Elle Kennedy’s The Mistake, the second installment in her widely read Off-Campus series, arrives with considerable momentum behind it — and largely delivers on the promise its predecessor, The Deal, established. Following college hockey star John Logan as he attempts to recover from a careless misstep that costs him the affection of freshman Grace Ivers, the novel is a confident, warm, and frequently funny piece of new adult romance that knows exactly what it wants to be.
Charm Without Contrivance
What distinguishes Kennedy’s writing here is a lightness of touch that never tips into shallowness. Logan is a familiar archetype — the charismatic athlete with something to prove — yet Kennedy renders him with enough self-awareness and genuine humor to keep him from feeling like a recycled figure. Grace, meanwhile, is a welcome counterweight: grounded, quietly resolute, and refreshingly unwilling to let charm substitute for accountability. Their dynamic generates real tension without manufacturing unnecessary cruelty.
“Heart-melting, funny, fresh and exquisitely romantic” — praise from fellow New York Times bestselling authors that, for once, does not feel like promotional excess.
RT Book Reviews described the novel as “a refreshingly angst-free take on the New Adult genre,” and that assessment rings true. Kennedy resists the temptation to pile on melodrama, trusting instead in the quieter pleasures of well-timed banter, earned vulnerability, and characters who are genuinely likeable rather than simply attractive. The result is a romance that reads quickly not because it is thin, but because it is genuinely compelling.
A Worthy Second Chapter
For readers who found The Deal addictive, The Mistake sustains that energy with admirable consistency. It does not reinvent the genre, nor does it appear to want to. What it offers instead is something quietly valuable: a romance executed with care, wit, and a sincere investment in its characters’ growth. In a crowded field, that is no small achievement.
Recommended for readers who appreciate romance that balances emotional honesty with genuine levity — and who don’t mind staying up far too late to finish it.