Very cute romantic book. Highly recommend reading the first book in the series first. I loved the characters but felt like the beginning was a little slow. Although predictable I did love the love story between the two main characters.

I received this book from Netgalley to provide a review. I initially had a hard time getting into this book. I love Elle Kennedy and this is my ninth read by her but at the beginning of this story I had a hard time connecting to the characters. They were both hard edged and abrasive and more annoying than anything. I had to stop myself from DNF’ing several times but I’m glad I stuck with it as the book got better as the characters grew and changed for the better making them more likable. Their backstory was necessary, but I felt like it took way too long to get past it and into the actual meat of the book where the characters experienced growth and showed all the banter and humor that this author always brings to the table. Also, and I can’t believe I’m complaining, but I could have done with a lot less intimate scenes. With so many right at the beginning it was hard to connect with the characters emotionally. This wasn’t my favorite Elle Kennedy read but I’m definitely still a fan.

I did definitely enjoy this more than the previous one. But, there was a bit too much drama for my liking honestly. And I typically love second chance romances but the chemistry didn’t feel enough for them to go back.

I LOVED Elle Kennedy’s book, The Deal, so I was super excited to get my hands on this ARC from her! It wasn’t bad necessarily, but it fell flat for me.

I just didn’t FEEL anything. I know that might be a strange thing to say but when
I read The Deal I was enamored with the story, the character’s, their pasts. I kept reading this book mostly because I hate to DNF a book, especially an ARC, and I kept waiting for that moment for a connection with the characters to click. It never really did.

Not only did I not have an emotional connection to the characters, but I didn’t feel their connection to each other. It really just felt like they had a sexual connection, but even then the spice wasn’t… spicy. The only reason I fully realize their sexual connection is because they kept saying that they had it.

If a book with characters that have bad reputations trying to better themselves interests you, I would give it a try when it releases!

I liked this more than I thought, which is exactly what I said about the first book.

It’s definitely a somewhat try to be angsty story, but I did like the characters trying to grow up, it did seem a tiny bit forced but I liked the toxic push and pull and wish we had seen more of this from their time previously.

I did really like gen and evan together I definitely see the chemistry and the draw they have to each other, and this long term connection they have is unbeatable.

I was so lost with some of the side characters because I couldn’t not seem to remember much of what happened in the first book and that is MY fault oops.

Overall I do like this idea of coming back to this small town, but I felt like more could have played into gen wanting to stay and move back permanently and we didn’t get too much inner monologue of this!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC

I didn’t love Good Girl Complex but I liked Evan enough as a character to pick this one up. This one is fine I also didn’t love it. It was kinda boring tbh like what even was the plot. If you love a second chance romance and characters working to better themselves this might be up your alley.

I always love Elle Kennedy books and this was no exception. She has a way of writing characters that I just enjoy and can't get enough of. I loved the characters, the drama, and the love/romance that was in this novel. This further solidifies that if a book by Elle Kennedy comes out, I will read it!

ARC BOOK REVIEW

Bad Girl Reputation
by Elle Kennedy

Publishing date : 10/04/2022

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Genevieve West returns to Avalon bay after the death of her mother. She has not been home in a while, due to some history that have given her a terrible reputation.  Gen is not only returning home to the town of Avalon Bay, but also to her ex boyfried Evan.....who she can NOT stay away from. 

Genevieve and Evan have been off and on since highschool, but when Genevieve suddenly flees town last year, she doesn't tell Evan goodbye.  Now she is back and trying to keep on the right path....no drinking, no trouble- She wants to get her life together and staying away from Evan will definiltey help with that. But Evan is convinced they can be good together. Can they pick up where they left off? Is it a good idea? Have either of them changed?

They are about to find out.

Review:
I liked it! This is #2 in the Avalon Bay series. ( #1 is Good Girl Complex)  And I think I liked this one a little more than the first one? I enjoyed that we got to see more of Cooper and Mac from book 1.

I really like Geneveive and Evans chemistry. They sure are spicy together!  I was rooting for their love story.  No major character development here, but we do see progression and it wraps up nicely.

