Katherine Hamilton

4 de julio de 2026

probably my favorite of the series 5 🌟

Title: The ScoreAuthor: Elle Kennedy Genre: romance Spice: 4/5 Pace: 5/5 nice and steady. I was not voted for a second and I never felt like I missed a thing.Readability: 5/5 easy read, lightly touches on complex topics. Realistic. Relatable. Well written.Character development: 5/5 the characters are unique to the other books. They are very likable and enjoyable. I adored them. They have depth, fun, and are incredibly enticing.Mentions/tropes:Hockey romanceCollege romanceMental healthAlcoholismLoss/griefMultiple POVvirginityForgivenessFamily dramaMy thoughts: I LOVED this one. I had so much fun reading it. I laughed, felt inspired, and turned ON. I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed every single second. The characters feel real, watching them grow was such an honor. They navigate real life while falling in love. Allie is so much stronger than she initially thinks. She has such vision. She’s hard working, realistic, and loves hard. She learns to stand up for herself, love herself, and care less about others opinions. Dean is a sexy gem you just can’t help but love. He has such a good heart and it shows in the way he interacts with the world. Their chemistry could be cut with a knife. I can’t say enough good things about this one.5 whopping starts ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Ver más

Ivy D.

14 de enero de 2016

The Good, The Bad and Everything In Between

Another excellent entry: The Off-Campus series is among the very, very best in new adult romance and there is little that isn’t done well in this entry.Dean DiLaurentis is charged with watching out for Allie, Hannah’s roomie, one weekend while everyone is gone for various reasons - with, of course, the obligatory threats to his penis if he were to touch Allie. She’s just gone through a painful breakup with her boyfriend from book one, since they’ve had a fairly tempestuous relationship, she needs some time away from her apartment, where he’s been trying to get her to change her mind.Of course, Allie and Dean are young, hot, single and there’s tequila. When you do the math, it’s fairly obvious that yes, Slot A goes into Tab B, and yes, romance happens. I love their banter, the humor throughout really establishes these characters and their friendships and makes the ride all the more enjoyable. Speaking of riding...Dean’s what I expected: Dean’s the manho who beats all the previous manhoes in this series. He makes no apologies and I loved that he didn’t. He’s intrigued with Allie but he isn’t in love from the moment he lays eyes on her. When he falls, though it’s hard and it’s clearly life-altering. His moments with his friend Beau when they discuss his issues with little Dean (I can’t stop giggling at that silliness) were priceless.He has a good journey towards adulthood, though I was saddened by the events that led to this character growth. It was the perfect (sad yet realistic) touch of bitter to make the sweet all the richer.Allie was a surprise: I’ll admit, this is mostly because I didn’t remember her. Allie isn’t a big part of the first book and what I did remember of her was a bit flaky. I loved getting to know her and seeing what made her tick and as with Ms. Kennedy’s previous heroines, there is more than meets the eye. She’s concerned about being slut-shamed by the prospect of no-strings sex, considering she’s only ever been in committed, long term relationships, so I love that she has to learn to accept that there’s nothing wrong with two consenting adults doing what they want to do, damn public opinion. I found it an interesting twist that the only person truly slut-shamed is Dean, by other men and women.Beats played out as I expected: If I have any issues with this is, while it is entertaining, charming, and funny, it also felt the same as the earlier books, which were also entertaining, charming and funny. When the quality is so high, that’s not a horrible thing, but I can’t help but struggle to keep each set of heroes and heroines separate in my mind. That said...I’m really intrigued by where this series is going next: The setup for the next book is markedly different and it has me really eager to see how Ms. Kennedy handles it. The heroine for the next book is NOT in the mold of the earlier women and the hero is a bit of a wild card, since he has been more on the periphery so far. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have to contribute to this universe.The Bottom LineThis is an excellent new adult romance with likeable characters, funny banter, hot sex scenes and room for the ‘verse to grow. If you haven’t read Ms. Kennedy’s series, I highly recommend it.**ARC provided by author for review**Ver más

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chrissycf

12 de enero de 2016

Absolutely the best in the series so far!

