Avalon Bay is a quaint seaside town populated by locals, or townies, and clones, the rich and insensitive college students that attend Garnet College. Cooper has lived and worked in Avalon Bay all of his life, and the tension between townies and clones is all he knows. That is, until he meets Mackenzie Cabot, picture-perfect 20 year old college student and textbook definition of clone, or so he thinks. There is more to Mackenzie than Cooper is willing to admit, and her friendship soon turns his life upside down. But as soon as Mackenzie and Cooper start to grow close, the secret he has been desperately hiding from her threatens to fracture them both.

This novel felt like a modern-day retelling of Allie and Noah's relationship from Nicholas Sparks' 'The Notebook.' A forbidden love between people born into completely different circumstances, found family, and a relationship that will pull on your heartstrings. I loved that Cooper and Mac came from different dynamics, but still found similarities in their pasts, and the secret that Cooper hid from Mackenzie kept me on the edge of my seat, nervous to flip to the page when it would all be revealed. I loved this book, and I cannot wait until it is published so that I can recommend it to all of my friends!

I'm sad you say that this book and I didn't get along. The premise was promising, but I felt this just didn't bring anything new to the table. It was full of tropes, which isn't bad on its own, but there's got to be something different, and unique as well. DNF'd at 35%.

The is a troupe after troupe book. Wealthy Mackenzie (Mac) Cabot is starting college at in a coastal college town. Her billionaire heir boyfriend is a senior and both are okay with the family plan that says the two will marry. Cooper Hartley, is the tattooed bad boy townie. After losing a bartending job because of Mac's boyfriend Cooper hatches a revenge plot to steal the girl and embarrass the guy. His twin brother Evan and all his friends are in on the plan. Of course the predictable outcome is going to happen.

The author is able to bring more depth to the characters by having both have neglectful parents. Wealth doesn't buy happiness. But so many choices and decision are just eye rolling stupid. I like Mac. She is an entrepreneur, already making her first million while in high school. And I like that she dumps the guy and stands up to her parents. But she has the money to stay in college so I didn't understand why she drops out other to annoy her parents. And the cheating and lies that are common within the friend groups made me cringe. I didn't see much in Cooper to appreciate other than he keeps the puppy. And I really disliked his twin who feels he can dump on Mac because of all the past wrongs the rich kids of done the townies.

This is geared for New Adults who want a steamy, easy romance. I can pick at little things that didn't work for me in the plot but I will just move on. The revenge plot wasn't my cup of tea but others will feel differently. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (2.5 stars)

This is one of those books that sounded fun on paper, but in practice I just found it too irritating to enjoy. I don't know if it was the marketing copy or my misunderstanding, but I feel like it was just a lot of tropes and cliches that I can't stand, with little else to keep me going. Predictable (in a bad way, not in the usual romance-y comforting way) and trite, but mostly, I didn't like or care enough about either Mac or Cooper enough for the story to work. Unlike most reviewers I've seen talking about this book, I haven't previously read anything by this author, who I was unaware of until I picked this one up on the basis of its cover and synopsis. So I don't know what I should have been expecting, but clearly, I'm not the audience for this, because I just didn't enjoy a bit of it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Please give me anything by Elle Kennedy. Her style and characters bring so much joy, and her books always capture the best and worst of her characters. This one was no exception to that rule. Can’t wait to see what’s next!!

When I tell you I binged this book… I just couldn’t get enough. This was my first Elle Kennedy and oh my goodness have I been sleeping on her books!!

Good Girl Complex is about a rich girl and struggling townie boy with instant chemistry. What more could you want? I kept picturing Allie and Noah from The Notebook! Her life is laid out for her as a politicians daughter. Mackenzie’s been dating the same preppy guy forever because their families make sense. But there’s much more to her. She’s made her own millions running a website and has bigger dreams than college can offer. She’s slowly figuring out she doesn’t have to be who her parents tell her to be.

She meets Cooper, the hard working, trying-to-survive, townie. He has it out for her preppy boyfriend who got him fired. There’s even a bet involved- really gave me She’s All That vibes. The two instantly have magic between them. They even rescue a dog- shared pet is what book dreams are made of! As a reader you just fall for Cooper immediately and route for him. You’re simultaneously routing for Mackenzie to wake up and take life by the horns!

This story has the perfect amount a drama, struggle, humor, love and a little bit of spice. I started this and ignored the rest of my life for hours on end.

