Okay, so the number of times I’ve referred to this
book as Deep Dive is alarming and so irritating. Why can’t my brain just
remember the damn name? Anyways, let’s get into what I thought about Scarlett
Vandermeer and Lukas Blomqvist.
So, I wasn’t aware this was like a BDSM kink kind
of situationship, and then I sighed outwardly because I was like, not Fifty
Shades of Grey again. And then I sighed inwardly when I found it was
surprisingly… normal. Well, as normal as BDSM can be.
After The Love Hypothesis, I obviously had
very high hopes. Did it reach them? Yes, it did, because my expectations were
Ali Hazelwood-coded. I knew it wasn’t going to be a ground-breaking read, and
just in case you missed it, I now have suitable standards. Guess what, my
peeps? Having one hundred plot twists and over-the-top characters doesn’t equal
a great book. Would you look at that? I evolved. I changed. I’ve matured.
We have a diver (Scarlett) and a swimmer (Lukas)
who aren’t anything, to be fair. Scarlett is on a diving team and suffered a
terrible injury the year prior, so she’s currently trying to get out of that
mental block. By mental block, I mean she can do every dive, but as soon
as she’s instructed to do an inward dive, she does everything but that.
Meanwhile, she befriends Penelope, who’s the
girlfriend of so-many-Olympic-medals Lukas. Swedish, may I add. They’ve known
each other for a very long time and have dated for years—until the one
problem. The book starts with the problem: Pen is having issues with Lukas’s
desires during intercourse, and so Scarlett seeks her out alone to help her
sort through her issues. During a gathering at their coach Sima’s house,
Penelope drunkenly suggests that the two of them get together, since Lukas also
has the hots for her, and so something begins.
Let me start off by saying, this book definitely
kept you on your toes. A couple of things really stood out to me. I was so
interested in Scarlett’s backstory and found it so heart-warming that her
stepmother, Barb, won her custody after they fled Scarlett’s abusive father.
It’s not often you see that bond. I really admired the way Scarlett bonded with
the rest of the girls on the team and stayed loyal to a fault—even if it meant
giving up her happiness. But you better know I was screaming at her when she
was putting Penelope and Lukas’s history before the one she has with him, which
meant so much more.
If you know, you know. And if you don’t, read it so
you know—and then we can all know and fume together. The audacity of some
people.
I wasn’t too bothered about knowing much about
Lukas’s family; however, I was very interested in learning about Lukas as a
person, athlete, mastermind, and of course, Scarlett admirer. Knowing he wanted
to protect her, help her through her issues, and savour her was
comforting. She wasn’t used to having that, so him being there was like putting
balm on a wound.
I wish I had that.
Shoutout to Sam. That therapist was fantastic. I
need a therapist once I get a job in this economy. The short intervals of their
meetings between the more intense scenes were refreshing. Ali knows how to pace
a reader and keep them interested in all facets. I did skip over a bit when
Lukas and his brother (Jan) went hiking with Scarlett; however, I ate up
finding out about Lukas’s habits like ice cream on a hot summer’s day. The fact
that he observes restraint from the things he desires just to prove a point to
himself? Lame in a very cool way. Though when Scarlett pointed it out to
him, there was nothing lame about that. So very iconic.
I always had a bad feeling about Penelope, and even
though she unnecessarily lashed out at her closest friend and then proceeded to
hop onto a plane to apologize, I still don’t like her. She’s not a character I
clicked with, and I didn’t appreciate her still wanting to be a big part of
Lukas’s life even after they broke up.
You call me petty; I call myself a girls’ girl.
I couldn’t not mention seeing Adam and
Olive. It was nostalgic. Little old me, picking up my first STEM romance and
falling in love with neurons, protons, croutons, and whatever other -ons
there are, though the list I just mentioned includes a food.
I so knew Scarlett was going to use her safe
word, stop, and it would lead to their little break. I just so
knew it. See? Predictable reads are fun. Not that this was predictable in any
way. Need I remind you that my jaw dropped during the first line of the first
chapter? No one was ready for the gagging. Literally.
In terms of what I disliked, nothing notable, to be
completely honest. I guess there were times I wished the plot sped up, although
that was more about me wishing I could read faster and not the writing itself.
I was very anticipated if you get my gist. I blushed a lot and kicked my
feet a lot, so if that counts as exercise then that’s negative. I don’t
exercise.
For the top 3 moments, it would have to be when
Lukas and Scarlett went to Avery out of hours and she finally, finally did a
backward dive; when Lukas and Scarlett had their first rendezvous in a lab of
all places; and when Scarlett stood up to Penelope and her ex, Josh. I’ll tell
you what I appreciate: the lack of these huge, over-the-top breakups and the
whole “I love you, baby” thing. It’s not realistic.
Case in point: the nicknames and epilogues are
always so mellow. Which is fine, but I much prefer Adam calling Olive “smart-ass”
than Scarlett getting called “troll” by Lukas. Actually, let me rewind.
See, this is how you know I’m writing this myself because it’s all over the
place and I keep having these intervals of realization. You know, nowadays
authors are trying a bit too hard to create the best nickname or term of
endearment, if you will. You have Ana Huang’s unbeatable list, and then you
have Rina Kent and her amazing list. However, you can tell when an author
writes one for the readers or for the trend. If I was called half of those
nicknames, I’d want the ground to swallow me up. A simple “sweetheart”
has me sinking. Pathetic, I know.
Also, I wish the epilogue was a bit more quenching
for Deep End, even though it’s refreshing compared to the whole get
married and then bang; they’ve popped out a kid.
So, final verdict: Deep End. I really like
it. A lovely 4 stars for this sensation.
Now, I did skip a few books after The Love
Hypothesis and jumped straight into Deep End because the blurb had
me hooked. It was such a lovely read, and I really like how Ali Hazelwood
doesn’t spend too much time on fluff. The pacing of the story was unbeatable.
I’ve seen the press on this book (more on Instagram
than TikTok) and I’ve made endless observations, but only one really stuck with
me. I would change my tactics and choose more niche accounts who value raw
reviews because right now, most of the ones that got ARCs are valued for pretty
posts. And while I love it when creators bring the characters to life, like,
love IT, I just wish people would review them. Just be... that word.
Starts with an h and ends in an onest.
I haven’t seen too much hype around Ali Hazelwood’s
book, ever, to be fair, and it’s an accurate representation of her as an
author. She’s intelligent, and her brand and writing both reflect this with
ease. So yeah, that’s the end of my review.
Will I re-read it? Check. Do I recommend it? Check.
Do I still love Adam Carlsen more? Checkity check, check, check.
I imagine what Lukas and Scarlett are up to this
very moment? Not tied up in the world, hopefully. The pun.
Moving swiftly on, I’m already 60% through Love
Theoretically. I have thoughts that I’m eager to share, but I can’t do that
until I finish the book.
Let me know your thoughts about Deep End.
Have you read it yet? Have I connived you into it? Do you like Ali Hazelwood?
Do you like me?
Until next time, book loves.
Mwah
Vivian
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