The bestselling book series has now turned into the hit TV show Off Campus. Written by Elle Kennedy, the book series
This sports-romance has been a crazy phenomenon for teenage girls, but within the BookTok community, there has been debate about its faithfulness to the original series. Many book adaptations take liberty with the source material to streamline the filming process. Though this is understandable, it often comes at the cost of essential plot points. So, let’s break down the differences and how they affect our overall understanding of the story.
Summary
The show follows the first book in the Off Campus series, which is The Deal. This story takes place at Briar University, where Hannah Wells–a dorky, yet spunky performer–is struggling with trauma from being sexually assaulted in high school. She meets hockey star Garrett Graham, who is notorious for sleeping around but has a secret of his own.
The storyline also includes secondary characters, including Hannah’s best friend Allie, and Garrett’s roommates and teammates: Dean, Logan, and Tucker. Hannah and Allie have a quirky dynamic, spanning from the tutoring sessions in Garrett’s bedroom to the steamy vibes in the nearby bar. The classic fake-dating and girl-tutors-boy tropes combine to make a story that leaves you wanting more.
The basic storyline remains the same in both the book and show, but there are bound to be little changes that bug the diehard book lovers (such as myself). I’ve read this series multiple times, and each reread has left me more attached to the plot points and characters. I was ecstatic to find out that the TV adaptation was being released, so much so that I reread the series again before watching the show and even watched the show a handful of times. With the two versions fresh in my mind, let’s dive into the changes that frustrated me the most!
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
1. The Initial Meeting
The show presents Hannah and Garrett’s initial meeting in a different way that, in my opinion, doesn’t make sense for the storyline. The show depicts the two meeting in the hockey arena as Hannah cleans the locker rooms and Garrett showers after practice. While this is a clever change, the original meet-cute felt less artificial.
In the book, Hannah earns a good grade on an “impossible” test but is too distracted staring at her crush, which leads to the papers being thrown across the room. Garrett rushes to help her pick them up, eyes her figure in the process, calls her several wrong names, and then begs Hannah to tutor him. This meeting is realistic but still fun, and it introduces the personalities of the characters right off the bat. It reveals Hannah’s crush, illuminates Garrett’s personality, and shows off Hannah’s humor and complete disregard for Garrett.
2. Jules
In the show, the character Jules is John Logan’s (Garrett’s teammate) younger sibling. They are the campus gossip, going on Instagram Lives during the hockey games, posting stories of Hannah with Garrett as they start fake-dating, and becoming very invested in the hockey team. Meanwhile, in the book, John Logan has an older brother who lives in their hometown and takes care of their sick father. Since Logan’s full story hasn’t been adapted on the screen yet, I can’t critique the change too much, but I am curious to see how his character will come to life with Jules as his sibling.
3. Justin’s Character
Juston Khol is Hannah’s all-time crush. He is popular on campus but for different reasons on the show than in the book. The show describes him as a musician and the lead singer of a successful and well-known band on campus, leaving Hannah fawning over his talent. In the book, however, Juston gets his campus-wide fame from being the all-star wide receiver of Briar University’s football team.
I am very aware that Justin being a musician makes more sense for Hannah’s character. She plays music, he plays music, and Hannah’s involvement in the pop showcase is the perfect way to work him into her life. All in all, not the worst modification.
4. Hannah’s Major
Hannah’s major may have been the change that bothered me the most. Hannah went to Briar U with a music major in both adaptations. The show kept the music major but changed the concentration from music performance to classical music composition. In the book series, Hannah has always performed and even partnered with a songwriter for the end-of-year showcase. But this songwriter drops her, forcing Hannah to write her own song. In contrast, the show starts Hannah with playing the clarinet and writing classical compositions.
In my opinion, this doesn’t fit Hannah’s personality. Hannah is spunky, fun, and quirky. She is the type of character who would listen to Taylor Swift. Yes, the change made sense given the fact that Hannah needed Justin’s help to write a song. But her personality just doesn’t scream classical composer. It screams pop musician and performer. So, overall, this change in her major didn’t feel right throughout the season.
5. Drunk Shakespeare
Interestingly enough, this was the one difference between the show and the book that I absolutely fell in love with. This scene was by far the best and funniest of the entire season, with countless unexpected pivots and a fun play on the classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Hannah’s best friend Allie stars in the theatrical performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a twist: Whenever a character yells out “Line!”, everyone drinks. Hannah, Justin, Garrett, and Garrett’s ex-hookup buddy get called on stage to move the story along.
This scene was a completely original idea. I can’t say there was an event in the books that compares. The costumes, the acting, the dialogue–everything was a 10/10. I devoured every second, not only because I laughed out loud, but because viewers got a deeper look into Allie’s mind and a little bit more background on Garrett’s relationship with Kendall.
6. The Campus-Wide-Hands-off Rule
One of the most well-known events in the entire Off Campus book series is Garrett’s campus-wide hands-off rule. Garrett imposes this rule after Hannah breaks up with him, asking for space and to see other people. Over a school break, Garrett threatens every male on the Briar University campus, warning them that if they make moves on Hannah, he would beat them up. This may seem controversial, but within the Off Campus universe, it is depicted as romantic.
In the show, Garrett is completely unfamiliar with the rule. The fact that he didn’t intentionally start this campus-wide rule drastically reduces its impact on Hannah and Garrett’s relationship. This rule captures how head over heels Garrett is for Hannah and how he will do anything in his power to win her back. I was itching to see this scene come to life and was majorly disappointed by its absence. T
7. Phil Graham and Hannah’s Arrangement
The entire ending of the story depended on this one event. Once it was removed, every scene after it had to be altered as a result, including the campus-wide hands-off rule. My enjoyment of the story didn’t necessarily depend on this plot point, but the story itself did. In the books, Garrett’s father, Phil Graham, believes that Hannah is a distraction for Garrett, interfering with his goal of becoming a successful NHL hockey player like his father. As a result, Phil threatens Hannah, telling her that he will cut Garrett off if they continue to date by refusing to pay for college, hockey, and housing.
Hannah inevitably breaks it off with Garrett in order to protect him, but the show completely abandons this fact. Instead, Garrett ends things with Hannah after a fight on the ice (over Hannah), thinking he is too violent to be with her. I wasn’t crazy about this change. The miscommunication trope is not at the top of my list, but the book’s plotline made more sense for their characters. I personally enjoyed the drama that the scene added: Hannah protecting Garrett but ultimately hurting him. It would’ve been an interesting interaction to watch in the show.
Did these changes affect the overall story?
I do have to acknowledge that this list is very minor compared to the full list of details forgotten in the adaptation. I could go on and on about all the alterations to the book, but in my opinion, these were the most notable ones.
I’m not saying the show was bad or that I don’t understand why these changes occurred. I do have to recognize that only watching the show will not give fans a well-rounded picture of the story. There are too many little details the show misses out on that puts the overall storyline in jeopardy.
Hannah and Garrett’s story was witty, for the most part realistic, and fun. Yes, I am partial to the book series, as I am almost to every book series compared to their adaptations. Either way, I urge lovers of the show to read the series and lovers of the book to give the show a chance. This story is widely popular for a reason, both the show and the books.
All in all, the changes are apparent–not groundbreaking, but not worth crying over. I highly recommend both the books and the TV show (but mainly the book series…).