I've been wanting to get Dean's book since we met him in The Deal, and let me tell you, this book did NOT disappoint!Dean is the playboy of the hockey team, he doesn't do relationships, and he just takes life as it goes. Allie is Hannah's best friend and roommate, and is a relationship type of girl. When she realizes her and her boyfriend are moving in separate directions and she can't do it anymore she breaks up with him. When she needs a place to hide out, Garrett offers up his house while they are away. She never expected that weekend to change everything for her.Dean and Allie definitely have amazing chemistry, but one night together doesn't change things for them, or does it? Dean can't get Allie out of his head, and Allie knows she can't do a casual hookup, but they can't seem to keep away from one another. I loved how Dean finally wore Allie down, and how Allie finally got to have someone with her that understood her and was just as adventurous as she was. I don't agree with how she didn't want anyone to know about them, but I think the way everyone found out was perfect for them.Dean and Allie's "relationship" is full of emotions, and you can slowly see this turning into something way more than what they thought it would be. Dean is amazing with Allie, he's supportive of her, he cares about her, and he's insanely jealous of anyone who dares look at her. Allie is loving how Dean makes her feel, and is also a huge supporter of his. For once in his life Dean opens up about himself and you can tell how nervous he was telling her about his ex, and everything involving the fall out of that situation. Their escapades are hilarious and sexy all at once. I loved watching them during Thanksgiving with Beau and his sister, where you can see that things definitely changed for them. I also adored their watching of the french soap opera, and all the little things they did together.Not only does this book have a true romance that you can't help but fall in love with these amazing characters, but there are some absolute laugh out loud moments. When Logan walks in on Dean and "Winston" I spit my drink out I was laughing so hard. Also the hilarious Twilight references on imprinting! There is also a very serious aspect to this book that had me in tears. My emotions were definitely all over the place while reading this book, and I must say I think I love Dean more than Garrett, and he's been sitting at the top of my BBF list for a long time!It's been a long time since I've read a book that I absolutely loved both of the main characters. I felt so connected to them, and their group of friends, that I thought I was right there with them experiencing their love, their laughs, and their heartbreak. This book definitely took me on one hell of a ride. I can't remember laughing so hard one moment, swooning and falling in love, and then balling my eyes out, only to have my heart put back together at the end. This is a beautifully written story and I could NOT put it down. I am definitely looking forward to Tuck's book, especially with the bomb-shell he dropped at the end of Dean's story!Even though this book can be read as a stand-alone, I highly suggest reading each of the previous two books in this series, so you can get a good feel of how much Dean has changed since we met him, as well as how the group dynamic works. Each one of the books are 5 star reads, and trust me, you will definitely fall in love with Garrett, Logan and Dean!

