I'm soo soo grateful that I got to read this early! Honestly, what a fun second book follow up from the first one- I liked this one better tbh! I found the characters more relatable and realistic, the storyline was more nuanced than book one. I truly enjoyed the way that Gen had to deal with her own history and make choices to get to a future she wanted. And obviously, steamy!!
Such a fun read, I buzzed through it. Highly recommend!

I have read many Elle Kennedy, and they have been greats reads and this is not an exception! “Bad Girl Reputation” got my attention since the first chapter! Another thing I loved is the dual point of view, it’s great to see what both characters are thinking and feeling! Thank you to Net Galley, Author, and Publisher for this ARC! 💗

I don’t read rom-coms a lot but I did want to give this one a chance because I heard so many good things about the first book in this series.

Gen - Our female main character. The author portrayed her like she had good character growth but there were still times where I felt like she was acting immature. Case in point : HARRISON. Its always a 🚩 when a character treats a side character shitty for me. It puts me off the entire book.

Evan - *swoons* his character growth was something I enjoyed reading. Him supporting Gen through her baggage earned him a couple of brownie points from me.

But where is the growth as a couple? I feel like we missed a huge chunk of development there. From trying to stay away from each other to declaring their love? It was very anti-climatic for me.

All in all, this wasn’t my type of book but i could see other people enjoying it.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy!

This book in 3 words: Soulful. Funny. Redemption.

Genevieve is back in Avalon Bay, the hometown that keeps her sometimes-toxic-true-love and party days, after her mom passes away. Evan, her former twin flame, keeps turning up, but what's the right move towards her future and changing her bad girl reputation?

I love Elle Kennedy's ability to discover the voice and tone for her characters. Evan and Gen are on fire (physically, mentally, emotionally) and they have such a strong presence throughout the dual POV chapters. That seems like it should be "automatic" but just because a book is multiple POV doesn't mean it's executed well. 

While I enjoyed the story, character, and plot, I wasn't as invested as I was with Coop and Mac in Good Girl Complex. Gen and Evan seemed wildly immature at times (BUT STILL JUST AS ENTERTAINING). But take that how you will, I still started and finished this book in 2 sittings... I wanted more and couldn't get enough. Sometimes, you just need a book where the characters are a hot mess and this is one of them. 

In all honesty, I think readers of Good Girl Complex will like this book more than those who didn't read it, but it's still a standalone.

This was a very okay read. I could not gauge how old the MCs were supposed to be, but judging by their behavior, this is a new adult novel. Evan and Gen were a very toxic couple and I was actually rooting for Gen to ditch Evan and get with the nice guy Harrison that she went on a date with. They'd fight, they'd have great sex, they'd fight again, etc. The heroine made an honest effort to break this cycle and, to his credit, the hero tried to better himself, but for the wrong reasons (he wanted to look better to Gen). I just didn't get the impression this couple would make it in the long run. Overall, a light read that passed the afternoon.

After reading and really enjoying Good Girl Complex, I was so excited to be back in Avalon Bay with the Hartley Twins!

This is a second chance romance packed with love, friendship, goals, and great character growth! I love the small town connections and long time friendships created in this story.

Evan and Gen are reunited when Gen returns back to Avalon Bay for her mothers funeral. After suddenly leaving town and her relationships, Gen is not only back she is rekindling her old life that she was desperate to get away from. Old feelings return along with everything she left behind.

The on and off again relationship keeps everything interesting. The connection between both characters is so magnetic. It's nice to have familiar characters from Good Girl Complex blend into this one.

All in all I really enjoyed both books, they are great summer reads! Though this is the second book, it can also be read as a standalone.
When it comes to Elle Kennedy I've never been disappointed.

Thank you so much to netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced copy

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to return back to Avalon Bay in Bad Girl Reputation, and it fulfilled all of my beachy summer romance dreams. I really enjoyed Good Girl Complex, and it was so fun to be able to follow the characters into BGR, but this time focusing on the twin brother, Evan Hartley, instead of Cooper Harley story.

In this novel we get dual perspectives between Genevieve (Gen) and Evan. Gen recently lost her mother and has returned to Avalon Bay after leaving abruptly a year earlier, to help her family though this rough time. During her Mothers funeral, she runs into Evan, who she quickly learns is still irresistible to her. From that point, we watch both Gen and Even grow through their own traumas and pasts to become the people they were destined to be for themselves and each other.

This novel had a very fun push-pull romance, with the perfect amount of steamy moments. The Avalon Bay setting is just perfect for summer, and if you are going on a summer vacation by the beach or lake, definitely pack this book along! Every page was an absolute pleasure!

Bad Girl Reputation is the sequel to Good Gorl Complex but following the story of bad girl Genevieve and childhood sweetheart Evan Heartley. Genevieve skipped town last year to avoid some drama that happened but also leaving behind Evan Heartley who was head over heels in love and also completely shattered. She was forced to come home for her mothers funeral and hoping to avoid Evan to not fall in her old bad habits….


