I loved the first part of this book. It was everything all the good reviews said - funny, crude (in a good way), honest, enlightening, etc. A really enjoyed following Julia's journey of self-discovery, seeing her accept her sexuality and rejoice in it. But then... then it devolves into a dark depiction of a controlling and traumatic relationship that I did not enjoy reading at all. I have to admit, I put it down at 68% because I read for pleasure, and this was not pleasurable any more. [Polyamory seems to be a big thing at the moment, and I've tried my best to understand it, but when it comes to someone who is naturally polyamorous trying to convince someone who is naturally monogamous that it's what they want, I don't agree with it. That was the aspect of this book that bothered me the most, and made me put it down in the end. (hide spoiler)]

An easy but predictive read. I keep waiting for more to happen ...but it didn’t . Somewhat disappointing!

Soooo funny I could not stop laughing at this book. Such a joy and am OBSESSED with the cover. Hot hot hot.

This superb and unusual debut is about a young woman discovering that she is a lesbian is a) laugh out loud hilarious, b) has hidden depths, c) well written, d) GRAPHIC, e) celebrates the power of friendship, f) also about the complexities of domestic abuse. I highly recommend this book whether you are heterosexual, homosexual or somewhere else on the spectrum because there are things that everyone can learn from reading it.

So many great reviews but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. Although funny in places, the first half of the book just didn't seem to go anywhere. The second half was a bit better story-wise and I was interested to see what the outcome of the situation with Sam would be.

2 stars

Kate Davies' contemporary love story is an honest, open and funny exploration of a young woman discovering her own sexuality and what that means for her. As Julia explores what life is like as a freshly out-of-the-closet queer woman, there's an odd sense of speed. She never really takes any time to think about her feelings and sexuality in any depth and I feel the story is lacking a little because of that. She just decides that she's a lesbian and hops her merry way in and out of nightclubs and dance clubs.

It's towards the second half of the book that my opinion took a serious downfall. As a queer woman, and member of the BDSM community, I found the use of BDSM and polyamory as a mechanism to display a dark and unpleasant side to Julia's partner, really unsettling. It displayed a distinct lack of knowledge towards both BDSM and poly lifestyles. Davies seemed adamant on painting Sam as a villain and used cheap tricks and stereotypes to reach that end point. Both BDSM and poly relationships rely on a high degree of trust, stability and communication. Sam lacked all of these and instead used this lifestyle to manipulate and abuse Julia.

It's a shame because I really like how frank the book was in its discussions of sexuality and modern sex.

Funny, filthy and full of heart. A brilliant cast of characters and a really interesting take on the line between love and obsession. This was a brilliant book to start my New Year reading with and I'm looking forward to more from Kate Davies.

From the blurb, I thought this was going to be a lighthearted coming of age story.
I was wrong for all the best reasons.
This book explores sexuality in the best terms. The graphic arc may be a bit off putting for some, but there’s a reason that it’s there.
The most amazing thing about this book is how it explores emotional abuse. Where most books make big statements about the abuse from the offset, this starts off small and builds so gradually that it’s only when you’re really noticing it that everything goes wrong.
Absolutely brilliant.

In at the Deep End was a very well written book - the characters displayed their emotions very well and were relatable. Julias character developed really well throughout the book, I enjoyed it but did find some parts a little awkward to read.

I started reading this thinking it would be a light-hearted, coming out, lesbian life guide. It was, but it was so much more. Hilariously awkward and honest in places, it was also scarily dark and humiliating in others.

When Julia realises that she might be gay in her twenties, she is befriended by a group of gay women who take her under their wing. Her education in lesbian sex begins, as does her journey of self-discovery. She finds that she is happier and more fulfilled than she’s ever been, and she couldn’t wish to meet anyone kinder or more loving than Sam.

As her love for Sam grows, the line between love and obsession begins to blur, and Julia is unable to understand the growing fears her friends and family have for her emotional wellbeing. Thrown into a new world of polyamory and SM, Julia begins to lose sight of who she really is and whether Sam truly loves her.

Despite its easy-going and comical tone throughout (think Fleabag), darkness flows beneath the surface. In at the Deep End is an important read that highlights the often unseen trauma of coercive relationships, oppression and domination. The fact that Davies has highlighted these dangers within a lesbian relationship should be applauded, and I am sure there will be many women who can relate to Julia or know someone like Sam.

