Book Review: Deep End

I’ve been seeing Deep End by Ali Hazelwood, everywhere. And everyone loves it. I pre-ordered the book for my Kindle and could not put it down!

This novel follows Scarlett Vandermeer, a junior at Stanford, and junior world champion diver, and Lukas Blomqvist, a senior at Stanford, swim team captain, and Olympic gold medalist. The two are acquaintances being part of the same swim team and Lukas is the long time boyfriend of Scarlett’s fellow diver, Penelope Ross. The two don’t know each other well though, but when Pen and Lukas break up but continue to be close friends, Pen suggests Lukas and Scarlett get together. She reveals that the two actually have a lot in common. They’re both swimmers, they’re both pre-med, and they are both into kink/bdsm. Intrigued and encouraged by Pen, the two decide to try out a no strings attached relationship out, but over time the two begin to realize they understand each other better than anyone else and trust each other above anyone else. Lukas especially helps Scarlett work her way through a mental block she’s been having in her diving after a bad injury from a year or two earlier. Can they keep things casual or will they admit they both have feelings beyond physical attraction for each other?

I loved this book so much! The storyline was great. I know very little about diving, but watch it a little bit during the Olympics and this book made me invested in Scarlett’s diving journey. And then there’s Lukas. He is top tier! I loved him so much and how he was there for Scarlett every step of the way, even when she didn’t realize she needed someone.

Minor spoiler – It did frustrate me a little bit towards the end that Scarlett was so resistant and kept willingly taking a backseat to Pen’s wants, but it worked out in the end so it’s okay.

Overall, this book will definitely be one of my favorites for the year! The book and Scarlett & Lukas will stick with me for a very long time.

Read this if you want a spicy sports romance with characters into kink.

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