I loved this second installment, such a fun, light read! I enjoyed exploring the world of Evan and Gen and am so glad we are able to see the ebbs and flows of their relationship in this book. When Gen's mother passes away, she is brought back to her home town and finds that her family needs her more than she realized. She discovers she still has feelings for Evan that she cannot deny, but will hanging out with him more bring them together or push her away?

This is exactly what you would want from an Elle Kennedy book! Gen and Evan have a checkered past, to say the least, but they can’t seem to stay away from each other. They’re cute, streamy, & I’ll admit it, frustrating at times. Haha. But all in all it’s a fun easy read!

A bit long and drawn out for a simple love story. The book could have been half the length and still tell the same story.

Dare I say I like Evan and Gen more than Mac and Cooper? Like, a lot more. I do believe that this installment of the Avalon Bay series has far surpassed the first one. The characters and plot were so much more real, and I found that this story had the depth that GGC was missing. It was still a sweet story, but it just felt so much more real. Such a strong addition to this series

3/5 ⭐️‘s

Bad Girl Reputation is a second chance/childhood friends to lovers romance that should’ve been right up my alley, but I honestly (and sadly ☹️) had such a hard time with this book.

It was definitely a fun and quick read overall, but it really took me until about the 70-80% mark to finally get invested in the story. I was kind of frustrated with how immature Evan and Gen were for most of the book and although they had really great chemistry and tension, it still felt mostly surface level to me. If we didn’t get those small conversations about their pasts and things they did together, I would have no idea these two had known each other for so many years.

I was also kind of disappointed that Evan was so eager and adamant about reforming his bad boy antics for Gen instead of just doing it for himself. For me that just proved that there really wasn’t enough growth between these two to believe that they aren’t still toxic for each other. Any development that they did have just felt really rushed and forced and didn’t convince me that Evan & Gen would actually last long term.

I really really loved the idea behind this book, with two characters that have bad reputations turning a new leaf and overcoming their past mistakes, but unfortunately it just didn’t pan out for me.

Thank you to netgalley & St Martin’s Press for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this one was not for me. For starters, Evan and Genevieve is exactly the type of relationship I have zero interest in reading about. And sure, the whole on-again-off-again, toxic relationship could potentially be kind of steamy but I felt like there was barely even chemistry. The two leads lack any type of interesting personality and there is no growth. Her friends are dull, his brother is annoying. I just wasn't buying any of it. If Genevieve is supposed to be a bad-ass anti-establishment type of gal then why was she settling for a misogynistic tool? And why the hell is her potential other dude a cop? Yikes. I just feel like the whole narrative of this book and so many like it are just dated. It is 2022, we at least need depth or some type of growth if the characters are just meh in the first place. Women don't want to fantasize about some lame guy that they started banging in high school anymore, or at least I don't. A big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Steamy steamy steamy! This was a very passionate and fun read. It’s a great book if you need to just decompress and read something that you can sit back and enjoy.

4 Stars for sure, I am SO glad I was given the opportunity to read Bad Girl reputation, I ADORED Mackenzie and Cooper's story and was really intrigued by Evan and Genevieve's story from the start and I was NOT disappointed! I enjoyed their witty banter and their friends were very interesting as well, I could see them having their own stories in the future. One of the things I Loved in this Second chance romance, was watching them grow and become the people they always had the potential to be.
Definitely will be waiting to see where else Elle Kennedy goes with this beautiful sweet series and if we will be getting more stories with this group of friends.

I enjoyed Cooper's story and wanted to read Evan's story. I am not sure how I feel about Evan and Gen's story. Their previous relationship sounds toxic despite being so physically connected. I enjoyed seeing Evan's growth in trying to be a better man.

Gen was a tough character to root for. I don't know why but she just annoyed me. I really enjoyed the supporting characters that brought life to the book.

The narrators did a good job depicting Gen and Evan.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of ARC and ALC copy.

I was not a fan of the first book in this series so I thought I would give this one a second chance. I did not enjoy it. I just don't think I like her writing style. The story was just not it for me.

Bad Girl Reputation (𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂) — 3.5 ⭐️

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: October 4, 2022

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: When Genevieve returns home to Avalon Bay to assist with her father’s business after her mother’s death, Evan’s feelings are reminded of the past. It’s like gravity is pulling him to be near her every chance he gets, but will she explain why she left without a word? And will there be a chance for a relationship now that trust has been broken?

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: After reading Good Girl Complex, I knew I would read any other books in the series. It was my first book by the author, and it did not disappoint. Bad Girl Reputation was the perfect continuation of the Avalon Bay story, and it answered some questions I had while reading the first book in the series. I hope the author continues to write about the other characters as well.

After not knowing much about Genevieve from Good Girl Complex, it was nice to learn about her, and to see Evan pining over her was very swoon-worthy! It was easy to see why Evan was a mess after she disappeared.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
👀 Multiple POVs
🥰 Feel-Good Story
✌️Second Chance Romance
💗 Friends to Lovers
📖 Short Chapters

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
😈 You were a troublemaker in high school
👙 You’d like to live near the beach
😉 You’d flirt with another to make your crush jealous
🙋‍♀️ You enjoy volunteer work
👯‍♀️ You believe in Girl Code

𝐓𝐖: heavy drug and alcohol use, profanity, sexual content, sexual assault/harassment

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press - Griffin, for providing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to leave an honest review. I am a huge fan of Elle Kennedy and loved her Off Campus series. I was excited for this new Avalon Bay series and it is not disappointing. I have read both of the books in the series so far and am loving the characters.

This book follows Evan and Gen who were that couple throughout school and after that were deeply in love but were destructive to each other. They lived for trouble and found it often. Until one night Gen didn't like who she was becoming and left with no word to anyone, especially Evan. A year later, she returns for her mother's funeral and stays to help her father and brothers. She is still drawn to Evan but she is still trying to be her new, non-destructive self. Evan doesn't understand the new Gen and needs to realize he has to make some changes if he wants her back and to actually grow up himself.

Honestly, there were moments when I really disliked both main characters and really loved them. I just wanted to smack them both at times. Overall though a great book and would recommend.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In the first half of the book, I was thinking it was only a 3 star read, with how immature the characters were being with each other. Luckily, the story improved, as did the way the characters carried themselves, and I believe that was the point of the story anyway ;)
Lots of chemistry there with Evan and Gen, definitely fun to read.
Also some sad but undeniable lessons on family too.

It's the season of second-chance romances, but this one is definitely unique! Gen and Evan were an on-again off-again couple in high school, but turned into permanently off when Gen fled Avalon Bay with little to no warning. Now she's back and dealing with all of the trouble left in her wake. I loved the themes of redemption and forgiveness in the book, especially for Evan. Plus we get to meet precious characters like Riley and Harrison who are just the sweetest cinnamon rolls. There's a nice amount of steam as well, focused mainly on the LOOOOONGING between Gen and Evan (which you know this girl loves). I really hope there's a third book coming because I want to see what happens with Alana and Liz!

*Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Finished review coming soon! Review will be posted to Netgalley, retailers, Instagram, and TikTok!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Thank you so much to Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for the free copy of the ebook so I could write and honest review.

Elle Kennedy’s Good Girl Complex has been on my TBR for several months after hearing great things about it so I was thrilled to get this ARC! Midway through this book, I went and bought the first one to read next. I loved the story that much. I didn’t feel like I lost out on much starting with Bad Girl Reputation because there were enough details for me to not be lost. This book releases in October so you have plenty of time to read The Good Girl Complex first.

Gen is coming back to town for her mom’s funeral after being out of town for a year. Her dad convinces her to stay and help get the family business back in order. Evan and Gen dated in high school and when he finds out she’s back in town he has to come to terms with how much he missed her and what needs to change in order to get her back.

I loved Gen and Evan. They were so well written and even as someone who was a risk averse kid, I was able to really feel Gen’s struggles and root for her. I really can’t say enough good things about this. Really. Go read this and then let’s gush over it together.

Bad Girl Reputation is a different take on a second chance romance. Gen and Evan had an explosive on again off again romance for years. A year ago, Gen up and left without warning or contact. She is back for her mother's funeral. Both still have a strong pull towards the other, but the toxic element of their relationship is still there. I wasn't sure how Elle Kennedy was going to wrap up this love story in a way that was believable to me. There were a lot of toxic elements that I didn't think could be worked through, but I did buy into them working out all of their issues and being able to have a healthy relationship. Really good. 5 stars

I really enjoyed the characters from the Off-Campus series, which made picking up another book by Elle Kennedy an easy decision. Unfortunately, I have found the Avalon Bay series to be disappointing. In Good Girl Complex, it introduced us to the Hartley brothers, and Bad Girl Reputation picks up where they left off, but focuses on Evan's point of view. Evan has a tumultuous relationship with Genevieve West, and after the death of her mom, she's back in the Bay to help her family. Evan wants to work things out, but Gen only wants to get back to her new life.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book. I think the relationship between Gen and Evan is chaotic. Also, you should not have a relationship with someone just because of overwhelming physical chemistry. It doesn't showcase a healthy relationship. These characters were incredibly immature and toxic. Plus, I couldn't follow all the side characters either. This book was a miss for me. I struggled through Good Girl Complex, but this story seemed even slower and I did not buy the second chance romance at all.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

After devouring Good Girl Complex, I was thrilled to be able to jump right into Evan's book, but sadly ... it fell flat of my expectations.

I loved than Evan and Genevieve were getting a second chance, but it honestly didn't feel like they worked through anything together - they up-and-decided to be better people and just, were?? It feels like there was so much focus on how problematic the relationship was and instead of the characters working through the issues - they just hurtled right over them. That, along with the with fact the Genevieve couldn't even commit herself to Evan and had another guy on the side the entire book, just led to an overall lackluster storyline for this book. I was so excited for the possibility of seeing real growth and maturity with these two characters that the end result was underwhelming for me. I honestly felt like we saw more growth from Shelley than either of these two.

That being said, it was great to see more of the side characters in the novel. I'd love to see additional books on any of the West brothers, or even Steph or Heidi.

I received an Advanced Copy of this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

This was so cute! A wonderful romance, filled with witty banter, delightful characters, and just enough steaminess. A must read for romance lovers!