I generally like Elle Kennedy romances, although I will admit that the 20-something angst and beat people up is not quite my vibe for reads right now. That being said, I did enjoy the first book in this series quite a bit. I was interested to see how things with Coop and Mac ended up after the first book but Evan never really got me intrigued enough to read his book. So, when I got the opportunity to read this ARC, I was hesitant. The writing is fine, the dialogue is good, and there are some cute moments, but it never hit the mark for me.

What I liked: getting to see Mac and Coop as a couple after the drama of the first book; Randall finally getting his comeuppance (although it happened way too late for my liking); Evan as a Big Brother because Riley was so cute (albeit not sure what Evan taught him all the time was appropriate); Evan's relationship with his mom; and Harrison. What I didn't like: generally both Gen and Evan bothered me for a lot of the book - Gen more than Evan because I found that she was spending such a long time figuring her stuff out and testing herself in a way that was just unnecessary and immature; that it took so long for Rusty to be called out for his bad behaviour; that despite being so tough, Gen was a very complacent female character; and that Gen somehow became a manager for a major hotel with very little previous experience. I also had a hard time figuring out how old the characters were. I mean, I knew they were mid-late 20s, but they acted like they were fresh out of high school half the time.

So, I did find this harder to get through than the first book. And much harder than the earlier Elle Kennedy books I read. But there were a lot of parts that redeemed the story for me if not the main characters.

I feel like Tate may be the next character to feature in the series, and really not sure that I will be in the head space for that. At all. We shall see.

After skipping town for a year, notorious bad girl, Genevieve West is back in Avalon Bay to attend her estranged mother's funeral. Gen's plan is to get in and get out as quickly as possible, all while avoiding her feelings...and her bad boy ex, Evan Hartley.

Genevieve feels somewhat reformed and like maybe her bad girl days are behind her but it doesn't take long to run into Evan, and for all the feelings she thought she had let go of to quickly rise to the surface. Can you say funeral bathroom sex?!

Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in the Avalon Bay series, a follow up to Good Girl Complex. Good Girl Complex was good girl meets bad boy. The main character, Mac, breaks up with her long term + trust fund boyfriend, rebels against her parents and finds herself. In this installment our main character Gen is not only falling for the bad boy, she is "bad" herself. This dynamic is new to me and I really enjoyed it. I love the dual perspectives switching between Evan and Genevieve. There are multiple different storylines all going on at once, dates with a local cop, adopting a "little brother", updates on Mac & Cooper, and Evan and Gen's romance. When they get together the spice is off the charts for sure but I would have liked to see more of them and less of the background noise so to speak. I still enjoyed this story and am an Elle Kennedy fan.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin) and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

•Second chance at love
•Love triangle
•Small beach town
•Redemption
•Strained parent relationship
•🌶

I recently read Good Girl Complex (same author, related characters), and found it to be just OK, but I wanted to give this a try anyway based on the hints about Evan/Gen dropped in GGC. Unfortunately just like GGC, Bad Girl Reputation was a bit meh for me, too. Elle Kennedy writes some good spicy scenes in both books, but the characters don't have a lot of depth and the plot lines aren't super compelling. I don't know. Maybe it's just me and I wasn't in the mood for this particular flavor of second chance romance. But with two misses (for me), I don't think I will give this particular author a third try. Too much other stuff on my TBR.

3.5 ⭐️

Genevieve is back home for her mother’s funeral and she ends up staying to help out her family. Staying in her hometown however proves to be very challenging because everyone seems to hold her past, bad girl reputation against her.

I so wanted to love this book but it was just a little bit slow for me. It started getting interesting 70% into the story and that’s a lot of reading before you actually get invested.

Things I enjoyed seeing: Genevieve and Evan’s character growth - how they found a way to mature together, Evan’s relationship with his little brother from his Big Brother Program, reading about Genevieve’s struggle to make a change in her life.

I think I missed more romance between Evan and Genevieve, it seems like they got together because they knew there was too much chemistry between them and they couldn’t stay apart. In the end when Evan says he’s going to “woo” Gen, I wish they had more romantic moments. But they had one date and that was it for them to be sleeping together again. I wanted to more connection between them beyond sexual chemistry.

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

Bad Girl Reputation follows Genevieve and Evan. Genevieve has recently returned home for her moms funeral one year after fleeing Avalon Bay under unknown circumstances. Evan has low key been pining away for his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Gen, and decides to get her back once she returns. Bad Girl Reputation is about growth, second chances, redemption and forgiveness, as both Gen and Evan try to get their lives and relationship back on track. If you enjoy a second chance, contemporary romance, I recommend Bad Girl Reputation.

✅️ Dual POV
✅️ Second chance romance
✅️ Spice: 2.5/5
✅️ Overall: 8/10

Bad Girl Reputation follows former bad girl Gen and local bad boy Evan. Gen moves back to her hometown to help out with her family's business, there she runs into her ex-boyfriend Evan. The two find that they're still drawn to each other, but Gen is determined to not go back down that road because she knows it'll end with her returning to her former bad girl self.

