Off Campus Season 1 confirmed whether or not Justin Kohl (Josh Heuston) stole Hannah Wells' song, and the answer would surprise fans of the book and the series. Amazon Prime Video's adaptation of Elle Kennedy's romance novel of the same name introduced a new version of Justin Kohl.
Instead of being a football player at Briar University, Off Campus expanded his role to become a musician and lead singer in a band, aligning closely with Hannah Wells' passion and dream career trajectory. This change made him play a more significant role in the love triangle among him, Garrett Graham, and Hannah.
Here's How Justin Steals Hannah's Song In 'Off Campus' Book and Show
Hannah had been struggling to craft the perfect lyrics for her original song, "Yellow Haze," for Briar University's Pop Music Showcase. Winning the competition was critical for her because it would secure the scholarship money she needed to stay in school. As a result, she enlisted Justin's help with the lyrics, and they worked together. However, Justin's next move revealed his true colors: a selfish person who deeply betrayed Hannah's trust.
After Hannah began pulling away romantically from Justin (her feelings shifted toward Garrett), Justin performed "Yellow Haze" publicly with his band, After Hours, claiming the song was their joint creation but delivering it in a way that prioritized his own spotlight and vision over hers.
For Justin, performing it publicly lets him own the song and claim it as his own, and this ego-driven act still comes across as stealing the song in spirit. It was not outright malicious theft in a legal sense, but it reinforced the fact that it was a selfish, boundary-crossing act on his part.
By "stealing" Hannah's song, it deprives her of the opportunity to perform it as part of the showcase, further jeopardizing her future because her scholarship is on the line.
This overstep underscored Justin's incompatibility with Hannah, highlighting why she ultimately chose someone (Garrett) who truly supported her authentic voice.
Do Justin And Hannah Like Each Other In 'Off Campus' TV Series?
Off Campus Season 1 established that Hannah Wells has a longstanding crush on Justin Kohl. Hannah admitted that she was always nervous around him, and she saw Justin as an ideal match because of their shared love for music. Hannah's attraction to Justin kick-started the deal she made with Garrett Graham and led her to start a fake relationship to get Justin's attention.
Hannah's strong feelings for Justin allowed her to have intimate dreams about him in Episode 3. The pair's collaboration on a song called "Yellow Haze" for a school showcase brought them closer together, leading Justin to develop real feelings for Hannah. Justin showed interest in her, indicating that the fake-dating setup between Garrett and Hannah made her more noticeable and appealing to him.
While Hannah and Justin's feelings were the same at one point, Hannah felt differently as she spent more time with Garrett. In Episode 4, she realized the depth of her feelings for Garrett surpassed what she felt for Justin. It became clear to Hannah that Justin's understanding of her song wasn't very deep, while Garrett "gets" her on an emotional level.
Garrett and Hannah eventually became a couple in Off Campus Episode 5 after a memorable sequence where Hannah performed "Baby Now That I've Found You" while Garrett was practicing hockey at Briar University's Skating Rink. By choosing Garrett, it solidified Hannah's feelings for her, which left Justin in shambles initially.
This was the same narrative trajectory in the book, because the Off Campus book, The Deal, showed Justin slowly being attracted to Hannah, but Garrett swooped in and pursued her for real, cementing their feelings for each other.
Does Hannah Ever Get With Justin In the 'Off Campus' Books?
Elle Kennedy's Off Campus Book 1, The Deal, portrayed Justin differently because he was a football player instead of a musician. There was no song-stealing scene in the book, but fans argued that Justin was also selfish in The Deal because he was still asking Hannah out at one point, even though he knew she was already with Garrett.
The same fake-dating premise between Hannah and Garrett happened in the book, with Garrett helping boost Hannah's visibility so Justin would notice her. As in the series, the fake-dating plan worked, and Justin immediately showed interest and asked Hannah out on a date. There were times in the book when Justin felt really uncomfortable with the closeness between Hannah and Garrett, especially when she stole her away for a bit at a party to ask her out for that specific date. It's worth noting that Garrett was calling Hannah three times in two minutes while Justin was asking her out on a date.
While Hannah initially agreed, her true feelings for Garrett came to the surface, ultimately prompting her to cancel her date with Justin to be with Garrett officially.
What made Garrett and Hannah's relationship deeper than what she was supposed to have with Justin stemmed from a painful revelation: Hannah was a victim of sexual assault. The trauma left lasting scars, and the only person she felt safe enough to tell the full truth to was Garrett, not Justin.
This moment of raw vulnerability highlighted the profound difference between the two men. Garrett earned Hannah's complete trust, creating an emotional intimacy Justin never reached in both the book and the series.
The Deal didn't really portray Justin as a villain; instead, he served as a plot device to kick off the love story between Hannah and Garrett, rather than being developed into a fully fleshed-out rival. Hannah and Justin ended up as friends. This is another key difference between the book and the show: Hannah and Justin did not end on good terms (as evidenced by Justin not returning in the already-confirmed Off Campus Season 2).
Read more about the book summary of Off Campus Book 3, The Score, starring Dean and Allie, here.
