⭐️⭐️⭐️3/5

I was super excited to have the opportunity to get an ARC of Bad Girl Reputation after reading Good Girl Complex earlier this summer.

Overall, this was just a decent read for me. There were elements that I really liked and other things that didn’t work so well. All in all, I enjoyed it, but it never fully sucked me in.

What I liked:
-Dual POV and Second Chance Romance (a recipe for me to LOVE a book)
-This book dives back into some storylines that’s I wish had more attention at the end of Good Girl Complex (like Mac’s hotel reno!)
-Bad Girl Reputation is all about personal growth and recreating yourself and I loved that you could see both the struggle and growth in each character
-Spice and banter (yes & please)

What I didn’t like:
-The cast of characters (friend group, Gen’s brothers) is too big and difficult to distinguish at times. Took me time and effort to remember them from the first book and keep them straight
-Cooper was really unlikeable in this book in my opinion, and while he was never my favorite before, I really wasn’t a fan of how he was portrayed here
-In the end, I honestly wasn’t swept away by the romance

You’ll love this book if:
-You also loved Good Girl Complex
-You’re looking for an easygoing romance read with good amounts of spice, banter, and personal development

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this book.

Posted 10/3/22 to Instagram (ashlie_overbooked) and Goodreads

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“We’ve all got a post. Things we’d rather people not judge us for. How can anyone grow if we only let them be who they were yesterday?”

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review an early copy of Elle Kennedy’s newest book, ‘Bad Girl Reputation.’

This one was just okay. I didn’t hate it, and I definitely didn’t love it. I prefer the first book, ‘Good Girl Complex’ to this one for several reasons.

Was the story good? Yes. Was it problematic? Also yes.

Let me just get to it: Genevieve (Gen) and Evan have a very toxic relationship. It’s so toxic, that the charm of the ‘second chance romance’ is lost. While there was definitely chemistry between them, the way they were towards one another, and the ups and downs, were too much and very unhealthy. Not saying every relationship is perfect but, this one didn’t give me great vibes.

There was a lot of growth with both the main characters, almost making this book a 4-star read for me, however, the story was way too repetitive. I lost count of how many times Evan mentions that they are drawn to one another and Gen mentions how they were bad together and did stupid, reckless, stuff. We get the point already! But the blow pop story, super cute! And female empowerment at the end, when something happens.

“The best gift we give ourselves is respecting our needs first.”

It was interesting reading Evan’s POV because in the first book, where we follow his twin brother Cooper’s POV, Evan seems pretty sleezy. But when you read his POV in this one, he actually is a pretty decent guy who just has a lot of emotional baggage he needs to go to therapy to, to work through.

And my god. The steam in this one was HOT. The first book was tame on the steam, but this one multiplied it by 7. I know Kennedy is known for her steamy scenes (hello Off-Campus series), but damn. I mean the book starts off with some serious steam and it just continues to the point where it (almost) feels like a filler for space.

I would absolutely love to see more stories in this series following characters like Craig and Alana. Knowing Kennedy, I imagine we will see an announcement soon of their being more installments (hopefully).

“I’m my favorite self when I’m with him - and also my worst.”

T/W: verbal and emotional abuse, mention of sexual assault, parental death, grief, addiction

Rating: 3.5/5 ✨

Hey Alexa, play “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift 💗

After her mother passes away, Genevieve West is forced to return to Avalon Bay. No one knows why she left so abruptly. But now she’s back, she realizes that she has to deal with some unresolved business. Most of which involves her ex-boyfriend Evan Hartley. Gen is determined to keep Evan at bay, but Evan will stop at nothing to win her back. With a whole summer ahead, there’s bound to be something brewing between the two exes.

OKAY, Gen and Evan are probably one of the most toxic couples I’ve ever read about, but they sure are entertaining. While it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I do love a good angsty romance and this delivered just what I was looking for. The jealousy game they were playing? I WAS EATING THAT SHIT UP and I felt it to my core. They’ve both gone through a lot and it’s clear that these two are meant for each other. Here’s why they work, both of them have similar pasts, the same personalities (wild and petty), a push-pull dynamic and can only be vulnerable to each other.

Self-development is hard, this book emphasizes that. With Gen, she realized that she’s no longer a wild teenager and actually has responsibilities in life. She changed her ways because she wanted more for herself than for her personality to revolve around partying. As for Evan, he initially did it to impress Gen but realized that it was time to grow up and make better choices.

