Ori
So I watched the Off Campus series after being pressured by my younger sister and a friend, and I openly admit that I really enjoyed it. Naturally, I went and read the book in three days. Lately, I have been trying to replace my scrolling habit with reading something easy on my iPhone, and this book was perfect for that.
Even though I watched the series first, I did not have many expectations for the book, because we all know that having expectations rarely plays in our favor. The book has some sentences and scenes that are politically and generally problematic, and that is true. As an adaptation, the series is amazing. Still, I will say that I enjoyed reading it, although there were some parts where I was like, “This is way too many extra words that we do not need.”
It is a spicy college romance novel, so yeah, you can imagine that this is not Normal People-level profound. However, as a sexual abuse survivor myself, I will say that both the series and the book made me feel seen. It is important to highlight that everyone’s journey is different, so I am not saying that Hannah’s thoughts and experiences around the subject reflect a universal one. I am also conscious that rape and sexual abuse are not the same thing. Still, I truly enjoyed it, and I was glad to read about a protagonist who is a survivor but is also living a funny, lighthearted love story, where her experience is not the main focus but is acknowledged as part of how she interacts with the world, without being treated in an entirely tragic way.
In summary: great adaptation, good book. Just keep in mind that the book reflects the perspective of college kids and is not nearly as socioemotionally intelligent or empowering as the series.
So I watched the Off Campus series after being pressured by my younger sister and a friend, and I openly admit that I really enjoyed it. Naturally, I went and read the book in three days. Lately, I have been trying to replace my scrolling habit with reading something easy on my iPhone, and this book was perfect for that.
Even though I watched the series first, I did not have many expectations for the book, because we all know that having expectations rarely plays in our favor. The book has some sentences and scenes that are politically and generally problematic, and that is true. As an adaptation, the series is amazing. Still, I will say that I enjoyed reading it, although there were some parts where I was like, “This is way too many extra words that we do not need.”
It is a spicy college romance novel, so yeah, you can imagine that this is not Normal People-level profound. However, as a sexual abuse survivor myself, I will say that both the series and the book made me feel seen. It is important to highlight that everyone’s journey is different, so I am not saying that Hannah’s thoughts and experiences around the subject reflect a universal one. I am also conscious that rape and sexual abuse are not the same thing. Still, I truly enjoyed it, and I was glad to read about a protagonist who is a survivor but is also living a funny, lighthearted love story, where her experience is not the main focus but is acknowledged as part of how she interacts with the world, without being treated in an entirely tragic way.
In summary: great adaptation, good book. Just keep in mind that the book reflects the perspective of college kids and is not nearly as socioemotionally intelligent or empowering as the series.