This was a great romance! I haven't read any of Elle Kennedy's books before so I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Definitely recommend!

2.5*
I'm calling it at 28% and giving this book the benefit of the doubt by rounding it up to 3*, in the hopes that by the end it redeems itself. I may come back to it, and skim through the rest, but for now I'm just not into it. Honestly, I was ready to call it quits at 3%.
I requested Good Girl Complex because it sounded really good, this line from the blurb just hit me- "Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life." But their so-called friendship is based on a lie- the blurb is misleading and leaves out a lot some important details. So I feel a bit deceived and disappointed.
The bet between Cooper and his friends is actually kind of ridiculous- what's the point of hurting the guy's girlfriend, when you're trying to get back at him? Preston's the kind of guy who only cares about himself.

The main character is this book was so annoying. It was hard to finish. I love Elle Kennedy which is why I continued, but wow. Her story was so unbelieveable and she was just whiny and annoying. I hope she learns from her mistake and writes better characters for future books!

I made it three chapters into this one and already had read some gross depictions of young women (“The follow-up is an easy way to determine whether you’re ending up with a woman who’s selfish in the sack or one who loves doling out BJs.“), a bar sexual harassment scene, and a cliche girl with long term rich boyfriend goes to college narrative. And everyone seemed very whitewashed. I will not be finishing this one, unfortunately- there are so many great, fun romance novels out that don’t rely on these particular cliches.

Going into this book I thought this would be a light romance. However, the story turned out to be a little more angsty and emotional than I expected.

Cooper and Mackenzie were multi-layered and interesting characters. They may come from two different worlds - her family is rich while his is not - but they both have family and relationship issues. I have to admit I didn't love Cooper at first, but he grew on me as the story progressed. I think having chapters from his POV helped a lot. Both he and Mackenzie grow a lot individually, too. I liked seeing them both grow up and come into their own as well as finding love together.

The pacing of this book was unique as Mackenzie starts the story in a relationship and I was wondering how everything would play out. The book also introduces a whole host of secondary characters whose books I hope to read. I am especially looking forward to reading Evan's story.

This book took awhile to warm up, I almost stopped reading at one point because I really didn't like the revenge plot. But I decided to continue and overall it was a good read.
Cooper Hartley is everything your mother warned you about, sexy bad boy, tattooed guy going no where. But that's all surface stuff. He's actually loyal, hardworking, and protective of his chosen family.
Mackenzie "Mac" Cabot is the good girl, doesn't rock the boat and has caved to her families demands to attend the college of their choice. They have her entire life planned out down to the man she should marry. And she's been toeing the line with the "perfect" boyfriend. But she's finally starting to realize she wants more from her life than the boxes her parents are checking off. When she meets Cooper he let's her breathe, listens to her and takes her wants seriously. There's only one little issue, he sought her out to seek revenge on her douchy boyfriend by trying to steal her away from him. He discovers too late she isn't like the rest of the rich kids and now the secret could destroy the best thing he's ever had.

This is story filled with as much drama and angst as it is with fun and sexiness. It’s a college romance that gives you all the feels.

Good Girl Complex introduces us to a slew of new characters, but this is Mac and Cooper’s story. Mac is the rich girl that’s being coerced by her parents to go to college despite already running a successful website that pays her plenty. Cooper is the bad boy townie with a reputation. What begins as a way for revenge for him winds up as more than the vapid interactions Cooper was counting on. He and Mac hit it off immediately, and even though they’re total opposites a friendship forms and then later turns to something else although she has a boyfriend at the beginning. Through this book, we get to see how they go from being strangers from two very different worlds to friends to more.

Cooper is such a wonderful character. He’s complex in ways I wasn’t counting on, and I loved seeing how his character developed. He starts off as the local that all the girls want a piece of, but he ends up being a lot more. He’s charismatic and outgoing but deeply wounded by his past and what he perceives to be his place in life. And Mac? I loved seeing a female main character that was so driven at such a young age.

I enjoyed that this was a slow burn and that there is so much character development and change. They’re very well written, and I loved their chemistry. From the first time they meet, there’s an instant connection that takes a while to fully develop, but that is what makes the story compelling.

