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Verdict: A sweet, dual-timeline second-chance romance: teenage swimming rivals Hannah (Australia) and Angie (USA) fall for each other before Angie cuts contact without explanation — then, years later, Angie joins the Australian coaching team as Hannah attempts a comeback for Sydney 2000. Readers like the comfortable writing and both timelines; sports fans wanted more swimming.
Best for: Readers who enjoy first-love-returns stories with a sporting backdrop.
Heat level: Not rated
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.5/5 — a 3.74 Goodreads average across 77 ratings, 3.75 on StoryGraph from 12 reviews, and 4.4 stars across 19 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Second chance, first love, rivals, friends to lovers, dual timeline, athlete/coach.
Running Deep is Bette Hawkins’s 2020 lesbian sports romance from Bella Books. American swimming star Angie Thomson and Australian prodigy Hannah Clark, the youngest on their teams, form a fast friendship that grows into something deeper through letters and long phone calls — until Angie suddenly severs the relationship.
It holds a 3.74 average across 77 Goodreads ratings, with 63% of them four or five stars, 3.75 on StoryGraph from 12 reviews, and 4.4 stars across 19 Amazon ratings.
What Is Running Deep About?
Years later, Hannah is training for a comeback at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney when she learns Angie has been hired by the Australian coaching team. Still hurt by Angie’s unexplained silence, she slowly lets her back in.
The attraction hasn’t gone anywhere — and a steamy kiss in a hotel pool raises the stakes.
What Works in This Book
- Dual timeline: Readers who are usually wary of past-and-present structures say both timelines held them.
- Comfortable writing: One fan calls Hawkins an automatic must-read for her comfortable style; another praises the dialogue and pacing.
- Athlete mindset: One competitive reader says it captures the drive of an elite athlete.
- Understanding and forgiveness: Readers like a love story that takes time and grace.
Book Synopsis
Teenage swimming rivals fall in love, lose each other, and meet again before the Sydney Olympics.
Can they get past the silence?
My Review
This is a warm, well-paced reunion story with likeable leads and some well-placed angst about why Angie vanished. The 1980s pen-pal romance is a sweet counterpoint to the adult story.
The critics mostly wanted more sport. Two readers felt swimming and the Olympics were secondary or shoe-horned in, with races over in a blink, and one expected more on training and team life than a short teenage romance revisited. Two others simply couldn’t connect with the characters, and one found the leads slightly immature.
My honest note: Pick it up for the second chance, not the swimming.
| Element | In Running Deep |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Hannah Clark (Australian swimmer) & Angie Thomson (American swimmer turned coach) |
| Core tropes | Second chance, first love, rivals |
| Setting | Elite swimming, 1980s and the run-up to Sydney 2000 |
| Heat level | Not rated |
| Length | 214 pages (paperback) |
| Series | Standalone |
| Content notes | Sudden abandonment by a first love |
How Spicy Is Running Deep?
Not rated; the blurb mentions a steamy kiss in a hotel pool.
StoryGraph has no content warnings submitted.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you love a second chance with history behind it. It is on our low-angst and sapphic sports romance lists.
You may want to skip it if: you want detailed race-day action.
In short: Old flames, fast lanes.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 22% five stars, 41% four, 27% three, 6% two and 2% one — a smaller, more mixed readership than many titles here.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The dual timeline first. Second, comfortable writing. Third, the athlete mindset. Fourth, forgiveness.
What readers argue about and complain about: Too little swimming, above everything. Second, no connection for some. Third, immature leads for one.
The comparison worth making first: Other picks on our sapphic sports romance list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Running Deep told in two timelines?
Yes. It alternates between Hannah and Angie as teenage rivals in the 1980s and as adults before the Sydney 2000 Olympics, and readers say both timelines work.
How much swimming is in it?
Less than the cover suggests. Several readers say the swimming and the Olympics feel secondary to the relationship, and races pass quickly.
How spicy is Running Deep?
We have not found a reliable heat rating. The blurb promises a steamy kiss in a hotel pool.
Is it low angst?
Mostly. Readers describe well-placed angst tied to the old break-up, with a sweet second chance.
Is Running Deep on Kindle Unlimited?
Not when we checked; the Kindle edition was listed at $9.99.
If You Loved Running Deep, Read These Next
Browse our sapphic sports romance list, the low-angst list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Running Deep sets out to reunite two first loves against an Olympic backdrop, and the romance is sweet. What holds it back is a sport that stays in the background. A pleasant read. Check Running Deep on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Running Deep ranks as a fair second-chance romance — sweet, shallow on sport.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ 3.74 average across 77 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 63% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.75 on StoryGraph from 12 reviews
- ✓ 4.4 stars across 19 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Second chance
- ✓ First love
- ✓ Forgiveness
- ✓ Didn’t grab some
Characters ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Likeable
- ✓ Well-defined
- ✓ Immature for one
- ✓ Hard to connect for some
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Comfortable style
- ✓ Dual timeline
- ✓ Good dialogue
- ✓ Races rushed
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Old hurt
- ✓ Well-placed angst
- ✓ Sweet
- ✓ Low stakes
Heat Level ★★☆☆☆ 2/5
- ✓ Not rated
- ✓ Steamy kiss
- ✓ Adult
- ✓ Unconfirmed
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Second chance
- ✓ Olympic backdrop
- ✓ Warm
- ✓ Quiet
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3.1/5
- ✓ $9.99 Kindle price
- ✓ 214 pages
- ✓ Niche
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
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