Deep End

One of my favourite book

Ali Hazelwood continues to prove why she’s one of my all-time favorite authors. Deep End was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and while the heat was definitely more spicy in this one than her usual books, the depth of thr characters and storytelling made it feel far more than just a spicy read to me. There’s this familiar warmth in Ali’s writing that always feels like coming home. The story follows Scarlett, a Stanford junior and platform diver who’s still recovering from an injury, and Lukas, a world-renowned swimmer and also the captain of the swim team. When one of their mutual friend reveals a secret, their lives unexpectedly intertwined when they enter in a casual and temporary fling that quickly shifts into something far more meaningful as feelings start to take root. What really stood out to me though was the honest communication between Scarlett and Lukas. Even when a certain character really got under my skin, Lukas’s charm and presence made it all better. Scarlett’s struggle with mental blocks and the way she fought her own demons to become the person she was was so beautifully written that it made me genuinely proud of her growth. Their romance felt authentic and heartwarming, and watching their relationship evolve made me love this book even more.

Must buy…

Great detailing and technicalities regarding the sports part of it doesn't make up for the repetition of same emotionally traumatized heroine ,some sexual deviation and introvert hero. But her humor is always very refreshing and so are her metaphors.. expecting more from her next one.I was waiting for a sports drama as enticing as Check mate but a little disappointed

I think we are officially heading into Ali Hazelwood territory because this was pure BRILLIANCE! At the heart of it all were two unforgettable characters: a fiercely competitive diver and a disciplined, ace swimmer. Both were written with so much care and realism that they felt like people I could know. As someone who is glued to the screen every Olympic season, this book was everything my sports-obsessed, book-loving heart could’ve dreamed of. as someone has rightly said, Ali Hazelwood doesn’t just write romance-she engineers it. i absolutely loved and lived for every scene Scarlett & Lukas were part of and if this is what ali brings in each of her book well that's QUEEN ENERGY right there. every emotion and every bit of romance, every interaction between these characters felt purposeful, and loaded with gravitas- every detail feels earned and every scene heavy with emotional intent. layered and matured adults grappling with real fears, burdens and dreams. and still, amid the chaos, they carved out moments of intimacy that makes your heart flutter. i'’m usually not one to gravitate toward the spicy romances. but if there was ever an author to nudge me past that threshold, i knew it wass Ali. and wow, did she DELIVER.

Cannot articulate enough in words how much scarlett's struggles hit closer to home. I was not expecting such a heartwarming character arc. And for a story premise which hints at the otp connecting over kink having so little explicit scenes and more moments full of warmth.

Love the information, sarcastic humour and the storytelling. Fab character building. It’s a perfect book with a lot of lows and fantastic highs

4.5🌟 honestly? At this point, I'd read anything @alihazelwood writes and will probably obsess over it completely. Like I did with this one (and the 6 other books I've read of hers so far 🤭)🥹🥰💗⁣ ⁣ Deep End was very different from Ali's other books and I was kinda apprehensive because what if I didn't like it?? Of course it was all in vain because I don't think disliking any book of hers is even remotely possible! I mean, who knew I needed a college sports romance from Ms. Hazelwood?!🙈💘⁣ ⁣ Scarlett Vandermeer, competitive diver and a junior at Stanford, is focused on working her way to med school and recovering from an injury that almost ended her career. Lukas Blomqvist, swim captain and olympian world champion swimmer, is also working his way to med school, living a life built on discipline and hard work. Both of them very few things in common until their well-guarded secret comes out in fron of each other and they realise just how much their taste aligns. And so the two start an arrangement, a mutually satisfying fling that heats up way too quickly for both of them to digest!⁣ ⁣ Lukas and Scarlett had me obsessed!! They had great, smoking chemistry and some very well done 🌶🌶 scenes 👀🙈. They shared great banter, a staple in any Hazelwood romance which I absolutely loved, obviously! The book focused so much on diving and swimming and I was taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed and got interested in it as a sport. ⁣ ⁣ My only issue was Pen, a mutual friend of Lukas and Scarlett, who was mentioned way too much for my liking and was such an important part of the story and sadly, I wasn't her biggest fan🤧⁣ ⁣ To say I loved this book would be absolutely correct. I just could not put it down and would have literally read 100 pages more of it lol. Cannot wait for Ali Hazelwood to deliver a new book and for me to devour it! 🥹💘✨️⁣ ⁣ 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨️/5⁣ ⁣ Thank you so much @hachette_india for sending this my way 💘🥰⁣ ⁣

Oh my! I'm not lying when I say I smiled and blushed throughout almost the whole thing. This was my first Ali Hazelwood book--and Deep End was totally unexpected! 🔥I'm very much into what this book is. I love seeing this type of dynamic (power exchange) in spicy romance novels, there is a lot of trust and vulnerability involved. Scarlett opened up to Lukas, and he saw her, he took charge--respecting her, understanding her needs and wants on a deeper level. He also felt liberated and seen. The chemistry was electric. And Lukas... You just have to meet him. He was the star of the show. The way he just understood her and remembered small things was everything. So many precious moments! -competitive college diver x swimmer -ptsd rep -friends with benefits -he falls first and falls hard ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🤎 "The only time wasted is time we are apart."

