Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. Coming soon in October 2022!

Genevieve West has come home to Avalon Bay for her mother's funeral after being away for a year. In the days after the service, her Dad asks for her help with house repairs and the family business, so she decides to stick around and get everything back in order. In no time at all, she reconnects with her on-again-off-again boyfriend Evan, who is equal parts hot as hell AND hot mess. When she left their small town a year ago, she upped and left without saying goodbye to anyone, especially Evan, because she knew he would be the one person able to convince her to stay.

Gen has had it with her "bad girl reputation" and is trying her best to become the best version of herself. After a decade of alcohol and drug abuse, run-ins with the law, and avoiding all forms of responsibility, she really wants to clean up her act and get her life together. The one thing that doesn't quite fit into her new chapter is Evan. He is still very much on the hot mess express, and she is trying her best to stay away from the only man she has ever loved.

This story goes through the ups and downs of Gen and Evan's relationship and puts their love to the test. Why did Genevieve leave without saying goodbye? Can Evan settle down and be the man that Gen knows he can be? Will Gen try so hard to blend in that she loses herself completely? Can their town put away their preconceived notions of this couple and learn to accept the new versions of Gen and Evan?

Final thoughts:
I enjoyed reading this book by Elle Kennedy. I wouldn't say that the story moved me or changed me, nor do I think it will stick with me. It was a nice, fun, summer read but I can't say I loved it. Thank you again, NetGalley for sharing this one with me!

i liked this book waaaaay more than the first in the series, but i’m a sucker for a second chance romance. i also found the characters to be a lot more tolerable than in GGC.

Gen is a newly reformed “bad girl” who moves back to the bay after a year away. after running into her long time best friend and on-and-off ex boyfriend, Evan, she starts to question everything she worked to change about herself.

Evan’s reaction to seeing Gen again is the opposite. he begins to realize she really has changed, and not wanting to compromise that for her, he decides to change too. the growth and development these characters face—as individuals and as a couple—is inspiring and truly impressive.

i rated this book four stars because while there wasn’t a ton i disliked about it, i found it to be somewhat repetitive with the breaking up and getting back together. they both wanted to be together but neither could make up their mind. i also strongly disliked the whole cop storyline—both Harrison and Randall. it felt like it was just there to add “drama” but nothing ever came of it and the way it ended was predictable.

like Good Girl Complex, i also felt this ending was seriously rushed. it was a happy ending, but it almost made all the work they’d put into themselves had been for nothing.

overall, this was a fun, summer read. i especially loved the bonding between Gen and Mac, and i was happy that we learned more about Mac and Cooper in this since their book didn’t have an epilogue. i would recommend this book.

Genevieve West is back in Avalon Bay very reluctantly. First for her mothers funeral, then to help with her fathers business, all while trying to stay away from her ex boyfriend - Evan Hartley. Gen left a year ago without so much as a good bye to Evan, but he won't let that stop him from trying to prove to her that they should be together. If that means following Gen's new found lease on life to include no more drinking, partying or skirting the law, then so be it. But can they both restore their bad reputation for the long haul? Or will someone get in the way of their second chance?

I wanted to love Gen and Evan because I loved Mac and Cooper in Good Girl Complex, but I just couldn't really get into this novel. I wanted more angst, more foreplay, something! Evan and Gen just felt like they were constantly at odds with themselves and each other. Almost like they felt the need to push this relationship with each other because they've been in and out of it since they were teenagers, so it came across as forced. It just lacked depth or development. I mean sure, the characters had to "grow up", but that's not really the same thing, nor is it developing their relationship together. Their relationship just lacked substance and so it felt purely physical.

Then there was Harrison. He seemed absolutely adorable and dorky, yet it honestly just seemed like Gen was using him to prove a point to Evan. I mean come on - the girl couldn't even remember him from high school! She could have looked at a high school year book or did an online search for him or whatever so she didn't seem so superficial! But, noooo. And then the issues with Rusty? It felt like this huge escalation, but then just oh it's all good now. I am not a fan.

Overall, honestly, this just felt like "fluff" and not at all what I would expect from Elle Kennedy. 3/5 stars.

A great sequel that tells of the power of second chances. A special thanks to @stmartinspress and @ellekennedy33 for the chance to read this #eARC ! This is available for preorder now and will be released October 4.

