Good Girl Complex is a fun quick read that will hit you in the feels, plus it doesn’t hurt that Elle wrote GGC in such a way that comes across as realistic and relatable. Mac and Cooper’s friendship/romance is proof that two very different people from very different worlds can have a ton in common and hit it off despite how they came together.

Overall really liked this!

Bad boy and townie Cooper meets Mackenzie, a rich, beautiful and fiercely intelligent female. Elle Kennedy does an amazing job creating characters with a lot of levels to them. It can help you relate to them in different ways. Cooper and Mac's relationship starts off under rocky circumstances, a revenge plot to get back at Mac's boyfriend Preston. However, Cooper soon finds that Mac isn't like all the other wealthy 'clones' going to college in his small town of Avalon Bay. Can their relationship survive when they come from 2 very different backgrounds? What about if Mac learns the truth of how they met?

I hope that Elle Kennedy makes this a series. The supporting characters in this book have their own stories to share... I can't wait for what comes next.

3.5 NA Romancing Stars
* * * * * Spoiler Free
I am not a NA reader regularly...but when it comes to Elle Kennedy, I make a huge exception. Think opposites attracting, think the blurb letting you have an excellent idea of what is coming, ... then this new "possible series" is for you.

This book was an Elle Kennedy classic. Her ability to write an engaging love story that is both relatable and something magical is Kennedy’s super power.

Given the trope I wasn't sure I'd like this story, but it was so well-written that I actually did! There were some dropped story lines and some things that didn't quite follow through, but it was overall an enjoyable, fast read.

What a way to round out my end-of-the-year reading. Good Girl Complex has been on my TBR since I first saw the cover, and I was so excited to dive into this one.

Mackenzie's life has been decided for her for as long as she can remember. Cooper's a townie who can't stand the clones coming into his seaside home thinking they own the place. When a bet inevitably leads to the two crossing paths in more ways than one, sparks fly--but can these two get past their misconceptions in order to give love a chance?

Ugh, I loved this book. I loved it so much.

It's near impossible to put it down. Kennedy's writing is effortless and engaging. I loved the banter, the sarcasm, the ease of the dialogue. It gave me some serious Walk to Remember vibes, but also (I know I'm on a Supernatural kick, so forgive the reference if this is obscure) but the family-doesn't-always-end-in-blood dynamic of Sam and Dean Winchester.

The unraveling of events was well-paced and interesting. The characters were funny and smart and held their own against stereotypical tropes. And the romance. There were some seriously hot moments I think readers of the genre will love.

Overall, Good Girl Complex is going to make the perfect winter break read. Add this to your tbr now.

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

What a sweet story. I really Enjoyed the age old theme of rich girl dating the scrappy guy. I also enjoyed the developing relationship between Mac and Cooper. They each made mistakes, but they also were finding their own way, together, and separately. I liked that Mac was a young entrepreneur and finally stood up to the stodgy world of her parents. Don’t pass this one up.

I really like this author and jumped at the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. While I liked the story okay, I found it super predictable. Cooper Hartley and his twin brother Evan grew up in the school of hard knocks. They live in a seaside town where an expensive university brings scores of trust fund students to town. Mackenzie (Mac) Cabot is the daughter of wealthy parents who is trying to make her own way. She doesn’t want to go to college and instead wants to focus on her apps she created. Cooper gets fired from a job because of a fight with Mac’s boyfriend Preston. To get his revenge he targets Mac to try to seduce her. He ends up liking her and they become a couple until Mac finds out about the revenge plot. There is also some stuff with both of their parents. Ho hum.

I wanted to love Good Girl Complex, based on the synopsis, but I found the story to be predictable and the main characters weren't particularly likable. The chemistry and the steam were definitely there but I felt like I have read similar (and better) variations of this story before.

Absolutely loved this book! Elle’s storytelling is so enjoyable to read. The chemistry between the characters was there from the start and built beautifully throughout. Dialogue in Elle’s books are always well thought out and make it hard to put down! Definitely worth scooping up!

Fun, addicting and heartwarming!

This books follows Mackenzie rich girl clone as she meets Cooper, hardworking townie!

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were fun and memorable. The book had depth with real emotion. I believe this may be the beginning to more Avalon Bay characters! This is my first book by Elle Kennedy, and I really like her writing style, I was engaged from the beginning and thought it was a very fun easy read!

One of the first things I fell in love with in this book was the writing style.

If you know anything about me and the types of books I like to read, you’ll know I love writing with a little humor in it. This just so happens to be one of those books that is vaguely funny. Trying to explain the jokes to someone else won’t be funny, but reading it in the moment? It deserves a little chuckle.

I also love how the writing style and the dual POV shows how the two main characters view each other at the beginning and how wrong their perceptions can be about the other person. I think it’s a strength in the writing to know your characters enough to show how they perceive other people, even if it may be wrong.

Another strength I feel like this author has is their sex scenes. As someone who often doesn’t enjoy sexual scenes of any nature, finding a book where I actually enjoyed the sex scenes is a big accomplishment. There were a couple moments here and there where I couldn’t fully get into the beginning of a sex scene because there was a little less prep than I felt would be realistic, but it was easily forgotten once I got into the main part of the scene.

Finally, I enjoyed how the characters grew throughout the course of this book. I couldn’t help but cheer them on as they helped each other with their goals and learned how to live for themselves instead of for the people and circumstances around them.

But I feel like readers may be a little indecisive on how they feel about Cooper, our male main character. His side of the story deals with anger issues as he is trapped in a vicious cycle of getting knocked down just as soon as he gets back on his feet. While it is frustrating, we never truly see Cooper heal from this struggle, and I wish there was an extra part where we see how his life has become better a bit further down the line.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed myself with this book and feel like it fully deserves its five star rating. This is definitely a book to look out for once it hits the shelves.