Elle Kennedy has done it again. I loved the Off-Campus and Briar U books so much and this one does not disappoint. It gives huge Outer Banks vibes with the setting, the rich kids vs townies, and the opposites attract type romance. I also love the cast of characters so much and I am so excited for future books in this series and to see the relationships between everyone grow even more. This was such a fun read and I couldn't put it down!

This review was also posted on Goodreads at the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4269240034

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!

Elle Kennedy has done it once again, she's made me fall for even more fictional men haha. This book immediately gave me After by Anna Todd but if done with a tolerable and much less toxic love interest. It was everything I wanted After to be but even cuter in it's own way!

I loved the relationship developments between Evan, Cooper and their uncle! As much as it displays toxic relationships with family members, it also shows strengthening between others.

As much as I cannot stand the cheating trope, I did think this one was well put into place and I was able to keep reading which usually would be enough to place a book on my DNF list.

Mac is one of the best main characters as she is so determined to create the life that she wants and build her own success alongside realizing she cannot please everyone at once and needed to make some choices for herself. I loved this input because it's a lesson so many people need and often do not follow through so I believe Mac could be a great representation to live life the way you desire and it is okay to prioritize yourself in some cases while still being there for everyone else.

As far as predictable romances novels go, this one was pretty good. I really liked the main character and how she grows throughout the book. The love interest wasn’t my favorite in the beginning since he’s the cliche, “sex personified” type of male character, but his character develops too. Overall worth the read if you’re looking for an escape.

Elle Kennedy is the master of new adult romance. Good Girl Complex is just the latest example of how she takes a romance premise and adds heat, humor, and intrigue, which make it impossible to put it down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cooper and Mackenzie seemingly have nothing in common. Mackenzie is an entrepreneur who spent her gap year developing a successful online business. But, her blue-blood parents insist it’s time to start college in Avalon Bay and spend time with her prep school boyfriend. Cooper works in construction in the beach-side town and has a side gig as a bartender. I won’t get into details of how these two get together since I don’t want to spoil any of the plot, but once these two meet, sparks fly.

I adored this book, and ended up devouring it in a day. Cooper and Mackenzie are great characters, and their steamy chemistry is off the charts. There is also a constant supply of banter and snark. Sometimes new adult romance characters can be annoying and immature, but here the author does a fantastic job of showing their motivation, and the sizable roadblocks they’re up against throughout the story.

Good Girl Complex was fantastic from beginning to end. I wish I could spend more time with these characters! Hopefully there will be other visits to Avalon Bay soon.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

unfortunately had to dnf this book. then first chapter is the pov of a douchey white guy who uses way too much AAVE for me. i just hated reading what i read. maybe one day when i'm truly bored and crave a wattpad-esque type of romance, i will try and read it again.

i'm pretty bummed because i really thought i would enjoy this, since i loved a few of elle kennedy's romances. still, thank you for the arc, i really appreciate it.

Elle Kennedy did it again with another masterpiece! Mac and Cooper are two very different and very complex people. Elle Kennedy took us on emotional rollercoaster with these two and I loved every second of it. We learn that even though these two people might have different stories, they still battle the same demons. Elle Kennedy did not shy away from touching heavier topics, like Cooper and Evan's mother's issues. She made us question what is and is not cheating and made us fall in love with the tattooed bad boy from the wrong side of town who made some poor choices throughout the story. Overall, I love that these topics were brought up and everything wasn't sunshine and rainbows for our characters.

I was hooked right from the beginning but this was the moment I knew I loved the Good Girl Complex
<b>"So, yeah, I think you’re lonely. I think you’re so desperate for a good time you’re secretly glad I walked over here. In the deepest, darkest part of your brain, you want me to give you a reason to misbehave.”</b>

And this one!
<b>“If I’ve learned one thing from rom coms, it’s that you are not allowed to be friends with someone you’re attracted to.”</b>

I was ready to throw down for my girl Mac. Preston needs to get the ass whooping of the century for treating her as shittily as he did throughout the book.

Elle Kennedy kills it with the balance between cute and sexy AF

As always. My only complaint is that I needed another 100 pages of Mac and Coop. Please write a sequel. I need to know about the hotel and the construction business. And Daisy. And Evan. I just need more on Avalon Bay.

Good Girl Complex is the story of Mac and Cooper. Mac is the "good girl"- from a wealthy family who has had her entire life planned out for her. She is dating Preston, who is from the right family and has the right future lined up. Cooper is a townie, leaning into the "bad boy" image with tattoos and rough edges. When Cooper and Preston get into a fight, Cooper and his friends decide to take their revenge by breaking up Preston and Mac, and making Mac fall for Cooper. And since this is a romance, naturally things go awry.

