Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Deep End

Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

268 reviews

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

3.5

funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

My gosh, where to begin, uhmmmmm................................................I guess splitting this into categories will make things clearer for me.

how I felt in the first half:

The first half of this book wasn't my favorite. I found it rather slow and boring. We get a slow introduction to the "plot" of this book. I'd say over the 100-150 mark is when the characters actually consider having sex with one another.
Because of that, I found the first half kind of a slog to get through because the main characters barely interacted with one another. In addition to that, I didn't vibe with Scarlett/Vandy as a FMC.
Honestly, Vandy got on my nerves because she was just too overly insecure for my liking. She was a constant overthinker, overly anxious, scared of men, the epitome of socially awkward, didn't pick up on cues very well, and was just very quirky all the time. I can sympathize with all those qualities but lumped together into a single character, I couldn't help but find her annoying.
Her being so insecure made me mad cuz I was just like "girl, GET UP!" Always talking down on herself. Not believing in her abilities. And I really wished the book addressed her behavior for what it was because although it gets better as the book moves along, it's never stated outright that Vandy is insecure.
And like I said, I'm not unsympathetic, but I feel like the author didn't give much legroom for me to grow sympathetic towards Vandy's issues. Her problems with her father are mentioned 2-3 times and then are dropped after the second half. All of a sudden she doesn't flinch or get awkward when men are around. We just dropped that plot.
In addition, the whole thing with her therapist was so inconsequential and redundant to book that you could've literally taken it out and it wouldn't have made a smidge of a difference. (which got on my nerves because in the second half, Scarlett and Lukas have this cute scene but as a result of that scene he "fixes" her in a sense; like PLEASE release us from the shackles of a man having to make the woman feel whole again; all of a sudden her past traumas are stripped away never to be seen again); I think she's literally stops seeing her therapist after this.😭
Not gonna lie, I did consider dnfing, but I pushed through cuz I needed to know. So, this is a very scandalous thing for me to say, but FOR ME personally I feel like this book picked up once they had their first sexual encounter.

how I felt in the second half:

Not gonna lie, I don't know if I started to enjoy this more in the second half cuz the book got better or because I decided to put the audio at 2x (the world may never know😅).
Now, I know there is a very mixed bag on how the sex was in this book, but I personally didn't mind it. It was a little cringe and offputting to me at times because I'm just not a fan of dom men. They annoy me cuz I can't stand someone telling me what to do, but that's neither here nor there. I thought the sex was fine, however, I will say I do agree with people saying that the kink exploration in here is very mild because it is. They have a whole kink list (one we don't get to see) talking about all these sexually defiant things and yet it's never shown or explored on page.
I'm not an expert on BDSM at all and I know it varies, however, I will say that if you already read regular adult contemporary romance on a regular, the spice in here won't be shocking to you. And if you read erotica the spice in here will most definitely feel subpar. I would describe it as a girl who loves being submissive and told what to do, and is willing to please a dominant guy who loves telling her what to do and ordering her around. Simple.

Oh another thing with the sex scenes, broooooo, why is she cumming every 2.5 seconds. He'll literally be looking at her and she's soaked. Bruh, reading that makes me remember that IS a fiction book cuz what the hell?!😭

My beef with this is that we didn't really understand why they were into the things they were into. And maybe it was for the best because BDSM has SUCH a terrible connotation with it that people assume you'd have to have gone through a drastic trauma to be into those things (which is not always or usually the case).
Overall, I completely enjoyed the second half wayyyy more than the first. Scarlett is less annoying here. She and Lukas interacted more and had good moments. I think because I was with these characters for so long I was so happy hearing about their diving and swimming as well as the science stuff. I read the term "inward dive" so much that I had to look it up.😅 I was so happy for Scarlett and what she was able to accomplish. It was giving me Carrie Soto vibes not gonna lie. It seems I have a knack for reading about people who are skilled in something.

The Couple + Other Woman [OW]:

Okay, in the first half, I really wasn't sold on them. They had no chemistry to me. And although I liked the second half more I still don't see the chemistry between them. I like them for sure, but they're nothing to write home about.
I know I've typed on and on about Scarlett so I won't get in her (as I proceed to get into later down this review). Lukas, on the other hand, gave NOTHING! I seriously don't get why people are obsessed with him because this guy literally had no personality the entire book. Throughout the book we learn that he's an amazing all-consuming, exceptionally achieving tall hulk of a swimmer, he likes science and wants to do pre-med, he's hot and he likes kink, I guess. Thats it! I don't dislike him by any means, he was fine. He was just nice and very understanding and mature (at times). He had a lot of good qualities and that's all. He has no baseline for a personality. Not once do we find out anything remotely outside of the fact that he swims, likes science, kink, and is Swedish.
Lukas is just there to pick Scarlett (and Pen apparently) back up when need be. Give her that motivational tug she needs to excel and be the good big boy dom for her. There's really nothing else to his character than that. We find out about
his mother dying when he was 14
and then boom never mentioned again. Do we know how this has affected not really cuz it's explained within a page or two and never mentioned again? I kid you not his brother, Jan, had more personality than he did and he was there for like 3 scenes.
Same goes for Scarlett, really. Her main personality traits were being quirky, anxious, a diver, and obsessed with Lukas. Nothing else to her beyond that. So, when you slap two boring people together and expect me to believe there's chemistry it's just not going to work.

