Welcome to Backlog #2.
This is my very first Ali Hazelwood book ever. I heard a lot about her where people either rave or not.
I was hoping for a quick read and a good distraction and it did not bother me that the book promised to have kinks.
Spoilers: this part was quite mild. I mean after I read other books, this book was quite tame and other books did not explore kinks at all. I wasn't mad, but I heard other people were mad since they expected...I wonder what type of debauchery they expected though.
(love the color scheme)
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...
So yeah, either hit or miss this one for many too.
My main issue with this novel must have been that it wanted to be many things at once. Like we had an extensive professional line, which involved Scarlett trying to recover from her inability to make the same jump that landed her the injury in the first place. We also have a relationship line, which does not start at once. We also try to explore some sexual things, although they end up being underwhelming to many viewers and they still search for what was promised. We try to see more of other characters and the development of friendship, which many find not it.
I think I was sitting and thinking after reading that all lines tried to thread through shallow waters.
But was it bad? I personally quite liked it, I don't know why the chemistry between Scarlett and Lukas clicked for me. Scarlett surely has her own issues, but she's too corked up. Maybe I saw something in her and this is why I cans ay this, while I could understand that if her behavior is too alien for you, then of course you will feel distant or something else. Pretty usual thing for any book, not everyone is relatable. Some said she is insufferable, but when I read about Pen, that girl had issues for me.
So how did we end up here? Scarlett accidentally knows that Pen and Lukas broke up. The two did not announce it for a reason (though it sounds silly and a bit selfish tbh. Lukas gets nothing from but Pen is still the official gf of a champion, much envied by others). Partially it didn't matter at that point. It felt like Pen wanted to have fun with other people outside her dependant relationship (which we learn about later), but also felt like she is leaving some exit behind? Anyway Lukas did not care at that point.
But it was Pen who actually took it upon herself to share the preferences of Lukas with other people (Scarlett) and Scarlett also explained about her own preferences. So once a drunk Pen had no better idea than to put two people together just because they like what they like... like girl for real? Not to mention sharing personal info with not a close person, but now this.
At this point in time Pen and Scarlett did not develop some sort of "friendship". But it is easy to stay close since their team of female divers felt so small.
Lukas actually sent Scarlett an inviting message, like if you decided to do it, I'm open to it, if you do not feel ike it, then we won't do it and live our lives.
Scarlett eventually decided to go for it and before doing anything the two sat down with almost a questionnaire to figure out what they like. Actually when it comes to stuff like that it is quite importnat to figue things out. Pretty responsible even if they were an average couple, just so they could get the best of their intimate life.
Their chemistry is so great because they have similar preferences. They did not involve feelings into this at first. But you couldn't say Lukas was completely an unfeeling dude. On the contrary it felt like they fulfilled each others needs but also with care?
Lukas felt like that type of efficient dude, very straightforward, perceptive. I think he suited Scarlett pretty well, since she felt kinda in a mess and his direction lead her in the way that helped her deal with her own stuff.
But the final coflict felt kinda meh tbh. A bit all over the place?
Spoilers but Scarlett and Lukas were together and developed feelings for each other, but Lukas never publicly brought up the fact he broke up with Pen (though how no one notice I have no idea and why he never did it..). Pen had a bit of selfish ownership thoughts about Lukas too. Like she had her own fun, but when things did not go well she thought she might return to Lukas, but boy was gone. Then the two were busted as if they cheated on Pen, one was her bf and another was her friend. Scarlett shut down and basically left, before the truth was revealed. She travels to Lukas and agrees to be together.
There are other bits and pieces that were kinda all over the place.
RATEL 4/5. I already explained that I'm giving it more because I clicked with the book and got what I wanted from it.