Off Campus is the internet’s newest obsession, but what is it about hockey romance that draws so much attention? 

The show portrays the blossoming connection between musician, Hannah Wells and captain of Briar U hockey team, Garrett Graham.

For fans of the Elle Kennedy book series, this TV adaptation was a long-time coming, with The Deal originally being published in 2015.

However, despite the 10-year wait, the series has become a viral sensation with 36 million viewers in its first 12 days, receiving 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Like the rest of the world, I became hooked and binged all eight episodes of Off Campus in a couple of days.

And as somebody who has read all four books in the series, I can say I was not disappointed.

But it did leave me wondering, why is this genre so addictive? 

The books are easy to read and hard to put down due to the classic element of pushing readers to fantasise and romanticise the idea of this perfect relationship.

And the way Kennedy describes Garrett Graham means he comes to life for readers’ as this dreamy man, with the element of hockey adding a sporty, masculine attractiveness.

I think when all of these ideas are blended together, it creates the perfect romantic escape for readers which can almost become parasocial. 

82% of romance readers are women according to a 2022 Wordsrated report, which also claims that romance novels generate over $1.44 billion in revenue.

These statistics show how intense the demand is for romance and erotica, which can be put down to women wanting to read about romantic experiences they may not have in their own lives.

This excitement around the Off Campus novels is what has created so much hype for the series, which is why I think it was so important for the creators to develop an accurate depiction of such a loved story. 

I also feel that the show handles nudity and sex scenes very well, which is really important when recreating an erotic novel. 

The scenes didn’t feel like the characters were being oversexualised. They also didn’t seem overbearing or unnecessary, which I was concerned about before I clicked play, especially considering how explicit the books can get. 

I think all of the sex scenes in the show seemed well coordinated and mature whilst still including the cheeky, sexy nature from the books which I love. They could’ve easily done too much or overpowered the story, but I think the sexual elements complemented the important storylines fabulously.

Viewers also seemed to love how these subjects were handled, as the show made sure to balance the erotic nature of the novel with the romantic and dramatic storylines.

I think transferring the love of these novel tropes to the big screen worked incredibly well, allowing fans to see their visions come to life and fall in love with the story all over again.

The creators of the show ensured that it was accurate to the novel, but I loved the blend they included between ‘The Deal’ and ‘The Score’.

I know Dean and Allie’s story has always been a fan favourite, so I think it was a smart decision from the creators not to wait until season 3 to include their storyline, which was predicted by fans before the show debuted. 

As the first and third book in the series timelines’ overlap, I enjoyed how they incorporated that into the live adaptation.

I’m eager to see how they continue to deal with the strong themes of sex in season 2, especially as Dean and Allie’s book can be considered one of, if not the most, erotic in the series. 

All in all, Off Campus was portrayed almost exactly as I imagined. 

I think any lover of erotic romance would devour this series and love every moment of Hannah and Garrett’s story.