Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange of an honest review.

Overall this book was exactly what I had expected from Elle Kennedy. Having read her previous books I wasn't surprised with this book. For fans of her previous work it will be a fun and enjoyable read. Personally I prefer more development in each character outside of the romance in order to really become involved with the connection between the couple. I feel that they fell prey to the standard archetypes of party girl and bad boy instead of being fleshed out and 3 dimensional. I will say that the chemistry was good. This book wasn't a miss for me, but it was pretty forgetful as far as college romances go.

LOVE. SO much love. This was such a fun read. I wish there had been a little bit more depth and a little more tension/conflict between the two MCs but I liked this one almost as much as I loved the first one. Can't wait for book three!

This one was cute. That’s how I will sum it up. I had not read any Elle Kennedy prior to this one but I have heard great things. This one was maybe not her best, so I will definitely try another from her!

I've gotten to chapter 5 in this book and it's taken multiple tries to get to this point. I don't think it's a bad book but may not be a book I can get through right now. I need something that will catch my attention faster and I'm finding this a bit slow.

Loved knowing Evan and Gen’s story as much as Cooper and Mac’s! Such a good read that definitely got me hooked. Loved getting glimpses of Coop and Mac as well. A great and easy book to read on a rainy or hot day.

honestly I found they both kind of sucked as people, even if there ended up being the necessary character development to get a decent finale. I wouldn't root for them in real life let alone a book.

I’m a fan of Elle Kennedy and I enjoyed this book. Her books are always fun quick reads and this one was no different. I enjoyed the main characters and their love story was fun.

Avalon Bay is the perfect small town setting and it just automatically draws you in. I enjoyed the characters, especially the side characters. I didn’t really like the trope of miscommunication.. we are all adults here. Overall it was a decent read.

I loved going back to these characters, their tumultuous past and relationship was mentioned in Good Girl Complex, and I was very intrigued to know what would happen with them, this was a fun read! Is it high brow literature? No. But I’m not here for the credit I’m here to have a good time and I did with this book.

4 Elle Kennedy Stars
* * * *
Oh, Elle Kennedy has done it again. Bad Girl Reputation is the second part of the Avalon Bay series. We get all the ways Ms. Kennedy puts together second chances and also all the swoon. insights to the complications, and a terrific HEA.

I love a second chance, "it's always been you" romance. in this cute beach town romance genevieve west is back in her home town of avalon bay after a year away. as a former bad girl, she's trying avoid her past and her on again off again ex-boyfriend evan hartley. worried that if she spends too much time with him she'll get caught up in their old ways. but the two can not stay away form each other. if you read good girl complex you got to see that evan has been waiting for gen to come home since she abruptly and mysteriously left. and he's on a mission to get her back. but first gen has to be convinced that evan has truly changed. if you like second chance romances this is for you! overall an easy fun read.

side note: I think gen and evan own the song "habits" by genevieve stokes.

thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

Genevieve is back for her mother's funeral after leaving town a year ago without a word as to why. Her father convinces her to stay and help out in the family business. She's hoping to avoid her ex-boyfriend, Evan, but that proves to be difficult in such a small town. They never really got over each other, so they can't seem to stay away from each other now. Can this former bad girl turned good girl sway, Evan, to grow up too?

Rusty was the worst, most dreadful character ever. Harrison was so sweet and I felt bad that he was led on, but it seems like he might get his own happily ever after.

All in all, there were some frustrating moments between these two, but they had some good chemistry and banter.

“When are you going to accept that I’d be happy watching paint dry with you?”

Elle Kennedy 🤝 Boys obessed with their girlfriends and would watch paint dry with them

Genevieve and Evan were the on-again off-again high school couple. So when she’s back in town for her mom’s funeral, the question is whether they will be on or off.

Their chemistry is impossible to deny. This was a good second-chance romance with all the angst that you’d expect from a former high school relationship.

