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5 Off-Campus Fanfics I Can't Stop Reading

  • evemrileyauthor
  • Jun 4
  • 5 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Noticing an Off-Campus-shaped hole in your life? Feeling a little bereft? Well, before there was BookTok to fill the post-binge void, there was Wattpad and AO3 and sleep-deprived teens typing long into the night. As an indie author who lived through the rise of internet fanfic, I’m all for the fic-writer-goes-pro pipeline. Think E.L. James: 50 Shades is literally Twilight fanfic! Or Cassandra Clare's previous life as writer of mostly original Harry Potter fics, and creator of the bookfluencer blueprint. And of course Ali Hazelwood, whose bestseller The Love Hypothesis began life as Reylo fanfic and is now on the cusp of having its own movie... I could go on.


I'm not sure that the success of former fic writers is entirely coincidental: fanfic is like a bootcamp for budding authors. As well as opportunities for instant feedback and building community around shared interests, there’s something super creative about immersing yourself in another writer’s fictional world and extrapolating existing themes or relationships (sometimes ad absurdum, but hey, that's part of the fun!). Perhaps the next bestselling author is behind some of these pieces? I digress. Buckle up, fangirls, because these Off Campus fanfics are only getting better!


When the playbook backfires


One thing we love about Dean is that underneath the playboy is a sweet guy capable of some adorable tenderness and yearning – a tension brilliantly explored in the recent TV adaptation of The Deal, and taken one step further in this fanfic. The focus is on Jade, Dean’s younger sister. She’s an aspiring Greek Life president with a lot going for her, and Dean doesn’t want ANYONE to mess that up. Enter Beau Maxwell, Dean’s mini-me, who is dead set on dating Jade... 


Beau and Dean dressed in aviator outfits at a party. They are both smiling. Amazon Prime The Deal Off Campus Briar University Deanallie

"I'm serious, Maxwell," Dean muttered, his voice dropping an octave as he kept his hand clamped firmly on Beau's shoulder. His knuckles were slightly white, a physical manifestation of the overprotective older brother radar that had been screaming in his ear since Beau had slid that iced coffee across the counter. "My sister has a lot on her plate. She doesn't need any distractions.


Especially not the kind that involves your textbook player routine. I know your playbook, man. I help you write it." 


When the chemistry is off-the-charts


Feeling like that photo booth scene could have gone somewhere else? This fic-in-progress ups the spice and dials back the self-control ... 


'The curtain snapped shut behind them. The booth was barely big enough for one person, let alone two, and Allie was already shaking her head. 

"This is insane—" 

Dean's mouth was on hers before she could finish. Hard, hungry, his hand sliding up to cup the back of her neck.'

Dean and Allie at a party dancing. She is dressed as Jlo and he is dressed as an aviator. Amazon Prime The Deal Off Campus Briar University Deanallie

When the Highly-Strung Golden Boy Falls First


I love an opposites-attract storyline as much as the next girl... but what if Garrett fell for someone just as driven and untouchable as he is? Ella Monsen is captain of Briar University’s volleyball team. She doesn’t do dating, and she only plays to win. When she and Garrett meet at a bar, sparks fly, and suddenly neither of them is in control anymore...


'"She's not the kind of girl you break or fix or keep [...] She’s the kind you don’t see coming.”'


When Fake Dating Goes Wrong (Right?)


Is there something Taylor-coded about Hannah and Garrett? This fanfic explores just that!

Hannah Wells needs to let off some steam and leave her cheating ex behind. What she does NOT need is a Vegas wedding to NHL hockey star Garret Graham. And becoming HAB-to-the-stars was not on Garrett’s to-do list. Oops! However, Garrett needs the cash, and Hannah needs good press if she’s to perform at the Super Bowl. Maybe this insane situation could be the temporary fix they both need to get through the season? But Garrett is stupid hot, and Hannah hates to let a good thing go...


Hannah and Garrett embracing. Amazon Prime The Deal Off Campus Briar University Deanallie

'I bent to grab my dress from the floor, already planning my escape, my apology to

womankind, and possibly my move to a remote island without Wi-Fi. 


Then I saw my hand. 


My left hand. 


A diamond ring glittered on my finger. 


Not a subtle diamond. 


Not a tasteful, small, drunk-girl Vegas mistake. 


A big, stupid, sparkling diamond that looked like it had been chosen by two people with no budget, no judgment, and a blood alcohol content high enough to legally qualify as soup.'


When yearning Takes centre stage


When you're popular and charming and a brilliant athlete and everyone loves you ... but none of that matters unless your person is there to witness you. Call me a sap, but I love this side of Dean.


'And there it is. That tiny change in her expression. Small enough nobody else would notice. Her mouth softens at the corners, it’s not a full smile. But it’s something and it’s just for him.'

 

When THe student becomes the teacher

'The Game' by Eve M Riley


Missing the flirty banter that ensues when the roles reverse? Look no further than The Game. Professional tennis player Anna Talanova's boss sets her up with Adam Miller (a struggling techpreneur) as an emergency plus one following her breakup. Like Hannah and Garrett, fake dating has benefits for both parties; journalists stop asking Anna intrusive questions, while positive press around their relationship is a marketing boon for Adam's company. After she expresses an interest in learning self-defence, Adam offers Anna a jujitsu lesson...


Front cover of "The Game" by Eve M Riley. A man in a leather jacket with dark hair and a black t-shirt in profile against a grey background.

'I rub my hands together. “Okay, let’s talk jujitsu. It’s a ground-based martial art, so initiating and defending takedowns is a large part of the skillset. The idea is to collect points and, if possible, make your opponent submit. Most of the sport is about defense, certain holds, submissions, and learning to escape.” I wink at her, and she smiles at me.


“Could be useful for tennis,” she says. “Submissions? I’m starting to understand why you like it.” She winks back at me.


I raise my eyes to the ceiling. “Are you going to be a troublesome student?” I say, my gaze dropping to her grinning face, and I have to stop myself from focusing on her mouth. “I’m going to run through some basic moves and holds, okay? The first thing to learn is a takedown. Your job in jujitsu is to avoid positions where your opponent can score points.”


I put my hand on her warm shoulder, and even just in gripping her the muscle and power is so evident. That shouldn’t be sexy, but it is. I close my eyes. It’s getting hard to ignore all the things I notice about Anna that I shouldn’t. The way her dark hair catches the light, the curve of her lips when she finds something funny. I hope staying here isn’t going to be a mistake.


“So, the aim of this session is for you to take me down.” She steps forward, and in about a nanosecond her leg has wrapped around the back of mine and I’m on the mat. I blink up at her. It’s such a basic move, and I didn’t even see it coming. I’d forgotten what a competitor she is.


“Like that?” she says, a broad grin stretching her mouth. Then she laughs. “It’s a takedown in judo, too.”


“That’s the one and only time you’ll take me by surprise.” Seeing her wild grin makes my chest hot, my pulse too fast like I’ve been running.'



Drop your favorite Off Campus fanfics in the comments, or better yet, write your own!


Love, Eve x

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