👍🏼👍🏼 second chance romance for childhood lovers & troublemakers

OMG and I thought that the first book in this Avalon Bay series (Good Girl Complex) had me screaming!!!

Y’all this one is even better - I mean SO GOOD!

The first book is great, don’t get me wrong. But this one?! 🔥🔥🔥

Genevieve and Evan have been best friends forever and an on/off again relationship since they were teens causing trouble all over town with their devil-may-care attitudes. That is until Genevieve takes off in the middle of the night and disappears on everyone, especially Evan.

Except, now Genevieve is back. After her mom’s death, she’s moved back into her childhood bedroom to help her dad run the family business. Genevieve is committed to a new, sober life, a stark change from her wild youth. But what hasn’t changed is that Evan Hartley gets under her skin. And oh man is Evan screwed. There is no one who compares to Gen.

This book has everything you want - second chance romance, a mysterious past, a strong woman who is not taking anyone’s shit, and of course a hot, who did this to you, tatted boyfriend.

Also this book is set at the fictional beach, Avalon Bay which just makes it the *chef’s kiss* perfect summer read.

Go Go Go pre-order this book now!

Enjoyed Ethan a lot as a character in Good Girl Complex so, I was excited to see that he was getting a book. It was a good time!

Okay, so you know how there are books that you never want to end?! That was how I felt reading this!

Bad Girl Reputations follows Genevieve as she comes back into Avalon Bay after the death of her mom. She runs into her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley, and almost immediately is faced with dealing with her past.

I really loved seeing the character progression from both Gen and Evan. Many times in romances, the characters' growth isn't until the end; but with these two, the changes happen throughout the narrative. I always appreciate a duel POV from the female and male love interest as well!

My only drawback was how Cooper was portrayed through this book, as someone "high and mighty" on dating advice, when he started dating Mac as a bet in the previous book.

Overall, the drama, the spice, the romance? Give. Me. More!

The biggest thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in return for a review!

I really enjoyed this book! I am a new found fan of Elle Kennedy and I can’t wait to read more. Bad a good reputation is a book about redemption, second chances, and forgiveness. Through the dual pov from Evan and Gen we get to experience the personal growth of each character. Not only did we get personal growth from the main characters we got it from others and well- and I just love to see it, or read it! ❤️

I am hoping Elle gives us more from Avalon Bay and it’s friend group because I just love the universe she has created. Also Evan and Gen are magnetic and spicy 🌶 I would definitely give this one 4/5 stars. You’ll want to read this one if you love friends and lovers tropes, second chances tropes, bad boy but also reformed a bit, and if you love romance with a bit of spice! Thanks NetGalley for letting me read the ARC in exchange for my honest review! Can’t wait to post a full review on my page when the book is released!

“Put it out, I'm on fire, fire
That's what I'm about, take me higher, higher, tonight
I'm gonna ride that wave…”

That is “Waves” by Miguel— in particular it’s the remix with Kacey Musgraves. That song played on a permanent loop in my head while reading a huge chunk of this story.

I’m convinced that Elle Kennedy played it while writing the steamy scenes between MC’s Genevieve and Evan for her October release: Bad Girl Reputation, a second installment in her Avalon Bay series. I am complete trash for Elle Kennedy books so I was excited to get approved for this on Net Galley.

BAD GIRL REPUTATION dives deep into it’s characters and gives that lovely push and pull between two characters that are so in love with each other but also trying to be stronger on their own. Growing up along someone it’s hard to strengthen your roots when they’ve been growing side by side with someone else. If you want a future together you need to be strong independently to fight for it. And LORD, these two are hot together.
So here’s to Evan and Genevieve and their pursuit of change and love.

Bad Girl Reputation is about bad girl turned good, Genevieve West. Known for her past as being a wild child she comes back to Avalon Bay after a year away to attend her mother's funeral. After changing her ways in Charleston she's tentative to come back...especially when it brings up the possibility of running into her ex boyfriend Evan Hansen. Evan and Gen have a tumultuous past of on again off again relationships but always find themselves being drawn back together. When Gen's dad asks for some help with his business, taking over the role of her mom's past duties she finds herself in Avalon Bay longer than she anticipated. With Gen sticking around for a while Evan tries to work his way back into her life...even if it means changing his old habits and bad boy ways.