I loved this book, you can literally feel the passion and chemistry that Evan and Genevieve have for each other. Childhood sweethearts at its finest. I liked how Gen was trying to change her ways as an adult but there’s always this spark of fire. She’s a bad girl chick with the best possible attitude I could totally be friends with her lol! I also loved the plot twists and the drama with Rusty Randall in this book. I felt like you didn’t really know what would happen next so it keeps you wanting to read more and more because it could go in any direction! Elle Kennedy does it again making you fall in love with her characters. I cannot wait to purchase the physical copy of this. Thank you NetGalley and St Martin Griffin for allowing me to read and review this amazing book!

Arc thanks to NetGalley!!!! Genevieve unexpectedly has to return home when her mother passes away! A place she ran from a year ago, and the man she left behind! Evan was heartbroken when Gen just skipped town! Gen is trying to reform her bad girl ways, but being home she thinks she will fall back into bad habits! Especially with Evan around!! These 2 struggle with not only things they are trying to handle themselves, but with how to be with each other as well! Sometimes change is a good thing for everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I may not have been the hugest fan of the Avalon Bay series opener Good Girl Complex, but I dove into its sequel with an open mind, considering how much I've enjoyed Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus series and its Briar U spinoff series. As it turns out, I had a pretty fun time with Bad Girl Reputation, what with Gen and Evan's fiery push-and-pull chemistry, the tight-knit and heartfelt nature of the coastal community they live in, and the themes of self-improvement and forgiving others for their mistakes.

Gen was an intriguing character from the start. While we'd never met her in Good Girl Complex, her partier ways and her turbulent relationship with Evan had been brought up multiple times—and never in a positive light. I was able to see the reason for that myself in the first quarter of this second chance romance, which shows the two of them dragging each other back down into a toxic whirlpool, even as Gen is attempting to stay on the wagon. Evan has his own baggage to handle, having to cut down on his penchant for drinking and brawling.

Then there's the boatload of jealousy that they purposely stir up in each other, which, admittedly, was a big turnoff for me as a reader. I know this is supposed to be part of the messy side of their dynamic and they have to conquer it, but it irked the hell out of me nonetheless. In addition, there's a beat in the beginning that makes Evan feel a bit like a Nice Guy who believes Gen owes him sex and a relationship like she's a vending machine who needs to pop out her merchandise after he's dropped in the coins. It goes by quickly and I'm able to root for them to work out later on, but it's still present.

As the book develops, Gen and Evan prove how truly capable they are of shedding their destructive tendencies and maturing into better people while managing to preserve the mischief and passion in their cores. The evolution they make happens for each of them individually as well as for their relationship, helping them step away from the toxic co-dependency on which they’ve hinged in the past. The banter they toss back and forth is entertaining to consume, too.

As heavy as this book might sound, though, I don't think it actually spends that much time unpacking all the hardships of alcoholism and drug abuse in spite of how much Gen and Evan struggle with them. It tackles those issues from a fairly glossy perspective, which has garnered some criticism from readers. As much as I would have been into a darker version of what Gen and Evan had to do to best their addictions, I'm also satisfied with this rose-colored depiction. I've read enough contemporary romances that get surprisingly intense despite their fluffy-looking covers that I'll just want trigger warnings handled with a lighter tone sometimes.

Getting to know the Avalon Bay gang was a fun element of Good Girl Complex, so I’m glad its follow-up introduces us to even more of the town and makes it feel that much more alive. Riley, a teenage boy whom Evan befriends through a Big Brother program, is a particularly charming newcomer. The villain that comes in the form of creepy cop Rusty Randall can be a bit too mustache-twirly for my taste, but he’s a serviceable obstacle for Evan and Gen to overcome.

What I really appreciate is the arc that’s explored for Shelley, the outrageously irresponsible mother of Evan and his twin brother Cooper (the latter was one of the MCs in Good Girl Complex). After having abandoned them, she now has the habit of returning to town every once in a while, pretending like she'll stick around and rebuild a healthy relationship with them, appealing to them for money, and then skedaddling out of Avalon Bay with said money. Cooper is the one who's hardened himself and doesn't expect his mom to change for the better, while Evan has always been lenient with their mom and holding out hope for her. But after how deeply she screwed them over during her last visit (which you can consume for yourself in Good Girl Complex), even Evan intends to not let Shelley off the hook this time. However, she goes on her own journey while her son and Gen take up the main plot, and it becomes quite heartening as it interweaves with the book's thematic core of mustering up the courage to work on your own character and creating enough space in your heart to be compassionate towards those who are undergoing such a process.

If you're willing to accept the time that the green-eyed monster spends roaring out of Gen and Evan and the somewhat sugarcoated approach to their vices, then I think Bad Girl Reputation will have plenty of merits for you to enjoy.

