Ali Hazelwood SLAYED: her writing, her characters, her story, my romance-loving heart. This was so good I couldn't put it down and when I had to I couldn't wait to get back to it. What I love most was the discovery of self theme woven throughout, the perseverance and commitment. This proved to be heroine-centric story. All about Scarlett. And I'm grateful for Hazelwood's clear, concise, engaging and thoughtful execution of the heroines plight because it so excellent and "favorite story" worthy for me. The hero of the story takes a back seat to Scarlett, in a certain way, just basically meaning he's just as, more, all about her as the rest of us, but my goodness does he SHINE. This was simply perfection. It's been a while since I've been so swept away by a story. Even longer since I have immediately went back and re-read passages over and over. I wish I could start it all over again fresh. I've been a big fan of this author through all of her works but this by far is my new favorite. This will be on re-read list forever as something really resonated with me on a soul level. It's more than just "college sports romance" or romance at all. It's exploration of womanhood and the bravery it takes to grab it with both hands in a way that makes you the best version of you. Bravo, Ali Hazelwood and thank you.

It’s not hard to guess, if one cares enough to pay attention.” Deep End follows Scarlett, or Vandy as her friends call her, a Division I diver, and Lukas, a swimmer. Scarlett, returning to diving competitions after a serious injury, finds some mental blocks she needs to figure out. She and Lukas find each other and explore their developing relationship along the way. Wow, I loved this?? I started reading this at about 9:30pm and couldn’t stop. I finished it at about 2am. I’ve said this with Ali Hazelwood’s books before (Check & Mate comes to mind), but I really enjoyed being immersed into a world I had no previous knowledge of. I had no clue what diving was like, aside from the occasional TikTok video. The writing, as usual, was compelling and fluid. I adored the dynamic between Scarlett and Lukas and their complementing personalities. Scarlett is witty and bold, despite anxiety, which I related to, and Lukas is intentional and honest throughout the entire story which was so refreshing. Would definitely recommend and will probably be re-reading!

4.5 stars It wasn’t perfect, and I had to remind myself several times that the characters were all in their early 20s. That said, I had a great time reading this and flew through it. The FMC had great character growth. I also love a story where the characters are working toward something or waiting for a large event. This happened to be the NCAA Championships. The sports part of this story was easy to understand, had me interested, and wrapped into the story well. It wasn’t overwhelming at all. The romance is very steamy with several open door scenes.

This book is, without a doubt, Ali's magnum opus. Somehow, in every one of her books she manages to create characters that are at once loveably campy and yet also deeply REAL, but the two MCs in this book particularly moved me. If you, like me, are a neurotic, high-functioning perfectionist, who's chronically self-deprecating and incapable of accepting compliments graciously, you will 100% love Scarlett. And don't get me started on Lukas. I feel like he is the dream man of every over-achieving type A woman who has ever just wanted to be HELD, to feel like for once they don't need to do anything other than be taken care of by someone else. This book made me laugh out loud, it made me cry, it made me lose sleep and realize things about myself I did not know how to define before Ali described them for me. This will undoubtedly become an annual read for me and I only hope that this review will convince someone else to pick up this book so that Ali can make all the money she deserves!

First, the book is absolutely beautiful (the water effect was so neat!) and I was so so looking forward to reading it (I had to finish my project first before I could read it, so there were days of staring at it longingly). Now that I’ve read it, I can relate to another reviewer who mentioned a lot of second hand embarrassing scenes where Scarlett’s absolute lack of boundaries made me want to cringe. Then there’s the writing…I didn’t walk away from this loving it and I think here’s why: - Lukas says at the end that they were basically dating for a year. That feels false. You have to name it as such and acknowledge each other in public as such, especially when there’s the 3rd person who’s always being prioritized over each other. Lukas drops everything for Pen. Scarlett does the same. Pen and Lukas don’t tell people they’ve ended their relationship and he goes with it! This is not ok. - I don’t think Barb would have allowed her daughter to have such few boundaries when dating. I really think she’d have told Scarlett to get her sh*t together earlier in the book - the ladies talk to each other like they’re in their mid 30’s/40’s and have been familiar with each other for more than 10-20 years. I just don’t think people talk like they do in the book when you’re in college, even if you’ve been through a lot together. Hazelwood has tried younger protagonists but it never feels right. - there’s a lot of writing in this book (443 pages), but it felt like it could have been 200 pages. The book feeels a bit unfocused and it takes quite a while for the story to evolve. - Usually I learn quite a bit from Ali’s books (food security, environmental science), but I don’t think I learned anything here, which is unfortunately not as exciting I’ve mentioned reasons why I didn’t like this book, but the characters are inherently likable. It’s just that when you’ve done real life for so long, you know what absolutely does not work and there’s just too many elements of it here.

