The Biggest Changes Off Campus Season 1 Makes To Elle Kennedy’s Books

by

Please be advised that this article contains discussions of sexual assault. It also reveals significant plot details from the first season of Off Campus, so spoilers are ahead.

Prime Video’s series, Off Campus, stays true to the overall story of Elle Kennedy’s books, but it also makes some important changes. It’s common for TV adaptations to differ from their source material, especially when adapting a novel told from one character’s perspective. Television storytelling requires finding visual ways to show what characters are thinking and feeling, which is different than simply telling it through their inner thoughts as in a book.

The first season of Off Campus adapts Elle Kennedy’s novel, The Deal, and most of the changes work well for a TV series. While some adjustments help the characters delve deeper into their problems and relationships, others speed up or slow down the development of their romance. One significant change might even affect the order in which Prime Video adapts Kennedy’s other books, as a surprising new couple has been introduced as the focus of the already-planned second season of Off Campus.

It’s still unclear how the recent story developments and new characters will impact the show’s future. However, season 1 of Off Campus has definitely paved the way for at least two more seasons, especially with the blossoming romance between Hannah (Ella Bright) and Garrett (Belmont Cameli) and how it’s changing their lives and the lives of their friends.

Changes To Hannah, Garret, & Justin’s Dynamics In Off Campus Season 1

The biggest differences between the show Off Campus and the original story focus on the relationship between Hannah and Garrett. This makes sense, since they’re the central couple. However, these changes build on each other, leading to further adjustments in the plot as the season progresses towards their eventual split and, ultimately, getting back together.

BOOK SHOW
Garrett first notices Hannah during their ethics class when she drops her A+ paper. Hannah walks in on Garrett in the shower at the rink. They later meet in ethics class for the second time.
Hannah wants to become a singer-songwriter. She’s working on a duet for the Spring Showcase. Hannah’s studying to become a movie composer. Hannah is forced to write a pop song to save her scholarship. No duet with book character Cass.
Hannah’s crush, Justin Kohl, is a football player who loves to read Hemingway. Justin Kohl is a musician. Garrett suggests that Hannah ask him to help write her song.
Garrett avoided the draft and wanted to wait until he was finished with college. The Bruins have already drafted Garrett — this becomes important at the end of the season.
After her first kiss with Garrett, Hannah kisses Dean to prove she’s unaffected. After her first kiss with Garrett, Hannah kisses Logan to prove she’s unaffected.
Garrett asks his teammate Birdie for advice about how to approach intimacy with Hannah after she reveals her assault and her inability to orgasm with someone. Garrett asks Dean for advice instead.
Hannah and Garrett have sex before she fully breaks it off with Justin. Hannah breaks it off with Justin before telling Garrett how she feels, and they become official.
Garrett tells Hannah about his dad’s abuse on Halloween. That was the first time his dad hit him. Garrett tells Hannah about his dad’s abuse after Thanksgiving dinner.
Garrett and Hannah both struggle financially. Garrett is trying to get out from under his dad’s influence, while Hannah’s family has been nearly bankrupted by the court case following her rape. Garrett’s financial story is never addressed in the show. Hannah wants to win the Pop Showcase to cover her scholarship, but her parents are nowhere near as worried about it as they are in the book.
Hannah and Garrett say “I love you” for the first time on Thanksgiving. Hannah and Garrett say “I love you” for the first time after Thanksgiving.
Hannah sees one of her rapist’s friends as Garrett’s game. Garrett punches him in the hallway. Hannah’s rapist is playing against Garrett. Garrett finds out and beats him up on the ice. He gets ejected from the game.
Garrett’s dad blackmails Hannah into breaking up with Garrett, threatening to withhold his funding. Garrett breaks up with Hannah after the fight during the game. He reacts after she says that his actions “scared” her.