☀️ What I liked ☀️

- ANGSTY
- The sexual tension throughout the whole book
- Steamy scenes 🔥 (yes you can feel the passion and chemistry)
- Gen’s character development 👏

What I disliked 👎
- Evan’s character is sleazy. Like how many times does Evan have to mention Gen’s rack?? (answer: one too many)
- Lots of side characters are mentioned and most of them don’t play a significant role in the story
- “It’s not you, it’s me” trope (just communicate your problems like adults)

Also, bonus points for this quote “When are you going to accept that I’d be happy watching paint dry with you?” HELLO HANNAH WELLS AND GARRETT GRAHAM ANYONE??

*Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Girl Reputation comes out on October 4th.*

3⭐
R for some 🌶️ scenes

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series so I was so excited to get my hands on the second book, but the sequel just did not work for me. The whole premise is that "Bad Girl" Gen is trying to reform her ways, which includes not getting back together with her ex-boyfriend Evan. And so what does Evan do? Fail to respect her boundaries or recognize how his actions affect people for about 80% of this book. It drove me up a wall.

Thank goodness Harrison (the "good guy" Gen tries to date who constantly his dates with Gen crashed by Evan) ended up with love by the end because he was the guy I actually liked! Gen was a lovely complex character and I enjoyed her character growth throughout the book, but Evan is on my "no, thank you" list. If you enjoy a second chance romance with a bad boy, maybe this will be for you but it was not for me.

4.8/5 stars
1.7/5 spice

- small town romance
- second chance romance
- childhood lovers
- light and easy read
- summer vibes
- dual pov
- Gen and Evan are such a great couple
- Evan is the superior twin

this is probably my favourite best second chance romance novels that i have ever read. i definitely enjoyed this one more than the first book. honestly, i prefer evan over cooper. it was still really nice to see glimpses of cooper and mac’s relationship through evan’s perspective. gen and mac’s friendship is also so wholesome and i loved seeing them become friends.

i love gen and evan’s relationship so much. their relationship and chemistry was written so well. it was really cute and sweet. really loved the childhood lovers aspect of this book because of the adorable inside jokes and nicknames. they also just know each other so well and they connect so personally. their banter is incredibly amusing and cute. furthermore, i really enjoyed the plot of this book and how gen and evan are both growing throughout the novel as well.

the character development for both of them was great to see and i loved how they also help each other be better. i absolutely adored evan in “good girl complex” and i just loved him even more in this book. he is so sweet in the ways that he tries to “woo” genevieve and also by being rylie’s big brother. i loved gen’s character so much!! she is just so charismatic and self assured it’s impossible not to fall in love with her. she definitely had a big character development and was able to change for the better.

I love Elle Kennedy- but to me this just didn't hit the mark. I felt like there was too many story lines to keep up with. There is Evan, Gen, Evan and Gen, Cooper, and then Shelley, I just felt like too much was going on and I felt overwhelmed reading this.

Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in the Avalon Bay series by Elle Kennedy. This is a fun read if you just want something where you can sit back with a hot cup of tea and a comfy blanket. A book that is easy to get lost in. The drama in this book was truly better than in the first installment. So happy I spent time reading this one!

Elle Kennedy never fails to write a. Book that I fall in love with! I absolutely loved her writing and the story of Genevieve and Evan. After reading Good Girl Complex (which you definitely don’t need to read prior), I started to become more and more interested in their story and this was so much more than I expected … in a good way!

I just did not love this book. The writing felt lacking and juvenile to me. I also could just not like either one of the characters both Evan and Genevieve, I felt like their relationship was just so so toxic and no amount of character growth could make me think that they would be a good match for each other. I also felt like this book suffered from too many characters, while I usually love a good large-found family dynamic, it just felt like one or two too many characters. I will say that the book at times is incredibly funny and the spice is very good. Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a free book in exchange for a free review.

Loved Evan and Gen's Story!! Trying to shed her bad girl reputation Gen warns off, on and off again bad boy boyfriend Evan. But theirs nothing he wont do to get her back!

I loved seeing the other Heartly twins relationships grow in this second book in the Avalon Bay series. Showing the other side of the twins relationship, their relationship with their mom and the infamous Gen we heard whispers about in Good girl complex.

Loved this book, this series, anything by Elle Kennedy really!!

This was my first Elle Kennedy book. I didn't go into this with any expectations and I can't say I was disappointed. The characters were a bit immature, but they are rather young. There wasn't much growth there but maybe there will be if there are further installments to the series. I do like the theme of overcoming grief and second chances. It was definitely a worthwhile read. Thank you to Netgalley for the arc.

