Reading My MOST Anticipated Romances of 2025 💕

[@chandlerainsley]

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[@yoonglesyn0613]

I am currently trying to move on from deep end , can't seem to pick up a book after it, IT WAS SO GOOD

[@hayleilei9604]

I’d love a video of recommendations just for this situation because I also finished The Deep End and immediately wanted to reread it!!

[@laurlovesliterature]

I just love Ali Hazelwood. She really just scratches my brain.

[@mildredamanda9098]

Deep end is so good! I finished it in one day and then immediately got the audiobook and have been rereading it that way! Honestly I cannot remember the last time I had so much fun reading a romance! I love it so much!!

[@delaynie.k]

I feel like Deep End really came out of left field. I’m not mad about it though.

[@sarajackson1205]

I listened to deep end and then immediately started listening to it again. That never happens

[@blane1814]

I wish u better days 🫶🏻♥️

[@whitneystriggow2368]

The bit where you were talking about Hayden being gone and only talking to 3 people and your pets was so relatable 😂😂😂 especially the sister on FaceTime part 😅

[@pleasedtoreadyou]

i loved Deep End and i loved loved loved that epilogue!

[@cbalparda]

Deep end is up there with my favorite Ali Hazelwood. It was soo good and now I’m stuck with finding another book to cure the hangover.

[@avh907]

I read Deep End in roughly 24 hours, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It really might be my new favorite Ali Hazelwood book?? Literally everything about it did it for me, and I probably would have gone and re-read it immediately if I hadn’t wanted to return the Libby copy ASAP so that the next person in line could have their life similarly changed. Like, the fact that the first 40%+ is pure TENSION absolutely killed me in the best way, plus I loved the non-romantic subplots, and I 100% cried about Scarlett processing all of her perfectionism, etc., and UGH. And of course now I can’t figure out what to read next because, again, all I want to do is re-read Deep End or, better yet, read it for the first time again.

[@leilanijenna]

I read deep end in 2 days i loved. it so much. Ali knows how to scratch every itch I have

[@JemilaBeReadin]

I finished Deep End a few days ago and I had a feeling you were gunna love it! Ali Hazelwood seems to be really finding her stride in her last few books!

[@ChanelChapters]

Everyone absolutely SHOULD retain financial autonomy

[@taylorgayhart9497]

I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed Deep End! I prefer open door, but I’m not a big fan of kink tropes, but the way their relationship actually grew through their exploration.

[@cassiek67]

Deep End was one of my favorite Ali Hazelwood books in a while! And I also agree that the sex was more vanilla than I was expecting, especially after reading the author’s note at the beginning, but in the end, I didn’t mind because I loved it so much lol

[@irissu02]

It's funny your talking about the feeling of finishing a book and wanting to re read it all over again because that's exactly how I felt after finishing the all for the game trilogy (the foxhole court) that I finally got the push to read after your other video talking about the new volume so I guess thank you for pushing me towards a new favorite

Nice to see you smiling at the end of the video. Depression is the gd worst, truly. Would you ever consider doing a video just centered around queer romance? Like your favorite queer books? Hope your feet kicking and giggling continues through February and beyond

[@labellejupe]

I loved Deep End so much! Wanted to immediately re-read too!

[@michajaneroy]

Thank you for letting me know which book I’m asking for this Valentine’s 💌 Day!

[@tunz6560]

I stayed up all night reading Deep End😍

[@lorenavalle1884]

I loved Deep end ❤❤ my first five stars of the year

[@mell2400]

6:00 same, I have been reading her books bc I liked, it happened one summer, sooo much, and the rest of her books just felt flat

[@JillHeartsBooks]

I read deep end and also really enjoyed it ❤

[@aliesbookishlife]

I love deep end so so so so much!! I also considered restarting as soon as I was done… I haven’t yet but still thinking about it 😂

[@hellobookss]

I just finished reading Deep End and I absolutely loved it! It was so entertaining and it turned out to be one of my favorites by Ali Hazelwood!