This book focuses on the chase between Evan and Gen and seeing how much they have grown and changed from their past. Oh and did I mention Evan has a twin brother named Cooper who is not Team Gen. With people having past impressions stuck in their minds it seems like the two are out their trying to prove themselves to others. Especially a creepy police officer that has it out for Gen and wants to make her life difficult in anyway possible,

I rate this book 3/5 stars, It kept me interested and I liked seeing the chase and wondering if the two would find their way back to each other or choose to go their separate ways for the better. This book has alternating chapters from Gen and Evan's perspective so the reader can understand the thought process of both of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

4/5 ⭐
3/5 🌶️

This second chance, redemption story was super sweet and funny. I loved Evan from Good Girl Complex and was really excited for his story! It had just the right amount of angst for me and the ending was perfect.

I really enjoyed watching Evan and Gen grow within this book, especially Evan. He seemed to start the change for Gen, but ultimately did it for himself which was really endearing. I loved watching his attempts at volunteering, Arlene and Lloyd had me laughing out loud.

Even in GGC I knew there was something off about Gen skipping town... Finding out how awful her truths were was really sad, especially when you consider the misplaced guilt she felt over everything. I really loved this redemption arc, seeing her dad stand up for her the way he did was amazing.

I'm hoping we get more from Avalon Bay! I can't wait to see more from this group of friends.

EVAN AND GENEVIEVE DESERVE EVERYTHING! Okay but seriously, this book was an incredible follow up to Good Girl Complex. The whole tortured souls and dark past themes that were played up in this book were top notch. Also, there is more spice in this book than there was in the first book, so make sure that you’re prepared for that!

The way we get that ever so loved dual perspective in this book was an absolute dream for me. You get to see both sides of the story and enjoy every single second of it. I really enjoyed getting to see the characters overlap from the first book into this one. The way that Mac and Cooper play a part in the story made my Good Girl Complex loving heart absolutely sing!

Evan was really something else in this book. I couldn’t stop comparing his whole “transformation” to when Danny tries to become “good” in the movie Grease. It made me hardcore chuckle at a couple different places. His relationship with Riley was really sweet though and I think it was a favourite plot piece for me.

Genevieve made my heart hurt. Her whole story and reasoning for why she left town was just heartbreaking and infuriated me. The way that she was working on herself throughout the book was really cool to see. While I did love Harrison too, I think that Evan is really her perfect match.

Overall, I really liked this book and would put it on an equal standing as Good Girl Complex which doesn’t always happen for me with second books! All I can say is that I would not complain about another Avalon Bay book, maybe with Harrison as the lead??? Just a thought!

Thank you, @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book and I absolutely loved it!

I loved that it was just a romance but really dealt with topics that people in their 20s-30s deal with. The characters had such growth, even with such tragic pasts, which was so nice to see throughout the novel.

There were a few times I was frustrated with Gen and Evan. The whole cop situation was extreme aggravating.

This book had everything I love and is one I would definitely recommend! I know I’ll be adding this to my shelf when it comes out Oct. 4th!

I’m Slowly becoming a huge Elle Kennedy fan, I enjoyed the first book in the series ‘Good Girl Complex’ so I thought that this would of been this same.. it kind of is. I enjoyed more of the Connor & Mac story in the first one then the Even and Gen in this book, it took me a bit more longer to form a connection with Gen. This is a second chance romance that was really nice, dual pov which is always a very good positive point in my eyes, overall I enjoyed this

What I love about Elle Kennedy books is that it’s never just a cutesy romance. The characters she creates have such depth and tragedy in their past, and this book is no exception to that rule.

This second chance romance delves into sobriety, self-trust, self- discovery, sexual assault by an authority figure, corrupt police, and revisits some mother trust issues from the Good Girl Complex. I will say, that this book didn’t make me cry while the first book in this installment did (which may because the mommy issues hit a little too close to home.) However my tears are not a hold back for a great novel. I think there were a lot of topics that are relatable for 20 or 30 something ladies. You can grow up, and you can change.

There were a few moments with Gen I found myself rolling my eyes, and I think she stayed with Harrison a touch too long. They hadn’t kissed a few dates in, and obviously she was still in love with Evan. It mildly annoyed me but hardly impacted my thoughts of the book overall.

