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emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I started reading this book with my interest in seeing an athlete's story from Ali Hazelwood and from a technical perspective the story seems solid, but I just wished there was MORE. I would have wanted to read more on the olympic trials, for example, but the setting just felt like a flimsy backdrop to the exploration of the FMC and MMC's relationship.
Scarlett's underlying problem is being scared of feeling out of control, and it's juxtaposed with her sexual kink of being submissive, where she lets her dominant partner do whatever they want with her. On the other hand, Lukas being a kind of masochist with trying to withstand against whatever it is that he wants is discussed but is resolved pretty quickly.
I know the author wanted Penelope to NOT be the villain in the story--just a girl with unfortunate circumstances and unmanaged feelings (she probably needs to go to therapy) but she comes off as disingenuous and fake to me and whatever friendship Scarlett feels for her felt like it had to be justified every step of the way.
I previously read (and loved!) The Love Hypothesis so it was fun seeing Olive and Adam in this book, particularly how Scarlett interacts with the two.
The Epilogue in particular felt more like it was just written to satisfy readers' curiosity into what the Scarlett and Lukas' domestic life looks like in years, showing snippets of how they're still together despite Scarlett thinking that things might not work out between them and didn't really add to the narrative but it was fun to read.
Scarlett's underlying problem is being scared of feeling out of control, and it's juxtaposed with her sexual kink of being submissive, where she lets her dominant partner do whatever they want with her. On the other hand, Lukas being a kind of masochist with trying to withstand against whatever it is that he wants is discussed but is resolved pretty quickly.
I know the author wanted Penelope to NOT be the villain in the story--just a girl with unfortunate circumstances and unmanaged feelings (she probably needs to go to therapy) but she comes off as disingenuous and fake to me and whatever friendship Scarlett feels for her felt like it had to be justified every step of the way.
I previously read (and loved!) The Love Hypothesis so it was fun seeing Olive and Adam in this book, particularly how Scarlett interacts with the two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In Deep End, competitive diver Scarlett Vandermeer is laser-focused on recovering from an injury, getting into med school, and avoiding any romantic distractions. Lukas Blomqvist, a world-champion swimmer and Stanford’s swim captain, is equally committed to discipline and Olympic dreams. When a shared secret pulls them into each other’s orbit, they agree to a no-strings fling—one that quickly gets complicated as real feelings begin to surface.
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Scarlett and Lukas—Ali Hazelwood knows how to build tension and chemistry, and the banter between these two was spot-on. One of the things I consistently appreciate in Hazelwood’s writing is her sharp, clever dialogue, and this book delivered on that front. While this story leans more into the world of student athletics than STEM, I liked that there were still nods to the academic side, keeping it in line with Hazelwood’s brand.
This book felt a little different from Hazelwood’s typical swoony romances—it had a solid pace, satisfying relationship build-up, and some nice character development. However, there were a few things that pulled me out of the story. Pen, the best friend, was overly involved in the relationship and mentioned far too often; it became distracting and a bit irritating. The kink element, while clearly central to the relationship, felt pretty tame and occasionally veered into cringey territory. I also found myself wanting more emotional depth from both leads. Still, the “he falls first” trope and engaging banter kept me hooked, and overall, I found it to be an enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Cursing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
To me it had a slow start but strong finish. I really liked how Lukas cared for Scarlett in his own twisted way lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, I admit it, I was wrong. I’d completely written off contemporary romance. I thought it was all just boring miscommunication tropes that could never compete with intergalactic war or impending magical cataclysms keeping lovers apart.
But Ali Hazelwood did it. This is a perfect story full of perfect tender, joyful victories for perfectly imperfect characters that deserve nothing but the best. And also plenty of perfect (in my humble, deviant opinion) smut.
But Ali Hazelwood did it. This is a perfect story full of perfect tender, joyful victories for perfectly imperfect characters that deserve nothing but the best. And also plenty of perfect (in my humble, deviant opinion) smut.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Responsible, consensual BDSM is a prominent theme - be aware if it’s not your jam.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! I’ve been enjoying Ali Hazelwood books recently, but this one concerned me because of the kink warning at the beginning. It’s not really what I enjoy to read. Fortunately, there wasn’t actually that much kink content in it, so, some people might not like that, but it helped my enjoyment of it! My only issue was it was very long and repetitive. I felt like entire scenes were almost exactly the same as each other which made it seem too long to me. But I actually really enjoyed the storyline with Scarlett and Pen and the romance between Scarlett and Lukas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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:
Yes
🌶🌶🌶 / 5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
fast-paced
I think I need to acknowledge I don’t normally read college romance.
I thought the competitive swimmer/diver plus potential team mate with benefits sounded intriguing, but once I really understood the set up I knew this book wasn’t for me and probably should have DNF’d it.
These sex scenes were unreal, by that I mean unrealistic. Kudos to any woman who cums this easily. Maybe I’m just jealous 😅
I thought the competitive swimmer/diver plus potential team mate with benefits sounded intriguing, but once I really understood the set up I knew this book wasn’t for me and probably should have DNF’d it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail