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In at the Deep End
A fresh, funny, audacious debut novel about a Bridget Jones–like twenty-something who discovers that she may have simply been looking for love — and, ahem, pleasure — in all the wrong places (aka: from men)
Julia hasn’t had sex in three years. Her roommate has a boyfriend—and their sex noises are audible through the walls, maybe even throughout the neighborhood. Not to mention, she’s treading water in a dead-end job, her know-it-all therapist gives her advice she doesn’t ask for, and the men she is surrounded by are, to be polite, subpar. Enough is enough.
So when Julia gets invited to a warehouse party in a part of town where “trendy people who have lots of sex might go on a Friday night”—she readily accepts. Whom she meets there, however, is surprising: a conceptual artist, also a woman.
Julia’s sexual awakening begins; her new lesbian life, as she coins it, is exhilarating. She finds her tribe at queer swing dancing classes, and guided by her new lover Sam, she soon discovers London’s gay bars and BDSM clubs, and . . . the complexities of polyamory. Soon it becomes clear that Sam needs to call the shots, and Julia’s newfound liberation comes to bear a suspicious resemblance to entrapment . . .
In at the Deep End is an unforgettably frank, funny, and racy odyssey through the pitfalls and seductions we encounter on the treacherous—and more often, absurd—path to love and self.
Julia hasn’t had sex in three years. Her roommate has a boyfriend—and their sex noises are audible through the walls, maybe even throughout the neighborhood. Not to mention, she’s treading water in a dead-end job, her know-it-all therapist gives her advice she doesn’t ask for, and the men she is surrounded by are, to be polite, subpar. Enough is enough.
So when Julia gets invited to a warehouse party in a part of town where “trendy people who have lots of sex might go on a Friday night”—she readily accepts. Whom she meets there, however, is surprising: a conceptual artist, also a woman.
Julia’s sexual awakening begins; her new lesbian life, as she coins it, is exhilarating. She finds her tribe at queer swing dancing classes, and guided by her new lover Sam, she soon discovers London’s gay bars and BDSM clubs, and . . . the complexities of polyamory. Soon it becomes clear that Sam needs to call the shots, and Julia’s newfound liberation comes to bear a suspicious resemblance to entrapment . . .
In at the Deep End is an unforgettably frank, funny, and racy odyssey through the pitfalls and seductions we encounter on the treacherous—and more often, absurd—path to love and self.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2019
516 people are currently reading
13405 people want to read
About the author
Kate Davies
2 books229 followersKate Davies was born and brought up in north-west London. She studied English at Oxford University before becoming a writer and editor of children’s books. She also writes comedy scripts, and had a short-lived career as a burlesque dancer that ended when she was booed off stage at a Conservative club, dressed as a bingo ball. Kate lives in east London with her wife. In at the Deep End is her debut novel.
Librarian note: There are other authors with the same name.
Librarian note: There are other authors with the same name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,264 reviews
did-not-finish
December 9, 2019DNF @ 25%: I truly hated the main character's voice in this one. I really tried to push through but life is too short to read books you're not enjoying! Thank u, next
July 3, 2019
I don't know why but when I began reading In at the deep end, I had the Johnny Lee song running through my head "Looking for love in all the wrong places" In this book, twenty something Julia is living with her roommate and her roommate's boyfriend. Hearing them have sex, reminds Julia that she is alone and hasn't had sex in three years and the last time she did it wasn't all that great. She is just going through the motions. During the day she works a civil service job answering correspondence. A sweet part is where she has been writing back and forth with an older man. I found that part to be sweet and endearing.
One-night Julia goes to a party and realizes that she is a lesbian. From there Julia goes on a journey - mainly a sexual journey. As she explores her sexuality a vast cast of characters enter her life and she experience new things: not only sex with women but BDSM and open relationships. She enters one relationship with a dominant woman named Sam where she is manipulated, mistreated and abused.
What is good about this book is that it shows the many facets of Julia's personality, i.e. the kind woman she is for writing back and forth with and elderly war veteran, even making plans to meet him in person. The reader is shown her relationship with her roommate and her co-workers. Julia seems stronger in these relationships and surer of herself. In her romantic relationship, she begins as naive and doesn't stand up for herself due to her wanting to be loved and desired.
Be warned, there is sexual content in this book. You may learn more about dildos and fisting than you wanted to know.
For me this was good and not great. I think the Author shows promise and I found her chapter headings to be very clever.
Thank you to the Author and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and goodreads who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
One-night Julia goes to a party and realizes that she is a lesbian. From there Julia goes on a journey - mainly a sexual journey. As she explores her sexuality a vast cast of characters enter her life and she experience new things: not only sex with women but BDSM and open relationships. She enters one relationship with a dominant woman named Sam where she is manipulated, mistreated and abused.
What is good about this book is that it shows the many facets of Julia's personality, i.e. the kind woman she is for writing back and forth with and elderly war veteran, even making plans to meet him in person. The reader is shown her relationship with her roommate and her co-workers. Julia seems stronger in these relationships and surer of herself. In her romantic relationship, she begins as naive and doesn't stand up for herself due to her wanting to be loved and desired.
Be warned, there is sexual content in this book. You may learn more about dildos and fisting than you wanted to know.
For me this was good and not great. I think the Author shows promise and I found her chapter headings to be very clever.
Thank you to the Author and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and goodreads who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 31, 2019
Julia, a civil servant in the correspondence department in London, shares a flat with her best friend Alice and her boyfriend Dave. Grumpy from being kept awake most of the night by Alice and Dave’s sex noises her mood is further soured by Alice pointing out that she hasn’t had sex in three years. Determined to change that, Julia sets off on a mission to meet people and bring about some changes in her life. What she doesn’t expect to discover is that she’s perhaps not straight after all. What follows is the entertaining, and sometimes poignant, sexual awakening of a 26-year-old who finds herself in at the deep end.
Julia is a wonderfully complex character. She’s funny, self-deprecating in a witty way and unflinchingly direct. She also lacks confidence sometimes, doesn’t always express her anger when she should and goes with the flow when she’s really not comfortable with the direction. Essentially, she’s perfectly human. She’s seeing a therapist (in training, because she was cheap) who calls a spade a bloody shovel. She’s sure therapists should be more supportive and give less advice but then, you get what you pay for. She’s a contract worker and has never applied for a permanent position because then when people asked her what she did she would have to answer, “civil servant”.
There’s a fantastic cast of secondary characters that further enrich Julia’s journey. She corresponds with a 96-year-old WWII veteran who writes in regularly to complain about the health system. Owen, her colleague, and Alice are steady sounding boards. Her therapist is combative, her friend Cat flits in and out of London bringing another level of quirkiness with her. Julia’s parents need to be in their own special category. And then there’s Sam, who is a powerful presence.
I loved reading this. I started off by laughing at the wittiness and unusual turn of phrase and as it progressed I found I was still enjoying the turn of phrase but undertones kept changing. There is explicit sex which is more descriptive than erotic or romantic. This is a great debut and I’m looking forward to more by this author.
Book received from Netgalley and The Borough Press for an honest review.
Julia is a wonderfully complex character. She’s funny, self-deprecating in a witty way and unflinchingly direct. She also lacks confidence sometimes, doesn’t always express her anger when she should and goes with the flow when she’s really not comfortable with the direction. Essentially, she’s perfectly human. She’s seeing a therapist (in training, because she was cheap) who calls a spade a bloody shovel. She’s sure therapists should be more supportive and give less advice but then, you get what you pay for. She’s a contract worker and has never applied for a permanent position because then when people asked her what she did she would have to answer, “civil servant”.
There’s a fantastic cast of secondary characters that further enrich Julia’s journey. She corresponds with a 96-year-old WWII veteran who writes in regularly to complain about the health system. Owen, her colleague, and Alice are steady sounding boards. Her therapist is combative, her friend Cat flits in and out of London bringing another level of quirkiness with her. Julia’s parents need to be in their own special category. And then there’s Sam, who is a powerful presence.
I loved reading this. I started off by laughing at the wittiness and unusual turn of phrase and as it progressed I found I was still enjoying the turn of phrase but undertones kept changing. There is explicit sex which is more descriptive than erotic or romantic. This is a great debut and I’m looking forward to more by this author.
Book received from Netgalley and The Borough Press for an honest review.
June 5, 2019
After reading the first chapter I thought for sure I’d be recommending this book to my friend. Julia’s thoughts as a narrator resonated closely with my own, and her wry insights were often coupled with a clever sense of humor. However, after about the first 40 pages, the dynamic began to shift in a way that made me feel increasingly uncomfortable. I still read through this book rather quickly; the humor never faded and the writing itself is very transparent, so we are able to gauge Julia’s true feelings through her actions and inner monologue. There just seemed to be a lack of depth to the characters and storyline, as well as a few major problems with the plotline that stuck out at me.
I think this is going to be a very polarizing book. Many people are going to read this and find it to be an engagingly raunchy comedy. Others will be too shocked and turned off by the sheer amount of sexual language. It is quite a humorous read, but the underlying sexual content pervades this book and ultimately will decide the audience. I am not prudish when it comes to sex in books, but the sexual acts and conversations must have a purpose: either it is trying to get you excited (as in erotica) or it is important to the growth of the characters and their understanding of others or themselves. Whichever the reason, the sex and its circumstances has to make sense and also be believable. In this case, our main character is supposedly on a sexual awakening, so the sexual experiences she encountered should have been eye-opening and educational, but seemed to be instead just offhand comments that she was expected to understand and accept without any further explanation. For me, the fact that such extreme kinks were just lazily thrown about in the reader’s and MC’s face without actually taking the time to talk about them was a major turn off.
Sex and its constant use and abuse in this book seemed to be more for shock value rather than an effort by the author to explain the thought process and desire behind them. You can’t just tell someone you are dating that you are polyamorous and expect them to be okay with it immediately if they have never even heard of the concept. Such a thing would require some kind of sit-down discussion to go over ground rules and general feelings. Same with any new physical act you want to start in the bedroom. If you want to try bdsm, you start with the basics; don’t jump immediately into a sex party dungeon. Fisting is a major fetish in this book, and Julia isn’t eased into it at all- there’s no mention of practicing or pacing, just all of a sudden it’s her new favorite thing. That’s just absurd.
I severely hope that no one read this book and found it educational about anything, whether it’s lesbian lifestyle or any sexual kink mentioned. Lesbians in this book are all made out to be polyamorous sex gods who desire nothing more than to sleep around and fist each other. There is absolutely no discussion about how much work and trust goes into having a poly relationship. Every single kink you can think of- watersports, bondage, pet play, toys, threesomes, the ever present fisting- is mentioned at least in passing somewhere in this book. None of it is given any extra thought. The only reason it’s whispered about or glimpsed during a sex party is to shock both the reader and the MC. Then again, maybe that was the author’s purpose. The title is, after all, In at the Deep End. Julia only just realized she was gay after having some bad sex with a guy, and immediately after she has her realization she gets sucked into an abusive relationship with a woman who wants to do literally everything- which wouldn’t be a problem except no one eases Julia into each new scenario. They throw her in and let her flounder in confusion and shame. It was really uncomfortable to repeatedly read the same thing happen over and over as Julia went deeper and deeper with Sam. For all the talk of consent, no one ever actually shows Julia the care a newbie would require. The role playing scene in the hotel was one of the cringiest things I’ve ever read, as well as the SM swing.
This isn’t how a healthy sexual relationship should be, kinky or otherwise, and the fact that Sam was an abusive partner doesn’t make it any better. Her emotional abuse as a manipulator was actually written really well- very subtle and coming on stronger and stronger as the story developed. However, Julia wasn’t just an innocent bystander. She was quite manipulative as well and I found it hard to root for her as a character. I’m not sure how I feel about her anxiety rep either. While reading I could relate to her anxious thoughts: the way she would clam up when talking with Sam about anything they’d done or were doing felt genuine and understandable. However, after reading, I feel like the anxiety and therapy were all just ways to make her a more sympathetic character. There had been no real depth to her anxiety problems; just superficial things that everyone can relate to.
I liked Julia’s friends just fine, but the only thing every single person in this entire book talks about is sex, and that doesn’t really leave room for a lot of character development. To be honest, I really wish that the majority of this book hadn’t been taken up by Julia’s relationship with Sam. It felt meaningless considering how little we- and Julia!- actually learn about anything. Instead, I wish the author had allowed Julia to go on an actual sexual awakening. The first 40 pages of this book were so good! Julia was funny and relatable as she lamented about her life. Once she started branching out it got even more interesting, but then she got stuck in a state of constant worry over polyamory and everything new she should have been experimenting with either got bypassed or her initiation was horribly wrong. I wish the people in her dance class had been more informative about the ways of the world. I wish she could have dabbled in different things safely. I realize that’s not what the title implies, but it’s how I feel. If you have to be thrown in at the deep end from the start, you need to at least be given a thorough lesson in how to swim first and why it’s important not to just sink.
Overall, I have to give this at least a 2.5 rating. The humor and Julia's inner dialogue is so good, but everything else fell completely flat for me. I'm a bit confused why the cover is an eye. Shouldn't it have been a fist?
Many thanks to goodreads giveaways and the author for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
I think this is going to be a very polarizing book. Many people are going to read this and find it to be an engagingly raunchy comedy. Others will be too shocked and turned off by the sheer amount of sexual language. It is quite a humorous read, but the underlying sexual content pervades this book and ultimately will decide the audience. I am not prudish when it comes to sex in books, but the sexual acts and conversations must have a purpose: either it is trying to get you excited (as in erotica) or it is important to the growth of the characters and their understanding of others or themselves. Whichever the reason, the sex and its circumstances has to make sense and also be believable. In this case, our main character is supposedly on a sexual awakening, so the sexual experiences she encountered should have been eye-opening and educational, but seemed to be instead just offhand comments that she was expected to understand and accept without any further explanation. For me, the fact that such extreme kinks were just lazily thrown about in the reader’s and MC’s face without actually taking the time to talk about them was a major turn off.
Sex and its constant use and abuse in this book seemed to be more for shock value rather than an effort by the author to explain the thought process and desire behind them. You can’t just tell someone you are dating that you are polyamorous and expect them to be okay with it immediately if they have never even heard of the concept. Such a thing would require some kind of sit-down discussion to go over ground rules and general feelings. Same with any new physical act you want to start in the bedroom. If you want to try bdsm, you start with the basics; don’t jump immediately into a sex party dungeon. Fisting is a major fetish in this book, and Julia isn’t eased into it at all- there’s no mention of practicing or pacing, just all of a sudden it’s her new favorite thing. That’s just absurd.
I severely hope that no one read this book and found it educational about anything, whether it’s lesbian lifestyle or any sexual kink mentioned. Lesbians in this book are all made out to be polyamorous sex gods who desire nothing more than to sleep around and fist each other. There is absolutely no discussion about how much work and trust goes into having a poly relationship. Every single kink you can think of- watersports, bondage, pet play, toys, threesomes, the ever present fisting- is mentioned at least in passing somewhere in this book. None of it is given any extra thought. The only reason it’s whispered about or glimpsed during a sex party is to shock both the reader and the MC. Then again, maybe that was the author’s purpose. The title is, after all, In at the Deep End. Julia only just realized she was gay after having some bad sex with a guy, and immediately after she has her realization she gets sucked into an abusive relationship with a woman who wants to do literally everything- which wouldn’t be a problem except no one eases Julia into each new scenario. They throw her in and let her flounder in confusion and shame. It was really uncomfortable to repeatedly read the same thing happen over and over as Julia went deeper and deeper with Sam. For all the talk of consent, no one ever actually shows Julia the care a newbie would require. The role playing scene in the hotel was one of the cringiest things I’ve ever read, as well as the SM swing.
This isn’t how a healthy sexual relationship should be, kinky or otherwise, and the fact that Sam was an abusive partner doesn’t make it any better. Her emotional abuse as a manipulator was actually written really well- very subtle and coming on stronger and stronger as the story developed. However, Julia wasn’t just an innocent bystander. She was quite manipulative as well and I found it hard to root for her as a character. I’m not sure how I feel about her anxiety rep either. While reading I could relate to her anxious thoughts: the way she would clam up when talking with Sam about anything they’d done or were doing felt genuine and understandable. However, after reading, I feel like the anxiety and therapy were all just ways to make her a more sympathetic character. There had been no real depth to her anxiety problems; just superficial things that everyone can relate to.
I liked Julia’s friends just fine, but the only thing every single person in this entire book talks about is sex, and that doesn’t really leave room for a lot of character development. To be honest, I really wish that the majority of this book hadn’t been taken up by Julia’s relationship with Sam. It felt meaningless considering how little we- and Julia!- actually learn about anything. Instead, I wish the author had allowed Julia to go on an actual sexual awakening. The first 40 pages of this book were so good! Julia was funny and relatable as she lamented about her life. Once she started branching out it got even more interesting, but then she got stuck in a state of constant worry over polyamory and everything new she should have been experimenting with either got bypassed or her initiation was horribly wrong. I wish the people in her dance class had been more informative about the ways of the world. I wish she could have dabbled in different things safely. I realize that’s not what the title implies, but it’s how I feel. If you have to be thrown in at the deep end from the start, you need to at least be given a thorough lesson in how to swim first and why it’s important not to just sink.
Overall, I have to give this at least a 2.5 rating. The humor and Julia's inner dialogue is so good, but everything else fell completely flat for me. I'm a bit confused why the cover is an eye. Shouldn't it have been a fist?
Many thanks to goodreads giveaways and the author for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
July 22, 2019
If a book is described as"Bridget Jones" alike, I am almost guaranteed to read it. English humor and dating disasters are my thing.
In at the Deep End begins as a funny lesbian Bridget Jones romp , and ends in an oversexed 9 1/2 Weeks-type emotional gutter.
So, our 26-year protagonist, Julia, hasn't had sex (with a person) in 3 years and wants to get back to business again. After having a very unsuccessful date with a guy, she decides to give a tumble with a woman a try. Surprise! This is Julia's best sex to date, and she seems to be good at it too. Julia embraces her newly-discovered sexuality and almost immediately falls into a relationship with an artist and experienced lesbian Sam.
There are several subplots that I was quite interested in - Julia's relationship with her fun parents and her roommate Alice, her trying to figure out life plans after her future as a dancer is shattered due to an injury, Julia's correspondence with a WWII veteran. There were some great observational jokes too (especially at the orgies and BDSM parties).
But then most of the book is taken up by Julia having GREAT SEX!!! I mean, I get it, she has lots of orgasms in her lesbian relationship. But as she explores new frontiers - orgies, threesomes, BDSM, polyamory - and orgasms all the time, she also seems to be repulsed and upset by most of what her girlfriend Sam suggests. So I was weary of all the sex and distressed by Julia's state of mind almost the entire second half of the book.
This is not a romcom, is what I am trying to say. Again. Queenie also was both funny and depressing, but I found the humor/cringe/sex/side plots ratio much more palatable than in In at the Deep End. I can't believe I am saying it, but this book has WAY to much sex in it.
In at the Deep End begins as a funny lesbian Bridget Jones romp , and ends in an oversexed 9 1/2 Weeks-type emotional gutter.
So, our 26-year protagonist, Julia, hasn't had sex (with a person) in 3 years and wants to get back to business again. After having a very unsuccessful date with a guy, she decides to give a tumble with a woman a try. Surprise! This is Julia's best sex to date, and she seems to be good at it too. Julia embraces her newly-discovered sexuality and almost immediately falls into a relationship with an artist and experienced lesbian Sam.
There are several subplots that I was quite interested in - Julia's relationship with her fun parents and her roommate Alice, her trying to figure out life plans after her future as a dancer is shattered due to an injury, Julia's correspondence with a WWII veteran. There were some great observational jokes too (especially at the orgies and BDSM parties).
But then most of the book is taken up by Julia having GREAT SEX!!! I mean, I get it, she has lots of orgasms in her lesbian relationship. But as she explores new frontiers - orgies, threesomes, BDSM, polyamory - and orgasms all the time, she also seems to be repulsed and upset by most of what her girlfriend Sam suggests. So I was weary of all the sex and distressed by Julia's state of mind almost the entire second half of the book.
This is not a romcom, is what I am trying to say. Again. Queenie also was both funny and depressing, but I found the humor/cringe/sex/side plots ratio much more palatable than in In at the Deep End. I can't believe I am saying it, but this book has WAY to much sex in it.
September 16, 2019
4.5 stars! What an incredible book! While at first it started lighter, with very Bridget Jones-esque dry wit about dating life in London (but about coming out as a lesbian), the tone went darker as it explored Julia's first serious relationship with a woman. This girlfriend turns out to be controlling and emotionally abusive. It's painful to watch Julia go through this, which is a testament to Davies' writing. I also loved the friends, family, and job portions of the book. It does have an HFN ending, which I appreciate; I wished that portion was a little stretched out into the last sections of the book, I wanted more of the good things in her life once she got shit sorted out. This book had me laughing out loud throughout. Highly recommended!
January 6, 2019
This is a hilarious book with a somewhat dirty sex description in every chapter. It's like reading a book version of GIRLS.
Beware of the inevitable tears at the end, though!
Thank you NetGalley for this one-night-stand page-turner adventure in exchange for my honest review.
Beware of the inevitable tears at the end, though!
Thank you NetGalley for this one-night-stand page-turner adventure in exchange for my honest review.
May 23, 2019
I wanted this book to be so much better. It kind of just relied on graphic sex scenes, taking drugs and a bad portrayal of BDSM and Poly relationships. There’s very little consent and Julia seems to be uncomfortable with most of it which makes it an uncomfortable read.
It started well and was funny and entertaining but it soon went downhill. It’s like the author couldn’t decide what genre she wanted to write. It definitely isn’t a rom-com. Halfway through it switches from funny to just sad. You get to read along with an abusive relationship mixed in with uncomfortable BDSM practices which is not what I signed up for when I chose a rom-com.
With regards to characters, the only ones I actually liked were the minor background ones. The main characters weren't particularly likeable including Julia which was disappointing. I wanted to stop reading but I also wanted to see how it was going to end. It ends nicer than I expected but it's finished up in about 5 pages.
August 5, 2023
This is the hardest book rating and review I've had to do in a long time.
Here is why:
-On the one hand, this story was very interesting. The first few chapters had me in stitches and I was so excited to have a good time with this book. The writing was really good and the author created a wide range of unique and interesting characters.
-On the other hand, this ended up being a completely different story to what I thought I was getting. I was expecting a light hearted comedy about a woman discovering her sexuality and owning it. Instead, I got a story about an abusive relationship that turned very serious and I felt my anger rising with every chapter. Sam was truly an awful person, and I usually like unlikable characters, but she boiled my blood! Now, had this have been marketed as a sapphic contemporary about coercive and controlling behaviour in relationships, I would have jumped at it and probably rated it higher, but because I was expecting a comedy it was very sobering when things took a turn.
Ultimately, I highly recommend this as a contemporary fiction book, but not as a sapphic comedy- can't fault the book, more the marketing team!
Definitely needs a trigger warning for abuse- I got triggered by some of the toxic aspects of their relationship.
Here is why:
-On the one hand, this story was very interesting. The first few chapters had me in stitches and I was so excited to have a good time with this book. The writing was really good and the author created a wide range of unique and interesting characters.
-On the other hand, this ended up being a completely different story to what I thought I was getting. I was expecting a light hearted comedy about a woman discovering her sexuality and owning it. Instead, I got a story about an abusive relationship that turned very serious and I felt my anger rising with every chapter. Sam was truly an awful person, and I usually like unlikable characters, but she boiled my blood! Now, had this have been marketed as a sapphic contemporary about coercive and controlling behaviour in relationships, I would have jumped at it and probably rated it higher, but because I was expecting a comedy it was very sobering when things took a turn.
Ultimately, I highly recommend this as a contemporary fiction book, but not as a sapphic comedy- can't fault the book, more the marketing team!
Definitely needs a trigger warning for abuse- I got triggered by some of the toxic aspects of their relationship.
October 11, 2020
Bizarrely, the straightest queer book I've ever read.
August 16, 2019
I really, really wanted to like this. I was hesitant when I saw that the author of another book I didn't like had blurbed this one, but I really enjoyed the first few chapters. The tone was light and fun and felt like a romcom. The protagonist, Julia, got a little annoying when she realized she was gay and thought "I'm a lesbian and I need someone to be a lesbian with" every three seconds, but fine.
Then Julia met Sam and the writing went way downhill for me. We see an abusive relationship, which I do think is important, but ugh. A secondary character is non-binary, and trans people are mentioned throughout the book, but whenever anyone talked about sex or womanhood, it was not inclusive and very cisnormative.
-- Apparently you can only "fuck" with penetration (Julia says she went down on a woman but "didn't fuck her" and as someone who doesn't like being fingered, that's not true at all)
-- All mentions of womanhood mentioned vaginas
-- Sam, the abusive girlfriend, says she wants to try an SM fantasy, and it's a rape fantasy in which she's a Mexican man. Because, you know, we don't have enough white people (hello 45) calling Mexicans rapists and using terrible fucking accents and saying every third word in Spanish
-- Alice, the roommate, tries to say something about how suffragettes weren't inclusive (because they weren't and it's a very good point to bring up), and Cat, THE BLACK WOMAN, tells her she doesn't need to worry about being woke all the time. This is some white bullshit right here, having the one fucking black character tell a white woman not to worry about being woke. Bullshit.
-- Part of the abuse involves Sam never really caring if Julia wants sex or wants a specific sexual act, which I know was part of the story but there should have been a liiiiiiittle more about how that's not okay
Terrible portrayal of my community and I hated it. I should have known when I saw the blurb.
Then Julia met Sam and the writing went way downhill for me. We see an abusive relationship, which I do think is important, but ugh. A secondary character is non-binary, and trans people are mentioned throughout the book, but whenever anyone talked about sex or womanhood, it was not inclusive and very cisnormative.
-- Apparently you can only "fuck" with penetration (Julia says she went down on a woman but "didn't fuck her" and as someone who doesn't like being fingered, that's not true at all)
-- All mentions of womanhood mentioned vaginas
-- Sam, the abusive girlfriend, says she wants to try an SM fantasy, and it's a rape fantasy in which she's a Mexican man. Because, you know, we don't have enough white people (hello 45) calling Mexicans rapists and using terrible fucking accents and saying every third word in Spanish
-- Alice, the roommate, tries to say something about how suffragettes weren't inclusive (because they weren't and it's a very good point to bring up), and Cat, THE BLACK WOMAN, tells her she doesn't need to worry about being woke all the time. This is some white bullshit right here, having the one fucking black character tell a white woman not to worry about being woke. Bullshit.
-- Part of the abuse involves Sam never really caring if Julia wants sex or wants a specific sexual act, which I know was part of the story but there should have been a liiiiiiittle more about how that's not okay
Terrible portrayal of my community and I hated it. I should have known when I saw the blurb.
May 28, 2019
I almost DNF'ed it three or fourth times. I don't know why I kept going but I guess I wanted to know how it ended.
That's a shame though because the beginning of the story was really cute and funny. The first half was great actually. The end was better than expected. But the rest, ugh.
That's a shame though because the beginning of the story was really cute and funny. The first half was great actually. The end was better than expected. But the rest, ugh.
February 9, 2019
Follow Julia who is 26 years old and is single. She lives in London but has not had sex for 3 years. Julia decides her dry patch has lasted for too long and jumps In at the Deep End to have some fun in her life.
I was really attracted to the cover of this book. It shows two red chilli peppers arranged together to let the reader imagine they were labia. In at the Deep End gets off to a great start from the first paragraph by informing the reader of Julia’s sex life.
The writing style within this book is jolly and the mild humour will make you smile. For example…
Staring into my eyes, he went to push himself into me. He missed. ‘Jesus. That’s never happened before,’ he said. He picked up his penis and guided himself in, frowning as though he was trying to assemble a particularly tricky piece of IKEA furniture.
...In at the Deep End is a story told in the first person and this format is ideal for this book as it lets the reader walk in Julia’s shoes. It does not matter what gender or sexuality the reader has, because Julia tries many, many things for the first time and like her, you can enjoy what happens like a virgin too.
I liked how this novel was not just about sex. Character development of Julia was very good and I found it very easy to enter her world of work, flat sharing, friends and family. In at the Deep End is Kate’s debut novel but it does not show. Kate is a great storyteller and her book is an intelligent read. I loved all the observations and social commentary. I found the novel to be very well written and although there was a fair amount of sex within the pages, there was no dumbing down of language or content. This is a quality read that I found to be enjoyable, fun and informative.
In at the Deep End guides you into a lesbian lifestyle and demystifies how women can find love. This book allows the reader to access a lifestyle they may have no knowledge about, it is a kind of Lesbians for Beginners. Kate’s outline of sexual acts are told with skill and were not gross and do not make the reader feel uncomfortable.
I loved the explanation of the lesbian lifestyle and it’s culture. I now know the importance of a toaster to lesbians. Because of my age, work, family and friends, I already knew there were many different types of lesbians but this book also mentions by name the different types. Going about your everyday life would you be able to spot the differences between butches, femmes, pillow queens and bull dykes?
I thought the explanation of polygamy within the lesbian scene to be very helpful to heterosexual readers. I thought polygamists were just greedy people who wanted lots and lots of sex, with one partner never being enough for them. I have NEVER strayed away from my wife and would not dream of it. But In at the Deep End does offer the opposite view which helped me to understand why some people are polygamists when Kate writes…
‘I wouldn’t want to limit myself to one woman. It would be like only eating cheese sandwiches for the rest of your life. Sometimes you just want pastrami, don’t you? Which is why I’m non-monogamous.’
...I loved reading In at the Deep End and found it a pleasure to read. Kate’s writing is so good that I just imagined I was Julia and thoroughly enjoyed playing her part in this story. For an author to make the reader feel they are the central character of a novel is really good. For a reader to identify with Julia because they are a woman, or in their 20’s or a lesbian is very, very good. For a 60 year old, heterosexual married man to feel as though he is Julia having all this fun, is absolutely BRILLIANT. I felt really included and could live out a lesbian sex life from the comfort of my armchair. I thoroughly enjoyed reading In at the Deep End, so it gets the top score of 5 stars from me. Only thing is trying to keep a straight face when moving past red chilli peppers in ASDA but I can live with that.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher HarperCollins UK for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.
I was really attracted to the cover of this book. It shows two red chilli peppers arranged together to let the reader imagine they were labia. In at the Deep End gets off to a great start from the first paragraph by informing the reader of Julia’s sex life.
The writing style within this book is jolly and the mild humour will make you smile. For example…
Staring into my eyes, he went to push himself into me. He missed. ‘Jesus. That’s never happened before,’ he said. He picked up his penis and guided himself in, frowning as though he was trying to assemble a particularly tricky piece of IKEA furniture.
...In at the Deep End is a story told in the first person and this format is ideal for this book as it lets the reader walk in Julia’s shoes. It does not matter what gender or sexuality the reader has, because Julia tries many, many things for the first time and like her, you can enjoy what happens like a virgin too.
I liked how this novel was not just about sex. Character development of Julia was very good and I found it very easy to enter her world of work, flat sharing, friends and family. In at the Deep End is Kate’s debut novel but it does not show. Kate is a great storyteller and her book is an intelligent read. I loved all the observations and social commentary. I found the novel to be very well written and although there was a fair amount of sex within the pages, there was no dumbing down of language or content. This is a quality read that I found to be enjoyable, fun and informative.
In at the Deep End guides you into a lesbian lifestyle and demystifies how women can find love. This book allows the reader to access a lifestyle they may have no knowledge about, it is a kind of Lesbians for Beginners. Kate’s outline of sexual acts are told with skill and were not gross and do not make the reader feel uncomfortable.
I loved the explanation of the lesbian lifestyle and it’s culture. I now know the importance of a toaster to lesbians. Because of my age, work, family and friends, I already knew there were many different types of lesbians but this book also mentions by name the different types. Going about your everyday life would you be able to spot the differences between butches, femmes, pillow queens and bull dykes?
I thought the explanation of polygamy within the lesbian scene to be very helpful to heterosexual readers. I thought polygamists were just greedy people who wanted lots and lots of sex, with one partner never being enough for them. I have NEVER strayed away from my wife and would not dream of it. But In at the Deep End does offer the opposite view which helped me to understand why some people are polygamists when Kate writes…
‘I wouldn’t want to limit myself to one woman. It would be like only eating cheese sandwiches for the rest of your life. Sometimes you just want pastrami, don’t you? Which is why I’m non-monogamous.’
...I loved reading In at the Deep End and found it a pleasure to read. Kate’s writing is so good that I just imagined I was Julia and thoroughly enjoyed playing her part in this story. For an author to make the reader feel they are the central character of a novel is really good. For a reader to identify with Julia because they are a woman, or in their 20’s or a lesbian is very, very good. For a 60 year old, heterosexual married man to feel as though he is Julia having all this fun, is absolutely BRILLIANT. I felt really included and could live out a lesbian sex life from the comfort of my armchair. I thoroughly enjoyed reading In at the Deep End, so it gets the top score of 5 stars from me. Only thing is trying to keep a straight face when moving past red chilli peppers in ASDA but I can live with that.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher HarperCollins UK for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.
June 5, 2019
IN AT THE DEEP END is Kate Davies’s debut novel, following Julia, an anxious 20-something in London in an aimless job, as she learns she’s queer and starts exploring lesbian dating scene. For the most part, it was so bad it’s good - it’s definitely a “beach read,” it wasn’t very deep & it didn’t have to be. I sped through this book. Julia is snarky & funny, makes some bad decisions, and I cared enough about her to keep reading.
Maybe this is a spoiler (it’s also alluded to in the blurb), Julia eventually starts dating an artist and descends into an abusive relationship. There was one particularly cringe-worthy scene towards the end where one of the characters was racist against Mexicans. Also - this might be me being a prude as it relates to S&M, but if you’re triggered by sexual assault, that particular scene could be upsetting for you.
IN AT THE DEEP END is worth picking up for a quick, summer read, maybe a lesbian 50 shades of gray? But if you’re looking for lesbian literary fiction - or even a cute romance - this isn’t it. Ps. I'm in between two and three stars...
Maybe this is a spoiler (it’s also alluded to in the blurb), Julia eventually starts dating an artist and descends into an abusive relationship. There was one particularly cringe-worthy scene towards the end where one of the characters was racist against Mexicans. Also - this might be me being a prude as it relates to S&M, but if you’re triggered by sexual assault, that particular scene could be upsetting for you.
IN AT THE DEEP END is worth picking up for a quick, summer read, maybe a lesbian 50 shades of gray? But if you’re looking for lesbian literary fiction - or even a cute romance - this isn’t it. Ps. I'm in between two and three stars...
June 7, 2020
A witty, honest and insightful literary lesbian rom-com that turns slightly toxic
Enlightening, uplifting and brilliantly humorous, In at the Deep End in Kate Davies’ rather graphic romantic comedy with a difference and sees her twenty-six-year-old protagonist and civil servant,
Julia, diving into the world of lesbianism. Narrated breezily in the first-person by self-deprecating, sardonic and uncompromisingly frank, Julia, the story has strong characterisation and several sizeable subplots.
Middle-class graduate, Julia, is stuck in a rut; she hasn’t had sex for over three years and is treading water working in the correspondence department of the civil service with zero prospects. Her opinionated amateur therapist and mother encourage her to “put herself out there” and when the couple she lives with invite her to a warehouse party that promises to be full of trendy types she accepts. When a female conceptual artist comes onto Julia and she finds herself aroused, she responds with enthusiasm and after a single night of the best sex ever she has an overnight conversion to lesbianism and wholeheartedly embraces her newly discovered queerness.
Meeting sexy butch figurative artist, Sam, and swiftly falling into an all-consuming relationship is all the introduction Julia needs into the lesbian world and what exactly lesbians do. But highly-sexed Sam is into the BDSM scene and has non-monogamous relationships, including a long standing one with her French lover. Open to trying new things and wanting to keep Sam happy Julia soon finds herself stifled, guilt-tripped and blackmailed into doing everything to keep their relationship alive. Her friends and therapist point out that Sam seems to make all of the decisions but although she is in a controlling relationship Julia must first work out what she wants and if she is really an equal partner in her first big lesbian romance.
At points Sam’s obsession with BDSM and multiple partners veers on the side of becoming boring but Julia’s increasing awareness of what she wants and who she is has a natural and realistic edge to it that genuinely satisfies. Despite the intense focus on Julia and Sam’s relationship (very descriptive regarding the sex) there are plenty of subplots which keep the story engaging and buoyant, from Julia’s correspondence with a war veteran in her work capacity, joining a queer swing dance club, her father’s YouTube lectures and her dance school friend’s educational theatre tours. The secondary cast, including her flatmates, Alice and Dave, really do feel like friends by the end of the novel and their support, honesty and concern for Julia throughout adds a lightness that counters the novels darker moments.
A disarming debut, well-paced and funny but definitely not for the easily offended.
Enlightening, uplifting and brilliantly humorous, In at the Deep End in Kate Davies’ rather graphic romantic comedy with a difference and sees her twenty-six-year-old protagonist and civil servant,
Julia, diving into the world of lesbianism. Narrated breezily in the first-person by self-deprecating, sardonic and uncompromisingly frank, Julia, the story has strong characterisation and several sizeable subplots.
Middle-class graduate, Julia, is stuck in a rut; she hasn’t had sex for over three years and is treading water working in the correspondence department of the civil service with zero prospects. Her opinionated amateur therapist and mother encourage her to “put herself out there” and when the couple she lives with invite her to a warehouse party that promises to be full of trendy types she accepts. When a female conceptual artist comes onto Julia and she finds herself aroused, she responds with enthusiasm and after a single night of the best sex ever she has an overnight conversion to lesbianism and wholeheartedly embraces her newly discovered queerness.
Meeting sexy butch figurative artist, Sam, and swiftly falling into an all-consuming relationship is all the introduction Julia needs into the lesbian world and what exactly lesbians do. But highly-sexed Sam is into the BDSM scene and has non-monogamous relationships, including a long standing one with her French lover. Open to trying new things and wanting to keep Sam happy Julia soon finds herself stifled, guilt-tripped and blackmailed into doing everything to keep their relationship alive. Her friends and therapist point out that Sam seems to make all of the decisions but although she is in a controlling relationship Julia must first work out what she wants and if she is really an equal partner in her first big lesbian romance.
At points Sam’s obsession with BDSM and multiple partners veers on the side of becoming boring but Julia’s increasing awareness of what she wants and who she is has a natural and realistic edge to it that genuinely satisfies. Despite the intense focus on Julia and Sam’s relationship (very descriptive regarding the sex) there are plenty of subplots which keep the story engaging and buoyant, from Julia’s correspondence with a war veteran in her work capacity, joining a queer swing dance club, her father’s YouTube lectures and her dance school friend’s educational theatre tours. The secondary cast, including her flatmates, Alice and Dave, really do feel like friends by the end of the novel and their support, honesty and concern for Julia throughout adds a lightness that counters the novels darker moments.
A disarming debut, well-paced and funny but definitely not for the easily offended.
July 19, 2019
you know how there’s a genre of books of age called “coming of age”? i feel like a “coming of gay” genre should exist
this book would fit perfectly in that, by the way
this book would fit perfectly in that, by the way
September 21, 2020
(1.5)
i think it's partly that this is marketed as light and funny and everything, but it's got some pretty fucking heavy content. the other part was just me and adult contemporary/literary fiction not getting along.
Rep: lesbian mc, lesbian side characters, Black side character
CWs: abusive relationship, self harm, dubious consent sex scenes, gaslighting, threatened suicide
i think it's partly that this is marketed as light and funny and everything, but it's got some pretty fucking heavy content. the other part was just me and adult contemporary/literary fiction not getting along.
Rep: lesbian mc, lesbian side characters, Black side character
CWs: abusive relationship, self harm, dubious consent sex scenes, gaslighting, threatened suicide
July 26, 2025
Ich bin ein bisschen fassungslos von dem, was ich da gerade gelesen habe.
Glaube es ist mir noch nie so schwer gefallen, einen kohärenten Review zu schreiben, weil ich immer noch ziemlich wütend und enttäuscht bin.
Wie kann es sein, dass eine queere Frau ein Buch schreibt, das Queerness auf eine so reduktive, voyeuristische und letztlich queerfeindliche Art und Weise darstellt?
Recht zu Anfang entscheidet sich die Protagonstin Julia dazu, lesbisch zu werden, weil sie mit Männern so schlechten Sex hat.
Anstatt kritisch patriarchale Strukturen in Heterobeziehungen zu hinterfragen oder sich intensiv mit Compulsory-Heterosexuality auseinanderzusetzen, wird Julias queere Identität dabei komplett auf Sex reduziert. Denn mit einer Frau (Lesbisch sind in diesem Buch natürlich nur (Cis-)Frauen) kann sie endlich richtig guten Sex haben, also muss sie lesbisch werden, ist ja klar.
Alle Lesben, denen Julia begegnet und mit denen sie Sex hat, sind anscheinend von einer enthemmten Sexualität gesteuert, verhalten sich ihr gegenüber übergriffig und abwertend.
Sie zwingen sie dazu, Sex-Partys zu besuchen, auf denen sie sich eigentlich nicht wohl fühlt, aber (teilweise unter Alkohol- oder Drogeneinfluss) trotzdem mitmacht, Poly-Beziehungen einzugehen (die klischeehafter nicht dargestellt werden könnten) und ihre Grenzen immer wieder zu überschreiten.
Ihre Heterofreundinnen sind zwar einerseits total neidisch auf sie, weil sie ja so viel aufregenden und guten Sex hat, aber andererseits leben sie wenigstens in „normalen“ Beziehungen, dürfen monogam sein (eine der „guten Erfindungen des Patriarchats“, wie uns das Buch gönnerhaft erklärt) und ihre männlichen Partner dürfen ohne jede Einordnung oder Kritik die Protagonistin und ihre Partnerinnen komplett sexualisieren und fetischisieren.
Alle paar Seiten gibt es graphisch geschriebene Sex-Szenen, ohne jede Intimität, Fürsorge oder Zärtlichkeit. Sex-Szenen, die oftmals ganz offensichtlich ohne Konsens sind, aber nicht wirklich so eingeordnet werden. Sex-Szenen, die durch die deutsche Übersetzung noch schrecklicher zu lesen sind, als sie es im Englischen wahrscheinlich trotzdem wären.
Lesbische Identität als etwas Bereicherndes, Verbindendes und Schönes scheint in diesem Buch nicht zu existieren. Lesbischsein abseits von Hypersexualisierung scheint es nicht zu geben. Eine facettenreiche Darstellung queerer Lebensentwürfe sucht man vergebens. Eine queere Community, die von Zusammenhalt und gegenseitigem Verständnis geprägt ist, hat in der Erzählung leider so gut wie keinen Platz.
Ganz ehrlich, das Buch liest sich entweder so als ob ein Hetero-Mann strange Fantasien auf queere Flinta-Personen projizieren würde oder als ob irgendwelche rechts-konservativen Arschlöcher alle queerfeindlichen Vorurteile und Klischees, die ihnen eingefallen sind, zusammengeschmissen haben.
Einfach nur traurig.
Glaube es ist mir noch nie so schwer gefallen, einen kohärenten Review zu schreiben, weil ich immer noch ziemlich wütend und enttäuscht bin.
Wie kann es sein, dass eine queere Frau ein Buch schreibt, das Queerness auf eine so reduktive, voyeuristische und letztlich queerfeindliche Art und Weise darstellt?
Recht zu Anfang entscheidet sich die Protagonstin Julia dazu, lesbisch zu werden, weil sie mit Männern so schlechten Sex hat.
Anstatt kritisch patriarchale Strukturen in Heterobeziehungen zu hinterfragen oder sich intensiv mit Compulsory-Heterosexuality auseinanderzusetzen, wird Julias queere Identität dabei komplett auf Sex reduziert. Denn mit einer Frau (Lesbisch sind in diesem Buch natürlich nur (Cis-)Frauen) kann sie endlich richtig guten Sex haben, also muss sie lesbisch werden, ist ja klar.
Alle Lesben, denen Julia begegnet und mit denen sie Sex hat, sind anscheinend von einer enthemmten Sexualität gesteuert, verhalten sich ihr gegenüber übergriffig und abwertend.
Sie zwingen sie dazu, Sex-Partys zu besuchen, auf denen sie sich eigentlich nicht wohl fühlt, aber (teilweise unter Alkohol- oder Drogeneinfluss) trotzdem mitmacht, Poly-Beziehungen einzugehen (die klischeehafter nicht dargestellt werden könnten) und ihre Grenzen immer wieder zu überschreiten.
Ihre Heterofreundinnen sind zwar einerseits total neidisch auf sie, weil sie ja so viel aufregenden und guten Sex hat, aber andererseits leben sie wenigstens in „normalen“ Beziehungen, dürfen monogam sein (eine der „guten Erfindungen des Patriarchats“, wie uns das Buch gönnerhaft erklärt) und ihre männlichen Partner dürfen ohne jede Einordnung oder Kritik die Protagonistin und ihre Partnerinnen komplett sexualisieren und fetischisieren.
Alle paar Seiten gibt es graphisch geschriebene Sex-Szenen, ohne jede Intimität, Fürsorge oder Zärtlichkeit. Sex-Szenen, die oftmals ganz offensichtlich ohne Konsens sind, aber nicht wirklich so eingeordnet werden. Sex-Szenen, die durch die deutsche Übersetzung noch schrecklicher zu lesen sind, als sie es im Englischen wahrscheinlich trotzdem wären.
Lesbische Identität als etwas Bereicherndes, Verbindendes und Schönes scheint in diesem Buch nicht zu existieren. Lesbischsein abseits von Hypersexualisierung scheint es nicht zu geben. Eine facettenreiche Darstellung queerer Lebensentwürfe sucht man vergebens. Eine queere Community, die von Zusammenhalt und gegenseitigem Verständnis geprägt ist, hat in der Erzählung leider so gut wie keinen Platz.
Ganz ehrlich, das Buch liest sich entweder so als ob ein Hetero-Mann strange Fantasien auf queere Flinta-Personen projizieren würde oder als ob irgendwelche rechts-konservativen Arschlöcher alle queerfeindlichen Vorurteile und Klischees, die ihnen eingefallen sind, zusammengeschmissen haben.
Einfach nur traurig.
June 23, 2020
This is one of the most horrific books I’ve ever read. It feels like it’s written as a fan fiction geared towards straight men. As a gay woman, this book is untasteful at best and blatantly homophobic most of the time. It makes sex the center of lesbian relationships, and that is far from the truth and perpetuate harmful generalization. The book talks about sex every single chapter! Same sex relationships are much more than that, where is the emotional connection, the support, and the excitement about having a life together?? All of these are over shadowed by sex on the floor, in the shower, and in the dungeons. Yet the book has the audacity to try to pass off as « woke » by including wild sex parties. Being gay by itself is not a political statement.
The authors favorite adjective to use is « lesbian ». Sex is now lesbian sex, daughter becomes lesbian daughter, etc etc. There’s something very uncomfortable about that; every relationship is now alienated by the modifier « lesbian ».
The main character Julie has a boring life and seems to use lesbianism to spice up her life, and to be seen as « hip ». Julie also thinks that in the 21st century, being gay is just so cool and exciting. That is a very limited and privileged view. It feels almost shocking to see someone with zero idea of how scary and dangerous the coming out experience still is for many. This book minimized that part to just simple « excitement » now that her life is no longer boring.
The cherry on top is that apparently no man wants to sleep with her for 3 years but all the lesbians want to jump on her. The author makes lesbians look like sexual predators.
There’s not a single character I like in this book.
The authors favorite adjective to use is « lesbian ». Sex is now lesbian sex, daughter becomes lesbian daughter, etc etc. There’s something very uncomfortable about that; every relationship is now alienated by the modifier « lesbian ».
The main character Julie has a boring life and seems to use lesbianism to spice up her life, and to be seen as « hip ». Julie also thinks that in the 21st century, being gay is just so cool and exciting. That is a very limited and privileged view. It feels almost shocking to see someone with zero idea of how scary and dangerous the coming out experience still is for many. This book minimized that part to just simple « excitement » now that her life is no longer boring.
The cherry on top is that apparently no man wants to sleep with her for 3 years but all the lesbians want to jump on her. The author makes lesbians look like sexual predators.
There’s not a single character I like in this book.
March 24, 2019
As of next week, I'm 30 years old, but I rarely read books about marriage, divorce, affairs, mortgages, or having children. I'm still on that millennial bridge between teenager and adult, and enjoy books about young people like me, such as Tiffy and Leon in The Flatshare – people who are still figuring out life, discovering who they are, and working on their career, friendships and relationships, but who never feel like they know what they're doing.
Continue reading this review over on Pretty Books.
#gifted: Thank you to the publisher for providing this book for free in exchange for an honest review!
Continue reading this review over on Pretty Books.
#gifted: Thank you to the publisher for providing this book for free in exchange for an honest review!
March 23, 2022
This book cannot decide whether it wants to be a lighthearted comedy about what its like to be a millennial in a big city or cautionary tale about emotional abuse in lesbian relationships. These two just do not go together. it takes true talent to combine light with dark succesfully and even the talented writers often fail. Terrible, skin crawling portrayal of queer community, characters with one defining trait each, gilmore girls bad dialogue... I don't recommend this. It was a struggle to finish this novel.
June 6, 2022
Sometimes love and obsession are hard to tell apart.
I can see why maybe this isn't a perfect read for some, and why it might have put others off, but I really really liked this? Definitely not a run-of-the-mill litfic or romance, it's funny and disturbing and makes you think, doesn't give you many clear-cut answers.
Julia's feeling a bit stagnant in her life, her job and in romance. A few bad experiences and sexual hijinks lead to her realising that she's a lesbian, and she finds a new lease on life: new queer friends, new hobbies, and most excitingly for her: dates with women. She looks forward to having a lot of feminist sex (whatever that is) and being in an equitable relationship, but of course, when she meets a hot polyamorous artist, things don't go according to plan. It's not quite a coming of age story, but coming into oneself; about toxic relationships, abuse, friendships, how people hurt one another, setting boundaries and learning to be yourself.
The thing is (and this is what makes the book good, imo) that Julia is far from a perfect character. She does and says things that will make you want to shake her. She makes decisions where you, as the reader, are just like, "Hey? Julia? YOU'RE IN THE WRONG." But at the same time, you feel for her, because she's slowly being sucked into this abusive, controlling relationship, being talked into things she clearly doesn't want to do, and being gaslit out of her mind. The book is pretty explicit and deals with a lot of kink, and there are some criminally under-negotiated things that Julia is subjected to. But even that isn't a cut-and-dried thing, because Julia ends up genuinely enjoying some of what she does, and that muddies the waters even more for her, makes it harder for her to realise that she's involved with an abuser. IDK, I think it was really interesting, and a look at abusive, toxic relationships that we don't see often.
One of my favourite things, though, is the genuine sense of community and family in the book, and all of Julia's relationships with her friends and family and sweet old Eric. And I loved when, at the beginning, she realises that's she's a lesbian and is filled with such genuine joy about it, and about being part of the queer community. She's slightly obnoxious about it (for comedic effect) but I couldn't help feeling vicariously happy for her. Even as she goes on to realise that relationships with women can be just as complicated and have just as many problems as ones with men, that sense of joyful pride was always there, and I loved it. The book does, alas, fall into that familiar cis-centric pit with some of the language that it uses. Sometimes it would be good about it; other times, markedly not so.
This won't be for everyone (I wouldn't call it erotica, but there's a lot of sex, and a lot of it is kinky, and there's a lot more fisting than I'd have thought; Julia is literally thrown in at the deep end) but I do tentatively rec it. It made me laugh and smile and think, and made for an interesting read.
Content warnings:
April 6, 2019
Oh my gosh, I LOVED this book, the kind of love where I didn't want it to end and I was walking around with it glued to me. I really went on a journey with Julia, the protagonist, she changed and developed and became such a better character than she started off as.
Quite early on in this book after some slightly awkward encounters with men, Julia decides she may very well be a lesbian and after exploring a bit, she confirms her thinking. I liked that the blurb didn't really give too much away about this, this development came as a surprise to me and it made me love the book even more. It was refreshing and insightful and I certainly learnt a thing or two whilst reading it.
Now if you're not a fan of reading about sex, then this book probably isn't for you. It becomes quite graphic at times describing what Julia gets up to in bed with various other participants. It covers an unspoken world of sex clubs and threesomes, which I think is really important to be covered in popular literature. There was no holding back about the sex in this book and for that reason I loved it! It discussed very real issues that people may think they are alone in, for that I praise it!
This book was fun and easy to read, set mainly in London, I enjoyed seeing city living and fueling my own wishes to live in England's capital. I loved the dynamics of all of the characters, they were all extremely accurate and real, if you didn't guess, the realistic writing in this book has been a huge plus for me!
Basically this book was a refreshing and sexy adventure where Julia can really discover herself. I loved it from start to finish and I would definitely advise anyone picking it up!
Quite early on in this book after some slightly awkward encounters with men, Julia decides she may very well be a lesbian and after exploring a bit, she confirms her thinking. I liked that the blurb didn't really give too much away about this, this development came as a surprise to me and it made me love the book even more. It was refreshing and insightful and I certainly learnt a thing or two whilst reading it.
Now if you're not a fan of reading about sex, then this book probably isn't for you. It becomes quite graphic at times describing what Julia gets up to in bed with various other participants. It covers an unspoken world of sex clubs and threesomes, which I think is really important to be covered in popular literature. There was no holding back about the sex in this book and for that reason I loved it! It discussed very real issues that people may think they are alone in, for that I praise it!
This book was fun and easy to read, set mainly in London, I enjoyed seeing city living and fueling my own wishes to live in England's capital. I loved the dynamics of all of the characters, they were all extremely accurate and real, if you didn't guess, the realistic writing in this book has been a huge plus for me!
Basically this book was a refreshing and sexy adventure where Julia can really discover herself. I loved it from start to finish and I would definitely advise anyone picking it up!
September 25, 2020
The first portion of In At the Deep End starts off on a lighter note. Especially more Rom-Com as Julia explores her sexuality as a lesbian woman. Julia is able to connect well with a group from swing class and is able to get their love and support in her new journey. However, the tone of the novel quickly turned heinous when a relationship with Sam began.
The rest of the novel if filled with graphic, non consensual sex scenes, and a gross display of manipulation, leaving Julia in despair.
I found most of my enjoyment came in the development of more minor characters such as Julia's Mum and Dad and her best friend, Alice.
As a whole, it did represent varying perspectives of the LGBTQ community; but with the abuse and rape, the book left me feeling unsettled and unsatisfied.
The rest of the novel if filled with graphic, non consensual sex scenes, and a gross display of manipulation, leaving Julia in despair.
I found most of my enjoyment came in the development of more minor characters such as Julia's Mum and Dad and her best friend, Alice.
As a whole, it did represent varying perspectives of the LGBTQ community; but with the abuse and rape, the book left me feeling unsettled and unsatisfied.
Read
May 24, 2020
July 21, 2019
Everything you always wanted to know about lesbian sex but were afraid to ask.
A cross between Kinflicks and Fear of Flying, this wickedly witty and unflinchingly raunchy novel is both eye-opening and eye-watering regarding the sexually-explicit exploits of its female protagonist. If you are too young to have read the above titles, think ‘Fleabag’ rather than ‘Bridget Jones’ and you will get the right idea...
read and reviewed for Whichbook.net
A cross between Kinflicks and Fear of Flying, this wickedly witty and unflinchingly raunchy novel is both eye-opening and eye-watering regarding the sexually-explicit exploits of its female protagonist. If you are too young to have read the above titles, think ‘Fleabag’ rather than ‘Bridget Jones’ and you will get the right idea...
read and reviewed for Whichbook.net
Read
August 13, 2024Insufferable on all fronts just really quite bad
April 27, 2024
Re-read: maybe.
Wow, this was not the book I was expecting. But in a good way in the end. It should definitely come with some content warnings!
It was really slow to get going but once the kind of intro part of the book was done, I was fully hooked and needed to see it through.
I wasn’t too sure if I liked Julia at the beginning but seeing how much she goes through in this book, I have a lot more respect for her that I thought I would at the start.
This books depicts an abusive lesbian relationship and alternative lifestyles which are topics I’ve never read about before, but am glad I have now. The themes of friendship, love and obsession were also stitched together really well throughout this.
I really didn’t know if the book was going to end with Julia leaving her abusive relationship but I’m very glad it did. That amongst other things, felt neatly all tied together and I liked that.
There were moments that really pulled on my heart strings, so much that I wanted to jump into the book and give Julia a hug. Some also really touching and funny moments so it was a good mix of emotions.
I also really enjoyed Julia’s relationship with Eric, that was all very sweet.
Overall a really good read, just a little slow to start with! I can tell I’m going to be thinking about this for a while.
PS: I hate Sam.
Wow, this was not the book I was expecting. But in a good way in the end. It should definitely come with some content warnings!
It was really slow to get going but once the kind of intro part of the book was done, I was fully hooked and needed to see it through.
I wasn’t too sure if I liked Julia at the beginning but seeing how much she goes through in this book, I have a lot more respect for her that I thought I would at the start.
This books depicts an abusive lesbian relationship and alternative lifestyles which are topics I’ve never read about before, but am glad I have now. The themes of friendship, love and obsession were also stitched together really well throughout this.
I really didn’t know if the book was going to end with Julia leaving her abusive relationship but I’m very glad it did. That amongst other things, felt neatly all tied together and I liked that.
There were moments that really pulled on my heart strings, so much that I wanted to jump into the book and give Julia a hug. Some also really touching and funny moments so it was a good mix of emotions.
I also really enjoyed Julia’s relationship with Eric, that was all very sweet.
Overall a really good read, just a little slow to start with! I can tell I’m going to be thinking about this for a while.
PS: I hate Sam.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2023
I won't be reviewing this book in solidarity with the HarperCollins Union strike!
August 30, 2019
Wow, where to start unpacking this one. The book was billed as a Bridget Jones-esque story about Julia, a mid-twenties woman in London looking for love (scratch that--she's actually just looking for sex). After a few ho hum experiences with men, including one with questionable hygiene, she decides to sleep with a woman. Naturally, this results in her declaring she's a lesbian. So at this point, I was seeing this more like Kissing Jessica Stein and less Bridget Jones, but this also is the start of the many, many problems I had with the book. Julia embraces her new lesbian identity (which, ok, huzzah!) and picks up a woman in a bar named Sam, who flat out states that sex is her life or something to that effect that is equally eye-roll worthy. In her second experience with a woman, suddenly it's all dildos, strap ons, and fisting. Sam turns out to be heavily into kink, non-monogamy, and the SM lifestyle, which Julia also jumps into. What I don't like is that consent becomes a very, very grey area. The story is told through Julia's perspective; the reader is in her head, reading her thoughts. Many of her thoughts are conflicted and often she's flat out thinking that she doesn't want to partake in the sex acts she's about to or in the middle of, and this is a problem. This issue of consent is not dealt with at all and her feelings are basically swept aside by the blanket statement "...but she was turned on" and the author moves on from there. I had a very hard time following the tone of this book, which felt like it was trying to edge more towards that Bridget Jones style of exaggerated comedy but most of the story is about an abusive/controlling/unequal relationship. Not the things big laughs stem from. So I had definite problems with consent and tone, but I also did not like these characters, especially Julia herself. Bridget Jones and Jessica Stein work as (flawed) characters because they're ultimately likable and relatable even if they're making terrible decisions at the time. Julia is missing that likability for me. Her personality is shaped by the relationship she's in at the moment, she is absolute shit at her job yet has additional opportunities handed to her, she's completely self-centered, and she never really has that growth moment where she stands up for herself and her feelings. I had a difficult time envisioning her as a person, let alone someone I'd want to actually read about. She is NO Bridget Jones.
My final gripe is minor compared to the rant above, but the author has managed to come up with probably the crudest, least sexy term for cunnilingus I've read to date--"licking the snail". I didn't need to read that term once, let alone the additional three or four times it appears. Sorry, that is not a term that is going to catch on; it's no "fetch".
ARC provided by NetGalley
My final gripe is minor compared to the rant above, but the author has managed to come up with probably the crudest, least sexy term for cunnilingus I've read to date--"licking the snail". I didn't need to read that term once, let alone the additional three or four times it appears. Sorry, that is not a term that is going to catch on; it's no "fetch".
ARC provided by NetGalley
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