This was my first Elle Kennedy book, and I get why she has such a devoted fan base. I enjoyed it, but the good girl/bad boy plot wasn’t anything new. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the introduction to the town and all of the secondary characters, so I’ll definitely keep reading if this gets turned into a series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

An opposites attract with a little side of love triangle? Hmmmm... Let's see where the start of a new series takes us.

We start the story with some entitled college kids coming into a small beach town to get their drink on when everything goes sideways. It's a case of Clones vs Townies. We've seen this before. The rich kids that think they are better than others and they should get and take whatever they want. Their (parent's) money is what rules them. Meanwhile, the kids from the "other side of the tracks" are always just looking to get by. To survive. They don't have the money, but they have heart. Well, some of them do. Cooper is the tattooed bad boy and he is going to make the Clone that came on to his turf pay. He's going to take his girl!

Mackenzie is a "Clone", but she is also very different than her boyfriend. She comes from money, but she's also someone that likes to work hard and is up for an adventure. So, when she arrives at the college and her outrageous roommate is set on finding a man for the night, these two paint the town red. And that is when Mac and Cooper first meet.

Mac and Cooper were just easy. Their conversation and banter was seamless and their chemistry was obvious. I don't even understand what Mac saw in her boyfriend. I know she tried to stick it out with him because he was the safe bet, but once she realized who those guys were and how they acted, it should've been an easy out. I didn't really like the triangle and how it was being played out, but I knew where the story was going to go. It was pretty predictable.

With that said, I liked Mac as a character and the person she was. Some of her actions were questionable, but so were Cooper's. I enjoyed seeing Cooper change and grow after meeting this girl that was the polar opposite of him. I really enjoyed Cooper's friend gang and am hoping we will see more of them in the series.

His intentions were far from honorable when Cooper thrust himself into Mackenzie’s life. He had a mission and felt no remorse for his actions with this trust-fund kid. But, the more time he spent with Mac, the more Cooper realized she was different from the other rich clones. When the ruse turns real, will the truth derail this burgeoning romance?

Elle Kennedy is one of my go-tos for new adult romances. I wasn’t sure how a non-sports romance from Kennedy would be, but honestly, I really enjoyed acquainting myself with this world. There was a lot of that first book feel, where I got the lay of the land and met all the major players, and, I must say, this was a great introduction to the series.

Standout Elements:

• The Cast – Kennedy assembled a fantastic group of characters for this series. Cooper’s circle of friends had an interesting dynamic. There was the cross dating/hooking up stuff, but they also shared so much history. All the years of friendship led to some pretty strong bonds. I was excited to meet them all and cannot wait for each to have their own story.

• The Romance – I hated how it started, but I did love Cooper and Mac together. They may have come from very different economic backgrounds, but they still had a lot in common. The damage their families had done to them was heartbreaking, but they had each other. There was also fantastic chemistry, passion, and a lot of tenderness between these two.

• Cooper – I knew Cooper was a good guy from the beginning because actions speak louder than words, but I did have a few reservations about him. The more time I spent with him, the more I came to appreciate this man. His life hadn’t been easy, but he worked hard to make something of himself. He was a talented woodworker and was working towards starting his own business. You have to admire that.

• Mackenzie – Her biggest flaw was her people pleasing ways, but wow! She was amazing. A young entrepreneur searching for her next business venture. Thank goodness she met Cooper. She finally had someone in her life who was proud of her, encouraged her, and supported her. And, each moment with Cooper translated to greater confidence in herself. It was wonderful seeing Mac grow and embrace her talents and ambition.

I felt like this story was about chasing your dream, being true to yourself, and finding the people who love the “real” you. There was humor, heat, and a lot of heart in this story. Overall, this was a solid start to this series. I saw so many possibilities as I met each member of the cast, and I am excited to go back to Avalon bay.

I adore Elle Kennedy and when I saw she was releasing a new book I was pumped to read it! I will say that I was a little hesitant after reading previous reviews about whether I would like this book as much as her others, and I have to say I truly did. Yes, this is different from her Off-Campus and Briar-U books, but I loved it.

Mac and Cooper were fantastic characters. On paper, they’re all wrong for each other, but their chemistry was undeniable. Were there some instances that I wasn’t thrilled with? Sure, but I don’t feel like they overshadowed the bigger picture.

This is truly an opposites attract story filled with drama and some angst, and I loved it. I do hope we get more from Avalon Bay because there were some amazing secondary characters that I’m dying for more of!

2022 is already off to a great start for reading. Good Girl Complex is the second book of the year to knock my socks off.

