Review: "The Deal" by Elle Kennedy (Off Campus #1) ★★★★

Review: The Deal (Off Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy

This ice hockey college fake-dating romance has a great deal (get it?) of humour and surprising depth. Loved the show, so decided to dig in, though I prefer mostly the show’s turn of events.

I find myself grinning like an idiot as I gaze at the stage. There’s nothing lewd about what she’s doing. No coy almost-stripping, no suggestive dance moves. Hannah throws her head back happily, her cheeks flushed and eyes shining as she sings, and she’s so beautiful it makes my chest hurt. Fuck, I want to kiss her again. I want to feel her lips on mine.

[Contains some spoilers and TV show comparisons]

PLOT SUMMARY
20-year-old music major Hannah Wells is one of the few students who aces her Philosophy class. This captures the attention of 20-year-old Briar-U ice hockey captain and playboy Garrett Graham who cannot afford to fail, otherwise his average drops to a C-minus and he cannot play hockey.

After discovering Hannah has a crush on football player Justin Kohl, Garrett makes an arrangement with Hannah: if Hannah tutors him, he will pretend to date her to catch the eye of Justin. Coming from Garrett, someone who doesn’t do girlfriends, this is a big deal. Unable to resist the temptation (trust me, she tries), Hannah agrees. They get more than they bargained for, experimenting so that Hannah will be more experienced when it comes to being with Justin, but ultimately catching feelings.

Meanwhile, Hannah is collaborating with singer Cass Donovan and songwriter Mary Jane for the winter showcase in the hopes of winning the scholarship. With the threat of Garrett’s famous ice hockey father, Phil Graham, the stakes of the scholarship and a face from the past that Hannah never wanted to see again, Hannah and Garrett must choose what matters to them most: their dreams or each other.

I never expected her. Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don’t know how you ever lived without them.

This is told from the present-tense first-person POV of Hannah and Garrett.

OVERALL OPINIONS
The Off Campus TV show came out on Amazon recently, and I binged it and was obsessed. I loved the characters, the relationships, the vibes, the found family – so much so, I knew I had to dive into this world and read it for myself. What kind of a book reviewer would I be if I didn’t? I had seen Elle Kennedy’s latest series Campus Diaries suggested last year, not knowing that the world is connected as they follow the children of the main characters from this series.

ㅤ🏒scored big🏒
Getting straight to the point, I do love this story. There is a wonderful balance here of fun campus things, the fake dating, the banter, the overall vibes and quirks in the narrative. There were definitely moments where I chuckled. Indeed, I still can’t unsee Garrett holding up his booklet like The Lion King! Or Garrett and Hannah’s One Direction debate, or Allie’s grin while she lists all the terms in hockey that sound dirty (very on-brand). The spice is excellent and I really felt the chemistry.

She goes quiet for a long moment, and then the most brilliant smile fills her face and lights up the room. It’s the first time Hannah has smiled at me like that, a smile that truly reaches her eyes, and it makes my heart clench in the strangest way.

But it also addresses the very serious issue of sexual assault and domestic violence – and its lack of punishment and justice. A topic not to be taken lightly, which I thought was incredible to see in a college-set book, and overall handled extraordinarily well. Hannah was assaulted when she was 15 after being roofied at a party by Aaron while his friends watched. She told people what happened and the result was devastating: traumatised; Aaron, being the son of the mayor, released on bail; testified against in court by his friends, claiming she’d been leading him on; her parents forced to pay legal fees, scrimping and saving, judged by everyone and unable to leave town.

On the flip side, Garrett has dealt with abuse at the hands of his father Phil for years until he was big enough to hit back. There is this arc that Cindy has of a typical domestic violence victim: she was an event planner forced to give up her company because Phil “misses [her] too much”, moved into his house so soon, isolated from others and abused. Fortunately, thanks to Garrett’s meddling and drawing experience from his and his late mother’s situations, she separates from Phil. A happy ending for her that not all victims achieve. Their stories felt so real, that it touched me and angered me on their behalf, on behalf of everyone who suffers and endures such things.

