Name: AoG's review of The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Item: The Deal
Rating: 4
Author: AoG

Elle Kennedy

She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy...

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she's carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush's attention, she'll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice...even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

...and it's going to be oh so good

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he's worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he's all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

Off-Campus, Book #1

The Deal

Kaila Nesbitt

But right now, all I want is for this girl to smile at me again.

Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don’t know how you ever lived without them.

Christina Farkona

“But you know what my therapist used to tell me? The best way to forget a bad memory is to replace it with a good one.”

I agreed to help her not just because I’m her friend, but because I’m a 

. And when a woman asks you to have sex with her and give her an orgasm, you don’t think about it. You say 

Well, she got the orgasm. She did. And I know I’m going to get the sex. I will.

She goes quiet for a long moment, and then the most brilliant smile fills her face and lights up the room. It’s the first time Hannah has smiled at me like that, a smile that truly reaches her eyes, and it makes my heart clench in the strangest way.

“He’s actually a nice guy when he wants to be.”

When he wants to be? She says it like it’s the endorsement of the year, but the way I see it, people should be nice because they are, not because it’s a calculated move on their part.

There’s a reason I’m a history major, for chrissake—I deal in facts. Black and white. This happened at this time to this person and here’s the result.

I take a breath as I head down the aisle, clinging to that feeling of victory, however teeny it may be.

Alma 

I wrap my arms around him and hold him tight against me, and it's so familiar, so wonderfully perfect, that the love in my heart overflows and stings my eyes.

 Then he kisses me, and everything in my world is right again.

LMAOOOO this whole thing was for nothingngngnngngnggn

"Then you would have said you care about me more than you care about his stupid money." 

 "And you would have let him cut you off."

My stomach lurches. "He said you aren't eligible for financial aid, and that you wouldn't be able to get a bank loan."

"You would have had to clean out your savings account to pay for next term's tuition, and...and then what? We both know you can't afford rent and expenses and car payments when you're not working, so that means you would need to get a job and—"

“Im gonna stop you there, baby." The smile he gives me is infinitely tender.

 "So...let's back up. I let my father cut me off. Ask me what I would've said next."

 I bite the inside of my cheek. A little too hard, so I soothe the sting with my tongue. "What?" 

Garrett leans closer and sweeps his fingertips over my cheek. "I would've said, Don't worry, babe, I'm turning twenty-one in a few weeks, and my grandparents left ne a trust fund that I can access on January 2nd." 

We stay this way for a while, with her fingers in my hair and my head in her lap. Eventually she coaxes me into bed and I slide between the sheets fully clothed. We're spooning now, except she's the one holding me and I'm too fucking tired and ashamed to move.

 I fall asleep with her hand stroking my chest.

"You lost your temper," she agrees. "But that doesn't change the way I feel about you, or what I think about you. You said you'd never hurt me, and I still believe that." 

Her voice shakes. "God, Garrett, if you knew how badly I wanted to rip his eyes out tonight... "

 "Because I was in shock. I didn't expect to see him there." Her fingers slide over my scalp in a soft caress. "I don't want you to hate yourself for this,"

She bends down and brushes her lips over the top of my head. 

 I can't tear my eyes off Rob, who hasn't made it out the door yet. The group of friends he's with stop to talk to a few people, and he tosses a panicky glance over his shoulder, paling when he realizes I'm still staring at him. 

"Hannah. Jesus. You're white as a sheet. What's wrong?" I guess Im pale, too. I guess I look like Rob. I we’ve both just seen a ghost. 

 The next thing I know, my head is wrenched to the side as Garrett's hands clutch my chin to force eye contact. 

"Whar's going on? Who is that guy?" He's followed my gaze, and now he's watching Rob with visible mistrust.

I turn my back to the door, effectively eliminating any temptation to look Rob's way. Garrett pauses. Searches my face. Then he sucks in a breath.

"Oh fuck. Is it...” His horrified question hangs between us. 

"No,"I say quickly. "It's not. I promise."

My lungs burn from lack of oxygen, so I force myself to take a deep breath. "He's just a guy." 

Nausea circles my belly like a school of sharks. "Rob Delaney“

Garrett's gaze moves past my shoulder, which tells me that Rob is still here. Damn it, why can't he just leave already? 

Hard as I try, I can no longer pretend that my whole world hasn't been knocked off kilter.

My face collapses and I whisper, "It's Aaron's best friend. He's one of the guys who testified against me after the—“

When the mind-shattering pleasure finally abates, I register what song is playing in the car. 

