Deep End

Book Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️I read this book in a whole weekend because it was that good! I couldn't put it down. I have been seeing so many wishy-washy reviews on this book, but I can say I loved this book. Lukas Blomqvist became my book boyfriend instantly when I saw how he was with Scarlet. I can easily see Scarlet and Lukas as the true OTP. I related so well to Scarlet and how she is so reserved but hides her true self. The friendship she grew with Pen was beautiful and messy. Since I used to be a swimmer, I understood the lingo, the way it can wreck your body but also be so rewarding. I loved swimming.

I love sports romances where they are both athletes. This one has so much more though, just the amount of sports, a little heavy on the angst and a lot heavy on a perfect pairing of 2 overachieving pre-med students who mirror each other perfectly, people whose lives overlap so seamlessly that they’re just a forgone conclusion. Apparently this is my jam because I was giddy through much of this book.But the real star of this book is Scarlett, because I know someone just like her, minus the athlete part and this is the kind of love I want for her, the puzzle piece kind, where there is so much mutual respect and admiration, and genuine affection for each other creating this unbreakable bond. Loved it!!

That’s actually a lie. A lot of people did on the internet, but I didn’t know it for myself yet. I am obsessed with Lukas Blomqvist. So stoic, so anal, so into Scarlett in all those good feet-kicking, awww-squealing ways.The sports romance of it all was pristine. It was clear Hazelwood did her research on swimming and diving, and she captured the intense athlete experience so well. This immediately shot to the top of my all-time favorites for the sub-genre.Deep End is a nearly perfect read for me. My only major complaint is the final romantic conflict felt a little forced, which was equally my issue with Bride. However, as with Bride, I am so in love with this book that ultimately I don’t care that much. The issue resolves quite quickly, and we move right on with our applause for another hit from Hazelwood.

I loved so much of this book. I loved how he helped her and she helped him. She was a bit of a broken bird through most of the book but she wasn’t so damaged that you only get sad for her. My two complaints were the friendship with Pen - it never made sense. Why did she go along with being being a dirty secret when she could have just had her relationship with him. The need to keep the break up a secret never made sense. And second, I was promised kink. 50 shades of lists and negotiations then I just got some painful sex because he was ssssooooo big. Massive migraine causing eye roll. So much was promised but almost nothing delivered. But I loved the friendships and the step mom and pretty much everything outside of the bedroom about Scarlett and Lukas.

First of all... before I go into my review... if you participated in bullying Ali Hazelwood off social media, I hope you stub your toe every 2 seconds and please go ahead and block me so we can just unfollow each other. Make it easier on the both of us.I met Ali a couple of years ago at Steamy Lit Con, and she was the absolute sweetest human being. Last year at the convention, her line was so long I couldn't see her, which was so sad but was happy she has loving readers.I just finished Deep End (Whet), and I wish I could give her 10 out of 5 stars. Literally all of the stars in the world. Ali did such an amazing job with this book that I hated life when I wasn't reading it. Lukas and Scarlett gave you a love story so unique and absolute perfection. A Swedish Olympic swimmer and collegiate diver fall in love in an unconventional way with a lot of twists and turns, but they make it work. Ali did such amazing research with the diving and swimming lingo that I was impressed. Some of the swimming lingo was funny to me because socal swimming lingo is slightly different. As a former competitive swimmer, I absolutely ate this book up, and I wish I could get more of this. It has me wondering though... Where is my Lukas?!?! I sacrificed 15 years of swimming, and I couldn't find a Lukas?! The world is so cruel... I shall continue living vicariously through Ali's books.This is my letter to Ali, which I hope I can tell her in person at this years Steamy Lit Con:Dear Ali,Long story short... I was a competitive swimmer for about 15 years and swam NCAA D1. I retired a year early due to injuries and bullying, but I don't regret leaving the sport. Deep End made me realize a lot of the closure I couldn't face and a lot of the trauma I have been pushing back is not healthy. Your book made me realize that I have a lot more healing to do. I faced so many injuries and life kept beating me down. Mental blocks were challenges I could never get over. I was always finding reasons to swim but for other people like my coaches, parents, or teammates. But, I never knew how to swim for myself. Free was my favorite stroke too. A lot of Scarlett's thoughts were thoughts I'd had in the past. I haven't been in the water to swim in a year, which is the longest I've been out of the water since I first started. I went to the USA Master's Nationals meet last year (my last swim meet and last time in the water), and I didn't swim the way I used to swim, which also made me feel defeated. Deep End is making me think about how Lukas found closure and was able to walk away on his own terms. Thank you for writing this amazing book. I have a lot of thinking to do about the sport that put me through so much, yet I still think about every day. Love you always, Ali. I can't wait to read more of your books.