Off Campus author Elle Kennedy revealed her favorite book change from the show — so far.
Kennedy took to TikTok on Saturday, May 23, to answer a question, which read, “From all of the changes that happened in the TV show, which one was your favorite and why?”
In response, Kennedy said she loved that “Justin is a musician” instead of an athlete.
“I think it makes a lot of sense,” she replied. “Loved loved loved Allie and Dean’s JLo/maverick dance and them having this wild tension even before their hookup (in the book the hookup happens right off the bat).”
Based on the Off-Campus book series by Kennedy, the show follows an elite ice hockey team — and the women in their lives. Season 1 focused on Hannah (Ella Bright) and Garrett (Belmont Cameli), but despite Logan’s (Antonio Cipriano) story being next based on the books, Dean (Stephen Kalyn) could come first and then Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks) last.
“I would hope that book fans go into it with an open mind. The fandom for this series tends to be positive. They love these characters and they love this world,” Kennedy told Us Weekly about onscreen shakeups. “I just came back from a book tour and literally every stop it was just constant excitement.”
Kennedy was hopeful about the reaction from viewers.
“I do think that they’re going to love it,” she noted. “I hope that they’re going to go into it knowing some things have to change in an adaptation. But they’re going to get the same feeling that they got when they read the book.”
In addition to Bright, Cameli, Cipriano, Brooks and Kalyn, the show introduces characters played by Mika Abdalla and Josh Heuston.
“I wasn’t involved in the day-to-day process. I wasn’t in the writers’ room, and I didn’t have casting decisions,” Kennedy explained to Us. “I did get to read the scripts as they were being written, and I was able to, like, offer feedback. And sometimes we get on a Zoom with the showrunners because they did appreciate the author’s input.”
She continued: “They would say, ‘What are nonnegotiable scenes or things that you know have to be in there?’ They were collaborative in that sense. But in terms of final decisions, that was completely up to the creative team there.”
Despite providing feedback, Kennedy told Us she didn’t have “specific” requests about what should make it on screen.
“I went into this knowing they’re going to have to change certain things. Every adaptation has that — especially because the book is written in first-person, so you’re getting their thoughts a lot. They have to find different ways to show it,” Kennedy shared. “I just honestly wanted to see the relationship dynamics be captured. … I want to see the relationships. I want to see the characters in whatever situations they’re in.”
Off Campus is streaming on Prime Video now.
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