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Deep End

From the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

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Deep End

By: Ali Hazelwood
Narrated by: Ben Holtzmuller, Therese Plummer
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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.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A junior at Stanford and a student athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships - at least, that's what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It's how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...

Readers are loving diving right into the Deep End:

'Deep End is a college sports romance for the books...the tension and pining were truly addicting; add in the undeniable chemistry and I was hooked from beginning to end. Ali Hazelwood has a way with words and this steamy romance was no exception' Real Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I absolutely loved this book. Ali Hazelwood has outdone herself, delivering her sexiest and most intoxicating romance yet. From the very first page, I was hooked - not just by the steam (which, whew), but by the emotional depth, the humor, and the way she builds characters who feel so real. Ali, you did it again' Real Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'New favorite Ali book unlocked!!!!!! I am gagged because Ali blew me away with this book! The emotional depth, the angst, and the pining...I could not stop reading and stayed up way past my bed time devouring this book. Lukas and Scarlett consumed me body and soul' Real Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Ali Hazelwood never misses, and Deep End is no exception. I was hooked from the very first page, the chemistry between the characters is electric, and the banter is just perfect. Hazelwood does such a great job of blending smart, complex female leads with heartfelt romance and just the right amount of spice. The pacing was great, and I genuinely didn't want it to end' Real Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Ali Hazelwood, you really never cease to write magic...Scarlett officially has a grip on my heart... And Lukas?? Our communicative, patient king... Now let's get to the spice. TOP. TIER...I'd happily consider this Ali's spiciest book. And the cameos!!!!!!' Real Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


*Ali Hazelwood's Deep End was a Sunday Times bestseller w/e 23 February 2025©2025 Ali Hazelwood Editors Select Genre Fiction Romantic Comedy Small Town & Rural Sports Women's Fiction Women's Voices Swimming Heartfelt Funny
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So, I struggled to out this one down which is always a good sign.
I had one main problem though and thats, I don't understand why or how everyone went along with pretending Lucas and Pen were still together, at all let alone for like 8 MONTHS! I couldn't understand why it was necessary, why they went along with it, and how on earth they kept that a secret. It was the biggest red flag and obviously going to backfire at some point.
Other than that I really enjoyed. Would recommend.

Would recommend

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I love each of her books more than the last! I put off getting this one because I’m not at all into sport-related-anything, but somehow that did NOT matter, in an Ali Hazelwood book. I’d say she keeps giving us bangers, if that pun weren’t so on-the-nose!

The character development is so natural that the setting faded into the background, for me. Even the side characters felt very vivid and real.

I feel like the spice level keeps creeping up, book after book, and I LOVE that. The kink feels organic and true to life, and I really hope she keeps writing kinky characters!

The dual voice acting performances are great. It was lovely to hear the same main narrator as in “Bride”, and the male narrator’s Swedish accent was subtly sexy (although I have no idea how good/accurate it may or may not be!). Both were emotive without being over-the top, which can sometimes be a tricky balance.

If this is your first Ali Hazelwood book, you’re in for a treat, and if you’ve liked her work before, you’ll probably love this one too! Highly recommend (even if you, like me, HATE swimming pools lol).

Ali Hazelwood, you did it again!

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Dear Ali, how dare you give me the worst book hungover ever!

Let's be honest, I would read anything Ali writes and this book was no exception. When I first saw her post on Instagram about the premise and how you wanted the book to be called Whet, I was hooked for reasons I still can't fully explain. Then, when I saw her in Liverpool for her tour with Julie Soto, she kept talking about this book, how it would be a sports romance and STEM, and that she really wanted the title to be Whet (this was over six months ago). As the release date was getting closer, I thought I might not start it immediately because I was still recovering from an Onyx Storm book hangover, but the first moment I started, I couldn't stop.

I was hesitant at first because, although I loved her previous book, I couldn't feel the connection with the characters, it felt like just another spicy book. But this one took that spice and gave me two broken characters, a real connection, and a lot of extra heat. I daresay this is her spiciest book for me, and I loved it.

We explore people-pleasing, PTSD, and that taboo of sexuality and BDSM, which I loved was explored in a consensual way, because what's hotter that? I think this felt too vanilla for some, but let's not forget that this is the first time for both characters to explore these intense dynamics. That raw, unpolished discovery really adds to the overall plot of the story. I had a crappy day on Monday, and this book was the therapy I needed, especially since it also delves into going through therapy and opening up to others to allow them to help.

