3.5 stars

My first Elle Kennedy read! I definitely had some mixed emotions toward this book though. The premise of this story was really fun, following Evan and Genevieve who had grown up together and dated for years until Gen unexpectedly left town without so much as a goodbye a year ago. However, when she returns to Avalon Bay following the death of her mother, she tries to restrain herself from being with him to their turbulent past and unruly escapades. In an attempt to reform herself and get rid of her "bad girl reputation" Gen vows to make a change and that includes keeping Evan out of her life, but he has a different idea - convince Gen that he too can be different and they can make things work. I liked the concept of the plot and how they both were working toward self-improvement but I felt like the story kind of dragged on at times or I simply wasn't as engaged at times. I did enjoy the connection between the two main characters but I was frustrated at times when Genevieve was trying to put unnecessary barriers between them after problems had already been resolved (aka the police officer). My favorite parts were definitely towards the end when things picked up a bit more again and I did enjoy the ending although I wish their final decision had maybe not been as rushed. Either way, although I did have a few quips regarding this book, I did end up enjoying the story quite a bit and was rooting for Gen and Evan the whole time and their personal development, not just for the sake of each other but for the sake of them feeling better about themselves personally as well.

this was really cute, something expected from elle kennedy's works. i love a good second chance romance, and gen and evan's whole party girl and bad boy dynamics was something entertaining to read about. i really enjoyed the family aspects to this with both gen and evan's dysfunctional issues with their mothers but close with the rest of their family members. overall this was a pretty fun standard romance wish there was more angst but the groveling and character development was good and especially the communication at the end.

The leading characters are likeable, the plot is entertaining in all the right ways, and there is some spice 🌶 There is no lack of passion in this book, whether it be the hot and steamy kind or the family passion of two (twin) brothers.

After reading Good Girl Complex, I was excited to read Bad Girl Reputation and it did not disappoint.

If you’re looking for a chaotic second-chance romance with family and friend drama, I recommend Bad Girl Reputation!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

“We’re two mostly harmless chemicals that when mixed become an explosive combination, leveling a city block with saltwater.”

Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in the Avalon Bay Series. A small town, second chance romance featuring a reformed bad girl and her bad boy ex. While not my favorite Elle Kennedy book I’ve read, I did still enjoy this one a lot. I loved the chemistry between Gen and Evan. These two were electric together, and still had a deep connection beyond just the physical. Their story was filled with personal growth, humor, swoon worthy moments, and just the right amount of spice. This one was much more than just a second chance romance and leaned heavily into finding that balance between bettering yourself and still keeping the things that make you *you*.

“I know Genevieve West like the back of my hand. I know what excites her. I know what makes her smile and I know what brings tears to her eyes. I know her every mood and I know the deepest fucking parts of her soul. Maybe she’s got herself fooled, but not me.”

This book had me hooked from the start! Elle was able to make Genevieve and Evan relatable characters from the start. The dual POV’s were great in the story building and understanding their past and why it’s so hard for them to make it work. There was just enough conflict to keep the story interesting and realistic, but not to so much that I was bothered enough to not finish the book. The growth of Gen and Evan as individuals and together was greatly written.

Absolutely LOVED IT! Once I started reading I just had to finish! The banter was on point, the steam was, well... steamy! Second chance books are amazing when written well and this one most definitely was written VERY well! Will be recommending this book to basically everyone I know!

Thank you Elle Kennedy, NetGalley and Avalon Bay Novel for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In the second book in this series, you would never know it was and makes for a great stand alone. There are some crossovers from the previous book but nothing that isn't explained in the second. If you want a book that you can wind down with, makes you turn your brain "off", and has an easy writing style, this is your book! I really enjoyed it. There are some steamy parts but overall, a quick, and fun RomCom!

I haven't read Good Girl Complex, so I wasn't sure what to expect in Bad Girl Reputation, but it was pretty good. Gen and Evan had a disastrous on-and-off romance until Gen abruptly left. When sad circumstances force Gen to return to Avalon Bay, their chemistry runs as hot as ever, but can they get past their history?
I loved how strong Gen was. She made hard decisions that put her well-being first and took an honest look at herself and changed for the better. Evan is impulsive and immature, yet he understood what Gen needed and became better to be worthy of her.
This story had sizzling chemistry, great character development, and made me laugh, but mostly it was a very romantic second chance that put a huge smile on my face.

As a fan of Elle Kennedy's other books and writing, I was quite excited to read this book. It is decent if you don't think too hard about it but unfortunately, it wasn't anything special. I did feel like the characters were a bit too immature considering that they were supposed to be college-age. I also felt like I couldn't connect well with the romantic relationship that was formed throughout this book which is a shame considering the potential this book had

The story follows Genevieve West as she returns to her hometown following the death of her mother. Her reputation for being a troublemaker isn’t doing her any good, and she’s looking to reform. But escaping her past isn’t easy, and letting go of her troublemaking on-and-off-again ex Evan Hartley is even more difficult. Genevieve decides to give him an ultimatum: clean up his act or let her go.

I went into this book thinking I wouldn’t like it as much as Good Girl Complex. As a self-proclaimed “goody two-shoes” myself, I didn’t think I’d be able to relate to Genevieve OR Evan on their journey back to each other. But, of course, this is Elle Kennedy we’re talking about, and the woman knows how to pull at your heartstrings and make you relate to all of her characters, even when they’re your exact opposite.

Bad Girl Reputation is book 2 of the Avalon Bay series by Elle Kennedy. It's told from POV with a HEA

Tropes:
✔️ second chance
✔️ small town
✔️ childhood friends to lovers
✔️ tortured hero and heroine

A year ago, Genevieve ran away from Avalon Bay without a backward glance because she felt her bad girl tendencies had led her to rock bottom and needed a clean break in order to get her act together.

After her mother passes away she returns home to help her father and 5 brothers, and finds herself face to face with her most impossible to break addiction: Evan Hartley. Her ex-boyfriend. Her best friend since childhood and the person who stoked the flames of mischief and trouble.

Their relationship had been explosive at best, but toxic at its worst. But the bond between them was intense, deep and undeniable. Now that they’ve grown a bit and matured a lot, can they find a happy medium and embrace moderation as a responsible young adults and as a couple?

Since Elle Kennedy is a fairly new to me author I went to check out the book’s details and saw that it’s categorized as NA rom-com. So I was expecting a lighthearted and humorous plot, but got angst, drama and dare I saw some dark and gritty themes. Which are perfectly ok, they just caught me off guard.

There was also the fact that Gen and Evan’s relationship was unconventional and hence unromantic. I understood their connection and deep seated love though and was absolutely rooting for them to figure out a way to work.

This is an interesting story. I don’t often read about bad girls. Usually it’s “boy” attached to the “bad” adjective, so Gen’s character was refreshing. I really liked both her and Evan trying to be better versions of themselves after all their history and drama.

By the numbers quick review:
★ Hero: 👤👤👤👤
★ Heroine: 👤👤👤👤
★ Plot: 📚📚📚📚
★ Romance: 💕💕
★ Sexiness: 🔥🔥🔥
★ Performance: 👤👤👤👤
★ Overall Rating: 3.5

I honestly don’t know how I feel about this book. I’m always torn on #SecondChanceRomances. I’m a person that loves the journey of falling in love with someone, so I don’t have that chance when we’re constantly going down memory lane.

This story felt like that to me. I appreciate the work Evan did with becoming a Big Brother, and the commitment to sobriety by Gen. However, I felt cheated on the journey of self-discovery and rekindling of love. We kinda just got there after a few memories and conversations. I totally enjoyed the first installment, but this one felt very immature and half-baked.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my FIRST Elle Kennedy book! I was nervous to read this because it's a little wishy washy if you should read the first book in the series, even though this classifies as a standalone. I really enjoyed this and I think it read just as good as a standalone.

Sometimes all I want is a book that doesn't make me think to hard and makes my heart swoon for the characters. This was that book. It's like a palette cleanser. The second chance romance was phenomenal, the chemistry was off the charts. I just really enjoyed both characters and side characters!

Honestly just by this one book I can tell I'm going to become a huge fan of Elle Kennedy! Now I'm off to read her back list books.

4 Stars!
Genevieve West packed up everything a year ago and left the small town she grew up in to work on herself and make some changes. She has a new life in Charleston that is abruptly uprooted when she has to return home to Avalon Bay for her mother's funeral. She soon realizes she will be temporarily stuck there for the summer helping out with the family business. Her biggest challenge will be keeping her distance from her ex-boyfriend. It's long overdue that she found some restraint when it comes to Evan Hartley. They grew up best friends, and then became high school sweethearts. She could never forget him, or the way he made her feel, but they share a complicated, intense, messy history. They were explosive together, but a toxic situation. These days she's learned not to give in to her destructive instincts. She's done a lot of growing up and wants to stay on a good path. Will she be able to avoid Evan, or will she give in to the inescapable pull that's always been between them?

Evan Hartley is known for being a reckless bad boy, but lately he's been a bit lost and struggling. He worked hard trying to get over his ex who broke his heart when she was suddenly gone without a word. Just as he's almost got her out of his system, she's back. She's just as confident, beautiful, fearless and unapoligetically herself as he remembers. They always made each other crazy, and when she's near he feels like he's losing his mind with how addicted he is to her. They were always pushing the limits, and chasing the next rush or adventure, but she's different now. He's tired of pretending he can stay away from her, and he wants her back. Can he be what she needs, and convince her to give them another chance?

Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy is the second book in the Avalon Bay series. It's a small town, friends to lovers, second chance romance packed with angst, emotion and fabulous chemistry. I love this series so much, and can't wait for more!!! <333

• review •
bad girl reputation | elle kennedy

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

this book was so good!
I spent literal MONTHS going back and forth on whether or not I should pick up good girl complex to read before reading my arc of this one, and then eventually waited too long and the time crunch decided for me 😂
so, I didn’t read the first book. however, I think I’m going to circle back to it.