Acho que já se tornou o meu preferido da Ali! Perfeito! História envolvente, mais um personagem masculino que só ela sabe escrever e amei a dinâmica dos dois pps serem atletas.

I like everything that Ali writes, she is nowadays my favorite author!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Avevo il presentimento che questa autrice sarebbe diventata una delle mie preferite dopo aver letto un suo semplice libro: the love hypothesis. Non a caso dopo quel primo è semplice libro tutto il resto delle sue uscite sono state preordinate. E ogni volta non sono rimasta affatto delusa. Ha un modo di catturarmi nelle sue storie, le sue personaggi come altre poche autrici. ciò che adoro di lei è la complessità dei suoi personaggi, sia quelli maschili che quelli femminili e soprattutto quelli femminili e come se fossero da un lato socialmente incapaci e la loro difficoltà nel portarsi con le emozioni è un qualcosa che mi piace tantissimo. Di solito siamo abituati a vedere personaggi femminili che vivono appieno le proprie mozioni, consapevoli di esse mai spaventate oppure personaggi femminili forti che li rinnegano che sono tonno.In questi personaggi di questa autrice invece ci troviamo dei personaggi femminili forti, intelligenti, dediti allo studio al loro lavoro, autonomi eppure in difficoltà con tutto ciò che sono le relazioni e le emozioni. E come se concentrandosi sulla vita scientifica ciò non sia una loro priorità, rendendolo addirittura difficoltoso. Ed è una cosa che mi piace tantissimo. Come adoro quanto siano rispettosi e profondi personaggi maschili.non scrive libri estremamente sdolcinati, di personaggi maschili che sono dei libri aperti. Sono personaggi introversi, con dei muri attorno a loro eppure sempre così rispettosi, sempre così disposti a fare tutto per le loro donne. Così pratici. In questa storia si vuole spingere in qualcosa di diverso. Rimane coerente con se stessa, perché i suoi personaggi restano personaggio appartenenti al mondo stemma ma fa un passo verso quello che potremmo considerare l’erotic Romance. Chi ha letto i libri di questa autrice sa che hanno qualche scena Spicy ma non sono mai davvero tante. Non è né nelle priorità dell’autrice inserire queste scene nelle sue storie, e a noi va più che bene così.in questo libro invece paradossalmente ciò su cui si concentra la storia è proprio quello. Questo aspetto rispecchia anche il carattere e il modo di fare dei personaggi.nonè un semplice rapporto dominatore sottomessa, in quanto l’autrice vuole andare oltre. Esplorare il perché, soprattutto la protagonista, dall’essere una persona estremamente controllante, razionale, Che vuole sempre seguire un suo ordine in maniera metodica decida invece in quella sfera di voler cedere tutto quanto. La protagonista avverte il bisogno di essere accettata, di essere elogiata. Di sentirsi apprezzata, di sapere che sta facendo qualcosa di buono. Di soddisfare l’altra persona.questo affonda radici nel suo passato.anche protagonista Maschile ha una sua piena tridimensionalità.ci viene presentato come ex di una sua compagna di squadra e apparentemente appare freddo, distaccato in tutti gli ambiti. Anche in quello. Sembra quasi non riuscire a provare reali emozioni. Tuttavia scopriremo anche nel suo passato, cosa l’ha reso tale. E allo stesso tempo scopriremo come non è Realmente così come appare ma. Ma semplicemente la sua relazione precedente non era basata su quel tipo di affinità e non c’erano reali emozioni per farli suscitare. Con sempre maggiore convinzione consiglio questa autrice.