I know it wasn’t my fault. I know I didn’t ask for it or do something to invite it. It didn’t steal my ability to trust people or cause me to fear every man that crosses my path. Years of therapy helped me see that the burden of blame lies solely on him. There was something wrong with him. Not me. Never me. And the most important lesson I learned is that I’m not a victim—I’m a survivor.

ㅤ🏒the deal breakers🏒
A few things unfortunately didn’t seal the deal for me. The first and main thing was Garrett. While there are some lovely green flags about him I must point out the obvious reds: nagging at Hannah to tutor him, to the point he was stalking her (like father, like son since Phil finds her work address too) and sending photos of his chest, assuming she would cave in (I understand his needing not to fail but he’s so desperate, hate it); wanting to watch her undress (TV show Garrett would never!); the fact that the narration says “Even if I wanted to take advantage of Hannah right now I’d be totally useless. And shit, that’s a totally repulsive thing to think, because I’d never take advantage of her” (very problematic, very yikes, least he’s self aware); persisting about her having a drink (if she’s not a big drinker, she’s not a big drinker) and forcing the reason why she doesn’t out from her and thennn essentially not accepting it because it happened to her “friend” (not knowing it was her, herself) and thinks it will be good for her; and of course, the hands-off law (very, very controlling). Though with the latter two points he has good intentions, trying to show that it’s okay to trust others and to stop Hannah making a mistake he believes she will come to regret respectively, he is far far FAR too pushy for my liking. And for someone who doesn’t want to be like his father, he sure does act like him in these moments. I am so so glad they changed a lot of this for the TV show.

Another thing this book continually did is tell rather than show with the characters. The rape reveal is in one of the first chapters which, considering it is a big topic, is fine but it is very sudden and explicitly telling the readers things so early doesn’t always need to be the case. I felt like including it a bit later like even when it is mentioned in chapter 3 would have worked well. Similarly, being told about Garrett’s grandparents’ trust fund lessens the real stakes at the end when Phil threatens to cut off Garrett because we the reader know he will get the trust fund soon and all will be well, which also defeats the purpose of the breakup. Had that information been withheld, that may have felt more impactful.

