emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5

This was such an interesting glimpse into a different life! All of the character dynamics were very annoying, to be honest, but there was so much tension throughout the entire group I had to keep reading. I thought the flashbacks were nice, but could've been woven in a little better. I really loved the ending though and thought the character growth was fantastic.

3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐💫

Alex and Danial bonded in college as the only two people in their Columbia friend group who didn't come from ultra wealthy families. For the last decade, Alex has been nursing unrequited feelings that come back to the surface when the group gets back together for her best friend's bachelor party and wedding, an over-the-top Mediterranean affair. Alex's and Danial's career paths have fueled their status as enemies, but can they play nice for a few weeks?

All of these characters were so (purposefully, I think) insufferable to me. Yet I found this story so compulsively bingeable. The slow burn enemies-to-lovers plotline made me keep reading, and the amazing scenery made this a great kickoff to summer and inspired some major wanderlust!

Wow has any book ever been more "extremely my interests" than THE HIGH DIVE? Alex is a strong female protagonist working in progressive politics... literally say no more, I'm already sold!! A second-chance(ish) romance set against the lush backdrop of the Mediterranean? Sign me up!! Combine that all together with Chelsea's effortless dialogue, a rich (literally) cast of supporting characters and a dual timeline story setup just means that I had no choice but to love this novel. I've already recommended to so many friends and will continue to sing it's praises. It's the perfect summer romance that still packs a punch with something meaningful to say about our current world. I loved it!!!

A class-conscious summer novel blending romance and social commentary. Fagan explores the financial dynamics of relationships against a backdrop of luxury and leisure. Ideal for readers seeking a thoughtful beach read.

4.5⭐
PG-13🌶️ (But the tension was so hot!)

Chelsea is back with a book of the summer. Fancy yachts! The one who got away! Grecian beaches! Wedding drama! I flew through this book--it was the perfect summer romance that I just ate up, while also including nuanced points are class, wealth, status and capitalism. While I think both Alex and Danial were a bit unhealthy with their obsession with each other, this book was the juicy beach read that romance lovers need to take with them on vacation this summer.

This was my first time reading this author and I really enjoyed the book. It was well written and the main characters were well rounded. I liked that the book touched on the topic of socioeconomic status and how the FMC was insecure and felt like the outside in the friend group because of how she grew up. As a reader, you could relate to Alex and her anxiety at the thought of being around this group of people.

I liked the relationship between Alex and Danial and enjoyed learning what lead to the current relationship, or lack there of. I LOVED the relationship between Alex and Paul. Their friendship was real and you could relate to having that best friend that you think is making a mistake; but you have to support them and be there because they are your bff.

I look forward to reading more books by Chelsea.

Thank you to Netgalley & Chelsea Fagan for the ARC.

What a perfectly lush summertime read! This was my first book by Chelsea and I devoured it in a day.

Most of the book happens over the course of a Mediterranean yacht trip on the way to a friend’s wedding in Greece. It was rife with angst, tension and longing and an opportunity for a second chance romance with the forced proximity. There was plenty of commentary on social class and status which provided tension between the friend group and main couple. The characters were complex and compelling and I rooted for the main couple even when they were being antagonistic/petty towards each other. Ultimately the romantic conclusion was satisfying and I’ll be sure to check out books from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orsay Press for this advanced reader copy of The High Dive by Chelsea Fagan.

I was immediately interested in reading this novel for the setting alone. Alex is finally taking a much needed break from her job in politics to relax on a private yacht sailing the Mediterranean for her best friend’s bachelor party. She’s equally excited and nervous as she will be in forced proximity friends and the unrequited love who always managed to make her feel less than in college.

While I adored the setting (I’m an absolute sucker for books set on boats), I just could not enjoy the toxic friendship and romantic plot lines. Maybe it’s maturity, but I tend to avoid intentionally putting myself in situations where I’m made to feel inferior, so I just couldn’t take the main character seriously.

Beach Read alert! I loved this fun romp through the Mediterranean with Alex and her college friends. I finished it in 2 days, despite my misfortune of not currently being at the beach.

Despite her workaholic tendencies, Alex is excited for her first real vacation in year. She'll be spending 2 weeks on a yacht in the Mediterranean with her very wealthy college friends ahead of a glorious wedding in Cyprus. Alex attended Columbia on scholarship and has always felt uncomfortable with the class differences between her and her friends and this trip will test her boundaries. Especially when it comes to Danial, Alex's gorgeous "friend" who she hasn't spoken to since an incident 10 years ago which left her humiliated.

If you enjoy watching the rich, but also kind of hate them, you will fit right in with Alex. The novel touches on class differences, but overall keeps the tone light and escapist.