Great book. Loved hearing the “other” twin’s story and the dual POV gave great insight into both Evan and Gen. Spicy scenes were short but hot. Friend and family relationships nice complement to the love story.

I really loved this!! I already loved Evan from the previous book in the series and couldn’t wait to here about him and Gen. I loved their undeniable chemistry and the way they literally couldn’t help but get together. I think it had a really realistic conflict and resolution. and i loved that she proposed to him in the end. The only thing i was missing in this, is i would’ve loved some flashbacks to their relationship through their younger days! But even so i got a really clear picture of how they were before and how they grew from that.

Liked this one a lot more then the first! It gave all the beachy type vibes that I wanted. I actually felt the chemistry between the h & H so well. It was a fast easy read for me and very enjoyable. If you’re looking for just a good solid romance with some heat, a little bit of drama & a decent story line I recommend this one!

This was a great summer romance! This is the second book in the Avalon Bay series. We get to finally see and understand both bad girl Genevieve and bad boy Evan. I did love the themes in this one. The second chance for both romance and discovering a new sides of themselves was everything 🥹 in addition to the push and pull throughout the whole book

Elle Kennedy is truly the romance queen and I have not read one book by her that does not suck you in!

Strongly recommend this series

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rating: 3/5 stars

I think the real title of this book should be "Toxic Couple Can't Let Each Other Be Happy and Be Adults" because "Bad Girl Reputation" does not fit (also the male character was just as 'bad' so why not call it "Bad Boy Reputation" especially when half the story is from his POV?). I've read several other novels by Kennedy and this one is a departure from her previous stories and it wasn't as successful to me.

Bad Girl Reputation follows Gen who apparently was a "bad girl" for most of her adult life and she has an on/off again relationship with Evan Hartley, twin brother of Coop from the previous novel in this series. This story is page after page of back and forth between Gen and Evan who eventually make you want to scream "Is no one an adult around here?!" and leave Gen and Evan to their self-induced toxicity.


The whole of this story feels underdeveloped, which is why I found it to be a departure from Kennedy's other novels - the characters are highly toxic and unlikeable which makes it hard to root for any romance; the prose is slightly immature and is a lot of "Evan did this...Next, the phone rang", etc.; finally, I just didn't feel that the story had any redeeming qualities. If you have a story about a toxic relationship and you want the reader to feel satisfied, you can't just continue the cycle chapter after chapter - you have to give the reader some sense of permanent growth & change in both characters that they're going to embrace a healthier version of love.

But I didn't get that from the conclusion with Evan & Gen at all; embracing sobriety or volunteering for a few weeks isn't enough to convince me of real change in a relationship. On the face this is a nice romance story but I personally couldn't ignore a lot of red flags from the characters and the whole thing felt like I was watching a CW show from 2010.

Overall there was so much missed potential in this story - Gen could have really hit rock bottom and dug her self out by building her self-worth, investing in therapy and friendships with the right people in her life before building a healthy, lasting romance with Evan but instead it was a repeated crash and burn of relationship mistakes. And on the flip side, if Kennedy really wanted to craft a story about toxic relationships and overcoming that in some way, this book was far to shallow to accomplish that.

Not terrible, just a lot of missed opportunity for this novel to match up the romantic intensity of her previous works.

I really enjoy Elle Kennedy’s books and thought Good Girl Complex was a great start to this new series, so I was looking forward to reading Bad Girl Reputation. But, it took me a really long time to get into the story. I definitely didn’t connect with Gen or Evan and their toxic background made it difficult to root for them.

The ending did redeem the characters and the story for me a bit, but overall it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Bad Girl Reputation focuses on Gen and Evan. It’s a typical dark romance - I don’t know but I think I expected a lot more after reading The Deal.

Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Ok first things first… I absolutely loved this read. This is a second chance romance with pinning, angst, and a roller coaster of emotions. I have always loved Elle Kennedys work and this does not disappoint. She is the queen of heart racing tension and spice!
🌶🌶🌶

Childhood besties and lovers “Fred” aka Gen and Evans relationship has seen it’s fair share of troubles and her return to town has sent Evan on a mission to get her back.

Wow! Bad Girl Reputation is now my favorite Elle Kennedy novel. I loved Evan’s and Genevieve’s story and how they their love for each other natured. This story felt more natural than The Good Girl Complex, which helped me fall in love with Evan and Gen.

Book Review 📚📚

Bad Girl Reputation
Elle Kennedy
Pub date: October 04/22

In the second instalment of the Avalon Bay series, Genevieve returns home after her mothers passing and does her best to stay away from her long-time ex boyfriend, Evan.

Thank you @netgalley,
@stmartinspress, and @ellekennedy33 for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great little beach read. You could definitely feel the steam between the two main characters. If you like a quick read, summertime vibes and will they won’t they trope, I would recommend!
3/5!

Find my review on Instagram, @kels_shelf