Elle Kennedy’s 2015 novel The Mistake is the second installment in her internationally bestselling Off-Campus series, a collection of interconnected New Adult romances set at the fictional Briar University. The novel follows John Logan, a star player on the university’s elite hockey team, who struggles with a secret infatuation for his best friend’s girlfriend. To distract himself, he engages in a series of meaningless hookups, one of which is with freshman Grace Ivers. After a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan must confront his own emotional immaturity and prove he is worthy of a second chance. The novel utilizes the conventions of the New Adult genre, including a university setting, dual narration, and themes of sexual awakening, to explore The Discrepancy Between Public Personas and Private Struggles, The Journey from Insecurity to Self-Empowerment, and The Conflict Between Familial Duty and Personal Aspiration.

A New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Kennedy is a prominent voice in contemporary romance, known for writing over 50 novels across subgenres including romantic suspense and sports romance. The Off-Campus series, which gained significant popularity through social media platforms like TikTok, is one of her most recognized works and has been followed by two spinoff series, Briar U and Campus Diaries. Deeply embedded in the high-stakes culture of NCAA Division I hockey, The Mistake examines the pressures faced by collegiate athletes whose lives are shaped by the prospect of a professional career. The Off-Campus series includes The Deal, The Mistake, The Score, The Goal, and The Legacy. The series is being adapted as a television show by Amazon, called Off-Campus, with the first season of the show adapting the first novel in the series, The Deal.

This guide is based on the 2021 Bloom Books paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of sexual content, sexual violence, cursing, substance use, and addiction.

Plot Summary

The second novel in Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus series follows Logan, a junior defenseman on Briar University’s hockey team, and Grace Ivers, a freshman, through a rocky path from casual hook-up to committed relationship.

Logan harbors a secret infatuation with Hannah Wells, the girlfriend of his best friend and teammate, Garrett Graham. He copes by partying and sleeping around. At a party, Grace spots Logan exiting a bathroom after a hook-up. Though he does not notice her, the encounter sparks a desire in Grace to stop being the cautious good girl her father raised and to start taking risks.

Days later, Logan tries to avoid an evening with Garrett and Hannah by heading to a teammate’s dorm party. He knocks on the wrong door and finds Grace watching action movies alone. Despite her nervous rambling, he stays to watch Die Hard 2, and by the end of the movie, he kisses her. The kiss escalates into a sexual encounter, but Logan finishes first and leaves abruptly. Grace, who did not reach orgasm, lies and says she did. Suspicious, Logan returns Monday morning and bluntly asks for the truth. When she admits she faked it, he performs oral sex on her, brings her to climax, and gets her number before leaving.

Their connection grows when they run into each other at a movie theater on Grace’s birthday and sneak into a supply closet for a passionate encounter. Logan genuinely enjoys Grace’s company but recognizes that she also serves as a distraction from his feelings for Hannah, which fills him with guilt. Meanwhile, Grace’s best friend Ramona implies skepticism when Grace mentions hooking up with Logan. Through Ramona’s gossip, Piper Stevens starts a rumor that Grace is lying about hooking up with Logan. Logan silences the rumors by showing up at the dining hall and kissing Grace in front of everyone. That evening, he takes her to a water tower in his hometown of Munsen, where they share personal stories and form a genuine emotional bond.

Despite this connection, Logan decides he must end things to avoid leading Grace on. He goes to her room intending to break it off, but Grace initiates intimacy. When she reveals she is a virgin, Logan stops. He confesses he has been using her as a distraction while trying to get over someone else. Grace is devastated and orders him to leave.

That same night, Hannah points out that Logan’s fantasies are about having the kind of relationship she and Garrett share. Logan realizes that Grace is the person he truly wants, but she ignores his calls. Ramona texts Logan that night offering to “comfort” him. Logan forwards the message to Grace, who reads it the next morning and cuts off both Logan and Ramona and arranges to spend the summer in Paris with her mother.

Logan’s summer in Munsen is miserable. He works at Logan and Sons Auto Repair, his family’s garage, which his older brother Jeff has been running while Logan attends college. Their father, Ward, has an addiction to alcohol that worsened after a car accident left him with chronic pain. Logan and Jeff made a deal: Jeff manages the shop during Logan’s college years, then Logan takes over so Jeff can travel with his fiancée Kylie. This arrangement means Logan will never play professional hockey, a secret he has kept from nearly everyone. When Garrett visits, Logan finally confesses everything. Garrett urges him to stop doing things that feel empty and to make things right with Grace.

In August, Logan encounters Grace at a park in Hastings. She has dyed her hair blond during a Parisian makeover and carries a new confidence. He apologizes and asks her out, but she declines while leaving an opening to date in the future.

Grace embraces her independence and takes a producing job at the campus radio station, suggested by her new roommate, Daisy, where she meets Morris, the station manager. Grace agrees to a date with Morris, who brings her to a party. Logan finds her and they share an intense kiss. She leaves with Morris and tells him about the kiss. The next day, Logan visits Morris to declare his intentions and apologize; the two bond over a video game, and Morris voluntarily steps aside, telling Grace that Logan deserves another shot. Furious, Grace confronts him and demands he prove his sincerity. She gives him a list of six tasks: write a love poem, make a collage, fold origami hearts, acquire blue roses, take a boudoir photo on a red velvet chaise lounge, and obtain a celebrity endorsement.

Logan writes a terrible poem full of car metaphors, enlists Garrett and Hannah to help fold origami, dyes roses blue with food coloring, photographs himself in boxer-briefs on a chaise lounge from a drama stage, and secures a video endorsement from NHL star Shane Lukov through Garrett’s connections. Grace is won over and agrees to a date.

Their first official date is a success. They begin dating exclusively, and over the following weeks their relationship deepens. When Grace invites Logan for a weekend while his roommates are away, they have sex for the first time. Grace asks if she is his girlfriend, and Logan confirms she is.

Jeff calls Logan to check on their father. Logan finds Ward passed out and panics at the realization that this will be his daily life after graduation. He arrives hours late to dinner at Grace’s father’s house, and when Mr. Ivers calls him “son” and offers comfort, Logan breaks down crying. The next day, he pushes Grace away, insisting she will eventually leave because his future is bleak. Furious, Grace declares, “I love you, you stupid jackass” (284), and storms out.

Logan’s grand gesture involves calling into the campus radio advice show Grace produces. On the air, he identifies himself and Grace by name and tells the audience he is in love with her. He appears at the studio window, and Grace runs to him. They reconcile, and he promises to devote every free moment to her.

The final turning point arrives when Ward reveals he is entering a six-month in-patient rehab program and plans to apply for disability. He tells Logan to attend a tryout practice with the Providence Bruins, the development team for the Boston Bruins, and not to waste the opportunity. Logan leaves the house to find Grace waiting in his truck, and for the first time, his future looks bright.

An epilogue set two years later finds Grace and Hannah watching Logan and Garrett play for the Boston Bruins. Logan spent one season in the minor leagues before being signed. Ward has been sober for nearly two years. Grace, still finishing her degree, lives with Logan between Hastings and Boston. She cheers for the man she loves, affirming that some dreams really do come true.