Review: Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

By Bookish Banter

Where do I even start? Something about this series had me locked in, especially The Deal. I was invested in this book and I'm not sure why but it was good.

Hannah Wells is only focused on three things; school, work, and the new football player on campus. She's never spoken a word to him but his looks are nothing to complain about.

Garrett Graham is the team captain of Briar University's hockey team, who also happens to be one of the biggest playboys on campus. He isn't the dumb jock that people think he is but boy is he struggling in his Philosophy class. After learning that Hannah was one of the few to pass the midterm exam, he makes her a deal: she tutors him in preparation for the makeup exam and he'll pose as her boyfriend to grab the attention of the football player Hannah is apparently head over heels for.

Now I think we all know how fake dating turns out in books. They spend enough time together and they realize they're in love with each other. But something about these characters made this book better. Almost all of the characters in the series actually. Both Garrett and Hannah have their own demons they're fighting. Garrett's mother passed away when he was younger and his father is a dickwad who's still ruining his life. Hannah has a great relationship with her parents but due to a traumatic event in high school, her family was shunned in the town and she wants nothing more than to get her parents out of there. The characters come together and find a safe space in each other. (no puns intended)

Rating: 4 stars

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

By Bookish Banter

Grace spent her freshman year of college not doing too much, besides almost giving her virginity to a junior, John Logan, one of Briar's hockey players. A random interaction one night leads to something a little more...physical. Grace and Logan continue seeing each other until one night, they get farther than they have before. Grace gives Logan a heads-up that she's still holding onto her v-card and with that information, Logan respectfully bows out. In Logan's mind, he doesn't think he deserves to take her virginity because he's convinced he likes his best friend's girlfriend and thinks that Grace deserves better than that. In Grace's mind, he was using her as a distraction but didn't want to have sex with her when he knew she was a virgin so she decided then and there that John Logan was a big mistake.

School's out and Grace and Logan part ways for the summer. Logan spends the summer taking care of his father and running their mechanic shop with his brother while Grace is traipsing through the streets of Paris with her mom. By the time school starts back up in the fall, Grace is a different person, or at least she wants to be. She's determined to leave Freshman Grace in the past along with the mistakes, or mistake, she made. Meanwhile, Logan realizes his mistake of letting her go and is determined to get her back, one way or another.

I loved Logan and Grace's story, although I will say it was a bit painful to read after Grace cut Logan off because we know he had good intentions but Grace only sees him as a playboy who was playing with her feelings. As I had said in my review of The Deal, a lot of the characters in this series are battling their own demons, Logan being one of them. Logan wants nothing more than to play hockey professionally but he can't because of the life he has with his father waiting back home for him. Grace on the other hand seems to live a decent life. Her parents are divorced but they're still friends and she loves them both. The characters eventually come together and help each other be even better people than they already are.

Rating: 4 stars

The Score by Elle Kennedy

By Bookish Banter

Coming Soon...

The Goal by Elle Kennedy

By Bookish Banter

Coming Soon...

The Legacy by Elle Kennedy

By Bookish Banter

Coming Soon...