Member Reviews

This book was so fun! I loved the story, characters and the message.

Characters:
Mackenzie was a very strong and confident character. She took charge and didn’t let other people stand in her way and I loved that about her. She was born into a wealthy family but never understood why money was so important to them.

Cooper was your typical bad boy. He’s rough, raw and says what’s on his mind, oh and he’d never be caught with a rich kid.

I love the message this book was conveying; not to judge someone based on what you see. Cooper judged Mackenzie and said he’d never fall for her because of her money but then learned that she’s so much more than her family’s worth.
This was a definite 5 stars! Don’t miss on February 1st !!

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I loved this book! I thought it was fun, fresh, and I loved the characters. The setting was vivid; I could see it in my minds eye the entire time, from the college to the town by the bay. Cooper Hartley is definitely a new "book boyfriend," and the relationship between him and Mac is a roller coaster that I honestly loved every minute of. Elle Kennedy's writing is smooth and easy to read, and she keeps me engaged every time. Excellent!

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🧡Good Girl Complex🧡
45 chapters
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved every second of this book!
Elle Kennedy will always be one of my favorite authors… I highly recommend this one!
Mac and Cooper stole my heart from the beginning.

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Loved this love story. It's been a while that is read a rich girl/bad boy romance. I enjoyed Mac's entrepreneurial vibe and her need to be free and independent. I was afraid she would be a pushover because she's supposed to be a people pleaser. And she is to a point. She stands up for herself and when she's finally putting herself first she's stuck to it.

Cooper is hot with the tattoos and bad boy attitude. I enjoyed him

These two fight like crazy and makeup just as intensely. Great story, great characters and great sex scenes.
However, an epilogue is needed for this story to put a nice tidy bow on the story for me

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If you liked watching Outerbanks on Netflix and want a similar vibe without all the murder, Good Girl Complex is for you. This book is angsty, perfect NA.

I love Elle Kennedy but I may have aged out of this one.

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While this was quick and generally enjoyable, the story itself felt stale, as if I’d read it many times over. I know romances often repeat the same tropes (in this case good girl falls for bad boy), but this felt overdone. I enjoyed the chemistry between the leads in the beginning, but once they got together it felt overdone, like we were just waiting for her to find out about the ruse. Would’ve enjoyed seeing more of the hotel renovation.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to St Martins Press for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was my first Elle Kennedy novel and I am HOOKED! I really felt the chemistry between Mac and Cooper and Elle Kennedy brought the steam! This is a definitely a binge worthy read and if you haven't read her Off Campus series, I highly suggest you pick that up too!

My one gripe with this book is the cover ... that is not where his tattoo goes. Very curious why marketing made the decision to do it like this.

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Mackenzie grew up in a world where she was expected to play the role of perfect people pleasing daughter. She had the seemingly perfect boyfriend that everyone expected her to marry. She had her whole future planned out for her. So when Cooper forces his way into her life, Mac starts to see that maybe her life wasn’t perfect after all. Cooper and Mac start a friendship that blooms into something more, but Cooper is harboring a big secret he kept from Mac.

I received this as an ARC, but I was really excited to read my first Elle Kennedy book. Cooper is a classic bad boy serial dater. Mac is fiery and stubborn. I really loved their dynamic and chemistry. This vibes like After, except Cooper doesn’t continuously mess up and hurt his lady. I enjoyed Kennedy’s writing style, I definitely want to check out more of her work. It was a really quick bad boy romance read, but I couldn’t put it down. 4/5 recommend!

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what a cute romance book with a townie and rich girl . I loved the friends. I can't wait to read their stories. I loved the friends and how they came together. I loved her friends. Overall I loved this book. I loved that she wanted to build a hotel. I loved that they came from revenge from him.

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What a breath of fresh air! Elle Kennedy is a masterful storyteller and character builder. Bar none, she creates some of the best side-characters and does so with such urgency that the story doesn't feel distracted by them, but enhanced. Arguably the most important device in a story which makes or breaks a book are the character's motivations--and yes, including the side-characters and Kennedy not only meets this criteria, but excels.

I love that the characters were so flawed and will almost certainly rub a few people the wrong way, but it made for a story that felt real and honest. The townies were vicious, and they had their reasons, but it didn't excuse their lack of empathy. And ya know what? I didn't mind that. They were jaded by the way they were treated for years. And this dynamic propelled the story forward as well as created an opportunity for dynamic character arcs.

I loved this book.

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Cute fun read about a girl who needs to find herself and a guy who needed her in his life. The story which started off as a bet was bound to go in the wrong direction. Once Mac and Cooper see that they bring out the best in each other you know they were meant to be. I liked this book, hopefully there will be more in this series.

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Elle Kennedy did it again with another new adult book! I really loved that Cooper and Mac were from opposites parts of the world but managed to find their way together. I really enjoyed how even though Cooper and Mac were from different parts of the world they still struggle with similar family issues which only drew them closer together. I also really liked the character growth from both characters - in the beginning I felt like Mac was a bit naive on how the world worked and she was stuck in her bubble but by the end of the book she really found who she really was and the same goes for Cooper. The banter in this book is A+ and their banter is something that I loved so much from this book.

