Name: In at the Deep End
Rating: 3.595238095238095 (21 reviews)
ISBN: 9780008311346

Kate Davies

WINNER OF THE POLARI BOOK PRIZE 2020 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE 2019 'Fleabag-level dirty jokes, Eleanor Oliphant-levels of empathy' Grazia 'Fresh and funny' Guardian 'Every woman should own a copy of this book' Erin Kelly

In at the Deep End

* A Finalist for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction * One of Autostraddle's Best Queer Books of 2019 * A deliciously disarming debut novel about a twenty-something Londoner who discovers that she may have been looking for love—and pleasure—in all the wrong places (i.e., from men). Julia has had enough. Enough of the sex noises her roommate makes. Enough of her dead-end government job. Enough of the one-night stand who accused her of breaking his penis. The only thing she hasn’t had enough of is orgasms; she hasn’t had proper sex in three years. So when Julia gets invited to a warehouse party in a part of town where trendy people who have lots of sex go on a Friday night, she readily accepts. And that night she meets someone: a figurative artist who also happens to be a woman. Julia’s sexual awakening begins; her new lesbian life 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 unforgettable and audacious odyssey through the pitfalls and seductions we encounter on the treacherous path to love and self.

Great to read a book on such a different and important topic. But it suffers from being a tad too long and I found the humour falling flat at times.

Daniel Bower

"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)"--

Mirella Hetekivi

Thank you for using your voice to speak up for those who can’t. For those who struggle or have struggled with similar experiences. It’s definitely an important story to tell, even though it might be hard for some readers to relive what the brain is desperate to suppress. It’s quite therapeutic to not feel alone, I’d say, even though it hurts.

Beth Bartholomew

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!

Hannah Picken

Kate Sigrist

Steph Dwyer

Anita McAndrew

'Every woman should own a copy of this book' Erin Kelly 'Brilliant' Stylist'Very, very, very funny' Sarra Manning 'The best thing I've read in AGES' Gill Sims 'Fresh and funny' Guardian'I love this book!' Josie Long 'Fresh, filthy and funny' GraziaUntil 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... 'Frank, funny and fabulously filthy' (Erin Kelly), In at the Deep End is a warm, brilliantly observed debut from a major new talent. #ImInAtTheDeepEnd

In at the Deep End

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