<i>Bad Girl Reputation</i> is the second book in the Avalon Bay series and tells the second chance love story of Genevieve and Evan. After disappearing a year earlier, Gen is back in town for a months to help out at her family’s business after her mother dies. Evan and Gen have been in love with each other since they were kids, but have also been mutually destructive influences on each other. Is love enough to help them change their bad girl/boy ways and find their way back to each other?

Elle Kennedy really knows how to write a steamy, yet sweet romance and is always a go to when I’m in the mood for a hallmark after dark romance! I loved watching Gen and Evan learn how to be better people so they could be the best version of themselves for each other. I’m such a sucker for the second chance trope (especially when the dude is so clearly head over heels in love with her heroine), and <i>Bad Girl Reputation</i> didn’t disappoint! Swoon!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of the ARC!

When I was approved for this ARC I immediately moved Good Girl Complex to the top of my TBR so I could read them in order! I really enjoyed Cooper and Mac’s story and was really excited to find out more about Evan and Gen after the few mentions in the first book.

Gen returns to their hometown, after leaving without a goodbye, a year ago. Evan is determined to get her back, but is a year long enough for them both to grow up? Evan and Gen are childhood best friends - turned high school sweethearts - turned exes. It was really fun to read about how things had changed since they were kids/teenagers and how their story started.

Overall I liked the story and hope there are more stories in Avalon Bay!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest opinion!

I really liked this book! The story follows characters we were introduced to in the first book, but it could be read as a stand alone and would make perfect sense. There is some explaining of what happened in the first book, which I understand will help people who haven't read the first one, or read it a long time ago, but for me felt a bit repetative.

The characters were really good. I felt like they were real people who had real problems and were trying to better themselves. Sometimes they frustrated me but overall I liked them a lot.

The story was really good and I like that they wanted to work on themselves before they got back into a relationship, but I wish that we havd more time seeing them as a happy couple before the book ended. But it was a cute, quick read, that I enjoyed a lot.

This is Book #2 in the Avalon Bay serious. Will there be a number 3 ??? I hope so. We follow Cooper (from the fist book) twin brother Evan and Gen’s complicated and extremely messy relationship. I dare to say this book may be even better than the first. Absolutely love Elle Kennedys writing style. We get points of view from both Gen and Evan. We also see a lot of cooper and Mac (from the first book) and I loved that l! If you want an easy heart crashing put it back together novel pick this up you won’t be disappointed.

Elle Kennedy has the ability to write books that immediately suck you in and you can't put them down. Bad Girl Reputation is no exception and I devoured this one in a sitting. This story is more than just a new adult romance, as it deals with grief and understanding that people change.

Genevieve and Evan grew up together, with a destructive love, until the day she left. She chose to grow and take care of herself. Until the day she has to go home and see Evan again. Everything is still there. A nice love story that shows that we can evolve and become better if we wish. The gaze of others is not important as long as we are surrounded by those we love.

This is considered the second book of the Avalon Bay series. I was a big fan of Good Girl Complex, and this book involves Mac and Cooper in it quite a bit! When I read the previous book, I wasn’t a fan of Gen because we didn’t know much about her. This book completely changed my opinion! The character development of Gen and Evan in this book is great. There are multiple characters from Good Girl Complex that appear in this book, too! This book really shows how second (or multiple) chances can work out in the end!

After reading Good Girl Complex I was beyond thrilled to get an advanced e-arc copy of Bad Girl Reputation! Thank you so much
I’m obsessed with Evan & Genevieve. More than I was obsessed with Cooper & Mackenzie. Their passion was intense & I love a second chance romance. I felt like I related to Gen a lot. I also had a wild party side & it defined me for a long time. It can take a lot of hard work to make positive changes & I loved Genevieve’s glow up, while still remaining true to herself. Plus this book was just steamy & I couldn’t put it down.

This is a great summer read, perfect for reading by the pool while sipping your favourite cocktail. The setting is beautiful. I loved that it was about giving second chances, not just romantically but to yourself/friends/family too.

On the other hand, the 'grief' theme could've been given more depth than it was; we forget about her mum within a few chapters. The main couple didn't have great chemistry and I was not invested in any of the characters. The situation with the sheriff wasn't handled the best either, but in the interest of not discussing spoilers, I'll leave it at that.

All in all, it's not the most realistic book but it serves as a great summer escape. Would recommend for fans of Sally Thorne and Elena Armas.

The beginning of this book started off rough. It was hard to cheer for Evan and Gen because they were both so jaded and hard to like. They had these tough exeriors and played childish games that drove me insane. If they would have just communicated like adults a lot of their problems wouldnt have been as huge as they let them become.

With such a tough beginning, once Evan and Gen started communicating, the book became bareable, but not by much. It continued to be messy and by the end I just couldn’t enjoy their story. I had high hopes going into this book becuase I enjoyed the first one so much, but I think my expectations were just too high and it just didn’t deliver. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC

Just like Good Girl Complex, I totally binged this book in less than 24 hours.

