The Deal by Elle Kennedy

 


The Deal by Elle Kennedy: Book Review, Plot, Characters, Themes & Rating 💌🏒

Book Review Series: Off-Campus #1

College. Hockey players. Academic pressure. Fake dating. Trauma. Flirting. And two people who definitely did NOT plan on catching feelings. 👀

Yep. We're talking about The Deal by Elle Kennedy.

If you've been anywhere near BookTok, romance recommendations, or the "I can fix him" side of the internet, you've probably heard of this one.

And if you're just entering the Off-Campus universe, congratulations—you've officially arrived at Briar University. 🏒🎓

But here's the real question:

Is The Deal actually worth the hype?

Let's get into it. 👀📖

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING 🚨

From this point onward, this review contains spoilers for The Deal.

We'll be discussing Hannah and Garrett's relationship, their personal struggles, major plot developments, character arcs and the ending.

If you haven't read the book yet and want to experience everything without spoilers, stop here, add the book to your TBR and come back after reading it. 📚👀

Still here? Okay. Let's spill the tea. ☕

💌 What Is The Deal About?

Meet Hannah Wells.

She's smart, academically successful and pretty much has her life together—at least on the outside.

There's just one problem.

She's seriously crushing on someone.

Now enter Garrett Graham.

Garrett is Briar University's star hockey player. He's confident, popular, ridiculously attractive and very aware of it. 😭

But there's a tiny issue: his grades are absolutely not giving.

If Garrett doesn't improve his grades, his hockey career could be in serious trouble.

And who happens to be amazing at the subject he's struggling with?

Yep.

Hannah.

So Garrett comes up with a plan.

He'll help Hannah get closer to her crush.

She'll tutor him.

Simple deal, right?

Absolutely not. 😂

What starts as a fake relationship slowly turns into something neither of them expected.

Because apparently, fake dating is all fun and games until you start catching real feelings.

👩‍🎓 Hannah Wells

Hannah isn't your typical romance heroine.

She's smart, ambitious and independent. She's focused on her studies and knows what she wants from her future.

But there's also a side of Hannah that most people don't see.

She has experienced something deeply painful in her past, and that experience continues to affect how she thinks about relationships, trust and herself.

What makes her character interesting is that she doesn't magically become "fixed" because she meets Garrett.

Instead, she slowly learns to deal with her past and become more comfortable with herself.

Hannah's energy:

🎓 Academic girl
💅 Independent
❤️ Emotionally complicated
🧠 Smart but vulnerable
✨ Quietly badass

Basically:

She's got the grades AND the character development.

🏒 Garrett Graham: The Hockey Boy

At first glance, Garrett is basically the classic college-romance hero starter pack:

🏒 Hockey player
🔥 Attractive
😏 Confident
👀 Popular
💪 Athletic
🚩 Potentially annoying

But thankfully, there's more to him than being the hot hockey guy.

Garrett genuinely cares about his future and his hockey career. His relationship with Hannah also brings out a much softer side of him.

Watching him go from:

"I need you to tutor me."

to

"Wait... I actually care about this girl."

is honestly one of the best parts of the book.

💕 Fake Dating: The Chaos Begins

Let's be honest.

Fake dating is basically a recipe for disaster.

Hannah and Garrett initially have practical reasons for pretending to date.

But then they start spending more time together.

They talk.

They argue.

They flirt.

They learn each other's secrets.

And suddenly...

Wait. Why are the fake feelings feeling suspiciously real? 👀

The fake relationship gives them an excuse to get closer without immediately admitting what they're actually feeling.

Classic romance behaviour.

💔 Hannah's Past

One of the more serious parts of the novel is Hannah's traumatic past.

Her experiences have a major impact on her emotional life and her ability to trust people.

Garrett eventually learns what happened to her and becomes an important source of support.

But importantly, Hannah's healing isn't simply presented as "boy meets girl and everything is magically fixed."

Her journey is about confronting what happened to her, rebuilding her confidence and understanding that her past does not have to define her future.

❤️ Garrett's Family Life

Garrett also carries emotional baggage.

His relationship with his father is deeply complicated, particularly because of his father's abusive and controlling behaviour.

This gives Garrett more depth than the typical "hot hockey player with a good body and zero problems" romance hero.

His family situation also helps explain some of his determination, competitiveness and protective nature.

So underneath all that confidence?

There's actually a lot going on.

🎓 More Than Just Romance

One thing that works surprisingly well in The Deal is the balance between romance and college life.

Hannah has academic ambitions.

Garrett has to maintain his grades while playing hockey.

Their tutoring sessions become the starting point of their relationship.

Meanwhile, friendships, sports, parties and university life keep the story moving.

So the book isn't just:

Boy + Girl = Romance.

It's also about figuring out who you are while you're trying to survive college.

🧠 Major Themes

1. ❤️ Love & Emotional Healing

Hannah and Garrett both have emotional baggage.

Their relationship gradually becomes a space where they can be honest and vulnerable.

The novel suggests that healthy relationships aren't about fixing someone. They're about supporting each other while both people continue growing.

2. 💔 Trauma & Moving Forward

Hannah's past shapes much of her emotional journey.

The story explores how difficult it can be to move forward after experiencing something traumatic.

Healing isn't instant.

It isn't perfect.

And it definitely isn't linear.

3. 👀 Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

Garrett initially looks like the stereotypical popular athlete.

Hannah looks like the serious academic girl.

But both characters turn out to be far more complicated.

Basically:

First impressions said one thing. Reality said, "LOL, nope."

4. 🤝 Trust & Communication

Their relationship begins with a deal.

But eventually, the deal becomes irrelevant.

What matters is whether they can actually trust one another and communicate honestly.

And that transition—from pretending to genuinely caring—is what gives the romance its emotional payoff.

🔥 Why The Deal Works

There are a LOT of college romances out there, so why does this one continue to get recommended?

💕 Chemistry

Hannah and Garrett's banter and attraction keep the relationship entertaining.

😂 Humour

The book balances heavier emotional moments with plenty of funny interactions.

🏒 Sports Romance

If fictional hockey players are your weakness...

This book is not helping. 😭

🎓 College Setting

Academics, sports, friendships, parties and relationships make the setting easy to get into.

💔 Emotional Backstories

Both characters have struggles that make their relationship more than just physical attraction.

🔥 Romantic Tension

And yes...

The tension is tensioning. 😭

✍️ Elle Kennedy's Writing Style

Elle Kennedy's writing is fast-paced, conversational and easy to binge.

This isn't a book you pick up for complicated literary prose or experimental storytelling.

You pick it up because you want:

Banter + romance + drama + feelings + chaos.

The dialogue keeps the story moving, the chapters are easy to get through, and the characters are entertaining enough to make you say:

"Just one more chapter."

And then suddenly it's 2 a.m. 🫠

⭐ My Rating

CategoryRating
Plot⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Characters⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Romance⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chemistry⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing Style⭐⭐⭐⭐
Emotional Depth⭐⭐⭐⭐
Entertainment⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall⭐⭐⭐⭐½ / 5

💭 Final Verdict

So, is The Deal worth the hype?

Honestly?

Yeah. 💌

It's not trying to reinvent contemporary romance, and that's completely fine.

It knows exactly what it wants to deliver:

🏒 Hockey
🎓 College life
💕 Fake dating
🔥 Chemistry
😂 Banter
💔 Emotional baggage
✨ Character development

And it delivers all of it in a fast, entertaining package.

If you're looking for a fun, emotional, binge-worthy college romance, The Deal is a solid pick.

⭐ Final Rating: 4.5/5

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely—especially if you're entering your college-romance era. 🏒💕

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