What do you think?
Bad Idea
Not yet published
Expected 16 Mar 27A Briar universe standalone romance featuring the next generation of Off-Campus characters―where the wrong person turns out to be exactly right.
After a year of being the dance program's most notorious punching bag, Ivy Di Laurentis only has one goal for sophomore year at Briar University: keep her head down, survive, and make her way to New York and the ballet career she walked away from. She has zero interest in hockey players, entanglements, or AJ Connelly―her brother's former best friend, certified golden boy, and the last person she'd ever expect to find her crying on a roof at two in the morning.
AJ has his own problems. His best friendships are in ruins, his hockey season is in turmoil, and his only plan is to drink through his feelings and hook up with anyone who isn't emotionally complicated. Ivy, vulnerable and familiar, is nothing but emotionally complicated. Which means she's off-limits.
Except she's also funny. Sweet. Achingly beautiful. And obsessed with somebody else. When she propositions him to gain experience, he doesn't know how to say no. And maybe there's something dangerously satisfying about hooking up with his ex-best friend's little sister…
What starts as an unlikely alliance becomes something neither of them was looking for. But with the wrong people watching, the wrong choices catching up to them, and the clock ticking on Ivy's time at Briar U, this bad idea could be the end of them both.
After a year of being the dance program's most notorious punching bag, Ivy Di Laurentis only has one goal for sophomore year at Briar University: keep her head down, survive, and make her way to New York and the ballet career she walked away from. She has zero interest in hockey players, entanglements, or AJ Connelly―her brother's former best friend, certified golden boy, and the last person she'd ever expect to find her crying on a roof at two in the morning.
AJ has his own problems. His best friendships are in ruins, his hockey season is in turmoil, and his only plan is to drink through his feelings and hook up with anyone who isn't emotionally complicated. Ivy, vulnerable and familiar, is nothing but emotionally complicated. Which means she's off-limits.
Except she's also funny. Sweet. Achingly beautiful. And obsessed with somebody else. When she propositions him to gain experience, he doesn't know how to say no. And maybe there's something dangerously satisfying about hooking up with his ex-best friend's little sister…
What starts as an unlikely alliance becomes something neither of them was looking for. But with the wrong people watching, the wrong choices catching up to them, and the clock ticking on Ivy's time at Briar U, this bad idea could be the end of them both.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 16, 2027
About the author
Elle Kennedy
208 books106k followersA New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a BA in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.
Elle is the author of more than fifty contemporary fiction and romance novels, published by a variety of major houses. Her work includes the Off-Campus series, the global phenomenon which has captivated millions of readers around the world.
Elle is the author of more than fifty contemporary fiction and romance novels, published by a variety of major houses. Her work includes the Off-Campus series, the global phenomenon which has captivated millions of readers around the world.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
Want to Read
March 26, 2026this better be AJ’s book.
Want to Read
May 10, 2026not gonna lie but my close personal friend aj connelly does entirely need to take revenge on beau for sleeping with his girlfriend by sleeping with his sister i don’t make the rules
Want to Read
March 24, 2026THIS IS NOT A DRILL I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL
this is defff a golden boy book
quotes ahead!!
edit: just was from Elle Kennedy’s instagram post and OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
this is defff a golden boy book
quotes ahead!!
edit: just was from Elle Kennedy’s instagram post and OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
Want to Read
June 2, 2026Not me thinking I got approved of the full book on NetGalley and I was over the moon, because this is a very anticipated read of mine, just for it to turn out only the first few chapters.
I guess this is alright too. 😀
So, let me get this straight: Ivy, Dean and Allie’s daughter from The Score, and AJ, Jake and Brenna’s son from The Play, are going to be the main couple in Bad Idea?
Elle Kennedy really looked at us and chose chaos. I AM SAT!
I guess this is alright too. 😀
So, let me get this straight: Ivy, Dean and Allie’s daughter from The Score, and AJ, Jake and Brenna’s son from The Play, are going to be the main couple in Bad Idea?
Elle Kennedy really looked at us and chose chaos. I AM SAT!
Want to Read
May 10, 2026IVY AND AJ, WE ARE GETTING GIRL DAD DEAN!!!! I REPEATE GIRL DAD DEAN
Want to Read
May 6, 2026IVYAJ COMING HOMEEE
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am such an Elle Kennedy fan, so when I saw this sneak peek, I didn’t hesitate!
This story already sounds amazing! I’m so invested in Ivy Di Laurentis’s story! Her storyline is actually pretty complex, even after just two chapters. And her propositioning AJ?! Stoppp!! I mean, shoot your shot, girl! I need more!!
