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challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
The Ali-Verse is back in full swing with Olive and Adam as secondary characters. And married this time!
This was good, I just wish I loved it more. This does not rank among my favorite books in the Ali-Verse.
Scarlett’s experience is very relatable in the way that she thinks of her life as a “before” and “after” the injury. If you have ever had a traumatic or shocking experience in your life, this is a very realistic interpretation and hits close to home.
I could have done with much less Pen in the book. I’m still sus of Pen.
Scarlett and Luke were hot and sweet. Not my favorite couple, but they rank higher than Rue and Eli.
This was good, I just wish I loved it more. This does not rank among my favorite books in the Ali-Verse.
Scarlett’s experience is very relatable in the way that she thinks of her life as a “before” and “after” the injury. If you have ever had a traumatic or shocking experience in your life, this is a very realistic interpretation and hits close to home.
I could have done with much less Pen in the book. I’m still sus of Pen.
Scarlett and Luke were hot and sweet. Not my favorite couple, but they rank higher than Rue and Eli.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
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
I loved this book. It’s so wisely written, with scientific terms and witty banter that can make you learn and laugh one minute and then emotional development that has you crying the next. Scarlett is a wounded bird trying to piece herself back together, and Lukas wants nothing more than to be the one holding all the bits of her heart.
They’re both fantastic characters who grow more into themselves and become better people by the end of the book. I enjoyed the diving and swimming aspects even as a person who did not know a lot about the sports going in.
The kink exploration is less extensive than I would think based on the list referenced early on. The spice was spicing, but I expected more variety and BDSM than we got.
Most side characters were lovable, and specificallyI did not hate Pen like others because I think she really did care for Scar and their friendship was more healing and part of her journey of learning to accept love from others.
My main critique is I wished I had more epilogue and dual POV.
Lukas is a Swedish god amongst men, and Scarlett is a STEM goddess. Their story is a slow burn worth the wait.
They’re both fantastic characters who grow more into themselves and become better people by the end of the book. I enjoyed the diving and swimming aspects even as a person who did not know a lot about the sports going in.
Most side characters were lovable, and specifically
My main critique is I wished I had more epilogue and dual POV.
Lukas is a Swedish god amongst men, and Scarlett is a STEM goddess. Their story is a slow burn worth the wait.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse
emotional
funny
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
MISS ALI HAZELWOOD! I loved this book so much! Lukas had me melting from the very beginning. I adored how straight forward he was and did not take Scarlett's bs. Their banter had me blushing and kicking my feet. Scarlett was a lovable FMC and I enjoyed the cameos from Adam and Olive. I say this every time I read an Ali Hazelwood book but this one is my favorite!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Death of parent
emotional
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
Please note this book contains graphic sexual content and situations that may not be appropriate for all readers! Especially those underage. Check trigger warnings. Your mental health matters!
Whew! This book was spicy y’all! I’d give it a solid 5🌶 rating just for the subject matter/graphic nature of the sexual content in this book. This book was my favorite so far of what I’ve read by her, and I’ve got to say I really enjoy this author’s writing style. She has a way of weaving the smut into the story without it seeming overdone, clunky, or detracting from the plot. Which, in a genre that is inundated with all of the above, I find very refreshing.
These characters were so fun to read, especially when I stumbled upon the fact that several of the character names are inspired by real people( the wife and child of a world record holding high diver). If you’re in the mood for a sports romance with a <b>lot</b> of spice, a fair bit of angst, and love story that will have you grinning at your book, the I highly recommend adding this one to your TBR!
Whew! This book was spicy y’all! I’d give it a solid 5🌶 rating just for the subject matter/graphic nature of the sexual content in this book. This book was my favorite so far of what I’ve read by her, and I’ve got to say I really enjoy this author’s writing style. She has a way of weaving the smut into the story without it seeming overdone, clunky, or detracting from the plot. Which, in a genre that is inundated with all of the above, I find very refreshing.