descartesrocks

12 de enero de 2016

Too Many Problems Deterred My Enjoyment

Elle Kennedy's The Deal was one of my favorite romances from 2015. I loved the progression of the relationship between the two leads and felt that the book handled the issue of past sexual assault really well compared to other books in the genre. Then came The Mistake. The romance in this story was not as compelling to me, but I appreciated how the author really put thought and effort into portraying the hero's struggle with familial obligations versus the pursuit of his dreams.Both these previous books in the Off-Campus series depict college relationships and the struggles of emerging adulthood realistically--something that I feel is oftentimes missing in New Adult novels. It is rare for me to find books in the genre relatable (ironic, given that I was a college student less than a year ago and should theoretically be the readership these books are marketed to), which makes my enjoyment of Elle Kennedy's books especially precious. I was counting down the days to its release and finished it in a matter of hours. And it was...kind of meh.The published synopsis really does not properly describe the story, so let me first quickly summarize the key points anyone needs to know: Allie is an aspiring actress who is trying to figure out whether she should aim for a television or a stage career. She recently broke up with her on-again-off-again ex-boyfriend and in her heartbreak, she cannot even imagine getting into a relationship with anyone else. She has a one-night stand with Dean, a rich college hockey star, who is only after casual sex. They decide to have a fling, but must keep it a secret because they have many mutual friends.There were so many things that bothered me about this book, I actually had to make a list.1. The gratuitous scene involving Dean in a threesome with two girls is unappealing and unnecessary. I am not marking this as a spoiler because it is a scene found at the very beginning of the book (2% into the Kindle version) and really does not have a point. I do not understand why this scene was not cut out or at least shortened in the editing process. What does it serve to do? To show that Dean is sexually promiscuous? It is pretty clear to the reader that Dean is sexually promiscuous. He mentions it all the time. Other characters mention it all the time. Girls hit on him and he flirts with them all the time. There is no need for us to read in explicit detail his fun fun times. Perhaps the scene is there to titillate the reader? It just made me feel very uncomfortable because I was wondering the entire time whether these two women were actually into each other or whether they were merely performing for his sexual satisfaction. We later find out that, yes, these two are in fact interested in having sex with each other as well, but that is later on. During the scene I remained unsure, which makes it kind of icky.2. The old "she ruined my penis for other women" trope. This is a convention I hate in romances. Nothing pulls me out of the story faster than this because it is not realistic, nor do I find it particularly romantic that the hero cannot get sexually aroused by anyone but the heroine. People, no matter how in love (and Dean was most definitely not in love when this occurs in the story), can still be aroused by others. It is basic biology. No one has the voodoo genitalia that can prevent their partners from feeling sexual attraction to another person. It is whether your partner will act on this attraction that will make or break a relationship. This is especially important when your partner is someone like Dean, who makes it a point to never get into serious relationships. Whether he can actually commit to Allie is a serious question, but the author decides to wave this aside by giving Allie a magical vagina. I mean, if she's the only one his penis will respond to, is it any wonder they get together? She's his last hope!3. Neither of the characters are particularly well fleshed out. It is as if Kennedy just listed a bunch of traits she wanted the characters to have in order to keep them interesting and then just decides to write in whatever plot points she wanted without bothering to explore the characters. For example, Dean is a rich playboy who does whatever he wants. His motto is to live by his own rules and desires and outside of a few incidents here and there, his life is pretty swell. The only potential problem in his life is that he plans to attend law school after college even though he does not have an interest in it. Dean honestly bores me to tears because for most of the book nothing is done with his character. He lives in his happy Dean world and if anything disturbs his world (Allie's magical, yet elusive vagina) he rushes to solve it with a gusto, and then settles back to his happy Dean life. I mean, does this guy even have any hobbies outside of hockey and sex? I guess the previous heroes in the series were caught up in hockey and sex too, but at least they were intensely serious about hockey. Dean isn't as interested in the sport, which is fine, but that means his main interest in life that we know of is sex. Which is kind of sad (this is the last time I will mention magical genitalia, I swear!), since Allie's basically ruined his willy from sex with other people. Seriously, though, Kennedy tries to give him more interesting things to do by having him volunteer to coach a boys' hockey team but this is really something his new assistant coach forces on him and even when he finds interest in doing it, it does not even begin to fill the blank canvas that is his life. The author then, again, tries to challenge and deepen Dean's character with the story's final conflict, but it just does not work for me (see below).Allie's character is more interesting, yet more frustrating because of all the wasted potential. She's an aspiring actress who is struggling with her future career plans and worrying about how to take care of her father, who has multiple-sclerosis. Making it as an actress depends a great deal on luck and opportunity and very talented people can spend years and years without getting anywhere. It is a very risky career choice, especially when you have a dependent who requires close care-taking and high medical costs. But does the story focus--nay even attempt to address these potential