Deep End

LoveReading Says

Having read several of Hazelwood’s other STEM-based romcoms (the reviews of which can also be found on this website if you’re choosing between them) I was slightly amused at how even in a romcom where the setting and reason for the two main characters meeting is through their highly competitive athletics – Scarlett is a diver, and Lukas is an Olympic-level swimmer – they are also both biology geniuses doing the same impressive extra-curricular study at Stanford.

And they’re both perfectly into exactly the opposite / other side of the slash BDSM kink. Hazelwood does a great job (oop, could be a line of dialogue from a scene between Lukas and Scarlett) of inviting the general reader into their kink dynamic, and it feels accessible to the general spicy romcom reader – there aren’t any unusual or edge fetishes here, though they are winked at in their flirty dialogue.

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that the sex scenes are all variations on Lukas being dominant and sometimes rough, with praise, and Scarlett being the willing sub and recipient of this. My suspicion is that many readers will be skipping through the ‘Scarlett is stressed while studying’ scenes of this novel to just go to the sex scenes, and fair play!

But for those also interested in the relationships, I think it’s a nice choice to have the mutual friend Pen – who is Luk’s ex, and Scarlett’s new synchronised swimming partner – be nothing but positive and supportive of their sexual and romantic relationship from the get-go, as it would feel far more typical for this to be a source of conflict in the novel. 

Basically, if you’re interested in reading a supernaturally well-suited couple have some Ds sex, and not fussed about suspending your disbelief in the competitive academic and athletic environment, get on in – the water’s fine! 

Reviewed by Billy Lindon
Lily Lindon (Billy) is a writer, editor, and bookseller living in London.
More reviews by Billy Lindon

About Deep End

A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

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