Title: The Score
Author: Elle Kennedy
Series: Off-Campus #3
Genre: Romance
Subgenres: New Adult Romance, Sports/Hockey Romance, College Romance, Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.5/5 
Spice: 4/5 🌶️
Tropes:
- College romance
- Hockey romance
- Playboy MMC falls first
- Commitment-phobic hero
- Opposites attract
- Friends-to-lovers vibes
- Unexpected pregnancy scare
- Emotional growth journey
- Found family friendships
- Protective hero
- Strong, independent heroine
- Reformed bad boy
- Golden retriever energy MMC
Content Warnings:
Readers may encounter:
- Explicit sexual content
- Strong language
- Alcohol use
- Casual hookups and discussions of sexual history
- Pregnancy scare
- Family conflict
- Emotional manipulation by family members
- Themes of trust and vulnerability
Content warnings may vary by reader sensitivity and are not exhaustive.
My Thoughts:
Garett and Hannah gave us the warmth and heart, Logan & Grace gave us redemption and boundaries with accountability, then I would say Dean and Allie delivered pure charisma and growth.
If I remember correctly my first read was in early 2016 and I remember being less than enthused about an entire book about Dean. Back in the day he was never a favorite male character of mine.
Dean was honestly one of the characters I wasn’t sure could carry an entire book. Throughout the previous books, he’s the rich, confident, endlessly flirtatious hockey player who seems to treat relationships like a sport. He constantly served in prior books as the comedic relief, had little to no substance for me prior to reading his story. Not gonna lie, I expected a fun romance, I didn’t necessarily expect the emotional depth that Elle Kennedy managed to bring to his story. I should not have been surprised during this second re-read as Elle Kennedy is a wonderful author and does emotional depth exceedingly well.
When readers first meet Allie in the Off-Campus series, she’s known as Hannah’s best friend. In The Score, she quickly proves she is much more than a supporting character. Fresh from a difficult breakup, Allie is trying to figure out what she wants for herself rather than defining her life through a relationship. I loved that she did not immediately fall for Dean and his charming flirtatious personality, often these newer adult contemporary romances have instant in love personality changes that annoy me.
For me Allie Hayes was exactly the kind of heroine Dean needed to bring him down to earth. She’s smart, independent, and unwilling to become another name on Dean’s long list of hookups. Their chemistry is immediate, but what makes the relationship work is that Allie consistently challenges Dean to become more than the version of himself he’s been comfortable presenting to the world. This does seem to be a re-occurring theme in Elle Kennedy’s books.
I felt that as the story progressed Dean experienced some of the most significant character growth in the Off-Campus series. He moved from avoiding all forms of emotional attachment to someone willing to take risks for love. I appreciated that he didn’t change who he was, he never lost his traits that made him witty, playful and unapologetically cocky. So far, his growth felt the most genuine compared to Garett and Logan.
What Worked for Me:
- Dean’s Character Growth
The dude evolves and that is what makes this book work for me. His journey from carefree playboy to emotional intimacy ultimate book boyfriend was genuine, believable and well-justified. That is difficult to do in 300 pages.
- Humor
Dean remains one of the funniest characters in the series in my honest opinion. It is balanced with self-awareness and charm that he remains entertaining. The rest of the group have excellent banter and wit throughout the book.
- Allie’s Independence
She never loses herself in the relationship. She keeps her own goals, friendships and identity outside of Dean and the entire found family group. This made the book feel much healthier and more balanced than the other two.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
- Some Relationship Drama Felt Avoidable
A few conflicts could have been solved with a straightforward conversation. While that creates tension, it occasionally felt frustrating and revealing because I am going to be honest, at twenty something I was horrible at communication and often avoided it.
- The Pregnancy Scare Plotline
This storyline works for some readers, but it wasn’t my favorite element of the book. It felt slightly more dramatic than necessary compared to the rest of the relationship development. It sometimes felt like they were treating it like a high school pregnancy scare not as young 20 something young adult. Mostly it is a huge cliché plotline in the new adult romance books.
- Repetitive Internal Conflict
There were moments where Dean and Allie revisited the same fears multiple times before moving forward, which slowed the pacing a little. My ADHD would disengage and skim reading before I would catch what I did and I would have to go back and re-read what I had skimmed.
My Things for You to Consider Prior to Reading:
- This is Book 3 in the Off-Campus series and is best enjoyed after reading The Deal and The Mistake.
- The story contains open-door spice and several explicit scenes.
- Readers looking for emotional character growth alongside romance will likely enjoy this more than readers seeking pure sports-focused content.
- Hockey serves as the backdrop, but romance remains the primary focus.
- Dean’s reputation as a player is a significant part of his character arc.
Why My Spice Rating: 4/5 🌶️
“Cancel your plans and charge your Kindle.”
- Steam Level: High
- On-Page Intimacy: Multiple explicit scenes
- Detail Level: Open-door and descriptive
- Kink/BDSM Content: Minimal to none
- Dark Romance Elements: None
- Romantic Focus: Strong emotional connection alongside physical chemistry
It’s spicier than many mainstream contemporary romances but not as explicit as dark romance, erotic romance, or monster romance titles. The focus remains on romance and character development, with the intimate scenes enhancing the relationship rather than driving the entire plot.
Open-door, frequent, and detailed intimate scenes with strong chemistry between Dean and Allie.
Neurodivergent Thoughts:
As a neurodivergent reader, one thing I appreciated was how clearly Dean struggles with expectations versus authenticity.
While not written as a neurodivergent character, Dean spends much of the story performing a version of himself that everyone expects, the confident, carefree guy who never gets attached. Honestly it sounded like masking to me and was wondering if this character should be evaluated for ADHD. Watching him gradually drop that mask and allow himself to be vulnerable felt surprisingly relatable i.e. he felt comfortable un-masking around his safe person.
I connected with Allie’s need for stability and predictability after emotional upheaval. I personally live in a world that I need routine, predictability with some novelty mixed in, it can become insanely confusing and frustrating. It is even more difficult to achieve this with emotional upheaval occurring, so I related to Allie’s constant need to set/maintain clear boundaries and expectations to support her mental health.
The friendship group stood out because it demonstrates something many neurodivergent people value deeply, which is a circle of safe people where we can be messy, make mistakes, and still be accepted. The Off-Campus friend group consistently provides that sense of belonging. This second re-read adventure has really demonstrated to me that a large chunk of these characters might benefit from evaluation for neurodivergence. This could be pointing to why I am still in-love with this series after 10 years.
Final Thoughts:
The Score took a character I initially viewed as comic relief and turned him into one of the most memorable heroes in the Off-Campus series. Since this book and its central couple is what season 2 of the Off-Campus is going to be based off of it was a relief to read this book and understand why.
If you love hockey romances, confident heroes who fall hard, strong heroines, and character-driven relationship growth, The Score is definitely worth adding to your reading list.
Until next time, keep your snacks stocked, your TBR ambitious, and your fictional men emotionally complicated.
🌶️📚🖤
XOXO, Dr. Neurospicy, MD
Curator of the Neurospicy After Dark Archive ✨
“Life is short. Read the spicy book.” 📖🔥
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Disclaimer: This review reflects my personal reading experience and opinions. Reading experiences are highly subjective, and what works for one reader may not work for another. Content warnings are provided as a courtesy and may not be comprehensive. Readers are encouraged to review additional content warning resources if they have specific sensitivity. This review contains no major spoilers and is intended to help readers determine whether the book may be a good fit for their preferences.
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