After Not in Love, I thought I was prepared for high-heat Ali Hazelwood. Boy howdy was I not: Deep End takes things to a whole other level with a very kink-forward (and kink-positive) college love story.
Scarlett is a competitive diver suffering from “the yips” after a season-ending injury; try as she might, she can’t get past the psychological block and successfully complete the category of dive that nearly ended her career. Lukas is a Swedish swimming phenomenon and Olympic medalist, and also the boyfriend of Scarlett’s team captain, Penelope.
Until he’s not. And it comes to light that he and Penelope broke up because his sexual interests are far more adventurous than Penelope’s, mirroring how Scarlett’s last serious relationship ended. Scarlett and Lukas embark on a fling — a fling that involves a questionnaire, carefully negotiated consent, and the balancing of challenging student athlete schedules — that gradually develops into much more.
I liked this book for its characters, and for its clear-eyed, non-judgmental approach to variations in sexual desire. There’s nothing really especially kinky going on — Scarlett has a submissive streak, Lukas is interested in dominance, and they explore power dynamics but nothing weird beyond that — but the way the characters come to life in the negotiation makes the book special. Indeed, Scarlett and Lukas seem to be the healthiest characters when it comes to sex, with their desires clearly stated from the start.
This was one of my beach reads on an otherwise unpleasant vacation (if you’re ever in need of a recommendation for a cheap Scarborough, Maine, motel, hit me up …); I also burned through Hazelwood’s “Not in Love” sequel, Problematic Summer Romance, which I also enjoyed (and which has a very brief Scarlett and Lukas cameo), but while I enjoyed that one quite a bit, too, it felt a bit slight and didn’t quite measure up to the five star standards (though still a solid four and keeping me a Hazelwood fan).
