Source: Purchased.
The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy
She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy...
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, cockycaptain 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.
Back when this book first came out and everyone was talking about it, I bought it and speed-read/skimmed it. I remember enjoying the book enough that I knew I wanted to give it a proper read before I rated it...and I also ended up hooked on the song Tuesday's Gone for a while. Fast forward to earlier this year when Elle Kennedy opened her pre-orders for Apollycon. I bought all four Off-Campus books with the abs covers (because obviously). And then I thought "wow, this is probably a good time to start the series again." And so I did. And now here I am, very much in love with The Deal.
First and foremost, I'm so glad I gave this book another read now because there was so much more to it that had completely slipped my mind somehow. And now, years later, I'm seeing it all through the lens of me at 23 instead of me at...19? As a whole, I adored the plot. The slow build of their relationship. The shift in their views from maybe-there-are-feelings to more. The tutoring and fake dating-ish idea to...more. Their individual backstories. All of it, mixed together, taking over my life for an entire weekend and making me lose sleep and leaving me regretting nothing. I loved it.
Then there's the characters. Hannah is awesome. She's smart and down to earth and very self-aware. Garrett is also awesome. Determined and hardworking and nice. Hannah and Garrett are the MCs, but their friends are also prominent characters and they were so good. Garrett's roommates obviously top the list. They're fun and funny and I am so here for their stories.
The romance was everything I could have wanted. They start as friends, then move into a fake dating-ish situation, then slowly bridge into more. And it. Is. Wonderful. I was here for it every step of the way and I freaking loved it. Plus, they make such a perfect couple! Gah, so so so so good.
Overall, The Deal is probably going to end up on my 2019 favorites list. It pulled me in and consumed me during all my free time last weekend, this making me lose precious sleep, and it was so freaking great that I regret nothing. And I'm calling it now--this book is so going to be added to my re-read rotation. I loved it!
5 stars - So freaking good--a new favorite!
I completely agree! I love most of Elle Kennedy's work, but this is one of my favorites!
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