Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in the Avalon Bay series. The writing is consistent with the Good Girl Complex which is interesting, but not exceptional. The characters are developed and their connections are some what attractive, The sexy scenes are descriptive, but not overly steamy.

After listening to Good Girl Reputation I knew I had to grab this when it became available. While I think it could easily be read alone I think it is a phenomenal sequel. It gave me more about characters I LOVED while introducing new and exciting characters at the same time.

I really enjoyed this book, even more than "Good Girl Complex." The drama was better in this one and I appreciated the second chance romance plot. The main characters, Evan and Gen, were excellent and their journey of forgiveness and redemption was compelling. The book was a quick read and I had a great time reading it.

Bad Girl Reputation follows Genevive and Evan- who broke up when Gen abruptly left town a year ago. Now she’s back, summoned to her mother’s funeral and needed to help her dad keep his business running. Evan is unwilling to let Gen go again- but it’ll take everything he’s got to convince Gen to give him a second chance. Genevive has sobered up and is determined to get her life back on track- which doesn’t include Evan. Yet the two can’t manage to stay away and the real reason why Gen left Avalon Bay comes up. Can Evan and Gen make it together or are they better off apart?

This was a great second-chance romance and I enjoyed being back in Avalon Bay. I really admired how determined Gen was to get her life back on track and how hard she worked to keep the family business going. I also loved how Evan never gave up on Gen, took her seriously, and decided to be an “upstanding citizen” to win her back. Evan and Gen have a long history and this was evident in how well they knew each other and could practically read each other's minds. Readers who read The Good Girl Complex will enjoy the cameos from Mac, Cooper, and Daisy. I’m curious to see who will be next in the series and look forward to reading more about Avalon Bay!

I relayed to Gen in a lot of ways, but I found this book frustrating. The entire book is miscommunication, which is one of my least fave tropes. I thought I would see beyond that because second chance romance is my fave, but I just wanted to shake them. They felt so toxic.

Just as excellent as the first book in the series - Good Girl Reputation! A lifelong "bad girl" with a good heart has had her ups and downs in life and comes back to her hometown following the death of her mother. What you see right away is that she isn't a bad person, she's just been in some bad situations. Her former bad-boy boyfriend is also in town and sparks fly between the two of them, just as they always have. I loved this book!

Gen used to be a chaotic party girl and upon returning to Avalon Bay for her mothers funeral she wants to stay away from partying, stay sober and avoid her ex-boyfriend Evan for good measure. Of course, she immediately runs into Evan after her mothers funeral and there are still remaining feelings on both accounts. Determined to stick to her new leaf, Gen turns down Evans advances and starts going on dates with someone new. Evan then tells Gen he is going to court her to win her back without getting straight to physical intimacy and prove himself to be a reformed bad boy.

Aside from the romance and dealing with the grief of losing her mother, Gen also has to deal with the trauma from being SA’d and continuously harassed by a local police officer.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Gen and Evan and I also quite liked that this novel she’d light on the abuse of position and power that can be wielded by a police officer/ someone who is in a position of power and presumed duty to protect.

4 stars!

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Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"...a year gone, and I’d finally trained myself to stop thinking about her every time this thing or that reminded me of another time when. So of course, just when I’ve almost got her out of my system, she’s back. A fresh, unfiltered shot straight into my bloodstream when I was damn near clean. Now all I taste are her lips. I feel her nails down my back every night while I’m lying in bed. I wake up hearing her voice. It’s infuriating." Ahhh that sounds of juvenile love. Honestly are these character immature? yes. Are they infuriating? yes. But when you just sit back and accept them for their flaws this becomes so much more enjoyable. This second chance romance gives you all the teenage angst and more.

I was a bit underwhelmed by the first book, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much more I liked this one.. Genevieve and Evan have a much more compelling romance and their chemistry made the story so much more enjoyable. I love a good second chance romance, and I think the small town aspect to this really added to the yearning between the love interests.

Loved reading the second book in these series. Second chance romance is not usually my go-to, but Elle Kennedy never disappoints.

This book was fine but very underwhelming compared to the first book in the series. I didn’t really care about any of the characters.

So, this author knows what she's doing! What a great read, great characters that had chemistry, and it was paced really well!

This is the second book I have read by this author. I requested this one since I enjoyed the first. Admittedly, I enjoyed the first book more, but I did enjoy going back to this town and these characters.

Sad, because I really enjoyed the first book in the series, but I almost had to DNF this one at first because Evan and Gen’s toxic relationship was really difficult and cringey to read… It did get better but I kind of feel like their “character development“ was rushed and then they were just happily together with really nothing to show for it.

First I’ll say I love Elle Kennedy, I’ve read all of the Briar U and Off-Campus series and Good Girl Reputation. So maybe it’s because I had high expectations for this book that it let me down…but I didn’t like this. It was honestly kind of boring.

The characters felt immature and bratty. Not just the MCs, but their whole group of friends. Jealous, toxic, catty, in need of therapy, the list goes on. And there are too many side characters.

I had to struggle through the first 2/3 of the book and then eventually put it down. I only went back to finish it months later because this was an ARC and I wanted to give my thoughts.

Hopefully it’s just this series and it’s just that I can’t relate to the characters of Avalon Bay. I’ll give Elle Kennedy another chance but I don’t think I’ll read the third book in this series.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The title sucked me in & this book was such a fun read. I loved the chemistry of the characters and the happily ever after.

thank you net galley and publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one even more than the first in the series. I loved getting to see more of returning characters. Could also be read as a standalone.

Read if you like: second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers.
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I love Elle Kennedy’s books and thoroughly enjoyed this one. It takes place after the first book in the series and focuses on Cooper’s twin Evan and his ex Genevieve. Gen is back in town which shakes up Evan’s world. He tries to get her back, but she is determined to shake her bad girl reputation and that includes the bad boy.
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I really enjoy these tropes and while this book was very dramatic, I enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading!

I am a big Elle Kennedy fan and have read multiple of her other standalone series. Bad Girl Reputation was good. I would not say it was great in comparison to some of her other works, but if a reader is looking for a solid contemporary romance, this will do the job and do it well. One issue I did have with this book was that the characters were annoyingly immature at times. And it did not seem like this was intentional either. I understand that based on their age they should be immature but if that is the case it should be consistent. The wishy-washy nature of them being mature in some instances and immature at others made them overall frustrating and inconsistent characters.

This was an interesting gripping story. I enjoyed watching these characters as they explored and learned to love. This was not the best read of the year but a fun ride none the less.