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A review by kaliodell
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"If you decide to go for it, I think it should be me."
With books like this (about communities that face significant stigma) it's refreshing to read something that feels both catered to expanding the understanding kink it within vanilla communities while also staying true to the experiences of kink communities and their relationships. I am newer to Ali's work and so far have only read this and Bride and have been pleasantly surprised. Unlike Dark Romances that lean into the moral ambiguity of falling for the "bad guy", Deep end explores the nuances of power exchange from a very realistic point of view. Ali leverages experiences like "i've always known i felt this way" and the clumsy feelings associated with kink checklists and navigating consent and real life alongside them. There are no consent violations, there are safe words and consent negotiations.
That said, the plot left me wanting more. I loved the organic and intense development of their relationship, but I hated to see a friend throw another friend under the bus, and wanted to see more of their relationship existing outside kink at the end of the book. The ending, compared to the hundreds of pages they spent falling in love, felt a little abrupt and disappointing(I mean the girl flew to switzerland to reconcile with him and we didn't even get to see the midsommar fallout).
All in all, this was an easy read with some solid spice and great character development. I wish she'd mentioned Pen 40% less, that there'd been a few more spice scenes and the ending didn't feel like slamming on the brakes but i would read this again. It's refreshing to see a book about Kink that doesn't fall into the familiar tropes of fifty shades.
Favourite Quotes:
"“I always knew, to some degree. I mean, I wasn’t browsing eBay for deals on PVC masks in middle school, but once I became, um, aware of and interested in sex, I always had . . . fantasies. Ideas.” I shrug, and don’t add, It felt right. It feels right."
“I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I’m usually overthinking something. Desperately trying to avoid screwing up and working myself up to a panic.” Am I taking up too much space? Boring you? Disappointing you? Would you rather be somewhere else, with someone else? “Overwhelmed by the burden of wondering whether I’m doing it right.”
“Regardless, no. I don’t think it makes sense to conflate everyday violence with the kind of stuff you—we—are into. In fact, I don’t think the two things are related at all.” His gaze is steady. “What you and I want, it’s all about trust. We decide to be part of it. It sounds like whatever happened to you had little to do with you making any decisions, right?”
With books like this (about communities that face significant stigma) it's refreshing to read something that feels both catered to expanding the understanding kink it within vanilla communities while also staying true to the experiences of kink communities and their relationships. I am newer to Ali's work and so far have only read this and Bride and have been pleasantly surprised. Unlike Dark Romances that lean into the moral ambiguity of falling for the "bad guy", Deep end explores the nuances of power exchange from a very realistic point of view. Ali leverages experiences like "i've always known i felt this way" and the clumsy feelings associated with kink checklists and navigating consent and real life alongside them. There are no consent violations, there are safe words and consent negotiations.
That said, the plot left me wanting more. I loved the organic and intense development of their relationship, but I hated to see a friend throw another friend under the bus, and wanted to see more of their relationship existing outside kink at the end of the book. The ending, compared to the hundreds of pages they spent falling in love, felt a little abrupt and disappointing
All in all, this was an easy read with some solid spice and great character development. I wish she'd mentioned Pen 40% less, that there'd been a few more spice scenes and the ending didn't feel like slamming on the brakes but i would read this again. It's refreshing to see a book about Kink that doesn't fall into the familiar tropes of fifty shades.
Favourite Quotes:
“I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I’m usually overthinking something. Desperately trying to avoid screwing up and working myself up to a panic.” Am I taking up too much space? Boring you? Disappointing you? Would you rather be somewhere else, with someone else? “Overwhelmed by the burden of wondering whether I’m doing it right.”
“Regardless, no. I don’t think it makes sense to conflate everyday violence with the kind of stuff you—we—are into. In fact, I don’t think the two things are related at all.” His gaze is steady. “What you and I want, it’s all about trust. We decide to be part of it. It sounds like whatever happened to you had little to do with you making any decisions, right?”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse