Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I like Elle Kennedy, so I knew at the very least, it would be a good read. And I was right, but it wasn't the best depiction of the three different tropes included in this novel.

Tropes included:
1. Poor boy and rich girl
2. Making a bet/conquest
3. Cheating

The book is told in alternating points of view, Mackenzie and Cooper. I liked Mackenzie's character, but I think Cooper could use a bit more work. Their romance is kind of instalove as it is all based on attraction and chemistry and how they cannot resist the urge to act on it. But as the novel progresses, it gets better and obviously has more substance. Also, it is a New Adult novel, so the sex is descriptive.

Overall, it's not bad, but I wasn't as invested in the characters or what happens to them in the end.

Loved the vibes from the book, and the characters are super dynamic! I felt the pace was a bit slow, and the ending was abrupt. Overall, a good romance read!! 3.5/5 stars

it comes as no surprise that i am absolutely in love with this book. can elle kennedy do any wrong? i certainly dont think so.

Good Girl Complex is another excellent book written by Elle Kennedy. The characters were fun and I enjoyed the story overall.

First off I want to thank NetGalley for an ARC of Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy. This book was so good! I couldn’t put it down! All I can say is 1000 times yes read this book! It’s super cute and I love her writing style! I plan on buying this book as soon as it’s released!

I could not get enough of this book! I was greatly anticipating this book, and it did not let me down. I was glued to the relationship of Mac and Cooper. SO SPICY AND SWEET! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I was so excited to receive this book. I have enjoyed so many of Elle Kennedy’s books. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t find myself connected to or caring about these characters. I just felt things were slow and rushed all at the same time. I honestly struggled to get through this one and found myself skimming at times. I would have liked to see more depth to Mac and more depth to the story. I’m probably going to be in the minority here thought, and think many might enjoy this book.

Elle Kennedy writes some amazing romance novels but this one just may be my favorite! A rich girl who just want to be free of the demands placed on her and a troubled bad boy who may not be who he seems? These two are what makes this book so brilliant! I loved it to pieces!

I am always a sucker for a good bet/revenge dating trope. I really loved this book and Mac and Cooper were adorable. I also am obsessed with the fact that their first few kisses were cheater kisses, I love cheaters. The blow up at the end was really good and Coopers plan to get her back was cute.

My only complaint with the book was that at one point Mac got upset and said she was tired of the microaggressions that were being said towards her. Considering every person in the book was white I really did not like that.

I received a copy through netgalley.

It's like a beach town version of the haves and have-nots with some Outter Banks thrown in. The townies always having to serve the rich folk who think they can get away with anything simply because they can. But all hearts beat the same underneath. Cooper will find this out in the most unexpected way.

What starts as a plot for revenge ends up costing him more than he ever thought he valued when he sets his sights on Mac. I loved every moment. Please tell me Kennedy is making this a new series, cause I need so much more!

What a perfect way to end my 2021 summer reading.
~Tanja

I love it when a book delivers on the trope it hinted at and then some. That’s basically what Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy did!

This book was only my third contemporary this year that I finished! My first new adult romance in like forever and I’m so happy it met my expectations. In fact, this book gave me the same kind of feeling I had when I finished the Deal and you guys know how much I loved The Deal!

Anyway…first off, we get to meet an entirely new set of characters. From trust fund kids to townies, this set of characters are familiar for those who loves NA romance but what I liked about this set of characters is the way Elle gave them each a personality, established connections, set rivalries that I hope is going to pay off in the future. *hint hint we need more books please!

Second, Mac and Cooper. They are the stars. And like I mentioned before, Elle really took her time developing both characters, giving them personalities, hopes and dreams, and flaws, and character development. Which is often my frustration with a lot of NA romance. Yes, there’s heat but where’s the character development, huh?

Well, in this book, you get all of it. You get the heat, chemistry. character and relationship development. And considering the relationship between Coop and Mac didn’t exactly start out with the best intentions on Cooper’s part. The motivation behind how they met and why is huge part of the plot so I won’t spoil but trust me, it’s not pretty. It’s a hard trope to pull off but Elle Kennedy did it and she gave me the resolution I wanted with a few surprises along the way.

The only reason why it’s not a full 5 stars is that this book needed to have an epilogue!

I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil anything but add this to your TBR and read it as soon as it’s out.

I enjoyed this one! It's my first time reading Elle Kennedy and I'm definitely not disappointed. I was worried that this would be cringey or predictable based off of the synopsis, but I'm glad to say I was SO wrong. Elle did a great job making this good girl/bad boy trope actually fun. This was a super cute read and the cover is so adorable. Can't wait for it to be published:)

I just have to say that this book was absolutely amazing!! It kept me captivated and interested from page one. I will recommend this to anyone who reads.