However, there are a lot of characters introduced in this book. I think secondary characters are great and add to the main story, but these characters kept popping up constantly almost. I feel like a little more focus on just Mac and Cooper would have strengthened their story. Also, there were multiple little storylines within the bigger story, and most of them seemed to be resolved a bit quicker and easier than I would’ve liked. I’m a big fan of the angst that occurs between characters when something hasn’t gone right, and I suppose I just wanted more of that. These multiple storylines don’t necessarily take away from the enjoyment of the book, but they’re not adding to it either. Overall, this book gets more of a 4.5 rating (rounded up to 5 since I can't give half stars) for these reasons.

This is a fun read while tackling some difficult issues, and it makes for the perfect beach read. The characters are solid, and you’re going to love Mac and Cooper’s banter and chemistry.

I should have DNFed it. the beginning was very common and gave me Outer banks meets After vibes but the plot and storyline appeared to be very predictable and repetitive. saying that this book was a waste of my time is an understatement ☠️.

Literally could've re-read the entire off campus series instead of this bucket of goo. I tried so hard to finish this book and keep continuing but it was just SO BORING. is this the same author who wrote the masterpiece Off Campus Series?!?!?!

And dont even get me started on the MISCOMMUNICATION trope - ew get away frm me. it was super childish and the smut scenes cannot even make up for it.
we have seen good girl meets bad boy so many times, what makes this book unique??nothing i stopped halfway when i realized its not gonna give me anything new.

Was this book for me? No. Should I have just DNF'd it at 35% when I had that realization? Yes, probably. But did I? No. And that is because even though I wasn't loving the plot, I made my brain reset this book to consider it women's fiction and I do love women going after their dreams and figuring out what I want. So, while that helped enough to get me through the rest of the book, it, uh, didn't actually help me enjoy it more. I'll explain, but first, let's talk about what this book is.

Cooper is a life-long Avalon Bay man. He was born there, raised there, and has no real intentions of leaving. It is therefore difficult for him (and his friends) to deal with the uber rich college students that like to treat the town like they own the place. He gets into a fight with Preston Kincaid and 'lo and behold, a scheme is born to bring this rich jerk down a peg.

Enter Mac. Mac is a very astute business woman who is entering her first year at college because she was only able to convince her parents to give her one year as a gap year to grow her business. She is a congressman's daughter and there's a lot about his public image to maintain. She's also Preston Kincaid's girlfriend. But when she meets Cooper, she's attracted to him and things progress and, of course, she's pulled into this scheme.

Now, let's talk about what will make some romance readers struggle with this book. There is cheating. Preston is a jerk, but for some, that may not matter. Now, let's talk about why I, personally, struggled with this book. The deception plot is too much and doesn't satisfactorily resolve itself. Does it make sense? Yes. Do I tend to enjoy books with deception plots? No. Hence, I should have quit at 35% when I realized where this whole book was going. Besides that, the EK books I have read and loved before do have arrogant heroes with a secret soft underbelly, but there were things Cooper said and did that I felt were very cringeworthy and the spiciness I expect from EK was a lot more tame, which impacted the character issues for me. She usually does a good bit of character work in her spicy scenes so reducing the heat level actually did have an overall negative impact for me reading this book.

Now, I mentioned that I told myself to just think of this book as women's fiction, but still struggled with it so let's pick up on that thread. As a "good girl" myself, someone who hates to break the rules, and always struggled with that growing up and through college, etc., the representation of that did not feel real to me at all. I don't really know how to explain that, but her growth ARC didn't track for me in a way that made me cheer for her. Mac is fine. I like her. But... I felt like she lacked agency within her own story is probably the best way to put it. It felt like she was pushed into making every decision instead of owning her decisions, with the exception of one, which still wasn't explored quite well enough for my tastes.

Anyway, all that to say, there is an excellent dog companion in this book and I am looking forward to the sequel. I just hoped for more out of this one.

“I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along the way, I started needing her to need me.”

If you enjoy the show Outerbanks, then I think you’ll love this book. There isn’t a suspenseful subplot, but there is a small beach town with rich locals and poor locals and then it’s also a college setting. Plus this is rich good girl and poor bad boy. Even though neither lives up to the latter descriptor, but anyway. A friend group who doesn’t like the rich girl infringing into their gang, a rich boyfriend/parents who think the girl is ruining her life. I’ve never watched the show myself, but the entire time I was reading I kept thinking of the promo I’ve seen, and it definitely has a similar vibe.

