Elle Kennedy is a wonderful author who writes interesting books that are fun quick reads. This book was awesome and I loved the characters. I would recommend to others.

💞 second chance romance
🚫 straight edge representation  
🏖 beach town setting

Admittedly, I was not a fan of Good Girl Complex-the first novel in the Avalon Bay series. I was hesitant going into this second novel in the series. Thankfully, Bad Girl Reputation made up in nearly all of the ways that Good Girl Complex lacked.

In my opinion, Evan was one of the few good things about the first novel in this series, and I loved his POV in this book. Evan's POV offered a new perspective on his laidback attitude, drinking, his relationship with Cooper, and his hope for having a relationship with his mother. Within the first few chapters, Evan puts Cooper in his place, which honestly was way too enjoyable for me (I’m a Cooper hater if you can’t tell). 👏 I enjoyed Evan's approach to cleaning up his act and the new relationships and perspective he was able to gain due to his choices.

Evan and Geneieve were great main characters, and their story seemed to differ from other romances I've read. I enjoyed seeing both characters grow as individuals while reflecting on mistakes from their pasts. I liked how Geneieve truly wanted to better her life. Every time she chose a mocktail in favor of cocktail, I was cheering. For the most part, Geneieve stood her ground when it came to maintaining the changes she made in her life.

The chemistry between Evan and Geneieve was off the charts-which made the entire book. 🥵 Despite both characters growing and changing, it was evident that they were growing together. I am literally obsessed with the last two chapters of this book!

There were times I was a little bored with the story. Nearly every other chapter a side character would go into a long story about some crazy, drunken mishap that had absolutely nothing to do with this anything that was going on. Maybe these incidences will matter in future books, but I highly doubt it. It just felt like unnecessary filler with no significance. There were also times this felt a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed this story. Because of this, I didn't feel like I could justify a higher rating.

Regardless, I will be back for book 3!

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

Bad Girl Reputation is a story about two high school sweethearts (sweethearts used loosely for two bad-ass teenagers) who get a second chance at not only love but their own lives and reputations in Avalon Cove.
I have never read a story where both MC's are actually bad for each other. Their past relationship was toxic and full of bad decisions and Elle Kennedy did such a great job that there were a few points where i hoped they would just move on from each other (lol!)
I really enjoyed watching Gen and Evan realize they needed to work on themselves if they ever wanted to try at a real relationship. I loved the glimpses we got into their past relationship which helped us understand why Gen left and the thing we learned about Evan in book one, The Good Girl Complex.
This is an intense, angsty second chance love story that is full of chemistry, redemption and self improvement. And of course it has a fair share of spice, witty banter and dual POV. I loved it and cant wait to dive into my backlog of Elle Kennedy novels!

Four stars
Thank you NetGalley for our first ARC Review- we really enjoyed it!
Super happy it got to be a Canadian Author!!

I have been a fan of Elle Kennedy for so long, she's just become an auto-click author for me. However, I think it may be time to rethink that. I am captaining the struggle-bus with this series. I find the relationships to be problematic and the characters to be...well, not super likeable. Add in that the relationship in Bad Girl Reputation is (or at least starts out) driven entirely by physical chemistry and you've completely lost me.

This series just isn't my cuppa. I'm not feeling the chemistry or the emotions that I want to feel (and instead feel stressed out or low key upset most of the time). This one was a DNF for me. I am not done with Elle Kennedy, but I think I might be done with this series.

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to read and review. Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I had originally received Good Girl Complex as an ARC as well and enjoyed it! I ended up seeing Bad Girl Reputation on Netgalley and knew I would have liked to have it just to read it! The characters in this book are a hot mess but I really loved seeing the character development and some growing relationships with side characters as well.
The steam in this book was also good too bahaha.

3.75 rounded up to 4!

I absolutely loved this book. I found myself feeling more drawn to the tropes in this book than I was in the first book of this series. Genevieve and Evan's love story has been nothing short of a roller coaster, and by the end you can't help but root for them. This book also beautifully explores the complicated dynamics in Evan and Cooper's relationship as brothers as Evan shows the people around him that he is willing to fight for the woman he loves. Genevieve's redemption story was incredibly relatable to me, and I found it very powerful. Elle Kennedy knocks it out of the park once again with Bad Girl Reputation and I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a spicy, yet heart-warming read.

I have to say Elle Kennedy is the queen when it come to writing romance. I will definitely read anything she publishes. So far I have loved every single book she has written and Bad Girl Reputation did not disappoint me at all. I loved reading Good Girl Complex and I also I loved Bad Girl Reputation equally! I really enjoyed the connection between Gen and Evan. I love reading about second chance romance and this story was delivered perfectly. I can’t wait to have a physical copy in my collection! Thank you so much Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to receive an early copy.

This certainly met with my expectation of a light romance and made for an enjoyable read. I found myself rooting for the adorable second chance romance between Genevieve and Evan at every step. Throughout the book they each navigate family issues, their complex relationship all while working to become people they can be proud of. The dual POV made this romance even better because of the large amount of mutual pining that took place in their heads.
The only reason this book isn’t 5 stars is because I found the ending a little rushed. After all the anticipation I would have loved a little more context before having to close the book on these interesting characters. Definitely pick this up if you’re looking for a light romance.

