In The Deal, we learn about Hannah and Garrett, who seem to be polar opposites, in the first volume of the Off-Campus series. In exchange for dating advice and assistance in making her crush envious, Hannah agrees to tutor Garrett.
Although it seems like a simple arrangement, Garrett must figure out how to convince Hannah that he is the appropriate person for her after a few embraces that lead to more. If you enjoyed The Deal, you’ll love this selection of books with a similar theme.
If you love The Deal by Ellie Kennedy, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy books like The Chase, A Favor For A Favor, It Happened One Summer, and Beautiful Disaster. Check out our list of 10 books to read after The Deal.
Themes In The Deal
College Life
The Deal follows Hannah Wells, a college student who is battling inner turmoil after an incident that happened in high school. As the reader, we get to see how she navigates a new setting after trauma and whether she can move on with her life.
College life is a common theme in many adult books as it depicts how the protagonist evolves as they change into an adult. It is a coming-of-age theme that helps the reader understand the characters better, from their stance on partying, work ethic, and more.
Fake Dating
Hannah and Garrett find themselves in the middle of an agreement that states they must pretend to date in public. It will help Garrett’s hockey career and make Hannah’s crush jealous, so what could go wrong?
It turns out to be not as simple as both of these characters originally thought, with real feelings getting mixed into the already confusing situation.
Sports
Garrett is a hockey player and Hannah’s original crush is on the football team. As a result, there is quite a bit of sports talk in The Deal.
While you don’t have to be an expert to follow the narrative, reading this will introduce you to many terms and plays that you might have not heard before.
The Chase, a book in the same author’s Briar U series as The Deal, focuses on the tumultuous romance between Summer and Colin. Since she first met the enigmatic Colin, alias Fitzy, Summer has harbored feelings for him.
She doesn’t understand why she finds herself attracted to a man who is not her type and doesn’t have anything in common with her, but she’s eager to find out whether he actually has tattoos all over his body.
Pros
Same author and setting as The Deal.
Fun and flirty story with plenty of suspense and pining.
Features characters from The Deal after their story has finished.
Being the sister of an esteemed NHL player hasn’t always been simple for Stevie, but it has its advantages, such as a penthouse where she can hide if she discovers her partner having an affair.
She at least has her new physiotherapy career and friends to look forward to. Additionally, it helps that she and her neighbor have a friendly rivalry going.
The neighbor turns out to be her brother’s colleague, so she offers to assist him with additional physiotherapy sessions. This will enable him to return to the ice more quickly and provide her with a sports figure as a reference.
In The Deal, Hannah and Garrett’s relationship begins with a favor, and Stevie and Bishop’s romance also has a hockey component.
Pros
Hockey romance.
Compelling female protagonist.
Flirtatious slow-burn romance.
Cons
Not for those who don’t like sports.
Themes: Hockey, independence, favors, romance, and childhood.
Stella, who is autistic, struggles to lead a fulfilling existence despite the fact that she lives and breathes arithmetic.
She chooses to hire an experienced escort to show her everything she needs to know about dating because she knows nothing about it whatsoever and wants to start dating with confidence.
Even though he needs the money to support his family, Michael resolves to assist Stella so that nobody else might be able to make use of her generosity and naivety.
Similar to works like The Deal, the arrangement begins as a way to help Stella cross off her list of dating-related goals, but as the two get to know one another better, deeper feelings become inevitable.
Pros
Inclusive characters.
Sweet male character.
Interesting backstories for both main characters.
Cons
It’s advised that you read the trigger warnings.
Themes: Chronic illness, body issues, mental health, abandonment, love, and trust.
Piper has whatever she wants without needing to work for it because she was raised wealthy due to a Hollywood mogul for a stepdad.
That is, up until the moment her longest romance of three weeks ends and she plans to break into a posh hotel to host the year’s biggest pool party.
By providing attendees with the subject of Piper’s arrest to talk about, the event is successful in getting them to forget about her publicized break-up.
This was the final straw for her stepfather, so he sends her to her mother’s homeland, where her biological father also passed away, so she can discover a hobby other than partying and learn to value money.
Fortunately, Piper’s younger sister comes along, and after a few days of crying, the two of them decide to renovate their father’s tavern. Additionally, she runs across the hot and cantankerous captain there, who isn’t falling for Piper’s charm.
Abby has made every effort to forget her past and reinvent herself since leaving her hometown to attend college, and in Beautiful Disaster, she has succeeded.
The champion of one-night hookups, Travis, won’t make things simple for her, though. He will try his hardest to gain her attention the more she attempts to avoid him.