My eyes fly open. "Did you re-download One Direction?"

"Uh-huh. So why is 'Story of My Life' playing?" I demand. 

She pauses, then lets out a big sigh. "Because I like One Direction. There. I said it." 

“You're lucky I love you," I warn her. "Because I wouldnt stand for it otherwise." 

Hannah grins. "Youre lucky I love you. Because you're a totalasshole and there aren't a lot of girls whod put up with it."

She's probably right about the asshole thing. 

She's definitely right about the lucky part.

That reminds me of icebreaker, I think. I’m getting a bit confused and mixing up all the hockey books😂

“…Because you're not like him. No matter how angry someone made you, you wouldn't hit them."

“That's not true. I've gotten into a brawl or two on the ice." 

I admit. "And one time I punched a guy at Malone's, but that's cause he said some nasty shit about Logan's mom and I couldn't not throw down for my friend."

Which just goes to show that Hannah Wells is...amazing. She’s so fucking attuned to me, my moods, my pain. I've never been with anyone who can read me so well. 

"And forget the choir. You don't necd it. Hell, I don't think you need Cass." He shakes his head in amazement. "Your voice is...fuck Wellsy, it's beautiful." 

 His impassioned expression tells me he's dead serious. 

I'm startled by the intensity in his voice, the emotion now glittering in his gray eyes. 

Wow. Okay. My entire life people have been telling me lm talented, but other than my parents, nobody has ever pleaded with me to sing to them.

it’s like that pond I skated on when I was a kid-from a distance, the ice looked so shiny and smooth, until you got close enough to it, and suddenly all the uneven edges and crisscrossed skate marks became visible. 

Covered with skate marks that ob ody ever seems to notice. 

And jeez, clearly I'm feeling way too philosophical tonight.

Alyssa Weaver

"Sorry to interrupt, boys and girls," Logan calls out, "but it's time to put your p's and v's away. 

"I know, right? We're in Garrett Graham's car. Part of me is tempted to go Carrie Underwood on it and carve my name into his leather seats."

 "Tell me about your grandmother again." "Now?" 

"She called to tell me that they might not be able to Ransom for Christmas either." "Ransom?" 

Elif Türker

** spoiler alert **
           It was awesome. It was easy to read. Definitely a reading slump saver. It was both funny and romantic and sad at the same time. Hannah is one hell of a women she so powerful. She didn’t let her past define her and takes some will power. Butt he should have talked to Garrett about his father and the break up. But other than that it was awesome.

Jay Becerra

If I’m being honest, yes, I did read this book in one day. Not because I couldn’t put it down. Truthfully, I just had nothing else to do and it was such an easy read.

Overall, this book was good. It wasn’t god awful nor was it breathtakingly incredible. It was simply good. 

It had easy going, likable characters, a cliche trope that I loved, steamy sex scenes, some family drama and trauma for emotional heartbreaking bits. I did wish the romance was just a little bit more slow burn angst but that’s just a personal preference.

This book is a guilty pleasure romance read and if you’re anything like me, you’ll love it but probably never read it again.

The first book in an all new series featuring college hockey stars and the women they fall for, by New York Times bestseller Elle Kennedy.

Selin Igten

loved reading this but i’ll have to 1 star because the author is a ZIONIST and supports isra*l !

thank u for the free pdf ❤️

loved garret what a great dude also he’s a history major haha loser (me too)

ty chloe bae this was a great recommendation like this was so so so enjoyable like wowwww

Sidney Schaffner

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The banter was top notch— as were the smut scenes. I cannot wait to read the next one.

Annalissa Powner 

This book is hilarious with a dose of steamy. Loved it!

Ana Luiza

eu to absolutamente apaixonada por esse casal!
Achei a construção da relação deles tão linda, tao saudável e tão natural. Amei cada personagem desse livro, e estou tentada a ler o restante da série. Pra ser sincera, queria ler mais sobre Hannah e Garrett. É tão maravilhoso encontrar NA sobre caras que apesar de se encaixar no estereótipo, não são babacas e não tratam as garotas mal. E mais que isso, os problemas que o casal encontra no decorrer da história nada tem a ver com ciúmes e traições etc, graças a Deus.
Além do romance ser maravilhoso, o livro flui muito rápido e é muito engraçado. Elle Kennedy certamente me conquistou e em breve pretendo ler mais livros dela.

