Love Song by Elle Kennedy Review: Is This Off-Campus Next-Gen Romance Worth It?

Love Song by Elle Kennedy is for the Off Campus readers who want to see the next generation fall in love, make messy choices, and send the OG parents into full panic mode. This standalone Briar universe romance follows Wyatt Graham, Garrett and Hannah’s son (The Deal), and Blake Logan, daughter of John Logan and Grace Ivers (The Mistake). It has summer lake house vibes, a musician hero, childhood crush, plenty of chemistry, and a big dose of nostalgia. But while I loved being back in this world and seeing the Off Campus found family as adults, the romance itself didn’t hit as hard as I wanted it to. Fun? Yes. Emotional in places? Definitely. One of my favorite Elle Kennedy books? Sadly, no.

I think if you love a Carley Fortune, Abby Jimenez or Emily Henry book in the summer, then you’ll want to try this one for sure. ~ Under the Covers

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links. That means we receive a small commission at no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links.

Content warnings: pregnancy loss

What is Love Song by Elle Kennedy about?

Love Song by Elle Kennedy follows Blake Logan after a brutal breakup sends her to her family’s shared lake house in Tahoe. She wants a reset. No men. No drama. Just some time to lick her wounds and figure out what comes next.

Unfortunately for that plan, Wyatt Graham is already there.

Wyatt is older, a musician and the guy that Blake has had a teenage crush (and beyond) but he rejected her. Now years later, he’s just there trying to write his music while his career feels like it’s on hold. They both have history, they both also have feelings for each other they’ve tried to bury. And being stuck at the same house together, alone, proves to be far too tempting.

One kiss turns into more, and what starts as a summer fling starts feeling a lot more complicated fast.

Does Love Song by Elle Kennedy work as an Off Campus universe romance?

This is where Love Song by Elle Kennedy worked best for me. As a return to the Off Campus universe, it delivers the nostalgia and all the cameos. We get the perspective of two next gen characters, which means we’re immersed in what life has looked like for the original couples after their happily ever afters. And I loved that.

Seeing the families interact, seeing the OGs as parents, and watching them deal with their kids falling in love, making mistakes, getting hurt, and facing real life problems gave this book the emotional hook I wanted. There’s something especially satisfying about seeing this found family still intact, just older, more settled, and now dealing with an entirely different season of life. It was so satisfying.

I also liked that the story gives us a different layer of this universe. There’s no hockey here, which did feel a little weird at first because Briar and hockey are so intertwined in my brain. But the lake house setup made the found family element feel even stronger. This is a group of people who built a life together beyond college, beyond the rink, and beyond their original romances. That part absolutely worked for me.

How is the romance in Love Song by Elle Kennedy?

I do think the romance worked, but I wanted more from it. Blake has had feelings for years but of course we know Wyatt has also been hiding his and kept his distance. There was a lot of potential in that. And don’t get me wrong, the chemistry is there 100%. Being alone at the summer house worked well. Wyatt writing songs, especially for her and even while in bed, so sexy. I will always be a little weak for a musician hero.

But I also felt like the story got a bit too stuck there for some time. Not in the setting itself but in the fling. The sexual escapades that I think didn’t delve deeper into the characters and their connection beyond lust. I wanted the romance to expand beyond that vacation fling bubble.

And yes, we do get to see Blake struggle trying to figure out who she is when everyone around her seems so talented and successful, and Wyatt is dealing with creative block and uncertainty. But those conflicts didn’t feel as fully developed for me as I would’ve liked. They were kind of superficial.

Are Blake and Wyatt good main characters in Love Song by Elle Kennedy?

This was probably my biggest struggle with the book. Blake was a little too immature for me. I would’ve loved to see her with a clearer grasp of who she was before jumping into an all consuming romance with Wyatt.

That said, Blake goes through a lot emotionally in this book and by the end. Yes those parts of the book give it depth, but I would’ve loved to see the traumatic experience delved into more. We stay very surface level here too.

Wyatt started out already with elements I love. Musician hero? Check. Broody creative type? Yes. But he was also a bit much with the “woe is me” routine. I can handle an emotionally messy hero, we even saw some of that in Ryder in The Graham Effect, but Wyatt was a bit emo for my taste and at times got on my nerves.

Speaking of nerves, side note about some of the other kids we got to see here and how some of them need a good talking to (Wyatt included).

Is Love Song by Elle Kennedy a good summer romance?

Definitely yes. That is one of the strongest parts of this book. This captures the essence of a perfect beach read in the best ways. The meeting, the fling, the spice, the heightened emotions. But also the angst and aguish.

The found family vibe of this whole book also works so well for a summer romance. It makes Blake and Wyatt’s history feel alive because you can feel how connected the families are.

I think if you love a Carley Fortune, Abby Jimenez or Emily Henry book in the summer, then you’ll want to try this one for sure. It’s adjacent to those in the sense of a summer romance with humor, emotional baggage, and characters trying to figure out their lives.

What didn’t work in Love Song by Elle Kennedy?

For me, Love Song by Elle Kennedy is probably one of my lowest rated Elle Kennedy books. That doesn’t mean it was bad. It just felt a bit bland compared to what I usually expect from this universe and her books.

The biggest issue for me was the characters felt more immature than other books in this universe. Blake’s crush on Wyatt, his tendency to act like an ass to hide his feelings, the emotional back and forth, the summer fling intensity. It all made sense for the story, but it didn’t always give me the depth I wanted. There was just something missing.

I also think there was so much potential in both of their personal arcs. Not only their individual career choices but their shared personal trauma. Neither one landed as strongly as I hoped because they stayed surface.

Should you read Love Song by Elle Kennedy?

If you are an Off Campus fan, this one is a no brainer. The nostalgia is the strongest reason to pick this one up, if you ask me. If you loved Garrett, Hannah, Logan and Grace (and the rest of the crew), there is a lot to enjoy here.

As for the romance, this is perfect if you want a steamy but soft summer read. I had fun with it, I liked being back in the universe, and I loved the cameos. So yes, read it for the Briar nostalgia. Read it for the summer lake house vibes.

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