Thank you NetGalley and Chelsea Fagan for the ARC.

I really didn't enjoy Chelsea's last novel which made me a bit sad as she was someone I had a lot of admiration for. Happy news - this one is much better!
You can quickly pinpoint where her strengths lie. Chelsea is great at painting vivid descriptions with words and writing about rich people and their lifestyles without falling into worship of the capital. It truly makes you feel like you're there - sipping a spritz in a Mediterranean port with a gorgeous man on your arm.
Unlike her last novel, this one actually has a compelling romance plot. This is where you can see her biggest improvement. Chemistry between Alex and Danial is truly sizzling and I had a lot of fun following their story.
She, unfortunately, still struggles with finding a right register. There are lines in this book that sound like poor imitation of Jane Austen, help me God. She could really ease down on the usage of the word "exquisite".
Overall, a lot of fun!
A big "thank you" to NetGalley and Orsay Press for letting me read it and review it early!

I had no idea what to expect from this book. I haven’t read any of Chelsea’s other work prior to reading this novel. I truly enjoyed reading this book.

It was captivating from the start and the complex characters and relationships were done so well. The author did included themes of social class and status and this affects relationships (with others and ourselves).

The romance felt so real and I was so invested in their story. There was so much history and the author brought so much emotion into their interactions where they were arguing or trying to be friends. You could feel the tension, the sadness the yearning, the regret.

My favourite thing about this book was how Alex was able to really let go of the expectations she put on herself to be part of the crew. As well as the fact that she always stood her ground for what she was passionate about.

I blew through this book in one night, basically, and it’s helped me get out of a weeks-long reading slump, so credit where credit is due. This was a fun read.

Will these characters stay with me for the rest of my life, though? Probably not. Everyone felt a little too one-dimensional for that. Alex isn’t the most forgiving narrator - for herself or others. All in all, her resentment gave the book a more shallow vibe than I would have liked.

I’d eat up a follow up on Paul any day, though. Give that man his happy ending, please.

Overall, I think there’s room for growth in the writing and for the author to find her voice as a fiction writer. I love the work she does with the Financial Diet, which was my main reason for picking this up. Her “critique voice”, if you will, is strong, confident, and her own. The writing in The High Dive felt derivative at times, in a way that doesn’t quite play to her strengths. This gave a stilted, awkward quality to especially the first few chapters. I’m curious to see how she’ll develop her writing further, hopefully with some justice for Paul.

I had trouble connecting with the MC in particular, because of her somewhat Pick Me coded blend of being gorgeous, flirty, smart - in all ways extremely desirable apparently - but also being extremely anxious and insecure, which she channeled into disdain and looking down on people with money. “I’m not like the other privileged people (because I’m not rich, too).” This is probably quite realistic, but I would have appreciated more exploration of the tension and disconnect I assume she must have been feeling. Especially because this was essentially the Big Issue keeping her and Danial apart.

Basically, I didn’t really care for Alex and wasn’t super invested in her finding happiness, because she was so actively and consciously blocking it.

With her sophomore romance novel, Chelsea Fagan delivers on another sumptuous summer read set in a luxurious European environment. If you’re looking for a book to read on a lounger by the pool or on the beach that has more heft than your average summer read, run and pick up The High Dive!

With that being said, I had a bit of a mixed experience with this book. Things I loved:
- The honest and serious way it tackled socioeconomic class. This was very relatable as someone who also attended elite universities on a hefty scholarship.
- Alex’s best friend, Paul, whose loyalty, verve, and generosity made him a real highlight of the story
- Chelsea Fagan’s signature writing style, which is lush, effective, and so fun to read!
- The flashbacks to their college days, which added useful context for their story in bits at a time.

Things I wasn’t as big a fan of:
- For a second chance romance to work for me, I need to be fully convinced that the main characters share a genuine love and are right for each other at this phase in life. It’s a high bar that most novels with this trope don’t meet for me, and unfortunately, The High Dive fell into this problem for me. If you typically like this trope, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it more than I did!
- The pacing was off to me. Once Alex and Danial realize their feelings are mutual, they pretty instantly go from 0 to 60, with just a few chapters left in the book. It felt like a lot of plot was rushed into the back 20% of the novel so it could have benefited from some cuts earlier on and a more expansive ending.
- With her friends, Alex seemed to be overly stuck in the resentments and insecurities of her college years. On the page, we were told that she had matured a lot since she was the “poor kid” in her college friend group, but in reality, her actions demonstrated that she still held a lot of complicated feelings with regards to her friend group which had her act out in immature ways that seemed out of character.