AJ’s chapter was intense! The team is off to a rocky start! That chapter was so dramatic and heavy.
I have so many questions! How is AJ going to respond to Ivy’s texts? How is she going to feel during their first face to face conversation? What’s going to happen with the hockey team this season?
I seriously can’t wait to read the rest of the book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Elle Kennedy, and Sourcebooks for providing me with this sneak peek in exchange for my honest opinion!
This story already sounds amazing! I’m so invested in Ivy Di Laurentis’s story! Her storyline is actually pretty complex, even after just two chapters. And her propositioning AJ?! Stoppp!! I mean, shoot your shot, girl! I need more!!
AJ’s chapter was intense! The team is off to a rocky start! That chapter was so dramatic and heavy.
I have so many questions! How is AJ going to respond to Ivy’s texts? How is she going to feel during their first face to face conversation? What’s going to happen with the hockey team this season?
I seriously can’t wait to read the rest of the book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Elle Kennedy, and Sourcebooks for providing me with this sneak peek in exchange for my honest opinion!
Want to Read
October 7, 2026pre-release:
saw that there’s a 3 chapter preview and netgalley and instantly pressed “read now” because why not?! 😝 i’m actually so sat for this now 🥰
saw that there’s a 3 chapter preview and netgalley and instantly pressed “read now” because why not?! 😝 i’m actually so sat for this now 🥰
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
feeling lucky to have been able to read the first 3 chapters - I would do anything to have this book in my hands
(the cliffhanger!!!!)
feeling lucky to have been able to read the first 3 chapters - I would do anything to have this book in my hands
(the cliffhanger!!!!)
Want to Read
May 7, 2026Apparently, this book is going to be about Jake Connelly's son so I'm here for my fav boy
Want to Read
March 23, 2026I'm going to guess this one is about .
Want to Read
October 7, 2026Three chapters:
Although I love the Off-Campus and Briar U series, I haven’t read Elle Kennedy’s more recent books because sports romance just doesn’t appeal to me as much anymore. I decided to read these three chapters out of curiosity because The Score and The Risk are two of my favorite books by her (plus The Deal, of course!), and this book is about the children of the main characters.
And I honestly didn’t expect these chapters to pull me in this much! I immediately started rooting for Ivy and AJ! Those messages had me smiling!🤭
Now I’m eagerly waiting until March so I can read the full book! I might even go back and read the previous books so I can keep track of who’s who among the other characters.
Although I love the Off-Campus and Briar U series, I haven’t read Elle Kennedy’s more recent books because sports romance just doesn’t appeal to me as much anymore. I decided to read these three chapters out of curiosity because The Score and The Risk are two of my favorite books by her (plus The Deal, of course!), and this book is about the children of the main characters.
And I honestly didn’t expect these chapters to pull me in this much! I immediately started rooting for Ivy and AJ! Those messages had me smiling!🤭
Now I’m eagerly waiting until March so I can read the full book! I might even go back and read the previous books so I can keep track of who’s who among the other characters.
Want to Read
August 20, 2026Is this the one with Dean’s daughter?? Because the only thing better than reading a book about her falling in love, will be reading about him losing his shit over the fact that his baby girl is falling in love!
And don’t even get me started on a Connelly! I was falling all over myself because of Jake in Briar U.
Buuuuut, I was really looking forward to «love song», then it came out and it was overwhelmingly hated from what I saw, and I haven’t read it yet, and now I’m genuinely scared. I don’t want this to fumble.
And don’t even get me started on a Connelly! I was falling all over myself because of Jake in Briar U.
Buuuuut, I was really looking forward to «love song», then it came out and it was overwhelmingly hated from what I saw, and I haven’t read it yet, and now I’m genuinely scared. I don’t want this to fumble.
Want to Read
May 7, 2026so so so freaking excited for this one!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Adam Jensen!!! Omg, I need this book so bad. This three chapter preview was nowhere near enough, and that cliffhanger? Absolutely got me! I’m already so invested in Ivy and AJ. With AJ’s relationship trauma involving Ivy’s brother, Beau, we all know this is setting up the ultimate revenge trope of sleeping with his ex-best friend’s sister?! Ugh, it’ll be amazing. I need the rest of this book asap!!! March 16, 2027 cannot come soon enough!!
I received an advance copy of this preview from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I do not use or endorse the use of AI to write or generate my reviews. All of my reviews are written entirely by me. I am sincerely grateful to authors and publishers for the opportunity to receive and read ARCs.
