The Score (Off-Campus, #3) by Elle Kennedy Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of The Deal (Off-Campus, #1), The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2), and The Chase (Briar U, #1) on my blog, now! You do not have to read the Off-Campus series before the Briar U series, but it does include characters and relationships that may be spoiled for you.

With pictures flying around online of the filming of The Off-Campus television series for Amazon Prime, I wanted to continue on with this series and see where Kennedy took readers next with Allie and Dean. Considering everyone on BookTok raves about this couple, it was only a matter of time before I fell victim to this book. I remember enjoying Dean in the previous two books, but he somehow became unbearable at times in his own book? I understand that his past relationship caused a lot of emotional turmoil for him and that is why he is upfront about only hooking up, but good grief he feels so misogynistic at times it is insane. It always felt as though he spoke about girls like they were objects, and it does not help him that the author seems to love to incorporate that behavior in every single one of her male leads.

Allie and Dean have a crazy amount of chemistry, I will give them that. To no surprise of anyone, the friends with benefits turning into feelings for one another trope in this book is quick to develop for both parties, and we spend the remaining 75% of the book watching painfully as they dance around one another. They would speak to each other for about two minutes and then would climb each other like the monkey bars for hours on end and chapters on end - there were moments where I never thought it would end. Sure, that was their arrangement, but it got old after the first five times. The plot felt as though it was in a standstill when it actually came to their relationship - we saw them development in their own separate plots, but when they were together, it took a much longer time for their combined development to take shape.

The recurring characters from the prior books are fun, but honestly it felt as though they were having the same conversations over and over again. Allie's friends would warn Dean not to go near her, and Dean's friends would tell Dean not to go near her - I fear would could tell what kind of guy Dean was just from that fact alone. It was nice to see the relationships continuing on, but I felt as though I saw Hannah and Garrett more than I was seeing Allie and Dean at one point - they were everywhere. I did think that Dean's little side plot was much more interesting than Allie's side plot - Dean's engagement with the kids hockey team kept my attention longer than Allie's internal dilemma of auditioning for acting roles. We could actually see Dean go through a personality change, whereas with Allie, she was just going back and forth between theatre and silver screen.

I was really hoping this series was going to turn itself around for me, considering how I felt about The Mistake along with the fact that everyone and their mother seems to be obsessed with Allie and Dean's relationship. Most people are probably not reading these books for the plot, especially this installment, but boy oh boy I wish there was a more solid story going along with Allie and Dean's relationship as a whole. Dean did have some solid character development, but it took a long time and lots of mistakes on his part to turn himself around. If you are in search for a hockey romance that goes by quickly and is easy to read, the Off-Campus series could be calling to you.

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The Deal (Off-Campus, #1) by Elle Kennedy Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of The Chase on my blog, here. Trigger warnings include mentions of sexual assault and domestic abuse. You do not have to read the Off-Campus series before the Briar U series, but it does include characters and relationships that may be spoiled for you.

Hannah and Garrett are polar opposites in every way that matters -- she's a musician, he's a hockey player. She's getting A's on her exams, he's totally flunking ethics. When Garrett is in desperate need of a tutor to be able to play on the team, he sets his sights on Hannah after seeing her A on the midterm. The deal is simple -- Hannah helps Garrett do well on his makeup exam, and Garrett helps Hannah make Justin interested in her. If you loved Nathan and Haley in One Tree Hill, this pairing is for you.

They both bicker with each other until they are out of breath, and since I am a sucker for a little enemies to lovers, I found myself somewhat swept up in the story. This is definitely an easy read, and it will go by quick for anyone who just wants to see the happy ending play out. Kennedy includes a multitude of song and TV show references in this book, and for someone who is not a fan of books including them, I just pretended they were not there.

We are presented with a lovely little fake dating-esque trope, which definitely has its ups and downs as Hannah and Garrett become closer to one another and start to learn things from each other. It is cute to see the way that Garrett teases and flirts with Hannah, and how Hannah is always quick to respond back to him with the same energy. They both slowly start revealing more about themselves to each other, and with their pasts both having hardships, it really makes their bond stronger.

Garrett and Hannah's chemistry is definitely felt throughout the book -- even when it starts out as just teasing and playful banter, their flirting and day-to-day conversations elevate their budding relationship. Justin's character kind of just floats around the book, making some quick appearances every now and again, as does Garrett's father. They are annoying little pests that won't seem to go away, always coming back for more and ruining the scene.

The smut is this book is exactly what you would expect from a 2015 Wattpad-type romance. Some of it is more spicy than other scenes, and with a lot of "fade to black" in the beginning in the book, it's not surprising that the rest of the book's scenes appear more mature. Most of them do not even last over five pages, and they go by so quickly you may not even realize they were there.

