Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Deep End

Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

199 reviews

adiloretto's review against another edition

2.5

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It’s not something I’ll ever take for granted, the ability to say no.

Content Warnings

emmacartlidge's review against another edition

4.25

funny lighthearted reflective 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: No

Content Warnings

eligru's review against another edition

4.75

emotional funny tense 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

Content Warnings

jazzylm's review against another edition

4.5

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

Ali Hazelwood, you genius *kisses her on the forehead* the subplot is one of my favorites yet. These characters are so interesting. I love the sports world and the very interesting dynamics in these friendships and relationships. It’s a departure from her formula and it works like a charm. I won’t harp on the tiny inconsistencies and critiques. My reviews have been so negative recently and I’m trying to turn over a new leaf.

Content Warnings

mari1532's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

My favorite Hazelwood book that I have read so far is Love on the Brain and I am incredibly excited to continue to delve into her catalog of work. I will tell you that if I was rating this book on vibes alone it would be a 5. I absolutely loved escaping into Scarlett and Lukas' world.

However, I had a few problems with the characters and the way that they interacted with one another.

I particularly had some issues with Penelope throughout the book. First, it's a bit weird that Penelope recently broke up with Lukas, and only after that event her and Scarlett become best friends. Second, why does it need to be continually referenced that Penelope and Scarlett look so much alike? It was truly creepy when Scarlett kept being mistaken for Penelope at parties which was so unsettling. Third, Penelope constantly goes off about how specific Scarlett's sexual preferences are, but then we learn later in the book that Penelope has had three ways. I am not knocking anyone's sexual preferences at all, but I did find it weird that Penelope is fixated on what Scarlett enjoys in bed and acts a bit like it's so specialized but Penelope is also exploring various aspects of her sexuality. It just felt like something that did not connect. Finally, what was with the plot line with the rival diver not liking Penelope? I would like to point out that to a certain extent, that character was correct given what happens later in the book, but why is it a fundamental part of Scarlett's personality that she must defend her friend with no evidence? This just felt a bit like infighting among very talented women for no reason.

I also wasn't particularly comfortable with the fact that Lukas and Scarlett were keeping their relationship a secret because Penelope wanted them to. I mean Penelope wanted to end her relationship with Lukas. Why did she not want people to know? We of course learn later that Penelope and or one of the other girls on the team thinks that they are destined to be together... so it makes things even worse. Please date my ex Scarlett you are well matched sexually, but don't catch feelings because really he's still mine was a little cringe.

This book is messy. So, if you love complicated group dynamics and relationship drama you will likely enjoy this book because it's got a lot of that going for it. The romance component is sweet in quite a few ways that give you what you want from a romance. Overall the vibes are fun.

Content Warnings

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

As a long time fan of Ali Hazelwood, I was excited to pick up her latest novel.

“Deep End” follows two competitive divers Scarlett and Lukas. After an injury, Scarlett is having difficulty getting back on the board. She is so lost in her own mind and really just needs a distraction. So, when a friend suggests Scarlett would be the perfect match for Lukas, Scarlett is intrigued. Lukas has very particular tastes, and it makes it difficult to find the right partner sometimes. So, if he finally found someone who is interested in what he is, AND she is interesting outside of the bedroom, he thinks he has won the lottery.

This was definitely the most spicy of Ali Hazelwood’s novels. The characters hook up pretty quickly in the story and that energy continues throughout the novel. Additionally, the scenes are written with extra, explicit spicy.

Scarlett is really struggling with the mental hurdle of diving again after a traumatic dive left her injured. This forces her to really sort through big feelings in this novel. I think her entire journey with overcoming this fear and finding her spark again is highly relatable and something I really enjoyed.

Lukas was such a great partner for her because he meets her where she is at, while also encouraging her to push herself to be better. He really promotes open communication and honesty.

I really enjoyed that Ali Hazelwood had a character that was still an academic, but that was not her entire personality. I like seeing Ali write something new while still being authentic to herself and her writing process. As much as I enjoyed her stories featuring women in STEM, I felt like they were all starting to blur together a bit.

I definitely recommend this novel if you like super spicy stories that also have a good plot.

Content Warnings

sjexley's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional funny 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

🌶️This book is not going to be for everyone and that is ok! But if you like smart girls pursued by hot guys and are into the spice, you will love this. I read this in less than 12 hours, so it's definitely engaging. This is about 2 competitive swimmer/divers at Stanford (tbh the MCs are way too mature to be 22) who get themselves into an entanglement. I laughed at the side characters, swooned over Lukas and wanted to both hug and shake Scarlett (we love a complicated character). If you don't like 🥵, you will want to skip this.

Content Warnings

riddikulyssreads's review against another edition

2.0

tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was not for me. I went into it thinking it was a fun sports romance. The entire book was just the two main characters torturing themselves for about 90% of the book just to please the ex-girlfriend

who dumped him in the first place and then wanted him back when he fell in love with someone else.

Pen was the worst character in this book for me. I feel like they (MMC/FMC) should’ve just been honest from the first place. There was just so much miscommunication in this book. The book could’ve gone so many more routes with the progression between Lukas and Scarlett without having to constantly focus on Pen. I was also hoping for more of an emphasis on the STEM aspect but it seemed to take a back burner in this one. I will still continue to explore Ali’s work but, again, this one just wasn’t for me.

Content Warnings