Review by syazahaniss - Deep End

syazahaniss 's review for:

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

3.5

adventurous dark emotional funny informative inspiring tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don’t know what to feel about this book. I loved Ali Hazelwood’s STEMinist novels for how lighthearted and humorous they are so I’m not really digging the new direction she’s going with her stories.

Despite Lukas and Scarlett’s rather wholesome relationship development outside the bedroom, the kinky parts of the book really made me uncomfortable. But maybe I just don’t get BDSM as something that can be enjoyable for both parties, so in that sense, it was difficult for me to follow.

I appreciated that despite the premise of the book, it was set in a simpler, easier to understand setting of college. Although some of the technical terms of being an athlete (especially all the championships and touring) flew over my head.

I hated the implied love triangle, it really gave the idea that there’s no other fish in the sea. And the random conflicts near the end felt a bit unnecessary.

Content Warnings