Picking up where Good Girl Complex leaves off, Bad Girl Reputation tells the story of the other half of the Hartley twins, Evan, and his tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship with Genevieve. When Genevieve, nicknamed Gen, arrives back in town for her mom’s funeral it is clear that she is in the midst of a maturity metamorphosis. She left the town the day after a blackout bender that found her drunkenly embarrassing herself. She ran away from her relationships, her alcohol dependency, and partying and thrill-seeing ways. When she collides back with her ex, Evan, she is forced to reconcile her past self with who she is now and decide who she wants to become and what that means for her relationships.

This was an intoxicating tale of growth, decision-making, love, and second chances. I ripped right through Good Girl Complex obsessed with the push and pull of Cooper and Mackenzie’s improbable relationship and was so far that Elle Kennedy decided to revisit the Avalon Bay and tell Evan’s backstory and relationship background with Genevieve as well. I can’t get enough of this character development in these devious guys and journey to self-love and acceptance for these strong female leads.

I highly recommend this for those who love love and second chances.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 - 4.5/5

Elle Kennedy is one of my favorite authors. When something comes out, I don’t care what it’s about, I must have it! She is on a roll this year and so many new books!

Bad girl reputation is number two in the Avalon bay series, and the way this is going, I won’t be surprised if there’s even more! I definitely am intrigued by Alana and Wyatt’s story, and childhood friends to lovers is what I’m anticipating!

Anyway, back to this book.
Evan Hartley is the other twin in this series (first one was about twin cooper Hartley and new rich girl Mackenzie). Evan’s on and off again (off for a year now) ex Genevieve aka Gen aka Fred is back in town after her mother passed away from pancreatic cancer. They have this fiery passionate chemistry and are always drawn to each other, but are they really good for each other? They’ve been together since early high school, but now they have to figure out how they fit together as they grow into adults who kinda wanna not end up in crazy bad situations all the time.

I loved their chemistry and learning more about gen’s family. I also liked seeing old characters from good girl complex (cooper and Mackenzie). What I didn’t like as much was the super bad boy personality that Evan had in the beginning (seriously how old are we). But it was great to see him grow throughout the book and super sweet seeing the things he’d go through (retirement volunteer and big bro program). Another thing I did not like so much was this love triangle, but it was written in a way that wasn’t tooooo bad.

Overall, I just LOVE Elle Kennedy’s writing. You always get attached to the characters super quickly and wanna see what happens to both of them. Makes me zoom through the whole thing in less than 24 hrs! I can’t wait until it comes out, definitely will buy a finished copy to match with good girl reputation- those covers are amazing 😍

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first Elle Kennedy book. I wanted to try her out as she's a Canadian author and I've heard a lot about her sports romances (which I'm not super interested in).

This was a second-chance romance story, one of my favourite tropes, but overall it was pretty average. It's the second in a series ("Good Girl Complex," which I haven't read, is the first), so some of the previous characters make appearances. The MCs, Gen and Evan, are both flawed individuals, which makes sense for the plotline, but I felt that Kennedy could have done more to make them feel really fleshed out to the reader.

Despite this, I will say that there were some good steamy scenes.

Thanks to St Martin's Press for sending me an e-arc of this book on NetGalley!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bad Girl Reputation follows Genevieve and Evan who have a turbulent romantic history since they were kids. Gen returns home for her mother funeral and is determined to leave her bad girl reputation in the past. She tries to keep her distance from her ex Evan but the two of them are drawn together by their intense chemistry. Evan knows how good they could be together so he decides to get his life in order and convince Gen they should be together.

This second chance romance is my first book from author Elle Kennedy. I thought the book was okay but felt disconnected to the characters.
I would give this book 3.stars

What I liked about this book:
- I thought the author did a good job showing the passion and chemistry between the two main characters.
- There was a good amount of spice in this book and I thought those scenes were well written
- I didn't mind Genevieve's character and enjoyed watching her grow throughout the story.
-I thought the book started to get better 60% of the way in
-I enjoyed the scenes with Evan and his "little brother" Riley. I thought that was a sweet part of the story.

What I did not like about this book:
- I found most of the characters to be immature, especially Evan the main male character. He annoyed me for the first 60% of the book.
-I found the friend circle and characters to also be immature and it was hard to keep track of them and their side stories.
- I thought the topics in the book were interesting (addiction, loss of parents, inadequate parenting) However, I found the overall book lacking the depth I was searching for.