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

If you have read my review for Good Girl Complex, you know that I really enjoyed it. Being a big fan of Elle Kennedy's work, I pretty much knew going in I was going to at minimum LIKE this book, but most likely LOVE this book. And I definitely loved this book. I have a thing of longtime, childhood love stories. Especially ones that occur in a small town. It feels relatable, intimate ... fun. The stories of all their hijinks, the drama ... I just really liked Gen and Evan. They had a natural chemistry. And I REALLY loved their arc. Both of them making choices to better themselves, and seeing the positive outcome to that. And while they obviously had a very passionate, drama filled relationship before, making more adult choices doesn't affect the passion and chemistry between them. So yes - I loved the romance. But I also loved the story. One of the hardest things a person can do is admit that they have a problem, and turning their life around. And while this is a romance, that is what this story is about.

I swear you can't go wrong with Elle Kennedy. Avalon Bay series is turning out to be sweet, character driven romances, with a dash of small town charm. You will enjoy Evan and Gen's story.

I enjoyed this second chance romance. Elle Kennedy is a favorite author and this is no exception. Can't wait for more in the series!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own

This one was just ok for me. I really enjoyed the first book in the series so I was looking forward to returning to Avalon Bay. I didn’t like Gen at all and Evan was not much better. Just not for me.

I enjoyed Bad Girl Reputation much more than I was anticipating! I liked the first book in the series okay, but Elle Kennedy really took it up a notch with the second book! I liked being back in Avalon Bay but with a different set of perspectives. I really liked Evan and Genevieve's second chance romance, character growth and progression throughout the book. I was rooting for them to get together the entire book! I would absolutely recommend this as a stand-alone book, it can be read without reading the first in the series.

It’s time for the second Hartley twin to get his love story!

Genevieve is back in Avalon Bay and determined to shake her bad girl reputation — Evan missed her wild streak but quickly realizes to keep her in his life, he’s got some growing up to do also.

An enjoyable read with lots of tension crackling off the page (no surprise from Elle Kennedy), and not to mention full of our favorite characters from Good Girl Complex.

This one leaned slightly more serious and emotional than Good Girl Complex, which surprised me! I think Evan’s relationship with his Little Brother, Riley, was actually my favorite part of the whole book. It was good to see what that did for his character development.

This is a fun series and I have a feeling we’re going to be getting another one in the future… perhaps the Alana/Wyatt/Tate love triangle based on its strong feature in Bad Girl Reputation. I’ll certainly be picking it up to read regardless!

I love a second chance romance and Elle Kennedy sure knows how to write one! It's been amazing to be back in Avalon Bay! Is it to early to say I don't want this series to end? I hope Elle Kennedy continues to write books in this series!

This was a super easy read. Gen and Evan have a pretty textbook break-up to make-up toxic relationship going on. Until Gen tries to break the cycle by making some changes. Evan decides to follow suit in order to get Gen back. I liked both main characters well enough but didn’t really understand what drew them together besides history. I’m a sucker for second chance romances but this one didn’t really give what it was suppose to give in that regard. Still a solid romcom.

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

This first book was kind of lack luster and I felt the same about this one. I really didn’t feel like I needed more from this characters it was a little too YA for my taste. Regardless I gave it a shot and I didn’t love this one. It was fine.

This book… was okay.

We follow Gen, who has to move back to her hometown after her mom dies and her dad reveals that the family business is in need of someone who can sort and order all the paperwork that’s been piling up. But Gen has her own stipulations: she will not stay for more than a few months and she will have nothing to do with Evan, her on-again-off-again-but-now-definitely-ex boyfriend.

To be honest, most of the notes I wrote to myself for this review are just descriptions of the plot, rather than my feelings. But that itself is a pretty good description for my feelings on this book: I didn’t really care for it.

The portrayal of Evan, who was a side character in the first book and thus I had some idea of his character before entering this sequel, was my least favorite part of this book. He was seriously messed up about Gen, to the point of obsession. Seeing this side to him, especially so early on in the book, had me disliking his character and made me unable to care for this story.

But this is a story where the characters focus on changing who they are for the better. As Gen tries to change her life away from her party girl past, Evan decides he needs to change with her in order to stay in her life. Throughout the story, we see them mature and gain responsibilities that help shape who they plan to become, as well as grow new ties to the community.

Personally, I wasn’t all that into this story, but it isn’t a bad book.

3.5/5 Stars! I

I enjoyed this second chance romance, It felt a bit rushed and the writing wasn't as great as I expected BUT overall I really like the characters! Also the setting was absolutely perfection. The perfect summer read for me.

Thank you to the Author and publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Solid meet cute redemption story with a HEA ending. I think this book had a lot of potential but I would have loved to see her grow a bit more and of course her partner in crime as well. It felt kinda rushed at the ending but you could see some real life moments built into the books.

I do want to know what happened to the family home though and wonder if there will be a book 2.

I had a hard time rating this one. Elle Kennedy’s writing is fun, I enjoy reading her books. I also really enjoyed certain elements of each Gen and Evan’s stories separately. But god damn, it was hard to root for them as a couple. I get that they had all that history and physical chemistry, but when they were around each other they seemed to both become more immature.

Evan’s storyline with him reconciling with his mom was good. Gen’s issues with Sheriff Randall and her recovering reputation was even better. I would have read each other those as there own separate book. I just can’t imagine these two lasting together healthy in the long run.