The High Dive is a perfect summer read, it is sexy, sunny, and glamorous! I loved the author’s previous novel A Perfect Vintage and was so excited to read the High Dive and it didn’t disappoint!

Our heroine Alex is beautiful, funny, smart and flawed. The author explores Alex’s stubbornness, perfectionism, anxieties and embarrassments with empathy and grace.

Chelsea is a master of whip smart dialogue, and slow burn romantic tension. The novel explores the nuanced relationships of old friends coming back together - the struggle against falling into old patterns, and the strength to break toxic cycles.

Chelsea Fagan does it again! The High Dive had everything I look for in a book: gorgeous locales, progressive politics, class consciousness, and sexy-as-hell chemistry. I loved how these complex characters held each other accountable and grew into better people. This is definitely the enemies-to-lovers romance of the summer!

This book was a refreshing summer read that artfully blended romance with politics and a compelling journey to love yourself. I thought at times that the scene/chapter transitions were a bit choppy. At two points I assumed I accidentally skipped a page and missed something. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Fun dive into the elite world when friends embark on a luxury yacht before a wedding. Alex was a scholarship student in college while her friends came from a privileged world. On the trip Alex finds herself feeling as inadequate as she did in college and now the one person she loved most Danial is also on the trip. They haven't spoken in years but are somehow still drawn to each other through competitive bantor.

First of all, this cover? Impeccable! This was such a fun trip through the Mediterranean with the wealthy elite! Enemies-to-lovers with a little splash of a second chance romance? Yep, I’m all in! I loved all the multicultural aspects, the college days flashbacks, the highly intelligent banter, and all the camaraderie in the friend group. I devoured this novel in less than two days, and now I’m so sad it is over.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book absolutely rocked me. I devoured it in two sittings, staying up way too late past my bedtime. Chelsea takes us to the Mediterranean where a group of college best friends are reuniting to celebrate the marriage between Paul and Guy— spending ten days on a yacht, then a stop in Greece for the actual wedding. The scenery for a romance/beach read truly doesn’t get any better, and Chelsea’s descriptions are immersive.

The story centers around the dynamic between Alex and Danial — the only two scholarship kids in the group of ultra-wealthy Columbia grads. It’s 10 years later, and Alex is working for a working-families party helping to get progressive candidates elected and Danial is making millions at a PE firm. Something happened 10 years ago, and the pair haven’t spoken. Now they’re reuniting and Alex is the odd one out— the only remaining middle class outcast. This is very much a second chance romance, enemies to lovers vibe with lots of tension and chemistry.

This has a dual timeline, so you get a window into what happened that awful night, between Alex and Danial. You get a feel for the entire group’s dynamic, and there is plenty of rich people behaving badly amongst some incredible scenery. I absolutely loved the friendship elements here in addition to the romance— Paul and Alex’s relationship, despite coming from very different worlds— was completely heartwarming.

Chelsea does an incredible job of discussing wealth and social class— how that impacts how we behave, feel and move through the world. We love a progressive FMC! I found a lot of the thoughts and discussions really relatable and timely. However, it still very much has an escapist feel— and she balanced the two beautifully and with nuance. Overall, this book was a poignant, smart and sexy read that I highly recommend.

What a solid, swanky summer romance featuring serious issues of social class from Chelsea Fagan! This one is enemies to lovers done right. Alex & Dainal are former college friends who ran in the same social circle, but were always attracted to one another and known for their heated arguments. Doomed after a fateful graduation night that left Alex feeling embarrassed and dejected, they haven't seen each other in 10 years. Now, they wind up together for their best friend Paul's two-week Mediterranean, bachelor,-yacht trip before his wedding and the two have taken very different paths. Alex does social media content & communications for progressive, liberal politicians while Danial works for a harsh private equity firm with shady values. Their chemistry and differences create a juicy dynamic, as I found myself living for the drama while also appreciating the candid commentary on the rich and rolling my eyes at their bad behavior. I especially loved Paul's character, as he is the rich bestie Alex adores who is funny, flamboyant, and gracious, but is emotionally abused and belittled by his fiance. I enjoyed seeing where his storyline went.

Overall, this is a sultry summer romance with the social commentary I crave, and it's a great summer read! Also, this is one of my favorite covers of the year!

