In at the Deep End: A hilarious and touching contemporary read from Hannah Lynn for 2025

by Hannah Lynn

An utterly unputdownable read that will make you laugh, weep, and think about the world in a completely different way! It’s time she made a splash of her own.

When Fiona’s husband ups and leaves on the same day her only son goes away to college, she suddenly finds herself on the wrong side of forty and feeling very alone. Fortunately, there’s a distraction of mammoth proportions swimming in the River Thames.

Determined to make sense of the crazy events surrounding her life, Fiona embarks on a journey of self-discovery. But can she juggle her event planning business, a new-found eco-awareness, and a yoga instructor barely older than her son, without it all dragging her under?

A poignant and hilarious contemporary fiction novel about starting over. If you enjoy laugh-out-loud antics, second chances and a dash of romance, you'll love Hannah Lynn’s delightful tale that will leave a lasting impact.

'Fiona has the potential to be the next Bridget Jones I loved her quirky and chaotic take on life and all its events. A perfect read for the weekend.' Reader Review

'Funny, realistic, crazy and truly an enjoyable read.' Reader Review

'Quirky, original, made me laugh, made me think - and a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed.' Reader Review

'What I’ve liked the most about Lynn’s other books are the characters and how she makes them instantly likeable and relatable ... didn’t disappoint.' Reader Review

'A brilliant entertaining read.' Reader Review

Previously published as Treading Water and Fiona and the Whale

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2024

Reviews

[Anne Cotton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts off very sad and I wasn’t enjoying it to start with. Then it got into the whale stuff and how obsessed Fiona was by it. I was thinking ‘ok this is now sad and weird’. But then comes Fiona’s transformation to trying to reduce plastic waste and help the planet and I totally got on board at that point. I spend my life trying to help the environment and my respect for the author went up a million fold for writing a book like this to try to make a difference. Well done and thank you Hannah Lynn! In terms of the story it did get better and more enjoyable. I felt the ending was very sudden though. I had no idea I was near the end (reading on a kindle) and suddenly the next chapter was called Epilogue and I was like ‘wait, what? The story is just getting good’ So that was a shame. I would have liked it developing a bit further. But well done again Hannah for raising this important issue.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah Lynn is writing from her heart in this novel, 'In at the Deep End.' She herself suggests that this may be the hardest thing she has ever written, and perhaps it will be the best thing she has ever written.

The book is about relationships: friendships, marital and family issues, business mores and human impact on the environment. The central character is Fiona, a woman whose husband leaves her on the day her son leaves for university. She is a rather hard bitten business woman who discovers personal growth and love through ecological awareness.

The author campaigns gently with humour, despite grizzly realities. Her writing is captivating and compelling. An amazing read.

[And vernon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very heart warming story.exciting roller coaster of events. So sad that a whale lost its life on the thames.. brings things into prospective with plastics etc.