April 7, 2025 My new TBR stack. I (sort of) read White Fragility a while back when I was in college but it has been a while, let me tell you so I am rereading it from start to finish. I am also planning to read Deep End by Ali Hazelwood and The Orphanage By the Lake by Daniel G. Miller
A relaxing Wednesday evening!
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️ I want to preface by saying this: I‘m so damned tired of romance novels that are nearly 500 pages. Get. To. The. Freaking. Point. But, I digress. While I wasn‘t super keen on certain aspects, which are laid out in the author‘s note, I generally liked the setting and characters. It was a decent vacation read.
pickHazelwood does it again. Steamy and fun with compelling characters going through it. Not for the faint of heart, especially if power dynamics aren‘t your thing. Not really mine but the high level aquatics competition setting was a big hit for me.
pickThis was something! While there were still some classic Hazelwood elements (tall, dark male… tiny female… both smart) this went more into them being exceptional athletes with a side of kink exploration. The issues with the best friend/ex seemed to flow realistically and I liked the conclusion. The epilogue read a little weirdly, but that‘s fine. Did get my final March #wickedwords -Pen!
pickFrom one of my least favorites to one of my fave favorites. Lukas may be my top hero, and I liked that the conflict seemed more natural than some. Also the stuff between Scarlett and Pen worked out in a believable way. Scarlett‘s running away was a tad extreme, but sure. I was surprised I liked this as much, given the MCs were college-age, but this worked for me in a way that Check & Mate didn‘t.
pick5/5
This is my favorite Ali Hazelwood read yet. I loved Scarlet and her struggle with her collegiate diving career after a devastating injury, her growing friendship with diving captain Pen, and her new relationship with Pen's ex, Lukas. I also loved the cameos from Olive Smith and Adam Carlson from The Love Hypothesis
Spring Break in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We‘re fortunate to live just a few hours away.
Not sure about this book, y‘all 🫣
so-soThe Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood was the best and then it went downward with each new book...
February wrap up.
4 book club books
2 #readyourebooks #readyourtbr
3 new releases
Not to shabby, but not my best month either. I hit a bit of a slump lately but fingers crossed I get past it soon.
Favorite: Deep End
Least Favorite: Atlas Complex.
panThis thing was never going to be a pick, but that last slog really took it out of me. Get your shit together! And don't even get me started on the fucking MMC POV as epilogue and you switch to 3rd person!!!
The grim, -grim- feeling that a book should be wrapping up, but it still 150+ pages left...
Love seeing the books I‘m reading in foreign languages or with different covers when I travel.
so-soAli Hazelwood is either hit or miss with me and Deep End is no different. Competitive college aquatic sports athletes end up in a torrid romance. Unfortunately, the female MC is unlikable and the promise of kink exploration never happens. It's all talk but no delivery and it's your basic vanilla flavoring. Also, the revelation at the end just irritated the heck out of me. Just an okay spicy romance read!
pickThe premise made me a little wary even if I do love Hazelwood but I adored it. Two top college athletes find out they share certain proclivities in the bedroom when his ex who is also her teammate declares they should sleep together. Their relationship may start out purely physical but the more time they spend together the more things they realize they share. Reading this had me grinning until my cheeks hurt.
so-soLikely an unpopular opinion but I thought this one was just okay. Entertaining enough but I found myself skimming in places and never really got attached to the characters. Is it a good read for a flight or a lazy afternoon? Sure. Is it particularly memorable? Not so much. I typically like Hazelwood‘s stories but this one was just so-so for me.
pickMaybe my favorite Ali Hazelwood book yet--and possibly also the spiciest. A competitive diver recovering from an injury and an Olympic swimmer realize they're into the same kinks and decide to have some fun. But are either of them ready to admit their feelings extend far beyond the bedroom. Still lots of STEM, but I loved the competitive sports angle in this one as well. If you like Ali Hazelwood's other books you're gonna love this one.
Two very different #WeekendReads 😂 I just started a new translation of The Odyssey (the first by a woman, I believe) and snagged an advanced audiobook of Ali Hazelwood's new romance.
Well this will definitely be my entertainment on my flight home tonight! I'm flying out of Reagan (where the collision happened a few nights ago) so the flight anxiety is going to be terrible. An audiobook and some crocheting is likely all I'll be able to focus on. So excited that this was one of Libro.fm's February alcs.
Deep End | 
bailed
