Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Deep End

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

239 reviews

lmarlowe05's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 53%

Too explicit for me. This is NOT like her earlier books.

Content Warnings

ameliabiblio's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense 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

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I know Ali Hazelwood is never going to read this review, but I feel like if she ever did, she'd appreciate how HARD I'm fangirling right now😍 I've been a mega-fan of hers ever since I inhaled The Love Hypothesis in a day (when I should have been doing homework, but whatever), but genuinely? This is lowkey on a different level. Don't get me wrong! I will always adore The Love Hypothesis, but Deep End? I don't know, guys... It kinda hits different. The longing. The stoic white man whose strangely emotionally mature. The sex. Ali POPPED OFF with the BDSM stuff, ngl. This book made me laugh and cry and gave me heart palpitations and also extremely warm, gooey feelings in my stomach. I inhaled this book and I already want to read it again.
Scarlett was just *chef's kiss* I immediately loved her and wanted her to feel loved. She deserves the world and she got it! Because Lukas? OH MY GOD🤤 I don't know what it is about cold men who fall in love and only show emotion with the woman they're in love with, but oh boy... Do they hit. And Ali is the QUEEN of writing them. His consistency and support of Scarlett was so beautiful to read, but also his own trauma and imperfections??? Somehow made him hotter. Early on, he does something that made me😡 And I was like "How is Ali gonna explain this one for him???" But GUYS! The explanation??? Heartbreaking. It, of course, didn't excuse his actions. But it did make me🥺🥺🥺🥺

Yes, I am referring to when he ghosted her to prove to himself that he could go without her, but HE COULDN'T. I mean, how are you supposed to stay mad at him for that??? Especially with the way Scarlett found out🥺

Anyway, catch me listening to the audiobook next🤪 I need to hear Lukas in all of his Swedish glory. (Please, please, please let the male narrator actually voice Lukas throughout the book in a Swedish accent😭 It doesn't even have to be good! I just need to hear him🥺)

Content Warnings

backitupmoony's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Content Warnings

dani_reis's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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 will be cautious about who I recommend this book to. It's explicit and it's not going to be liked by everyone. Read trigger warnings if that's your concern.

However, I adored the characters so much. Any time I thought of an excuse to drop the rating, I realized how it was actually a dumb reason and can't count as a negative because it was [insert reason].

The MMC is an adorable Swedish man who is caring and patient towards the FMC. Ali Hazelwood keeps up her science-themed romances, and in a year where I'm focusing on learning languages, it was fun to have a second culture added into the mix.

Content Warnings

midnightmoon_dreamer's review against another edition

4.25

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-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

Once again, a great book from Ali. I don’t think it was her best because I felt it lacked in the development of the main relationship. But, I loved the whole progress we see Scarlett go through.

Content Warnings

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

funny reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I genuinely hate the way these two "meet-cute". Like I cannot fucking stand it and I don't know why it rubs me the wrong way entirely, but it does. There are redeemable parts of this book for sure, but I am still SO upset about the way their sexual preferences are so inappropriately revealed to someone else in front of the other. I actually fear I will never get over it and I'm not sorry.

Regardless of how you feel about sex and BDSM, the way that others find out about what you like should COME FROM YOU AND ONLY YOU. I literally teach Title IX regulations to my students, and you cannot go around 1) telling other people "hey, this person is into x y z," 2) saying "you two should have sex because you both enjoy the same things!" THEFUCK???? YOU LITERALLY JUST OUTED SOMEONE'S SEX LIFE TO SOMEONE THEY DID NOT DIVULGE THAT INFORMATION TO ORIGINALLY????????

I actually don't care if that person was drunk or under the influence; it's unacceptable & that would traumatize me so deeply that I'd never share intimate information with a friend ever again.

I can't even proceed to tell you about this book because I'm still so fucking pissed about the beginning of it. (Can't you tell????)

If you love Ali Hazelwood, I'm sure you'll love this one! I simply cannot get over the beginning and I refuse to (yes, in my big old age too, sue me!!!). This one was not it for me.

ALSO I'M NOT SORRY - JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE SAME SEXUAL PREFERENCES AS SOMEONE ELSE, DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE IMMEDIATELY COMPATIBLE !!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD !!!!!!!!!!!

Content Warnings

readswithfi's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny fast-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

Thank you, Berkley and Edelweiss, for a DRC of Deep End. This publishes February 4, 2025.

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood follows a competitive diver and swimmer who attend Standford College as they jump into a forbidden relationship once they learn they both have something unusual in common.

I have become an Ali Hazelwood fan within the last year after finishing The Love Hypothesis for the first time. Since then, I have dived into a hole of everything she's written, and I have to admit that Deep End has made it to the top of my favorites from her. Hazelwood has put out something both steamy and sexy yet emotional and heartwarming. These characters are endearing, and this was just an excellent example of great romance writing. You can easily see how much Hazelwood's work has evolved since the beginning, and any fans of her past work will get to see some of their favorite characters again. I am super excited to see everyone get their hands on this book and hopefully love it as much as I did!

Content Warnings

thosebookbesties_nips's review against another edition

3.0

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

thejosiemarie's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous emotional 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

I genuinely adored this book. I couldn’t put it down. I was drawn by the exploration of kink, but what really got me hooked were the emotional beats and the sports element. Might just be Ali Hazelwood’s best work.

Content Warnings

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