One of the first differences in the show is how Hannah and Garrett initially meet. Instead of their book introduction, the show has Hannah unexpectedly walk in on Garrett while he’s showering at the arena, immediately establishing his playful personality. However, this is a relatively small change. The book’s original meeting – Garrett asking Hannah to tutor him after seeing her excellent work in ethics – happens later in the series. This tutoring session leads to Garrett offering to help Hannah make her crush, Justin Kohl, jealous, which is a key storyline in The Deal.

The show significantly changes Justin’s character from the book. He’s a musician instead of a football player—and the football team isn’t really featured at all—which makes Hannah’s attraction to him feel more realistic. This is a strong improvement over the original story. Justin becomes much more involved in Hannah’s life, helping her write a song for the Pop Showcase, replacing her failed duet with Cass and MJ from The Deals.

The show connects Hannah’s growth as a songwriter to her journey of sexual discovery. Past trauma initially prevents her from writing, but she overcomes this block when she reconnects with her emotions through a relationship with Garrett, allowing her to share her work. While the Prime Video version expands on Hannah’s story, it unfortunately shortens some details about Garrett’s experiences with abuse.

In the show, Garrett’s father, Phil (played by Steve Howey), is a former NHL star who is emotionally and physically abusive, but he doesn’t control Garrett’s money. The show rarely mentions Garrett’s finances, except when he might land an endorsement deal after being drafted by the Boston Bruins. The book tells a different story: Phil uses money to pressure Hannah into ending her relationship with Garrett, believing she’ll hurt his career. Hannah is unaware that Garrett has a trust fund set up by his grandparents, so she agrees to Phil’s demands, thinking she’s doing what’s best for Garrett.

This breakup happens very differently in the show. Instead of a calm split, Garrett discovers Hannah’s attacker during a hockey game against St. Anthony’s. He violently confronts the man on the ice, leading to his ejection from the game and ultimately costing his team a chance at the championship. This incident triggers a fight between Hannah and Garrett in the parking lot, after which Garrett withdraws emotionally, fearing he’s repeating his father’s patterns, and their relationship briefly ends.

It’s difficult to determine whether the show or the book portrays the breakup more effectively. In the show, Garrett is left to deal with his anger and past trauma, which ultimately leads him to share the truth about his relationship with his father and his childhood with his best friend, Logan. The book, however, frames the breakup as a failure in communication. If Hannah had simply talked to Garrett, she would have learned about a trust fund he had that would have allowed him to become financially independent from his father.

Changes To Allie, Dean, & Sean’s Dynamics In Off Campus Season 1

A major new storyline in season 1 of Off Campus is the romantic relationship between Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) and Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kalyn). Their story is based on The Score, the third book in the series, following the romance between Logan and Grace Ivers from The Mistake. While Grace Ivers isn’t featured in season 1 (though India Fowler has been cast to play her for season 2), much of Allie and Dean’s story from the book is shown in season 1, episode 6, “The Breakaway.”

The TV show changes the timeline of Allie and Dean’s relationship compared to the books. In the books, Allie and Dean don’t become romantic until after Hannah and Garrett are already a couple. The show, however, has Allie recently ending her relationship with her boyfriend, Sean (who viewers first met in season one of Off Campus), which sets the stage for her connection with Dean. The Sean we see in The Deal is a better person than the Sean from the first season of Off Campus and The Score, so the show has Allie break up with him earlier. This leads to a scene where Allie and Dean talk in the backyard, mirroring a moment from the Off Campus book.

Allie and Dean quickly begin a passionate relationship, though the TV show portrays Allie as being more hesitant at first than in the book. Ultimately, they reach the same point: both realize they’re developing feelings for each other. While Dean readily admits his feelings, Allie is afraid of getting involved again and surprisingly tells him to see someone else. This mirrors Allie’s insecurities from the book – her fear of being alone – but the show’s handling of this storyline is quite dramatic.

