Updated on October 9, 2026
This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon and Libro.fm. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Verdict: A sharp, very funny, very explicit London debut about a woman discovering she is gay in her late twenties, undercut by marketing that promises a romp and a second half that turns into a study of an abusive relationship many readers were not prepared for.
Best for: Readers who want a frank, messy, literary coming-out story with plenty of sex and dark humour, and who can handle a central relationship that is controlling rather than romantic.
Heat level: ★★★★★ (5/5 — romance.io: explicit and plentiful)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.2/5 — a 3.49 Goodreads average across 10,355 ratings, with an unusually loud split between readers who expected a rom-com and readers who valued what it became)
Tropes: Queer awakening, coming out later, London, flatmates and friends, therapy, sex-positive comedy, BDSM, open relationship, emotionally abusive relationship, literary fiction.
In at the Deep End is Kate Davies’s 2019 debut, a standalone literary sapphic novel published by The Borough Press in the UK and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the US, in which Julia, a London twenty-something who has not had sex in three years, goes to a party, kisses a woman, realises she has been looking in the wrong place all along, and throws herself into queer life with more enthusiasm than caution.
It is widely read and sharply divided. Goodreads shows a 3.49 average across 10,355 ratings, and the spread is the story: a third of those ratings sit at three stars, and nearly one in six at one or two. Amazon is kinder at 4.0 stars from 1,836 ratings, and romance.io’s readers put it at 3.60. The disagreement is not about whether Davies can write; it is about what kind of book this is. Both halves of that split are worth understanding before you start.
What Is In at the Deep End About?
This is not a romance in the genre sense, and that is the single most important thing to know. It is a coming-of-age novel told in the first person by a woman in her late twenties, set in London, sold as a comedy and compared by its publisher to Bridget Jones. The first act earns that comparison. The rest of the book uses the same voice to tell a harder story, about what happens when someone with no experience of queer relationships falls for a woman who takes advantage of it.
Julia is the whole book. She is funny, self-deprecating and honest about sex in a way that readers either find refreshing or exhausting, and she is surrounded by friends, flatmates and a blunt trainee therapist who keep the book grounded when her choices do not. The relationship at its centre is with Sam, an experienced artist who introduces Julia to BDSM and an open relationship, and the book’s real subject is how slowly Julia notices what that relationship is doing to her.
What Makes This Sapphic Coming-Out Novel Work
- The opening chapters: Thirteen of the 30 most-read Goodreads reviews call it funny, and even readers who ended up hating the book say the first chapters had them laughing out loud.
- Julia’s voice: Readers describe her wry first-person narration as relatable, and at least one says Julia’s early thoughts resonated closely with her own.
- The friends: Her flatmates and friends are the book’s warmth. One reader says they feel like real friends by the end, and their honesty counters the darker material.
- Honesty about abuse: Readers who rated it well credit Davies with making the emotionally abusive relationship painful to watch, which one four-star reviewer calls a testament to the writing.
- Sex on the page: Nineteen of the 30 reviews mention it. Readers who liked the book found it frank and sex-positive in a way few literary novels manage, though the same frankness is part of what divides people.
Book Synopsis
Julia has not had sex in three years, and she has started to notice. Her flatmate’s love life is audible through the walls, her job is going nowhere, and the men she meets are a parade of disappointments. Her therapist, who is still in training and does not hold back, has opinions about all of it. So when she is invited to a party in a part of London where, as she understands it, people who have lots of exciting sex go on a Friday night, she says yes.
At the party she kisses a woman, and something clicks into place. Julia realises that the problem may never have been sex at all, only the people she was having it with. Delighted and terrified in equal measure, she sets about catching up on everything she has missed: apps, bars, one-night stands, the etiquette of a world she knows nothing about, and the cheerful patience of friends who watch her throw herself in head first.
Then she meets Sam, an artist who is confident and far more experienced, who seems to have every answer Julia is looking for. Sam opens doors Julia did not know existed, including kink and an open relationship, and Julia is eager to please. The question the book sets up is how much of herself Julia is prepared to give away to keep the woman who made her feel she had finally arrived, and whether she will recognise the cost before it is too late.
My Review
The voice is the best thing here, and it is excellent. Davies writes Julia’s discovery of her sexuality with the timing of a comedy writer, which she also is, and the early chapters are genuinely, consistently funny. Several readers who later turned against the book still say the first chapters had them in stitches.
The second strength is what the book does with its turn. Julia’s relationship with Sam is controlling, and Davies shows it from inside, through a narrator who keeps explaining away what is happening to her. Readers who valued the book often valued it for exactly this: a portrait of emotional abuse between women that is painful to watch, written with enough comedy around it that it never becomes a lecture. The friends and flatmates are the counterweight, and they are well drawn.