Nice! A lot of spice in the ending a bit rushed

Femke

Mel 

If you’re going through a reading slump, read this!

alya adlina

Doris Ivandic 

Tatiana

The Deal: 2/5????

**PLS LOOK AT THE TWs FOR THIS BOOK BEFORE READING IT**

I genuinely don't know how to rate this.

This book was awful....and I love it.

Pretty sure they put crack in this book. It is SO addictive. Wattpad dreams come true.

Classic plot where boy meets girl, fake date, and fall in love with each other. The writing is so cheesy and the plot itself is the most predictable thing ever, but IDK I JUST LOVED IT. Lowkey this book is hella problematic as well, so make sure you're looking up trigger warnings before.

I guess just don't take it too seriously. If you want a steamy Wattpad bad boy hockey romance. Read it.

dulce yasmin 

trixie

okay yeah maybe points were made

actual ranking: 4.63
subjective: 85
plot: 75
writing/dialogue: 90
worldbuilding: 90
character development: 100
character relationships: 90
toxic relationships?: no
tokenized characters?: no
world rules abused for plot?: no

Victoria 

** spoiler alert **
           Slow burn hurts so good! 

The only parts of the book that made me feel "meh", was Garrett's father's side story and the fact that basically after one game, Hannah is acting like she's a hockey commentator?! Describing every move like she's grown up watching hockey... she's a drama major. This girl probably doesnt even know theres 3 periods in hockey, let alone know how to describe the play-by-play of the first hockey game she's ever seen. It was very 0 to 100 in one page, but thats just being super picky.

Brizah

This book was good and I enjoyed the banter between Hannah and Graham and their relationship

Charlotte Massie

I’m not entirely sure how to rank this book.

It looses 1 star because of all the problematic things in it and maybe 0,5 star because of the author’s pen, which is not incredible. But then it regains another 0,5 star for the writing and the flow of the story! 

1. Yes it is highly problematic. I know it was published in 2015 or something like this, but it’s not a reason for it to be sexist and slightly misogynistic. It wasn’t inclusive in anyway and it accentuated the impossible and toxic beauty standards. As if women should have perfect big round breasts, a tiny waist, be small in every way, be pink and tight… The standards are also high for men. I understand it’s a fantasy, but still.

In Hannah’s POV we read a thousand times the word husky! What is that even supposed to mean? Is this book actually a poppy romance? I don’t get it.
-husky voice
-husky smile 
-husky eyes
-husky groan 

😤

And Garrett’s excuses for everything was “I’m a guy”. No dude, you’re a straight guy! 

2. I had a hard time, at first, to get used to the writing style, it’s simple and basic, nothing extraordinary. 

3. The story is actually really good and full in deep emotions. Because I can somewhat relate to the characters, this book will keep a special place in my heart. The connection between Hannah and Garrett is beautiful and it shows a healthy relationship based on trust. Sex is hard for women, and we don’t talk about it enough, but I love how it was represented here and how Garrett understood and tried his best to make her feel comfortable. They were cute and it made me smile. Throughout my reading I went through a lot of emotions, and of course the end was predictable, but it still made sad, then happy. I was on the bus, doing my best to hold back the tears. 

Overall, I loved the story, but wasn’t happy to see all the problematic things in there. Because of that I wouldn’t recommend it, but I still enjoyed it and have a special connection to it!

lexie

I DO REGRET HAVING A SECOND READING THIS BOOK, I LOVED IT. GARRETT GRAHAM WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY HEART. HANNAH WELLS IS STRONG AND SHE'S A GIRL BOSS. THEY BOTH HAD THEIR TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE, I WILL SAY THAT THIS IS MY MOST FAVORITE RECENT BOOK. I LOVED IT!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE REST.

Going into this book, I was incredibly skeptical. I read the first two books in her Avalon Bay series and didn’t really liked them. I’ve also heard so much about 

 on social media, so I was worried it would be overhyped too. 

But I loved this book. It definitely have moments that made me cringe, mostly because of how the characters speak. Some of the internal dialogue bothered me too for that same reason. 

I loved Garrett and Hannah’s relationship. It reminded me of Nathan Scott and Haley James with the tutor relationship. I liked how their relationship grew. I think one of my favorite chapters was when they stayed up watching 

 together. They had the best banter, and their chemistry was fantastic. I also loved that Hannah and Garrett had parts of themselves that were separate from each other, and that they maintained those parts. Especially Hannah with her music. 

