Have you watched Off Campus? If not, you’ve probably heard someone talk about the series or seen a Reel about it on social media. Currently, Off-Campus is the number one TV show on the Amazon Prime streaming service.
The new TV series is adapted from Elle Kennedy’s adult contemporary romance series of the same name. The new adult genre focuses on the changes 18-25-year-olds experience and bridges the gap between young adult and adult fiction. In the romance category, the books explore mature themes, and the sexual encounters are more explicit.
In this season, viewers meet Hannah and Garrett from The Deal, the first book in the four-book series. Hannah is a music major with a crush on a Briar University football player, and Garrett is a struggling student-athlete and the hockey team’s captain. Hannah becomes Garrett’s tutor in exchange for his help in attracting her crush’s attention. Kennedy uses the Fake Dating, Opposites Attract, He Falls First, and Found Family tropes in this love story.
The plot sounds simple, but it is not. Both characters have trust issues based on past experiences. These issues are not inconsequential, and readers should be aware of the trigger warnings- off-page rape and child abuse.
As with most book adaptations, changes were made for TV. Novel purists often take offense to changes, but in this particular case, I approve of the changes the writers made to move the story forward. However, read the books before watching the series. Always!
The Deal is number two on the New York Times Best Sellers List, and Book Two, The Mistake, is number six. I read the Off Campus and Briar U series as the books were published beginning in 2015. A heartbreaking scene from Book Three still upsets me.
Why are these books and the TV series so popular? I have thought about this question for the past week and have some ideas. First, happily ever after never goes out of style, and more readers are picking up Romance books now more than ever. People crave good news. Secondly, the friendships in the novels and the series are as important as the romance. These characters care deeply for one another. No mean girls. No toxic masculinity. Thirdly, the story blends healthy communication with passionate chemistry, and in The Deal, the sex scenes are open door but not gratuitous.
Elle Kennedy has written 13 books in the Briar U universe, with a fourteenth coming soon. Add them to your Summer To Be Read list for a steamy summer.
Visit the library, an independent bookstore or search the Knox County Online Library for more books.
Linda Sullivan is an avid reader and wants to make you one, too. For more recommendations or just to talk books, reach out to her at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com. She can also be found @thebookwhisperertn on Instagram.
Look for books at Knox County Online Library or your local independent bookstore each week.
Linda Sullivan is an avid reader and wants to inspire you to become one, too. For more recommendations or to talk books, reach out to her at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com. She can also be found @thebookwhisperertn on Instagram.
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