Bad boy/Bad Girl Energy, second-chance-romance, new beginnings, and some serious spice... what more could a girl want?

I was seriously so excited to read this one after LOVING Good Girl Complex. Getting bits and pieces of Gen & Evan’s past in the first Avalon Bay book had me wanting more. And boy did Elle Kennedy deliver. The drama, the previous toxic relationship, the SPICE. Holy I loved every minute of this one.

I love me a bad boy romance and this one gets 4 stars.

Fans of Off-Campus and Briar U series will enjoy this one! A must read from Elle Kennedy.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review!

Genevieve wants nothing more than keep her distance from her ex, Evan, when she returns home for her mother's funeral. But Evan has other plans...
This second-chance romance is book 2 of the Avalon Bay series, and I liked it much better than the first one. The characters are immature and irrational, but the chemistry and the drama is good. This is a quick and easy read that I really enjoyed.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an engaging, fast-past follow up to Good Girl Complex. I love that this series has such tough, complex, 'unlikeable' heroines. In true new adult fashion, they don't have their lives together 100% and that's okay. It's fun to watch them navigate their early 20s and figure out who they are and what they want, and they have such awesome love interests that balance them out and help them on their journey. In this novel, Gen (Genevieve) and Evan both set out to improve themselves and reform their bad habits, and Gen believes staying away from Evan is key to that, but it proves more difficult than either expect. He sets out to prove her wrong, and improve himself in the process. The female friendships in this series are also wonderful -- and now that I think about it, the relationships between siblings are realistic as well. Nothing is straightforward and folks have to work for their happiness. I really like the cast of characters in this universe. The sex scenes are done well, as to be expected from this author, and are actually a bit more scarce than I anticipated. I'm hoping to get a book about Alana! Oh, my only bone to pick, is that I don't think hot guys in 2022 are still wearing cargo pants.

I have always, always been a fan of Elle Kennedy, and she does not disappoint with this one! I enjoyed Good Girl Complex, and Bad Girl Reputation just follows in the footsteps of that angst. The push and pull between these characters was so good. I was right there in every moment with them. Once again, I love everything Kennedy releases, and this was no different!

Elle Kennedy is one of the top New Adult romance authors right now, Bad Girl Reputation, the second in her Avalon By series, is a second chance romance that really explored what it means to come home.

Genevieve left Avalon Bay without a word. One drunken night, she hit rock bottom and knew she had to grow up, but she couldn’t do that surrounded by reminders of her reckless decisions—including her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley.

She returns to the bay for her mom’s funeral, and she ends up staying to help her dad and brothers with the family business. In a town this small, it’s impossible to avoid Evan and their long history of passion and bad decisions. The electricity between them is still as undeniable as ever, but can they work through the hurt and the broken trust in order to have a future?

I loved Bad Girl Reputation so much more than the first book in the Avalon Bay series. Good Girl Complex was a little too similar to the premise of After, and I thought Cooper was a jerk. BUT Gen and Evan? I was rooting for them from page one. Even though there were elements of this history that were toxic, I felt like they acknowledged it and tried to change for the better. They were complex characters with real issues to deal with, and they grew as individuals and as a couple throughout the story. And their chemistry was off the charts. Elle Kennedy writes excellent steam. Top notch. A+.

Let me start off by saying that I've absolutely become a sucker for some second chance romance. This book was so good at showing Gen and Evan's relationship in the past versus today. It's a story of redemption, forgiveness and second chances. It shows us that people can change for the better, no matter the circumstances, if they really want to. It shows us that what is meant to be will come back to you. I was giggling and smiling the whole time while reading this because I loved the back and forth between the two main characters. Don't get me wrong, I love Mackenzie and Cooper but as far as Avalon Bay goes, Genevieve and Evan have my heart.

Once again, Elle Key has delivered an angst filled, intense story.

Genevieve and Evan were childhood sweethearts, so if you like that second chance trope, grab this one!.

I tend to gravitate towards books with a level of toxicity, because, it's a book. It's what I like to read. The push and pull of their relationship, mixed with their on page chemistry, made for some good reading.