Abby will be required to make restitution and move in together with Travis for a month as a result of a wager between the two that Travis won.
Like in works like The Deal, their friendship seems to make them the perfect fit, but Abby will have to choose whether risking her fresh start for their possible romance is worth it.
Pros
An alpha male main character.
Interesting twists and turns.
Cons
Read the trigger warnings before this book.
Themes: Love, relationships, power struggles, friendships, self-worth, and trauma.
Catalina has put in a lot of effort to advance in her career and gain respect. She moves to New York to start over after a disastrous breakup, but her past sins seem to follow her.
Lina is aware that she cannot attend her sister’s wedding by herself. She hasn’t, however, made any time for dating, yet she told her mother that she is taking her extremely serious boyfriend.
Unexpectedly, her office adversary offers to go out with her if she reciprocates by going to the event with him. She accepts the deal out of necessity.
She has no idea that she will benefit from the arrangement in ways that exceed her wildest expectations, but is she willing to let love in?
Pros
Insta-love story with slow-burn romance.
Fun backstories for the main characters and their families.
Cons
Too many subplots make this book longer than it needed to be.
Themes: Escapism, work life, fake dating, romance, family ties, and trust.
Avery and her sister manage the family hotel in When Sparks Fly, where they also put on events like the surprisingly well-attended hobbyhorse championships.
Avery has to learn to take things more slowly and trust others to handle her responsibilities after a traffic accident renders her immobilized for several months. She must also rely on Declan, her former roommate and best friend, who is now her caretaker.
The more time spent together, the more Avery begins to see a new side of Declan, and the farther they move from the dreaded friend zone. Declan even offers to assist Avery with tasks beyond simply shampooing her hair.
Pros
A short and sweet romance that will leave you swooning.
Friends to lovers trope.
Cons
The ending seems rushed.
Themes: Love, mental health, trust issues, family bonds, friendships, and trauma.
Christine is prepared to check items off her “naughty” list during her best friend’s wedding, just the same as Hannah in The Deal.
That is until she comes across the man who stole her virginity, who is also the bride’s brother. Tyler left immediately after she surrendered her virginity and she didn’t even get a “goodbye.”
Christine had proclaimed losing her virginity to be the happiest night of her life. Now, many years down the line, she actually gets to plot and carry out her retaliation for his abrupt dismissal.
Pros
Short novella at 157 pages.
‘The one that got away’ romance.
Cons
Too short for any character development or subplots.
Nikki had no clue how fierce the competition would be when she quit her dream job to go to Maui and assist her mother with her family’s Filipino food truck.
She makes an effort to ignore the obnoxious British man who opted to park his vehicle next to their place, but it’s difficult to not be drawn in by his attractive face, even when he’s yelling at her.
When their dispute becomes public, they both realize that it has increased business for their respective food trucks, and they resolve to Simmer Down and cooperate.
Pros
Flirty banter.
Enemies to lovers trope.
Cons
Immature characters.
Themes: Work ethic, romance, food, competition, and rivalry.
Avery needed to get away from her past, just like Hannah and other characters in works like The Deal, so she chooses to enroll in a college where no one will recognize her.
She has no intention of falling in love with a frat boy, but she can’t help herself from being drawn to Jase, and it appears that their passion is mutual.
Jase is well known for his promiscuity and excessive drinking, but now that Avery is in his life, he wants to change for the better.
He also desires to understand what she’s trying to conceal so he can assist her in resolving any problems or discomfort. Will Jase’s love for Avery be strong enough to keep them both alive when he learns the truth?
Pros
Insta-love story.
Secrets that leave you guessing until the last page.
Cons
Relies heavily on tropes and stereotypes.
Themes: College life, secrets, trust, grief, and romance.
Final Thoughts
As we discovered from books like The Deal, even a straightforward deal that is intended to be advantageous for all parties can lead to much more. You’ll adore the books above if you enjoy the enemies-to-lovers tales that begin with a deal and end in hot moments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Deal By Elle Kennedy Appropriate?
It has a rating of PG-13, so is suitable for anyone over the age of 13 years old.
How Long Does It Take To Read The Deal?
For an average reader, with a reading speed of 300 WPM, it should take 6 hours and 21 minutes to read The Deal.
Noah Burton works as a Librarian full time, and is a blogger in his spare time. His goal is to write compelling recommendations for all of the most popular books he can find, from science fiction to romance.
With a passion for books, a drive to find new reads to get stuck into, and a love for sharing book recommendations with others, Noah can help you find the next novel for your bucket list.
