I had read The Deal and The Score by Elle Kennedy as a teenager, but I didn’t connect that with Off Campus when it was first announced.
Still, as a sports romance lover and a Josh Heuston fan, I was super excited and followed every update. It was only much later, while discussing it with a friend, that I realised it was the same books I had read ages ago, and when the show came out, you best believe I binge-watched it in a single night, and it was worth it!
Garrett and Hannah are such a great couple, and I thoroughly enjoyed the fake dating trope. I also thought the sensitive topics were handled really well.
My favourite Garrett and Hannah scene is when she sings to him from the stadium speaker, and he has this confused look, as if he’s dreaming, before he runs to the control room. Wow, just wow. So beautiful, so much love!
Other standout scenes were obviously the karaoke scene, the one-bed trope, the showcase, and, basically, Garrett realising he actually fell in love with Hannah and that it’s not about the deal anymore, and then choosing each other.
The Thanksgiving scene was also super emotional, as was Hannah’s breakdown call with her mom.
Argh! Everything was perfect! I fell in love with them and reread The Deal after watching the show because I couldn’t remember certain things happening and thought my memory had failed me, but I was right. They changed quite a few things in the show.
Despite that, the show is still incredible, and you don’t mind that they changed certain things because it all still makes sense, fits well, and retains the essence of the original plot. Especially the switch of Justin from being a football player to a musician, as it helped show the contrast between the two characters and why Hannah would want to choose between them.
The addition of Drunk Shakespeare was also fun, and Garrett dancing to Girls by The Kid LAROI has been on replay in my head since I first watched it.
I wasn’t expecting to love John Logan as much as I did. He was so charming, and his crush on and yearning for Hannah were heartbreaking to watch. I’m so excited to watch his second season with Grace Ivers that I’ve just started reading his book, The Mistake, and I can already tell it’s gonna be a great one.
He’s also such a supportive best friend to Garrett, and I loved it when he made him the team captain, their bonding session, and oh my god, that scene where he scores a shot and zooms past in an archer’s pose.
Coming to Dean and Allie, another dance scene that’s been etched into my brain forever. The dance floor scene to “On the Floor” by Jennifer Lopez was so sexy, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching their secret relationship develop. They have so much chemistry, they’re both so hot, and I know their story hasn’t ended yet, but I still felt bad for Dean at the end.
A shoutout to Beau, too. I really liked his character. And honestly, any scenes of the boys: the workout montage, the gym room scene between Garrett and Dean… I mean, that’s exactly how I imagine jocks are irl lol.
A good book. A good adaptation. A great cast. And a great soundtrack. Off Campus was everything you’d want from a sports romance without it being cringe!!!
I genuinely can’t tell if I’m Team Graham, Team Logan, or Team Di Laurentis (sorry, not sorry, Tucker fans), and with that tension the show ended on, I’m sure season 2 will be a hell of a ride.