A final note; I am delighted that this novel is being published and I am sure it will resonate with men and women of all sexualities. My only criticism is of the ‘snail’ analogy (gross and untrue), and the near constant fisting. I’d love to add a disclaimer at the start of this book; ‘Not all lesbians are like this.’ Davies will certainly have earned a fair few toasters with this novel.

My thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the chance to read this novel in return for my honest review.

I’d been waiting for this book to come out. Based on how I read the blurb, the author quotes, and also the twitter hype, I honestly thought it was a comedy. It isn’t a comedy, IMHO. It is very witty and has comic observations, but I was wrong in expecting a comedy, and I don’t know whether that affected the way I read it. Expecting all the funnies, I found it tough and uncomfortable to read at times. I don’t say that as a criticism, more that it puts you out of the ‘comfort reading’ zone. The writing is bold and Julia’s voice is strong. The observations of our paranoid lunacy when we are jealous are spot on and comic in their description.
Someone else has said that it is a book of two halves, and to a point I agree, in so far as the first half is Julia getting to know the Lesbian scene and the second is about the consuming relationship she lands in. But overriding it is an absolutely believable character arc. I understood her loneliness, and the intensity of her new world, and how that intensity leads her into a relationship which is abusive. I understood why it was hard to walk away and also her thoughts at the end. I stood with her friends when they wanted to shake sense into her. Uncomfortable yes, but believable.
So no, it wasn’t a comedy (which to be fair it never actually said it was, although I think the marketing suggests), but it is a book that was thought provoking and has stayed with me for days.

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: https://prettybooks.co.uk/2019/03/24/mini-reviews-the-seven-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle-jack-of-hearts-and-other-parts-in-at-the-deep-end/

This could have been controversial for the main-stream reader, but was well handled with great humor and pathos which speaks to all readers. Julia is stuck in a rut. Her hopes of being a ballet dancer have been dashed and she has become a passive observer in her life. A random interaction starts her questioning her sexuality and she throws herself into this exploration with abandon, She pushes her own boundaries in her search for true love. But love never comes easy and she begins to alienate everyone close to her.

Despite myself, I was fascinated at the peek of what the "deep end" looks like. The writer helped me understand a totally different perspective to my own. A really brave, well written story with insightful reflections. I was able to clearly picture each unique character with all their complexities and individuality and I loved how the emotions of these complex situations were explored. This is not a genre I would normally seek out, but I feel my perspective has been enriched for it.

I think I'm a bit of a prude because I was very ready to give up on this book after only a few chapters as it was so graphic but I'm glad I stuck it out.

Julia is in a bit of a love rut. Her past encounters with men have been unfulfilling and somewhat ridiculous - 'you broke my penis'. But when a chance encounter with a woman opens her eyes to the fact that she may actually be a lesbian it opens up a whole new exciting world to her.

She quickly falls into a relationship with the manipulative Sam. Initially the relationship is everything that Julia has been looking for but quickly Julia starts to feel uncomfortable with aspects of this world that Sam is inviting her into. Will Julia see Sam's manipulative ways or will she do everything to save the relationship that she is in?

This really was not my usual type of book but it did open my eyes to a relationship that a relative of mine had been in. There were a lot of laugh out loud moments and Julia was a very likeable character. All in all a solid read.

In at the deep end by Kate Davies.
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If you've seen any reviews already you'll know that this is a frank, filthy and funny read about self discovery, relationships, love and a lesbian coming of age story. I didn't read the blurb before requesting on Netgalley so I discovered that quickly 😂
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The blurb: "Until recently, Julia hadn’t had sex in three years. But now a one-night stand is accusing her of breaking his penis, a sexually confident lesbian is making eyes at her over confrontational modern art and she’s wondering whether trimming her pubes makes her a bad feminist.Julia’s about to learn that she’s been looking for love – and satisfaction – in all the wrong places…"
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This was a laugh out loud read at some points, eye opening and interesting - think Fleabag and Bridget Jones Diary but filthier!

