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Verdict: An unusual, introspective debut about a woman’s late awakening in the swimming pool — refreshing to readers tired of formula, but most found the writing hard to warm to, the romance thin and the ending premature.
Best for: Readers who want a quiet, literary-leaning self-discovery story with a European setting.
Heat level: Low
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (2.6/5 — a 2.88 Goodreads average across 25 ratings, 2.06 on StoryGraph from 4 reviews, and 3.5 stars across 9 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Coach / student, coming out later in life, unhappy marriage, age gap, self-discovery, slow burn.
Underwater Vibes is Mickey Brent’s 2017 debut, a contemporary lesbian romance from Bold Strokes Books. Hélène Dupont, a scientific translator in Brussels who loves flowers and her cat, is stuck in a painful marriage and writes bad poetry to cope. A forced lifestyle change brings Sylvie Routard, a young Greek photographer, into her life as her private swim coach.
It holds a 2.88 average across 25 Goodreads ratings, with 28% of them four or five stars, 2.06 on StoryGraph from 4 reviews, and 3.5 stars across 9 Amazon ratings. The sample is small.
What Is Underwater Vibes About?
During daily lessons, Hélène’s admiration for Sylvie turns to attraction. Daydreams about her swim coach creep into her thoughts and her poems, and she starts to question her marriage and everything else in her life.
Readers note it is really about Hélène’s physical, mental and emotional transformation — the romance is the slow undercurrent.
What Works in This Book
- Something different: Several readers welcomed a book that isn’t a typical fluffy romance.
- Self-discovery: Readers describe a story of change, internal struggle and honest insight into attraction.
- European flavour: One reader liked that it reads as a European book with a lesbian story.
- Easy summer read: At least one reader found it light and pleasant.
Book Synopsis
A Brussels translator with an unhappy home life takes up swimming and cycling to change her health — and discovers that her new coach changes far more.
As the pull between them grows, Hélène has to face her fear of the water and the truth about her marriage.
My Review
There is a real idea here: an older woman finding her body, her confidence and her desire in the same place. Readers who liked it valued exactly that — a cerebral, almost artistic take on attraction.
But the writing is the sticking point. Readers call it choppy, and one compares it to reading a police report. Others couldn’t connect with the characters, found it dragging, or disliked the cheating. One reviewer called it fatphobic. And one notes that it ends before much of anything happens between the two women.
My honest note: Sample it first — the style will decide it for you.
| Element | In Underwater Vibes |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Hélène Dupont (translator) & Sylvie Routard (photographer and swim coach) |
| Core tropes | Coach / student, late awakening, unhappy marriage |
| Setting | Brussels, Belgium — mostly the pool |
| Heat level | Low |
| Length | 242 pages (paperback) |
| Ending | Early in the relationship, per one reader |
| Content notes | Cheating, an unpleasant husband, body image and weight (called fatphobic by one reader) |
How Spicy Is Underwater Vibes?
Not very. The tension is mostly in Hélène’s head and in the pool.
Content to know about: infidelity, a brutish husband, and heavy focus on weight and body image.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you enjoy introspective, unconventional books about late self-discovery. It is on our sapphic sports romance list.
You may want to skip it if: you want a full romance arc, or cheating and weight talk are dealbreakers.
In short: An interesting idea that never quite surfaces.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 8% five stars, 20% four, 36% three, 24% two and 12% one. Only four StoryGraph readers have reviewed it, and all who answered tagged it emotional and reflective. The most common verdict in written reviews is a lukewarm three stars.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Its difference first. Second, the self-discovery. Third, the European feel.
What readers argue about and complain about: The writing style, above everything. Second, weak connection to the characters. Third, the cheating. Fourth, the unfinished-feeling ending.
The comparison worth making first: Switchback, an athlete romance with far more romance on the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Underwater Vibes a romance?
Only partly. Readers describe it as a slow self-discovery story with a bit of romance, not a typical romance novel.
Is there cheating in Underwater Vibes?
Hélène is married when her feelings for Sylvie develop, and at least one reader disliked the cheating aspect.
Does Underwater Vibes have a happy ending?
It is not a big romantic finish. One reader says the book ends before much happens and the two women still don’t really know each other.
How spicy is Underwater Vibes?
Low. There is some physical attraction, but readers describe a cerebral, internal book rather than a steamy one.
Is Underwater Vibes on Kindle Unlimited?
Not when we checked; the Kindle edition from Bold Strokes Books was listed at $9.99.
If You Loved Underwater Vibes, Read These Next
Browse our sapphic sports romance list for more athletic settings, or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Underwater Vibes sets out to capture the moment admiration turns to attraction, and its premise is fresh. What holds it back is the writing and the thin romance. Try a sample first. Check Underwater Vibes on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Underwater Vibes ranks as a weak romance — different, but distant.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★☆☆ 2.6/5
- ✓ 2.88 average across 25 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 28% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 2.06 on StoryGraph from 4 reviews
- ✓ 3.5 stars across 9 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★☆☆☆ 2.3/5
- ✓ Slow burn
- ✓ Thin
- ✓ Cheating
- ✓ Unfinished
Characters ★★★☆☆ 2.5/5
- ✓ Hélène’s transformation
- ✓ Hard to connect with
- ✓ Horrible husband
- ✓ Sylvie’s own hesitation
Writing ★★☆☆☆ 2.3/5
- ✓ Cerebral
- ✓ Choppy
- ✓ Police-report feel
- ✓ Different
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 2.8/5
- ✓ Tagged emotional
- ✓ Reflective
- ✓ Self-discovery
- ✓ Distant
Heat Level ★★☆☆☆ 1.5/5
- ✓ Low
- ✓ Some physical tension
- ✓ Internal
- ✓ No steam
Ending ★★☆☆☆ 2.2/5
- ✓ Ends early
- ✓ Little resolution
- ✓ Open
- ✓ Frustrating for one
Re-read Value ★★☆☆☆ 2.3/5
- ✓ $9.99 Kindle price
- ✓ 242 pages
- ✓ Debut
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
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