I love evan. so much.
he’s hilarious, and adorable, and so damn loveable. and the most amazing big brother. obsessed.
officer f*ckface? the worst. yes, I finished this book and then immediately forced myself to forget his name. he is trash. I think his name started with an r? don’t quote me on it though. anyway. 🤢
gen was great. however, I didn’t find her to be ‘bad’. idk. it just sounded like she was yolo-ing the sh!t out of life. same goes for evan. they weren’t bad. they just weren’t angels.

also, this book touches on some sensitive topics, like addiction, abuse of power, and sexual assault.

all in all,
this book was good, dude.
idk why I’m surprised, bc I’ve actually really enjoyed the other elle kennedy books I’ve read so far.

I feel like this review is super rough around the edges, but I’m a little rusty. ok? but I’m finally feeling a bit better, so I figured I’d knock out some reviews while I can.

have you read this one? what did you think?

thank you to st. martin’s press and netgalley for my advanced copy. 🤍

Bad Girl Reputation
4
Am I toxic? I loved that their relationship has been on and off for years and pretty chaotic.
Evan Evan Evan..
Where do I begin. I really got such a rush of excitement from this book. I was laughing out loud and smiling for most of the book. It was so good and had a great ending!
Spoilers
I really loved that Evan became a Big Brother it was funny and sweet and I’m glad we got to see that side of him.
I also loved the little battle between Harrison and Evan and how sure of himself Evan was about him and Genevieve.
I really enjoyed when they decided to go against all of their initial instincts during their date. It really had me laughing out loud and smiling.
Im so happy that the twins got a second chance with their mom! the ending was so sweet.

fav quotes
“How can anyone grow if we only let them be who they were yesterday, right?”

“‘Hold on to your knickers.’”

“‘When are you going to accept that I’d be happy watching paint dry with you?’ His voice is low, earnest.”

“‘Remind me to not leave you alone with our kids.’”

“Sometimes, a girl just needs her dad.”

“I bow to meet her eyes. ‘I mean it, it’s cool. you need me, i’m here. No problem.’”

“‘Chill, baby,’ he whispers back. ‘Just think of me as the love fairy. Spreading the love all around.’”

spoiler quotes
“‘I told him I was in love with Evan Hartley.’”

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martins press for the ARC!

I want to start by saying I liked this story better than the first one because I think we can all agree the first one was basically the plot of "After" by Anna Todd. I really liked getting to see the characters grow, especially Evan. I loved that he joined the Big Brother program and became really good friends with his Little Brother Riley. I think that relationship benefited both parties immensely. Now onto Gen. I was not a huge fan of hers and it wasn't until the last few chapters that I actually started to like her. She treated Evan so bad when she first came home without really taking into account how he felt when she up and disappeared the year prior. She definitely had a lot of growing up to do and I think Elle Kennedy did a good job writing that growth. Did it need to take like 300 pages? No, but at least it eventually happened.

My only real complaint is the background characters. They are so hard to tell apart because they are all kind of dating each other. I think it would've been better to just leave them out of the book entirely because I spent way too much time trying to figure out who was with who. And who was who in general.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an eARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this second installation of the Avalon Bay series as much as I enjoyed the first book!

This book follows MC Genevieve, who comes home for her mother's funeral. Genevieve has many demons to face in her past relationship with her mother and so she struggles with the decision to stay for longer then she planned. Her dad has asked for her help with the business until he has the opportunity to hire someone. No only does Genevieve have to deal with thoughts of the past with her family, she meets up with her ex, Evan Hartley.

Readers of the first book will remember Evan's twin brother from that story line. :-)

Things start to heat up again between Genevieve and Evan (against their better judgment) in this steamy second book in the series.

3.5 stars for me.

Thanks you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This is the second book in the Avalon Bay series. I did not read the first book, but saw the description of this one, and it looked interesting. I love a second chance romance.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Themes:
* second chance romance
* Childhood friends to lovers
* Spice
* Small town
* parent-child relationships
* Addiction, grief, PPD

My first impression was that this is an easy read. I finished it in a couple days, compared to the last book I read which took several weeks. 🤪

Gen and Evan have off the charts chemistry. Their push-pull is *chef’s kiss*. I was hooked from the start, juxtaposed with themes of grief, addiction, complicated parent-adult relationships - made it hard to put down.

The one thing that I did not like were a couple of misogynistic comments. It’s 2022 and that shit needs to stop.

I would give other Elle Kennedy’s books a try. I heard her Off Campus series is good.

Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of this book; all opinions are my own.

I DNF'd I was so bored. Was there a plot? I looked for it. Couldn't find it. She's just a "bad girl" who "partied too much" and now she's trying to "fix her reputation." She just keeps working at her job and telling the love interest they can't be together. There's no driving towards anything, nothing to culminate in that I could identify. I couldn't tell where the book was going on that she kept rejecting Evan which, that's fine, your choice boo, just not sure I want to read that happening 20x in a row.