All that said, if you’re looking for a trope filled romance, then you’ll enjoy this one. It was entertaining and had Elle Kennedy’s classic banter and happenings. I think both main characters were good and likable, but they also made some choices that were so ignorant that it was hard for me personally not to want to choke them a little. Plus while I LOVE the found family vibe of the heroes friend group, I also thought they had some horrible moments as well. One of them in particular.

Oh well. I don’t want to spoil too much, so I’ll just say that if you usually enjoy Elle Kennedy, but were ready for something that wasn’t sports themed, then you’ll enjoy Good Girl Complex. The next one sounds intriguing, but I’m not quite sure yet if I’ll pick it up.

Lovely new adult romance between star-crossed lovers…the townie bad boy and the rich girl. The relationship between Mac and Cooper starts with a lie, an act of revenge that puts Mac in the middle. Her long-time boyfriend, Preston, is the stereotypical rich asshole who uses his daddy’s money to threaten and try to destroy people he feels are trash (which is everyone outside his wealthy circle). Like the real-life rapist Brock Turner, he tries to force himself on a friend of Cooper’s and when Coop defends her, Preston has him fired. The best and only way to get back at him is through the girlfriend. No surprise that what starts out as a revenge plot turns into much more. Of course, as these things go, he’s bound to get caught in his lies. The question is whether or not Mac is the forgiving kind.

Although it’s a familiar trope, the complexities of their lives, including a negligent childhood lacking in love, and their drive to prove themselves despite their parenting elevate this book. Kennedy has written a story that plumbs emotional depths and gets to the heart of what it means for two young people to break from the constraints imposed by falling in line with the expectations society has formed based on their parents’ selfish choices. In the case of Mac and Cooper, they really see each other and, with each other’s support and encouragement, gain the clarity and courage to break from these restraints to pursue their goals and dreams. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Thank you, netgalley for my gifted copy of this book.

This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it. The good girl/bad boy trope was fun to read and what made it more fun was the fact that Cooper is a twin.

There did end up being too many smaller side plots for my taste. I was waiting for the big bomb to drop but there was just so much going on.

Overall, I enjoyed it and I’m interested in checking out other books by this author!

Ended up skimming the second half of this book just so I could finish it quickly. Didn’t like it at all. Felt like a duplicate of the After series.

Elle Kennedy’s The Good Girl is an emotional new adult romance about a people-pleasing good girl who, for the first time, starts to think about what she wants for her life because of her friendship with an angry, local bad boy, who discovers everything he thought he wanted for his life might not be enough for him anymore. Kennedy’s description is vibrant, and her dialogue is snarky, humorous, and sharp. The heroine’s and hero’s interactions are intense, emotional, funny, and steamy. The novel's best part is their interaction with his circle of friends and her interactions with her roommate. They helped with the development and evolution of the characters and the story. Twenty-year-old Mackenzie “Mac” Cabot reluctantly starts her freshman year at Garner as she promised her parents after allowing her to spend a gap year focusing on growing her tech company. Mac suppresses her inner wild child and secret, wildest impulses longing to be set free to keep the peace with her controlling parents and fit with her high school boyfriend. Living an ordered life by set rules helps her keep that control.

Cooper Hartley, a beachside town bad boy, Cooper Hartley seriously threatens her control over those impulses. He's one of the most honest, blunt, primal people Mac has ever met, and Cooper draws her to him as much as he scares her. Even knowing she should avoid him at all costs, she becomes friends with him. And somehow, her friendship with Cooper becomes the most essential and substantial thing in her life. Before meeting Mac, Cooper viewed all trust-fund students who came to his town throwing their money and egos around with distrust and contempt. But Mac quickly wins his respect because she’s nothing like those wealthy, shallow clones. Despite himself, Cooper can’t help but lose his heart to her. Mac eventually gains Cooper’s friends and brother’s acceptance and friendship, but it’s not easy. Unfortunately, horrible secrets Cooper’s been keeping from Mac emerge that endanger not only their relationship but also the first place where Mac has felt comfortable being herself and has begun making a home.

While Kennedy’s Off-Campus series touched on class/wealth disparities, this novel focuses more on the divides between and is not as carefree in tone. Kennedy portrays the ugly on both sides of the fence, unfortunately, making most characters unlikeable and hard to root for, except Mac, though, at times, she is frustrating too. Still, readers will appreciate how Mac eases her way into that circle, winning them over. It’s pretty cool and naturally written. Although this was not as enjoyable as I hoped for reasons that would be super spoilery to go into, readers looking for steamy, angsty, opposites-attract romances may enjoy it more. It may just be an expectations thing.

