Book Club Night Kit
The Deal
Elle Kennedy
Cozy night
A warm, funny fake-dating story about a quiet, studious girl and a charming college hockey captain who trade tutoring for something neither of them expected. It is the kind of book that feels like a blanket, perfect for a night of easy laughter and honest talk about healing.
Bring A Mug, We Are Talking About The Hockey Captain
Chili, warm cookies, and a build-your-own cocoa bar while we discuss The Deal by Elle Kennedy. Blankets encouraged, dress code is whatever you already have on.
Reading level: Easy
Best for: A club that wants to laugh, feel a little soft, and talk about their own lives as much as the book
Discussion
Warm-up
- 1.Where were you when you read this, and did it become a one-sitting book or a cozy-one-chapter-before-bed book for you?
- 2.The whole story starts with a trade (tutoring for something else entirely). What is the most ridiculous deal you ever made with someone in school or college?
Digging in
- 1.Hannah is the kind of person who does the work, keeps her head down, and sings when no one is listening. Which of her small private habits felt most familiar to you?
- 2.This book is full of noisy, crowded, snack-filled hockey house scenes. Which of those group moments did you most wish you could have been sitting in on?
- 3.Garrett's charm is loud, but his kindness is quiet. What was a small considerate thing he did that stuck with you more than any of the big gestures?
- 4.The story takes music and performance seriously as a place where Hannah feels most herself. What is your version of that, the thing you do that makes you feel most like you?
Going deep
- 1.Hannah carries something heavy from her past, and the book lets her be funny and whole anyway. How did it feel to read a character who is healing but not defined by what happened to her?
- 2.Both of them are quietly carrying a lot from their families. By the end, which relationship in this book felt like the most genuine comfort to you, romantic or otherwise?
On the table & to sip
To eat
Loaded sheet-pan nachos with all the toppings
Exactly what a hockey house would demolish after practice, and it feeds a whole group off one pan with almost no effort.
Big pot of chili with cornbread squares
Dorm-and-dining-hall comfort scaled up, warm and filling for a cold-rink kind of night. Make it ahead and let it sit on low.
Warm chocolate chip cookies with a plate of sliced apples
The study-session snack, sweet and a little indulgent, and the smell does most of the hosting for you.
To sip
Vanilla-cinnamon hot cocoa bar (no alcohol)
Set out mugs, marshmallows, whipped cream, and cinnamon sticks so people build their own. The non-alcoholic anchor of the night.
Spiked hot apple cider
Hot cider with a splash of bourbon for anyone who wants it, the warm drink you hold with both hands after a cold walk.
Cheap-beer-in-a-red-cup, done nicely
A wink at the hockey house party scenes, kept low-key with a couple of good cans and actual glasses for anyone who prefers them.
Run of show
7:00
Mugs first, talk second
Hand everyone a hot drink at the door and point them at the cocoa bar. No agenda for the first twenty minutes.
7:20
Warm-up: your worst deal
Go around with the two warm-up questions. Keep it loose and let people interrupt each other.
7:45
Chili and nachos on the table
Serve buffet-style so people eat while they talk. Nobody has to wait for a lull.
8:10
The theme questions
Pull four question cards from a bowl rather than working down a list. Skip anything that is not landing.
8:40
Cookies and the soft stuff
Bring out warm cookies, then move into the two deeper questions. The sugar makes the tender talk easier.
9:10
Scorecards and leftovers
Fill out scorecards together, read the funniest answers aloud, and send people home with cookies.
Host tips
- Set the cocoa bar up before anyone arrives so you are never stuck in the kitchen while the good conversation happens.
- One of the deep questions touches on past trauma. Say out loud that anyone can pass on a question, and mean it.
- Have blankets and extra seating on the floor. This book reads better sprawled than seated upright.
Playlist
Soft acoustic covers and warm pop with a little dorm-room nostalgia, low enough to talk over.
- 01 Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
- 02 Cherry Wine - Hozier
- 03 Vienna - Billy Joel
- 04 The Only Exception - Paramore
- 05 Lover, You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckley
- 06 First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes
- 07 Cozy Little Christmas - Katy Perry
- 08 Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Trivia
- 1.Who wrote The Deal? (Elle Kennedy.)
- 2.What is the name of the series The Deal belongs to? (Off-Campus.)
- 3.What sport does the male lead play? (Ice hockey.)
- 4.What nationality is Elle Kennedy? (Canadian.)
- 5.What academic arrangement kicks off the central bargain? (Hannah tutoring Garrett to help him pass a class.)
- 6.What romance subgenre is The Deal usually shelved under? (New adult / college sports romance.)
- 7.Besides Off-Campus, Elle Kennedy co-wrote a popular M/M romance series with Sarina Bowen. What is it called? (Him (the Him / Us duology).)
- 8.What is Hannah's main artistic passion outside of her coursework? (Music and singing.)
Bookmarks
Print, cut, and tuck one at every seat, a small keepsake from the night.
“Tutoring sessions, stolen snacks, and a slowly warming heart.”
The Deal
Elle Kennedy
bookclubnight.com
“Some bargains end up giving you more than you asked for.”
The Deal
Elle Kennedy
bookclubnight.com
“Cold rink outside, cocoa and good company in here.”
The Deal
Elle Kennedy
bookclubnight.com
Rate the book
Comfort factor☆☆☆☆☆
Made me laugh☆☆☆☆☆
Made me feel something☆☆☆☆☆
Banter☆☆☆☆☆
Would reread on a rainy day☆☆☆☆☆
One word for how this book made me feel: ______________________
The scene I would climb into and live in: ______________________
Who I want to hand this book to next: ______________________
That's a wrap
Thank you for coming
We hope the company was good and the conversation even better. Until the next chapter.