I was so excited to be given the honor of reading an Advanced Reader Copy of Good GIrl Complex because I've loved Elle Kennedy's college sports romance series in the past. This book did not disappoint! Cooper is the perfect hero, college athlete with the hot looks but living a meager existence in the small town. Mackenzie comes along, not the girl he's supposed to fall for because she's everything he can't stand. Except she isn't. I loved how their romance unfolded and I've got fingers crossed that we get more stories from this group! I voluntarily read and Advance Reader Copy for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

As a huge fan of Elle Kennedy's other work, I was beyond excited to be approved for this one! Not only is the cover absolutely adorable, but the book truly drew me in from the get-go. I adored the characters and learning of their backstories, and because of that you fall head over heels in love with them. The ending was extremely satisfying, and it's honestly safe to say that Elle Kennedy did not disappoint with this one!

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martins Press for this ARC of Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy!

So I feel like I should start this review by saying I have never read an Elle Kennedy book before (I know, I KNOW). Her writing style is relatable and I liked the drama. This would be a great romance book to read over spring break or during the summer. There were parts that made me laugh, and I thought the pacing of this was pretty okay. The banter between Cooper and Mac was fun, until it seemed to get a little repetitive.

Some of the phrasing in this book (things like "wifey") made me roll my eyes, and the whole bet/cheating thing wasn't for me.

I would recommend this if you already love EK's other books or you're looking for a quick escapish romance.

My review of Good Girl Complex will be publicly available on my blog (GiaReadsBooks, giareadsbooks.com) on January 25th. You will be able to find it with this link: giareadsbooks.com/book-reviews/good-girl-complex

Genre: Romance/New Adult
Rating: 3.75 Stars
Spice Rating: 2.5 Stars*
*Some explicit scenes, suggestive language, etc. Not the spiciest thing I’ve ever read but it’s certainly not maidenly.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Elle Kennedy, and NetGalley for sending me a copy of Good Girl Complex in exchange for an honest review.

Review:

Mackenzie Cabot, a trust-fund baby who’s in with the “clone” crowd, is the exact opposite of Cooper Hartley, a self-proclaimed “clone” hater with a wicked wild side. Good Girl Complex follows the pair as they overcome their preconceived notions about each other, battling friends, family, and bias along the way.

Something I love about Elle Kennedy is her ability to draw readers in within the first few paragraphs. I binge read her infamous Off-Campus series in three days and loved it. Good Girl Complex was no different. I was drawn in as soon as I read the first paragraph and binged the entire novel in two sittings. Kennedy knows how to write a good romance novel (we all know this) - her main characters are always fleshed out with complex back stories and enough internal conflict to bring them to life.

Unfortunately, Good Girl Complex fell a little flat for me. While Cooper and Mac were an insanely cute and realistic couple, the side characters in this novel were as one dimensional as they come. Of course, there’s the “mean girl with a vendetta against the main male character”, the “cool chick that befriends the main female character”, the “dude-bro with emotional issues that push the plot forward”, and the “ex-boyfriend who’s such a douche you don’t understand how the main female character was ever in love with him”. It’s a story we’ve all read before and honestly, it disappointed me, especially knowing the kind of love story Kennedy is capable of writing.

While Good Girl Complex wasn’t a bad book by any means, it didn’t elicit the emotion or angst I was expecting when I picked it up. My connection to the characters was lost about halfway through the novel and the ending felt extremely rushed (at least give me an epilogue, Elle!). At the time of writing this review, I’m unaware of any future publications from Kennedy in this universe, but I’d like to see her bring the secondary characters to life in an additional novel(s).

Overall, my experience with Good Girl Complex was average. I didn’t love it and didn’t hate it. I probably went in with higher expectations considering I’ve read another one of Kennedy’s series, but that’s on me. I am, by no means, swearing Kennedy off as an author, and will likely pick up her next publication, whatever that might be.

I did not enjoy this. It was way longer than it needed to be. None of the characters really interested me. I felt like I was told a lot of things instead of being shown. The interactions between the love interests were cringe and lackluster, giving me no reason to root for them. The side characters didn’t help, none of them stood out to me. Only reason I gave it 2 stars is because there was some drama which temporarily entertained me. But overall this wasn’t great.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review**

This was an opposites attract/wrong side of the tracks read. I was completely engaged while reading it.

Mac is not your typical rich girl. Yes, her parents are wealthy, her dad is in politics, and she’s attending an expensive and elite college. But…Mac has already made her own fortune. She’s an entrepreneur and is only going to college to appease her parents.

Cooper, however, is the typical bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. His home life is in shambles, he has a friend with benefits that doesn’t seem to get that he no longer wants bennies, and his twin is going through something and won’t open up.

Their paths should never cross, but one’s desire for revenge has them on a collision course!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Mac a lot more than I expected. I was disappointed that Cooper went along with Evan’s plan but he definitely won me over. I did want to know more about Evan and what’s going on with him. Hopefully there will be a book for him! I also adored Levi!

Elle Kennedy never seems to have a miss for me, so when I heard about this book I was ecstatic. I have read her Off Campus and Briar U series and loved them both so my expectations for this book was very high and I am here to say she exceeded every expectation I had.

I'm a sucker for the Good girl and Bad Boy trope and. dual POV and this delivered both in such an amazing way. Mac was a breath of fresh air to me and I couldn't help facing in love with Cooper and developing a soft spot for Evan. The characters were so well thought out and I just can't say enough good things about it.

If you love Coastal towns, bad boys with a heart of gold, and a good girl determined to make her own way then you're going to love this one.

This book is amazing! I love the complex characters and it is something that will draw readers in. I like how you are able to see the characters and build relationships with them! Good Girl Complex is a book that will make you want a sequel!