problems? Noooo. Instead, Allie spends most of her time debating whether she should look at casting offers in L.A. or trying to make it on Broadway. And banging Dean, of course. Her father vaguely factors into her worries about her career, but not to an extent that one would expect him to. I mean, I guess it is great and all for her to have so many opportunities as an actress, but, really, what is the point of making this career choice a part of her character if she does not even have to struggle with one of the most basic aspects of it?4. Interesting relationship conflicts are brought up, but never resolved satisfactorily. An ongoing worry for Allie is her inability to separate sex from relationships. She cannot keep it casual and since adolescence she has never gone long being single. She even worries later in the story whether she has a co-dependency problem. It does not appear to me, personally, that she has a co-dependency problem, since she makes most of her life and career decisions with her own interests in mind and actually breaks up with her ex-boyfriend when he wanted to dictate her future for her. Nevertheless, I think it is perfectly valid and even healthy for someone who has always had long-term relationships to want to stay single for a while. Unfortunately, Allie does not get to experience this at all. She goes from breaking up with her ex to being sex buddies with Dean (since they decide to be exclusive and she admits she has a hard time separating sex from commitment, I do not count this as being single) to being Dean's girlfriend. She does experience a minor break from Dean toward the end of the book, but that is only for about a month before she is back with him again for their happily ever after. And since this is a romance, happily ever after means permanence. While an HEA is good and all, I am left feeling a bit sad that Allie never really got to experience adult life not being romantically attached to another person.The bigger conflict of the series is whether Dean, with his pampered life, will actually be able to support Allie when the times get rough. Allie's dad does not think so, which is a huge foreshadowing that Dean's ability to be there for her will be no doubt be tested by a Tragic Incident. I will not elaborate on the Tragic Incident, because spoilers, but suffice to say that it is definitely devastating for the people affected. However, the strange thing is...the incident does not affect Allie. Instead, it is an incident that is pertinent to Dean. And he falls apart and has a very hard time coping. And Allie makes a decision that, while I think is reasonable, ruins the entire climax of the story for me (see spoiler for details).**********SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!****************After a few weeks of not being able to pull him from his grief, Allie just leaves Dean. I have two major problems with this: firstly, how on earth does this prove that Allie's dad is right in saying Dean would not be able to support Allie in trying times? If anything, this shows that Allie might not be the best pillar of support for Dean when tragedies happen. Secondly, I honestly understand why she leaves--she has her own life and she cannot and should not be jeopardizing her future to be his caretaker. That said, it really, really baffles me that she does not make any attempt to get him any help. She reasons that he is not in a bad enough state for professional help, but couldn't she at least contact his family? She knows his sister. She should have at least given her a call to make sure someone would be there for him rather than just leaving him to his own devices. Sure, he is still highly functional when she leaves him, but his behavior is also getting more and more self-destructive. This is kind of a terrible thing to do to anyone, never mind your boyfriend. Again, perhaps she really should have tried out that single life for a while.**********END OF SPOILERS****************5. The ending is way too pat. Everybody gets what they want and potential conflict (Dean's changes in future aspirations, having a long distance relationship after college, etc.) is completely resolved by the rosy wand of plot. I would rejoice at this if I actually felt that the story ever attempted to explore any of its major conflicts. Alas, it does not, so the fairy tale conclusion does not feel hard-earned and just makes me feel grumpy.Whew. That was really a long rant. Now briefly on to the good things:The saving grace of this book and why, to a certain extent, I understand why other people would give it a high score is that the characters actually fare much better when they are together than when they are apart. Not only do Dean and Allie develop a happy, loving relationship, but their relationship is also one based on mutual respect, communication, and trust. Fancy that! A romance novel where characters actually talk to each other and trust that their partners will keep their promises of commitment! I especially like how their feelings of love grow not from outside forces (like jealousy over potential suitors) but from extended time spent with one another. Their conversations are quirky and fun to read and you can tell how much they genuinely like and care about each other. If this is enough to satisfy you as a reader and you are not bothered by the things I mentioned above, you would like this book just fine. I think I just have a stronger bone to chew on regarding this one because the characters are so close in age to me, so I have a harder time waving away problems with my "But it's just fantasy!" hand. What is especially disappointing to me is that this was written by an author whose work I had really enjoyed in the past. Again, I am not a huge fan of New Adult romances. College is a time of great personal development and life transitions. I wish NA books will take this setting into more serious consideration. You can have romance and still have characters dealing with complex situations that are relevant to this stage in their lives. But c'est la vie, I suppose.Oh, by the way, since I guess I should mention it: the sex scenes are pretty steamy. Unfortunately, the squick I felt from the aforementioned threesome scene poisoned any hot lovin' the rest of the book had to offer, so I just skimmed. But there was a lot of skimming, so the book is packed for those who wish to know!Rating: B-

