This review contains spoilers for “Deep End.”
“Deep End” by Ali Hazelwood is an adult sports romance. It follows competitive diver Scarlett Vandermeer, who specializes in platform diving. However, she is struggling with some of her studies and also trying to overcome a mental block stemming from experiencing what was almost a career-ending injury.
Scarlette then enters an arrangement with Lukas Blomqvist, a competitive swimmer on her college’s team, because it turns out they have more in common than they thought. The arrangement wasn’t supposed to last, but things don’t always go as planned.
This book has resulted in a lot of mixed emotions online. However, the reviews are more positive than negative.
Overall, this book was amazing and incredibly well written. For example, Penelope, who is Scarlett’s friend and Lukas’ ex-girlfriend, is a very complex character. She goes from pushing Lukas and Scarlett together to trying to get back together with Lukas.
She is honestly both a very hate-able and loveable character, but that is part of what makes her so well-written.
The dynamic between Scarlett and Lukas is also magnificent. Lukas being in tune with Scarlett from the beginning is absolutely adorable. For example, when they are discussing a project in the cafeteria and Lukas’ friends show up. Lukas almost immediately notices Scarlett is uncomfortable and finds a way to send his friends away.
It was adorable how Scarlett barely knew Lukas existed until the events of the story, but Lukas was always aware of her. However, Lukas isn’t the only one Scarlett didn’t notice, which makes how oblivious she is hilarious.
Additionally, Lukas is an incredibly respectful and amazing character. He constantly reminds Scarlett that she is truly the one in charge of the relationship, and that he would never purposely do something that would make her uncomfortable.
In fact, when Lukas asked Scarlett if he could tell her that he loved her, it was one example of him putting Scarlett first. This is because despite Lukas dying to tell her, he knew that Scarlett may not be ready to hear it. Therefore, Lukas asking Scarlett if he could say I love you was simply so sweet and kind.
Lukas also loves how smart Scarlett is. He never once gets jealous or irritated with her when her ideas for their project are better than his own. Instead, he compliments her and is constantly in awe of how smart she is, which isn’t something you normally see in male characters.
This book was simply so refreshing because of the characters. It was also nice to read a sports romance that didn’t focus on football or hockey, which is what most sports romances focus on.
Altogether, this book is a masterpiece that feels like breath of fresh air compared to books in the genre.
