The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy
Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.
...and it’s going to be oh so good
All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.
Review: Multiple people told me to read this series before the tv adaptation came out. Did I listen? No. Did I regret it? YES. And then I couldn't stand waiting and I started watching the show and also listening to book one at the same time. This was a chaotic choice, but I actually loved doing this! Because: 1) I wasn't disappointed by changes they made in the tv show because I didn't know the difference at the time while watching and 2) I imagined the actors that were actually cast in the show while listening to the audiobook and thus wasn't disappointed by imagining them differently, and 3) I was still pleasantly surprised by the extra scenes and depth of the book compared to the show.
I don't know that this is a perfect book. I say I don't know because I was so caught up in obsession over the show that I'm not sure I can give this an unbiased opinion. It was a fun college romance with dual narration. I am always a sucker for a fake dating, he falls first scenario, and this one delivered. I also loved that Hannah is a scholarship student and has to work in college, which felt really relatable for me personally. I loved how hard Garrett falls for her and the way he picks her despite being able to have his pick of girls, thanks to his hockey team captain status.
I will say the way this book stood out for me in comparison to other romances was the way it handled sexual assault. I don't think this is a spoiler but an important trigger warning for readers. One of the characters has experienced this in their past, and I loved how thoughtfully this was handled in the text. Although I have not experienced this personally, I do think seeing it handled in such a tender way would be healing for me if I had. I also loved that the men in this book have a lot of emotional intelligence and this is also lacking in toxic behavior.
This was great on audio with dual narration, although I will say that the female narrator was not my favorite. I will absolutely be reading book two in this series.
Stars: 4.5
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