I also liked that Hannah and Garrett had their own traumas to deal with. We got insight as to how their respective experiences affected their relationship woh each other. I definitely think that added depth to their stories and character development. It showed us that these characters dealt with real, difficult problems. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to continuing the series. 

Kendall Deranek

Going into this book, I was incredibly skeptical. I read the first two books in her Avalon Bay series and didn’t really liked them. I’ve also heard so much about The Deal on social media, so I was worried it would be overhyped too. 

But I loved this book. It definitely have moments that made me cringe, mostly because of how the characters speak. Some of the internal dialogue bothered me too for that same reason. 

I loved Garrett and Hannah’s relationship. It reminded me of Nathan Scott and Haley James with the tutor relationship. I liked how their relationship grew. I think one of my favorite chapters was when they stayed up watching Breaking Bad together. They had the best banter, and their chemistry was fantastic. I also loved that Hannah and Garrett had parts of themselves that were separate from each other, and that they maintained those parts. Especially Hannah with her music. 

I also liked that Hannah and Garrett had their own traumas to deal with. We got insight as to how their respective experiences affected their relationship woh each other. I definitely think that added depth to their stories and character development. It showed us that these characters dealt with real, difficult problems. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to continuing the series. 

After reading dark romance for over a month, this book was a real feel-good.

I loved it. Literally finished it in two days. This book made me realize how much I missed highschool love romance- AND OML it’s my first hockey romance EVER!!

This book wasn’t anything BIG but for me it’s a full 5⭐️s book.

Definitely recommend!!!🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

saidaa<3

After reading dark romance for over a month, this book was a real feel-good.

I loved it. Literally finished it in two days. This book made me realize how much I missed highschool love romance- AND OML it’s my first hockey romance EVER!!

This book wasn’t anything BIG but for me it’s a full 5⭐️s book.

Definitely recommend!!!🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Hannah est une très bonne élève et elle a un don incroyable pour le chant. Mais quand il s'agit d'hommes et de séduction, elle perd tous ses moyens. Garrett est la star de l'équipe de Hockey de l'université, mais ses résultats scolaires ne sont pas à la hauteur et il risque de perdre sa place dans l'équipe. Ils vont passer un drôle d'accord. Elle lui donne des cours et il l'aide à séduire le quater back de l'équipe de Football. Cet arrangement original va-t-il changer leur vie ?

The deal

Nialani Thompson

4.5
I really loved it but didn’t particularly care for the “I love you” a month into their official relationship. Hannah and Garrett are a great couple. Super cute and would reread. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series

 i can say that this book is just another good one. (i already believe that i'm about to say it in every review of mine), but i just think that they're written in the best way possible.

you can read about lovely characters, a good plot, amazing chemistry and the perfect amount of spice scenes, as well as serious life struggles that make the characters all the more interesting. you can expect humor, sweet and cute couples that grow with each other, and great friendships.

i think there's no point in getting into great detail. it's just a very nice book that i highly recommend.

coming from The Graham Effect i can say that this book is just another good one. (i already believe that i'm about to say it in every review of mine), but i just think that they're written in the best way possible.

you can read about lovely characters, a good plot, amazing chemistry and the perfect amount of spice scenes, as well as serious life struggles that make the characters all the more interesting. you can expect humor, sweet and cute couples that grow with each other, and great friendships.

i think there's no point in getting into great detail. it's just a very nice book that i highly recommend.

i’m sorry but r4pe shouldn’t be a plotpoint for the romance….

rhea ⸆⸉

i’m sorry but r4pe shouldn’t be a plotpoint for the romance….



it was cute. kind of predictable. decent plot but i felt the skimmed over the important parts and was all about the sex.

jules hill

honya

this book was a solid 2.5 stars for me.. the beginning was AMAZING. the ending was AMAZING. but everything in between was kinda boring ngl😭 this book WAS SO FUNNY THO I COULDN’T STOP LAUGING! also i literally love everyyy singleee character except for fucking phil. even justin had me giggling at the end ngl

It was a sweet story that wasn't drawn out too long. I really liked both main characters and enjoyed reading their dialogues, which were pure and made my laugh a lot. 
Even though some statements were very exaggerated in the beginning, it improved a lot during the book.
It was cute and simple, but not boring at all and I couldn't put it down!

AoG &
The Deal by Elle Kennedy

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AoG &The Deal by Elle Kennedy

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AoG &
The Deal by Elle Kennedy