It was an easy read and kept my interest. I like books where I can kick back, and get lost in the setting and Avalon bay is a nice place to do that!

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc!

I was so excited to return to Avalon Bay to hear Evan & Genevieve’s story. Just like with Good Girl Complex, I absolutely couldn’t put Bad Girl Reputation down.

What I loved:
-I'm normally not into second chance romances. But Elle Kennedy made this one amazing!
-Dual POV. It helps me to understand both characters better
-The Avalon Bay setting (It makes me think of OBX and maybe a little bit of One Tree Hill). It was also great to see a bit of Cooper and Mckenzie again!
-Evan & Genevieve. Even though they seem a bit toxic for each other on first glance, the chaos they bring out in each other is worth the read.
-The. Spice.

What didn’t work for us:
▪️The constant back and forth between Evan and Genevieve gets to be a bit much. But to be honest, I love the drama!

*** Though it isn’t completely necessary, I highly recommend reading Good Girl Complex before this one.

All in all, we really enjoyed Bad Girl Reputation! If you love a second chance romance, add this one to your list!

📖: Bad Girl Reputation by @ellekennedy
Pub Date: 04 OCT 2022  

Thank you to NetGalley, Elle Kennedy, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I'm usually not the biggest fan of New Adult/College age romances, especially when the characters often act really juvenile but I was a goner for this steamy, dual POV second chance romance between childhood sweethearts Evan and Genevieve, who are both working hard to reform their 'bad' reputations and see if they can be good together.

It was great getting to know Evan better in this book while also still seeing snippets into his twin Cooper and Mac's life from Good girl complex. Another win from Elle Kennedy as far as I'm concerned. I can't get enough of her Avalon Bay series and these book covers are GORGEOUS!! Much thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

CW: parental abandonment, death of a parent, alcoholism

This is the second standalone in the Avalon Bay series. I liked Evan in Good Girl Complex and was looking forward to learning more about the girl who broke his heart. This second chance story was deeper than I expected.

Evan and Gen have had an on-again, off-again relationship for years, up until the day she abruptly left town. When her mom's death brings her back and Evan is immediately there to pick up where they left off. Gen isn't the same reckless bad girl, she knows Evan isn't good for her. I was glad to see Genevieve recognize how they were bad for each other. Despite their chemistry and pull, she resisted and knew they had to focus on themselves before jumping back into a relationship.

This is a story about two troubled people who have to work on themselves. There is some steam early on but the relationship develops slowly. I'm not sure how I felt about her dating someone else while Evan worked to "court her", in his words. There was something endearing about Evan and he brought the necessary dose of humor to make the story entertaining. He was a bit immature at times, but forgivable since these are characters in their early twenties. I found myself giggling at times but would have liked more witty banter between characters. Elle Kennedy is known for bringing some laughs to her stories.

Overall, this was a quick entertaining read that I read in one day. There is plenty of tension, a bit of angst, an unlikable villain, and a little humor and cuteness. The book left me wondering about some of their friends, I hope to see more books in this series.

I love second chance romances! Even and Gen's relationship was fun, they had some really good development. I loved their growth and seeing how they grew up from the crazy teens they were. They knew each other so well and to watch them figure out how to come back together and build their relationship was such a good journey.

I was so excited about this one because I loved Good Girl Complex. This one was just slow half way through and I couldn’t connect with the characters unfortunately. This is about second chances and more character growth and family, not much spice at all in this one. I did still enjoy reading this slow banter, of two high school sweethearts that had a falling out since Gen moved without saying goodbye. I liked how Gen confronted her past to work on herself but I didn’t see much character growth as I thought I would. She definitely was working on herself but the toxic was just still there. I don’t know, the character threw me off. It’s safe to say Evan would do anything for Gen and their connections was definitely intense. Even just walking into a room they can feel each other being there. The trying to stay away but you can’t. Were they toxic? Yes, but I loved how Evan worked on himself to be better for her. You can see how much he cared about her. And I thought it was really sweet, since Gen was really working hard on herself and didn’t need anything to get in the way of that. Evan was definitely determined to be by her side no matter what. I think if I went in knowing it wasn’t so much romance but growth then I would have enjoyed it differently. It was just too high school for me. The ending was sweet and still wanted them to have their happy ending.

