Book Review – The Deal by Elle Kennedy

The Deal (Off-Campus Book 1)
Absolute “new adult” angsty-romance reading PERFECTION!!!!!!! Yes. I SAID IT. Romance reading perrrrrrrfection! In fact, could very well be my favorite of 2015. Could I have already found it? I could very well have, but either way, this one has cinched a solid spot in my forever-favorites category. In fact, I was only 75% into the book when I publicly declared it a 5-star read.

The author could have ended it, MID-SENTENCE, mid-angsty-fight moment, with “the end” and I still would have been 5-star wooooo-hooing it. YES. I loved it THAT much. Okay sure, had that been the case, I would have amended my review with a note warning y’all about the abrupt ending… TEE HEE! BUT I just knew, it didn’t matter how she ended it at that point, I was in LOVE with this read.

What would I change about this story? Not a single thing. Why does everyone love it? Because they are right!!!!

Kandace: The Deal by Elle Kennedy was so freakin good. It’s a perfect NA book. Their banter and chemistry was perfect. I think you would like this book. I know for sure your followers will big time love it. The entire gang gave it 5 stars. You’re going to be in true reading heaven. Enjoy!

Yep!! Thank you Kandace… I SO was!!

Maryse: …for those looking for a Sunday read right now? —> The Deal is awesome. It has that “old school” indie new-adult feel that I’m hooked on. It’s not crazy… or… unconventional… but the FEEL. THE FEEL of these characters is real, genuine, and addictive. The attraction, the friendship, the disinterest, the interest, the sweet-intensity of it… their backstories… the friends… LOVE IT! PLUS GREAT WRITING! I mean… YOU GUYS!!! The TIMING of it… how it plays out… you kind of know it, right? BUT OMG IT’S PERFECT. It’s exactly right. It’s SO real.

Rose: LOVED “The Deal” and knowing you, I’m sure you’ve been cracking up a few times!

Jennifer: I highly recommend The Deal!, it was Laugh Out Loud FUNNY!

Lisa: Loving The Deal!!! Don’t want to put it down!! Hooked right from the beginning!!!

Melannie: I loved it!! 😀 so sweet!

Jessica: I literally just finished it!!! 5 star read for me!!!!!!

Maryse: yep! 5 stars for me, too… I’ve been having an incredible winning reading streak!

Heather: Crap! I’m trying to clean my house!!! Oh well, what’s another few days of living in filth 🙂

Kostantina: Maryse omg I just finished it this morning !! Ughhh loved it !!! 5++++ for me 😀

Maryse: I hope Logan is next. Does anybody know? LOGAN??? PLEASE? PLEASE LET IT BE LOGAN!!!! (<— no worries… this is NOT A spoiler… hilarious hottie side-character…)

Courtnie: Yes!!! Logan!!!

Maryse: *squeeeeeeeeeeeee*!!! Wheeeeeeeeee!!!! I JUST LOVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I have him? I LOVE Garrett, but he’s taken… Logan? ME? MINE? PLEEEEEEASE?

Kostantina: Yesssss I love Logan too !!!

Jean: I am in love with Garrett from The Deal! OMG!!

Cheryl: Finished The Deal. Loved it!!! *Garrett* I’m not sure I would equate it to Archer’s Voice Amy, but still really good. Archer’s Voice was a beautiful story with more “feeling” and angst than The Deal.

LisaM: I finished The Deal this morning. Read till 2am and then up at 8am finish!!! Book hangover!!!! So excited its a series!!! Can’t wait for the second one!!!

Paula: 20% left of The Deal – loving it!

Maryse:  My notes are riddled with: 
OMG HELP ME.
CUTEEEENESSSSS!
AWENESSSSSS!
LOVE HIM.
LOVE THIS.
THIS!!!!!

I feel like I highlighted the whole darn book! 😀

Maria: Loved it five stars… logan …can’t wait

Chelli: YES!!!! it was really good!! Looking forward to the next book in series

Carol: It was so good and hard to follow so I think I am going to have to switch genres until Confess comes out!

Maryse: LOL Carol. A little drastic, but I like it! 😛

Brenda: Loved it too! 5 stars from me

Sarah: I loved this book!!!

What’s so different about this “new adult” college romance read? Not anything on the “surface”, no… but OMG it’s reminiscent of that “old-school” indie feel that I fell head over heels with, once upon a time. WE ARE BACK my friends!