The Good Girl Complex is smartly written and entertaining. What started off as a revenge plot quickly lead to something more. Good Girl Complex is filled with lots of laugh-out-loud moments and angsty ones too. I loved the bad boy/good girl, wrong side of the tracks vibes.

Cooper and Mac were total opposites with amazing chemistry and banter. I loved Cooper and Mac together and couldn’t get enough of them. Sure there were some moments when I wanted to shake Cooper and his friends, but in the end, they all won me over and had me glued to the pages.

Good Girl Complex was everything I was looking for in a NA read. It was fun. It was entertaining. It had great romance and lots of good drama. I had a great time getting lost in Cooper and Mac’s story and look forward to seeing what this author has in store for us next.

What happens when you meet the one person with whom you can be your true and carefree self? What if that person turns out to be your total opposite and the one person your conscience tells you to run away from?

This is the story of Mac and Cooper, and let me tell you, I loved every minute of it. I laughed at loud, I was swooned at some points and I appreciated level of spice that it provided, which I thought it was the right amount.

Definitely a must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this copy early!

I have read many a book from Elle Kennedy and 3 have completely blown me out of the water. Unfortunately this was not one of them, but I have to say I am looking forward to certain character books in the future.

We fallow Mac and Cooper in this book with lots of great background characters that really helped bring the story together - most of all Evan the twin brother.
In the beginning Mac is dating another male that she has been with for years and known since children. I didn't quite by how fast she was already retreating from him after meeting Cooper vs the way she swooned over her man. However, we know he is shitty and she soon finds out.

Coop and Mac have a great dynamic - a lot of arguing, but they enjoy it. Not as much banter as I know Elle can write, but these characters were more focused on future and deeper connections.
I recommend trying it! Elle writes college romance well.

This gave me a very outerbanks vibe, which I loved! I read this so quick and didn’t want to put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! I love Elle Kennedy so I was looking forward to reading this book~

Overall, I enjoyed the world the Kennedy has created to start a new series, but I find myself more looking forward to Evans book than I did reading the first in this series. Spoilers ahead!

This book only real con is that it has a trope that I hate and it wasn’t in the books synopsis. What the synopsis doesn’t mention is that Cooper only initially starts to pursue Mackenzie because of a bet. I dislike this trope and feel like the main trope should always be in the books description.

I kept reading it because I adore Elle Kennedy, and she had a previous novel that had a “bet” as well (The Dare, Briar U Series), but turned it on its head by not keeping the bet a secret, meaning neither of the characters were the butt of the joke. I was hoping that would be the case for this book, but the bet dragged on and on. I personally feel like the bet didn’t need to be a part of the story—Cooper had sufficient motivation to revenge pursue Mac without his friends egging him on and there was enough going on in the story otherwise. Because the bet storyline kept dragging on, I couldn’t get a sense of the characters chemistry because I was too busy waiting/dreading for the other shoe to drop. Should I be forgiving Mac’s infidelity just because her boyfriend (unknowingly to her) cheated first? Coopers motivations for pursuing the relationship were clear (first as revenge, then out of genuine feelings and jealousy), but Mac’s less so, she would constantly play hot and cold with Cooper and crumble in her resolve to stay away from him.

I had hoped the secondary characters would play more of a positive role in the story, as they had in the Briar U and Off Campus series, but the secondary characters only add to the negative drama (Mac’s roommate excluded). Given Steph’s initial involvement with the precipitating incident, I thought she should have had more of a role in the novel thereafter, but that isn’t the case—instead giving more of a spot light to Mac’s roommate who didn’t really move the story along in the same way Steph could have (in that Coopers motivations for pursuing the bet make more sense when it isn’t about being fired, but rather about getting revenge for a friend who was sexually harassed).

That being said, I still adore Elle Kennedy and am going to continue reading her book and can’t wait for Evans book!

Opposites attract but can they make it work. Mac and Cooper could not be more different but a lie twines them together, but will Copper protect her from his truth?
This book was easy to get into I didn’t quite realize it was a “romance” novel but it actually was kinda lighter on that which I enjoyed.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book, but it won't be my last! Thoroughly enjoyed this New Adult Romance. Mac and Cooper are from opposite sides of the tracks, but you know what they say about opposites! I'm guessing (hoping!) that this is the start of a series! I want to revisit Avalon Bay and see what happens to the whole cast of characters!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review!

I just wanted to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC!
There were a quite a few things I enjoyed about this book but also some things that I didn’t enjoy! I don’t want to give too much away but I loved the chemistry of the main characters so much and the development of the relationships with the other characters.