In all, I think I land on a 3.5 star rating rounded up. I’m so excited for this book to find its audience! Thank you to NetGalley, Orsay Press, and Chelsea Fagan for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A fun beach read but unfortunately wasn’t as gripping as I wanted and wasn’t emotionally invested. It was ok but not one I would highly recommend

Chelsea Fagan strikes gold once again with her second romance novel! Our FMC, Alex Onassis is the powerhouse Director of Social Media Strategy for the progressive Worker's Horizon Party. And Danial Azad, our MMC, is a handsome hardworking Iranian-American working for Alex's party's number one enemy, Horace Capital Partners a private equity firm (booooooo).

While on an impressive full ride scholarship to Columbia she meets her group of friends and finds a sparring partner in Danial Azad. Danial is also on scholarship, so the two have an important kinship because the rest of their friends are obscenely wealthy. Unfortunately, one evening right at graduation ruins any chance of the two becoming an item.

Nearly a decade later the two end up in close quarters on a glamorous yacht for their friend's bachelor party. Sparks and barbs fly as the group makes their way through stunning locations in Europe.

This book has it all! Socioeconomic commentary, progressive politics, with a burning enemies to lovers through-line.

Pick up this book immediately if you enjoy sumptuous romances with smart and flawed characters!

A delightful beach read book! I ate this book up in three days and felt like I was on a cruise alongside Alex and her friend group. I appreciated this book’s balance of glamorous vacation escapades with exploration of class differences, anxiety, and allowing yourself to move on from harmful relationships. I enjoyed following Alex across the Mediterranean as she grew, and I especially appreciated her relationship with her best friend. However, the resolution felt a little underdeveloped to me, and I wished a bit more time had been given to explore it more. I recommend this book for anyone looking for an escapist story with a big heart.

It took me so long to figure out how I felt about this book.

It was pretty well written, but I actually hated almost every character!
Alexandra was immature, spiteful, and it mystefied me why she wanted to stay friends with this terrible group of people so badly? Like, only one person in this whole group seemed to actually like her, and as someone near in age to Alex, I was just exhausted reading about these people who just hated everything about each others whole lives. like stop hanging out with them then????
A lot of her social commentary was on important, impactful topics. but (to me, personally) Alex was not the best vehicle to be imparting it.

And the drama that happened between her and Danial 10 years ago was.... a notch too far for me in terms of believability, and it impacted my desire for them to get together.

Chelsea Fagan writes well, her characters were believable, her descriptions of food and scenery made me wish to be in Europe, but I just sadly could not connect with the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orsay Press for the eARC.

3.5/5 - This was a beautiful, scenic, impactful story that, at its core, was an exploration of identity, growth and friendship. But it was also a more serious examination of social class, social capital, and how pedigree and history impact relationships and group dynamics. Or maybe that’s just the sociology major in me 😉 While love was also a central component here, it wasn’t the main one, and I didn’t find this to be an overwhelmingly happy read. Tense, fraught, deeply honest, and angst ridden, for sure. Sexy too! It definitely made me think.

Despite this being in third person (never my fave tbh) Alex has a very candid voice and you feel the depths of her inner conflict and constant mental negotiating. Fagan’s writing is so descriptive, smart and engaging. The scene was idyllic, the characters developed, and the story fresh and modern…it just didn’t hook me like I was hoping! I’m such a mood reader, so take with that what you will.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and Orsay Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Fun, glamorous, sun kissed summer read.

I loved the insight into Alexandra's everyday as a political marketing creator, something that I personally know very little about, but supremely enjoyed. I feel like we get so many novels about bakers and writers so love to give other careers their time in the spotlight. The tension between her and Danial was palpable! I felt that the miscommunication and the way they both hurt each other in the past felt very real.

I did want a little more bite from Alexandra at times, she's this fish out of water and I'd have loved to see more of her taking charge instead of trying to fit in with the ultra wealthy group. Second chance romance still isn't my favorite trope personally, but liked that we got to see growth from both the characters (and some side characters) along the way.

I didn't think I would like a politics romance but yes, I do. Sexy and angsty, I've never read a book like this. Usually these romances play out the same way but Chelsea does something so different. Having the characters have high highs only to bring them so low and to find their happy medium was so satisfying. The hotel scene was so hot, I loved it. On a serious note, I think it's hard for people, especially today, to come to terms with a partner, working for or believing in something that is in direct conflict with what you believe in. Of course Alex and Dan had to resolve that issue otherwise it wouldn't be a HEA. But these are issues couples have in real life too. And that just because we don't have all the answers, we do know that having grace towards others is a way better avenue of a better life for everyone than just shutting down rights for everyone. While I didn't love the side plot of the characters who are getting married, I was so sad that Paul was treated that way and waited until the last minute to call off the wedding. I just wanted him to be happy!