I absolutely loved this book. Ali Hazelwood has outdone herself with Deep End, delivering her sexiest and most intoxicating romance yet. From the very first page, I was hooked—not just by the steam (which, whew), but by the emotional depth, the humor, and the way she builds characters who feel so real. THIS BOOK! I knew I’d love it simply because Ali wrote it, but honestly, Scarlett and Lukas were even better than I could have imagined. The entire premise? Kinky little athletes who are also big fat science nerds, thrown together by accident when a mutual friend drunkenly suggests it? Please. I don’t know how I could possibly sell it any better than that. This book had surprising depth, great character development, and a perfectly balanced mix of sport, romance, and plot. I got just enough of each element without feeling like any of them overpowered the others. The characters were layered and interesting, and the nods to Ali’s past books? Chef’s kiss. Please, everybody, go read it. Ali absolutely wrote her tail off with this one, and it’s easily one of her best (and that’s coming from someone who loves so many of her books). You won’t be disappointed by Scarlett and Lukas. And if you are, that’s fine… just means more Lukas for me. The way Ali handled kink in this book? Flawless. The open communication, the consent, the emotional connection—it was everything I could ask for. Each scene was written so well and actually added layers to the characters rather than just being there for spice. Could I have used even more of these scenes? Absolutely. But I am a slut for the smut, so that’s just me. Honestly, this book should have stayed named Whet, because my post-read thoughts? Clean up on aisle me. This one was a moist maker. Grab a bucket & a mop. Set up the wet floor sign!!! Lukas might just be my favorite Ali Hazelwood hero yet. He’s tall, Scandinavian, unapologetically obsessed with Scarlett, and—importantly—he actually likes her, not just loves her. (You’d be surprised how rare that is in romance novels.) He is devoted, a little wicked, and utterly gone for her in a way that made me melt. Scarlett, on the other hand, is everything I love in a Hazelwood FMC—smart, driven, flawed, and fully human. She’s battling demons from her past that shape her fears in the present, and watching Lukas break through her walls while she did the same for him? Perfection. The way they truly saw each other made their love story all the more powerful. And can we talk about how good Ali is at writing banter? Her humor aligns so well with mine that I was audibly cackling through this book. Now, while I loved Lukas and Scarlett, the Other Woman drama? Nope. ✖️ Lukas had just broken up with Scarlett’s best friend after seven years, and they kept waiting to tell people. And don’t get me started on Pen’s constant interference—why was Lukas still her emotional support? Why was Scarlett encouraging it?? Boundaries simply did not exist in this universe, and it drove me crazy. Pen was literally dating someone else but still clinging to Lukas like a security blanket, and honestly? No wonder her new boyfriend broke up with her. One of my favorite things about Deep End was how seamlessly Ali brought in characters from her other books. The cameos? 1000/10. Seeing Olive & Adam again? My babies. Absolute cutie pie pookiebears. 🩷 It made me want to reread The Love Hypothesis immediately. Ali’s writing has only gotten stronger with every book. She does her research—whether it’s academia, STEM, or, in this case, elite athletes—and it shows. Lukas, a swimmer, and Scarlett, a diver, exist in a world of precision, discipline, and control, yet their relationship is anything but conventional. And that’s exactly what made it so intoxicating. For being her longest book yet at 450 pages, I absolutely flew through it in a single sitting. Ali Hazelwood somehow made me love a romance that revolved around a messy, deeply conflicting “other woman” situation—a feat I never thought possible. But at the heart of this book is a love story that is intense, passionate, and all-consuming. Lukas doesn’t just desire Scarlett—she is his gravity. And I was obsessed with them. Also, the audio is phenomenal. Truly a masterpiece. I already see myself rereading (and relistening) to this book later this year—I loved it that much. Ali, you did it again. 💖

PS: Learning about diving was so cool ! There is only Ali Effing Hazelwood that can make me read BD$M and like it ! Thank you ma'am ! If you are not familiar with the absolute SAFE PLACE that are Ali's main male characters and her deeply relatable female main characters, what are you doing ? Goooo ;)