ㅤ🏒extensive list of tv show changes🏒
For those who want to know and aren’t aware already, the main differences between the book and TV show are the following:
• Book Hannah and Garrett meet in the lecture hall. TV Show Hannah and Garrett meet in the ice hockey men’s locker room while he is showering.
• Book Garrett stalks Hannah. TV Show Garrett happens to be in the same places as Hannah.
• Book Hannah has a classmate called Nell. TV Show changes this classmate to Dexter.
• Book Justin is a football player. TV Show Justin is a singer.
• Book Hannah borrows the car of Tracy, a girl who lives on her floor. TV Show omits her and has her ride a bike.
• Book Hannah works at Della’s, the diner. TV Show Hannah works at Malone’s, the diner and bar (though it is run by a woman called Della), as well as an on-campus job at the hockey arena.
• Book has drama with Cass and MJ about the showcase, with Cass taking over the duet project and betraying Hannah by kicking her out and singing it himself. Hannah then goes solo with Jae the cellist. TV Show omits Cass, MJ and Jae, (though Cass is somewhat written into Justin’s character) and she is a clarinet player who decides to enter the pop showcase for the money.
• Book Hannah’s performing arts advisor is Fiona. TV Show this is changed to a music professor and academic advisor called Daveed.
• Book Hannah has friends Stella, Meg, her boyfriend Jeremy, and Dexter. TV Show only includes Dexter.
• Book Hannah has an ex Devon who was in a band and who she never was able to have an orgasm with. She encounters him at the karaoke night with his new girlfriend Emily. TV Show omits these characters but mentions Hannah’s break up.
•Book Allie knows about Hannah’s backstory. TV Show Allie doesn’t know but suspects.
• Book Allie doesn’t know about Hannah’s arrangement with Garrett. TV Show Allie does know.
• Book Dean warns Hannah not to go up to Garrett’s room doing activities with another woman. TV Show Logan knew but didn’t warn her (though was talking to her for a bit, potentially to stall).
• Book Dean walks in on Hannah and Garrett making out, and Hannah kisses Dean. TV Show this was all Logan.
• Book they fall asleep together after binging Breaking Bad. TV Show they fall asleep listening to The Beaches.
• Book karaoke night is for Dean’s birthday. TV Show it isn’t.
• Book Dean and Beau’s birthdays are on different days. TV Show they have the same birthday.
• Book Hannah sings “Bad Romance”. TV Show Hannah sings “Cherry Pie”.
• Book Garrett talks to Birdie for advice. TV Show Garrett talks to Dean.
• Book Garrett deliberately gets Cass’ name mixed up. TV Show Garrett does this with Justin.
• Book Garrett has a flame tattoo. TV Show Garrett has a tattoo saying “Nullum gratuitum prandium”, Latin for “there is no free lunch”
• Book Hannah asks her mum on the phone about a lasagna recipe to make for the boys. TV Show Tucker asks his mum on the phone about various recipes for Thanksgiving. • Book Allie is a cat bird for Halloween. TV Show Allie is Jennifer Lopez for the birthday party.
• Book Garrett hates Halloween because it was the first time his father beat him up, causing Hannah to keep him company while everyone else goes and parties. TV Show omits this, having a costume birthday party where Garrett dresses up as a magician and Hannah a puck bunny.
• Book Hannah says she loves Garrett while they’re making out in the car. TV Show Garrett says he loves Hannah while sitting watching her singing.
• Book has three characters: Aaron, no surname, who is Hannah’s rapist; Rob Delaney, a friend of Hannah’s rapist who witnessed the event and testified against her, who Garrett beats up; and Greg Braxton, a sadist St. Anthony’s left wing who beats players up on the ice. TV Show combines the two to make Aaron Delaney, the rapist of Hannah and also the brutal St. A’s player who Garrett beats up.
• Book Garrett gets 1 game suspension after beating up Rob. TV Show Garrett gets 4 game suspension after beating up Aaron.
• Book Phil Graham wants Hannah to break up with Garrett, threatening to cut Garrett off if she doesn’t. TV Show Garrett breaks up with Hannah, panicking about his loss of control and fear of becoming like his father.
• Book Hannah wants Garrett and her to see other people as an excuse not to be with him. TV Show Allie says this to Dean.
• Book Garrett invokes a campus-wide hands-off law, meaning other men cannot be with Hannah after their split otherwise he’ll kick their assess which she confronts him about in the male locker room. TV Show Garrett did not invoke this, and he and Hannah both learn that it was a misunderstood rumour started by Dean when he mentioned something to one of the other players Stuebs. Both versions have that Sean is the one to reveal this to her.
• Book Hannah wears a strapless silver dress for the showcase. TV Show Hannah wears a silver dress with straps.
• Book Hannah cannot see who of her friends has attended the showcase because of the spotlight. TV Show Hannah can see everyone.
• Book Hannah wins the showcase, beating Cass. TV Show Hannah comes 2nd place as someone called Bethany (who she is on after) was 1st place, but Hannah gets a paid internship.
• Book Cindy leaves Phil. TV Show Cindy is still with Phil.
• Book Garrett tells the whole team everything about his dad. TV Show Garrett only tells Logan.

ㅤ🏒book or tv show?🏒
Without hesitation, I find this is one of the fewer times that the TV adaptation is far better than the book. It is honestly a pity that they changed the Breaking Bad binge-watching so Garrett will never know Hannah’s vegetable topping choices, and they never have Hannah’s signature pop of colour, or the “SexyBack” ringtone Garrett set himself on her phone, or the “Tuesday’s Gone” dance, or the playlist Garrett made Hannah, or the reason why Garrett hates Halloween.

I think the showcase drama was far more interesting than what they did on the show, and knowing Cindy’s backstory here should not have been omitted in the show because that was excellent and shows the kind of woman she was before Phil’s influence.

