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emotional
funny
hopeful
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
My first book I read by this author and I liked it. The book itself with the sprayed edges to resemble pool water is very unique. Overall, a great read. I'm happy that Scarlett and Luk ended up being together despite Scarlett's uncertainty. The epilogue was a nice touch and I'm glad they achieved their dreams outside of the pool!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Death of parent
emotional
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:
Complicated
Strong 4☆, not really my kinda kink but still a really fun read. Could not stand Penelope though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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:
No
“Because sometimes I can’t breathe when you’re around.”
Read as a buddyread with Amanda (we did get a towel when I bought a physical copy of the book).
This book was so binge-worthy, we had to break the rule of reading only a hundred pages a day. We overall finished the book within three days instead of four because how can we stop when we were already halfway - where everything was really good by that point.
Scarlett and Lukas, oh boy, you two are match-made in heaven for sure. How your kinks are aligned and really, that's the most important thing, right? I thought so too but apparently, you guys are really just more than that. From being the athlete you both are to having a dream of being a doctor, you guys really suit each other. Even though it started as just sex, it wasn't really, right? The connection was there and I was just itching for you guys to finally be together. To be glad you guys fell in each other's laps. But of course, the third act conflict just have to bring the rating down.
I freaking hate the third act conflict - Pen???? Pen being that kind of person by the end was so out of character for her. There's no excuse for how she acted and even by the end, I was sad that only 2-3 pages, everything is alright between the two. It's so hard to imagine Pen breaking down like that and actually denying that she knew of the relationship between Lukas and Scarlett. I was heartbroken for the couple. I was talking to Amanda about it and I was ranting so much about this because we did expect her to be a cause of the conflict, just not in that way.
Either way, it was a really good and quick read. Enjoyed it thoroughly, as I had with most of Ali Hazelwood's books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
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:
Yes
A welcome step outside my comfort zone, Deep End gave me a new appreciation for both diving and kink! Scarlet and Lukas are set up together when it’s discovered that they have complementary kinks. Both pre-med student athletes at Stanford, Scarlett is a diver who hasn’t been able to get over a mental block despite healing physically from a big injury, and Lukas is a swimmer from Sweden with a long history of winning. Although their initial agreement is purely sexual, Scarlett and Lukas help each other trust and let go of control in the deep end of both the bedroom and their lives. The kink is mild, the sex is hot, the story is lovely, and the narration? Exquisite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating for the narrators—Thérèse Plummer and Ben Holtzmuller—and the narrators alone.
While the description of Deep End sounded promising, I did NOT like Lukas.
He gave me the fucking ick 🤢
And that scene where Scarlett was avoiding him or something ??? and he showed up and they fucked—UGH, hated it.
That scene also terrified me.
Spoke about it with book club and I'm just going to leave it there.
Sorry y'all, I wouldn't recommend Deep End.
While the description of Deep End sounded promising, I did NOT like Lukas.
He gave me the fucking ick 🤢
And that scene where Scarlett was avoiding him or something ??? and he showed up and they fucked—UGH, hated it.
That scene also terrified me.
Spoke about it with book club and I'm just going to leave it there.
Sorry y'all, I wouldn't recommend Deep End.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship
Minor: Domestic abuse
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
hopeful
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Child abuse
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Due to the mixed reviews I've seen of this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. But in the end, I really enjoyed this story.
I like the power dynamic between Lukas and Scarlett because it only exists within their agreed-upon relationship. I don't love the direction Ali Hazelwood often goes with her power dynamics because it makes me uncomfortable when a kink relationship takes place between people who are already in a power dynamic (i.e. most teacher/student relationships). Lukas is the swim team captain, but Scarlett isn't on the swim team so he is not in a position to influence her future depending on what happens between them. I like Ali Hazelwood's writing style more than I thought I would, particularly in her sex scenes. She doesn't rely on awkward metaphors, but rather describes the scene and the emotions directly.
I really enjoy the way Scarlett gets to engage with kink from a beginner's perspective. She's learning what to expect from Lukas and from herself, and I thought it was a lovely and genuine exploration. I've seen lots of complaints in reviews that it isn't kinky enough, but I think the level made perfect sense for where she was at—it was all about control and orgasm play, and I think that demanding the kink to be more dramatic defeats the point of what the book was trying to explore in this relationship.
