Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    In at the Deep End
    Unavailable
    In at the Deep End
    Unavailable
    In at the Deep End
    Audiobook10 hours

    In at the Deep End

    Written by Kate Davies

    Narrated by Lucy Briggs-Owen

    3.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    Read the ebook instead

    About this audiobook

    Pre-order Kate Davies' highly anticipated new novel, Nuclear Family, now!

    WINNER OF THE POLARI BOOK PRIZE 2020 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE 2019

    ‘Fresh and funny’ Guardian
    ‘Fleabag-level dirty jokes, Eleanor Oliphant-levels of empathy’ Grazia

    Until recently, Julia hadn’t had sex in three years.

    But now:
    • a one-night stand is accusing her of breaking his penis;

    • a sexually confident lesbian is making eyes at her over confrontational modern art;
    • and she’s wondering whether trimming her pubes makes her a bad feminist.
      Julia’s about to learn that she’s been looking for love – and satisfaction – in all the wrong places…
      ‘Frank, funny and fabulously filthy’ (Erin Kelly), In at the Deep End is a warm, brilliantly observed debut from a major new talent.
      #ImInAtTheDeepEnd
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateFeb 21, 2019
    ISBN9780008311377
    Author

    Kate Davies

    Kate Davies is a novelist, screenwriter and author of children’s books. Her first novel, In at the Deep End, won the Polari Book Prize and was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize. She lives in East London with her wife and son.

    More audiobooks from Kate Davies

    Related to In at the Deep End

    Related audiobooks

    LGBTQIA+ Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Slipping Away

      Jul 29, 2019

      Slipping Away
      6 min read

    • Article

      All By Myself

      Apr 28, 2020

      All By Myself
      6 min read

    • Article

      Heavy Heart

      Feb 5, 2022

      Heavy Heart
      6 min read

    • Article

      When Naming Isn’t Enough

      Aug 31, 2018

      When Naming Isn’t Enough
      16 min read

    • Article

      Good Boy

      Aug 3, 2021

      Good Boy
      10 min read

    • Article

      Offended On Behalf Of

      Apr 4, 2022

      I’m not in any hurry to finish this life (and I’m certainly hopeful that it won’t end anytime soon), but I’ve got to say that I’m pleased I don’t have to live on this same planet that you younger readers are going to have to occupy for the next 40 or

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Duplex

      Jun 9, 2020

      I moved to Los Angeles to sing. When was this? August? June? I was twenty-nine, and those were shapeless months, when the days blended together and I refused to pull them apart. My landlord was unusually close to her adult son. His name was Jeffrey,

      21 min read

    • Article

      Red, Rich River Of Love

      Apr 23, 2020

      Red, Rich River Of Love
      4 min read

    • Article

      Supportive Husband

      Sep 12, 2023

      There were less intimate places available, so it was odd when a woman took the seat directly facing mine across the subway aisle. I looked up from my book and right back down: a couple of months before, we’d gone home together. She had a Southern acc

      22 min read

    • Article

      The Next Morning

      Mar 14, 2018

      The Next Morning
      10 min read

    • Article

      My Secret Sex Diary

      Jun 24, 2022

      Want to share your secret sex diary? Email eleanor@divamag.co.uk I have always been reluctant to go on blind dates. Generally, first dates invoke a huge amount of anxiety for me. Being dyspraxic, I’m constantly knocking over my drink or tripping ove

      2 min read

    • Article

      Uncontrollable, Irrelevant

      Dec 6, 2022

      My sister called me the other day. She wanted to let me know that I had once more been merciless and cruel in my relations with our parents. “They say there’s a lot of anger in you,” she said. “It makes them mad. It hurts their feelings. They think y

      14 min read

    • Article

      Me & Davey Waters

      Jan 15, 2023

      Me & Davey Waters
      4 min read

    • Article

      Letter From The Founder

      Apr 11, 2024

      Letter From The Founder
      4 min read

    • Article

      Festival

      Sep 15, 2018

      My husband, who loved festivals, who was a great fan of festivals, wanted to get to the square in time for the first band at eleven o’clock. From bed, the dog and I watched him dress. He tried on various T-shirts, declaring some of them too tight and

      13 min read

    • Article

      60 Seconds That Changed My Life

      Feb 5, 2023

      DATE: December 2D, 1999, 8:15pm EVENT: Writer and broadcaster BENJAMIN LAW comes out to his mum about his sexuality. I GREW UP on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, the last mainland state in Australia to decriminalise homosexuality. That meant for a

      3 min read

    • Article

      60 Seconds That Changed My Life

      Feb 5, 2023

      DATE: December 2D, 1999, 8:15pm EVENT: Writer and broadcaster BENJAMIN LAW comes out to his mum about his sexuality. I GREW UP on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, the last mainland state in Australia to decriminalise homosexuality. That meant for a

      3 min read

    • Article

      Love, Lust, and More

      Feb 12, 2020

      Fleetwood Mac was singing She is dancing away from you now, and I squirmed in my seat. Kabir was rubbing my thigh as he drove, a gesture I once thought was reserved for me. Bah! I also used to think he only took naked selfies in bed with me, but then

      11 min read

    • Article

      Dirty Daddy

      Sep 7, 2023

      Dirty Daddy
      6 min read

    • Article

      Famous People

      Mar 1, 2022

      Famous People
      15 min read

    • Article

      Alan Cumming

      Nov 1, 2021

      Alan Cumming
      5 min read

    • Article

      Dementia

      Aug 12, 2021

      Dementia
      10 min read

    • Article

      Dementia

      Aug 12, 2021

      Dementia
      10 min read

    • Article

      Dementia

      Aug 12, 2021

      Dementia
      10 min read

    • Article

      My #MeToo

      Jul 17, 2020

      My #MeToo
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for In at the Deep End

    3.5/5

    68 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved the reading. The book is pretty good too.
    • 4/5
      I really liked the writing style of this novel. It’s funny yet honest. Will definitely read more by Davies again.
    • 3/5
      I feel no connection with Julia. I felt like there was no real character development and that's something I struggled with throughout the book. The only real development was her deciding to embrace being a queer woman and even that was not the greatest. I have an issue with it because she decided to become a queer woman because she had bad sex.

      I enjoyed the first half of this book but it started going down hill when Sam was introduced. That relationship was really cringe-worthy because of how abusive the relationship is. Sam was very manipulative and took advantage of Julia's innocence.

      It was hard to write this review because I did like the writing. The work flows so good and made you want to keep reading. I would be very picky about who I recommend this book to. If you are easily offended, this book isn't for you.
    • 1/5
      The first portion of In At the Deep End starts off on a lighter note. Especially more Rom-Com as Julia explores her sexuality as a lesbian woman. Julia is able to connect well with a group from swing class and is able to get their love and support in her new journey. However, the tone of the novel quickly turned heinous when a relationship with Sam began.
      The rest of the novel if filled with graphic, non consensual sex scenes, and a gross display of manipulation, leaving Julia in despair.
      I found most of my enjoyment came in the development of more minor characters such as Julia's Mum and Dad and her best friend, Alice.
      As a whole, it did represent varying perspectives of the LGBTQ community; but with the abuse and rape, the book left me feeling unsettled and unsatisfied.
    • 5/5
      This is my first lesbian fiction. I literally, read everything and this was definitely a first. It's hilarious, raunchy, sad and a love story. Julia is a character that you really can care about and cheer on. She never has felt like she's had a successful love life. It really makes her feel depressed and anxious. One night, she decides to try something different. She goes home with Jane and discovers that being with the ladies is more her style. She meets Sam, who introduces her to polyamory, SM, underground sex parties and all sorts of things. I'm so glad my family didn't see what I was reading, it's very detailed. I thought the author did a wonderful job of really telling Julia and Sam's story even with all the intense sex. My copy said #NSFW and I would agree!
    • 2/5
      Timely that this read came out during pride month as Julia is suffering from a three year drought from sex. Immediately, upon hearing of Julia's conquests I thought to myself whether men were really for her.... I won't spoil the book but be prepared for a 50 Shades read packed with girl on girl action. Julia certainly finds her true self as the story unravels and learns about relationships along the way, but it isn't enough to lure the reader in on the story alone. That said, if you enjoyed the "other parts" of 50 Shades, this may be for you. *Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.
    • 3/5
      Although I am not part of the target lesbian audience for "in at the deep end," the promise of a FUNNY alternative view of sexual freedom was initially attractive.Oddly, the early humor was from straight man, hetero-marriage oriented Dave.Much of the rest of the book surprised me. I somehow expected that lesbian sexual offerings would be more original and creative than the tired old gay and hetero male blech tropes of BDSM, water "sports," etc. Plus, licking a slimy snail is simply gross.The plot moves right along, interweaving roommates, friends, parents, and job with increasingly repetitive "amazing" sex. By the time Julia and Sam arrived in Lyon (a beautiful location for which we get only minimal description), I hoped that Julia was as tired of hearing only drunken sex conversations and a litany of annoying practices as I was. This is another reason why Dave was welcome - he had other things on his mind!It would be welcome in a sequel to have other characters, like Cat and Ella, developed with a lot more compassion for the world, way less self-absorbed selfish thinking and behavior, and actual paintings included by a really good artist.Julia never finding time to visit Eric was way too sadly predictable.Also, why Sam thinks Julia is so "amazing" is never made clear.
    • 4/5
      Julia, frustrated dancer and depressed office-worker with the world's least exciting sex-life, suddenly finds her life taking a new and exciting turn after she agrees to go on a date with a woman for the first time. Within a matter of days she's joined a queer dance-class, made a bunch of new lesbian friends, and is cruising the scary butch artist Sam at a gay bar. The sex is miles better than anything she has ever experienced before, but it soon turns out that relationships with women are just as fraught with difficulty as those with men were...This is one of those very funny books where you can never be quite sure how far the author is pulling your leg, written in a "Bridget Jones" comic mood but interspersed with episodes of very graphic S/M sex that swerve unpredictably back and forth between farce and seriously erotic. Davies obviously wants to subvert our expectations about lesbian fiction and the chicklit genre, at the same time as exploiting the conventions of romantic comedy mercilessly - there are chapters with headings like "No weddings and a funeral", "A dykey French lieutenant's woman" and "Love, actually?". And yes, the second of these involves a scene on the Cobb in Lyme Regis.Great fun.