Honestly Elle Kennedy has very much so always been a pretty go to author for me. I’ve enjoyed many of her works in the past and I really wait for her next romances to surprise me and this was no exception at all. I loved it. It was the perfect type of romance that I needed at a time like this and Kennedy didn’t disappoint.

This was the type of book where you see two very different individuals with very different things they want in life come together and see what life would be like. They were romantic moments but there were also moments that touched you and I think that’s really the main reason why I ended up loving this book more the more. 5 out of 5 stars!

I love Elle Kennedy's new adult college hockey romances, so I was really excited to read this one. Similar to her other books, it's super easy to read and compelling. I love the way she makes her settings and sets of characters seem almost cinematic. They are the height of fantasy. I thought this book was quite strong. The main characters had interesting back stories and the wide cast of characters gives lots of possibilities for future books. I did think that there were perhaps too many dark moments in the last third of the book, and too many fights. I didn't feel confident that Mac and Cooper would make it through their issues even after the book ended. I also felt like the grovel wasn't quite sufficient and that the villain of the story didn't quite get his comeuppance. I still look forward to reading any future works in this possible series. Thanks for the arc!

Really great book, perhaps too predictable...

I was so excited when I got this e-arc!! Elle Kennedy's books are usually so good! Unfortunately, something was missing for me in this one...

Don't get me wrong, it was still good! Preppy and rich Mackenzie wants to get out of her "rich life" because apparently, it sucks! So she meets local, somewhat poor, beautiful, bad boyish Cooper Hartley. The two develop an insanely cute romance that is threatened by an important secret that Cooper is keeping from Mac.

Something was just missing for me to make the story special! A lot of the storyline elements gave me a sort of deja vu so it's safe to say I wasn't blown away!

Nonetheless, my expectations might have been too high for this book. On its own, it's a really cute, fluffy romance book that is easily enjoyable if you like Elle Kennedy's writing style!

3.5/5

I really enjoyed Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus series and thought I would give Good Girl Complex a try. I am a romance fan but I couldn’t connect to the story or characters. The writing didn’t feel like an Elle Kennedy story. It read like a fledgling author.

I definitely consider myself a fan of Elle Kennedy and was greatly looking forward to this book. A bad boy romance sounded like a perfect summer read. The moments that Mac and Cooper are just hanging out together and their chemistry is flaring are just magical. I loved reading about them as a couple. All of the stuff surrounding them was too much for my tastes, I did not like the set up of there relationship and I found all of the trappings of Mac's poor little rich girl style life over the top. Her parents and boyfriend were villainous caricatures that took me out of the story any time they were on the page. I still loved Mac and Cooper together so much that this book remains a book I will end up revisiting and recommending,

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

***Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Griffin and Elle Kennedy. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

This book was everything I love from Elle Kennedy: lots of irresistible chemistry, heat, depth of character and a layered evolution of 2 people falling in love with each other. Mac (Mackenzie) is a total badass, leaving behind the people in her life that tried to control her and taking control of her life, taking chances and really truly living for the first time. She brings out the best in Cooper, who despite a rocky start is a standup guy. Evan, Cooper’s twin, took a long time to come around so I’m hoping we get to see more of him in a future story, even though this book is listed as a stand-alone. Cooper’s tight knit group of friends don’t exactly welcome Mac into their group with open arms, but only 1 managed to resist Mac’s charm. I loved all the feels of watching our couple fall and fight and makeup and figure out what they want and need from one another.

4.5 stars

Elle Kennedy’s ‘Good Girl Complex’ hits the perfect intersection of grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract, resulting in all around amazingness. There’s banter in spades, and white-hot chemistry that will leave you begging for more.

When Cooper Hartley sets his sights on Mackenzie Cabot, his motivations are far from pure. A “townie” tired of being mistreated by the town’s elite, Cooper thinks that Mackenzie is just another rich girl clone. When he finds out that’s not the case? Well. Things get super complicated. Mac Cabot is tired of towing the line, of feeling like she’s a placeholder in her own life. So, when she meets the broody, tattooed Cooper, she starts to realize she wants more. More out of her life. And more from him. Little does she know that Cooper has a secret. A big one. One that could be a complete game changer.

One of the things Kennedy excels at as a writer is creating fictional places that feel real. Her world building is great, and the reader becomes invested not just in the story of the protagonists, but in the stories of the secondary characters as well. My hope is that there is another interconnected standalone coming, because I’m not ready to say goodbye to this place or these characters.

Mac and Cooper are absolute fire together, whether they’re loving each other or fighting each other; their connection is palpable. Kennedy deftly shows how people can seem like they’re opposites in every way, but are actually more alike than they ever would have guessed. Add in witty banter and hilarious moments, and I’m all the way in.

A sincere thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.