Such a good book. If you love young romance with spice you will love this book. The characters are very well developed and realistic. The spice if a bit like fifty shades but not as much details. Personally I preferred the first half of the book since there was a tension building up. The second half the story goes fast and is not as detailed as the first half and you can kind of see where the story is going. Overall very good and love this author and all her books.

Dare I say this is the most graceful spice I’ve ever read. If you like a strong MMC in the best way possible, this is the book for you. The only thing I’m still waiting for an explanation on is why he keeps walking around barefoot?

4.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I absolutely loved this book. It was perfectly written, characters are interesting, complex and dreamy. Even the OW was sort of okay. Lukas and Scarlett’s connection was there from the start. Also, the swimming and diving world are an original, different setting and it’s new, competitive, interesting. I also enojes how they are into sports but also into science and instead of being random tastes, they worked perfectly. Great first read for me

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Confidence is showing up, and trying, and not giving up because deep in your heart you know who you are and what you’re capable of.” - Deep End, Ali Hazelwood I loved this book. I loved the characters, I loved their flaws, I loved the vulnerability. I have read many Ali Hazelwood books and have always enjoyed her writing style. She is so cohesive in always writing about science based romance novels and I do enjoy that I know what I am getting into when I pick up one of her books (Bride aside.. iykyk). I preordered this book and could not wait until it made it to my front door step. My first reaction when I opened my package was love, love, love the sprayed edges that look like pool water. Already obsessed before I even cracked that baby open. Of all the characters, Scarlett was the most flawed and it almost felt like a privilege to know more about her past than any other character (until Lukas, obvi). But it was like being another character in the story where she shared her heart with the reader and trusted the reader would keep her secrets for her. She only shared information about herself with others when she felt comfortable. I thought she had wonderful growth by the end of the novel. Lukas is this brawny, chiseled, Olympic swimmer and I thought Ali did a great job of portraying a man who is so in control of everything in his life and so sure of what he wants through Lukas. I loved that Lukas gave Vandy everything she needed and gave her a safe space to be her most authentic self. He also got more comfortable as the story went on. My friend and I read this at the same time and she also devoured this book. I love Ali’s books and would recommend this. One thing about this book that really doesn’t detract from my rating but something I did keep in mind is that this book was prefaced to be a kinky book about a sort-of-kind-of BDSM relationship. When they shared their list of kinks, I was expecting a lot more but that seemed to be about the extent of it. I am excited to see what Ali Hazelwood writes next as she dives deeper (pun absolutely intended) into this genre, but this slightly missed the mark if this was the kink intended to be explored in this book. I still stand with my five stars because I would not only recommend it to other people but I would also read again. ⭐My Review Checklist: ***Spoilers*** ✅Character development Scarlett does quite a bit in this book. I felt her anxiety about being in class, I felt her frustrations with her dives, I felt like I was in the room listening to her talk about her therapy sessions. She wanted to get better at diving, she wanted to pass her classes, she wanted to have her own needs met beyond her abusive past. As soon as Penelope drunkenly told her now ex and her dive partner to have sex with each other, I knew this was going to be interesting. Penelope basically spoke the plot line into existence and then never left. She helped motivate the FMC and MMC to get together. This was an interesting one because also Penelope was part of their lives pretty deeply for the remainder of the story. Other motivations that Scarlett and Lukas have to really engage with one another is they found that they were highly sexually compatible and wanted to explore that desire. All the characters were highly involved with each other, and sometimes a little too involved in each other's lives. I did find it odd how involved Pen was still with Lukas and Scarlett’s emotional life even after their break up but something that did stick out to me that I do recognize is that in collegiate sports as well as other sports, you get weirdly close and sort of up in each other’s business. I think about all the stories about victory villages during the Olympics as well as playing years and years of competitive soccer. We had to share buses with the boys for away trips a lot and there were really no boundaries. So although it seems weird and toxic, this type of behavior for these characters does not seem far off. ✅Atmosphere Scarlett and Penelope definitely had emotions for sure but Lukas seemed a bit like stone but I assume that is the personality and emotional range that Ali Hazelwood was going for. Lukas is supposed to be this hardened Olympic athlete with a very cold European demeanor. I think that Scarlett brought out more emotions from Lukas as the story went on. The location was a collegiate swim team on a prestigious college campus. This helped with the diving storyline as well as provided ample areas for plot points to take place. I love Ali Hazelwood’s writing. I have yet to find a book of hers that I did not like. This book is no exception, I could feel the typical Ali Hazelwood writing throughout. ✅Plot I was engaged throughout the entirety of the story. I felt at a few points there were some lulls but they were short lived and not enough to pull me out of the story. The story was easy to follow and highly engaging. The characters had depth and integrated well with each other. The pace was easy to follow and kept me engaged from start to finish. ✅Engagement ✅Would recommend