REVIEW: Deeper by Robin York

I really loved Deeper by Robin York. I found it very surprising how much I enjoyed this story and this relationship especially as I'm not always a fan of the new adult genre.  But Deeper was such a fantastic book that I felt dealt with serious topics well, had a great, empowering storyline and characters and a relationship that I could really root for from the very first page! I was really intrigued to see the topic of the unauthorised distribution of sexual/naked photos appear in more than one book I'd read recently (the other by Jennifer Brown) and I thought it was dealt with in a really interesting and enlightening way. 

In Deeper, Caroline is a university student whose life alters unexpectedly when her ex-boyfriend, after a difficult break-up, sends their sex pictures to a revenge porn site.  Suddenly, Caroline is the subject of gossip and cruel rumours, judgement from other people, weird looks.

I really felt for Caroline. She obviously knew her ex is the only possible person to have done this to her and yet at the start of the story, there isn't a great deal that Caroline feels she can do about it all. Except fight to have these photos removed and also to internalise all these terrible things people are saying about her. I was really sad and angry on Caroline's behalf for everything she goes through and everything she begins to believe about herself. There is a great deal of harassment and slut shaming from friends, family members, complete strangers.  It was really quite harrowing to read in parts. Despite being really smart and motivated and strong, this whole thing really gets to Caroline. All of her self-confidence is shredded by the actions of her ex-boyfriend.

And the thing that I love the most about Deeper is that despite the very typical looking romantic-new adulty cover, this story, for me, focuses a lot more on Caroline's struggle to reclaim her identity. For such a long time, she begins to think of herself as only that girl in the sex photographs but mostly through her friendship with West she claws her way back towards being more and not letting that one event identify who she is as a person. I loved that. 

Which isn't to say that I didn't absolutely love Caroline and West as a couple! I did, I loved them. I loved every single one of their interactions together and I loved hearing about their strange first connection when they first met and how they never spoke for an entire year. I loved that they reconnect by baking bread together and how much their friendship (and more) develops over time. I really loved the two of them together. They had amazing chemistry and I really cannot to read the sequel, Harder, which is being published later this year! 

Deeper by Robin York was an amazing new adult novel and it's quickly become one of my favourites. I really recommend that you pick it up!