This is the second book in the series with the first being, Good Girl Complex. I really enjoyed the first book and was excited to get the second. I think I liked them both equally, as the stories and the characters were very different. This one is a story of second chances, and trying to grow up from the wild party teenage phase of life and find balance as an adult. As with the first book, both of the main characters grow and develop a lot during the story line. I enjoyed both of them and would recommend. I received an advanced copy of this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

LOVED THE STORY!! THE PLOT WAS GOOD AND THE CHARACTERS ARE VERY LOVEABLE. I think that this is my favorite between the two books in this collection, the comeback romance hasn't always been my favorite trope but she really did it well in this book. i also love the heavy tension in the beginning. it kept me along in the beginning

I fell in love with the Hartley twins in the first book, Good Girl Complex. I knew I had to read Evan’s story.

When the bad boy and bad girl in town can’t stay away from each other bad things are sure to happen. That’s Evan and Gen’s story, or at least how it starts. They both have a bad reputation and it eventually forces Gen to leave town without a word. After a year away Gen is back and convinced she needs to stay away from Evan. She’s ready to turn her life around, but she can’t do that with Evan in her life.

Both Gen and Evan are ready to turn their lives around and turn over new leaves. But with so many obstacles standing in their way will they be able to find their way back to each other?

Their story is so heartwarming and you can’t help but root for them the whole way through. Who says the bad girl and bad boy aren’t meant for each other? Gen and Evan are ready to prove those people wrong.

Elle Kennedy hasn't disappointed me yet. She always knows how to deliver a good read with tons of humor, fun, spice, and plot. I am going to make a full review of this and try to follow release dates until October. I don't want to post the full review tooooo early because the book is still so far out, so I am going to make a heck of an effort to remember to come back to this lol.
But as always for this author, 100000/10

Received this ARC from NetGalley! Bad Girl Reputation comes out on Oct 4, 2022.

This series has been wonderful so far. I am curious if we will get more but I’m sure we will cause it’s just like Off Campus with a friend group.

This book follows bad girl Gen & bad boy Evan. These middle school on & off again sweethearts are truly perfect for each other now that they have done some growing up. They were always getting into trouble, drinking too much & causing a scene, starting fights & getting arrested.

On Gens worst night she finally wakes up the next morning and realizes she needs to leave. She makes the decision to up & leave and not tell anyone where she’s going. She spends a year trying to be sober, work a steady job & not get into trouble like the old days. When her mom passes away she comes home for the funeral & of course runs right back into Evan. He thinks she’s trying to hard to not be herself but all she wants to do is be happy & proud of what she has accomplished.

Evan is now wooing her & in competition with a guy she is also kind of seeing but ultimately of course they end up finding their way back to each other. Evan has stopped getting into fights & they both work through things together.

The smut is also very enjoyable & their chemistry is OFF THE CHARTS good.

This book made me cry at one scene where I could just feel Gens emotions. I am super emotional & love when books just wreck me but this book isn’t like that. I appreciate books that also don’t destroy me & it’s a beautiful romance book.

I really enjoy this series & can’t wait to see if there will be more to it. Thank you to Raven Kennedy, NetGalley, & the publishers for giving me this special ARC!

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book.

I’m a big Elle Kennedy fan, so I was excited when I received a copy of this book. It did not disappoint. I absolutely love Evan and Gen’s story. It was beautiful and thought provoking. I liked Gen’s progression but I think Evan’s character arc was more profound. To watch him grow so much that he’s be willing to give up the one person he loves more than anything… it was heart warming. He matures more than I’ve seen any character in a book do. This book was well written, despite a few typos, and I would recommend it to everyone.

https://www.goodreads.com/reviewI read this book for Net Galley.

I loved this story! It was adorable. I loved the second chance romance. There is a amazing banter in this book and I'm a sucker for banter. I also really enjoyed having both of their POVs.

My only complaint for this book is that I didn't know it was the 2nd book in a series. So i'm going to go back and read the first book. However I will say even though I didn't read the first book yet I did not feel lost at anytime. I can't wait to read more from Elle Kennedy.

I have loved every single on of Elle Kennedy’s book!! Like, love love, but this one was different. It just didn’t feel like a lot of things happened even though it did?? I didn’t understand some plot lines, like her dating Harrison for so long.
Of course they would end up together, but it felt anti-climatic since they were “together” almost the whole book.

I will read everything she writes or has written, but this book is my least favorite of the bunch.

Bad Girl Reputation was exactly what you would expect from an Elle Kennedy romance. Tons of chemistry, angst, and on-again-off-again romance. I enjoyed Evan and Genevieve's story just as much as I enjoyed Cooper and Mac’s and it was really fun to be back with these crazy characters again and to be back in Avalon Bay which has an Outer Banks vibe (think beach bonfires, surfing, ramshackle beach cabin). While these characters do act immature at times — picking fights, making each other jealous, etc. — I still enjoyed it. My only complaint was that I wanted to see more growth and maturity from the two MCs by the end of the story. The 11th-hour breakup seemed completely out of place, so the reconciliation was rushed and I didn’t feel the satisfying connection and closure that I look for at the end of a romance novel.