Tasha

19 de julio de 2026

Hello Dean and Allie 😍

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I think The Score might be my favorite of the Off-Campus series so far. Dean Di Laurentis completely stole the show. He’s cocky without being insufferable, effortlessly funny, surprisingly sincere, and impossible not to love. Pair him with Allie—sassy, caring, confident, and unapologetically herself—and you’ve got one of my favorite book couples. Their chemistry is off the charts. And let’s not pretend the spice wasn’t phenomenal. 😂 Why hello, Little Dean and Winston… IYKYK. 😉One of my favorite things about Elle Kennedy’s writing is how immersive it is. Every book makes me feel like I’m part of the Off-Campus friend group. I can picture the campus, the rink, Malone’s, and the hockey house so vividly that it feels like I’m hanging out with them.Watching Dean slowly let go of his “chase, don’t chain” mentality was surprisingly heartwarming. Seeing this confident playboy become vulnerable for the right woman made him even more attractive. And Allie? She never lets him get away with acting selfish or immature. She challenges him, grounds him, and balances his chaos perfectly. They’re the definition of opposites attracting in the best way.Dakota and the Little Hurricanes absolutely tugged at my heartstrings, and Allie’s dad ended up being one of my favorite side characters. Beneath that gruff exterior was a man with an enormous heart.And that ending?! Elle Kennedy really said, “You’re not stopping here.” Fine… onto The Goal I go. 🏒❤️Ver más

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J. Miller

3 de junio de 2026

This book will give you ALL of the feels but it is AMAZING!

⚠️ Spoilers Ahead ⚠️Full disclosure: I absolutely went back and pulled this book off my TBR because of the show. I had started the series a while ago and loved the first two books, but I couldn't quite get into the third one. After watching the adaptation and finally being able to put faces to the characters, I was completely on board with finishing the series—and wow, am I glad I did.This book was such an amazing read. Yes, it has the classic romance formula we've come to expect from this series: girl falls for guy, guy falls for girl, chaos and feelings ensue. But what made The Score stand out was everything happening around the romance. The character development, the friendships, the family dynamics, and the side storylines made this book impossible to put down. I devoured the entire thing in two days.The biggest highlight for me was Dean's character growth. From The Deal up until now, we've mostly seen him as the stereotypical hockey player—the guy everyone assumes is a dumb jock who hooks up with every girl on campus. But this book peels back those layers and shows who Dean really is. His protectiveness of Dakota and the team, the way he rushed to Allie's side despite the risk of exposing their relationship, his unwavering support for his friends, and the fact that he rarely uses his family's wealth or status to get ahead all reveal a much deeper character.What I loved most is that Dean never felt the need to constantly defend himself or prove people wrong. Everyone had their assumptions about him, and instead of correcting them, he just kept being himself because he knew the truth. There was something really beautiful about that.Allie's growth was equally satisfying. Watching her go from allowing Sean to dictate so much of her life to making her own choices and recognizing that she deserves better was such a rewarding journey. I also loved seeing the friend group continue to evolve. The boys rallying around the girls, supporting and protecting one another's relationships, really drove home the family dynamic that makes this series so enjoyable.And then there's the emotional damage this book inflicted on me.The Dean and Beau storyline absolutely wrecked me. The book spends so much time making you love Beau, his humor, his friendship with Dean, and all of his hilarious drunken moments that when the emotional gut punch finally comes, it hits hard. I remember getting toward the end, seeing that the relationship drama had been resolved, and realizing I still had a significant chunk of pages left. That's never a good sign.Sure enough, those final chapters had me sitting in my room crying like a baby. Beau was one of the first people who brought out the real Dean, and their friendship was such an important part of his story. That entire section broke my heart.Overall, just like the first two books, The Score was absolutely incredible. I loved every second of it. The romance was fantastic, the character development was top-tier, the friendships were everything, and that final reveal?Excuse me... WHAT?!That ending had my jaw on the floor and immediately sent me running to pick up the next book.If you're reading the Off-Campus series and haven't gotten to The Score yet, do yourself a favor and move it to the top of your list.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Easily 5 stars.