Thanks to Orsay Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC. This one is out May 27, 2005.

I really wanted to love this one. Mediterranean summer vibes are usually right up my alley, but I had a tough time getting into it. The third-person POV isn’t my favorite to begin with, and for some reason my brain kept reading it in the voice of an older British man (no idea why), which made it feel kind of distant and hard to connect with. I know my internal narrator is beyond the authors control, but it just didn’t click for me. That said, I think it had the potential to be a light, beachy read. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.

This book was incredible. I downloaded this from Netgalley on the 12th, and straight DEVOURED this book. The characters themselves were just so well written. The two main characters being financial outcasts with a rich friend group was such an interesting dynamic to read. Not only from someone who grew up poor, but also as someone who was some similar friends. There was definitely a lot of nostalgia feeling while reading this. Alex and Danial (pronounced Daniel I believe) definitely gave me Magnolia and BJ vibes from Jessa Hastings’s books. If you are looking for second-chance, slow-burn, rivals-to-lovers (really more like star-crossed) this is your book!! So excited for this release.

The High Dive is very White Lotus (season one) meets "eat the rich" vibes (think the two teenage girls who hate and judge everyone, but she's an adult). Fagen somehow balances this hatred out at the end through the character Danial. Alternating between the high school/college relationship and the present Greece trip, Fagen's main female character Alex has a clear chip on her shoulder. Her political position is vague enough to be interesting while detrimental to Danial. Things could have been resolved more effectively through conversations. Alex's relationship with Paul was probably the best part of the book. At first it took a while to get into the story (like 75% of the way through), but there are a few scenes that could be considered worth it for the sentimental, letter-loving romantic.

I wanted to love this book so bad, but, unfortunately I found the main character to be quite annoying. Don’t get me wrong I love a little luxury & romance moment, but this just wasn’t it for me.

Thank you to Chelsea Fagan and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

I was really looking forward to this book, especially since my friends and I were doing a buddy read. I love second chance romances, old friends reuniting, and anything with vacation/summer vibes, so this seemed like a win. But honestly? I spent most of the book thinking, “why is everyone in this so insufferable?” and it’s even crazier that they’re in their 30s? Super immature. Maybe if they were 20, I could work with some of it.

Also, you can’t build a whole “rich people bad” narrative and then be completely fine benefitting from that same wealth when it’s convenient. Kind of undercuts the moral high ground you've been standing on. You can’t have it both ways.

I love a good billionaire romance as much as the next gal and a rags-to-riches situation, but this isn’t that. It tried to be critical of wealth while also indulging in it, and the result just felt hypocritical.

(SPOILER AHEAD)

Just because he quit the job doesn’t change HOW he built his wealth and where that money came from, what company he helped make even more money, etc. also super confusing how he’s stupidly rich but worried about not being able to quit (which was his excuse) cause he has to take care of his mom… yet he then quits no problem? And isn’t stressed? Like can we pick something and stick to it? And don’t even get me started on how the FMC’s financial irresponsibility is never addressed.

Overall, would not recommend because it just had me frustrated and annoyed most of the time. This didn’t have great flow either and I didn’t understand the main couples chemistry really either.

Will not be posting a public review until one month after the pub date so cannot link my Goodreads review at the moment. Will update in the future

Sorry to say I wasn't a fan of this book. Even though the main character was meant to be the less well-off/middle class friend, the whole set-up (including her attitude) felt pretentious and came across un-relatable. By the time the romance elements were being developed, it was hopeless since I already didn't like the MMC of FMC. I recently read Broken French by Natasha Boyd which also is a romance that takes place on a yacht in the med. That was much better executed and a better experience overall. Also, why did was his name spelled Danial? If the author wanted to be unique, I would have preferred the MMC have a unique name completely. It was distracting because I wanted to call him Denial. Which is what I was in while I was reading this book.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 5/13/25. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

When I saw that Chelsea Fagan had written an enemies-to-lovers romance I could not get my hands on a copy of it fast enough! If you loved Chelsea’s sexy, chic world she created in A Perfect Vintage, buckle in babe—you’re in for a ride.

