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adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh my god this book was so good! Ali Hazelwood always does her research and her reads always feel scholarly without being snooty (and they’re always fun 😉) the sprayed edges really made me feel like I was in the pool with the main characters! This book touches on so many great topics: mental health, STEM careers, swimming and diving (I had to google a bit) found family, healthy interpersonal relationships both physically and emotionally. It’s all there. I took my time with this one because it really is Ali’s best work to date (and I loved Bride and her other books). Definitely will be rereading this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ali really did it with this one! Lukas is such a babe, like sign me up to be a swimming fan girl. He was so thoughtful and caring, making sure he met Scarlett where she was at and being what she needed. And our girl Scarlett? We love a comeback story and hers with diving is no different. I loved seeing her find her way back to her groove and love of the sport. Lukas and Scarlett were so well matched (and not just talking about the kinks of it all). They were two puzzles pieces that just fit together. They saw each other, while others didn’t understand them. I do wish they communicated more openly about their feelings. It felt a little dragged out. Also, I have to say it- I did not like Pen at all and didn’t want redemption for her. Despite that I really enjoyed this book. I recommend this if you are looking for hot af spice paired with deep emotional connection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, Stalking, Death of parent
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse
emotional
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Hazelwood did a great job writing enthusiastically consensual kink. (Yes, if you're ever concerned, the scenes are always consensual and always negotiated. I do sort of wish we'd been able to see the characters' yes/maybe/no lists so we could know that for sure in advance.) There were elements that I'm not personally into (no kink shaming, just not my personal preference) so I didn't enjoy all of the sex scenes quite as much as I did in some of her other books, but I LOVED the romance and the relationships (including friendships) in this book. A couple of specific kink warnings in case anyone needs it: rough sex, dacryphilia. (I'm having a hard time remembering if there was anything else to note so apologies if I missed something.)
A lot of people seem to view it as very mild kink but that might just be because maledom gets normalized too much?
A lot of people seem to view it as very mild kink but that might just be because maledom gets normalized too much?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Terminal illness, Death of parent
The moderate and minor spoilers listed here happened to characters in the past.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked this book and the spice was SPICY. Lukas is absolutely precious and also so hot. My biggest gripe with this book was the whole Pen situation I don’t understand why things had to be kept on the dl. That was the first Pen red flag. I think her apology and forgiveness was too easy bc she was a terrible friend but maybe I just hold grudges lol . All in all fantastic book. Would listen again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Medical content, Death of parent
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Another 5 star by Ali Hazelwood.
This one seemed to focus more on our FMC than the love story dynamic. Although it’s still really there. It was nice to see the clear transformation in Scarlett’s life throughout the book. I love the clear and respected boundaries between our main characters.
This one seemed to focus more on our FMC than the love story dynamic. Although it’s still really there. It was nice to see the clear transformation in Scarlett’s life throughout the book. I love the clear and respected boundaries between our main characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Did not like the main female character or any of her friends for that matter. In fact, the only mildly interesting and bearable character is the mmc, as all the others seemed to be the same childish, annoying person, with only slight variations in their traits, and a wig. The setting sounded exactly like something I'd love (college campus, following student-athletes) but unfortunately it was too overshadowed by the dynamic of their sexual relationship, mainly explored via bdsm , which I wasn't really interested in at all. I also absolutely despise when vulnerable moments between characters are interrupted with sexual jokes and/or straight up smut scenes, specially when it does not further the plot at all, and actually just takes me out of the book. Those happened often enough to disrupt my reading experience and prevent me from finding any of it believable.
It was a quick read for me and you can always count on Ali Hazelwood to write something at the very least entertaining, thus the two stars, but for me it's nowhere near to being her best work. I'd say it's a lot of smut, no plot and just vibes, so if you're needing a read like that, it might be for you.
It was a quick read for me and you can always count on Ali Hazelwood to write something at the very least entertaining, thus the two stars, but for me it's nowhere near to being her best work. I'd say it's a lot of smut, no plot and just vibes, so if you're needing a read like that, it might be for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent
emotional
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lukas is absolutely ABSOLUTEly perfect. I would however say that Ali needs more of a trigger warning than just the sex stuff because there are lots of MH things in this too. I am sad that’s it’s over, I loved that he was Swedish, I loved the juxtaposition of their personalities but also their similarities. Ali knows how to make her MMC’s perfection everytime
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent