Deep End

I thought this was great. Like the dialogue and characters. I thought the steam was well done. Really balanced by discussing bdsm with actual encounters more sweet and user friendly

I absolutely love Hazelwoods' ways of writing and how she can bring humor to the page. This was a little more.... Spicy than I'm used to, but it didn't take away from the story at all for me. I found myself smiling and laughing quite a bit while both reading myself and listening to the audiobook while in the car.

This book almost feels like Ali Hazelwood tried to write a darker romance changed her mind halfway through, then gave it her usual cute fluffy romance vibe. Not saying is a bad book. I actually like it. It's a well thought out book for what it's supposed to be.

This book way okay. I don’t feel like a lot happened for how long it was. Not a bad story but it wasn’t my favorite that I’ve read from this author. It had a lot of details about diving that I could not follow.
Some comments say there was no spice, which I disagree with. There was a good amount of spice. Someone also commented that the narrators voice was bad, I’ll half agree it wasn’t the best voice choice for the main character but it was tolerable.

This was hands down my favorite read of the year (and probably one of the best romance I’ve ever read) And for the record, I’m gobsmacked I’m saying that. I’d give it 6 stars if I could!!

There was so much to love about this story! Such a sweet dynamic ? While I thought the kink would be front and center in this book, it was just a context backdrop for how the characters connected. Also, the duet narration was sooo good. I couldn't ask for a better voices to bring this story to life. Very tasteful and will be on my reread book shelf!

For a book that is suppose to be about two “kinky” people coming together due to shared interest, this book was more about the talk and they never actually do anything they talk about. The female character was honestly a bit annoying at times and the male character was very cringey. The synopsis was there but missed the mark.

My first Ali hazelwood book and I loved it so much.

LOVE THIS FUCKING BOOK. pen pissed me off though. didn’t really like her towards the end. AND LUCASSSS UGHHHH NEED HIMMM.

Honestly never been able to relate to a female character more. Absolutely love this book. And definitely recommend it

I loved this book I just wish the Scarlett & Lukas interaction we got at the very end happened like around chapter 40

I liked this book better than The Love Hypothesis. I enjoyed it. It's an easy listen.

Love these two, can’t wait for another! Love the narrator ?

Another lovely Ali Hazelwood novel complete with a drool-worthy couple and all the angst, trials, drama, and HEA ending that that entails.

I especially enjoyed the Adam and Olive cameos.

I always have a hard time at first with Ms. Plummer’s narration because I feel like Ali’s heroines are fragile soft things and Therese’s performance is more boisterous and comical but, about a third way through, I get over it.

Ben’s performance, however, was perfection!

I love Ali Hazelwood but I didn’t enjoy the power sharing dynamic and BDSM theme. The focus on consent was very important but the MMC aggression was too much for me. It was well written and narrated but not my favorite.

This was a very very great book. Really enjoyed it!

Was told by many people that this was so spicy, but I would have to say I've read Spicer. I was bored at times

Loved this story and binge listened to it! Definitely recommend it!

I loved it! It made me laugh out loud and frustrated with the main character at times. But the characters were so well written and Lukas was soooooo dreamy. Loved the slight flash forward at the end. Can’t wait to read another Ali Hazelwood book!

Ali’s best in my opinion. Which is saying A LOT because I have loved her for years. Does she put drugs in her books? The Smut was SMUTTING and lest we forget an Olive and Adam cameo, even a nod to Holden! Loved it, butterflies and laughs all around.

Ali never disappoints! God I loved this book so much and never wanted it to end!! Also the narration was so good!!

This was such a fun read!! Absolutely loved Lukas so much!

When Scarlett’s diving teammate Penelope discovers that Scarlett is kinky like Penelope’s soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, Pen suggests that Scarlett and Lukas should get together.

I wasn’t sure if I would like this one. On one hand, I want more stories about universities and academia, and considering Hazelwood’s other books, I trusted that the setting wouldn’t be only used as a backdrop for sports, socialising and sex. But on the other hand, I didn’t know where the kinky relationship would fall on the scale between “so this isn’t really my cup of tea” and “OH HECK NO I AIN’T READING THIS”.

There are intimate moments between Scarlett and Lukas which I found unappealing, but as it turns out, that didn’t colour how I felt about the rest of the story. Scarlett explains clearly why she finds their power dynamic appealing and how it’s about trust and honest communication, and I liked how the narrative shows all the other ways she and Lukas are well suited to each other. They have common ground (they’re both student athletes, they’re both pre-med, they both really like science) and they pay attention to details about each other’s lives. They so clearly care about one another and I felt invested in their romance (even though I didn’t want to read about every single detail!).