Going into this book I wasn’t sure how I would feel about Gen, but very quickly became understanding of her reasonings on why she left and ended up adoring her. I was also a bit surprised by how quickly things picked up between her and Evan, I totally assumed going into this that it would be more enemies to lovers and would take a bit to see them come together.

There were definitely some slow moments for me in this book, but other than that I loved everything about this book, the growth both Gen and Evan went through, Evan especially with how he cleaned up as quick as he did. The chemistry between them both as well had me hooked, and the way they always had each other’s backs.

Also the ending?! I have been DYING lately for a book to end like this.

Yet another fabulous book by Elle Kennedy, I cannot wait to see if we get more adventures from Avalon Bay in the future 🥰

This was just okay for me. I found the characters interesting at first but one-sided at the conclusion of the story, having some unsatisfying arcs. The setting was actually my favorite part about this work and was very well-written. It was a small, coastal town done well and I enjoyed all the scenes that built out the heartbeat of it. 3 stars for a continuation of a series that is enjoyable. Elle does write a great villain though!

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a fun, daring, summer read look no further. I really enjoyed the message Elle Kennedy portrayed throughout the novel, that it is possible to change no matter how hard it may seem. I was honestly very impressed with this book. I don't know if I would read again but I would recommend to readers looking for a novel with strong lead characters looking to make a change to their lives.

I am very invested in Avalon Bay and what goes on. Genevieve comes home after her mother passed away and can't seem t stay away from bad boy Evan. Genevieve was trying to run away from the past but now has to deal with everything she ran from.

It has a lot of friends to lovers, enemies to lovers and heart warming scenes when Evan tries to better himself.

I enjoyed it and thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!

I am a little blown away by how well Elle Kennedy followed up Good Girl Complex. It was a hard act to follow, but she did it perfectly. Introducing Gen and her story brought a whole different dynamic to Avalon Bay and I absolutely loved it. Seeing Evan and Gen's character growth was so sweet and having already fallen in love with the rest of the characters made it even better. She also had me laughing out loud at times with the group's banter. There were some great plot twists that made it hard to put down. I highly recommend this to any rom-com lovers looking for a little more emotional read.

I enjoy that this series is the ideal relaxation read. The ability to have a no thoughts head empty few hours is incredible.

While the characters were a bit childish I did think they did develop and change over the course of the book and I thought motivations made sense. While Gen and Evan were not the most emotionally intune I did enjoy their physical and sexual attraction. It made sense for them.

Overall fun!

I thought this book was just okay. The main character Gen was slightly annoying. She’s described as being this badass rebel character but I didn’t get that through the text. I feel like the author had to use characters around Gen to make her seem like a “mess.” I almost wish we got to read their past to really get a good picture of the nature of the characters. I didn’t like how the two leads constantly dismissed each other for not being good for the other and then the book just ending with them saying okay nevermind let’s just be together. The conflict was kind of silly. And this is me being nit picky but I wish the characters were older and had spent more time apart for this to be even more believable. With that said, I actually enjoyed reading this book and think it’s a mindless read for the summer.

4.25/5⭐️
I actually genuinely enjoyed this book. Enjoyed the spice and the growth of both characters. Evan Hartley is soooo fine. The author did a great job in showing his character development throughout the whole book. It shows the imbalances a young relationship may have when one decides to mature faster than the other and grow out of their rebellious stage. Genevieve was a great depiction of young girl trying to figure out where she fits into the world. It’s good to show that delinquency does not always continue to adulthood and that people really do change. If they’re meant to be, they’re meant to be.

This book was everything I wanted in the second of Avalon Bay series! i was really invested in coop and Mac, but Evan and Gen might have captivated me even more.

Seeing the stark differences in Gen’s story and Mac’s story is crazy. Ones trying to be more “bad” while the other is trying to be better.

I loved reading the tension and spice between these two, and I hope if there’s a third book that it’s about Wyatt, Tate and Alana 😍 That’s a story that needs unraveled for sure!

I liked the way that this book turned the "bad boy" trope on its head. Genevieve is a former bad girl who left town at the spur of the moment in an effort to change her life. Evan is the bad boy who may not have his life together but knows with every fiber of his being that he is madly in love with Genevieve. Both are "bad" and they have a toxic history that complicates their undeniable attraction. I enjoyed the fact that this book focused on the importance of self reflection and self growth. But, I just didn't root for the couple. The book is very hot and well written. I just personally don't enjoy reading about two toxic people being toxic towards each other in a way that often inconveniences the entire town. I would have found them so annoying in real life! I relate to the panic that happens at 22 when you realize that you need to yank your life together or otherwise repeat family curses. I think this is a great book if you're looking for a spicy book that deals with parental trauma, the challenge of loving someone when you don't like yourself, or enjoy reading about female dirtbags (I mean this in the most complimentary way). This book wasn't for me but i could see someone else really enjoying it.