Review: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

It is no secret that the Off Campus series is well, kind of a big deal. Not only are all five novels bestsellers, but the series has recently been developed into a series for Amazon Prime. But how does it stack up?

Not too bad. 

In a world where the market is absolutely saturated with contemporary romance novels featuring every theme, or trope, imaginable, the concept of a college romance featuring two opposites who dislike one another at first but soon fall for one another hardly feels original. But, somehow, the author manages to turn this into something that feels like the romance novel equivalent of a warm hug. Hannah is a talented musician just trying to make her way through college. Her past makes her wary of men and dating. Especially ones like Garrett, who are popular, a little arrogant and part of an elite sporting team. Meanwhile, for Garrett, ice hockey is everything. And he needs to keep his grades up if he wants to remain part of the team. And so, he swallows his pride and asks Hannah, a high achieving student who hates him, for help. What neither expects is that one kiss is going to lead to a whole lot more ...

Although the writing and story is a tad unrealistic, the plot and characters make for excellent escapism. I also enjoyed how the author showed the romance slowly building between the pair and how trust was an important theme. That said, the break up instigated by Garrett's father bothered me, as so much in the novel focused on trust and this particular problem could have easily been resolved with some basic communication between Hannah and Garrett. (But then, perhaps, the reader would not have been treated to the delightful uh, locker scene.) 

A fun, romantic read. 

Recommended.

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