[@jaschahal7408]

I read Flirting with Disaster last month and it was a solid 3 star for me- Nikhil should have been given his own POV - I think that part is missing for character insight. Looking forward to reading Deep End this month! 😊

[@Catscoffeecan]

8:44 that sounds exactly like Sweet Home Alabama 😂

[@Catscoffeecan]

Welp I could’ve waited 5 seconds to comment I guess 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@melg1022]

Whelp looks like flirting with disaster and deep end are on the list now!!

[@lyna7038]

I am so excited for deep end

[@natscorner]

I can’t wait to pick up Deep End!!!

[@tunz6560]

I have found myself in the same place you do, Chandler, skipping through sex scenes..but i don't do that with Ali Hazelwood books. It's less about the act, more about the characters and feelings...i just love it I also love how obsessed the heroes are. I forget most of what i read these days, but not her books, which is a comfort read for me.

[@lindsayrenee1063]

Good for you! Sometimes you gotta say no to some authors

[@megmae19]

Yeah I decided Tessa Bailey wasn’t for me anymore too after Fangirl Down.

[@tierneyhewitt879]

Finished Deep End last night and now I’m reeling. No book I pick up is gonna hit the same😅

[@AwkwardBookworm]

I want to read deep end so bad 😭

[@tunz6560]

Only thing i didn't like in Deep End was that i thought they would flip, like try her being control ..that would have been interesting to read.

[@AlmiraZulfikar]

I read Deep End in a day, and then started the audiobook straight after. Which was a slightly different experience. Still good, but the narrator was more upbeat than how I initially imagined Scarlett’s personality to be like. It was a more angsty/moody first read and more quirky second read. I quite enjoyed Dream Girl Drama, loved the sexual tension. Perhaps my state of mind created a more angsty/moody influence to the book, hence why it wasn’t as annoying as the last 2 books in the series.

[@liezllovesbooks]

I’ve never read a book by Ali Hazelwood before, but I am curious about Deep End because I’ve heard a lot of opposing reviews, and I’m just curious about what I will think about it

[@ninjaturtles12121]

okay fiiiinnnneeeee chandler I willll pick up deep end lol! everyone has been raving about it but that god awful cover was turning me offfff lol

[@heatherbocks]

That’s so valid 😂

[@giulimarra]

I don’t know what she was drinking during deep end. But I’m gonna need the recipe asap because I was a whet mop trying to clean the floor.

[@ninjaturtles12121]

I prefer tessa's books that she self publishes. she's more free in her writing in those vs. the traditionally published ones.

[@chandlerainsley]

i’ve had the opposite experience with her self pub ones 😭 but i’m glad you like them!

[@amyd714]

❤

[@piag.438]

i´m gonna be in the minority here but i hated Deep End... 2 stars, one of her worst books in my opinion. (spoilers) sex scenes weren´t bad but honestly more vanilla than what i was expecting and it was kinda the same scene over and over again, i lied how vocal Lukas was but Scarlett was just.. there. saying "please" all the time like someone super inexperienced and shy. also hated the fact that Lukas was Pen´s ex, it made me not feel comfortable rooting for Lukas and Scarlett because it felt like them being together was wrong so idk, i feel like that was an unnecessarily messy thing to put in the book. it was way too long for a romance and yet somehow it felt like we didnt get enough in my opinion. also, personal preference, but i DESPISE the word c*nt and it was used A LOT. i cringed every time. Lukas was nice to Scarlett but i think he was shitty to Pen even prior to them breaking up, gave me the vibes of that guy who just doesnt really like his gf and treats her badly (not like he treated Scarlett, it was obvious he took WAAAAY more interest in her life compared to the woman he dated for 7 YEARS!!) but he also didnt break up with her and made her get sick of his behaviour so she had to break up with him. i genuinely just felt bad for Pen for most of the book. and i found scarlett pretty annoying, the typical ali hazelwood character, who´s this brilliant super smart, successful overachiever that´s flabbergasted every time something she put effort into turned out well. the equivalent to that straight A classmate we all had in school that always said how badly he/she did on the exam and was on the verge of puking before getting results and then it turned out they got a perfect score. just makes u wanna roll your eyes or slap them honestly (but maybe that´s just me). is it too much to ask for a badass woman who´s not terribly insecure in her abilities but is actually self assured and knows exactly what she´s capable of????

