This is a book review of The Deal by Elle Kennedy with very minor spoilers.
The Jamilah who loved Wattpad would’ve really liked this book. It is, by no means, bad, but it is also definitely not the greatest. Also, there are mentions of sexual assault/rape, so proceed with caution.
Furthermore, this is being written after Off Campus was binged.
The Facts
Author: Elle Kennedy
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Genre: Romance
Main Characters: Hannah Wells & Garrett Graham
Number of Pages: 388
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
What I Loved
Given how cheesy the overall book is, there were few things I found lovable about the book. Interestingly, the television show kept the bones and foundation of the book, so I was able to recognize a lot of the show in the book and vice versa. For example, the show reflected Garrett thinking Hannah’s name started with an “M,” which I’m happy we kept, and it combined the concepts of Della’s and Malone’s, two restaurants from the book. For many reasons, that was a smart move.
Although the 2026 show is just better than the 2015 book, there are tiny random things I found myself loving in the book. For example, I love the dual POV and the fact that it’s not just Hannah telling the story. Also, I liked the way the book put the fight between Garrett and the friend of the rapist after the hockey game.
What I... Struggled With
Mentioning the rape so easily on the first page is not what I was expecting. It definitely threw me for a loop, especially since there were no trigger warnings. I’m not sure if those existed for books back in 2015, but I think they definitely should’ve (at the time, I was all about reading Hunger Games and John Green).
Some sentences are super well-written, and some are super cringe. Part of what made this book so uncomfortably cringe were the random use of nicknames and pet names, like “stud” and “big boy.” When I read “big boy,” my lunch almost made a reappearance.
Compared to the show, Hannah from the book is incredibly sarcastic, to the point where I was starting to get irritated. Garrett is also a way bigger douche in the book, and it was kind of hard to root for him when he suddenly had a change of heart and chose character development.
Final Thoughts
I will say, mad props to Elle Kennedy for capitalizing the “B” when talking about Black people. It’s the little things authors can do that make me so happy.
Louisa Levy, the Off Campus showrunner, did a great job of adapting this into a show, to the point where the show is definitely better than the book, no questions asked. Honestly, I’m not sure if I can stomach reading the rest of the series.