In addition, they had TERRIBLE communication outside the bedroom. And this brings me back to Scarlett not standing up herself. She and Lukas would allow Pen to insert herself within their arrangement all the time and none of them set boundaries. Lukas was always all talk whenever Scarlett would bring up her concerns about Pen. He'd say he's not bound to her anymore and that Scarlett is the one he wants but then comes almost every time Pen calls him. And allows her to kiss him on the cheek a lot. Had easy access to him whenever she wanted and I was sick of it. He was all dominant in the bedroom, but couldn't for the life of him tell his ex-girlfriend to piss off. Same for Scarlett, she was ALWAYS concerned about Pen and her feelings. Even with they were having sex she's like "what about Pen", bro SCREW PEN! What about her, she's not in a relationship!

On top of that, tell me why in the beginning and even after, this man would literally ignore her for weeks or they wouldn't talk to each other for a good duration of time and she would just come back to him with open arms. Huhhhhh?????? He explained it the first time and then they both just kept doing it for some reason, like JUST TALK!

Also, are we gonna talk about Lukas's lack of maturity? There's a line in this book where he says he's wanted Scarlett for a very long time. He's been intrigued by her since the moment he saw her and even wanted her for his and Pen's threesomes and that's supposed to be cute or whatever. But that's literally foul! He basically stated he's been emotionally cheating on Pen since he saw Scarlett and has literally been detached from her since. Like WHAT?! Like bro, Lukas decided to take the passenger seat in his relationship and was willing to stick it out, FOR WHAT?! (that's never explained) Ironically enough, he was being so submissive, here (not very dom of you Lukas🤣).

Okay, last one, I promise, cuz this really bothered me and contributed to the reason why I say they have no chemistry (or more so I didn't feel it). I don't understand why he likes her. And it's not because I dislike Scarlett contrary to my review, it's just never explained why he's so head over heels for her. Aside from her body parts he's never affectionate with her, and doesn't say anything endearing to her about her as a person apart from her diving and science. He's been obsessed with her from the jump and boy has never said WHY. Like I get why she likes him, but I seriously don't get why he's so entranced by her. They established no emotional bond and I was just expected to believe they lived happily ever after in that epilogue.

Oh also something to note, I don't know if it's just me but the transitions in this book are so strange. Like we'd be in one scene and then jump to the next without warning and it happened several times that I just couldn't ignore it. Is it just me who noticed this?

Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (if you're used to an Elsie Silver book, this is no different)

Content Warnings

tuckert2's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny fast-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

Content Warnings

lexi_charles's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Loved the first three-quarters of the book. Getting through the rest was a slog. It felt like some of the character development backtracked and

awkward globe hopping was required to swiftly resolve the plot with no one ending up the bad guy.

Content Warnings

amarainfaeland's review against another edition

5.0

challenging 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: No

Content Warnings

lilbarb's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

Content Warnings

desiderium_incarnate's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Drowning in all of the feels!

I honestly didn't learn much about diving except that it's fucking hard, still am clueless but with much more respect towards divers, but oh wow to the rest of it

I will not get into detail about what this story and the characters mean to me but you can bet that my journal will hear about it😅

Content Warnings

belava's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

katyakat's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Okay, but is it just me, or do Scarlett and Lukas spend more time apart than together?! 😅 Don’t get me wrong—I loved their chemistry and dynamic, but I kept waiting for more actual page time between them. That said, the tension was there, and when they were together? 🔥

The sports element is a big part of the story, so if you’re not into athletic romances, this one might not be for you. And the light-hearted take on BDSM and kink was an interesting touch—nothing too intense, but definitely something to be aware of. One thing I really appreciated was how trauma was handled—not just through their relationship but also with therapy, which added a nice layer of realism.

Overall, Deep End was a fun, steamy, and emotional read. A little more time with the couple would’ve been nice, but it still delivered on the tension and Hazelwood’s signature charm!

Content Warnings

kagarrabrant's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny inspiring fast-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

Ali Hazelwood does it again…. I’ll read anything this woman writes. I am a mouse greedily accepting the scraps of cheese she offers me.

Content Warnings

silverfoxhole's review against another edition

3.5

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I read this in its entirety on a 16 hour flight on the day that it came out because I just needed to know if this was really as ~spicy~ as the booktok girlies were making it out to be........ and as a frequent ao3 user, I felt that it was rather tame and there were certain things missing from it. It was definitely more explicit than Bride, so I'll give the booktok girlies that.

There are a few things that irked me about this book.

First, the fact that the kink list is never really shared with us. Despite things possibly being on the list, there were things being done that gave me the ick because we never see the characters explicitly talking about them. It's written off as "here's my list" "here's my list" "great!" and then what happens, happens without any further conversations. Specifically, the library scene kinda gave me the ick and I think it wouldn't have if we had seen them have a conversation about public sex.

The second thing, unprepped ANAL??? girl, no. If this was omegaverse bl, fine. If they had done it the night before and she was still prepped, fine. But like, if there's one hole you should prep.............

Content Warnings

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