Deep End

Darci's Review

Ali Hazelwood has done it again. If you are after a spicy romance, look no further than Deep End and its golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist. Set in Stanford University with subplots involving STEM and impressive professional swimming and diving, this romance novel explores the ways in which control can help define or destroy oneself. This book is definitely for the 18+ adults only!

Scarlett Vandermeer has always been in control – until one day she isn’t. After what should have been a career-destroying injury at the prestigious NCAA swimming event, Scarlett’s progress with professional diving is halted. Compartmentalising the events which preceded her injury, and not remembering the moments straight after, Scarlett experiences a mental block that she cannot seem to face. With her life slowly spiralling out of control – dropped grades and being unable to hold herself to her own perfectionistic expectations – Lukas Blomqvist enters the picture. To let off some steam and regain a sense of control, Lukas and Scarlett form a friends-with-benefits agreement. As her newfound friendship with Lukas evolves into something more, they both discover that they’re not as different as they’d originally thought. It is also shown that the trust they cultivate is not only foundational in the bedroom; they also learn to trust themselves to let go of their need to control.

As a devout reader of romance and a psychology enthusiast, I found Hazelwood’s exploration of the human condition to be a heart-wrenching presentation of the impacts of stress on the human experience. Perfectly blending the spicy romantic scenes with a character-driven plot, Ali Hazelwood’s Deep End is a testament to the freedoms experienced when allowing yourself to be vulnerable. If you want to find yourself smiling to yourself and kicking your feet in excitement, I highly recommend you pick it up. Plus, the steamy scenes are a lot of fun! Deep End releases on February 4th. Pre-order your copy now!

Publisher's Review 

A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A junior at Stanford and a student athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships - at least, that's what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It's how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...