Buddy Read Review ~ The Deal ~ Elle Kennedy #COYER

Posted 22 December, 2022 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 16 Comments

Buddy Read Review ~ The Deal ~ Elle Kennedy #COYERThe Deal by Elle Kennedy
Series: Off Campus #1
Published by Elle Kennedy Inc on February 24, 2015
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Pages: 324
Format: Nook
Source: Purchase
4 Stars

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.

I had the pleasure of buddy reading The Deal with my friend, Nadene. You can check out her review and more at her blog. Here’s our conversation:

What were your favourite moments?

My favorite moments were any time with Hannah and Garrett sparring 😁 But I also loved all the sweet moments: I loved their first get together a studying. I loved how he persuaded her to do the fake date. I loved all the moments where he spent gaining her trust so that she could confide in him and share her story. And I loved when he shared his story with her.

 

What did you think of the characters?

I liked all the characters with the exception of Cass and, of course, Garrett’s dad 😡 I felt EKennedy did a great job fleshing out Hannah and Garrett and all their friends. And the story was richer for it.

 

What are your thoughts on Garrett’s father?

I loathe Garrett’s father. Bully is too nice a word for him. He’s an abuser plain and simple. Like Hannah and Garrett, I hate that Mr. Graham is allowed his fame and fortune when behind closed doors he’s such an awful human. Unfortunately, that seems to be a realistic take on athletes. It doesn’t seem to matter what they do, they’ll still be revered. And it’s rather disgusting.

 

Did you love how the romance developed?

I loved how this romance developed. I haven’t read a whole lot of the fake dating trope but this one certainly tripped my trigger. Although it was predictable, I enjoyed taking this journey with Hannah and Garrett. And maybe it was fast – they both admitted it was – but I’m of the firm belief that sometimes you know when you know. And I adored going there with them.

 

What did you think of the setup – the fake dating scenario?

The fake dating trope is my catnip. It was reading another book with a similar set up that placed The Deal on my radar. Despite the predictable outcome, I thought Garrett was smart to suggest the fake dating scenario in exchange for Hannah tutoring him. A winning solution for them both.

I want to know what you were reading that out The Deal in your radar 😉

Blind Side by Kandi Steiner.

 

How did you feel about Garrett’s best friend Logan having a crush on Hannah?

One can understand the reason Logan would have a crush on Hannah. She had a fun and unselfish personality. I liked that he respected Garrett and never made an attempt to to pursue the possibility of a relationship. Not that he would have been successful.

I liked the added angst that Logan’s crush on Hannah provided. And it made me doubly anxious to read his book.

 

Did you like the way in which Garrett’s dad got Hannah to do what he wanted?

Now don’t get me started on Garrett’s father. He’s the perfect example of a bully. His attempts to keep Hannah out of his son’s life demonstrated his controlling and abusive nature. I know her response was coming from a place of love, but it would have been so much better if she spoke with Garrett before doing what she did.

I asked the question about Mr. Graham and his meddling in Hannah and Garrett’s relationship because I felt EKennedy chose well in how she had him go about the meddling. Hannah already felt so guilty for her parents’ financial woes so… (don’t want to spoil but you know what I’m saying)

I do get what you are saying. I agree Kennedy handled that aspect of the story well. I also understood where Hannah was coming from and she genuinely believed she was protecting Garrett. However, I still wished she had spoken to him about it.

 

Were you happy with how things were wrapped up in the end?

I loved the scene where Hannah and Garrett spent the night binge watching Breaking Bad. I also the locker room scene near to the end. OMG! It had me in stitches.

I loved that they binged Breaking Bad too. And that scene where he left her in his room and told her she wasn’t allowed to watch without him! 😂 Oh and that last locker room scene… “Penis…Logan…” I was laughing out loud!

Their romance was absolutely adorable. It developed rather quickly, but it felt authentic. It was interesting to see how Garrett whose only interest in women lay in meaningless sex for someone he probably wouldn’t have given a second look if he didn’t need her help.

 

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

About Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Brandee is a mom of 3 and a soon-to-be empty nester. She is also an avid reader, a genre omnivore, and a compulsive one-clicker - but she's in recovery. Besides being a reader, she's also a writer and hopes to divide the vast quantities of spare time she'll soon have between reading and finally publishing her first book.

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