These characters were so fun to read, especially when I stumbled upon the fact that several of the character names are inspired by real people( the wife and child of a world record holding high diver). If you’re in the mood for a sports romance with a <b>lot</b> of spice, a fair bit of angst, and love story that will have you grinning at your book, the I highly recommend adding this one to your TBR!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse
dark
emotional
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
It would take a lot for me to NOT read an Ali Hazelwood book. She’s definitely off on an adventure. This adventure is called kink. I love the storyline and man she can get me to love any human in her books. I love every character in this book. The smut tho. Let’s just call it not for me? But she’s an amazing writer and I just skimmed the parts that are not for me. But I mean good for this couple I wish them well 😆. Apparently I need to stick to mainly vanilla boring smut. I’m not ready yet. One day I might look back at my innocence but today is not that day.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This felt like a lot of poorly stitched vignettes. The sex, advertised as "kinky", was vanilla as heck. Most disappointing AH book, to date, for me. I hope Mate is written like Bride and doesn't feel like this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent
medium-paced
I think this is my favorite Ali Hazelwood book yet. (Sorry Jack and Elsie. 🫣)
I really loved the exploration of how trauma (physical and emotional/mental) plays a big part in performing (in anything, not just sports). Scarlett is coming off a major injury that led to needing surgery and physical therapy. She's got a mental block. Talk therapy is mildly helping. We learn later on in the book the exact reason she has a block and it's thanks to Lukas talking Scarlett through it. We learn he lost his mom at a young age and went through something similar to Scarlett. Even if it wasn't a physical injury, grief is a powerful thing and it takes time to heal. I enjoyed seeing the parallels between Lukas and Scarlett.
That said, I don't think this was Ali's spiciest book. It was very on par with everything else she's written. Though, other than Lukas being yet another "big dick" love interest, it felt a bit less cookie-cutter than the rest of her books. But the sex scenes were very typical of Ali's writing regardless of kink exploration and power dynamics. Because aside from the exchange of checklists at the beginning of their relationship, all we really got was the power dynamics. Other stuff was lightly touched on/discussed, but not shown on the page. (Which is fine by me.)
The story was fleshed out and I felt it had more meat that some of the other STEMinist books. Don't get me started on Pen. I knew she was going to be a problem from the beginning. I'm glad things worked out and she came around, but damn. What she did wasn't right.
Overall this gets a 5 star rating from me. I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to books and I think doing this on audio was absolutely the move. Lukas' voice actor was *chef's kiss* 🥰
I really loved the exploration of how trauma (physical and emotional/mental) plays a big part in performing (in anything, not just sports). Scarlett is coming off a major injury that led to needing surgery and physical therapy. She's got a mental block. Talk therapy is mildly helping. We learn later on in the book the exact reason she has a block and it's thanks to Lukas talking Scarlett through it. We learn he lost his mom at a young age and went through something similar to Scarlett. Even if it wasn't a physical injury, grief is a powerful thing and it takes time to heal. I enjoyed seeing the parallels between Lukas and Scarlett.
That said, I don't think this was Ali's spiciest book. It was very on par with everything else she's written. Though, other than Lukas being yet another "big dick" love interest, it felt a bit less cookie-cutter than the rest of her books. But the sex scenes were very typical of Ali's writing regardless of kink exploration and power dynamics. Because aside from the exchange of checklists at the beginning of their relationship, all we really got was the power dynamics. Other stuff was lightly touched on/discussed, but not shown on the page. (Which is fine by me.)
The story was fleshed out and I felt it had more meat that some of the other STEMinist books. Don't get me started on Pen. I knew she was going to be a problem from the beginning. I'm glad things worked out and she came around, but damn. What she did wasn't right.
Overall this gets a 5 star rating from me. I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to books and I think doing this on audio was absolutely the move. Lukas' voice actor was *chef's kiss* 🥰
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved Scarlett’s journey with her sport and how she’s come back from her injury, it felt well-written especially as someone who swam competitively for seven years! Her emotional growth was so beautiful to read, even as things were getting messier relationships-wise at the end. The way that this story explores her being almost an unreliable narrator in her depictions of her trauma and therapy felt so genuine to me as well, of course she didn’t see how harmful her father and ex were leading up to her injury, and of course she didn’t see how she needed to work through that to heal. She’s young and growing and healing, after having gone through a lot of emotional and physical trauma. Additionally, I think this book had a new rhythm to it amongst Ali Hazelwood’s books which I loved. Her and Lukas’ relationship felt like it grew through trust and genuine comparability which I loved, and their personalities were well-developed and different than I usually read for romance novels. They were both very introverted and goals-focused in a way that I enjoyed reading. The sex was also fantastic, very well-navigated kink and I feel like it developed as they did! Ultimately I think the best part of this book was seeing how their relationship supported her healing and growing as a person and in her sport and career. I will absolutely read it again, and my copy is soooo pretty with the water surface sprayed edges!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Death of parent