Heading Into the ‘Briar’ Universe? Read the ‘Off Campus’ Books In This Order for a Complete Timeline
From ‘Off-Campus’ to ‘Briar U’ and beyond, here’s how Elle Kennedy’s interconnected books fit together
Key Takeaways
AI-generated summary reviewed by our editorial team.- Start with 'The Deal' (2015) and follow series order to avoid spoilers.
- Read the 'Briar U' series before 'The Legacy' to preserve timeline and context.
- Explore Campus Diaries and standalones next to meet the next generation.
Elle Kennedy has created an entire Briar Universe—a world set in the fictional town of Hastings and at the invented college of Briar University—complete with an extensive family tree, several romantic entanglements and a whole lot of hockey. As the mind behind Off Campus, the author published her first Briar novel, The Deal, in 2015, leading to three book series and two standalone novels, making for 14 within the universe (so far!).
From the original ‘Off Campus’ series to ‘Briar U’ and the ‘Campus Diaries,’ Kennedy has crafted a world that millions of fans have immersed themselves in. Now, with the hit Off Campus TV series on Prime Video, viewers are leaping from the screen back to the page to explore the connections between their favorite hockey players and love interests.
If you’re looking to dive into the books, you’ll want to be sure to read them in order for the best experience and to avoid any spoilers. Check out the official reading order for the novels—from someone who has completed the entire series—and get ready to fall in love with Briar University.
‘Off Campus’ series
The Off Campus series follows four Briar hockey stars—Garrett, Logan, Dean and Tucker—as they navigate their intense athletic careers, future plans and falling in love.
‘The Deal’
Briar hockey star Garrett Graham is facing a plummeting GPA and quiet musician Hannah Wells has a crush on a guy that’s never noticed her. When the two strike a deal to help each other out—Hannah tutors Garrett and he pretends to date her to make her crush jealous—it’s a no-brainer that nothing will happen between them. Garrett doesn’t do relationships and Hannah doesn’t like Garrett, so it’s no big deal when they start hanging out all the time, even if it’s not just to study.
But when an unexpected kiss leads to unforeseen chemistry, Garrett tries to win Hannah over as more than a tutor while both of them struggle to navigate their past traumas.
‘The Mistake’
John Logan can’t have a crush on Hannah Wells, because she’s the girlfriend of his best friend, Garrett Graham, and completely off limits. But when a chance encounter leads to a hookup with freshman Grace Ivers, Logan begins to move past his feelings before a thoughtless mistake drives Grace away.
When they return the next school year, Logan is determined to win the newly confident and wise Grace back, but she refuses to take it easy on him. Now Logan, the former commitment-phobe, is forced to prove his feelings for Grace and that he deserves a second chance.
‘The Score’
Allie Hayes just broke up with her longtime boyfriend and with graduation looming, the stressed out college student isn’t looking for anything serious. When she unexpectedly hooks up with charming hockey star and womanizer Dean Di Laurentis, she wants to be just friends afterwards. Unfamiliar with rejection, Dean pursues her, leading to an unlikely, banter-filled enemies-to-lovers relationship.
‘The Goal’
Sabrina James is an overachieving pre-law senior at Briar determined to make it to Harvard Law School and escape her difficult home life. After a romantic encounter with laid back hockey star John Tucker, Sabrina unexpectedly gets pregnant, quickly making her future plans much more difficult. Tucker steps up, ready to become a father and make a relationship work, but Sabrina isn’t quite ready to let anyone into her guarded heart.
‘Briar U’ series
The Briar U series follows another set of Briar University students, from siblings to teammates of the original Off Campus boys.
‘The Chase’
Summer Di Laurentis is as outgoing and talkative as they come, but when she’s expelled from Brown University after a sorority mishap, she transfers to Briar. Finding herself without campus housing, her older brother, Dean, sets her up to live with his former hockey teammates—including Colin Fitzgerald.
Fitz, the complete opposite of Summer—brooding, tattooed and nerdy—claims he wants nothing to do with her. But soon enough, their close quarters leads to a forced-proximity romance that neither one of them can ignore forever.