The ending for Rusty was implied and good riddance, but I would have loved a concrete definition of what was going to happen to him. Maybe if there is another Avalon Bay book we can get that wrap up. I’m a big fan of this series.

As someone who also participated in BBBS, I loved its incorporation into the book. A lot of people think it’s for little kids, but when I was 21, my little was 16. We still stay in contact, and I know that I have changed her life for the better, and I’m sure that Evan has done the same for Riley. This storyline made my heart bleed, it was so incredible.

If you love Elle Kennedy as much as I do, definitely pre-order this book, and look for it Oct. 4!!

The book in theory checks off all the boxes for a good read. I think the author is almost there, but not quite. I didn’t sympathize with the main characters and at times found them to be whiny. They created issues when they’re shouldn’t have been. I wish the female protagonist would’ve went into more depth about the trauma caused by her mother’s indifference. The story felt like two damaged people creating unnecessary chaos, and ultimately ending up in a happy ending, even though little to no personal growth occurred. I preferred the first book in the series. That being said, I’d probably read the next book in the series if there was one.

If you’re in need of a decent book to read, then consider taking a whirl with this one. Thank you for allowing me to review an advanced copy of this novel!

I went into this with high expectations after reading Good Girl Complex and I have to say I enjoyed this book way more than the last. I found it to be a quick and entertaining read that sucked me in from the very beginning! I really enjoyed the banter and chemistry between Gen and Evan and it had the perfect amount of spice. I'm not usually a huge fan of second chance romance but the dual POV really added to the story and allowed insight into both main characters and their development, both individually and as a couple, throughout the story. Definitely worth the read!!


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

I loved Evan and Gen’s story. The amount of growth in both of them from beginning to end was absolutely amazing.

Evan is the softer of the Hartley twins, and I say that, even though he’s willing and ready to throw down at any given moment. But he’s more willing to forgive people and he definitely has more vulnerable moments. But he’s hilarious too, and he just really is one of my favorite characters!

As for Gen, I really liked her, but I felt like she was trying so hard to ‘grow up’, that she was almost kind of losing herself in the process. I agree that they both had some growing up to do, but I felt like at some points Gen was over the top in her quest for growth. I do think by the end she had realized that growth was needed but she didn’t have to completely overhaul herself and her character to show growth.

All in all this was a great story, I’m definitely hoping we get more Avalon Bay books because I think there are so many great characters that need stories as well!!

All I have to say is CRINGE!!! This is the first book I read by Elle Kennedy. I didn’t read the first book in this little series, but this one sounds interesting, so I gave it a shot. The hero and heroine were so annoying and so cringy. Once I hit the 50% mark, I found myself skimming the rest of the book. I honestly didn’t even care what happened with the romance between the two characters. Overall, this book was not for me.

So, I will be honest I never even heard of this series until I joined Instagram and was one of the first books I asked to review on @Netgalley and I am super excited to be giving my review for this book. (I will have to read the first one next lol) This was my first Elle Kennedy book!
This book was fast paced, funny, and I loved that we got both characters point of view. There was also a lot of background from their past in this book that I really liked. It showed that these two characters were very immature, but you could see them develop more throughout the book. I will definitely be picking up another book by Elle Kennedy.

So so good! Love a second chance romance. The characters are flawed but complex and the story is engaging! Definitely recommend this one and all of her books.

Thank you NetGalley and Elle Kennedy!

After reading Cooper's story, I was really looking forward to reading Evan's. I cannot say that I identified with Gen, a wild child who rivals Evan in his adrenaline fulled ways. As the book begins, you can tell how dysfunctional and toxic their relationship is and I wasn't sure how I was supposed to root for their happily ever after. Evan comes off as jealous and possessive and Gen isn't far behind. It's quite admirable that as Gen comes home she sticks to her guns and tries to stay the course, staying out of trouble and sober. Evan takes on the role of supportive, if flirty friend and a "big brother." Both characters show character development that allows you to root for them even as they exasperate (communication is key!). As a bonus, the twin's mom making another appearance and also maturing was a wholesome way of stabilizing the relationship between Cooper and Evan.

Bad Girl Reputation is a cute, quick read between Genevieve and Evan. While they have made some mistakes in the past they ultimately can’t stay away from each other. There is nothing better than a 2nd chance romance.

Really good series, entertaining and fun, is a good book to sit and relax and enjoy. Is about second changes on how you want to be and romance.