Lukas felt a bit too good at being a dom to me given that as far as I could tell, Pen was his only previous relationship and she wasn't interested in the kind of sex he wanted. I'd have liked to see a bit more of a learning curve for him as well as Scarlett, as well as more growth from him generally. He’s a little too perfect from the start, and aside from a few mistakes along the way, he doesn’t have a lot of growth to do.
Early on, at least, I like Pen. She's chaotic and ridiculous, but she seems really genuine and kind. I do think she remains too involved in Lukas and Scarlett's relationship, like a third party who's always a little present. I liked that Lukas was still her best friend, but she should have been respectful of their relationship ending and stepped back physically out of respect for both him and Scarlett. Instead, Pen’s actions towards the end make me dislike her and countered all of the goodwill I built towards her over the whole story. Her apology was good, but it still really frustrated me.
I really don't understand why Lukas and Pen wanted everyone to think they were still together. Sure, everyone expected them to be together, but everyone would have gotten over it pretty fast. And it seemed unfair and unkind to Scarlett to make her sneak around—and potentially make her look like Lukas was cheating with her if anyone found out. Even if Pen wasn’t fully ready to move on, Lukas should have been more considerate of how it would all affect Scarlett.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked that most of it was about Scarlett working through her insecurities and trauma, but despite how sweet he was, Lukas’s arc felt a little weak to me. And I really enjoyed the lack of artificial drama between Lukas and Scarlett at the end—no miscommunication, no dramatic breakup, just a slight mismatch in terms of what they were each ready for in the moment.
I like the power dynamic between Lukas and Scarlett because it only exists within their agreed-upon relationship. I don't love the direction Ali Hazelwood often goes with her power dynamics because it makes me uncomfortable when a kink relationship takes place between people who are already in a power dynamic (i.e. most teacher/student relationships). Lukas is the swim team captain, but Scarlett isn't on the swim team so he is not in a position to influence her future depending on what happens between them. I like Ali Hazelwood's writing style more than I thought I would, particularly in her sex scenes. She doesn't rely on awkward metaphors, but rather describes the scene and the emotions directly.
I really enjoy the way Scarlett gets to engage with kink from a beginner's perspective. She's learning what to expect from Lukas and from herself, and I thought it was a lovely and genuine exploration. I've seen lots of complaints in reviews that it isn't kinky enough, but I think the level made perfect sense for where she was at—it was all about control and orgasm play, and I think that demanding the kink to be more dramatic defeats the point of what the book was trying to explore in this relationship.
Lukas felt a bit too good at being a dom to me given that as far as I could tell, Pen was his only previous relationship and she wasn't interested in the kind of sex he wanted. I'd have liked to see a bit more of a learning curve for him as well as Scarlett, as well as more growth from him generally. He’s a little too perfect from the start, and aside from a few mistakes along the way, he doesn’t have a lot of growth to do.
Early on, at least, I like Pen. She's chaotic and ridiculous, but she seems really genuine and kind. I do think she remains too involved in Lukas and Scarlett's relationship, like a third party who's always a little present. I liked that Lukas was still her best friend, but she should have been respectful of their relationship ending and stepped back physically out of respect for both him and Scarlett. Instead, Pen’s actions towards the end make me dislike her and countered all of the goodwill I built towards her over the whole story. Her apology was good, but it still really frustrated me.
I really don't understand why Lukas and Pen wanted everyone to think they were still together. Sure, everyone expected them to be together, but everyone would have gotten over it pretty fast. And it seemed unfair and unkind to Scarlett to make her sneak around—and potentially make her look like Lukas was cheating with her if anyone found out. Even if Pen wasn’t fully ready to move on, Lukas should have been more considerate of how it would all affect Scarlett.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked that most of it was about Scarlett working through her insecurities and trauma, but despite how sweet he was, Lukas’s arc felt a little weak to me. And I really enjoyed the lack of artificial drama between Lukas and Scarlett at the end—no miscommunication, no dramatic breakup, just a slight mismatch in terms of what they were each ready for in the moment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
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