Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Deep End

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

128 reviews

binevolentbookworm's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional funny hopeful tense 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

ameliabiblio's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense 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

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I know Ali Hazelwood is never going to read this review, but I feel like if she ever did, she'd appreciate how HARD I'm fangirling right now😍 I've been a mega-fan of hers ever since I inhaled The Love Hypothesis in a day (when I should have been doing homework, but whatever), but genuinely? This is lowkey on a different level. Don't get me wrong! I will always adore The Love Hypothesis, but Deep End? I don't know, guys... It kinda hits different. The longing. The stoic white man whose strangely emotionally mature. The sex. Ali POPPED OFF with the BDSM stuff, ngl. This book made me laugh and cry and gave me heart palpitations and also extremely warm, gooey feelings in my stomach. I inhaled this book and I already want to read it again.
Scarlett was just *chef's kiss* I immediately loved her and wanted her to feel loved. She deserves the world and she got it! Because Lukas? OH MY GOD🤤 I don't know what it is about cold men who fall in love and only show emotion with the woman they're in love with, but oh boy... Do they hit. And Ali is the QUEEN of writing them. His consistency and support of Scarlett was so beautiful to read, but also his own trauma and imperfections??? Somehow made him hotter. Early on, he does something that made me😡 And I was like "How is Ali gonna explain this one for him???" But GUYS! The explanation??? Heartbreaking. It, of course, didn't excuse his actions. But it did make me🥺🥺🥺🥺

Yes, I am referring to when he ghosted her to prove to himself that he could go without her, but HE COULDN'T. I mean, how are you supposed to stay mad at him for that??? Especially with the way Scarlett found out🥺

Anyway, catch me listening to the audiobook next🤪 I need to hear Lukas in all of his Swedish glory. (Please, please, please let the male narrator actually voice Lukas throughout the book in a Swedish accent😭 It doesn't even have to be good! I just need to hear him🥺)

Content Warnings

dani_reis's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny 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

I will be cautious about who I recommend this book to. It's explicit and it's not going to be liked by everyone. Read trigger warnings if that's your concern.

However, I adored the characters so much. Any time I thought of an excuse to drop the rating, I realized how it was actually a dumb reason and can't count as a negative because it was [insert reason].

The MMC is an adorable Swedish man who is caring and patient towards the FMC. Ali Hazelwood keeps up her science-themed romances, and in a year where I'm focusing on learning languages, it was fun to have a second culture added into the mix.

Content Warnings

syvillafromm's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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: Yes

Content Warnings

midnightmoon_dreamer's review against another edition

4.25

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

Once again, a great book from Ali. I don’t think it was her best because I felt it lacked in the development of the main relationship. But, I loved the whole progress we see Scarlett go through.

Content Warnings

readwithria's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny reflective tense 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

Deep End might be my new favorite Ali Hazelwood book 👀 💦

I cannot talk about this book without mentioning that we FINALLY got the secondary characters we deserve! The diving and swimming teams are excellent, Barb and Jan are wonderful familial additions, and Maryam adds just the right amount of snark to the book! I’ve always loved AH’s characters, and getting more of them is exactly what I’ve always wanted.

Scarlett Vandermeer grows so much throughout this book! And the relationships she develops with Lukas and Pen are so excellent! I 100% relate to Scarlett’s rejection sensitivity, and seeing her move past that anxiety with the people around her was so heartening.

It was also really lovely to see how her goals changed throughout the book, and how her outlook changed along with them. Vandy was so strong, but she also got so good at asking for support in a way that made me so proud of her.

Read this book if you love
🩵 sports romance
🩶 college/forced proximity
🩵 fwb to something more
🩶 caretaking
🩵 aftercare
🩶 strong boundaries
🩵 therapy on page
🩶 strong friendships

Ali Hazelwood maintains her spot as one of my autobuy authors! I can’t wait to read what she comes up with next. 5 stars

Content Warnings

teaand_tomes's review against another edition

4.0

emotional fast-paced

Thank you to Ali Hazelwood, Berkley Publishing, and PRH Audio for the free audiobook!

I have such a weakness for Olympic athlete stories, and Deep End completely delivered! Ali Hazelwood once again brings her signature mix of intelligence, romance, and deeply realistic conflicts to the page. Scarlett and Lukas had such a compelling dynamic—her determination to focus on med school, his strict discipline as a world-class swimmer, and the undeniable chemistry between them made for such a captivating read.

I really enjoyed the duet narration style, with Thérèse Plummer voicing all the feminine characters and Ben Holtzmuller handling the masculine ones—it made the audiobook feel so immersive. The audio quality difference between the two narrators was a little noticeable at first, but it quickly became a non-issue. Their voices complemented each other beautifully, and I especially loved Ben Holtzmuller’s Swedish accent!

This book is packed with emotion, intensity, and steamy romance, and I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend for fans of sports romance, college settings, and Ali Hazelwood’s signature storytelling!

Content Warnings

thejosiemarie's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous emotional 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

I genuinely adored this book. I couldn’t put it down. I was drawn by the exploration of kink, but what really got me hooked were the emotional beats and the sports element. Might just be Ali Hazelwood’s best work.

Content Warnings

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