Although this book was not my favorite, I have heard great things about The Good Girl Complex by this author and will definitely read that book soon.

My first ARC review!! I was so excited when I got approved to read this and I was overall pleased with the story! I’ve never been someone to reach for books with the on and off again trophe but this book intrigued me. The story is written in similar fashion to Good Girl Complex. Although, because it was mostly on and off again trophe, I found it becoming a little repetitive, the way that the characters kept always going back to one another. There wasn’t much build up. I really enjoyed the character development between the characters and the supporting plot around the two main characters. The story does have angsty parts to it, which found me excited to see how the book portrayed out up until the last page.

I’m so thankful for NetGalley and St. Martians Press/ St. Martians Griffin for providing me with this wonderful digital copy in exchange for my honest review 🤍

Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy is available for all to read on October 4th 2022

I love love loooveeeeed this book!!! I say that about a lot of books, but I really loved BGR, lol. I enjoy books the most when it makes me a feel a range of emotions, and this one did it for me. All the while being sexy and funny. I really enjoyed Good Girl Reputation, but BGR was even better. There was more plot/character development than GGR.

The ending closed all the loose ends. It was so wholesome and happy -- and I'm still high from all the good feelings after finishing this read.

Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy is the second book in the Avalon Bay Series, and this is the story of Genevieve and Evan.
 
Genevieve and Evan grew up in the same town and they have an intense connection. But during their teen years a lot of things happen including trouble and their relationship only goes back and forth in circles.
 
One day Genevieve has enough and moves to Charleston and starts over. But she can’t get rid of Avalon Bay completely and must go back there for her mother’s funeral. Genevieve experiences so much in this book and her feelings are messy and sometimes over the top. But I nevertheless felt for her.
 
When Evan hears that Genevieve is back, he can’t stay away. Genevieve is like his weak point, and they can’t keep their hands off each other. He is the one who found their relationship good as it was, but in reality, it was a bit toxic. After a while he also sees that and slowly matures more.
 
There is just no Genevieve without Evan and the two work well together. Their focus is a lot on the physical elements of a relationship and while that was entertaining to read, sometimes I wish that their emotional connection was as strong as well. Avalon Bay is just such a cozy place, and I can’t wait to read more from this world. I also enjoyed seeing Cooper and Mac from the previous book.
 
Overall, I really liked this second chance romance. 4 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked both of the characters, but felt their love story was a bit toxic and some things didn’t sit quite right with all of the jealousy etc. The story had a lot of passion and was an enjoyable beach read, just not my favorite from Kennedy.

Elle Kennedy is one of my most favorite authors! This book did not disappoint and I hope there is a next book in the series!! Thank you for choosing me to be an early reader.

Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in Elle Kennedy’s new Avalon Bay series. I loved the first book, Good Girl Complex, and became super invested in this town and these characters! Throughout that book, it was mentioned a couple of times that Evan was still hung up on his ex, Genevieve, who split town a year before. So of course I was dying to find out what happened in Bad Girl Rep when Gen returns to Avalon Bay and tries her damndest to deny her feelings for Evan. And OOF. This book did NOT disappoint!! In fact, I loved it even more than the first!

One thing I really love about this series is how much this friend group battles for each other. They are thick as thieves, and even though they aaaallllll have faults, they are a family and stick together.

Evan and Gen have been together for years, in a somewhat tumultuous relationship. Definitely a lot of break up, make up happened. But when she leaves town without warning, Even is heartbroken. He copes in all the wrong ways. When she comes back for her mom’s funeral and sees Evan again, it’s like they absolutely cannot stay away from each other. Like magnets. The chemistry is INSANE. But Gen is convinced that they’re bad influences on each other and can’t get their acts together, together. She’s changed a lot in their year apart, and isn’t sure bad boy Evan will fit into her new lifestyle.

But Evan, he is NOT letting go of this girl! He fights for the people who are important to him! I looooved how much growth both Gen and Evan show in this book. And of course, we get some updates on Coop & Mac from book one.

Bad Girl Rep, and the Avalon Bay series, is another must-read from Elle Kennedy!

This book was Ok, Genevieve started to really irritate me in the 2nd half of the book. I understood some of her reasoning in the beginning of the book but towards the end of the book she was getting on my nerves. Evan was just really frustrating, the fact that he thought He was just entitled to her attention
really bothered me. But overall I think this is a Ok book it's not the greatest but it's entertaining enough for good read.

