In at the Deep End. Kate Davies

      

       Copyright

      The Borough Press

      An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019

      Copyright © Kate Davies 2019

      Cover design by Micaela Alcaino © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019

      Cover photograph © Ros Roberts/Getty images

      Kate Davies asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

      A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

      This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to events or actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

      Source ISBN: 9780008311384

      Ebook Edition © July 2019 ISBN: 9780008311360

      Version: 2019-05-16

       Praise for In at the Deep End:

      ‘Without a doubt, In at the Deep End, by Kate Davies, is the afterparty book for anyone looking to extend their Fleabag fun … Davies’ book is raucous, sexy, poignant and smart, and is definitely the most fun you will have with lesbian BDSM short of doing it yourself’

      Hadley Freeman, Guardian

      ‘Fleabag-level dirty jokes, Eleanor Oliphant-levels of empathy and a heroine who feels like your best mate spilling the gossip after two glasses drunk a little too quickly. Fresh, funny and filthy’

       Grazia

      ‘Raucous and raunchy tale of coming out, of good sex with bad people … a rip-roaring read that’s also painfully honest about what it means to be a sexually active woman of any orientation’

       DIVA Magazine

      ‘Brilliant! The best thing I’ve read in AGES. I can’t remember the last time a book made me laugh so hard, while also making me think about life, relationships and what makes us who we are’

      Gill Sims, author of Why Mummy Drinks

      ‘A frank, very funny and, at times, filthy exploration of sex, love and self-understanding … brilliant’

      Francesca Brown, Stylist

      ‘Frank, funny and fabulously filthy, but also tender and moving. Every woman should own a copy of this book’

      Erin Kelly author of He Said/She Said

      ‘I love this book! It’s a wild sexual adventure that’s funny and exciting and tender and real and chilling all at once. A joy to read’

      Josie Long

      ‘[A] fresh and funny lesbian coming-of-age adventure … a Sapphic sexual odyssey’

       Guardian

      ‘I was snorting with mirth like a little piggy on every page. Utter filth and very, very, very funny’

      Sarra Manning, author of The Rise and Fall of Becky Sharp

      ‘Utterly original, hilarious’

      Francesca Simon, The Times

      ‘This year’s funniest book? Certainly its filthiest, as Julia embarks on a journey of sexual discovery, taking in bad parties, worse art and some excellent conversations’

       iPaper

      ‘READ IT because it is bloody brilliant – genuinely, laugh-out-loud-in-real-life hilarious and so very, wonderfully REAL’

      Katie Lowe, author of The Furies

      ‘I read In at the Deep End in a laughing (sometimes cringing) flash and then handed it to my wife who did the same. And then we talked and talked about it. (And then we made out)’

      Emily Danforth, author of The Miseducation of Cameron Post

      ‘You’ll finish it in one sitting … In at the Deep End nails how intense sexual connections can skew your perception of a relationship when you’re young’

       Stylist

      ‘A tender, laughter-filled account of love, obsession and the power of friendship’

       Sunday Mirror

      ‘Hilarious … has taught me more about female same-sex relationships than I ever thought I would know’

       Female First

       Dedication

      To my one true Spud

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

       Copyright

       Praise for In at the Deep End

       Dedication

       1. SEX NOISES

       2. NO-MAN’S-LAND

       3. THOSE AREN’T MY TITS

       4. UNSEXY SEX