I loved all the tension and history between Gen and Evan. Both of them are at a self-imposed crossroad in their life to try and become better people, not only for themselves but those around them. Seeing them recognize their faults and want to work on them to live a more fulfilling life was great. And I loved the angst from their longstanding on-and-off relationship. It made me immediately buy into their chemistry and struggles staying away from each other. I would have loved more famy moments on both sides, but most of the side characters felt realized and helped fill out the world.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to connect with the characters in this story. It got repetitive for me and I didn't see Gen and Evan's relationship evolve to make me believe that there is a healthy, stable relationship between them.

Their relationship is toxic for both of them and although they seem to be trying to work on it, I just can’t connect and believe that they really got better while I’m reading.

There are too many things that I didn't like, actions of them so inappropriate at sensitive and important moments that I will save myself from spoilers.

Anyway, this is my opinion and it is very possible that is totally different from the great majority of people who liked it, so as I always say, read and make your own.
Thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC on exchange of my honest review.

This book was decent, but I wish it would have been a little faster paced. Other Elle Kennedy books have been ones that I couldn't put down, but I wasn't super invested in this one and was able to walk away from it on and off.

I really enjoyed Gen and Evan together and I thought it was cute how much Evan wanted to change to deserve a second chance with Gen. There were some cutesy moments, especially with Evan and his "little brother" and Gen finding herself. I do think they had great chemistry and the little bits of spice were a nice touch.

Thank you to Elle Kennedy, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange of my honest review.

Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in the Avalon Bay series by Elle Kennedy. The bad girl is Genevieve West. Gen was a wild child who made some real mistakes in life. She partied too much. She drank too much and there was one really awful incident that motivated her to skip town. Her boyfriend, Evan, remained in Avalon Bay pining for her and wondering why she left. Part of Gen’s problem was Evan. As a couple, they never could grow up and get their lives together.

Gen’s mom dies and she moves back to help her dad with their family business. She wasn’t close with her mom, but she does love her dad and her five brothers. Evan and Gen are drawn to each other again and immediately. Gen gives in, but then does her best to distance Evan. She has stopped her party hardy lifestyle, quit drinking and doesn’t want to be swept away into a wild romance of late drunken nights.

This series is sweet and easy to read, or in my case, listen to. I liked both Gen and Evan. There’s a big cast of characters and I predict many books in the future around Avalon Bay. I get major Outerbanks vibes when I read these books. There’s the people who live there and then the rich people who visit. There’s some angst, some spice, nothing too over the top. Just a happy, nice romance. Check this one out.

Bad Girl Reputation is the second installment in the Avalon Bay series. If you liked the first book, you will love book 2!

This time around, we follow Genevieve and Evan’s on and off relationship. After their break up the year before, Gen goes away to improve herself from the “Bad Girl Reputation” Evan influenced. I for one, enjoyed seeing the character growth, staying true to herself.

I loved this second chance story for all of the angst, as well as the redemption. It gave me a sense of accomplishment not only for Gen, but for myself. Gen overcoming her own trauma was incredibly relatable and made me love her even more!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Griffin for the digital Arc, I absolutely loved it!

enjoyed Mac and Cooper’s story, but the second chance romance with the tension and chemistry between Gen and Evan was top notch. This series is a fun, easy summer read with romance, spice and good banter (and Outer Banks vibes)!!

I love a dual POV and Evan was a perfect mix of bad and good with a splash of possessive. I was confused with some of Gen’s choices so I struggled with her, but Evan was great. I liked Cooper but… his twin just has it.

Overall, I’d you’re looking for an easy, quick and fun read, give this series a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of BGR. Elle Kennedy got me again! Her books suck me in every time. I loved Gen and Ev’s story so much. The childhood friends to lovers, the second chance, the banter between them, the chemistry 😍 Such a well written book. Do I dare say I like this one better than good girl complex? I cannot wait for the next book in the avalon bay series!

I love Elle Kennedy so I was excited to read this book. I will preface by saying I have not read Good Girl Complex yet. I found this hard to get into at first. However, once I got into it, I did find it to go fast.

I appreciate Gen's dedication to turning her life around and believed in her concerns about whether she would revert to her old ways now that she's back home. I liked the chemistry between Gen and Evan. This wasn't a fast read by any means, but I enjoyed the story.