If you like to read about relationship toxicity, I can confirm this will hit everything. They fight the good fight and not everyone acts like an actual adult, but that's ok. It's just a book, right? Gen is perpetually fighting her demons, but is Evan included?

Gen is absolutely determined to leave her Bad Girl Reputation behind and show the world what she's made from. I do love when a book has character growth in a timely fashion.

Evan, honestly, you won't be fond of him in the beginning, but just him time to grow up and realize what he's about to lose. Oh, yes, a little OM drama to wake Evan up and put him on the right track.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Gen is just a firecracker and I love those kinds of characters. Evan will grow on you, honest.

Can be read as a standalone.

Written in dual 1st POV
HEA - yes
Cliffhanger - no

I gave up on this after about 30 percent. The characters acted and spoke like immature teenagers and I didn't like either one of them.

Dnf-ing at 45%. I just don’t think this book is for me. I couldn’t connect with these characters at all. I enjoyed book 1

I will start by saying I did not read coopers book. I do have it but haven’t read it. I loved Elle’s Hockey series sooo much. So this was a little different.

I enjoyed watching two characters who lived a life where they didn’t think about the consequences of their actions but then both realized in order to be better and to have a life with each other they have to grow up and sometimes that means taking time to yourself like Gen did. It’s never an easy decision.

Gen and Evan are very push-pull but you get the childhood best friends, second chance love in this book! It’s a very easy read! If you are a fan of Elle and I’m assuming if you loved Coopers book then you will enjoy this one too.

I so hope we get more on Alana. She is intriguing.

While I thoroughly enjoyed being back in Avalon Bay with these characters this book missed the mark for with Evan and Gen. When Gen returns to the Bay after her mother's death she finds it impossible to avoid her ex-boyfriend Evan. They have been together since they were kids and neither of them knows how to quit coming back even with all the drama they cause.

So much of this book was spent hiding secrets and delaying progress and growth for the characters. I rooted for this couple and wanted them to be happy. If you read this I think it is important to note that you are reading about the experiences of two immature and sometimes destructive people. I am not a reader who expects characters to respond and behave and certain ways, they are who they are, but I do enjoy watching them grow throughout the book. That's where my issue lies with Bad Girl Reputation, the growth felt rushed.

You spend the majority of the book in a stalemate, back and forth between Evan and Gen and then BOOM after one event on one night everyone has grown and they're ready for the future.

Did I like the story? Yes. Did I like the characters? Yes. Do I think the plot could have been arranged better? Also, yes.

Bad Girl Reputation is not a bad book, its just a book that spends too much timing building up to the resolution.

Elle Kennedy is back with another Avalon Bay story. Admittedly, I've not yet read the first offering in the series, but I was nonetheless excited for this one. I love a good second chance romance. Its always interesting to see what sorts of issues characters will have to work through. I enjoyed that this was told with alternate point of view. I love when I get the opportunity to get both sides of the story. Bad Girl Reputation is a fun and enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this advanced digital copy.

I can always count on a good, fun read with Elle Kennedy. She’s one of those authors that I will automatically but her book because I know it will be well written and an easy read. It took me a day to read Bad Girl Reputation and lately I’ve been really struggling with sitting and reading an actual book. So in a way this one got me out of my reading slump!

If you’re looking for a fun and easy read, I would definitely recommend BGR!

We're back in Avalon Bay with the Hartley twins, this time following Evan and his on-again/off-again love Genevieve. We got a glimpse of Evan in Good Girl Complex and knew right away we were going to love getting to know him (& Gen) more.

When Genevieve comes home for her mother’s funeral, she doesn't want to fall into old patterns and back into Evan's arm even if their history is full of passion and adventure. But it's hard to avoid him in their small town especially when their lives are so interconnected. She ran away in order to shed her "bad girl reputation" but Evan knows they can be great together (again). Will she give him a second chance?

