Pub Date	February 4, 2025
Publisher	Berkley
Page Count	464 pages
Genre	Romance, Contemporary, Adult
Goodreads Star Rating	4.27
My star rating	3.5

What’s Deep End About?

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood is a college sports romance that follows Scarlett and Lukas who get into a power exchange sexual relationship. However, no one knows that Lukas and his girlfriend Pen broke up, and Scarlett has her own issues. This book is about them exploring kink, getting together and figuring out their feelings for each other. 

Deep End Book Review

Some books come to you at just the right time. This happened to me with Bride, which I loved despite never previously liking any of Ali Hazelwood’s work. And I was hoping that the same would happen with Deep End. 

And it did… kind of. 

But there were many things about it that bothered me, and I just couldn’t overlook them. Perhaps it’s because the book is too long. It clocks in at almost 500 pages, which is entirely too much for any love story. It gives you more room for error, for boredom. 

And then there’s the fact that there is no overarching plot other than the romance. It’s more of a slice-of-life with spice. Things happen, tension rises, but then it gets resolved very quickly and easily. Which makes for a pretty chill read, but one that definitely didn’t need this many pages. 

So, to begin with, I didn’t like the setup. Sleeping with your friend’s ex-boyfriend, no matter how that friend feels, is really icky and just… breaks all sorts of unspoken rules in my book. And it served no purpose other than to cause occasional, very mild, drama. 

If we really needed the “friend’s ex” thing in there, then Lukas and Pen should have broken up way earlier (before the book begins) or they shouldn’t have been together for that long (7 years!). Both of those elements together — the length of their relationship and the recency of their breakup — make Scarlett feel more like a rebound, and the romance less believable. 

The whole concept should have been nixed in development, if you ask me. There are so many fun things that could have been done instead. 

For example, Lukas and Scarlett could have been acquaintances (because of their sports) without ever really interacting much. Of course, Lukas is secretly obsessed with Scarlett but stays away for ~reasons~. And then one day he discovers her BDSM list by accident, which gives him confidence to pursue her. There — a plot! 

And it’s not just the fact that dating your friend’s ex is not the best idea — it’s that it doesn’t work in a romance book or for this hero at all. 

Hear me out: Lukas is a great leading man. But the fact that he was with Pen and thought so much about Scarlett at the same time is just… awful — like, sir, you are aware that’s emotional cheating, right? 

And then there’s the fact that he spends so much time on Pen throughout this novel. Which is understandable and decent of him in theory, perhaps even in real life — but not in a romance (capital R) novel. 

Romance is mostly about wish fulfillment. Yes, in real life, we know that our partners have previous experiences and relationships, and it doesn’t bother us. But in a romance novel, we need to be able to forget about that. The hero’s focus should be fully on the heroine for the fantasy to work. 

Lukas spending so much time on Pen and indulging her whims doesn’t really work in this novel’s favor. The fact that he had a relationship before is fine, but if it’s shoved in readers’ faces and often prioritized over the romance we came to see unfold, it just ruins the experience. 

Or I don’t know — it just did for me. 

But, moving on.

I appreciate a good side plot and characters having lives outside of their relationship as much as the next person, but there is a limit to that. If I pick up a romance book, I expect to have the hero and heroine interacting frequently. 

Unfortunately, that was not always the case here. 

We spend so much time on diving and studying and therapy that chapters will pass and Scarlett will only remember Lukas in passing. And look, I appreciate all the effort that went into crafting all these extra sections, but it needn’t have been expended. I wanted more of Lukas and Scarlett together, and way (WAY) less diving. 

Lukas and Scarlett also needed to spend more time together outside of their kink exploration. While sexual compatibility is an important part of any relationship, it’s not the only one. They needed more conversations, more interactions that had nothing to do with sex. And we needed to see it on page. 

Because by the end, I still wasn’t sure when or why they fell in love. What makes them work together? Why will they last? 

And while we’re on the subject of sex — the BDSM in this novel is very mild. In fact, other than Scarlett being submissive, it reads pretty much the same as any spice in any recently published novel. Which is great for people who are just dipping their toes into kink, but perhaps not enough if you’ve read a fanfiction or two.

At the beginning of the book, they both fill out long lists of kinks they’re interested in exploring and you’d expect you’d see some of that, but it never happens. Which is fine because you have to remember that they’re only 21, but it’s also slightly disappointing and feels like a cop out. 

It’s also a bit… well, unrealistic. Scarlett is able to orgasm from just a touch or two, with very little effort on the hero’s part. And Lukas is apparently so large that you’ll start reading about him entering her on one page, and he still won’t be fully in two pages later. 

Despite all of that, you shouldn’t expect anything spicier than what you’ve already read in Not in Love or Bride (don’t let the beginning scare you). 

But aside from all of that — is there anything left? — Deep End is a fun read. As I mentioned, it lacks the overarching “bad guy” plot that Ali’s novels usually have, which makes it more fun than stressful. Again, it should have been shorter with how little actually happens, but whatever. 

I liked the relationship development between Lukas and Scarlett (even though there should have been more), and the direct way Lukas solved problems with no room for misunderstanding. He was clear from the beginning on what he wanted and how he felt about her. 

Deep End is also very well-written, with the typical Ali humor, but perhaps less quirkiness (great in my book). Also, is it just me or did anyone else expect more romantic pool scenes? 

All that said, I think this is definitely worth reading if you like romance. It’s different from Ali Hazelwood’s typical fare, but it works really well in her favor. Just be mindful of the spice levels — there’s been a bit of drama on social media about it — and of course, have fun reading!