In at the Deep End by KC Wells

Every few years, a meme captures writers imaginations and gives us a wide variety of interpretations... my new favourite for this meme is In at the Deep End:

From the blurb:

Owen swore he’d never love again. Matt never got the memo.

Matt Daley thought the summer would be simple. A dissertation to finish, then figuring out what comes next after his master’s. When Owen Lane, his dad’s best friend from his university days, moves in next door and offers him a paid gig maintaining the pool and garden, it feels like an easy yes. What Matt doesn’t plan on is Owen himself—fifty-two, silver-haired, broad-shouldered, confident, and openly gay.

And Matt discovers very quickly that curiosity can be a dangerous thing when the man teaching you is this tempting.

Owen hires Matt for the help, not the way he fills out a pair of shorts or how the summer sun turns his skin golden. He did not expect Matt’s curiosity, or the slow burn of attraction that crackles between them as days stretch long and hot. Conversations turn intimate. Boundaries blur. Desire simmers just beneath the surface.

Until it doesn’t.

What starts as a summer job becomes an exploration of desire, trust, and firsts, and the more time Matt spends with Owen, the harder it becomes to pretend it’s only about sex.

One summer could change everything.

If they can survive what happens when casual stops being enough.

One summer. One pool. Two men about to dive headfirst into everything they want—but are afraid to claim.

Heather's review:

I loved how this book took so many things full circle! I love how Owen and Matt orbit each other, finding things in common and moving their initial relationship forward in almost accidental ways.  Reading this book was like peeling back an onion, discovering new layers and depths that both brought the two men together, but also exposing new things that could tear them apart...

I loved watching them in their summer bubble, but also navigating a more public relationship. This book has so much that I love in terms of tropes and themes... age gap, hurt/comfort, second chance romance, sexual awakening and so much more!   The only thing I hate is that it's standalone... I need to know more about Owen's son's connection to their favourite destination...