A review by lovelymisanthrope
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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. 
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