Elle Kennedy launched onto the contemporary romance scene in 2009 with her debut novel, Dance of Seduction, but her 2015 hockey romance truly skyrocketed her career. Five months after The Dixon Rule (The Campus Diaries series) was released as part of the Off Campus universe, the first five books, starting with The Deal, were ordered as a series by Prime Video. In 2026, Off Campus season 1 was released in May 2026, and Elle Kennedy released a new book in June under the pseudonym E. Kennedy.
Her first book under E. Kennedy drops her into the young adult mystery thriller genre. Although she’s not in the hockey romance world, I’m still equally excited for this new book. On June 30, 2026, Thornbird stormed onto the book scene with a mysterious and twisty story. Fans thought that would be the last exciting news other than Off Campus season 2 production, but we were wrong. On September 30, 2026, Thornbird got an exciting update that’s linked to Hulu and Marlene King.
On the five-month anniversary of Thornbird’s release, Elle Kennedy revealed on her Instagram that she’d been “sitting on this secret for almost a year now and I can finally say that Thornbird is coming to your TV screen.” Aside from her knowing about this project for a year, she’s most excited to have the iconic Marlene King developing the TV series at Hulu.
It turns out, Kennedy has been a fan of Marlene King since she developed Pretty Little Liars into the seven-season masterpiece. As a PLL fangirl, I’m freaking out alongside her. If there’s one thing King does best, it’s bringing a book to life. I have no doubt in my mind that these two powerhouse women will bring anything but the best TV series to life.
Kennedy is set to executive produce and write alongside King and Lauren Wagner. Stay tuned to Show Snob for future updates on the development timeline, cast announcements, and release dates. If the TV series has been known for a year by Kennedy, then I expect we’ll hear more about this new project in the coming months.
Along with the Thornbird news, Deadline also briefly shared another exciting Elle Kennedy book-to-TV adaptation. After the success of Off Campus season 1 on Prime Video, the streamer is developing another series by the author. Girl Abroad is in development for the small screen from A24 Television and Amazon, with Sorry for Your Loss creator Kit Steinkellner attached to the project.
What’s Thornbird about?
Thornbird marks the first book Elle Kennedy has released under the pseudonym E. Kennedy. On her E. Kennedy Goodreads page, two titles, Book 1 and 2 of the Thornbirds series, are listed. We haven’t seen the last of Kennedy’s true crime side.
E. Kennedy’s first mystery thriller falls in the coming-of-age category. It follows a 17-year-old girl and her own true-crime mystery. Ryan Shipley is the daughter of the infamous, serious Gabriel Thorn, who was caught for his crimes. Ten years later, Shipley returns to her childhood hometown of Starling, Tennessee. She must try to keep a low profile and live a normal teenage life filled with possible romance. To keep her identity safe, no one can know who she is or the truth about her past.
The last paragraph of the Goodreads description makes Marlene King’s involvement in the TV adaptation crystal clear: “But as fresh eyes dig deeper into the case, old secrets refuse to stay buried. Cryptic texts, eerie coincidences, and a chilling note leave everyone wondering—does Ryan know more than she’s letting on? As the truth unravels, one thing becomes in a town full of secrets, Ryan might be the biggest mystery of them all.”
Calling all true-crime, young adult mystery, Holly Jackson, Jeneva Rose, and Sara Shepard fans to the crime board. We have a family crime to solve before it outs our teenage main character. From the description alone, we’re in for a crazy ride.
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