That being said, I do love the things the show added and changed (and of course the things that stayed similar, like Garrett passing the class and spinning Hannah in the air). Garrett encountering Hannah singing in the green room, Garrett playing against and discovering Hannah’s rapist, the Dirty Dancing link between Hannah and Garrett’s late mother. I preferred that they don’t have sex in the car after visiting Garrett’s father since they were being vulnerable, and that Garrett has more serious repercussions for his actions. I also like that characters like Kendall and Phil were fleshed out more by removing characters from the book that are not needed. Phil has a bit more complexity to him in the show as opposed to being a mean man in the book, that like Garrett we even start to think Phil can better himself but the Thanksgiving dinner destroys that thought for good. That was far more devastating to me.

Something I’m on the fence about is the breakup. It makes sense in the show to have Garrett break up with her, but I think a lot of films/shows have the man initiate a breakup so it would have been interesting here for Hannah to be the initiator here like “I don’t want your career to be at risk because of me any more, goodbye and good luck”.

ㅤ🏒to conclude🏒
While I prefer the show, this was absolutely worth the read and I will be returning to Briar University when I get the chance to read more. Looking forward most to Allie and Dean!

<< Positives >>
🠚 Excellent chemistry and spice balanced with fun campus vibes.
🠚 Humorous narrative moments made me chuckle and still stand out.
🠚 Important sensitive issues like sexual assault and domestic violence were handled exceptionally well.
🠚 The emotional backstories felt real and deeply touched me.
🠚 The characters felt relatable, especially Hannah for me.
🠚 The scenes unique to the book are worth reading.

<< Negatives >>
🠚 Garrett has several very problematic, stalking, controlling and pushy moments.
🠚 Heavy reliance on telling rather than showing.
🠚 Early rape reveal felt too sudden.
🠚 Trust fund mention lessened real stakes of the breakup.
🠚 Logan was super weird, and Garrett being okay with that was so strange. Yikes. Like all his character did was stare at her?? Thank goodness the TV show fleshed him out.
🠚 Bonus chapter was literally Garrett musing once again about Logan getting over his crush on Hannah? It’s giving “I hope you’re hungry for nothing”

CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Hannah꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I do relate to her a lot. Her emotions are very easy to read, is not good at small talk, she has a small appetite, all very like me (a few other personal things where I was like stawp haha). I really like how unapologetic she is to Cass and MJ, I think a lot of other authors would make her try and forgive MJ but I’m glad she says she is not there yet. In no world is it alright to betray your friend over a guy. The one thing that annoys me is her not telling Garrett about the Justin date.

-ˋˏ ꒰ Garrett꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ What I do like about Garrett is the way he notices that she’s good in red, encourages her music, makes her playlist, the way he cups her chin when she’s upset. I like how he doesn’t treat Hannah as someone fragile.

FAV QUOTES
• It’s like that pond I skated on when I was a kid—from a distance, the ice looked so shiny and smooth, until you got close enough to it, and suddenly all the uneven edges and crisscrossed skate marks became visible. That’s me, I guess. Covered with skate marks that nobody ever seems to notice.
• I wonder if “sexy as fuck” is a requirement for living in this house.
• I’m startled by the intensity in his voice, the emotion now glittering in his gray eyes. “I just need to hear you sing again.” Wow. Okay. My entire life people have been telling me I’m talented, but other than my parents, nobody has ever *pleaded* with me to sing to them.
• “I’m not other women.” No, she isn’t. Because other women don’t entertain me as much as she does. I suddenly wonder how I ever made it through life without Hannah Wells’s sarcastic barbs and annoyed grumbles.
• “Yeah?” I lower my voice to a seductive pitch. “Prove it.”
• I gulp for air and shudder in his arms, and he strokes my hair and makes rough, soothing noises that only make me cry harder. “I’m broken.” | My voice is muffled against his neck, but I hear his voice loud and clear as he says, “You’re not broken, baby. I promise.”
• There’s no one better than him. Garrett is the best man I’ve ever known. And not just because he’s smart and sexy and funny and so much sweeter than I ever gave him credit for. He makes me feel alive. Yeah, we bicker, and sure, his cockiness drives me crazy sometimes, but when I’m with him, I feel whole. I feel like I can drop my guard completely and not have to worry about getting hurt or taken advantage of or being afraid, because Garrett Graham will always be there to love and protect me.