After reading Good Girl Complex, I was so excited to read this eARC, which is the sequel! In this story we get we get inside the other Hartley twin’s head, Evan. Evan, who is pretty immature at the beginning of the book begins to grow up and grow as a character for his childhood love interest, Genevieve. Genevieve is attempting to rewrite her own story as she fights her reputation that is working against her!

Overall I really enjoyed this one. It was a fun second chance romance with a great summer setting! I enjoyed the character growth and peaking into the lives of Cooper and Mackenzie after growing attached to them in the first book! I also enjoyed the multiple points of view! This one also had Elle Kennedy’s signature steam! I do think I preferred the first one, but this one was cute too! I especially loved all of Evan’s service endeavors.

When I say I love Elle Kennedy, it's an understatement! Her books are always unputdownable and this one did not feel any different. She has the ability to create chemistry between the characters that jumps out of the pages and it's cute, fun, sweet and hilarious! Don't walk... run to read this book. You will surely enjoy it as much as I did!!

I liked this a lot better than “Good Girl Complex.” Maybe it’s because I had a soft spot for Evan. Are him and Gen slightly toxic? Sure, but I liked the emphasis on him doing the work bettering himself to be a better partner for her. Also who doesn’t love the “childhood friends to lovers to estranged to lovers” trope?

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

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea, but it very well could be someone else’s. The characters act immaturely and have very messy relationships. They do not act rationally. The other women in this story that aren’t the MC are flat in order to make the MC seem better or more developed as a character than she really is. If you’re willing to ignore some things or if those things don’t bother you, I could see someone feasibly enjoying this book.

The second addition to the Avalon Bay novels and I LOVED Evan and Genevieve.

A second chance love story which multiple redemption arcs that is so spicy will always get 5 stars from me.
Gen and Evan fell in love when they were young and maintained a roller coaster of a relationship until one day Gen leaves Avalon Bay and Evan behind. When her mother dies she's forced to come home to confront all the things she's been running from. Evan has played into the bad boy persona for the last year trying to cover up how much his heart shattered when Gen left him.

Now that she's back he'll do anything to prove to her that they're meant to be together.

Gen and Evan's relationship has had a rocky foundation, there is a magnetic energy between them but everything around them always turns into chaos. Their story unfolds as two souls who were meant to be one that just needed to take a step back and realize they could change for the better.

I really enjoyed the tie in from the previous book and I was pleasantly surprised about the undertones of class consciousness and allowing characters to make mistakes but still improve overall.

Highly recommend this novel and you don't necessarily have to read the first book.. although I'd recommend that you do anyway!!

Thank you St. Martin's Press, netgalley and Elle Kennedy for this e-book ARC!

This second-chance romance follows Evan (the twin brother of the MMC in the first) and Genevieve (former “bad girl” that’s back in town). I thought this had great character development and vulnerable moments that focused on self-awareness, loss, and being open to love. Great spice, the pining was well-written, and I appreciated there was an epilogue. The ending didn’t feel abrupt like in the first book. Ultimately, this was a cute read and I enjoyed

I enjoyed this sequel that continues following the twins in Avalon Bay. This time it’s Evan’s and Gen’s story. They’ve been on and off again for years. Until one day she left and never came back. However, neither one forgets the other. When tragic events bring Gen back to town, Evan won’t let her forget their chemistry. But, Gen has other plans that don’t involve falling back into her bad girl reputation.

I enjoyed this second chance read. Though there is romance (not as spicy) this book is more about growth and family. Comparing it to the first book, not as much happens in this story and the bad boy/girl image gets emphasized a lot in my opinion. But the ending was so sweet! Hope there will be a story about Heidi and Gen’s brother.