I enjoyed although I shouldn't have as it's a long way from what I read normally and it's probably the literary version of a romcom. Saying that it's well written and funny in places awkward in others which pulls you in

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.

Great fun book.
Julia’s not had sex for 3 years and wants to do something about it.
It’s funny and she certainly makes up for the lack of sex. There is a lot of sex in this book.
Very frank and to the point but very funny.

I really enjoyed this book. Julia hasn’t had sex for three years, and is keen to change this. She meets a few people on the way, falls in love and has a lot of sex. It is very descriptive and graphic but not in a way which felt voyeuristic or unnecessary. I liked the ending, I felt it was right for the characters. Would recommend!

This book is hilariously funny. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed the complex characters Davies created. It’s a story of discovery, obsession and identity with a lot of sex thrown in for good measure. It’s Bridget Jones’ diary for today - but with a bit more about it.
Fast-paced, moving in places and always honest, this is a refreshing and fun read. I’ll be recommending it to friends although I’m worried they will assume my life as a gay woman is waaaay more exciting than it actually is! What an excellent find - I can’t wait to read more from Davies!

Absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. Filthy, funny and heartbreaking at time, it was a pacy read. I loved Julia and all her complex friendships and relationships and how she discovers her sexuality and her true sense of self. Definitely recommend.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the writing and loved most of the characters apart from one. I can't say who without it spoiling the book but the way they treated everyone around them was shocking and it made me want to cover my face when they were in a scene. I look forward to what Kate writes next.

Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fun and well written book about a woman realising that she is in fact gay and her life as she learns about and discovers herself

When I first started reading "In at the deep end" I had an impression it will be all fun and jokes about broken penises and buying toasters, possibly a bit filthy and maybe not really my kind of stuff. But it tuned out to be a book about not so much finding yourself and trying new things, as a book about relationships good and bad and about what love and attraction can make you do. Do we idolise queer relationships, seeing them as ideals that heterosexual couples want to live up to, or are they exactly the same as any other relationships - messy and full of guilt, regrets as well as fun and happiness? Kate Davies' debut novel is a story of a woman discovering her sexuality for the first time, but is also a story about love and obsession. It is funny, blunt and also moving in places and I really did not expected to like it so much. So, big thumbs up from me.

Julia is stuck in a rut: she realises she's not had sex in 3 years. After a seemingly random hookup with a woman at a party, Julia comes to realise that she is a lesbian.

This darkly funny (and quite filthy) book follows Julia as she begins to explore and learn more about her LGBT identity. Julia begins a relationship with Sam and falls madly in love with her. Cue lots of very descriptive sex scenes, including BDSM and fisting (!) - I'm glad I didn't read this on my commute to work!

Though the book starts off as very funny and light, it eventually descends into much darker themes, as the relationship between Julia and Sam turns manipulative, controlling and abusive.

In at the Deep End is a really well written and brilliant debut, I read it in a day. Very much looking forward to reading more by Kate Davies.

Hilariously funny and delicious raunchy.
The main character was relatable and easy to get along with. The story was a fun one to read, with a lot of cringe worthy moments and laugh out loud capers.
A great read, thank you to Netgalley and Katie Davies for the advanced copy.

I honestly could not put this down, it was funny, really rude with lots of explicit sex in fact a real eye opener, though the sex parts were relevant to the story and not there just to shock. Really liked the main character. Most importantly it was really well written with a good story. Would highly recommend.

A frank and entertaining coming of age story with lots of interesting plot points - sexual awakening (primarily this), career twists and turns, friendships, marriage, family, mortality, learning to remake your life after disappointment. I could relate to a great deal of it. Fabulous characterisation, a little disturbing in places (SM, etc! Not my scene!) but overall very well written and hugely enjoyable.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a kindle ARC.

Tender and beautiful tale of discovering real love after a controlling relationship with a narcissist. Hot and passionate, I recommend!

It’s Valentine’s Day and I want to share the love for this book. It is SO good! My favourite read of the year so far, and definitely in my top ten for best books ever.

It is like nothing I have ever read before and that is fantastic! The writing is flawless, the storyline realistic and punchy and the sex scenes were relatable and realistic - not just erotica gone mad.

Whilst it made several over-shoulder-readers on the tube flinch (particularly when it came to the squirting scene) I loved it.

Can’t wait to see what Kate Davies delivers next.

It's funny, sweet, incredible sexy and ultimately really thoughtful novel about relationships and how they can go wrong. For all of its outrageousness there's a lovely subtlety to this one too.

I adored Julia and the way she embraces everything with an almost naive enthusiasm and isn't afraid to take a chance on life. The depictions of friendships is just brilliant and the way the flaws in her relationship with her new partner are slowly revealed is very clever.

This book manages to be fun and crude but also surprisingly deep and meaningful. It follows Julia, a 26 year old woman who hasn't had sex in three years. She decides it's time to break her dry spell and adventures ensue. This is told in first person from Julia's point of view which means you get to truly understand her logic and torment. However this is more than just a rude tale about a young woman's sex life, it covers deeper issues including coming out as gay and experiencing gay dating and relationships for the first time. Plus drugs, heartbreak, impacts of BDSM and also... a lot of fisting. I really loved this book and wish something like this was around to read when I was a bit younger!

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.