Also thank you netgalley for an arc of this book!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
- second chance romance
- golden retriever / black cat
- small beach town

This book was good and I loved Genevieve and Evan's banter!

This was a story about healing, personal growth and second chances. I love second chance romances and was excited to read this one. I foundyaelf crossing my fingers these two would be able to make it work and find their way to each other.

If you're a fan of Elle Kennedy because of her off campus series and we're expecting some of the same you should know these two series are not really similar in any way and this new series feels like it was written by a different author. It doesn't mean this series is bad, it's just different than her previous work and I think it should be approached as such.

Elle Kennedy's Bad Girl Reputation is a story of two people who love each other, but are terrible for each other. When Gen leaves town to get away from her reputation, she doesn't tell Evan, her on-again-off-again boyfriend of several years. She sees the damage they do to each other and decides that a clean break is the only way to approach it. Her mother's death brings her back to Avalon Bay where she must confront her past. This is the second in a series, though it stands alone. The characters' relationship is toxic and though they both demonstrate growth, they're immature and bland.

3.75 stars

LIKES:
📝 breezy, quick, fun writing
🏖 set in a beach tourist town!
👥 multi-pov (Gen & Evan)
🏍 Gen is a bad girl with a past
⛹️‍♂️ Evan is a play boy from a troubled family
💞 second-chance romance (4/5 steam)
🗣 lots of flirty banter
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 explores complex family dynamics
🚔 + examination of police behavior
💊 + sobriety
🎭 full of new adult drama!
•
DISCLAIMERS:
⚠️ DM me for TW!
🧀 a bit cheesy at times
🏊‍♀️ wanted a bit more depth
🍼 very new adult (may feel immature!)
•
VERDICT: a banter-filled, beachy second-chance romance between a bad girl & a play boy with a past - explores some deeper themes like sobriety & complex family dynamics but wanted a big more depth & maturity!

“Bad Girl Reputation” by Elle Kennedy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 10/4
Genre: Contemporary Romance


Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! I read the first book in the series, so I figured I should give this one a try. I really enjoyed it. While I think the first is slightly better I would still recommend both. There are a couple spicy scenes.

Genevieve West hasn’t been back to Avalon Bay in a year, but then her mom passes away. She’s back for the funeral but plans on leaving as soon as possible that is until her dad asks her to stay for a while and help with the business. The one thing she wanted was to forgo her bad girl reputation which means not getting involved with her ex Evan.

•• Evan and Genevieve ••

☆☆☆☆

Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy
Book 2 : Avalon Bay

After reading Good Girl Complex, I was excited to head back to Avalon Bay for twin brother Evan and find out his story with Gen! I was pleasantly surprised but slightly disappointed.

I honestly got so frustrated at the beginning and was a little over Evan’s “I need to punch someone” phase. But when he started the big brother program was when I got hooked. I was so happy with the turn around and loved the rest of the story.

I enjoyed watching them grow together and find their way back to each other. I absolutely love second chance romance!

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Available now - happy reading y’all!!🫶🏻

I loved this book. It is the second book in the series, but I didn't feel lost reading it as a standalone. I loved Gen! I was taken aback at first by her boldness but after a short while I admired it. Gen is a young woman who stands securely on her own two feet and makes her own decisions, good or bad. She left her home town to avoid a dangerous enemy and also to straighten herself out. She had been in a long time relationship with Evan (one of the town's bad boys), and the two of them had broken almost every law, got caught for a few of them, and she had realized that she needed to reform and she couldn't do it around Evan. She just couldn't resist him. And Evan can't resist her, but he has to convince her that the two of them could be together and not burn down their lives.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great contemporary romance with characters who work for a living, live in small towns, and who aren't perfect.

I received a copy of this book from publisher St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. It was a pleasure to read and review this book.

I did not like the first book and I did not like this one too.... I think for me I did not really get the full detail of the plot like the depth in the plot wasn't enough for me and the character development went nowhere....