I received an advance copy of this preview from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I do not use or endorse the use of AI to write or generate my reviews. All of my reviews are written entirely by me. I am sincerely grateful to authors and publishers for the opportunity to receive and read ARCs.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 5 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
ahhh this 3 chapter sample was soo good! omg it actually got me so hooked, i need more now. i have so many questions like what's happening with the hockey team this season and how aj is going to respond to ivy's texts. in all honestly, i've only watched off-campus and absolutely loved it, so seeing as this comes out in 5-ish months i should read the whole off-campus and briar u series. but i can't wait to read the rest of this book!
˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, and Elle Kennedy for the digital arc sample in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
ahhh this 3 chapter sample was soo good! omg it actually got me so hooked, i need more now. i have so many questions like what's happening with the hockey team this season and how aj is going to respond to ivy's texts. in all honestly, i've only watched off-campus and absolutely loved it, so seeing as this comes out in 5-ish months i should read the whole off-campus and briar u series. but i can't wait to read the rest of this book!
˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, and Elle Kennedy for the digital arc sample in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
October 8, 2026
Thank you to Bloom Books (Sourcebooks) for the complementary three-chapter preview! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Oh man, this preview just made me SO excited for release day. I've loved all of the previous books in this universe, and this one is gearing up to be no different. Those three chapters went WAY too fast, and I'm dying for release day to come soon! Elle Kennedy has such a brilliant way of making each of her characters voices seem so unique to them, and this is no different. I'm so excited to see the agreement between AJ and Ivy, and how their love story plays out.
Oh man, this preview just made me SO excited for release day. I've loved all of the previous books in this universe, and this one is gearing up to be no different. Those three chapters went WAY too fast, and I'm dying for release day to come soon! Elle Kennedy has such a brilliant way of making each of her characters voices seem so unique to them, and this is no different. I'm so excited to see the agreement between AJ and Ivy, and how their love story plays out.
Read
October 8, 2026It was a Bad Idea to grab a sneak peek of Bad Idea because if I know anything about Briar U books it is that they are straight crack!!! The only books where I sit down with a paperback and don’t get up again until I am finished. So yeah, I’m really pissed off right now to say that this was so damn good and I need the rest of the story like I need my next breath! I think I’m already in love with AJ.
Read
October 10, 2026Are you kidding me?! That's all I get?! Three chapters?! I need more!
I'm hooked on these characters and I absolutely need to read the entire book! I can't wait for this release!
Thank you NetGalley for the quick read. This one will be awesome!
I'm hooked on these characters and I absolutely need to read the entire book! I can't wait for this release!
Thank you NetGalley for the quick read. This one will be awesome!
Want to Read
July 25, 2026Seeing you tonight, Is a bad idea right?
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Elle Kennedy, Sourcebooks and Netgalley for giving us a sneak peek! I devoured the first three chapters and so sad I have to wait so many months to continue. We jump right in to Ivy and Beau's story with a side of hockey drama! Elle has already hooked me and I'll be stalking Netgalley and manifesting that I'll get to read the book soon!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley for giving me a sneak peek and preview of the first three chapters.
I AM SO EXCITED! Three chapters in and I'm already eating this up! I can tell I'm gonna love Ivy! ( fellow ballet girlies unite). I need the rest of the book right now please and thank you.
I AM SO EXCITED! Three chapters in and I'm already eating this up! I can tell I'm gonna love Ivy! ( fellow ballet girlies unite). I need the rest of the book right now please and thank you.
Want to Read
October 11, 2026╔════════════════════════╗
💕✨ 𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 ✨💕
╚════════════════════════╝
Thank you to NetGalley, Source Bloom Books and Elle Kennedy for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!
💕✨ 𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 ✨💕
╚════════════════════════╝
Thank you to NetGalley, Source Bloom Books and Elle Kennedy for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I got a preview of the first three chapters from NetGalley and I’m obsessed. Give me the whole book nooooow!!! 🤭🔥 I know I’m going to eat it up!! 🩷
Want to Read
May 17, 2026screaming, crying, throwing up, i cannot wait for this book to be released, and now it gives me a reason to finally binge the whole series :D
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚟𝚒𝚊 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢. 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗. This book was marked as Read Now on NetGalley and I'm so glad that I was able to read this book at the correct time.
𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔?:
- Fans who loved Off Campus. This one is about Dean and Allie's kid— Ivy.
- Forbidden romance (oh boy you won't guess this one— ooof!) and age gap romance.
- Best bros who have turned into enemies.
𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍:
The book cover. The one thing I loved. It tells you three things about it— the FMC's and the MMC's hair colour; what type of romance we will be reading about and that it's part of the Office Campus universe. I love it when the book covers follow the same cohesiveness when they are getting designed. Then readers know what to buy and what not to buy.
𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
- The nickname for Ivy is Sunshine and that is one of the most used nicknames used in romance books. The nicknames aren't great and I honestly felt they should have been way better.
- The joke about manifestation wasn't that good to be honest. The opening chapter didn't do well.
- I wish the story didn't start with a party and everything related to party. I was looking for something different in this one. It had the same stereotypical tropes from Wattpad books.
- I felt that the writing should have been better in this book considering how big the Off Campus franchise got. The writing had no variation and felt mostly bland.
- Was there something more to the joke of 'positive family optimism'? I don't think why that was a bad thing and why was Ivy being weighed down by it.
- Trigger Warnings weren't enclosed in this book.
- The dialogues— some of them need lots of editing. These are college going folks and their dialogues sound straight out of YA Teen romance.
- The side female characters need to be written better. I have a suspicion that they exist only to be attached to the MMC and then be discarded because they 'didn't click together'. I haven't read any of Elle Kennedy's books so this was what I could incur from whatever I read in these sample chapters.
Overall, I would add that the book wasn't to my tastes. It was very very campy and had that old school writing aesthetic to it.
𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔?:
- Fans who loved Off Campus. This one is about Dean and Allie's kid— Ivy.
- Forbidden romance (oh boy you won't guess this one— ooof!) and age gap romance.
- Best bros who have turned into enemies.
𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍:
The book cover. The one thing I loved. It tells you three things about it— the FMC's and the MMC's hair colour; what type of romance we will be reading about and that it's part of the Office Campus universe. I love it when the book covers follow the same cohesiveness when they are getting designed. Then readers know what to buy and what not to buy.
𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
- The nickname for Ivy is Sunshine and that is one of the most used nicknames used in romance books. The nicknames aren't great and I honestly felt they should have been way better.
- The joke about manifestation wasn't that good to be honest. The opening chapter didn't do well.
- I wish the story didn't start with a party and everything related to party. I was looking for something different in this one. It had the same stereotypical tropes from Wattpad books.
- I felt that the writing should have been better in this book considering how big the Off Campus franchise got. The writing had no variation and felt mostly bland.
- Was there something more to the joke of 'positive family optimism'? I don't think why that was a bad thing and why was Ivy being weighed down by it.
- Trigger Warnings weren't enclosed in this book.
- The dialogues— some of them need lots of editing. These are college going folks and their dialogues sound straight out of YA Teen romance.
- The side female characters need to be written better. I have a suspicion that they exist only to be attached to the MMC and then be discarded because they 'didn't click together'. I haven't read any of Elle Kennedy's books so this was what I could incur from whatever I read in these sample chapters.
Overall, I would add that the book wasn't to my tastes. It was very very campy and had that old school writing aesthetic to it.
Want to Read
October 8, 2026I Need This Book NOW
Oh my goodness, I am so excited for this! I love this series (and the TV show), so I was pretty excited that I got to read a 3-chapter preview on NetGalley even though this book doesn’t come out until next year!
I am SO excited that AJ gets a book, and this one looks like it is going to be a doosey, with some heavy hockey themes—which are usually the best Elle Kennedy books. Ivy seems interesting as well, though I do think her plot seems a little closer to some of the other books in the series. I’m still really interested to see how this one is going to be different.
I cannot wait for this to come out on March 16, 2027!
Oh my goodness, I am so excited for this! I love this series (and the TV show), so I was pretty excited that I got to read a 3-chapter preview on NetGalley even though this book doesn’t come out until next year!
I am SO excited that AJ gets a book, and this one looks like it is going to be a doosey, with some heavy hockey themes—which are usually the best Elle Kennedy books. Ivy seems interesting as well, though I do think her plot seems a little closer to some of the other books in the series. I’m still really interested to see how this one is going to be different.
I cannot wait for this to come out on March 16, 2027!
Currently Reading
October 12, 2026Ugh! I’m so sad I only got a couple of chapters to sample! I can already tell this one is going to be a hit, and I can’t wait to read the full book when it comes out in March!
I’m already loving Ivy’s character, and I’m so excited to see how things heat up between her and AJ. Those first few chapters have me hooked, and now I just need March to hurry up and get here!
I’m already loving Ivy’s character, and I’m so excited to see how things heat up between her and AJ. Those first few chapters have me hooked, and now I just need March to hurry up and get here!
October 11, 2026
I just finished the 3 chapter sample from NetGalley and I can’t wait for the full book!!! I love this premise, it is going to be an excellent time! Bummed I have to wait until March for the full thing, I guess I’ll be patient 😭🤣
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Had a little preview on NetGalley. Looking forward to the main event!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews