I wanted to love this more but it fell a bit flat for me sadly. I am not even sure I can describe what exactly bothered me about it but to me Alex just felt incredibly inconsistent. She so desperately wants to be accepted by these people she also loudly morally opposes. I got a bit of whiplash when her and Danial had the massive falling out only for him to show up 5 minutes later at her door. Then, at the end, she suddenly is okay with his wealth because he quit his job and is spending it help her and Paul and by bringing their families together. Girl please pick a stance and stop flip flopping when it serves you to. The spice is essentially none existent if you're looking for that and don't even get me started on the wall thing.
The setting was really fun and I liked the concept of it all happening on a mega yacht but we spend 75% of the book away from the yacht. Anyway, I had high hopes but sadly it wasn't quite what I was hoping.

I could not put this book down! I loved the imagery and the storyline. It took me awhile to warm up to the main character, Alex, though. She was a very complex character in a complicated situation and it took a bit for me to get over how bratty she was at times. However, her growth was wonderful and it made the rough spots better! If you like a good romance with a bit of depth this book is for you!

Thank you to Orsay Press for allowing me early access to The High Dive by Chelsea Fagan.

This is the perfect book to add to your summer TBR if you're looking for a contemporary romance with depth, forced proximity, slow-burn tension and the most luxurious setting you could dream. Alex Onassis has worked hard her whole life to achieve her goals, that hardwork is what got her a full-ride scholarship to Columbia. While Alex was working to get and maintain what she wanted, she happened into a group of friends comprised mostly of kids of elite, wealthy families from around the world. Ten years after graduating from Columbia, her group of friends have all found their own lives, most of them continuing in their wealthy families footsteps but Alex chose to follow her passion working in politics and caring for the 'little guy.' Alex has never been able to avoid the influence and affluence of her friend group so when she's expected to spend two weeks traveling around the Mediterranean on a yacht with her ex-boyfriend turned gay best friend, his fiancé and the rest of the group her feelings are complicated...especially because Danial is coming and she's managed to avoid him since what happened on graduation night ten years ago.

Chelsea Fagan did a wonderful job getting just the right amount of tension between Alex and Danial with hints of enemies to lovers mixed in. Their love story had me cheering for a happy ending from the very start of the book. Besides the romance, the personal development of Alex throughout the book was perfect example of learning to accept who you are and what you value while respecting that others get to do the same thing. The aspect of classicism throughout the book was very thoughtfully done while also being pivotal to the connection between Alex and Danial and the overall storyline. I also couldn't help but love Paul and Alex's relationship, the honesty and support they offered each other was heartwarming and critical when it came to the topic of abusive relationships.

Overall, this was such a feel good read that has me in a bit of a reading slump because I just want to continue reading about all of the friends and what happens after the bachelor party.

My review has been submitted on GoodReads, links will be updated once approved on Barnes and Noble and I'll be posting my review on Instagram closer to release date.

“The High Dive” is about seven friends who met and became close while they were students at Columbia University and are now reuniting ten years later for a long European yacht getaway to celebrate the wedding of two of them.

The story focuses on Alex and Danial, the children of middle class immigrants who reacted to their upbringings in very different ways. Alex went to work in progressive politics trying to make the world a bigger place. And Danial set off to make as much money as possible to take care of his family. They fight constantly, clearly still shaken up by something that happened between them during their college graduation weekend.

Look, ‘enemies to lovers’ is one thing, but it was hard for me to relax in reading this book because of the extent of Alex and Danial’s fighting. Alex’s financial stress also stressed me out. And her anxiety gave me anxiety. But I was able to start relaxing a little bit more at about the 50% mark. It may not have been the escapist fiction I wanted when I thought about a book centering around a pre-wedding European yacht getaway, but the characters’ decisions were understandable and I liked the ending. Paul especially had my heart and I really liked the resolution of his storyline, even though it felt like it wrapped up more than a little quickly.

This will be a good vacation read for those who would like to be vacationing on a yacht and have a decent tolerance for conflict, as well as fans of Fagan’s last book “A Perfect Vintage”.

The High Dive by Chelsea Fagan is a sharp, emotional friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance with a political edge. Alexandra and Danial’s dynamic is messy and charged, set against the backdrop of a luxurious Mediterranean yacht trip that forces them to confront old wounds and big questions about class, identity, and desire.

It’s more than just a second-chance romance and Chelsea Fagan dives into what it means to hold onto your values when surrounded by wealth and privilege. Some pacing issues aside, this was smart, compelling, and surprisingly heartfelt.

What a delightful read! I kept reaching to pick this book up and continuing reading it. The location is perfect for your summer or next vacation. While I did find lot of the characters and their comments insufferable at times, the book did a good job on keeping it light while touching on very real ethical dilemmas we are facing. Would recommend this fun enemies to lovers read!

This is such an interesting book! If you're into ultra-rich core then this book will suck you right into it. Personally I am a fan of that setting, so I couldn't pick it up fast enough. That being said, I did have a few qualms with it that I will dive into now- I felt like Alex had a victim complex going on, was she actually friends with any of these people? I have a hard time believing that she was friends with any of these people, she seems like she highkey hates them all. And maybe thats because she hates what they symbolize? But you'd think that she would've processed it a little more than she had. I'm just going to say it, I had a hard time tracking her motivation throughout this book, her inner monologue made you think she was really motivated by money and success and being accepted by the upper class, but then her life choices didn't track with that at all? Which is fine if those choices were backed up by her passion or growth, but it seemed like she was truly unhappy and resented where she was. It also seemed like she almost got off on having a superiority complex where she had a hard time empathizing or connecting with anyone who had money. Also the romance felt forced enemies to lovers, the chemistry was just not there for me. I think the whole book would've benefited from having some more developed supporting characters(beyond the best friend) to help to illustrate growth and connection within the group.

Thanks to NetGalley, Chelsea Fagan, and Orsay Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun and angsty ride! The romance was definitely swoony. My only niggle is that both of them were hung up one each other for a looong time.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

WOW I felt a lot of emotions with this book! I binged this book in one sitting and am writing this review at 2:30AM.

Firstly, the conversations between different socioeconomic classes were so valid and relatable, I love when a romance book gets all liberal muahaha. It combines my fascination with reading about rich people but also hating them at the same time.

Secondly, the friend group dynamic was so interesting to read about, as well as the general social anxiety the main character has around these people.

Thirdly, the romance boy oh boy did I feel the tension. I will say they were very toxic toward one another and I wish I saw more sweet tender moments between the two, but the buildup/mystery of what happened in the past was crazy.

Leaving it with this ending quote that I thought was beautiful “it wasn’t a shame they had not been together all those years. It was a profound blessing that they came back together now, when they’d both had time to become the person the other deserved.”

I really enjoyed this book. Alex was a complicated character who really grew through this two week boat trip. I loved Paul and her relationship with him. The story was complicated with her friend group but I enjoyed getting to know each character. Definitely recommend.

Normally I really enjoy the "rich people behaving badly" trope but this fell flat in multiple areas. Pros - I did enjoy the yacht life descriptors but I wanted MORE. If you're going to write about the uber wealthy - I want all of the lux details. This felt very superficial. Also - the cover makes it look like a thriller, when really it was a second-chance romance? The "twist" of the past also felt anticlimactic; I wanted the previous drama to be much more salacious/scandalous.

This book was SUCH a fun read. I went in pretty blind, and didn’t really know what to expect, but I ended up obsessed with the story. I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I had to put it down - I ended up finishing it at work!

This book is definitely a romance at its core, but it delves into so many deeper issues. There’s some really interesting commentary about people who are economically conscious in their political activism, and what that means when it comes to wealthy people in your life. What’s your responsibility? Are you allowed to tag alongside lavish lifestyles, while still preaching social equality?

The FMC is also really relatable, and was a refreshing narrator. She’s very insecure about her status in her friend group - anyone who’s been the outsider will definitely resonate with her. However, she’s still dominating in her career, is unapologetic, and generally holds strong to her beliefs.

Despite the heavier themes, this book still strikes a fairly light note - it’s a summer romance, featuring a group of friends, and I’ll be recommending this to everyone I know who asks for a beach vacation read.

If you love reconciliation romances, books about rich people, or reading books set in a picturesque yacht sailing down the Mediterranean, definitely pick this one up!

I was so excited for this book having loved Fagan's 'Perfect Vintage' and I was not disappointed. I flew through 'The High Dive'! The beautiful setting, the diverse and dynamic friendship group, and the yearning (oh the yearning!!) stopped me from being able to put this book down. I loved even more the balance of romance and yearning with political and societal commentary. Something that is not found often, or done so well, within many romance books. Once again, Fagan has written a perfect summer read!

This was such a fun way to shut my brain off for a few days and just enjoy the sexy vibes. If being slutty on a yacht in the Mediterranean sea is your cup tea - I wish you a bon voyage :D

Thanks to NetGalley and Orsay Press for the advanced reader copy.

When Alex heads to France to meet up with college friends for an over-the-top ten day yacht cruise (before her friend gets married), she's anxious for several reasons: 1) her flight gets delayed enough that she needs to find another way to meet up with everyone, 2) she still remains the poorest of her friends (having been a scholarship kid at Columbia), and 3) she has to see Danial, her archnemesis.

This book didn't hold my attention and I had to really push through it. The category this book was placed in was romance but the tone felt more mystery/suspense than anything else. Perhaps the reason it had that feel was that there was a lot of telling in the writing, rather than showing how characters felt about things. The characters themselves felt superficial and unlikeable, which can can work, but they were also uninteresting in their unlikeability.

I was excited to get into this one. The synopsis had so much potential, and not to mention we're talking about THE Chelsea Fagan weaving class/money dynamics into a summer-coded romance? Sign me up immediately.

And I enjoyed my time with the book. Alex reunites with her college best friends (with whom she shares an uneasy and unequal friendship?) and her former love on a yacht as they sail through the Mediterranean, where the undercurrent of years of tension simmers and bursts through the surface. The vibes, the tension and the yearning were all ripe for the picking. I loved how Chelsea did not shy away from the heavy, external issues like money, social status and politics, and how these would inform a person's relationship with the people around them, whether familial, platonic and romantic.

However, what fell flat for me was that the book never really dived (sorry pun not intended) deeper into the social/class dynamics within the friend group (or to develop the friend group beyond Paul and Alex, really), the characters' motivations (and especially when it came to Alex and Danial and the life choices they've made) or even the romance and the history between the couple that made me want to care more deeply for them. Throughout my entire read, I had this feeling of just wanting a little bit more of everything that never really went away, even while writing this, although the potential was certainly there.

If you're politically conscious but kinda obsessed with luxury, this light romance in a stunning setting is for you.

-Some of the best woman focussed 🌶️ I've read
-Nice pace, I didn't get bored
-A lot of the politics and opinions felt shoehorned in/unnatural when it wasn't the characters expressing themselves
-More tell than show unfortunately
-The writing felt a little juvenile/first draft, but that does make it accessible to many more people!

Novels about friend groups—especially college friends—is one of my favorite genres to read. Here, that’s combined with a Mediterranean vacation, which was even more fun. While I wish I learned more about each of the characters and their histories, this was a breezy, enjoyable read. Recommend!

The High Dive follows Alex Onassis, a scholarship student at Columbia turned political staffer, as she attempts to navigate a two week yacht trip through Europe with her rich best friend and his wealthy friends to celebrate his wedding. Despite going to college with them all, Alex always felt like an outsider. Alex has to face the group she had never truly fit in with while also avoiding her ex-best friend and college crush Danial.

I have so many thoughts about this book, and honestly, I don’t even know where to start.

What I liked: Paul deserves the world. He was the one character I consistently rooted for throughout the story. The descriptions of the yacht trip and the Mediterranean destinations were appealing as well. I love when a story takes me to a beautiful place.

What didn’t work for me: Unfortunately, most of the characters were deeply unlikable. Gus deserves to rot in prison. Sophie had no personality. Danial came off as spineless, constantly complaining about having no choice but to work for the Big Bad Corporate Machine™️ while enjoying all the luxuries he got from the salary. Alex seemed to have a superiority complex over everyone because of her job while also endlessly reminding us that she was poor and the outcast in the group. The plot felt repetitive and it seemed I was reading the same scenes on a loop. Alex and Danial hated each other for 99.9% of the book and then suddenly they are soulmates and loved each other all this time? I didn’t feel any chemistry and I never once rooted for them to be together.

Unfortunately this book was not for me but I think a specific audience would enjoy this!

Alex, I absolutely get the gripe about parents and dating coaches. What a fantastic introduction to her character.
The supporting characters were so fun and thought out so well - all really cool in their own regards. Danial was a broody (steamy) gem.