I need to know who wears a knee-length dress to a frat party. Seriously, this is not a rhetorical question, I really need to know who would ever decide that was a good choice in outfit for the night. Jeans would have been a much better option, because even if this was taking place in 2015, no one was wearing a dress to a college party. Most of the outfits described in the book are outdated, but if you just pretend that they are wearing something else, it will go over much better.

This book is definitely for fans of sports romance books, and I would recommend this to fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. There are some moments in this book that are questionable, regarding how the author has the characters talk about women and the constant slut-shaming -- I have no idea why she kept going back to this topic over and over again. Overall, it was a very quick read that was meant to just get me ready to read a new book.

You can add The Deal and the rest of the Off Campus series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on publications and releases.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

The Chase (Briar U, #1) by Elle Kennedy Review

 

The Chase is a part of the Briar U series, which is connected to the Off Campus series - the first book is The Deal, and these series can be read together or by themselves.

This review contains spoilers for The Chase. Potential spoilers for the Off Campus series, so please read with caution.

I have read The Deal, and I do remember enjoying it - however, I cannot remember any of these people and their girlfriends at all. So the first couple chapters are great little reminders if you also have no clue who everyone is and what is it that they do. It is a little dating with a lot of music and celebrity references, but it's definitely something I'm able to overlook by just replacing songs from the early 2010's to the songs I currently listen to.

As someone who was in a sorority in college, I do have to say the standards voting to have Summer removed from the house was a little iffy -- she would have had to been present for that, even if Nationals had only told their exec board that very morning about the concerns. Also, if it was such a big deal that she *accidentally* burnt down her chapter's house at Brown, she surely would have been disaffiliated from the sorority after that happened by Nationals. But that's a problem for another day.

Colin -- Fitzy -- is giving very much pick me boy vibes with his inner monologue on how he's such a nerd, that he loves true crime shows, that he has tattoos... Babe, we get it. Yet you and Summer are inevitable so this little moment of yours surely is not going to last much longer.

To no surprise of anyone, Summer overhears Fitz literally call her surface level, and if I was in Summer's shoes, he would never hear the end of it. Her meeting the hockey coach's daughter is a friendship that I am very excited to see, and I'm glad that she immediately told Summer that she wasn't going to enable her when it comes to Hunter and Fitz -- a 10 out of 10 friend and they've only known each other for the length of a car ride.

The things I would do to live in this apartment and at only chapter 9. A girl can dream.

I have never been to or seen a hockey game before, so any time the Briar U team is in their locker room talking I quite literally have no idea what they are saying. Is it important to the plot? Probably. Does Google Translate have an option for American Ice Hockey? Not a chance.

Brenna is arguably one of the funniest characters I have ever read. Her sarcasm is top-notch, she gives solid friend advice, and knows how to spot a trash man from a mile away. Now her and Hollis, I can definitely picture together. They both have a spunk to them that makes for excellent conversation and chemistry.

I have to say that Summer handled confronting Fitz about what he said about her on New Year's Eve a lot better that I would have -- she stayed composed while I surely would have been a screaming, sobbing mess. And the fact that he just offers to help Summer with her midterm and she helps him with his sketches for character design soon after this entire encounter? I love a good enemies to lovers trope, and with the added "they're roommates" AND "brother's friend"? I'm all here for it.

The bar fight was hilarious in the sense that miss Brenna somehow always is being targeting by crazy people who don't know when to chill out. And since Brenna never backs down from anyone, it only took a second to realize that there was definitely going to be some type of brawl before any of them left the bar.

I don't know why, but throughout this whole book I found myself low-key rooting for Summer and that Harvard hockey player that she went to high school with to get together. Maybe it's the toxicity shining through, but I love a good enemies to lovers where the girl is going out with the guy's enemy - makes for an excellent plot.

Also this CREEP of a History of Fashion professor literally needs to back right off of Summer - it's seriously whack the way he talks to her, and if I learned one thing after rewatching Pretty Little Liars (and reading all of the books), is that teacher/student -- or in our case, professor/student -- relationships are the worst power dynamic to read. Not mention how dismissive Summer's advisor was when she brought up how Laurie makes her super uncomfortable.

I really liked how we finally get this bigger backstory for Fitz and how it affected him. It made his character much easier to understand and shows why he is the way that he is -- I still think he needs to work through a few things, but it definitely made me like him significantly better than before we know this information.

The last 20% or so of the book really takes off and we got to see so much of Summer and Fitz dealing with all of these issues and thoughts that have been piling up since the beginning of the book. Dean's reaction to Summer and Fitz had me laughing out loud, and if I had a brother, I would hope he would act the same if I was dating one of his closest friends. I absolutely fell in love with Summer and Fitz -- their relationship may have started out rocky, but you can tell that they truly care about each other.

The Chase is available to download for FREE on Amazon and iBooks. You can add The Chase and the rest of the Briar U series on Goodreads.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!