Thank you so much for the ARC! I was so excited to read another Elle Kennedy book, she never disappoints. I really liked this follow-up to Good Girl Complex. I wasn’t a fan of Evan until the end of the first book so I was looking forward to reading about him again in this one.
Second-chances, friends to lovers, it’s always been you; some of best tropes were in this book. I love the new character of Riley too. His story with Evan made me smile more than once.
Though this is a standalone, I recommend reading Good Girl Complex first. And I definitely recommend reading this one when it’s out in October.

3.5 ⭐️ 3🌶

This book was like if Shonda Rhimes produced Virgin River. There was drama, a second chance romance, drama, laugh out loud funny moments, drama, messy romantic relationships, and more drama.

Gen returns home after a year when she gets the call that her mom has cancer and is dying. At the funeral she reconnects with her ex Evan and they still have insane chemistry. But Gen left town for a reason. She was on a self destructive path and wanted to turn her life around. Part is this process meant she needed to leave Evan behind, despite still loving him.


There might have been a touch too much drama for me.
It felt like all do their friends were having sex with all of their friends and it was a giant mess. Gen and Evan’s relationship was toxic, messy and sexy. But there was so much of this book that I loved. First of all everyone was hilarious. The banter between the friends and siblings was great. Evan’s time spent volunteering at the retirement had me giggling. But his time spent with Riley was hilarious and so healing for both of them.

I really appreciated the growth that both Gen and Evan went through. It took Evan a bit longer to get on board but it was so worth it. I love how things worked out for them.

Another amazing book from Elle Kennedy. I was really looking forward to this book and she didn't disappoint. I was wondering what happened between Genevieve and Evan and this story answered those questions for me. Great spice as always for an Elle Kennedy book.

this book 🥰

I really like all of the characters, especially after reading The Good Girl Complex! I think the storyline was interesting and I liked the way we learn about Gen and Evan’s previous relationship throughout the book while reading about the new developments.

one of the things I loved about this book is the way it promotes getting rid of a toxic relationship and bettering yourself for the people you love. I was definitely not excited at the beginning for Evan and Gen because it seemed like they were about to fall in to the ‘I hate you I love you’ cycle. it really bugs me when books romanticize the way couples are destructive for each other. that being said, I really really appreciated the point in the book where Evan decided to really get his life together. it started out with Gen as the motivation, but it ultimately made Evan feel better about himself too.

I’m sorry to say that this one didn’t quite hit for me as much as Good Girl Complex did. I think that’s mostly just because I’m obsessed with Cooper and Max because the story in Bad Girl Reputation seems perfect for Evan. I wish Cooper wasn’t so mean to Evan in this one. I mean, I totally get that Evan was making some really horrible decisions, but it sucked that Cooper wasn’t there for him more.

also when Evan started hanging with Riley!!!! I love that development in the story and how much it changed Evan into a more mature and caring person. I think that Evan always had the potential, but wasn’t taking responsibility. he had to figure it all out for himself

my biggest dislike about this book is the 3rd act breakup (pretty anticlimactic) which happens like 80% into the book. I’m not a fan of them, but this one came a little too late.

a really fun and quick read that left me wanting MORE! another standalone ??? Alana & Wyatt???

I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.75 stars - in the end I enjoyed this but the beginning was difficult to get through. I’m not quite sure what it was but I nearly DNF’d a few times until the 50% mark. This is only my second Elle Kennedy and I did end up rooting for the characters in the end but it took a while for me to feel invested.

“The bad boy thing gets old”

Bad Girl Reputation is a second chance romance following long time on again off again couple Evan and Genevieve, who also happen to have a bit of a bad boy/ bad girl reputation. Gen has recently moved back to town after abruptly moving the year earlier, without so much as an explanation to Evan. Both characters are separately trying to move on from their reputations, which is easier said then done. I enjoyed Gen’s story line in uncovering why she left, and why she stayed when she came back. Her process of growth and moving on from her guilt was well done. Evan for me felt similar to Cooper in “Good Girl Complex”. He was a little too tough for the point of being tough, and his turn around was a little too abrupt. Oh I need to be a better person? I will volunteer, and be an amazing big brother from the start and immediately bond with this kid. I will be kind to one strangers kid having a tantrum and perfectly calm them down helping the stressed mother. In the end it is a romance with some enjoyable spice and some cringe lines. I don’t not recommend it, but its not Elle Kennedy’s best in my opinion.