The Deal: 1 (Off-Campus, 1) Paperback – 24 Feb. 2015

The Deal (Off Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy5 stars!!“Living well and being happy is how we get over the s*** in our past.”I have to admit I am a sucker for college books, when you get to my age you like to re-live your past and a fun and fabulous college experience is something I never had, so I live vicariously through these types of reads and boy did I live while reading this one.I loved everything about this book, the characters, the writing and the story. While the storyline itself may not be unique, the way it was delivered certainly was. This is a beautifully written NA college romance where the characters spring to life before your eyes. The way that Elle Kennedy has written this book, will transport you back to your college campus living the life and walking every step with these characters. You will smile every smile, you will laugh every laugh and you will shed every tear. Written in dual POV of both Hannah and Garrett means that you cannot help but connect to these characters on every level and it won’t be long before both of them have taken a permanent residence in your heart.“Exactly how old is your penis?”“He’s twenty, like me…But he’s way more mature than I am. What about your lady canal? Is she wiser than her years, or is she…”Hannah was a beautiful character both inside and out. She had dealt with a lot in her past and was trying to build a new life for herself. Everything was a struggle, especially with money, but with hard work and determination she was a straight A student, majoring in music and was just as talented behind the mic as she was on a philosophy paper.I fell in love with Hannah, while you would have expected her to be the meek and timid type; she actually had guts, balls and determination. She may have blushed like a tomato at any innuendo or while in the company of boys but that only made her all the more endearing. You couldn’t help but be sucked into her charm, her honesty, her integrity and everything else in between.Garrett, oh my god, this man had me swooning. For a guy that had never done romance and was the college lothario, when he fell, he fell hard. Despite his one night stand reputation, no relationships, no girlfriends’ mantra at least he had the balls to admit that Hannah was different and embraced it. He happily gave up his man card and it was endearing to read. You couldn’t help but champion for these two, but with two novices, you always know that they may have a bumpy road ahead.“I never expected her. Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don’t know how you ever lived without them…”Garrett never had the best start in life either and he also had his troubles and problems to deal with. Whereas before he would just bottle it up and never told a soul, Hannah was like a truth serum, both to herself and Garrett and to watch these two open up to each other tore at my heart strings. These two trusted each other implicitly and because their relationship was borne of friendship and trust you couldn’t help but hope they would make it.This book was beautifully balanced, the wit and banter between Hannah and Garrett will have you smiling and laughing, these two really clicked, they were totally down with each other’s humour and both gave as good as they got. This was unique for Garrett, he had only been wanted for being a hockey god and for being his father’s son, but Hannah was someone he had found himself and wanted to be with him just because he was Garrett.“…but this time it’s different. Because it’s Hannah saying it, and she’s not just any girl. And because I know that when she says she loves me, she actually means me – Garrett – and not Briar’s hockey star, or Mr Popularity, or Phil Graham’s son. She loves me.”Garrett was fiercely loyal and protective, like I said above, once he went in, he goes all in and gives it everything. He may have been cocky and arrogant at times but it was all in jest, waggly eyebrows and all and you couldn’t help but fall for his charm. It is both their personalities that really brought this book to life and the sizzling chemistry between these two was palpable and radiated off the page.“I don’t look back these days. I only look forward.”This is my first read by Elle Kennedy and it certainly won’t be my last, I just loved everything about this book and I cannot wait for Logan’s story. Unrequited love is a b***h and I cannot wait to see where his story is heading now that the girl he lusts for is most definitely taken.

I don't know why but for some reason I rated this book 3 stars last yer when I read it. I would like to state now I was full on insane to do that. I loved this book when I read it last year, I know I did, so my low rating is illogical.Elle Kennedy is a fantastic write and writer who has completely mastered the art of NA. She includes issues which may feature in other NA book but rather than making it an angst-ridden book of drama and tears her books are funny and real. She addresses the issue and writes in a way that doesn't have you rolling your eyes but instead has you falling for the characters and the strength they possess. And this book features two pretty headstrong stubborn characters that show they can make it through a lot of things. Hannah shows she is strong, smart and driven and wants to succeed. She knows what she wants and will go fo it, even when it involves her making an embarrassing proposal to a friend to help her with a problem, some wouldn't dare but she does. And she is never afraid to talk about her problems. She is awesome. The there is Garrett who is totally obsessed by hockey and his future but hasn't exactly had the easiest time growing up but has come through it a better man. And he is always there for his friends. It is sweet and amazing. I mean he had hidden depths and was awesome. I hate when sports players are portrayed as dumb when they're not.The other thing I loved about this book didn't fall into the usual NA traps. I've mentioned before the Kennedy turned usual features of the genre on its head but she used tropes in a real smart way. I won't reveal which one I'm talking about because it's right at the end of the book and spoilers but I will say I loved her ending. It could have been dragged and lots of unnecessary angst included but it wasn't. Instead, it was a bit tense and then she brought in her usual humour in writing and just resolved it perfectly.Basically, Elle Kennedy does humour and romance perfectly and I am now planning to read everything she has written because I keep forgetting this about her and I don't know why.