‘The Risk’
Brenna Jensen is on the hunt for a competitive sports broadcasting internship. When she lies to a network executive that she’s dating Harvard hockey star Jake Connelly—who she actually can’t stand—he agrees to fake a relationship with her on one condition: she has to go on a real date with him.
The only problem is that Briar and Harvard are rivals and nobody would be pleased with this love connection—including her father, the Briar hockey coach. But when their arrangement begins to spark real chemistry, it threatens her relationship with her father and Briar friends, leaving her wondering if love is worth the risk.
‘The Play’
Hunter Davenport, the newly appointed Briar hockey captain, is insistent on having a good season after a few distractions cost the team their previous one. To ensure that, Hunter vows to practice strict celibacy, placing his focus only on hockey and classes.
When he meets Demi Davis, a sharp-tongued classmate, it’s no issue because she’s in a long-term relationship. But when she finds herself single three months into their platonic friendship, she makes a play for Hunter to be her rebound. Resisting becomes near impossible after they’re paired up for a yearlong project and their chemistry begins to grow.
‘The Dare’
Taylor Marsh has always been insecure about her body, so when she’s dared by a mean sorority sister to seduce Briar hockey player Conor Edwards, he plays along. Their pretend hookup turns into a fake dating situation, eventually leading to real feelings between them. But as their attraction grows, their own insecurities continue to get in the way, making a real relationship hard to achieve.
‘The Legacy’ (‘Off Campus’ Series Book 5)
As the fifth book of the Off Campus series, The Legacy should be read after the Briar U books for the timelines to make sense. This book contains four novellas following the original four couples—Garrett and Hannah, Logan and Grace, Dean and Allie and Tucker and Sabrina—as they navigate post-grad life.
‘Campus Diaries’ series
The Campus Diaries follows a new generation of Briar students, among them the children of the original characters and their friends.
‘The Graham Effect’
Gigi Graham is focused on making her Olympic hockey dream a reality and emerging from the shadow of her hockey legend father, Garrett Graham. Luke Ryder, a new member and co-captain of the Briar men’s hockey team, faces a disastrous men’s roster after a merger while he desperately tries to earn a summer coaching spot with his idol, Gigi’s dad.
The two make a deal: Ryder will help Gigi sharpen her skating skills and she’ll put a good word in for him with her dad. But as their training leads to chemistry and unexpected banter, their on-ice arrangement soon leads to some off-ice entanglements.
‘The Dixon Rule’
Diana Dixon has a busy summer ahead of her: she’s juggling two jobs, training for a dance competition and dealing with an annoying ex that won’t get the hint. But after Briar hockey player Shane Lindley moves into an apartment building right next door, things get much more complicated.
When Shane needs help making an ex jealous, Diana agrees and soon needs the same favor in return. But the more time the neighbors and former enemies spend together, the more their feelings for each other grow.
‘The Charlie Method’
Charlotte Kingston lives a double life. During the day, she’s the picture-perfect student and sorority girl, on the path to earning a biomedical engineering degree. But at night, she becomes Charlie, a daredevil who enjoys fast cars and chatting anonymously with boys on a dating app.
Will and Beckett, two Briar hockey players, have their own secret life. When their arrangement soon involves Charlie, things get heated and lead to something none of them expected: real feelings.
Standalone novels
‘Love Song’
Blake Logan, John Logan’s daughter, is dealing with a difficult breakup and heads to her family’s co-owned house in Lake Tahoe to spend some time alone. When Wyatt Graham, Garrett’s son and a stalled musician, is already at their shared house, the two find themselves stuck in close quarters for the summer.
Although Blake previously had a crush on Wyatt, she’s over it—especially after he laughed in response to admitting her feelings. But when their summer spent close together leads to real feelings and an unexpected tragedy, the two have to figure out if a relationship is even possible.
‘Bad Idea’
Ivy Di Laurentis, Dean and Allie’s daughter, is a sophomore and ballerina at Briar, hoping to get through her tough program and move to New York. Briar hockey player AJ Connelly, Brenna and Jake’s son and former best friend of Ivy’s brother, is dealing with a difficult season and family tension. When Ivy asks AJ to help her gain relationship experience, their casual arrangement soon becomes something more.
Bad Idea set to be released on March 16, 2027.
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