So, you finished Heated Rivalry and now you are craving another hockey romance show (and the Stanley Cup Finals do not have enough yearning). Well you are in luck, because Off Campus is coming to Prime Video on Wednesday, May 13th!
Based on the Best Selling book series by Elle Kennedy, Off Campus is set at Briar University and full of tension, spice, and all the rom-com vibes we deserve. There are five books (not including the Briar-U series or the Campus Diaries series which are set in the same universe) which are interconnected, with each book showcasing a different couple within a friend group. The first book, The Deal, follows Briar-U hockey captain Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) and singer songwriter Hannah Wells (Ella Bright). The two of them make a deal (get it because that’s the title of the book): Hannah will tutor Garrett and in exchange the two will start fake dating so Hannah can make her crush, Justin, jealous. They set sound ground rules and start this fake dating scheme, but rules are broken fast, and feelings are caught even faster. During this time, we meet Hannah’s best friend and roommate Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla), as well as Garrett’s best friends and teammates, John Logan (Antonio Cipriano), Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kayln), and John Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks) as well as other side characters. Each of Garrett’s friends gets their own book with the fifth book tying the friend groups’ relationships in a neat little bow. (Side note: John Logan goes by Logan and John Tucker goes by—you guessed it—Tucker)
As someone who read the books my junior year of high school, I freaked out when they announced that prime would be adapting the books into a series. The first season, which is eight episodes, focuses solely on The Deal; but hope is not lost for us Logan girls as Off Campus is already green lit to start filming for season two, which will be based off of The Mistake (book #2).Â
Like any book to film adaptation the fans were very invested in this project—myself included. When you love a book so much, you want the film adaptation to be as close to the original as possible. You feel protective over the original story lines and characters (even though that may sound crazy to non-readers). But when you tie reading these books to specific times in your life, it becomes nostalgic to revisit them. Like—there is going to be a girl out there claiming Logan as her favorite Off Campus boy after she watched the show, but I have loved that boy since I first met him when I was 16 and he was words on paper; and I’m technically a newer fan. The Deal was released way back in 2015, and the last book The Legacy was released in 2021. There are Off Campus fans who have been following these characters for over a decade! So the criticism for casting plot changes is understandable.Â
I will not lie, I was a little mad when the casting was announced, as the description of the characters didn’t match some of the actors’ appearances (like Allie being blonde, and Tucker being a red head). But, as time went on and we started to get snippets of the cast during production, I fell in love with these characters all over again. I have confidence that this show will become one of my favorites, despite the small differences. Nevertheless, if the scene at the end of chapter 16 where Hannah gets a second opinion isn’t in the show, I will be sending a VERY heated, VERY aggressive email to the head of Prime Video (if you know, you know).
All eight episodes of Off Campus will be released on Wednesday, May 13th on Prime Video. I may be moving out of my freshman year dorm that day, but I have an eight hour car ride back to Long Island. Why would I do anything else when I can watch chapter 44 on my iPad?
The Deal /Off Campus explores heavy topics such as trauma, abuse, sexual assault as well as others. Please research trigger warnings thoroughly before watching/reading.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or abuse of any form, please contact your local authorities immediately by calling 911.
National Sexual Assault Hotline: Call 800-656-4673 OR text “HOPE” to 64673Â
(online chat method as well as other resources available through their website here)
National Domestic Abuse Hotline: Call 800-799-7233 OR text “START” to 88788
(online chat method as well as other resources available through their website here)
ChildHelp National Child Abuse Hotline: Call OR text “GO” to 800-422-4453
(online chat method as well as other resources available though their website here)