Conceptually, this was clever and the blurb just dragged me into requesting to read and review. As a fan of Cara McKenna, I wanted to love this book but the result was like. The concept and context are two damaged strangers who begin a tentative texting friendship following a circumstantial finding of one another's numbers. There is much masked for quite some time in this read: who are the characters, what gender are they, will they ever meet?

There was power in the writing of this book, the writing was mainly strong, after all, there was only dialogue in this book, no thoughts, introspection or narrative that wasn't dialogue. I was utterly captured by the man and his boy story, for me, that was what I loved most about this story. In fact, I wanted more of the man and boy. There was some significant chemistry between the two texting and this grew in a tangible way that I believed the connection and growth of affection.

The first quarter of the book I found to be slow going but I did become invested and I enjoyed the final quarter the most.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley in return for an honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

Two lost souls connected by the frailest of threads, faceless technology, bare themselves and fall in love with just their words. It sounds impossible; but having been a fan of both Charlotte Stein and Cara McKenna, I knew these two masters of provocative wordsmithry could make it happen.

Even as they are unconsciously falling in love, these two virtual strangers are falling into lust with incendiary, smutty sexts that make the reader forget they have yet to touch, much less meet. The story was deliciously, slowly, hazily built up even though it takes place in just days. But I have to admit that the sexting parts may have dragged on too much (crazy, I know!). The parts I really relished was when the characters revealed themselves - their names, their painful pasts, his son's problems. The most achingly real moment was when he revealed who he really was trying to reach when he first texted her.

In many ways, this reminded me of Teresa Medeiros' Goodnight Tweetheart, only without the twee sweetness. I found myself alternating between hoping the characters would hurry up and meet already and times when their honest confessions left me gutted.

The authors did such a fantastic job creating this private world that I often felt like I was eavesdropping on secret lovers. I only wish the pacing had been tighter, and most of all, that the ending hadn't been so abrupt. Given how much I lived through their words, the sudden ending felt as though they deliberately slammed the door on me.

4 - I never expected to hear back... Stars!

The blurb for Way Down Deep is what firstly sold me on reading this book, I was interested to see if the authors would be able to transfer enough emotion and depth to a story that is basically told through the medium of text messaging.

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The second selling point; Cara McKenna, I have only read one other book by her, but it left such a lasting effect on me, that even three years on from reading it I still think about it on occasion, when you read as voraciously as I do, that is not something that happens often.

I have a crush on someone, based on nothing but her words…

Back to the book, this essentially starts with the H, sending a text of desperation to a number he never ever expected to get a reply from, here enters the h, as she now has the number that he has texted. I did wonder if developing a relationship over text would be a struggle on a longer time-frame, because there are literally no verbal words spoken in this book between the H/h, and for me in the main the authors hit the right pitch.

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The first 40% was great in building the anticipation, and you got to know Maya and Malcolm as they essentially got to know each other. The next 30% did drag a bit, because it morphed into one long stexting session, and I found myself getting a bit distracted from it all, the phrase 'actions speak louder than words' was pretty apt for the amount of typing about what they wanted to do to each other went on, but the authors did manage to pull it back with the end, and I found myself sniffling at my desk by the end of it.

Something about you, about this, give me hope.

Both characters have pretty grim back stories, and I actually think the texting helped keep from making it too angsty in its own way, because although a lot of the texts were written more of a letter length than a couple of sentences, nothing was dwelled on for too long, before they moved onto the next thing.

You’re the twig in my pine needle tea.

If you are looking for a love story, that’s a little different from the normal ‘boy meets girl’ theme, this is definitely one I would recommend you give a try. I have to say the end though… Gah! I so wanted an epilogue, in fact the authors could probably write another book from the ending they gave this one. Not a cliffy per-se, but I definitely wanted more.

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.

Loved this book! It grabbed me from the beginning and drew me to the conclusion. I wish I wasn't done with it! A great read! you will love this book!

I was so intrigued by this book. And I really wanted to love it.

But, in all honesty, it felt a bit try hard. That sounds awful, but I cannot think of how else to describe it.

We have 2 characters who accidentally end up in contact via txt, and start talking to each other.

We find out over the course of this texting "relationship" (which goes from 0-60 in like 2 weeks) they both have traumatic pasts, and some quite heavy real life issues.

The problem is, it feels like this is not really addressed. They both develop a pretty co dependent relationship with each other, using it to not have to face up to the reality of their lives. It is not healthy.

There is some fairly lengthy and wordy prose here (weird given it is meant to be TXT exchanges) and I found myself skimming over it.

I don't know, maybe I am just too shallow a person for this. It needs a reader to be deeper then me, with more emotional depth.

And all the way through, I felt like I was waiting for that something to happen, (and yes the blurb says "An erotic romance…told entirely through text messages") but I really felt like I was slogging my way through it, to get to the prize at the end, only to be told no.


Like if you have waited hours for the newest, best, longest roller coaster in the world, and as you get to the front of the queue, you get told the ride is now closed.

I was left vaguely disappointed and with more question left unanswered.

But maybe that was what the author was going for. It just was not for me.

I can appreciate it was well written, and certainly intriguing and interesting. But I cannot see me wanting to read anything like this again in the future.

I will sit firmly at 3 stars.

<i>Go ahead, stranger. Break my heart. Show me I'm still capable of feeling something so tender.</i>

WAY DOWN DEEP feels like a modern day romance. Not in the sense of the era but in the sense of.. this kind of connection, this kind of relationship, is so unique to our current time. How do the majority of people communicate these days? Via text. Is there anyone who hasn't sent a text to a wrong number before? Have you ever had someone reply? What if you were the one who received a message; what if it was a sad, depressed, lonely, voice reaching out. Would you reach back? Would you say, hi, I'm here, hold on?

That's what happened to Malcolm and Maya.

<i>People don't really do that these days -- take turns, wait for the other person to finish saying what's on their mind.</i>

The evolution of this relationship was so interesting. The senders give us the only information we have. The who and the why. We don't even know who is male and female in the initial exchanges. Everything is strictly text and I have never read a romance, read a story, like this before. But I've lived it. I know that feeling of thinking you've spent years with someone instead of days. The intensity of the connection, the simultaneous freedom and restraint in telling a stranger your deepest thoughts, your desires, even the silliest observations. Nothing feels like too much yet everything feels momentous.

<i>There ought to be an adjective for when someone's at once melancholy and seductive. Perhaps the French have one. It feels like longing, distilled.</i>

In true McKenna form, we also have.. sex. Of course it's virtual but that doesn't downplay the steam factor. I loved seeing some familiar elements from her other stories at play, not the same but similar, and wish I knew where Stein's influence came in. I guess I'll just have to try her out next to find out.

<i>Your ridiculous, lust-addled thoughts are all the poetry I'll ever want for the rest of my life.</i>

WAY DOWN DEEP was intense, hot, and, I'll admit, nerve wracking. The final chapters.. I was not prepared for them. I was so twisted up about how this would end. And then it did. And I'm just.. well, I'm not telling.

<i>My romantic history is basically that Gotye song on repeat for four hours. Super fraught and beautifully tortured at first, then by the fifteenth time you're like ENOUGH WITH THE FUCKING XYLOPHONE.</i>

I totally flew through this read. I found myself totally swept up in this story of these lonely people. I was fascinated, found myself smiling, and had to pause for a little face-fanning, too. I do wonder if this kind of story that people will either love or hate. And I think a lot of that opposite end of the spectrum enjoyment will be a result of the medium and whether it's enough for some readers. But maybe it'll be enough for you. I definitely connected with it and I know a lot of others, in this great virtual world of ours, will too.

4 "I should be quarantined for crimes against romance" stars

A different read, it worked. I liked this book.

The premise of this book is amazing. I didn't even need to know what the book was about to want to pick up an erotic romance told entirely via text messages! How many in today's day and age haven't secretly wished to stumble upon an instant connection with a stranger via technology? How many has that already happened to?!

While I was overjoyed at the premise, unfortunately, I was left a bit disappointment with the execution. I think the writing is too lyrical and prose-y for the method of communication. These are supposed to be text messages...not emails, and certainly not what felt like finding letters between two people from decades ago. This didn't feel fresh and now like how I imagined.

I wasn't expecting text slang or funky abbreviations people use when they text...or even frequent trips to urban dictionary to find out what the hell some things mean...but I was expecting a book that felt current and relatable in its delivery. Instead I got a well written story that felt forced into a box it didn't belong in.

If you took away the novelty of the story of these strangers being told via text, this would be much more engaging. Instead, everything felt off and weighed down...and slooooooow.

I don't typically read ARCs but who in their right mind turns down a chance to read early a novel where the first line of a blurb is 'An erotic romance … told entirely through text messages.' ?? I am not sure how this book came to be ... I am just glad that it did! What an original concept (to me, anyhow)! As a HUGE fan of Cara McKenna's work, I am thrilled to be introduced to Charlotte Stein via this collaborative effort.

I knew going into this book that it will end up being something special. Raw, real, unique, character driver and exquisitely written. This story had it all. In fact, I loved it so much that it is going onto my 'best of 2017' self and we aren't even half way through the year.

I will try and add to this review closer to the release date but there's literally NOTHING I can ever say that will do this book justice it deserves. If you appreciate original, well written stories, I urge you to give this one a go once it becomes available.

Cheers!