I keep hearing people say they don't relate to Scarlett, but I see so much of myself in her. I’ve never been a full athlete, but I experienced a severe burnout from stress that left me with deep insecurities and trauma. I've been working with a therapist to overcome my perfectionism and people-pleasing tendencies, and I could truly see myself in Scarlett after she had her accident. What really resonated with me was how she found a partner with whom she could let go completely, especially sexually, this gave her the power and security she needed to rebuild herself. It’s that raw vulnerability and strength that made her journey feel so personal and real to me. But, like with every story, this is not for everyone.

I also loved, and snorted at (view spoiler) Plus, the fact that the audio is a duet really added an extra layer of enjoyment to the experience. Also, the epilogue is chef's kiss ❤️

chef's kiss

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Ali Hazelwood always delivers a good time. Her books are my guilty pleasure (I’ve only missed one), and while they’re not the most well-written, they’re fun. Her MMCs? Always the same—tall, broad, broody, and packing massive dicks—but honestly, you know exactly what you’re signing up for. What I do love is that she writes strong FMCs in STEM, and this one brings the bonus of a sports romance. We also have a touch of past trauma for both MCs, nothing that happens on paper (it’s all in the past, there are triggers in this book but they all take place before the story, just mentioned no on-page scenes) but we see them work though it, with our FMC being no in therapy throughout the duration of the book. Scarlett and Lukas are both in the aquatics world—Scarlett is a diver, Lukas a swimmer—and, of course, both are science nerds with plans for med school. Classic Ali Hazelwood STEM-coded characters. They’ve been in the same social circles for years, but now they’re also paired for an extra project, led by none other than Dr. Olive Smith! (Yes, that Olive Smith from The Love Hypothesis.) We also get cameos from Adam Carlson as one of Scarlett’s professors, which was chef’s kiss—pure nostalgia and a reminder of where my borderline obsession with Hazelwood’s books began. The story follows Scarlett “Vandy” Vandermeer, a junior at Stanford and student-athlete specialising in platform diving. She’s focused on recovering from an injury, getting into med school, and not on relationships. Lukas Blomqvist, on the other hand, is the golden boy of swimming—Stanford’s team captain, a world champion, and the definition of discipline. On the surface, they have nothing in common. But when a well-guarded (kinky) secret slips out, everything changes. What starts as a mutually satisfying, no-strings arrangement quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Now, Lukas from day one, it’s obvious he cares for Scarlett. He falls first, fast, and hard. And the contrast between how he treats her vs. how he treated his ex, Penelope, says everything. Pen, a teammate of Scarlett’s, was technically still with Lukas at the start, though the breakup happens within the first 100 pages. But even after moving on, she still keeps dragging Lukas into everything—while pretending to be Scarlett’s friend. So, when the third-act conflict started brewing, I knew Pen would be involved. Her true colors showed when Scarlett beat her for gold in a competition, and she tried turning their diving team against her. Thankfully, Lukas was not about to let that happen. His love declaration? Epic. And he gives Scarlett space to process when she needs to, no matter how much he wants to go to her. And let’s talk about the nicknames—Pen always said Lukas was cold, never affectionate. Meanwhile, he’s calling Scarlett “baby” and “sweetheart” from day one, staying over at her place, taking care of her, and making it very clear that she’s different. What started as a kinky arrangement became something so much more, and you could physically see Lukas falling. Not to mention, this man’s dirty talk had me blushing. He always knows the right thing to say, knows Scarlett so intimately that she can’t lie to him and he’s so honest to her. He wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to her, he may not have a single POV in this 400+ paged novel (until the epilogue) but you can tell how he feels so openly in the pages. I immersive read this with the audiobook and lemme say the duet narration didn’t go unnoticed, the male narrator did a great job at the multiple accents throughout the book, not only the Swedish one for Lukas but Australian, English and American for the other characters/ members of the swim team. The female narrator was equally as impressive and they combined did an amazing job at bringing these characters to life. The ending was good, it concluded everything perfectly. Pen ultimately apologised to Scarlett and it seemed like with time they made up. Scarlett went to Sweden to see Lukas and he reiterates that she’s it for him. They’re soulmates in every sense of the word and just go together and the epilogue in Lukas’ third person POV was a beautiful added touch of seeing how life is like for the (now engaged) couple when they both are working as doctors in the same hospital and perfectly showcased the chaos of life. Loving the little things and life after their sports, competitions and university.

Chemistry, Diving, and Love

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Ali did it again. We needed this femininomenon. Best yet (until I read misery and lose for the 324th time...)

GET WHET

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