This is second chance romance at its best! Their attraction is explosive from the beginning which we loved. Evan and Gen’s relationship is best described as a push-pull, adrenaline seeking love affair. They both go through an evolution in this book that was rewarding to see. They needed to grow up and see that they actually bring out the best in each other and not just the fun. Hopefully this isn’t the last time we visit Avalon Bay!

Many thanks to @stmartinspress + @netgalley for the e-book ARC in exchange for our honest review. Bad Girl Reputation comes out on October 4th, 2022.

What we liked:
▪️Second Chance romance
▪️Dual POV
▪️Tyler (Evan’s “little brother”)
▪️Ring pops 🥰
▪️The twin switch scene (of course Mac can tell them apart!)

What we didn't like:
▪️Deputy Rusty Randall’s vendetta against Gen

I listened to Good Girl complex only a few days before and I liked this story nearly as much. Evan’s dialogue towards the beginning was all the red flags and came off sounding like a total creep. This did improve in the middle and end of the story, but it was honestly very unsettling.

I truly enjoyed the 2nd installment in the Avalon Bay series, by Elle Kennedy!

If you read book 1, you learn so much about Evan’s personality which I believe is a huge character development that is key to bring his growth full circle. You also get mentions of Genevieve in book 1 and are eager to learn more.
That brings us to book 2, Bad Girl Reputation!
The chemistry between Gen and Evan is electric. It makes you envy their history that’s built this attraction but also knowing they were complete disasters and watching them grow together was so hear warming. I loved the utter disaster of Evan Hartley but I also never wanted to clap for a character more than I wanted to for Evan. He grew so much for himself, Gen and his mother and you see that all come to life in this book.
Lastly, I likely laughed out loud a good hand full of times thanks to the one liners.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the 1st book (3.5) but the 2nd was so great and I hope for more in the Avalon Bay series.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing the advance opportunity to review a copy and share my honest feedback.

I honestly liked this one better than the first one. I love a good second-chance romance. Even though some of the drama seems a little far-fetched for the whole "small town" vibe, I just kinda skimmed over it. Im here for the overall plot and not much else.

i really enjoyed this book. i am a big fan of elle’s writing and typically fall in love with her characters. what i love about this series is the small beach town vibes. it feels different than elle’s other books but with same vibes you know and love…plus the hartley brothers are really hot so that’s an added plus too! 😂😍

this is a second chance bad boy/bad girl romance. i loved that gen and evan had so much shared history 🥺 having that established made all the tension seem very real. they both had things they wanted to improve on and work towards and it was nice to be able to easily see the character development. i really liked evan, he was so funny! he might be my fave brother sorry coop!

the story had all your same favorite characters from good girl complex so it was nice to hear about other characters we met in the first book. overall i’d say i think i liked the relationship more in this one because i’m a sucker for second chance romance! it has your fave elle writing style but this series feels different to her other books in a way. regardless i did enjoy it and i do recommend if you’re looking for a nice easy romance read with a bit of spice 🔥😍

i was lucky enough to receive an arc for this book so thank you so much to net galley and stmartinsgriffin for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. this book releases on October 4th, 2022! available for preorder now (:

Elle Kennedy has done it again. I absolutely ate this book. I loved seeing the character development from Gen and especially Evan. I died laughing when he googled how to be a better person and I love his relationship with Riley. Gen was such a nice addition to the group especially seeing how hard she worked on herself. They got better for the both of them and it makes every hopeless romantic want more in that way. Someone to change you for the better but still keeps your spark.

Underwhelmed. I loved Kennedys Off Campus series so I thought I had to get into the the Avalon Bay series. This was not it, I haven't read the first book in this series but these can be read as stand-alone!

Ok so first off, I don’t think I’ve ever put off a book so long, I started reading this around the end of July and just now got it done.

It was boring, the characters where way to immature and could not make rational decisions. I couldn’t deal with how messy their relationship was. I also did not fine anyone likable!

Just to get through the book I ended up skipping A LOT and mostly would skim and read dialogue. This just wasn't the type of romance I was looking for I was irritated and the character to much.