* 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 … 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.
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This is the first LGBT book I have read. That I can remember at least. The beginning of the book was good funny and easy to get into. The middle was iffy and the ending was surprising. To me the book came off as a coming-of-age book. I think that is mostly because Julia is just starting to find out who she is. But it was an ok book. Happy reading everyone!!
Not a perfect book, but I could not put this down and I loved reading every page. Looking forward to more from this author!
I’m still in shock that this was Kate Davie’s debut novel! The depth and detail she devotes to Julia and Sam’s evolving relationship was impressive and unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s not often a reader can find a story centered on a woman-woman relationship, making this a perfect read for Pride Month!
While the last 100 pages of the novel unveil an extreme intensity in the dialogue between Julia and Sam, I found this story easy to follow and intriguing from start to finish. For those that don’t mind some graphic sex scenes and strong language, this title was a breathe of fresh air and a wonderful reminder of discovering one’s identity in numerous ways. If you’re looking to step outside your reading comfort zone, I highly recommend giving this book a shot!
I really enjoyed this book, even though there were a few parts that were a bit slow. From the first look, I expected a bit more of an intense book, but it wasn’t really even though it did have some intense moments. This book shows the expanse LGBT community and different types of sexual relationships from single, straight couples to non-monogamous S&M communities. It was refreshing to see the diversity. There is also a good scale of unhealthy and abusive, controlling relationships to healthy stable relationships in both straight and LGBT communities. I thought this was a great read and a great release for Pride month. If you’re looking for something different than the same old romance, I think you should give this book a read!
This book is something different than anything else I’ve read. It was a well rounded read and the story does move along well. I do not know what I fully expected to feel when I read the first look but it did exceed my expectations. This book can be read as a stand-alone and if i were to recommend it to others I would be sure to let them know ahead of time about that there could be triggers. The characters were well developed and you could relate to them at times even if you yourself would not identify them in any other way but such in a way that sometimes life constantly has you questioning things and other times you are only questioning yourself. I would read other works from this author in the future.
In at the Deep End by Kate Davies a four-star read that will rock you. If you like your writing gentle and soft, then this isn’t the one for you this was crude and honest and fantastically brilliant. This one had me grabbing my kindle and announcing to my work crowd with a crazed look on my face and going ‘I’m diving in and I may not come out alive or at least not without blushing’ they are used to my brand of crazy and know it takes some to get me blushing with my lunch time reading. This one had me blushing and snorting, Julia is such a great character you will have a hard time not loving her, her journey is a tough one but its also revealing in many ways.