I also liked the rest of the story! Diving is one of the few Olympic events I bother to watch (the other one I’ll watch is gymnastics, or as Scarlett calls it, “land-diving”), and I was interested in seeing the life of a student athlete, particularly one who also has academic ambitions.

I liked the focus on mental health – Scarlett was seriously injured while diving a year or so earlier, and although she has physically recovered, she is attending therapy to deal with the mental block she now has about the particular dive she was doing when her injury happened.

I liked seeing Scarlett get to know her teammates better; I liked that her friendship with Pen is important but not perfect, and the two of them have to find a way to address their issues. And I liked the epilogue that’s set some years later – I often have mixed feelings about those, but not this time.
I know it’s unfair of me, but my issues are not rational. My high school therapist kept using words like trauma response and PTSD, words that feel too big, like I don’t have a right to them. They belong to war reporters and ER doctors, not girls with shitty dads who bossed them around and told them they’d never amount to anything.
“I’m afraid of the unpredictability of existing. I’m afraid of not being able to control the direction of my life. I’m afraid that no matter how much I plan, I won’t be able to avoid hurtful and sad things. But above all…” I take a deep breath and laugh softly, because what I’m about to say is ridiculous, even if it’s true. Even if it’s me. “Mostly, I’m afraid of attempting something and not being perfect at it.”

Scarlett is a collegiate diver at Stanford. Lukas is a Swedish swimming phenomenon, also at Stanford. When Lukas's ex-girlfriend drunkenly connects the dots that both are into BDSM, she doesn't know what she is starting.
Very sexy storyline, including the negotiations and the power exchange spicy elements. One I could see myself rereading in the future.

All the love. Hazelwood's writing gets better with each book, but from the beginning, she has given readers smart, decent, nuanced, feminist, socially conscious characters to root for. I have never read her YA, but these are the youngest characters in any of her adult books. Scarlett and Lukas are college students, she a Junior he approaching graduation. For the record, this is NOT YA. The sex here is very graphic, slightly kinky, and IMO a boatload of fun.

Briefly, Scarlett and Lukas are elite athletes at Stanford and aspiring med students. When they meet (actually he has been noticing her for a while, but at least this is when Scarlett became aware) Lukas was breaking up with his long-term GF, a woman on the diving team with Scarlett and with whom she is growing close. It is the ex-girlfriend who suggests they hook up because both are into BDSM. Things get complicated when the relationship quickly becomes more than just sex. Scarlett is insecure and awkward, dealing with complicated PTSD, and is very hesitant to commit, though it is clear that these two are made for each other. Lukas is mature and clear-thinking and knows what he wants, but is afraid to freak out his skittish love interest. Also, they were both busy, what with getting into med school and qualifying for the Olympics. For those who love Hazelwood's earlier books, Olive and Adam from The Love Hypothesis have cameos here and they are adorable!

I just don't think this could have been sexier or more charming. I wish I had listened more slowly so that I could spend more time with Scarlett and Lukas. Almost certain to be on my Romance best-of list come the end of 2025.

Elite Stanford diver, Scarlett Vandermeer, has struggled for the past year to get over a devastating injury she suffered in the NCAA finals. At the same time, she continues her academic premed journey, leaving little time for a social life until she develops a friendship with fellow diver, Penelope Ross, who introduces her to her friend and ex lover, swimmer Lucas Blomqvist. Pen suggests that Scarlett and Lucas might be well suited because of how well their sexual provlivities aline, so they decide to embark on a purely sexual relationship.

The BDSM aspect of Deep End takes center stage in this romance about two college athletes - one a swimmer and the other, a diver. Details in the book are obviously well researched, making for enjoyable reading for those either experienced or inexperienced in the sports of swimming or diving. The characters in the book are well developed and while the story is told almost entirely from Scarlett's poing of view, Lucas's character might have been better developed if any of the novel had been from his perspective. I would describe the BDSM to be pretty light and almost instructive, but more detailed descriptions of the love scenes might have added more interest to the narrative. Even though the story carries on a bit too long, overall, Deep End is an entertaining romance.

DNF. Bored. Narrators didn't match the characters. She's 21 sounding 40. He's a board. Might eyeball read later. I wanted to like this because I like the premise.

It had potential, but it's too ? ? ?. Spicy scenes were repetitive, O literally just from the tip, EVERYTIME. Don't recommend tbh