BOOK SHOW
Dean and Allie have already met when she encounters him at Dean’s house while he’s trying to have a threesome. She’s just broken up with her long-time boyfriend, Sean. Dean and Allie meet at Dean and Beau’s birthday party. They dance together. She’s at their party with her long-time boyfriend, Sean.
Allie and Sean’s breakup happens off-page. Allie and Sean’s break-up happens on-screen.
Dean and Allie sleep together the first night they spend time alone. They hang out in the backyard by the fire first. Dean and Allie don’t sleep together until a few days after their fireside chat. She calls him because she needs a distraction after breaking up with Sean.
After they spend Thanksgiving together and Allie has a terrible confrontation with Sean, Dean and Allie decide to start a real relationship. After spending Thanksgiving together, Allie tells Dean that she wants to hook up with other people. She wants to prove that she doesn’t need a relationship.
Once they start sleeping together, neither of them hooks up with anyone else. Allie hooks up with Hunter Davenport before he officially joins the team. This enrages Dean.
Hunter Davenport isn’t named until the second Off Campus book, The Mistake. Hunter Davenport has a crucial role in Off Campus season 1.

The book focuses solely on the connection between Allie and Dean, with neither showing interest in anyone else. Even Dean, known for his romantic pursuits, remains exclusive to Allie. However, the TV show takes a different path: Allie ends up having a sexual encounter with Hunter Davenport. In the Off Campus novels, Hunter joins the hockey team as a freshman and becomes friends with Dean, who even coaches him. The show drastically alters their relationship, portraying Dean as actively disliking Hunter – likely due to his connection with Dean’s sister, Summer – leading to a physical altercation when Dean discovers Allie slept with him.

Without official details about season 2 yet, it appears the show adapted a significant portion—around 65%—of the Off Campus book in Allie and Dean’s recent episode. Bringing Hunter in as a rival will create new challenges for Allie and Dean’s relationship and allow his character to play a more prominent role in the series sooner than in the original books.

Hunter finally gets a romantic storyline in the third book of the Off Campus sequel series, Briar U. It’s possible this is leading to him becoming the main love interest if the show were to get a fifth season, but right now, the future is open to many possibilities.

Off Campus Season 1’s Early Character Introductions & Other Changes

Similar to Bridgerton, the series Off Campus will feature a rotating cast with a new romantic pairing each season. Season one establishes some changes to the story that will be important for future seasons. While Tucker doesn’t have a large role in the first season, Logan’s character is developed more fully. Instead of an older brother named Jeff, Logan has a younger sister, Jules (Julia Sarah Stone), who goes to Briar U and runs the school’s gossip blog. Also, instead of his father struggling with alcohol, their mother is in rehab – a change likely made to create a different family dynamic for Logan compared to Garrett’s.

BOOK SHOW
Logan has an older brother, Jeffrey, who works at their family’s mechanic shop. Logan has a younger sibling, Jules. They attend Briar University at the same time. Jules runs the school’s gossip account.
Logan’s dad is an alcoholic. Parents are divorced. Logan and Jules’ mother is in rehab.
Hunter Davenport was recruited for the team as a freshman. Dean helps coach him. Has no real connection to any of Off Campus’ lead female characters. Hunter hooks up with Allie while her and Dean’s romance has already begun. Dean hates him for something having to do with his sister, Summer.

Season 2 of Off Campus will likely center on Allie and Dean, but the show is also building towards a potential third season focused on Logan, with a mention of Grace in episode 6. Hannah and Garrett’s storyline could still impact season 2, as Garrett’s suspension will make it difficult for the team to recover, and he needs to work through his issues with his father. Cindy, his father’s fiancée, may also need help from Garrett and Hannah to leave their current relationship.

Season 2 of Off Campus is full of surprises! Even fans who have read the books might not be able to predict what happens next, thanks to all the new developments.

All episodes of Off Campus season 1 are streaming now, exclusively on Prime Video.

Read More

2026-05-14 00:16