I'm a longtime reader of Elle Kennedy, but much of Good Girl Complex fell flat. The chemistry was there, as always, but a few things really stuck out to me. The first was that the plot stagnated about 60% of the way through. With one of the main obstacles overcome, it was a drawn-out wait to the actual conclusion. The characters felt one-dimensional and, at times, like caricatures.

I struggled to get through this book and ultimately DNF’d it at 27%. I usually enjoy Elle Kennedy’s books so this could be a “me” issue. *shrug*

This book started off slowly and took a bit for me to get into it. Once I was past the first few chapters, it started to speed up and I became more interested in the story and the characters. It was definitely worth the slow beginning to get to the rest of the book.

I don’t typically like the good girl, bad boy storyline which may have contributed to my hesitation at the beginning of the book. I did end up becoming invested in the characters and enjoying the story as it went along. I think the plot was very well done and overall this was a great read!

I love The Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy and jumped at the chance to read GOOD GIRL COMPLEX. I love a good girl/bad boy romance - bonus points for the beach town setting! I usually find Elle Kennedy's books easy to read, but this one moved a little slower for me.

Cooper Hartley, the small town bad boy, gets in a fight with a trust-fund-jerk type of guy, Preston, at a bar. He is fired, and his friends dare him to get back at Preston by making his girlfriend, Mackenzie, fall in love with him. From the start, the relationship is built on a lie and Cooper doesn't impress me with how he responds when eventually confronted with it. Enter, third act break up, which I am not a fan of. The ending also felt a bit rushed. I am undecided on continuing the series with BAD GIRL REPUTATION (Cooper's brother, Evan's story).

Overall though, I did like this book, and would still recommend, if only for the easy summer romance and beach setting.

So first let me say I love Elle Kennedy’s books. While I was looking forward to this new one in a new setting, I had some struggle getting into both the story and the characters. Now I say that not to detract you or even to say there was anything lacking, only so you understand if you feel the same take a breath and keep reading.

While initially my thought was this book is another predictable opposites attract, revenge centric story. Yawn right? Wrong, so wrong. As I kept reading I started falling for Cooper and Mackenzie, much like they were falling for each other. I really liked their banter, their fiery chemistry, and definitely how they saw each other’s possibilities. There was longing and hope and conflict and love. EK created a great supporting cast, and definitely one that I hope get their own stories as I’d be happy to spend more time in Avalon Bay. 4.25 Stars

As someone with a severe good girl complex this was truly a relatable read. I feel like my only complaint is at times this felt very juvenile- not in the writing but just in the way the characters were acting (which makes sense considering their ages) but as someone in their mid twenties I did want to take their heads and bang them together like little coconuts in hopes that they would communicate. Anyways love Elle Kennedy she is my girl, I just definitely think this was in my opinion a middle of the road read.

In a clash of classes, prep school Mac meets Cooper, the "townie" boy. When both are looking to prove something, they decide to use each other. However, neither anticipated falling so hard.

This was my first read by Elle Kennedy and I loved the way she wrote the characters. While the class difference trope can be overdone, I enjoyed the concept here. I can't wait to read more of these characters and also from this author.

It took me quite a while to finish this book, which is unusual for me, especially in this genre.

There is cheating in this book, which is always a huge turn off for me. I really disliked the main character, which made it a bit of a slog to get through a well. I had high expectations for it, but it wasn't as good as some of her others.

First review: 2/1/22
Updated review: 12/8/22
Publication date: 2/1/22

When I saw that Elle Kennedy is going to be releasing another book I got excited and I knew that I needed to get my hands on it. I really liked the cover it was discrete and fun. The description was also nice as well and it doesn’t reveal much about the book.

This book follows Mackenzie “Mac” Cabot who moves to Avalon Bay and befriends Cooper Hartley who lives in Avalon Bay. There’s more to their friendship than Mac knows. However, with the good girl who’s rich and bad boy who’s not plot it might have been a little bit predictable. Mac and Cooper’s relationship might have started out as a bet, but they were so cute. Most of the characters seemed to annoy me, but Evan means the world to me, I loved him.

I was kind of hooked in the beginning and although it felt a bit slow it does pick up the pace. The pacing after the beginning was nice and I sped through it. However, the way it ended was kind of rushed. I had very high expectations for this book but after finishing it I was hit with a wave of disappointment (not saying this book disappointed me) I just wished it wasn't rushed and had an epilogue. I wanted an epilogue for this book so bad. I love reading epilogues in books like these because we get to see the characters in a different light compared to how they were throughout the book.

Overall, I rated the book a 4 because some parts were a bit predictable but it was an entertaining read read nonetheless and it had me hooked.

Thank you to the Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an arc.

Good girl gone a teensy bit bad...When a revenge bet goes awry, we all know how it ends. But it was still entertaining getting there.

