I honestly don't care for typical romantic cliches (second chance, bad boy, etc.) very much, however I really enjoyed them in this book. Maybe it's because I've been so busy with school and work, but whenever I had the chance, it was great to just turn off my brain and lose myself in the world of Avalon Bay. I've grown to adore Gen and Evan as well as the small town that's featured and all of its colorful side characters. In contrast to other books in the genre, Genevieve and Evan's characters develop throughout the narrative, but the changes feel gradual to them rather than drastic. I'm eager to read the first book in the series, which I had no knowledge of, and the next installment, which will be published in the following year. Many thanks for the arc to Elle Kennedy and Netgalley!

Rating: 3.5

This book had great character development that felt true to life and also unique; it portrays the difficulty of staying away from someone you love in order to lead a healthier and happier life. I don't think I've see this before in a romance. Since it's romance, it's got an HEA and it does allow for the couple to have a second chance, but the path there feels well-earned. I really enjoyed this, but I will admit it dragged in the second half for me. It probably could have been edited down a bit. Still, I'd recommend this book as well as the other book in the series, Good Girl Complex.

I was overwhelmingly disappointed in this book. I was very excited to jump into another messy Elle Kennedy romance. However, this book was all mess and nothing else. The characters were all unlikeable. The dialogue was extremely cringy and the plot was subpar.

The romance was a second chance of sorts, but it felt more like a bully romance with some weird physical attraction that neither characters could shake off. Once the story and romance started to pick up, I was so annoyed by the characters by that point I had lost all interest.

The only thing I enjoyed (enjoyed is a strong word 😬) about the book was the bit of backstory and character growth that Genevieve talks about towards the end.

I received a copy of Bad Girl Reputation from the publisher, but it was recommended that I read Good Girl Complex first. I agree with this as this duology is a story of twin brothers, Cooper (Coop) and Evan Harley. In this story we meet Evan's best friend, Genevieve West (Gen) who has returned to Avalon Bay after the death of her mother. She had no intention of staying, but when her father asked her to stay and help with the family business, doing the administration stuff her mother did, she agreed to stay until they found a replacement. Gen has a terrible reputation of being the party girl, getting drunk and doing stupid things. Before she left the first time, her and Evan were a couple, wreaking havoc together. Gen has reformed and matured, but being around Evan scares her. Evan seems to be on a self-destructive path and Gen tries to stay as far away from him as she can. He vows to reform as well and his path as well as his attempts to "woo" Gen is an entertaining story.

I think I liked this book better than the first one. Gen had come a long way in her life and fearing she would fall back into her old life is a very realistic feeling. There is also a person from her past who has it out for her and will do whatever he can to ruin her name, reputation and drive her out of town. Once again, Evan's mother makes an appearance and I liked watching them try to reconcile. Evan is an interesting character who has a lot of demons. His life is so entrenched in being self-centered and only doing what makes him feel good, but does it really, that I wasn't sure he would be able to change, even for Gen. When he gets involved in volunteer work to show Gen he isn't the selfish guy she thinks he is, I almost died of laughter. Some of the things that happen were absolutely hilarious. The secondary characters were all great and I loved how protective Gen's family was. Her father, who was absent due to the family business for much of her life, really comes around and steps up when she needs him. There are some heavy issues in this book: addiction, alcohol abuse, mental health, sexual harassment, police abuse, family breakdown, and classism. I will warn you, there is a lot of open door bedroom scenes that were very steamy, so if that is something you don't want, then you might steer away from this series. Although I fast forward through those scenes, the story itself was a good one that I very much enjoyed.

I loved the first book of this series but I hated this one. Why was she made out to see that these guys wanted her I mean come on and the. String 2 along why what was the point maybe if your 13 and wanna read something but I nope!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC.

I loved the first book in this series, and I was curious to see where the second book would go. Not gonna lie, I was almost put off by the toxicity of Evan and Gen's relationship intially, but I'm glad I finished the book.

Both characters go through a lot of growth during the book, and as a result their relationship is a lot healthier, but in the beginning, they were incredibly immature. Especially Evan.

The story was good, but I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first one. However, it's still a strong addition to the series.

I ended up listening to this on audio after hearing some not so great reviews from some friends that like Elle K books. I do think it was my least favorite because there was just so much push and pull to get these two together that it felt more frustrating and left me feeling a little bit like.... are these characters even good together? However, her writing still shone through and it was entertaining and easy to read the book. I'd still recommend it for fans of Elle.

I really enjoyed this second chance love story. Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in the Avalon Bay series. It can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading Good Girl Complex first.

Genevieve and Evan were together before she left the small coastal town where they grew up. She was a party girl and he was a bad boy. Their relationship was a little toxic and messy. When she left town, she never even said good bye to Evan, but now she's moved back to town after the death of her mom. Evan is dead set on winning Genevieve back, but she doesn't want to get stuck in the same behavior patterns that she had when she was young.

