In a world where perfection, rules, and routine are vital Scareltt and Luke will discover they are connected to each other.
What would you do if you found yourself drawn to theone person you think you should avoid but can't seem to stay away from?
There are so many layers from start to finish as Scarlett Vandermeer and Luke Blomqvist navigate friendships, betrayal, trauma, and acceptance,

One decision will change everything. As long as they can follow a few rules they might discover that their feelings and desires are more alike than they realize.

A scorchin' hot college sports romance that delves into the psychological impact of competition, expectations and friendships. Sometimes we stay on the safe path because there is too much fear in the unknown. When we are willing to take a chance and push beyond the comfort zone there is a chance that there is something greater .

I really enjoyed this one from Hazelwood - if there is one thing I can say about her writing is that it is consistent. While the bones of the story doesn't feel new and different, I know I'll get a consistently engaging read that gives that happy ending.

The premise of this one was a little concerning especially when you come to find out that the MMC's ex basically becomes the MFC's best friend over the course of the book, but it's handled in a way that is believable... I suppose.

thank you for the early copy!

Deep End is Hazelwood's swimmer/diver romance! The leads are elite college athletes and when they find out a secret about each other they decide to become teammates with benefits. While this isn’t my favorite trope, the story has tons of banter and humor that I love.

Scarlett is a platform diver and a junior at Stanford and she is recovering from a difficult injury she got in a big competition a year ago. (She's had three surgeries!) She is a brilliant student, getting ready to take the MCATs in preparation for med school. She was raised by her stepmom, a doctor she admires, after they left Scarlett’s abusive father.

Lukas is from Sweden and is in his senior year at Stanford applying to med schools while preparing for big swim competitions including the Olympics. He has been dating Scarlett's friend and fellow diver, Penn, for many years but Penn tells Scarlett she wants to date other guys and suggests Scarlett and Lukas see each other secretly. It's weird how they get together and I didn't really buy it but I liked them once they were in a relationship.

There’s a lot of emotional depth as Scarlett is struggling with a case of the twisties on her inward dive, which is the dive she was doing when she had the accident a year ago. She has started seeing a therapist to help her while she prepares for big diving tournaments coming up in the spring.

Scarlett and Lukas don’t get to see each other a lot with their intense practice schedules, classes, applying to med school and competitions but they make the best of it when they do and it gets pretty spicy – I would describe it as BDSM light. It's really special when they both qualify for the World Championships in Amsterdam and get to go there together. They open up to each other about their past traumas, (Scarlett about her father’s abuse and Lukas about his mother’s death) and realize how important they’ve become to each other.

The secret dating plot wasn’t my favorite and there’s some third act drama but there’s a grand gesture that is sweet and rewarding. Scarlett and Lukas are loveable characters and I found myself rooting for them in both their competitions and their romance. Also, Scarlett’s conversations with her roommate, Maryam, are really snarky and kept me laughing.

Hazelwood can be counted on to write sexy, compelling romances and she’s done it again in Deep End. While it didn’t quite reach DIK status, if you’re ready for a dive into a spicy romance with swimmers and divers and lots of snark, this will leave you smiling.

Scarlett Vandermeer, a Stanford junior and platform diver, is focused on med school and recovering from a career-threatening injury, with no time for relationships. But when she enters a casual arrangement with swim captain Lukas Blomqvist, their connection deepens, forcing her to confront feelings she never expected.

I'm starting to realize that new adult and college romances aren't for me. I'm typically not a fan of the friends-with-benefits trope, but I decided to give this a try. Unfortunately, it included another trope I dislike: the love triangle. One part I did enjoy was the cameo appearances from Olive and Adam which added some fun moments. However, I found Scarlett incredibly annoying and pretentious, with her overanalyzing monologues and constant "woe-is-me" mentality. The entire book is told from her perspective, which made it even harder to connect. I also found Pen and Lukas's relationship odd especially how Pen pushed Lukas and Scarlett together after their breakup. The first third of the book is very slow, and it feels like not much happens. The pacing is off, and the chapters don't flow as smoothly as in previous books. Overall, I might be in the minority here, but this one wasn't for me though others may enjoy it.

another Ali Hazelwood banger! this book so angsty and sexy! I loved the way the two MC's found friendship and love and how obsessed he was with her and she didnt even know it,

Scarlett is a competitive diver at Stanford. Lukas is an Olympic level swimmer. They didn't have reason to associate before a secret about their sex lives is dropped. They're both a little kinkier than the normal person.
They start a sex only relationship. No strings, no feelings.
But as the season moves into preparation for Olympics, they start to realize that their relationship has blossomed into something much more than just sex. Their hearts just might be on the line.

I don't think I will ever not give an Ali Hazelwood book 5 stars. I'm never a huge fan of sports romances. I don't hate them, but I don't usually reach for them. But I always reach for Ali Hazelwood.

Scarlett. She's recovering from a serious diving accident which has caused a mental block, preventing her from performing one of her dives. I liked her! I didn't love her and I didn't feel a major emotional attachment to her, but I enjoyed reading her story.

Lukas. Tall, moody, quiet. Exactly the same as all of Ali Hazelwood's other male leads. But I never mind. It's exactly the type that I love so I'm not upset about it.

I liked the fact that they were both so open about what they wanted in their sexual relationship. There was no dancing around the subject and they were adults about it. There was communication. We love communication here.

The 80% of the way drama broke my heart. Which is exactly what I want with my drama break up. I want the angst. I loved how they got back together as well. God I just loved all of it. I read it in a single sitting. Stayed up until 4am to finish it.

All Ali Hazelwood will be 5 stars from me.

Not at all what I was expecting!

This book was a very slow start for me. Initially it felt like an exploration of kink and characters that I didn’t immediately take to. I pushed on and it became so much more. What was supposed to be a friends with benefits relationship becomes more as we start to really understand the characters and how they act. When we really learn what drives them, perceptions start to shift. I think this was very intentional on Ali’s part. By the end I really loved the dynamic between the characters and the arc of the story. There was so much growth and understanding and it really resonated.

I might be speechless????? Like the content warnings prepared me going in but I was still pleasantly shocked by what I was reading. Ali ATE with this book. It was kinky and delivered everything that I love when reading a college sports romance. I’m sorry to all the book boyfriends Ali has written in the past but they have NOTHING on Lukas, the broody, mysterious, and filthy loml 🫶🏻🥵🔥 AND SCARLET is perfection in all it’s forms. I loved how this book explores BDSM and just like how Bride introduced a lot of readers to knotting, I feel like this is going to have a similar effect

First and foremost, this was the PERFECT post Olympics read and I’m SO. GLAD. I got this surprise in my life this week because it was exactly what I needed 😭 I stayed up until 3am to finish this book last night because there was no way I could fall asleep peacefully without knowing how the story played out.

One thing I’ve loved about Ali Hazelwood’s most recent releases is her ability to take on a completely new concept from the last and just absolutely dominate it. It’s clear that she’s having fun exploring with her writing and that really shows in Deep End. With this one, Ali took the concept of a sports romance and said “let me teach you a thing or two about SPORTS” and I LOVE this. A romance between two big brained college athletes who excel in their respective sports at the highest level was the PERFECT way for her to dive into this particular subgenre. Deep End is classic Ali with the hottest twist 🔥

I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t go into the details, but this book was AMAZING. Scarlett and Lukas had palpable chemistry from the very beginning, and the way that was explored in this book had me so freaking hooked the entire time. I don’t think I’ve seen a book quite like this one and it was incredibly refreshing to experience. Clear your mind of everything you think you know about this one because I PROMISE you it’ll be the ride of a lifetime 🤭🌊