In at the Deep End is a funny yet strangely inspirational novel about a woman learning to get what she wants. Julia lives in London, works for the civil service, and hasn't had sex in three years. Her attempts to find excitement aren't very successful, until she decides to do something about the lesbian making eyes at her at an art show. And suddenly, sex and love make sense to Julia. The book follows her as she makes a lot of sexual discoveries, tries to support her friends but doesn't listen to their advice, and finds a whole new world of being a lesbian in London.

The style is frank and witty, perfectly suiting the novel, and the characters are vivid and a real crowning point. Julia herself is a great flawed narrator, the kind of female protagonist that has been seen in recent TV series but maybe not as easily found in as many books. One of the highlights of the book is her web of friendships, from old friends to the new ones she meets when she goes along to an LGBT dance class. Though the novel is mostly about Julia's discoveries about sex, it is also a real testament to the power of friendships in your twenties, particularly to survive living in London. London itself is also vivid, another hilarious and brash character amongst the human ones.

In at the Deep End is a sex-filled lesbian romcom that manages to give a sharp edge to a toxic relationship whilst showing someone realising a lot of things about what they want from life. It seems like the sort of book that people, regardless of sexuality or gender, should pick up, laugh at and learn from, with a message about taking control of your life and a lot of frank discussions about sex. And there needs to be more happy, funny fiction with LGBT main characters that is aimed at adults, seeing as YA fiction does so well at it.

The description of this book intrigued me and I wanted to read it. I managed to get 60% through before I am ashamed to say I had to give up.
I found in enlightening as now I know so much about lesbian love affairs that I could probably put my teacher hat back on and teach this subject. However I found it more descriptive of the sexual scene and less a story and by the point I gave up I was fed up of reading similar descriptions about lesbian sexual practices.

This was one of my most anticipated debuts of the year and it did not disappoint. Kate Davies is the master of warm, humorous writing that makes you feel like you're right there with all the characters... and that's including during the intense but enlightening sex scenes! Julia's journey through discovering her sexuality, learning to negotiate new relationships, and joining such a diverse and loving community was hilarious and heart-warming. I'd recommend this book to everyone, and I do mean everyone, we could probably all stand to learn a few new things. Credit to Kate as well: she managed to make a Comms job in the civil service sound interesting. Thanks NetGalley and HarperFiction for the ARC!

In at the Deep End begins with Julia discovering she hasn't had sex in three years. She's not that bothered - all her sexual encounters in the past have been nothing to write home about (although, that would be weird, wouldn't it? 'Hi Mum, how are you doing? You'll never guess how last night was.) But when a woman comes on to Julia and asks her if she's a lesbian, Julia thinks that could be the lightbulb moment she's needed. So she tries dating women and ends up meeting Sam, a long term lesbian with some very different views to Julia. She's into kinky stuff Julia has never even heard of before, and is polyamorous, and just out the closet Julia thinks she has a lot to learn from her. But her lesbian education doesn't go as smoothly as planned.



When requesting this book from NetGalley, I was promised a hilarious, filthy, holds-no-bars book about unapologetic sex in your twenties and exploring who you really are. And, not to be somewhat cliche, it was so much more!

There were so many great aspects of this book. The writing was very dry and witty, exactly my type of humour, and I love it when there's no huge punchline, no big deal made out of the fact the writer just made a joke - just one simple line and the end of a chapter to make it sit with you and make you chuckle. There were times when I felt the writing was trying too hard to be funny, but this was only in little snippets throughout the book and it didn't overpower the overall writing style and make it unreadable.

Can we also talk about the female friendships in this book? For one thing - there are so many!! Alice, Cat, Uzo, Ella, Zhu - they all serve different purposes as friends but it's just nice to see some many women having fun, going on nights out, watching trashy TV and eating, and there's not drama (well, yes, there's drama, but it's necessary and reasonable and understandable and.. NOT ABOUT BOYS!!!!) and it's also nice to see so many women in a book about lesbians and I cannot think of one instance in which the 'oh, you're gay now, I can't be your friend in case you fancy me' type thing was used. No previous friendships changed because of Julia coming out, and it was so nice to see her forming new ones too. All of the friendships felt real - the bit where Alice and Julia are in the airport and neither want to talk about their partners, or politics, so Alice pulls up a hedgehog video she saw online the other day. That's what friends do!!

Can you tell I just really love well written female friendships?