• If old-school new adult indie-feel romance is what you crave, THIS IS IT!
• If you’re looking for the unattainable bad boy jock that develops a JUST friends relationship with the book smart girl (who really, and believably wants NOTHING to do with him) and it stays that way for a good portion of the book, TEASING YOU… THIS IS IT!
• If you’re looking for BELIEVABLE friendship, believable attraction and believable reasons why it’s not happening… THIS IS IT!!!
• If you’re looking for LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY, your eyes welling up with tears from laughing so hard, THIS IS IT!!
• If you’re looking for the opposite end of that spectrum… equally heart-tugglingly emotional SAD eye-welling… THIS IS IT!!
• If you’re looking for REASON behind who these people are, and good reason for their angst-causing decisions, THIS. IS. IT!!!!
• If you’re looking for that funny, chick-flick movie feel, with all of the fun, but with even more emotion and depth than a “chick flick” THIS IS IT!!!
• If you’re looking for a book that has that “Archer’s Voice“, “Easy“, and sort of Slammed–ish (only in feel) FEEL, THIS IS IT!!!
• If you’re looking for realistic dialogue (internal and external) – at times quirky and fun, and at times contemplative and hurty… THIS IS IT!!
• If you’re looking for good romance angst, just enough but not TOO much angst (makes your heart catch but doesn’t make you want to throw your Kindle) THIS IS IT!!!
• If you’re in a book funk and want out? THIS IS IT!
• If you’re wanting dark, gritty romance… this IS NOT it… BUT!!!!! READ IT ANYWAY because maybe what you need is a good belly-laugh, a book-long grin, and a heartfelt sigh. Maybe you actually need that feel good love story (but not that easy!) and THIS. IS. IT!!!
• If you’re looking for a better reason to read this book…. well… BECAUSE I SAID SO. 😀 *grins sheepishly*

WOW right!?? Why are you still here. GO READ THE BOOK! LOL!

Alright, so for those that want more, what’s it about?

Well… she’s a music major (phenomenal singer) and he’s a history major (who’s a hockey jock and also the son of a famous hockey star). She’s cool in her crowd, and he’s cool in all of the college world. Their worlds don’t really mix, until he realizes she’s acing a class that he’s failing in. And he needs to keep his grade-point average up, or else, so… he asks her to tutor him.

“…why is Garrett Graham staring at you?”

I follow her startled gaze and smother another groan when Garrett’s gray eyes lock onto mine. “Because he’s stalking me,” I grumble.

Her eyebrows soar. “For real?”

And considering her stance on rich and popular “bad boy jocks” (let’s just say she’s had a VERY bad experience with one in the past), she refuses. Adamantly.

Garrett snorts. “Don’t waste your time, man. She’s immune to flirting. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

But he’s adamantlier <— ;).

“I’m not tutoring you.”

“Sure you are.” I shrug. “I just need to figure out what you want in return.”

Hannah whirls around like a dark-haired tornado. “I want to not tutor you. That’s what I want.”

And when he realizes she has a crush on a “good-boy nerdy jock” from the football team…

“I hate to break it to you, but it ain’t gonna happen, Wellsy. You’re not his type.”

Anger and embarrassment flood my belly. Wow. Had he really just said that?

“Thanks for the tip,” I say coolly. “Now if you’ll excuse me…”

he tells her he can help her get noticed by him.

“I’ll introduce you around as my date. Chicks will want to murder you. Guys will wonder who you are and why you haven’t been on their radars before. Kohl will wonder too, but we’re going to ignore him.”

“And why would we do that?”

“Because it’ll drive him crazy. Make you seem even more unattainable.”

By going out with him, being his date for a few events, possibly causing an uproar when their world start mixing.

Sounds… “usual” NA, right? I know. I KNOW what some of you are thinking that might be jaded with the NA college romance stuff. Often good girl/bad boy… some kind of deal, or meet cute that forces them to work together, or become friends, and of course, so easy to see where it’s going. And I’m not promising there are any plot twists or surprises here. But…

But see, here’s the thing about life. When it’s this good? Something inevitably goes bad.

AND OMG DOES IT!!!!

Yep. So what I am promising is that, you will, for some reason or other (let’s call it this author’s personal writing magic)… BE HOOKED from the start, fully invested in these characters (ALL. OF. THEM!!!), and in love and cheering and laughing and tearing by the end of this book. You’ve got plenty to go through.

That’s that. THAT. IS. THAT. There is no need to say any more, because for this one… reading is believing.

So go read it.

…a vise of emotion constricts my heart, because I’m pretty sure I know exactly what it is too. And I’m scared that because of my split-second moment of indecision, I just threw it all away.

Don’t throw it away, my friends!

5 stars! FIVE STARS OF FABULOUSNESS!!!!

P.S. DON’T READ ANY FURTHER, as this is from a later part of the book (although TOTALLY NOT spoiler-ish in the least but OMG HILARIOUS and it’s one of my laugh-out-loud until I was crying moments), so I just have to immortalize it on my blog…

I reach the locker room door as one of the players walks out of it.

“Is Garrett in there?” I bark. He looks startled to see me.

“Yeah, but—”

I bulldoze past him and grab the door handle. The guy protests from behind. “I don’t think you should go in th—”

I burst into the locker room and— Penises! Sweet Jesus. Penises everywhere. Horror slams into me as I register what I’m seeing. Oh God. I’ve stumbled onto a penis convention.

*snort snort snort*  HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHH!!!! Oh and it just goes on my friends. Pure comedic genius!!!!!!!!! I mean… HOLY MOLY her reaction and her thoughts would have totally been my own had that been me.

And there is SO many awesome moments like that one… again… if I haven’t been clear enough yet —> READ IT!!!