3.5 stars rounded up 4 stars

Something about Elle Kennedy books and her characters just get ahold of me and won't let go. Just as in her other books, Mac and Cooper and their gang of friends are so fun and entertaining and make me want to get to spend more time with them. I'm hoping this is indeed a series so I can spend more time in Avalon Bay.

Pros: Like I mentioned above, I always love the characters that Elle Kennedy creates, and I love her sense of place when she writes. I felt like I was walking on the campus and along the boardwalk while I read this. I also loved the friend dynamics and the idea of found family.


Cons: I wanted more of a resolution with Mac and some of the people who cause her problems in her life.

I truly enjoyed reading another Elle Kennedy book and can't wait for the next book in this series.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of Good Girl Complex in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: New Adult Romance
Pub Date: February 1, 2022
Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was well-paced for 3/4 of the story, and I really enjoyed the character development. I even felt like the side characters were well developed throughout the story, and you don't often get that in romance books. One thing that bothered me, though, is I felt like the plot was a bit derivative of other popular books in this genre. It had some original moments, but I also felt like it was really lacking in originality in others. Additionally, I thought the ending was really rushed. I would have liked the same attention to the plot at the end of the book that was shown at the beginning.

Overall, it was a fun read that didn't take a long time to get through, and I would still recommend it!

A sweet stand-alone, new adult contemporary romance by Elle Kennedy? Sign me up!

Good Girl Complex was an easy read with coastal vibes that managed to take my mind away to somewhere peaceful and relaxing while reading!

I had no doubt going in that Elle Kennedy would make us swoon over her always well-developed characters, and I found my new favorite EK heroine in Mac!

Mackenzie (aka Mac) is a life-long good girl who functions more as a prop to her wealthy parents’ expectations than her own individual. Which is such a shame, as she is very evidently a smart and motivated individual from the beginning!

Fortunately, she meets Cooper, and although under less-than-ideal circumstances, they bring out the best in each out that they both kept tucked away as individuals.

My only complaint about this book is there was no epilogue. I would love to know more about how things ended up, not only the couple, but also their various business ventures.

I don’t know if this is the first in a series or a stand-alone, it could still go either way and be fantastic. If it does go into a series, I look forward to revisiting the other side characters in the story and more of Avalon Bay!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide my honest review.

Ok.
This literally took me months to read, and I desperately wanted to enjoy it.
I think my timeline reflects that.
Ultimately though, I just couldn’t connect. Our heroine felt more like a token of revenge and less like a main character.
Our hero was kind of stuck on his revenge, and it didn’t feel like he was ever really open to a connection forming between him and the heroine.
Overall, this just felt like fitting into the generic good girl/bad boy trope, and it was just not my cup of tea.

Wasn't a fan of these two -- the chemistry between them did not seem as organic as some of the characters in her earlier books, and their relationship seemed forced and stilted.

As a big fan of Kennedy's Briar U series, Good Girl Complex was a book I absolutely needed to read. There is something about the predictable storyline of books like this that appeal to me; you know there's going to be two people from opposite lifestyles who unexpectedly come together, and something derails their relationship but they end up back together in the end. Kennedy takes that storyline to a new level that pulls me in and has me finishing the book in a matter of hours. Fans of Kennedy's other works shouldn't miss Good Girl Complex.

A bit formulaic in the townie bad boy meets the rich good girl, whose boyfriend is cheating on her. What starts as a bet on Cooper’s side leads to friendship with sexual attraction underneath it all. Everything follows the formula including the resolution but Cooper is what redeems the story for me. His background and personality outweighed Mac’s, who seemed a bit bland and expected. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad story, it’s definitely got some entertaining moments and a cute rescue dog, but this may not be a story you remember a year later.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.

Cooper and his fellow townies don’t like the rich local college students especially when one of those local rich boys gets Cooper fired from his job. When Cooper and his friends find out that the guy has a girlfriend though, they devise a plan for revenge. Cooper is going to steal Mackenzie away from him, the only problem is that he starts actually having feelings for her. This story has been told. Did I start to care about the characters? Yes, even the side characters. But was I annoyed at the predictability and cliche? Also, yes. Cooper and Mackenzie rescue a dog from drowning, they go to a carnival, they even break up and get back together with a grand gesture on a website. Add the bet to the mix, and this is every other romance novel ever. Also, the ending was abrupt, there was a lot of the author telling rather than showing the reader what was happening. There’s a time jump of a few weeks with little detail. I’ll probably read more by this author if she uses these characters again, but I expect more.