Sometimes the best romances are about two people coming together from different worlds that inspire each other to be the best versions of themselves and chase their dreams. The Good Girl Complex is a thoughtful, angsty, steamy, romantic opposites-attract romance about choosing the person you want to be, chasing your dreams, and friendship.

Was it a ground-breaking romance novel that will forever live in my heart? No.

Did I enjoy reading it and finish it in one sitting? Yes!

Synopsis: Mac Cabot is an intelligent, capable young woman who has already built a million dollar company before she’s ever stepped foot on a college campus. But her parents, her boyfriend and her social set seem to expect different things from her — and Mac wants to make them happy. Yet, local bad boy Cooper Hartley seems to have different priorities — making Mac happy, and letting her do what she wants in the meantime regardless of the fact that their blossoming relationship didn’t start so innocently. But Cooper has his own battles and he’s not so sure Mac can handle them.

Good Girl Complex was a fun, easy read that relied on some classic “bet dating” tropes! All the build-up and fall-out were there, and it was super enjoyable to get lost in those moments. I don’t really think the title totally fit, since I’m not sure anyone had a “complex” but I’ll let it slide.

This was my first Elle Kennedy and WOW she did not disappoint. I absolutely LOVED it. I loved how Mac was simultaneously naive and independently badass. She had this amazing business and watching her go through the growth of realizing what SHE wanted to be and not who her parents wanted her to be. Preston is a dick...this hill I will die on. Bonnie deserve her own story line. And I want endless stories about Mac and Cooper. The only thing that let me down about this one-- it needed an epilogue!

DNF at 25 %.

Ok hear me out. I usually love Elle Kennedy.

Last year I devoured her Briar U Series.
I loved it so much I bought the entire Off Campus Series.
I know one technically comes before the other but eh.

In January I attempted reading The Deal and I just couldn't get into it.

Same goes for Good Girl Complex. Even on audio I couldn't get into this book.

I am very thankful to NetGalley and St Martins Press for my advanced copy. This just wasn't for me.

I haven't completely given up on this author. Her books are usually very entertaining and binge able.

I might revisit the Off Campus Series in the future if the mood strikes me but I will not continue with Avalon Bay.

Oh this one hurts my heart to write! The first half of this book was completely cringe worthy. I can not stand ditsy and gullible female leads who ignore every warning sign and Mackenzie was just that. There was so much going on in the story and I did not find a single thing that came full circle at the end. I do not enjoy the cheating trope at all and not only was it ever present it seemed as though it was ok for some and not ok for others. I found the whole book to be predictable down to almost every last detail. I am normally someone to try to find a couple of things I enjoy in a book and I just can’t with this one!

When Cooper gets fired from his bartending job because of rich boy, Preston Kincaid, he decided to get back at him by stealing his girlfriend, Mackenzie Cabot. This is a predictable plot of poor boy AKA "townie" pursues the rich girl AKA "clone" for the wrong reasons but ends up falling in love with her. His lie is obviously going to come back and get him in the end, because the reader knows she will inevitably find out. That being said, I did enjoy Cooper and Mackenzie's opposite attract story. Cooper is the dark, broody, tattooed boy and Mac is the beautiful rich girl starting her freshman year of college.

Mac and Preston have been dating for four years. He is older than her and cheating on her, which Cooper and his friends learn about. Mac becomes a pawn in their revenge plan to ruin Preston. When the breakup with Preston and Mac actually happens, I wanted more of a reaction from him. After all, it had been four years together. It just seemed like he should have fought for her more.

I did like Cooper and Mackenzie and the chemistry between them. They were both strong-willed (stubborn), but everything they both needed. I enjoyed their journey, even if it was somewhat predictable. I do wish there had been an epilogue.

Thank you to Get Red PR, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love the romance trope of ‘good girl meets bad boy’. This was just the brain candy I needed after reading several heavy books in a row. While the book was pretty predictable, I enjoyed Mac and Cooper’s banter in their relationship. This book didn’t blow me away, but I enjoyed reading it. If you’re looking for a fun, light hearted romance, give this one a try. But just know…it’s a VERY open door romance. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the review copy.