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Books that Won’t let Me Go

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Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

I did not expect to write about Ali Hazelwood again so soon, but then I read Deep End and, well—I went off the deep end, metaphorically speaking. In the author’s note at the beginning, she says it’s her favorite book she’s written, and by the end, it was my favorite book of hers as well. And not just because of the fun callbacks to Olive and Adam from The Love Hypothesis, who are the main characters’ professors at Stanford.

I was recently hijacked by another book that was totally unexpected: I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming.

Here’s my review of these two books and a list of other romances I can’t stop obsessing over.

Books I wasn’t done with after the last page

When I finish a romance novel—or movie, for that matter—I often go back to my favorite scenes before starting a new book. For me, that tends to be the third-act breakup and the reunion after it, their first kiss/getting together, or other pivotal scenes that move the love story forward.

How much rereading I feel compelled to do is part of my personal rating system for a book. If it was just meh, I might be done when I read the last page. Most of the time, though, I’ll go back to two or three scenes I want to savor again. But if a book has me by the throat and I simply don’t want it to end, I’ll go farther and farther back in the story, reading and rereading favorite scenes, savoring dialogue, spending more time with characters I can’t get enough of, and putting off starting the next book because I want to stay in this book’s world. It’s like having a great taste in my mouth after eating a dish that was perfectly seasoned; I’m sad when the next meal overrides the lovely flavor.

Some other books on my obsessive reread list:

Movies I keep rewatching:

  • What’s Up, Doc?
  • Clueless
  • French Kiss
  • 12 Dates of Christmas
  • Holidate
  • Love Hard
  • Many others, too numerous to name—mostly holiday romcoms because I am a sucker for them.

Deep End grabbed me and wouldn’t let go

In many ways, Deep End is a typical Ali Hazelwood romance: socially awkward heroine meets tall, handsome man of few words who’s totally smitten with her. In Hazelwood’s expert hands, the formula works and I’m here for it, but there was more in this book for me.

Scarlett Vandermeer is an elite-level platform diver who was injured by a bad dive the year before the action starts. She still can’t do the type of dive—inward—that she was doing when she got hurt. Although she’s physically fine, she struggles with a mental block. And, for me, I think this was the particular hook because I’ve been struggling with a mental block about a physical activity I love (riding a bike) and slowly working my way back to feeling comfortable doing something I used to do with ease and joy. So I was right there with Scarlett the whole way.

Another thing that hooked me was the slow, intense burn of Scarlett’s budding relationship with Lukas. They explore BDSM, a long-time desire and first for both of them. But what makes the sex so mesmerizing is the emotional heft of it, the way Scarlett describes being pulled apart and reconstructed by it, and feeling truly seen, the trust and care they give each other.

Add in Hazelwood’s humor and vibrant supporting characters, and this is a book I’ll savor for a long time.

  • Humor level: low-key funny and serious by turns
  • Spice level: super spicy
  • Tropes: sub/dom power play, overcoming mental challenges, elite athletes, STEM

My first alien: I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming

When my romance writer friends start talking about reader preferences and where readers will or will not follow a writer, I’m baffled. I’m not like that, I say. I read and enjoy MM, MF, FF, and trans/nonbinary love stories. I read authors of different races and cultures. I’m broad in my tastes.

But I’m a big liar. Because the truth is, there are more romance subgenres I don’t read than ones I do. I DNF’d my first Colleen Hoover on page two because it was too violent for me. I only pick up books with magic in them by accident and I’ve never read a romantasy. Mafia, why choose, and reverse harem are tropes I know about in theory but haven’t read.

And I need to get over myself. Because when I accidentally read a romance with witches, I like it. And I also liked Kimerly Lemming’s sci-fi romp, I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com.

I only picked up the book because the title made me laugh and the cover art, reminiscent of a B-movie poster from the 50s, also made me laugh. And then I read the book and it really made me laugh—and reconsider my narrow reading preferences.

Lemming’s novel, a delightful take on The Wizard of Oz, has Dorothy whisked away by aliens to a terraformed planet. Only, the aliens didn’t have much time to study Earth (budget cuts), and they’ve gotten a lot wrong.

Dorothy’s love interests are horned, hooved aliens, Lok and Sol, who bicker for her affection and attention as the trio becomes more bonded. So I guess I’ve read my first why choose romance? Look at me being all open-minded!

The book includes a talking lion, talking owls, a pink dinosaur, and much more mayhem. I loved it. It stayed with me and I’d recommend it, no matter what kind of romances you think you like.

  • Humor level: one of the funniest romcoms I’ve read in a long time
  • Spice level: lots of 3-way spicy human/alien sex, including one sexual encounter that ends in one of the funniest scenes in the book
  • Tropes: Wizard of Oz retelling, sci-fi, why choose

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