Warning: Contains Spoilers
Imagine finally seeing the fictional boyfriend you have been obsessed with brought to life, only to realise he is not quite how you imagined him. That was my experience watching Off Campus. I loved the show, but as someone who read and loved Elle Kennedy’s The Deal, there were definitely moments where I found myself thinking: maybe some things are better left on the page.
Off Campus is an eight-episode Prime Video series based on Kennedy’s bestselling Off-Campus series. The first season follows Hannah Wells (Ella Bright), a music student at Briar University, and Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli), the university’s star hockey player. Their fake-dating deal quickly becomes something much more complicated. The series premiered on May 13, 2026, and currently holds a 7.8/10 rating on IMDb. The Deal has a 4.18/5 rating from more than 1.4 million Goodreads ratings.
Romance or Second-Hand Embarrassment?
Let’s be honest: Off Campus can be really cringe.
Not necessarily bad cringe. More like the kind where you have to pause the episode, stare at the wall for a second and question why you are watching two fictional university students flirt.
The book has plenty of cheesy dialogue and dramatic romance too, but somehow it works better when you are reading it. In your head, you control how Garrett looks, sounds and delivers the ridiculous one-liners. On screen, you actually have to witness these moments.
Interestingly, one review by Martha Kemper described an awkward early intimate scene as “the good kind of cringey”, arguing that the awkwardness actually helped make the characters feel more realistic. And I agree, sometimes the cringe works. It makes the characters feel young, inexperienced and awkward.
Where the Adaptation Falls Short
The Deal gives readers access to Hannah and Garrett’s thoughts, insecurities and emotions, while the series has to communicate those things through dialogue, acting and visuals.
Showrunner Louisa Levy has acknowledged that the series does not have the benefit of being inside the characters’ heads like a novel does.
With only eight episodes, some of the emotional development also feels rushed, as the show even brings elements from later books into the first season. This includes parts of The Score in which the characters Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) and Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kalyn) secretly get together.
And Yet, I Kept Watching
While some moments of this show gave me second-hand embarrassment, I genuinely enjoyed watching Off Campus.
The casting works, the chemistry is there, and the hockey house, parties and friendships capture the chaotic Briar U atmosphere. The showrunner has also made it clear that the goal was never to copy the books exactly, but to make changes that still honoured them.
Some changes even work surprisingly well. The character Justin Kohl (Josh Heuston), who is a football player in the novel, becomes a musician in the series, connecting him more closely to Hannah’s music storyline. Even Kennedy has praised this change.
In the book, Hannah breaks up with Garrett after his father threatens to cut him off financially. In the series, Garrett ends the relationship because he fears becoming violent like his father. The showrunner explained that this change was partly influenced by changes to college athletes’ ability to profit from their name and likeness.
I understand the reasoning, but I still preferred the book’s version. It felt more detailed, more believable and, ultimately, more immersive.
So… Book or Show?
Off Campus is exactly the kind of show I expected it to be: romantic, dramatic, addictive and occasionally so cringe that I wanted to hide behind a pillow. But that is also what makes it fun.
Would I watch another season? Absolutely.
Would I choose it over The Deal?
The Book still has my heart.
Tilly Bunnage 
Josh 
Idea Phochaiya