Another thing I love is when characters have unusual jobs - Julia works for a correspondence team for the government, replying to their letters when they complain about NHS waiting times or council cuts. It wasn't a huge part of the storyline, but it made for fun reading and something a little different, and I just really enjoy it when characters are people behind the scenes that you've never heard of before.

You know earlier, when I said this was so much more than a filthy book about sex? Well, it is. But also, it's a filthy book about sex. I felt naughty for reading it on the bus but I so desperately want to read more about female pleasure! women coming lots of times! fisting! polyamory! things outside of heteronormativity! This book just had it all. It explored so many things without trying to do too much, and for anyone not in the know, neither is Julia! So everything is explained in a non-patronising way (apart from when Sam says it) if you too know nothing about non-monogamous relationships.

Sam was such a well written character. Note; not a good character. She was skin crawling from the moment she popped up, but the way she said things, and acted, and twisted words, manipulated, schemed, were all so subtle and clever - the signs of real abuse - that it was really uncomfortable to read at times. I was yelling for Julia to get up and walk out while at the same time realising how easy it would be to fall for everything she was saying and somehow feel in the wrong. 

I also think it was a really important thing to show - people think of abuse in terms of men hitting women, and it's really important to show the impact of mental abuse and manipulation, but also that, contrary to statistics (because yes, most abusers in domestic abuse are men)  it's crucial to see that women can be abusers too, and that the LGBTQ community is not immune from these dangers either.

I really loved In at the Deep End. There were times when I found Julia annoying to read - she was naive and very blinkered at times and it was infuriating to see her make some of her decisions, but overall, the book went in a direction I wasn't expecting, and for that I'm grateful. I'll definitely be on the lookout for any further releases from Davies, and encourage you to all read In at the Deep End! Maybe not on the bus where people can read over your shoulder though!

4 out of 5 stars

It’s important for me to start this review by saying that this is the kind of book that I would never normally choose for myself because I’m not that into humorous contemporary novels. I first heard about it when I shared a few bottles of wine with a fellow ex-bookseller friend and we were talking about out previous experiences with men. She told me I needed this book in my life, commandeered my phone and requested it from NetGalley.

A few days later I’d been accepted for a book I barely remembered but thought, what the hell. I’d just finished a spate of crime novels and thought a change of pace would do me good, plus I was curious to see what my friend had loved so much.

In At The Deep End follows Julia, a 20-something Civil Servant living in London who hasn’t had sex for 3 years. She tries to meet someone at a party and after a very depressing sexual encounter with a man who claims she “broke his penis”, she swears herself off sex completely. A chance encounter with a sexually confident lesbian at a party makes Julia wonder if women are actually more her ‘cup of tea’.

“Oral always felt a bit like someone was wiping a wet flannel over my nether regions”

– KATE DAVIES
From the very first page this novel is hilarious, and I mean from laugh out loud screams of delight to dirty chuckles, it will absolutely light up your day. I think it’s actually the most quotable book I’ve ever read in my life. I started it whilst lying next to my husband on the sofa and he kept giving me strange looks for laughing to myself (remember, I never read funny fiction), so I decided to share the term “licking the snail” with him and he loved it too.

Kate Davies is the queen of powerful phrasing, for example the term “cunt connoisseur” is just amazing. I also feel like I know all the ‘ins and outs’ of lesbian sex, to the point where I texted my friend and asked her if we should just be lesbians now because it sounds fantastic. It’s a flash of the world we should live in, a time where sexuality is not something that defines us, but something we choose by our feelings with no boundary but preference.

The story is predominately about relationships and sex. Lots and lots of sexy sex so if you’re easily offended or don’t enjoy open and frank conversation about sex and sexuality then this is probably not the book for you. If you do like those things, however, I urge you to go out and buy this book immediately. It deals with toxic relationships and the ups and downs of friendships with such a deft hand that I was moved, time and time again.

In fact, my favourite thing about the novel is just how honest it is: not in a metaphoric way but in the kind of passive, accepted way where the subculture Julia becomes involved in isn’t so much of an underground ideal, but a group of happy, likeminded people and it feels almost like a utopia.

I cried in so many different ways at this novel. It was uplifting and heartbreaking, hilarious and everything.