While I enjoyed this book, it was very predictable. The story felt very similar. I also didn't care for the cheating story in the first half of the book. Overall, not my favorite Elle Kennedy book, but enjoyable (if predictable), nevertheless.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press publishing for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I've been a fan of Elle Kennedy's other books so when I saw this one pop up on NetGalley and saw it was about a "good girl" who meets a "bad boy" and sparks fly I was like alright I'm in. This story has a decent amount of angst and drama between our protagonists Cooper and Mac. What starts out as a revenge plot, leads to a sweet relationship with a massive looming lie that we all know is going to come to light. I felt like the middle/end of this book tried to pack in more drama than necessary, instead of dealing with the main conflict we could see coming in the middle of the book we are introduced to another conflict. Other than that criticism, and the fact that these characters feel simultaneously younger and older than their age range of 20-25? This was an enjoyable read. You have your drama, your banter, your sweet moments of support and love, some steamy scenes, an adorable dog and an interesting cast of side characters. If you are a fan of Elle Kennedy and romance give this one a whirl.

This book..wow. Just wow. Elle Kennedy is a cult favorite for smut books but this is her first book geared towards an audience that goes into the stores to buy the books and wants an illustrated cover. I absolutely loved Cooper and Mac. It was just so perfect and the right amount of spice.

I really enjoyed this book and loved the characters! It was so cute and fun, and once I got into it, I couldn't put it down!! A quick and enjoyable read and it will not disappoint!

I've read the first 30 percent of this book but I am struggling to get in to the story. At this time I have decided to not finish it for now. I did somewhat enjoy what I have read so far but it is not enough to push my to keep going for now.

I enjoyed this small town storyline. This opposites attract with a twist will captivate you from the beginning to the end. Cooper and Mackenzie have great chemistry and flirty banter. Definitely worth the read.

3.5 stars!

I did enjoy this book, but it's one of those situations where if you start to think too hard about it, that enjoyment turns into frustration. So if you just read for a fun and good time, you'll be good, like brain candy! I love Elle Kennedy's writing style, so this was a quick read that was easy to get into and some loveable characters in a fantastic location! But the plot was a bit messy, which made the pacing feel off, and there were a few tropes that could have been avoided and made things much better!

I do want to mention, especially since it's not in the blurb, that this is a revenge-plot book, and I really didn't think it was necessary! I think if they would have met organically with everything else the same, it would have still completely worked. Also, there is a lot of infidelity that happens, both in conversation and on-page, so if that's a potential trigger for you, read cautiously! Mac is in a relationship for the first 50% of the book and Cooper's goal is to break her and her boyfriend up for revenge. Now granted, her boyfriend (and frankly her family too) is an absolute trash excuse for a human being, and he deserved it. But it's hard to pace a romance so it works when the whole first half of the book the heroine in a relationship with someone else. Also, cheating is seen as the norm in their friend group, so again, if that or love triangles isn't your thing, this might not be the book for you.

The characters do read very young, but EK does paint a gorgeous picture of this seaside town and the people within it. Was the plot chaotic and a bit all over the place? Yes. Were there things I wanted more and less of? Absolutely. Did I still find myself carried through the story? Sure did! So this is a nice, fun, but definitely new adult, read.

Good Girl Complex is full of angsty love and self discovery between Mackenzie “Mac” and Cooper. Mac reluctantly agrees to go to college and get a degree but she would rather be focused on her business than becoming a figurehead in her already arranged life. One night Mac meets Cooper and something changes in her life-she was half asleep until Cooper opened her eyes and she shakes up her life. Finally doing what she wants Mac starts a new business endeavor as well as a relationship with Cooper.

Cooper didn’t expect Mac-he thought she would be just another clone but boy was he wrong. In Mac he found support and encouragement which led to his desire to be better and invest in himself. They both judged each other quickly, assuming they were opposites, but they soon realized they are more alike than different. Mac and Cooper form a deep connection on top of their physical attraction leading to a meaningful relationship but not without a few bumps in the road.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book I’ve read- I have several of hers sitting on my tbr waiting and now I’m moving them closer to the top. I loved the dual POVs and the depth of Mac and Cooper. This was so much more than a budding love story it was about personal growth and found family. Excellent read.

Rating 4.5 stars


Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.