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.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me an Arc of this book. Just like the first book in the series I enjoyed this book. I loved the background and the backstory and the development of the new characters.

Content Warning: sexual harassment, drug use, death of a parent

This is the second book in the Avalon Bay series, and I enjoyed the first one, Good Girl Complex, a lot so was definitely going to read this one. Sadly, I wasn’t into Evan and Gen’s story like I was with Cooper and Mac. Here’s what did and didn’t work for me:

+ The beginning of the story is good – we get to know Gen and Evan and their history. Obviously these two cannot stay away from one another as much as they try. The physical attraction is undeniable but then the feelings part is when the trouble begins. They both have issues.

+ Gen has a lot going on and I do see growth. Evan also has some things to work on when it comes to Gen and his mom, Shelley.

+ Cooper and Mac make cameos in the story. Cooper doesn’t like Evan and Gen together but the heart wants what it wants!

~ I think I got bored with the story. It’s repetitive. It’s a constant back and forth between Evan and Gen, and the sexual attraction is easy for them. Everything else is hard. I think it felt flat on the emotional side of their relationship. They are also a bit toxic for one another. So I wasn’t invested with the second chance romance. Gen tries to date someone else, but we all know who is end game, so it felt like a waste of time.

~ I didn’t connect to any of the characters.

Tropes: second chance romance

Spice Level: 🌶🌶🌶

Why you should read it:
*you might like this better than the first one if you like second chance romances

Why you might not want to read it:
*it hit a lull in the middle and never managed to suck me back into the story

My Thoughts:

This one was just okay. I did like Good Girl Complex more because it was the rich girl/poor boy trope. If you like second chance romances with a lot of spice, you will enjoy this one, because one thing is for sure and that is Gen and Evan can’t keep their hands off one another.

This book is AMAZING! I loved the first one and my love for sure carried over to the 2nd! Everyone PLEASE preorder this asap!

When former bad girl Genevieve West returns home for her mother’s funeral, she’s prepared to keep her distance from her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley. Their history is rife with turbulence. And passion.. which she’s trying desperately to forget.

I've read Elle Kennedys "the deal" series so i was interested in something a little different from her. I did like this one slightly better than good girl complex. I enjoyed the chemistry between Gen and Evan. My main problem was, there were too many people to keep track of. There was Harrison, the man Genevieve was seeing alongside Evan; Riley, Evan's Little Brother, Riley's Aunt, all of Genevieve's siblings, etc. I kept having to think, wait who is this? It was distracting.

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked hoarsely. "I want you to kiss me." "You know what'll happen if i do, Gen." Heat flares in her eyes, those vivid blue depths that never fail to draw me in. "Yeah? What'll happen?" she asked, the slight curve of her lips telling me she already knows knows the answer but wants to hear me say it."

When former bad girl Genevieve West returns home for her mother’s funeral, she’s prepared to keep her distance from her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley. Their history is rife with turbulence. And passion. A heck of a lot of passion... which she’s trying desperately to forget.

i enjoyed Genevieve & Evan's relationship, the growth, the angst, spicy heat, second chance romance. two individuals who are both trying to better their lives. I enjoyed the dual POV, we get to understand the characters and where they are coming from. This was a cute read from Elle Kennedy. I enjoy receiving this arc to read, and this is my voluntary review. i love this book, looking to read more.

This read more as women’s fiction than romance. The romance didn’t actually start happening until 80 percent into the book and even at that didn’t last long. Most of the characters were real world toxic and played games that is more for a high school setting. I would have preferred more focus on the couple and their relationship in the book. For most of the book I was not rooting for The MMC. The end seemed like a quick wrap up that didn’t mix well with the more seriousness of the majority of the book. The writing is good and while I couldn’t relate much to the FMC I was rooting for her from the beginning. Perhaps if I went into this knowing this would less a romance and more about this particular woman’s growth and journey I may have connected. I enjoyed the last quarter of this book the most.

This was legitimately painful to read the characters were so immature I just couldn’t get on board. They were horrible to eachother and ended up together?? They should have run screaming away from eachother

Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in the Avalon Bay world. Gen returns to the area and quickly runs into her on and off again ex, Evan. While Gen tries to show her old world she's changed, will her and bad boy Evan be able to make the new versions of themselves work?
I enjoyed the Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy so I was interested in a new group of friends to follow. After reading the first book, Good Girl Complex, Evan was the character I was most interested in reading more about, as most of the remaining characters didn't really click with me. While following Evan's efforts to show Gen they should get back together, I found bits of the story fell flat. Both characters showed growth and potential, but it felt like as a relationship, the growth was minor compared to their personal changes. Another thing I struggled with was the constant need to bring up how horrible their reputations and actions of the past were, as it was mostly telling them how terrible they acted vs showing us in flashbacks. On the other hand, the physical and emotional chemistry between the two characters was solid and I was interested in seeing how they found each other in the end. Overall it was a decent read, and depending on who the next book (if there is one) follows, I may be interested in continuing on.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for honest review.