[@chandlerainsley]

yeahhhh i couldn't disagree more with absolutely all of this lmao. different strokes for different folks though which i adore. we don't all have to agree! i think scarlett... just WAS inexperienced. she had one partner before Lukas really. i think vocalizing in the same ways (the please made sense, they have a dom/sub relationship) & also having similar moments between them felt realistic to not only their characters but also real life. i felt the drama between all the characters was similarly realistic. i didn't root for Pen, especially because she didn't understand Lukas and was so back and forth on whether she wanted to be with him. and i was that classmate. annoying, sure. but hey, i related to Scarlett. if you do want a self assured heroine though, would recommend Sarah Adam's latest. i appreciated that aspect of that book a lot.

[@piag.438]

@@chandlerainsley the fact that she seemed so inexperienced kinda made me wish that we got an older character. I think most people at 21 don’t REALLY know what they want sexually and especially someone who’s kink it is to please their partner and be told what to do, would struggle discerning between what they actually like vs simply liking that their partner likes them doing it. I just had high hopes and was hoping for a female main character that was more INVOLVED rather than simply just being there. To me it just felt kinda empty when Lukas would say stuff like “I can’t believe you’re real” because she literally wasn’t anything special in bed.. she just let him do what he wanted and occasionally said please. Most women do that or like this type of sex. I thought it was gonna be like ACTUALLY some bdsm stuff but to me this was pretty vanilla compared to what i was expecting based on what i heard from the book. (and this is coming from someone who literally likes EXACTLY what Scarlett likes sexually, i think it’s ridiculous that most people are acting like this is the most kinkiest shit they’ve ever read and it gave me way too high expectations and the sex kinda turned out to be pretty… normal) But the whole thing with Pen (although kinda realistic because sometimes people fall in love with their friend’s ex) just didn’t feel like it was necessary and was weird to me at times. Like Pen in the beginning said how she thinks that even if Lukas and her break up, they’ll find each other in the future because they’re “meant to be” which is the only reason why she was okay with Lukas and Scarlett hooking up. Even though i also think that in and of itself is a bit strange, they would then date again and get married and she would maybe still be friends with Scarlett who would be around them and it would just be this weird dynamic of knowing that they used to have kinky sex or whatever. Idk, just too messy and unrealistic for me. There was even a point at the end of the book where Scarlett asked Barb “Do you think that a relationship that started so messily, and with so many hiccups, and hurting other people, can have a happy future?” and that was literally my whole point with the relationship. I couldn’t root for them to be together because of how it started. Usually after a breakup with someone u were with for 7 years, u need some time, u need to figure shit out, it’s a huge adjustment but both of them just jumped into relationships with other people. I just found that super unrealistic and in the real world this wouldn’t work. And dating your friend’s ex wouldn’t work, especially when he was her first everything probably since they started dating at 15. For most of the book, Pen still considered him her boyfriend, she even said at the end of the book “you’re my boyfriend”. Is she in the wrong? Yes because he ISN’T her boyfriend but I’m just saying that she clearly wasn’t okay with it and people don’t just suddenly change their mind like that, she sees him as her safe space and would likely go to him again when something really bad happens as she countless times in the book. In real life u should probably steer clear of dudes that just broke up with their long term childhood sweetheart who they are still pretending to date and she still calls him whenever she needs him. Sounds like the most off-putting situation to be in honestly, nothing romantic about it, way too messy when i wanted a pure romance where i could root for the couple. And u can’t tell me that in real life, this friend group would survive this whole situation, someone would have gotten jealous or whatever. Things don’t end well when people start dating their friend’s exes IRL but in romance books every always works out which isn’t reassuring for people who might be going through similar stuff in their life.

[@Tharia1981]

One book I finished and immediately started again (the next morning) was The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. But only this first book. I didn't really like the second book and I totally hated the third.

[@ValthatBish]

[@asourcedivine]

God I loved Deep End so much I already want to read it again and I NEVERRRR feel like that with romance books lol

[@tunz6560]

I have found myself in the same place you do, Chandler, skipping through sex scenes..but i don't do that with Ali Hazelwood books. It's less about the act, more about the characters and feelings...i just love it I also love how obsessed the heroes are. I forget most of what i read these days, but not her books, they're a comfort read for me.