I loved how these characters embraces their imperfections to grow together. They are both flawed, but love each other enough to want to evolve and be better. They also had great chemistry.

This book would be a great summer beach read. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. The Summer Girl will be out in July 2023.

I'm not sure if I actually like Elle Kennedy's writing but something about it is kind of comforting? I know pretty much what is going to happen and so it's easy to just focus on the story and not have to think too much. I liked Bad Girl Reputation more than Good Girl Complex. I don't know if it was the characters or what. Her books seem to follow a specific formula so overall the plot is pretty similar.

This was a quick, enjoyable second chance romance. I loved the characters and their attraction.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

When I first started this book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to love it or not because second-chance tropes are not my fave. But once I got into this book, I couldn’t put it down! Gen and Evan had a very toxic and wild relationship in the past. As the story goes on, Gen is wanting to change herself for the better and not be stuck in a toxic rut. Evan decides to do the same.

I truly enjoyed how their relationship blossomed over the book. It’s clear they have an intense connection to each other so watching them grow on their journey of growth together and separately was so inspiring!

I thought this book was going to be about young lovers but it dives into some tough topics along the way of their journeys of growth. Elle really did an amazing job with this story and these characters 💜

After reading Good Girl Complex, I was intrigued to learn more about the relationship between Evan & Genevieve. As it turned out, I fell madly in love with them. At first they were pretty toxic for one another, and I could completely understand why Gen didn’t want to be back home, around Evan. But the two of them were like magnets for each other. No matter how hard Gen tried to stay away, she just couldn’t. Evan understood her in ways no one else could. He really “manned up” for her and showed her that he could be who she needed. I was proud of Evan for that, especially considering his behavior in Good Girl Complex. I loved that they were just always meant to be from the very beginning, despite all that came between them. Their story was really well done!

I love Elle Kennedy's books! Loved that this took place in the same universe and Good Girl Complex. Great characters, pacing, and chemistry. Super cute read.

After reading Good Girl Complex, I was excited to continue with this series. However, I did not like this book. I disliked the characters right from the start and that made it incredibly hard for me to continue reading. They both seemed extremely immature and their relationship appeared to be extremely toxic (A few examples from the first couple pages: Evan tries to sleep with her at her mother’s funeral and is upset that she finally returned to town without telling him.) I don’t think I made it halfway before I stopped reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin, and Elle Kennedy for an e-arc of Bad Girl Reputation in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! I've always been a fan of Elle Kennedys books, and this one is just another one to add to my collection. I love a good second chance romance, especially when they don't really want to admit the feelings are still there at first. You can just tell that Genevieve and Evan are meant to be, its light a magnet just keeps pulling them together. There is so much heat between them, and such love for each other. If you love a good romance that has a great second chance happy ever after, then this is for you. I highly recommend this book to all my fellow book lovers! : )

I'm not usually a huge second chance romance fan, but this one was really well done. While I did not love the first book, primarily because it had some tropes that I was not into. Evan and Gen had a story that was so much more enjoyable.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I don't think it was bad by any means, but I was still disappointed after really liking Good Girl Complex.

4/5⭐️
2/5🌶️

thank you netgalley and st. martin’s griffin publishing for this arc! this book was released october 4th, 2022!

i wasn’t so sure about this book when i started it because the first few chapters were pretty slow and the relationship between the two main characters seemed incredibly toxic. but thankfully, this book really turned itself around! this is a second chance romance between evan and gen who have been on again, off again lovers since high school. both characters have made some bad choices in the past and those choices allow this book to revolve around both people finding redemption for their past actions. gen gains a lot of confidence and really finds herself in this book and evan is a bad boy who has a soft spot just for gen 🫠 the spice was decent and i found myself really loving the characters and their stories. i honestly really enjoyed both this book and the first of the series!

“i’ve always loved myself best in evan’s eyes.”

A story about to complicated people, struggling with turning their lives around while denying their underlying chemistry.
I found issue with some of the pacing. I would be racing through slow parts and wishing other sections lasted longer, Although I appreciated the moral of the story, I was not invested in the characters and wasn’t necessarily rooting for their relationship.
Great if you’re looking for something centered on second chances (romantic and not), complicated family relationships and lots of sexual tension.

Bad Girl Reputation (1) great name (2) great book two (3) sign me up for book 3

I got approved for this ARC before reading GGC so I had to make a mad dash to B&N to grab a copy and absolutely DEVOURED it. Book two BGR was just as good, I loved the story and the charcters (man why are these boyz such Snacks) The love story between Evan and Gen was just 😍😍😍, I could read about them again and again

Love it!! Would recommend

TY netgalley!!
🌶🌶🌶🌶