The Score is the best book of the Off-Campus series yet, and that’s saying something. Elle Kennedy has truly outdone herself this time.

The Score was listed as one of our most anticipated romances of 2015 in this list, and for good reason. This is one book no one should miss out on.

If you haven’t read the other books in Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus series, The Deal and The Mistake, you should definitely check them out as well. They make up some of our favorite reads of last year. Both Garrett and Logan were complicated leading men, and Hannah and Grace were their reckoning.

About ‘The Score’

Dean Heyward Di Laurentis is a force of nature. Everyone on the Briar campus knows his name. The guys want to be him, and the girls want to sleep with him. Dean is happy to oblige.

Allie Hayes is looking for refuge from her now ex-boyfriend, Sean. He’s not a bad guy, but he’s determined to get her to take him back, and as she knows they aren’t right for each other, she needs a place to hide where he won’t know to find her. Garrett and Hannah, who we all fell for in The Deal, are out of town, and Garrett graciously offers her the use of his room at his place for the weekend. He promises to warn the roommates of her arrival. Allie breathes a sigh of relief and packs the essentials.

When she arrives at the hockey house, she’t not expecting to find Dean about to embark on a threesome in the living room, but that’s exactly what she finds. She waits as he escorts the girls out of the house, and they tuck in for a movie and good company. The night doesn’t exactly end as Allie planned, but it’s definitely far from a bad night.

That night affected Dean more than he’d like to admit. All he can think about is getting more of Allie Hayes, and since nobody rejects Dean Di Laurentis, he is on a mission.

‘The Score’ book review

There was nothing that could prepare us for Dean and Allie. It’s not that they are any more compelling of a pair than the others in the Off-Campus series, but they both had to overcome their natures to figure out how to be together and that feels more significant somehow.

When we first met Allie as Hannah’s roommate, it was hard not to fall a little bit in love with her. She was the best friend that Hannah needed. She protected her at parties, she pushed her to try new things, and most importantly, she was there for Hannah when she needed her. Allie continues to show those qualities in this book, only this time, she’s pushing and protecting herself.

Her romantic history told a story of someone that needed a ‘boyfriend’ by her side. In The Score Allie pushes herself to try something new with Dean. Rather than try and force him into her nature, she tried doing things a new way. When things outside anyone’s control throw her world into chaos, she knows when enough is enough. She protects herself by pulling away when it’s necessary. She knows when to look outside herself for comfort, and inside herself for strength.

Dean Di Laurentis had a long road to walk to being ‘boyfriend material.’ We were all a little surprised when he pursued Allie after that first night. We were even more surprised when he kept pursuing her despite her turning him down. We were most surprised when he gave her exactly what they both needed when she needed it most. The fooling around and sexy mystery were no shock, Dean Di Laurentis has always had that in spades, but the sweet, caring man that showed up just to hold Allie while she cried? That was the sweetest of surprises.

There were a lot of things outside of Dean and Allie’s control in The Score. Forces outside of themselves that pushed each of them to look inside and determine what they truly needed in their lives. Allie and Dean’s story goes a long way to showing us all that no matter what life throws at us, we can overcome it. If we only remember to be true to ourselves and loyal to those we love.

The Off-Campus series has moved the bar even higher for New Adult novels yet to come, and we couldn’t be more grateful to Elle Kennedy for setting the precedent. Stories like this, that show how love and loyalty can be found even in the most tumultuous times in our lives, give us strength to get from one day to the next. Good books can be powerful things.

The Score is available now from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Get yourself a copy today. You won’t regret it.