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!