This is the first book I've read of Elle Kennedy's! It was such a great read! Definitely recommend it! 10/10

This is the first book in the Avalon Bay series. I have read a multitude of books by Elle Kennedy. This book was well written and enjoyable. It featured good girl/college girl Mac Cabot and townie/bad boy Cooper Hartley. It stayed pretty true to the trope, but I enjoyed the romance between Man and Cooper. The story was well written, with good dialogue. Unfortunately, I do not feel it was up to par with Off-Campus or Briar U series.

I would recommend that people read it, if they do not expect it to be the same as Off-Campus or the Briar U series.

I was provided an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

Loved this romance about good girl, Mackenzie, and townie Cooper, who feels destined to be a failure and hates all of the rich college kids he calls clones.

Great forbidden love, HEA romance. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Oh Elle Kennedy, how I’ve missed your writing. This book just hit all of the right spots for me, and I really do mean all of the right spots. I sincerely hope this is the start of an incredible new series because I’m seriously in love with the setting of Avalon Bay and all of the secondary characters introduced here. But I digress. Let’s chat Good Girl Complex. Because, man I loved this book.

This is your opposites attract, rich girl meets boy from the wrong side of the tracks but with a twist. Cooper and his twin brothers are guys with a definite rep in their town. Oh and icing, they’re twins. Yep. You read that right. TWINS. But I digress again. Coop is sick and tired of the rich trust fund kids that flood their college town with their entitlement and egos. So when particularly vapid one causes trouble at the bar Coop bartends end, and it results with the kid throwing his weight around and Coop getting fired, he’s pissed. He’s beyond pissed. So what’s a guy to do to get revenge? Why target the douchebag’s equally rich and gorgeous girlfriend, get her to fall for him, so he can dump her and get to rub it in the rich a-holes face of course. DUH. But you know what they say about the best laid plans…

Mac is the furthest thing from the stereotypical rich girl. She’s only in college after a gap year to appease her parents who don’t exactly support her entrepreneurial ways. It doesn’t matter that Mac is the mastermind behind a website that made her a millionaire. All her parents want is for her to marry the right man like her equally rich boyfriend, and be the good little wife. Ah stereotypes.

Coop and Mac meet and become fast friends. Mac is yearning for something more, and her life is slowly suffocating her. Coop allows her the freedom she’s been unknowingly yearning for. And the chemistry between them? DELICIOUS.

This is very much a slow burn, and as we slowly get to know each layer of these characters, we see the connection between them grow into something neither of them expected. Mac as she slowly acknowledges her attraction to Coop and grows into her own beyond the chains of her responsibilities. Coop as he realizes that what started as a bet is so much more. And this girl? Devoured every page of it.

This is the New Adult gold in a way that only Elle Kennedy can write. It was opposites attract deliciousness that I devoured from cover to cover and left desperate for more. And while I would have loved an epilogue, I simply adored this book and these characters. There’s so many secondary characters that I’m hoping get their own books in this town, including Coop’s twin. If you’re looking for an incredibly written New Adult romance, you seriously cannot miss this one.

Elle Kennedy is one of my all time favorite writers ever. I was so excited for her to explore another college NA series. This was super different from her hockey books but I still really enjoyed it. It was just as addicting as all of her books. I’m a big OBX fan so I really liked how it had that same kind of vibe. Mac took some getting used too but I ended up really liking her, especially her development. Cooper was just SWOON WORTHY, and they did really have a lot of chemistry. I’m excited to read the next book in this series

I’m a big Elle Kennedy fan and she didn’t let me down. I really loved Mac, forever striving to play the part expected of her until she can’t anymore. She and Cooper appear to be opposites, but work so well together. Add this to your next beach read list!

In “Good Girl Complex” (Avalon Bay #1) by Elle Kennedy we meet Mackenzie Cabot (Mac). Her life has been planned for her – from her friends to her boyfriend to her future. But when she “unexpectedly” runs into the local bad boy, Cooper, her guards start to come down and the real Mac starts to emerge. But Cooper has never liked outsiders and has an agenda of his own when it comes to Mac. So, can a townie and a clone actually work or are they just too different?

I received an advanced copy of this book, and this is my honest review.

If you absolutely adore the New Adult genre, be sure to add Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy to your list! This book has all the makings of a great contemporary read, and I enjoyed the setting of Avalon Bay!

This was a quick, fun read by Elle Kennedy. I do love the "she was a bet" trope in romance, so this was right up my alley.
Mac has just started college at her parents' insistence when she really just wants to run her internet company. It's not long before she meets Cooper who lives up to his bad boy reputation. Despite the two being from different worlds, they are soon spending a lot of time together. However, Mac's trust fund boyfriend is still in the way.
T

I wanted to love this book. I struggled to like this book instead. The relationship this book centered on just didn’t work for me and made the book feel like a bit of a slog. It pains me to say that! My favorite part was the setting - I love a good beach read. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t the one for me.