A group of college friends reconvenes for a two week yacht trip leading up to the wedding of two of its members. Alex is a mixture of excited and nervous to be reconnected with the group who she always felt a bit of an outsider in. While most of the group grew up wealthy, Alex was a scholarship kid desperate to fit in and not stand out. As an adult she’s built herself a career in political organizing that she’s proud of and thrives in. The only person she isn’t looking forward to seeing on the trip is Danial who she hasn’t seen since their falling out at graduation. Now working for an investment firm that affects the community Alex works in, Danial is enemy number one. Their time on the boat is spend with bickering, misunderstanding, and maybe a truce. Can they overcome their past and come together or are they destined to repeat their past?

This book is such a vibe. Rich people on a yacht in the Mediterranean. All the lush fashion descriptions you could ever want. Some strong sexual tension. A lot of misunderstanding. It was giving everything! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to give copies of it to everyone I know to read pool side or maybe on a yacht if they’re lucky.

Alex and Danial were both part of the same friend group back in college, both of them working very hard to keep up with their ultra-priviledged peers. After dramatic fall out between those two days before graduation, they haven’t seen each other for a decade. That is to change since the whole group is once again reconciling for a big wedding in the Mediteran.
One thing I loved about this book was how Alex was not a perfect heroine. She was insecure, seeking her rich friends’ approval even after ten years while simultaneously feeling morally above them. It was also very clear from the beginning that she was not over Danial at all. The tension between those two was building steadily through the whole book and their chemistry was really good, one couldn’t not root for them.
The problem with this book is how it’s paced. We get a very long built up after which they just get together instantly and then the book ends immediatly after. Also how the main conflict (their very different career paths) was resolved just did not seem to be realistic and kind of looked like the author just wanted to get it over with. What I think would help is if we got more of Danial and could see a bit more into his head – the whole story is told from Alexi’s POV which unfortunately didn’t leave enough space for Daniel to make his decision at the end believable.
Overall a good book that will definitely suck you in. 3,5⭐️

Calling it now - this will be *the* hot read of the summer. I’ve long been a fan of Chelsea Fagan so I expected to like this book, but I was so pleasantly surprised by just how well this one hit. I’m not typically a romance reader, but this book was exactly what I needed right now. The High Dive provided the perfect mental escape to the Mediterranean with perfect emotional tension while also providing excellent commentary on the ways in which we’re all forced to navigate the financial systems we’re born into. I absolutely loved The High Dive and would strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a summer read that *dives* a little deeper than your average romance. Thank you to NetGalley, Orsay Press, and Chelsea Fagan for the ARC!

The writing is strong, but everyone in this novel is insufferable. It was hard to root for the happy ending when I hated everyone so much. But thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This is an emotionally rich, thought-provoking novel that masterfully blends romance with social commentary. Chelsea Fagan delivers a sharp, engaging narrative that doesn’t shy away from the complexities of class, privilege, and personal ambition. Alexandra Onassis is a compelling protagonist—intelligent, idealistic, and unapologetically outspoken. Her dynamic with Danial Azad is charged with history and tension, making their reunion aboard a luxurious Mediterranean yacht feel both electric and inevitable. One of the novel’s strongest elements is its exploration of how past wounds, political convictions, and personal desires collide. Alex’s struggle to maintain her integrity in an environment that constantly reminds her of what she lacks is deeply relatable, and her interactions with Danial keep the emotional stakes high.

I enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down! As a below deck fan, it felt as if i was getting an inside look on what it might be to be a guest on a mega yacht. Honestly would have been happy with that, but there was some really touching character development.

Enemies in a friend group have to spend a week on a yacht in the Mediterranean to celebrate their mutual friends’ marriage. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, second chance romance? Sign me up.

Overall, it was enjoyable and wanting to know what happened between them 10 years ago kept me reading. But it took me about 30% in to get hooked. At first it felt like too much set up while simultaneously not really explaining why Alex would still be friends with these people. And the spelling of Danial was kind of distracting. It’s hard to categorize this book bc it feels more layered than a traditional romance and also a little like it’s trying to be literary/deep with the class/political storyline. In tone and vibes, it felt like a hybrid between The Wedding People and Before I Let Go.

Alex’s inferiority complex was kind of frustrating. But I liked her friendship with Paul. And although he was a secondary character, I think Dev was my favorite. The ending felt a little rushed but it follows the traditional romance structure of a HEA.