Where it struggles is the reason the reviews split so hard, and it dominates the low ratings: readers were promised one book and got another. Nine of the 30 most-read reviews talk about expectations, the blurb or the marketing, and the pattern is consistent. They came for a light, Bridget Jones-style romp about a woman discovering women, and around the midpoint the book becomes, in one reviewer’s summary, a switch from funny to just sad. Close behind is the portrayal of kink and non-monogamy. Several low-star reviews argue that BDSM and polyamory are presented almost entirely through an abusive partner, so the book seems to equate them with abuse, and one reader calls the consent in those scenes thin and the whole experience uncomfortable. A third, smaller complaint is about representation itself. One one-star review calls it “the straightest queer book I’ve ever read.”
The expectation to reset is the label. The cover and blurb sell a comedy; the book is a comedy about coming out wrapped around a serious novel about coercive control. If the comedy is what drew you, calibrate: the second half is painful. If the darkness is what interests you, know that the comic voice carries on into it, which is part of why the abuse lands for the readers who admire the book.
It is also not a love story in the way this site usually means. The arc is Julia’s. One four-star reader describes a happy-for-now ending that arrives late and briefly, once Julia has sorted herself out, and wished it had more room; another warns of tears at the end.
My honest note: A four-star first act and a brave, divisive second one, marketed as something it is not. If you want an honest, explicit, funny novel about coming out into a relationship that goes wrong, read it; if you want a rom-com, the cover is not telling you the truth.
| Element | In In at the Deep End |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Julia & Sam — a woman who has just come out and an experienced artist whose relationship with her turns controlling |
| Core tropes | Queer awakening, coming out later, London friendships, sex-positive comedy, BDSM, open relationship |
| Setting | Contemporary London, among flatmates, parties and queer bars |
| Heat level | 5/5 — romance.io: explicit and plentiful |
| Series | Standalone — literary coming-of-age novel, not a genre romance |
| Content notes | Very explicit sex, BDSM, dubious consent, an emotionally abusive relationship, drug use, a racist remark from a side character |
How Dark and Spicy Is In at the Deep End?
A 5 out of 5 for heat. romance.io places it in its top band, “explicit and plentiful”, from 17 reader ratings, and the Goodreads reviews agree: sex is mentioned in 19 of the 30 most-read reviews, and one reader describes a frank sex scene in nearly every chapter. The early encounters are played largely for comedy, which is part of the book’s charm.
The darkness needs the louder warning. romance.io’s readers flag dubious consent and abuse, and the Goodreads reviews explain why: the BDSM and open-relationship storyline runs through an emotionally abusive partner, and at least one reader says Julia seems uncomfortable with much of what she agrees to. If you want comparisons, Jen Beagin’s Big Swiss and Anna Dorn’s Perfume and Pain are messy, funny queer literary novels with frank sex at a gentler 3/5.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a laugh-out-loud voice, you came out later yourself or love stories about it, you value an honest portrait of an abusive queer relationship, and very explicit content does not bother you.
You may want to skip it if: you want a rom-com with the couple at its centre, coercion and dubious consent are hard for you, you object to kink and non-monogamy being shown mainly through an abusive partner, or graphic sex in nearly every chapter is too much.
In short: a brilliant comic voice telling a harder story than its cover admits, at the cost of the romance readers were promised.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (October 2026)
This is a backlist literary debut with a big, settled readership rather than a current moment. It came out in February 2019 in the UK and June 2019 in the US, and has reached 10,355 Goodreads ratings and 1,338 written reviews as of October 2026. Seven of the 30 most-read reviews mention a NetGalley or advance copy, and those skew more positive than the readers who bought it, which is worth keeping in mind when you read the five-star praise. I could not check Reddit or TikTok for this one, and Amazon’s editorial block carries no trade reviews, only an author bio noting that Davies wrote comedy scripts and edited children’s books before this. The audiobook is widely available: HarperCollins released a UK edition narrated by Lucy Briggs-Owen, running 10 hours 46 minutes, and Recorded Books a US edition narrated by Nicola Barber, running 11 hours 32 minutes.
Prefer audio? Listen to In at the Deep End on Libro.fm — the audiobook shop that supports independent bookstores.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The humour, above everything. “Funny” is the recurring word, and it appears in reviews at every star level. The second theme is Julia’s voice, which at least one reader says resonated closely with her own. The third is the way the book handles an abusive relationship between women; its admirers find Julia’s experience painful to watch in the right way. The supporting cast of friends and flatmates is singled out too, for adding warmth and good sense to the darker stretches.
