Food and Wine, Town & Country, and InStyle . She is the author of the novel Groundswell and the cookbooks The Comfort Table and The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions. She lives in the Hamptons. 1 “God, my feet are killing me,” I said. “I hate this job. At least the waitstaff gets to wear comfortable shoes. I have to hustle around that restaurant all night in heels and a short skirt.” Lily was only half listening to me, twirling her hair while she flipped the pages of Vogue . “You won’t believe what this creep did to me tonight,” I continued. “I told him the wait for a table would be about forty-five minutes. And he said he’d make it worth my while if I bumped him and his skanky girlfriend up on the list. Of course, I could use a good tip, so I seated them right away. I hand him his menu and he puts out his hand. I think he’s slipping me a twenty, but no. He gives me a tube of some sort of cream and leans into my ear and tells me he holds the patent on female Viagra and to have a little fun with my boyfriend tonight.” “Perv,” Lily mumbled. “I handed it right back to him and said, sweet as pie, ‘Honey, one look at you and I know your girlfriend probably needs this more than me.’ ” “Ha!” Lily ripped a page out of the magazine and held it up for me to see. “Look,” she said. “It’s me!” I took the page from her hand and looked at the picture of Lily wearing a short, silver-sequined party dress, her head tossed back with her perfectly imperfect blond hair falling over the left side of her face, her pouty lips slightly parted, revealing her big white smile. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I felt a twinge of envy. This was the kind of stuff that always happened to Lily. While I was standing on my feet for hours, contending with herds of pissed-off, self-important, hungry New Yorkers, my roommate was out at a fabulous cocktail party lauding the designer of the moment, while wearing his dress and having her photo taken for the pages of the biggest fashion magazine in the world. It’s not that I wanted to be Lily. But I did want to be a success. And my chosen profession was screenwriting. I knew I needed on-set experience and a real understanding of the process o