*This review contains Spoilers*
Elle Kennedy’s five-book “Off Campus” series, first published in 2015 was just added to the book to screen ranks on May 13, 2026. Prime Video picked up the show in October of 2024, leaving book readers and romance enthusiasts in great anticipation. The show’s creator Louisa Levy put her own spin on the series, leaving fans torn between loving and hating it. Levy’s adaptation follows the book’s original order starting with “The Deal.”
Kennedy’s series follows a group of college hockey players as they all fall in love. Garrett Graham and Hannah Wells are the main protagonists of the first book, and Levy stays true to this in her adaptation’s first season. While the book portrays Hannah and Garrett’s relationship in more of a physical sense, Levy chose to tone down the physical intimacy for the show.
This decision, though small, made Hannah and Garrett’s relationship more believable and realistic. While authors have the benefit of showing readers a character’s inner monologue, Levy knew she did not have that luxury, so instead, she opted to show the relationship through small moments and dialogue.
Levy also changed the source of the original breakup between the two protagonists. Garrett, in both the series and the show, has an abusive father who becomes a major source of turmoil for all of Garrett’s relationships.
In Levy’s adaptation, it’s Garrett’s fear of becoming his father and potentially being seen in the same light as Hannah’s previous assaulter that leads to their breakup. However in the books, Garrett did not break up with Hannah, something the fans were quick to point out. Instead Hannah is the one to end the relationship after being manipulated by Garrett’s father who threatens to cut Garrett off, essentially ruining his hockey career.
Levy made the decision to change the source of the breakup because Garrett is no longer financially reliant on his father in the show. College athletes today are able to make money via sponsorships unlike when Kennedy first wrote the series. If Garrett is bound to go pro, it wouldn’t make sense that he would be lacking in sponsorships.
The decision added a new layer of emotional depth that arguably the book was missing. Kennedy heavily focuses on Hannah’s trauma of being assaulted in high school, something Garrett helps her overcome; however, Garrett’s own trauma often feels overlooked in the books. Levy’s decision to change the source of the breakup added to Garrett’s character, showing the viewer how much Garrett cared about Hannah.
The most controversial change Levy made to the story is the “campus-wide hands off rule.” After the breakup enacted by Hannah, not Garrett, in the books, Garrett makes it clear to everyone on their college campus that Hannah is off limits and threatens anyone who tries to be with Hannah. The show chooses not to show this plotline instead making it a misunderstood rumour that Garrett had no part in.
The book plotline itself is outdated, sexist and makes no sense for either character. Garrett, who is afraid of inheriting his father’s violence, wouldn’t threaten everyone on campus and Hannah, who has had her own choice taken away by men already, would not find the gesture endearing like she does in the books.
Levy’s controversial change did more justice to the characters and their own respective traumas. While in Kennedy’s series Hannah and Garrett’s trauma seemed to be tools to move the plot along, Levy understood that these are things that both characters have to live with, their traumas aren’t healed or gone because they fell in love.
Hannah’s final showcase is a testament to this. In both the book and the show, there is a lead up to this event which is emphasized as a pivotal moment for Hannah. The book did not show lyrics, instead emphasizing Garrett’s admiration of Hannah’s courage and using Hannah’s inner monologue to give the reader an idea of what she was singing about.
Levy opted for an original song by Grammy winning songwriters Amy Allen and Ethan Gruska. The song titled “The Girl That I Am,” felt like a final release for her character, referencing a moment earlier in the show where she told her best friend she wished she still was the same girl she was before the assault.
The song focusing on Hannah’s trauma and coming into herself rather than her relationship with Garret like it was implied in the book, was another thing Levy did right. Louisa Levy’s changes to the story ultimately added to the original essence of the series.
Verdict: The world doesn’t need more hockey romance adaptations, but this one was worth the watch.
