I'm going to let you in on a little secret...this is my first Elle Kennedy book that isn't MM, and it was SO good!

I, for the life of me, couldn't put this book down. School who? Homework what? Exactly, didn't think so, this book deserved ALL of my attention, hence why I finished it an a day! I loved this story, this trope just gets me. Rich girl gets duped by low-class boy but the low-class boy falls and falls hard, oh yes, and they hate each other at the beginning. Makes for a perfect recipe of a dramatic, and very very fun story! I wasn't feeling the whole book reading before this book, I needed something to get my out of my slump, and this definitely did the trick and then some! So good! I wasn't even planning on reading this so soon, but here we are!

Love it! Can't wait for February for everyone else to read it too!

Check TWs friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and Saint Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review.

Huge fan of Elle Kennedy -- i've read over a dozen of her other novels include the 'Briar U' and 'Off-Campus' series. I have been hearing a lot of buzz about this title and have been really looking forward to reading this standalone. Good girl & trust fund kid, Mac, meets bad boy, Cooper at their wealthy beachside college. They fall hard for each other but secrets threaten to tear them apart.

Check out Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy and be sure to get this contemporary romance wherever you buy books!

✦ Goodreads ➜ https://bit.ly/3hNNNNP
✦ Amazon ➜ https://amzn.to/3CveqyD
✦ Apple ➜ https://apple.co/3nPHzka
✦ Google ➜ https://bit.ly/3EuVbHs
✦ Kobo ➜ https://bit.ly/3lyhnYo
✦ Nook ➜ https://bit.ly/3nKLcb6

TAGS: fiction, romance, contemporary romance, new adult romance, young adult, YA, college romance, summer romance, boy next door, girl next door, good girl, bad boy

*Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Elle Kennedy for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review #GoodGirlComplex #NetGalley @NetGalley #stmartinspress @stmartinspress #ElleKennedy @ellekennedy33

Such a fun read! I loved the characters and couldn’t put this book down. I did find the ending very abrupt and rushed. I wish that had been fleshed out a little bit more.

Elle Kennedy writes the bad boy so well.
Mackenzie "Mac" being an independent, self-starter already owning her own business was a refreshing character, I wanted to shake her with the way she lets Preston treat her despite all of this. I loved Cooper and Mac's story!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eArc!

I was excited to read a new Elle Kennedy book that was separate from her Off Campus series. I think this book was good, but I had a few issues. First, Cooper was a little bit too jaded about the "Clones" and I struggled with how quickly he changed his mind about Mac. I also though Evan's feelings flip flopped a bit and I wish there would have been more to his backstory. Assuming there are other books in this series, we may get more then. Overall a good read, even if there were some things I didn't like.

Not my cup of tea. The characters didn’t really grab me and I disliked the way the relationship started. Not a fan of that sort of trope.

Snappy, fun and interesting! Good Girl Complex made .me smile while also thinking about deeper issues. Just the right level of angst meets romance. Solid read!

I REALLY enjoyed this book... no shock there! Elle Kennedy never disappoints for me!

This book is about Mac and Cooper - two people who come from opposite sides of the tracks and yet fit together so well! Their banter was great, their chemistry was on fire, and the character growth in them both was amazing. I'll admit I was a little nervous about the "secret"/conflict (no spoilers here!), but I will say it was not as stressful or anxiety driven as I had expected.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and if you have read any Elle Kennedy books, I think you're going to definitely like this one! And for readers who haven't read Elle Kennedy... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Revenge dating is always a hard trope for me to get into, because you know that they are going to fall for each other, and at some point, the betrayal will become know. I’m anxious the whole story usually, but, I know this authour delivers a top notch story, so I dove in. It was a great story, as these two seemingly opposite people make a real connection with each other. They also bring out the best in each other, and are supportive and encouraging. They have amazing chemistry, right from the start, and are really likeable characters. They work through problems and handle things maturely. I just liked them, I liked their friends, I liked how their lives turned around, making them both really happy. The bad things happened, obviously, it has to, but there was such a connection, you knew it would be handled the way they handled everything else. This was a great start to this series, and I can’t wait for more characters to get their HEAs!

If you are anything like me, you probably have an affinity for cheesy romantic books. Today’s book is one of those cheesy romantic books and is a book that I think will be a big hit after it’s release next year!

"Good Girl Complex" is a New Adult romance novel written by, Elle Kennedy. It is expected to be released on February 1, 2022.
If you would like to pre-order "Good Girl Complex" you can find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can follow the author, Elle Kennedy, on Instagram and Goodreads! You can also check out her website!

Before I get into this review, I would like to thank St. Martins Griffin Publishers, Netgalley, and Elle Kennedy for sending me this advanced copy for review. As always, all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

She does everything right. So what could go wrong?
Mackenzie "Mac" Cabot is a people pleaser. Her demanding parents. Her prep school friends. Her long-time boyfriend. It's exhausting, really, always following the rules. Unlike most twenty-year-olds, all she really wants to do is focus on growing her internet business, but first she must get a college degree at her parents' insistence. That means moving to the beachside town of Avalon Bay, a community made up of locals and the wealthy students of Garnet College.
Mac's had plenty of practice suppressing her wilder impulses, but when she meets local bad boy Cooper Hartley, that ability is suddenly tested. Cooper is rough around the edges. A threat to her ordered existence. Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life.
Despite his disdain for the trust-fund kids he sees coming and going from his town, Cooper soon realizes Mac isn't just another rich clone and falls for her. Hard. But as Mac finally starts feeling accepted by Cooper and his friends, the secret he's been keeping from her threatens the only place she's ever felt at home.

I gave this book 4/5 stars on Goodreads. I have read some of Elle Kennedy's Off Campus book series and I really enjoyed that as well. "Good Girl Complex" encapsulates everything that I love about that series and her personal writing style. I really connected with the characters and got attached to them easily!

My only complaint is that I wish this book contained an epilogue. This book was great, but I think it would have been perfect if there was an epilogue! Add an epilogue and this is a 5 star read for me!

This book gave me some serious ‘Outer Banks but make it more romantic’ vibes and I loved it. If you like Outer Banks and enjoy romance novels, I think that you will enjoy this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! Because there is some adult language, scenarios, and dialogue I would recommend it for readers 18+. This one exceeded my expectations. I think it is a fantastic addition to Elle Kennedy's repertoire, I am anxiously awaiting her next release (and I am silently hoping that it is a book which follows Evan)! After all, she is known for creating a “universe” full of characters and gifting each them their own book. Fingers crossed!

Elle Kennedy outdid herself again. The Good Girl Complex is a perfect representation of friends to lovers featuring a college good girl and a townie bad boy. I loved following Mac and Cooper's relationship. The ups and downs, plot twists and suspense pulled at my heart strings. Not to mention the spice was just the perfect amount!

This book for me was After but if After wasn’t toxic and cringey. Elle Kennedy is a must read for me always and this one certainly delivered.

Freaking fantastic fun! I loved every minute of this and didn’t put it down until I read the very last word. This is the epitome of a new adult romance sprinkled with the right amount of angst, heart, and life lessons.

Cooper is book boyfriend perfection with his looks, his flaws, and the way he falls in love. Oh! And he’s loyal to his friends. Mac is smart and honest and just such a great strong female character that despite her background is so relatable. And she keeps everyone on their toes in all the right ways!

Kennedy seamlessly wove together a story of opposites attract, finding yourself, and falling in love.

I can’t wait to recommend this to all of my romance-loving friends.

Thank you netgalley for the advance copy.

I love this world so much!!! Made me realized I totally miss reading a book by Elle Kennedy. Cooper and Mac is EVERYTHING!!!

A Rich Heroine. A Poor Hero.
One of my favorite tropes.

Mac was pretty much a do gooder, always stay in the lane and listens to her parents and boyfriend. But as she spends more time with Cooper, she was herself. She doesn't need to hide. She then found out her boyfriend was cheating on her so she dumped him. She was getting really close with Cooper and his friends, but Cooper was hiding a secret from Mac.

I really hope Elle Kennedy would continue this world because I am so intrigued by almost every single side characters!!! If you love her books, you'll definitely enjoy this one also.

Mac Cabot always tries hard to please everyone. She tries to please her demanding parents, her prep school friends and her long time boyfriend. At her early age she actually has a successful internet business but her parents insist that she get a college degree. When she moves to the college town, she meet bad boy Cooper. He is very different than her trust fund friends but she develops a close relationship with him, Cooper Cooper doesn't like the trust fund kids at the college but he soon realizes that Mac is very different from them. This books explores the relationships between the young adults.

I am officially an Elle Kennedy fan! This book was a lot of fun. Romance, witty banter, the right amount of spice, I loved it! It was easy to read and I never got bored. I loved the main characters and was rooting for them to work it out.

3.5 stars

I, like most everyone, loved Off Campus so I was excited to read my first book from her that wasn’t from that universe. While I overall enjoyed this book as it was a light read and a real pallet cleanser, it didn’t live up or my high expectations from the teaser explanation of the book. Around 55% in, I started to get bored which made the last half of the book feel about 80 pages too long. I really bought Cooper and Mac’s dynamic but there were a lot of sub-points that made the book as a whole a little all over the place. The ending was really strong and the book as a whole is good. I did find myself hoping some of the side characters might get their own books on the future.

I’ve been a fan of Elle Kennedy’s work for a while now. Her Off Campus series and Briar U series are ones I consider guilty pleasures and find myself rereading them, constantly. Because of that, I absolutely jumped at the opportunity to be able to read this book early. After reading so many of her books, I hate to say that this one didn’t live upto my expectations. The whole premise of it sounded really interesting but the execution just felt a little too mediocre. All of the main plot points that were established at the beginning of the book took a backseat as the story progressed. The romance just felt like it happened too quickly and I would’ve preferred if it had been prolonged for a little while longer to build up more angst. Mostly, I did just feel a little bored while reading it. In the end, I think this book just wasn’t for me.

A wonderful new adult romance that focuses a women coming of age as she goes away to college and realizing her worth. This book was a really enjoyable and light read. I love the main character and the hero in this book and could feel their connection as I was reading. I wanted so badly for them to get there happily ever after - not just with each other but in life. A must read in 2021. Trigger warning for cheating.

Steam Rating: 🌶🌶🌶

Favorite quote: "Don't waste this moment. If your heart's telling you to follow something - go for it. Don't let anyone hold you back, because life is too damn sort. Build your empire. Slay dragons."

I was all in from the start on this one and devoured the first half quickly. Cooper, the bad boy, has a run-in with a cocky college kid who flaunts his wealth and ability to get Cooper fired. Cooper decides to seek revenge by finding and stealing the rich kid's girlfriend, Mackenzie (Mac), to publicly make a mockery of him.

The premise reeled me in - Cooper and Mac's dynamic seemed like a quick setup but flirty, passionate, and fun. Admittedly, I got a little lost in what felt like many minor subplots to build character backstories and help trigger interest in what appears to be a book series. Why did Cooper's twin brother, Evan, break up with his girlfriend? It was obviously a bad breakup, but why?

I'm sure some people are into this writing style, but it's not typically my cup of tea. While I may not venture through the upcoming series, I felt like the storyline was well written and wrapped up nicely at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Good Girl Complex in exchange for an honest review.