What readers argue about and complain about: Expectations, above everything. The most repeated complaint is that the book was sold as a light comedy and turns into something much darker, and readers who felt misled rate it harshly. Second, the portrayal of BDSM and polyamory, which several readers argue is filtered almost entirely through an abusive partner, leaving the impression that the two go together; one reader also finds the consent in those scenes thin. Third, the sex itself, which some readers felt was there for shock value rather than character. One reviewer questions how queer the book feels at all, and another flags a racist remark from a side character late on. Against all of that, readers who rated it highly say the darker turn is what made the book worth reading. The book genuinely divides people, and both sides are reading it accurately.
The standalone question worth asking first: This is a complete standalone and a debut, with no sequel. It does not end as a conventional romance; the resolution belongs to Julia, with what one reader calls a happy-for-now ending, and another mentions tears. If you want more in this register, the literary sapphic novels in our sapphic fiction guide are a better next step than a genre romance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is In at the Deep End a romance?
Not in the genre sense. It is a literary coming-of-age novel whose arc belongs to Julia; one reader describes a brief happy-for-now ending once she gets out of the abusive relationship.
How spicy is In at the Deep End?
A 5 out of 5. romance.io places it in its top band, “explicit and plentiful”, and readers describe frank sex scenes throughout.
Does In at the Deep End have an abusive relationship?
Yes. Julia’s relationship with Sam becomes emotionally abusive, and romance.io’s readers flag dubious consent and abuse. Several readers say the marketing did not prepare them for it.
Is In at the Deep End funny?
Yes, especially early on. “Funny” is the recurring word in reviews at every star level, though several readers say the tone turns sad around the midpoint.
Is there an In at the Deep End audiobook?
Yes. HarperCollins’s UK edition is narrated by Lucy Briggs-Owen and runs 10 hours 46 minutes; Recorded Books’s US edition is narrated by Nicola Barber and runs 11 hours 32 minutes.
If You Loved In at the Deep End, Read These Next
For another funny, frank queer literary novel with a messy heroine, try Big Swiss. For a sharper, shorter comic novel about a woman making bad choices in love, go to Perfume and Pain. For a darker literary take on queer desire and control, Milk Fed is the closest match. For more like this, browse our sapphic fiction guide and the rest of our book reviews.
The Bottom Line
In at the Deep End sets out to tell a funny, explicit coming-out story and ends up telling a serious one about coercive control. The voice is brilliant, the friends are warm, and the portrait of an abusive relationship between women is painful and convincing. The marketing misleads, the kink and non-monogamy are shown mainly through the abuser, and readers looking for a romance will find only a brief one at the end. If you want an unflinching, funny literary debut about coming out into the wrong relationship, it is worth it. Check In at the Deep End on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, In at the Deep End ranks as a divisive literary sapphic debut — funny, frank and brave about abuse, held back by marketing that promises a rom-com, and best approached as a coming-out novel rather than as a romance.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ 3.49 average across 10,355 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 4.0 stars from 1,836 Amazon ratings
- ✓ Voice praised even by its critics
- ✓ Nearly one in six ratings at one or two stars
Romance ★★★☆☆ 2.6/5
- ✓ Central relationship is the book’s subject
- ✓ Abuse portrayed from the inside
- ✓ Early dating is joyful and funny
- ✓ A late, brief happy-for-now at best
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Julia’s voice called relatable
- ✓ Friends and flatmates add warmth
- ✓ Blunt trainee therapist adds bite
- ✓ Her choices frustrate some readers
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Funny in 13 of 30 top reviews
- ✓ Comedy-writer timing in early chapters
- ✓ Same voice carries the darker half
- ✓ Some read the sex as shock value
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Honest portrait of emotional abuse
- ✓ Readers mention tears at the end
- ✓ One reader says Julia’s thoughts mirror hers
- ✓ Tonal shift leaves many readers cold
Heat Level ★★★★★ 5/5
- ✓ romance.io: explicit and plentiful
- ✓ Sex mentioned in 19 of 30 reviews
- ✓ Frank scenes in nearly every chapter
- ✓ Dubious consent flagged in the kink
Ending ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Complete standalone
- ✓ Resolution centred on Julia herself
- ✓ One reader calls it happy-for-now
- ✓ Good things arrive too late, says a fan
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 2.9/5
- ✓ Two audiobook editions on Libro.fm
- ✓ Opening chapters reward a revisit
- ✓ Friends’ scenes hold up well
- ✓ Second half is hard to revisit
Affiliate disclosure: Lesbian Romance Reads participates in the Amazon Associates Program and the Libro.fm affiliate program. If you buy through a link on this page we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.