For me, characters are the most important part of a book. If I don't like the characters, I'm not going to like the book. I hated both the main characters in this book. I found them to be extremely annoying and toxic to not only each other but also their friends. In Gen's case, her friends were just as toxic as her. I can get behind characters who aren't necessarily good people if they're written in a way where they're likeable despite their flaws. But these characters were not likeable at all.

I didn't love the first book in this series, but I liked it enough. After reading this book, I'm questioning everything I liked about the first book. This book was definitely not for me at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC of this book!

Genevieve returns home for her mom’s funeral and is determined to keep away from her past self and ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley. She’s committed to the straight and narrow – no parting, no wild nights. Evan has been in love with Genevieve since the 7th grade and doesn’t want to miss his chance to show her they are meant to be this summer. As it becomes clear they can’t stay complete away from each other in their small town, they will have to come together to see if love will come around a second time for them both or if Genevieve’s bad girl reputation will be too much for a future in Avalon Bay.

I love this series so much! The small town and friend group keep you invested. The second chance romance of Genevieve and Evan had not only some spicy, but also fun and character growth. I would be laughing at Evan navigating “growing up” with his volunteering at the nursing home and little brother program, but then also my heart would go out to Gen as she struggled with internal personal demons. Together Evan and Gen made a great love story. I really hope the series continues so we get to spend more time in Avalon Bay!

Elle Kennedy you sure know how to hook a reader!
I loved loved reading Bad Girl Reputation. Its a story about self growth, redemption, second chances and add in some hilarious scenes, amazing banter, blazing chemistry between main characters, and you get one hell of an interesting story.
Evan and Gen were amazing together and for each other. I loved how Evan became a better person no questions asked because he loved Gen so much and how Gen took steps to get her life in order for herself.
If you love small town, a bunch of rowdy friends group, second chances, best main characters then this is a must read!! 💙💙
And now I can't wait for more books in this series. Fingers crossed we get a book about Alana 💙

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Good Girl Complex, but Gen and Evan’s story takes the cake for me. I’m always a sucker for a second-chance romance, friends to lovers, and personal growth; Elle Kennedy mixed these beautifully. This is a great series to get into if you want to sit back, relax, and enjoy some messy characters figure out their feelings.
I loved the Dual POVs and how possessive Evan was. There’s nothing sexier than a man fighting for his woman. The push-pull, in and out, agnsty relationship between Gen and Evan kept things interesting throughout the book.
Cooper’s character was frustrating for me at times although I know his intentions were to protect his brother. I’m glad everything worked out in the end.

4 stars!

Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy is the second in the Avalon Bay series but the first in the series I have read. It can be read as a standalone romance. When reformed bad girl, Genevieve West returns home for her mother’s funeral she goes back to the town and ex she ran away from. Gen comes back a changed person, but some things are still the same, like the passion between her and Evan.

I had high hopes for this book since I love other books by Elle Kennedy, but I just couldn’t connect that much with this book. There were parts of the story that I liked and had great potential, but then the story would take another turn I didn’t like. The characters didn’t speak to me and half the time I didn’t really like them. Overall it was an okay book, just not the best book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Bad Girl Reputation follows Evan Hartley and his ex Genevieve Ward. Gen returns to town after leaving without a trace for a year. Gen was once a hardcore party girl, always down to get crazy and even break some laws. Evan and Gen were inseparable since the age of 15. But one night Gen makes a terrible mistake, and it causes her to realize that maybe she isn’t living the life she should. Gen cleans up her act, but comes back to Avalon Bay when her moms passes away. When Gen returns, she’s finding it difficult to resist Evan. Her brain tells her no, but her heart says yes.

Bad Girl Reputation was a great read. This one is second chance romance, childhood best friends. Gen and Evan grew up together and it warmed my heart that he cleaned up his act because he knew if he didn’t, he would lose her forever. These books touch on infidelity, death of a parent, absent parents and abandonment, drug/alcohol use, SA so I would definitely say to look up trigger warnings if you want to read.

I really enjoyed this one and think I will pick up more by Elle Kennedy in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the eBook ARC of this one in exchange for an honest review. Bad Girl Reputation will be available for purchase on October 20th!

I loved the characters Evan and Genevieve. The storyline of wild and crazy irresponsible teens to responsible adults is a relatable one. Genevieve’s and Evan’s relationship changed because of one traumatic moment for Genevieve and she recognized that her life needed to change. She took herself out of the crazy equation and gave herself time to learn what she wanted from life. She brings that knowledge and teaches Evan there’s more to life than just the chaos of a good time.



https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4937566404

This was a fun read, I finished it in barley two sittings. Bad Girl Reputation is a second chance romance that originated from HS-friends to lovers.

Genevieve returns to her hometown to attend her mothers funeral. Soon, she reunites with Evan and is faced with a difficult situation: retuning to her old ways or remaining in her growth. I liked both characters, (though Evan was very immature at times) they were self-aware of their flaws and were more than willing to better themselves for the right reasons.

The pacing of the conflict was rather frustrating. I thought 70% of the book was going to build up to a grand resolution but it was rather a bit underwhelming.

CW: Death of a parent, sexual harassment, abuse of drugs.

This was a fun light read that I enjoyed. The pull between the two characters and the spicy bits were perfect.

3.5/5 - Bad Girl Reputation is the newest book in the Avalon Bay series by Elle Kennedy. This book is about Genevieve West and Evan Hartley. Genevieve is back in town after leaving town to turn around her life and bad girl ways. She wants to keep her distance from Evan, her ex-boyfriend and town bad boy. They have a lot of history, dating off and on since eight grade, and a lot of passion. Evan has other ideas, he believes they can be good together and gives it his best shot to prove they are good for each other. Will their second chance at love work out?

Elle Kennedy does such a good job in developing both her main characters and side characters that allow us to connect in a wonderful way. Evan and Genevieve have such an interesting push-pull relationship. Their is tension there, but they move from fighting to pure sexual chemistry in the matter of minutes. Gen and Evan are both people that are used to being underestimated and not "worth" second chances. Throughout this book you see growth individually for both of that that allows them to begin to understand that they are worthy of a second chance and redeeming themselves. The author does such a good job at writing complex characters. Genevieve is a firecracker and Evan even started to grow on me.

This book can absolutely be read as a standalone! If you like second chance romances, with a bad girl/bad boy vibe, this may be a book for you! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

In Elle Kennedy's Acknowledgments in the back of the book she wrote, "Their story is one of redemption, forgiveness and second chances and the difficulties that come with shedding your past and trying to be a better, healthier version of yourself". I could not describe the book better. I saw myself in these characters, going home and having that person that was such an important part of who you were but that pull of trying to grow up and move on. Gen was trying to grow and change and shake her "Bad Girl Reputation". She really felt like that had to be without Evan. But they were magnetic and getting to read that journey of finding each other again was just beautiful. Their connection was hot and spicy and just real.

I was given the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher. I loved the narration, they really kept me in the story. Thank you for the opportunity to enjoy this book!

Genevieve West is back in town, and she finds herself wanting to be better. The opposite of her destructive, the bad girl she once was. Except Evan Hartley is her weakness and when he comes waltzing in hoping for their on and off again relationship, they establish some ground rules because after all, they’re just not good for each other. They together is toxic. Evan though wants to convince Gen otherwise, and pursues her anyway. The old-fashioned way. Could their years-long history be the foundation of something new? Or, do bad habits die hard?

Kennedy did a really great job of developing main and side characters, and having me the reader believe in Avalon Bay. I loved the second chance—both the romance between Evan and Gen, but also the relationship between Evan and his mom. There was angst, immaturity, drinking and drugs, but having the willpower for change was what showed strength and growth. I appreciated the concrete details, like Evan’s volunteering as a Big Brother to a 14 year old, and all the funny moments and sarcastic banter.

I love Elle Kennedy books! I love that each chapter alternates by two characters’ perspectives. I highly recommend giving this a read when it comes out! I literally cannot put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Elle Kennedy for giving me the privilege to read this pre-release!

Bad Girl Reputation is one angsty and steamy read! Reformed bad girl Genevieve has returned to Avalon Bay and her childhood friend and on-and-off-again boyfriend Evan is hoping to prove things can be different this time around. This second chance romance has all the angst and pining and feels. Evan cares so deeply for Gen, and she is so determined to stay on her path. I did want a little more in terms of romance and maybe a little more too in terms of their past—he’s definitely a party boy but there’s not a lot of showing how Gen was a bad girl, except for some minor anecdotes thrown in. But these characters are so vulnerable and real. I thought Evan’s subplot about reconnecting with his mom was so well done and him volunteering in the Big Brother program too was so good and I just really rooting for him. I liked Gen’s growth too. She’s feisty and strong. I just wanted more moments of their reconnection, it takes her a while to really come around, and their banter is so strong I just wanted them to be together. But I liked Gen sticks to her plan and makes Evan work for her. Plus the writing is so bingeable! This read is sweet, emotional, and fun and I loved seeing all the Avalon Bay characters again!

This book took me by surprise, honestly I went in with mediocre expectations considering the first book of the series does not have a good overall rating in good reads, but to say the least I was impressed. The characters were well developed considering their ability to realize their toxic relationship and take a step back and try to be better. I loved both main characters journeys to becoming better versions of themselves, it was slow and rough but that’s only reality. The banter also really stood out to be considering both characters are strong headed and witty. Overall I give it a 4/5