This week, Prime Video rolls out the next hotly-anticipated book-to-screen adaptation with Off Campus.
Adapted from Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus series, predominantly ‘The Deal’, the series follows star hockey captain Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) and sharp music student Hannah Wells (Ella Bright). After bombing a philosophy test, Garrett corners Hannah for tutoring – she’s the only one who scored an A. Hannah wants nothing to do with athletes, so she is reluctant to say yes. But when he clocks her crush on fellow music student Justin (Josh Heuston), Garrett pitches a deal: they fake date to get Justin’s attention (because guys want what other guys have), and she helps him pass philosophy.
It’s a fair deal, but what happens if the lines between what’s fake and what’s real begin to blur?
But it’s not all fun and games in this college romance. These are complex characters with stories deeper than just surface level. Hannah is still dealing with a secret past trauma, and Graham is dealing with living in the shadow of his hockey star father Phil (Steve Howey)
And then there’s a whole cast of characters adding to the world of Briar University. Garrett lives with three of his teammates – John Logan (Antonio Cipriano), Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kalyn), and John Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks), who will also step up as leads, respectively, in subsequent seasons.
Hannah also has her bestie and roommate Allie (Mika Abdalla), who’s in a relationship with Sean (while also trying to figure out how they can balance both of their dreams.
While I can’t personally comment on how well the series has been adapted from the books, what does play out onscreen is a very compelling first season, with seven of the eight episodes watched ahead of this review.
With some much-loved romance tropes, a few spicy scenes set to melt the ice, and an unmissable music mix, Off Campus is here to warm up your winter.
4 Stars
All eight episodes of Off Campus are streaming on Prime Video from May 13.
