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A review by readandwright
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
5.0
Thank you Berkley for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
Not gonna lie, when I saw all the hype around this book, I worried it wasn’t for me. I have enjoyed Ali Hazelwood’s writing a lot and most of her books have been 4 or 5 star reads for me. I wasn’t expecting much but my curiosity got the best of me and oh my goodness am I glad it did!!! I think this is the running to be a favorite book of the year because it explored so much of what makes me love the Romance genre. And if you’re worried that it will be “too spicy” for you, give it a chance. It actually had less open door scenes than I thought it was going to.
I feel like I see a lot of comments that Ali Hazelwood writes the same story over and over. While this has characters who are younger than her previous adult novels, I feel like this felt more mature. Yes there are some nerdy science-y bits, but they didn’t feel forced or unnecessary. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!
Synopsis:
“
Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.
Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.
So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...” —NetGalley
Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.
Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.
So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
- The Intensity—These characters felt BIG and as someone who also has big feelings, i loved it. I loved their dynamic and the stakes.
- The Communication—Incredible. Hot. Powerful. I thought proper communication in a relationship was highlighted in such an affirming way.
- The Pacing—Couldn’t put it down.
- The Characters—LUKAS I LOVE YOU! Vandy, I adore you. Seriously loved them both and the adorable cameos of Olive and Adam.
What Didn’t Word for Me:
- Nothing—A book like this is why I LOVE Romance and why it makes me so sad people demean it to “just smut”. It’s not that. It’s about falling in love, finding yourself, learning how to grow and communicate with a partner.
Character Authenticity: 5/5 Spice Rating: 3/5 Overall Rating: 5/5
Content Warnings:
emotional abuse, toxic friendship, death of a parent, abusive parent, domestic abuse