Ali Hazelwood jumps into a new (for her) genre sports romance with a side of STEM in her newest release, DEEP END. Elite platform diver Scarlett Vandermeer should be on top of the world as a pre-med junior at Stanford University and physically recovered from a significant injury. In reality, she’s struggling with her non-science courses and can’t push through the mental block to perform the dive that resulted in her shoulder surgery.
When her team captain drunkenly suggests that her long-time ex-boyfriend and Scarlett should sleep together to explore their similar sexual proclivities, Scarlett is suddenly put in the sights of intense Swedish world champion swimmer, Lukas Blomqvist. As Lukas and Scarlett explore their steamy physical relationship, they have to deal with longstanding insecurities and expectations along with the stress of competing for positions on the Olympic teams. To further complicate matters, they are both working closely on a research project for a professor and applying for medical school.
This author excels at writing highly intelligent, introverted characters with strong endearing nerd tendencies. DEEP END is that and more with an exploration of friendship dynamics and filthy bedroom scenes containing a touch of power shifting (sexual submission/dominance) all set in the world of competitive water sports. For those who enjoyed The Love Hypothesis, Adam and Olive are prominently featured as academic mentors. Loved this book from beginning to end!
A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the 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...