I was very pleased when I was asked to read the Off-Campus series for annotated books. It's the kind of book I used to see all the time but never really got around to reading.
Off-Campus series book review
The Deal by Elle Kennedy
What is The Deal about?
Hannah Wells makes a deal with hockey captain Garrett Graham: she'll tutor him in exchange for him fake dating her to make her crush jealous.
Get your annotated books of the Off-Campus series here
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Book review
Rating: 3.30/5 stars
I first read The Deal in 2023 and didn’t remember much about it other than how much I’d enjoyed their banter. Luckily, that’s still the case! Despite the many clichés (which I’ll forgive since it was one of the first books of its kind), I appreciated how their relationship developed from friends to lovers.
The rest isn’t very subtle or surprising, but it’s fun to keep up with. The only thing I really disliked was the reason for their breakup in the third act. Not only is it predictable, but it’s also ridiculous and could easily have been avoided, which makes the whole thing anticlimactic.
The Mistake by Elle Kennedy
What is The Mistake about?
Hockey star John Logan lives for parties and hook-ups, but a careless mistake costs him the one girl he actually wants, freshman Grace Ivers. Now he has to prove he's worth a second chance romance, except Grace has returned to Briar University bolder and determined to make him work for it this time.
Book Review
Rating: 2.28/5 stars
In my opinion, The Mistake is probably the weakest book in the Off-Campus series. Everything it does well was borrowed from the first book. As for the rest, it’s pretty weak, shallow, and struggled to hold my attention. Unlike the first book, which relies on the major fake dating trope, here Logan simply goes to the wrong room. The premise and conflict are therefore less compelling from the start.
Starting with Grace, she lacks personality, and the few traits she does have aren’t very well written, such as her OCD. She also undergoes a strange personality shift when she returns from summer break, as if changing her hair color were enough to reinvent herself. She also lacks empathy for Logan’s situation, which doesn’t make her very likable either.
Logan, for his part, is a less charismatic version of Garrett. He acts exactly the same way and doesn't have a truly distinctive personality.
Together, Grace and Logan have pretty weak chemistry, and their banter is only good when the scene is taken from the first book. They barely know each other, and we’re supposed to be invested in their relationship.
All the conflicts addressed are easily resolved in one chapter. This even applies to the central conflict (Logan being in love with his best friend’s girlfriend) which is solved after a single, lackluster conversation with Hannah.
In terms of pacing, I found the book too long and rather uneventful. I got bored on several occasions. There are a few good ideas, like Ramona, Grace’s toxic friend. However, it’s not very subtle, and she almost becomes cartoonish. I thought Icebreaker did it better, even if it’s not exactly the same thing.
The Score by Elle Kennedy
What is The Score about?
Allie Hayes, fresh off a breakup and facing an uncertain future, falls into a one-night stand with Dean Di Laurentis and refuses to see him again. But Dean, used to getting everything he wants, refuses to let her go and launches a full-on pursuit, realizing he wants a real relationship for the first time.
Book Review
Rating: 2.95/5 stars
Although it’s better than The Mistake, The Score feels more like smut than a love story. My main issue is Dean, because as funny as he is, he sounded like a predator for most of the book. Another case of “if he weren’t hot, he’d be behind bars.” He constantly talks about sex and is very pushy with Allie, which I didn’t necessarily find cute for a romance book. Especially since he only wanted one thing, totally objectifying her.
The book is funny with some great banter, but I also felt like it was a bit disconnected from the universe it’s set in. For instance, Hannah is absent for most of the book even though she’s supposed to be Allie’s best friend, and Dean and Allie being a couple should be causing quite a stir on campus, but we don’t get those moments.
As for their character arcs, they’re super predictable early on with plenty of clues, so when they choose their paths toward the end, it’s not really satisfying because we already knew what was coming.
Allie, on the other hand, is an enjoyable character to follow. It’s easy to relate to her and the stories she tells herself. She stands out from Hannah very easily and offers us things we don’t often see, such as her kinky side.
Overall, the romance didn’t exactly win me over, but it was fun and fast-paced.
The Goal by Elle Kennedy
What is The Goal about?
Ambitious college senior Sabrina James has her life perfectly mapped out until one unexpected night with sweet hockey player Tucker leaves her pregnant. Now Tucker, determined to be present for his child and win over the woman he's fallen for, must break through Sabrina's guarded heart before she shuts him out for good.
Book Review
Rating: 2.53/5 stars
After the second book, this is probably the weakest and least developed one. There’s little to no conflict, even though their situation should provide plenty, and the romance is mostly lust.
Tucker, being just as perfect as Garrett, with absolutely no flaws, will of course have no problem putting his whole life aside to welcome a child. Not a single moment of doubt or fear otherwise, you might think he’s a realistic man.
Sabrina, on the other hand, is relatable but acts out of character as soon as it comes to her pregnancy. And that’s my biggest issue with the book: she had absolutely no reason to keep it. I wish the book had been bold enough to consider abortion because it would have aligned with Sabrina’s personality and goals, but as in many books that tackle this subject, this option is barely considered, likely out of fear of being seen as problematic. It’s a shame, because this is an opportunity to represent, for once, the many women in the same situation who chose to have an abortion. And beyond that, it made more sense for the character, and it would have created just as much conflict for the plot as a pregnancy does, in my opinion.
The Legacy by Elle Kennedy
What is The Legacy about?
A collection of four novellas catching up with all four beloved Off-Campus couples: Garrett & Hannah, Logan & Grace, Dean & Allie, and Tucker & Sabrina. Three years after graduation. Real life throws weddings, proposals, elopements, and surprise pregnancies their way.
Book Review
Rating: 3/5 stars
A heartwarming conclusion to the series, which alternates between funny and more serious stories with interesting conflicts, though resolved quickly as expected.
Since it’s a romance novel, the author obviously wasn’t going to break up any of the couples, but I would have appreciated that risk and that sense of realism, since it’s obviously a utopian fantasy to think they’re all meant to be together forever.
Final thoughts & ranking of the Off-Campus series
Final thoughts
I feel like all the books that follow The Deal try, to a greater or lesser extent, to replicate the same formula, or at least similar moments, without quite managing to create good chemistry. It’s still a series that’s very enjoyable to read.
Get your annotated books of the Off-Campus series here
Buy on Amazon
Buy on Bookshop
Book ranking
- The Deal
- The Legacy
- The Score
- The Goal
- The Mistake
Amazon Prime Video’s Adaptation of Off-Campus
To briefly touch on the Amazon Prime series adaptation, Off-Campus, I felt it rushed through Hannah and Garrett’s relationship, whereas the book takes its time developing their friendship, and Hannah’s traumas had far less impact. Also, her complete personality shift feels less consistent with her backstory. On the other hand, I’m glad they changed the third act, which is the book’s weakest point.
Elle Kennedy’s other works
Aside from the Off-Campus series, Elle Kennedy is also known for:
- The Chase, first book in the Briar U companion series
- The Graham Effect, first book in the Campus Diaries companion series
- Good Girl Complex, first book in the Avalon Bay
Similar books to the Off-Campus series to add to your TBR
The Chase by Elle Kennedy (Briar U, #1)
A grumpy x sunshine romance where Summer Di Laurentis sets her sights on her brother's tattooed, introverted hockey teammate Fitzy, the one guy who seems completely immune to her charm.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (Maple Hills, #1)
When a rink-sharing mishap forces driven figure skater Anastasia Allen to share the ice with brooding hockey captain Nate Hawkins, their rivalry slowly melts into something neither of them expected.
Collide by Bal Khabra (Off the Ice, #1)
Ambitious sports psychology student Summer Preston is forced to conduct her thesis research on hockey and on its captain, Aiden Crawford.
Have you read the Off-Campus series? What did you think of it?
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