It definitely reminds me of the show Outer Banks (with the townies and the rich kids that come in from school) and the fact that it takes place by the beach. It definitely isn't my favorite Elle Kennedy book but it was a great read and I really loved both their characters and also the side characters as well. Evan (Cooper's twin brother) was hilarious and I hope that we see a book about him in the future. The one big compliant about this book is that there is no epilogue - I love a good epilogue and a look in the future and where the couple is now and was so upset to find that this book did not have it. But besides that overall solid read and I would recommend it for anyone who loves Elle Kennedy's books!

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I'll admit, I grabbed this because of the author and the fact that this wasn't related to the <i>Off-Campus</i> books. Because while I loved that series -- though admittedly lost some love with the spin-off -- I wanted to see what Kennedy could do in a new space, with new concepts, and different characters.

The answer, however, is.. there wasn't much new-ness to this.

This is a fairly typical rich girl/good girl/highsociety girl meets poor boy/bad boy/local boy set-up and it does all the things you would expect it to do. There's nothing groundbreaking or fresh about how this all played out. There doesn't necessarily have to be -- because tropes we all love exist because we like to return to them -- but I wanted something new, something different, to make this stand out. Because as is there's nothing memorable about this and I will likely forget most of it by the time it's released (reading and reviewing this in September 2021).

At the very least, some exciting chemistry or sizzle could've taken the edge off but honestly.. there wasn't much of that, either. Another thing that did not standout.

If the aforementioned tropes, along with the secret mentioned in the summary (which, though is very early on addressed, I won't mention due to spoilers), do it for you, I think you'll enjoy. But I think this is the last Kennedy I'll request to review; I might still pick up the author if something appeals but I have a feeling I may have outgrown her.

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I have read and enjoyed the Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy and had high hopes for Good Girl Complex, but unfortunately it was simply not my cup of tea.

I found Cooper and Mackenzie to be immature and one dimensional and the "villain" was well, honestly, boring. The conflict did not come until the very end of the story and by that time I wasn't very invested in the outcome.

Overall, Good Girl Complex simply did not live up to my expectations.

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Such a cute, fun read! I was drawn to this book by the adorable cover. I loved the good girl meets bad boy storyline. Mackenzie and Cooper brought the steam and amazing chemistry! It was an easy read and I finished it fast.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martins Press for an ARC in return for my honest review.

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Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus series meets Outer Banks in this college/class division/beachside new adult romance!

Female lead Mac is the rich girl “Princess” that in a surprise twist is also a self made millionaire that is forced to attend college by her parents.

Bad boy Cooper has just been fired from his job after getting into a fight with Mac’s boyfriend and makes a bet with his friends that he can convince her to fall for him in an act of revenge.

What follows is all the drama, steam, and familiarity of her previous Off Campus books set in a picturesque setting.

We are introduced to a new group of friends and I am anxious to find out if there will be spin offs for their stories!

If you have read and loved any of Elle Kennedy’s previous books, you will be sure to love this one as well!

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**4.5 Stars**

I love Elle Kennedy. She has always been and will always be a one click author for me. It's been a while since she's ventured out of the Briar world, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I'll be honest, I was even a little nervous. However, I am so happy to say it did not disappoint.

One of the things I loved most about this book was how awesome Mac is. She's not a vapid rich girl, she doesn't look down her nose at anyone, and she just wants to be happy and make it on her own merit. She is everything I love in a h. I also loved the way she handled the inevitable conflict at the end. Girl knew her worth and wasn't going to settle for less.

Cooper was great, but I totally wanted to shake him at some points. I really liked how he treated Mac, with the exception of the initial bet. He always stood up for her when it came to his friends and even his brother. He put their happiness first and I thought it was really brave and admirable. He was honestly almost everything I love in a good book boyfriend. I say "almost" because, well obviously, he was a huge jerk for making the bet in the first place.

The side characters were also really great. That's definitely something I have to give Elle Kennedy credit for- she always does great with side characters. The only one who kind of felt useless was Bonnie. I'm not entirely sure why she was even there, to be honest. That being said, it's not like she was a detriment to the story so I'm not mad about it. And Evan? Man I hope if this is a series that he gets a book. And Tate, too. That man intrigues me.

The reason I am knocking a half of a star off is because WHY IS THERE NO EPILOGUE?! I didn't realize it was the last page until it was the last page. This is absolutely a book that needs one. Where is the big finished project reveal?! Where is the HEA?! This is definitely a HFN without the epilogue. COME ON, ELLE! GIVE US AN EPILOGUE!

Overall, I loved this book and will happily read it again. I hope if she records an audio for it she picks fantastic narrators because I would absolutely love to listen to it.

<i> ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

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I liked the character development through the novel. It was definitely reminiscent of the After series, but with a *mostly* healthier male lead. If there's a sequel, I'll read it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for an honest review!

“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” yes… as the synopsis said. Exhausting…. Because she is totally not living the dream I would want. I cant even get a boy to talk to me let alone look at me. This book was beyond what I expected. When I originally read the title and synopsis I was like “good girl complex”? Could never be me. And not only that I thought I would hate the main charcater little did I know I would turn out to love her. And the romance? After he moving yea HALLMARK BEACH MOVIE AT ITS FINEST. I honestly do wish I read this over the summer. It was definitely a beach:summer read.

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Two people from opposing sides of the tracks who meet in circumstances that force them to be together in a complicated and sensual way... that's something I want to read!

There's a lot to love about this story, including the passion between the main characters, Coop and Mac. A small-town boy and an upscale girl. Elle does an excellent job of highlighting that money does not equal a happy home and that family is what you make it. Cooper was my absolute favorite. He is such a likable guy, and I was pulling for him the entire time.

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