However, overall, it was a fun read perfect for summer! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good! I was so happy to see Evan get his own book. You could see in Good Girl Complex that Evan was struggling with Genevieve leaving without saying goodbye. This book is about a second chance romance, self-improvement, and self-reflection. Gen comes back to town after a year when her mom is sick and dies just a few days later. Her and Evan see each other at her mom’s funeral and from there, they can’t seem to stay away from each other. Gen is reluctant to give Evan a chance because she has done a lot of self-improvement while away (getting sober, staying out of trouble, etc…), but Evan refuses to give up. The whole book is Evan trying to prove to Gen that he can support her life changes while make improvements to his own. I love Evan and Gen. I love that they realized their relationship before was toxic in someways, but realizing they can fix that. I’m a huge fan of groveling and Evan does a lot of it 😍 The spice is perfect 🌶. It was nice to see Mac and Cooper make an appearance, but I didn’t like them as much as I did in Good Girl Complex. Maybe because we’re seeing them through Evan’s eyes and his relationship with them has been rocky. I was so sad when we didn’t get an epilogue in Good Girl Complex, so I was SO EXCITED to see one at the end of this book 😍 this is definitely worth reading. Anything by Elle Kennedy is an automatic buy for me!

Heavy topics in this book that you should be aware of: sexual assault, strained relationship with parent(s), minor drug use.

Bad Girl Reputation brings readers along on the journey of former ‘bad girl’ Genevieve West as she returns home for her mother’s funeral after being gone for a year. The last time Genevieve was in town, she decided to leave without informing anyone of her departure – including her former best friend and ex-boyfriend Evan Hartley. Now that she has finally returned to Avalon Bay, Evan wants to convince her that they could be good together. He’s desperate to know why she left without telling him and why she’s adamant on staying away from him. They are quick to notice that the passion remains as strong as ever, so how long can Gen avoid giving Evan a second chance? Will a bad reputation always remain, or can it be improved in the name of love?

If you are a lover of second chance romance or looking for a fun summer read, this might just be the book for you! This book was written in classic Elle Kennedy style, however in a sense it still felt different from the Off-Campus series that you might be familiar with. I found myself appreciating the moments that discussed grief, family dynamics, and the message of there not only being one correct way to feel – people are different and react with different behaviors when facing tough situations. Moreover, the romance provided great tension and a will-they-won’t-they storyline. I loved the chemistry between Gen and Evan. Even if they knew everything could go up in flames any second, they could not bear to stay away from each other. It was as if a magnetic force was constantly pulling them together. I’m always a sucker for the childhood friends to lovers to strangers to lovers trope, thus I was immediately invested. I adored how well they knew each other despite being apart for some time. It felt as if there would always be an underlying understanding between them. At times, the characters felt a bit immature, and they made questionable choices, but in a sense, it was nice to read about someone who didn’t have it all figured out and to watch the characters attempt to grow. I wish we could have seen more of Gen and Evan’s past instead of the little bits of information we got from the anecdotes when they went down memory lane together. Some parts felt a bit slow or dragged out to me, and I didn’t find myself completely adoring the characters, however this was still a very entertaining read! If you want to dream yourself away to a place of summer, trouble, and second-chance romance, this is for you.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC of this book!

Okay so I had heard the hype around Elle Kennedy books and was really excited to check this one out, but was incredibly disappointed. To be honest, I couldn’t even finish it. The characters were DEEPLY unlikeable, and the book as a whole seemed to be glorifying unhealthy relationships. Honestly, this is not a book I would recommend, and I can’t think of any redeeming qualities.

Solid 4 star read!! This is a second chance romance set in a beach town - what more could you want?! I absolutely loved the banter and character growth. If you’re looking for a beach read, this is it!

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

*thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I dont usually like second chance romances but I enjoyed this one . Our messy Heroin, Gen, moves back home after an unfortunate death in the family and is forced to be around a toxic ex lover ,Evan, who she meant to distance herself from. Their physical attraction feels magnetic and makes it impossible to stay apart .

(If u want a romance high on the horny and low on the feels with a bit of toxicity this ones for you)

I thought overall the story was enjoyable but i couldn’t help but feel like their chemistry was mainly physical & saddled up together not because they were good for each other but because there weren’t any better options. I mean its not like she didn’t try to find one but

…the loser cop? Really? Ick. (This one of those couples i believe broke up after the epilogue 💀)

Small town romances amirite

S/n: This book leaves the door open to a lot of potential couples introduced here

I think that Elle Kennedy had a great premise with this book. The tropes and plot were all there, but it all falls a but flat. The characters do not get enough depth and Gen/Evan don't have believable chemistry.

I think we needed 100 more pages for the character development to really make sense.

It's even more disappointing because I know Elle Kennedy can do way better. Maybe traditional publishing stifles her.

**ARC Review**

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I literally devoured it in one sitting! This was such a fun summer read. Bad Girl Reputation follows Gen and Evan after Gen abruptly left town a year ago. It was such a great love story to watch them find their way back to each other. It was fun and flirty and I immediately fell in love with Gen as the protagonist. We got a glimpse at the characters we fell in love with in Good Girl Complex, and left so many opportunities for the Avalon Bay series to continue. 5 stars, 10/10, two thumbs up, just loved it!!!!

An easy read with a beach town setting. I read the first book in this series right before so I was familiar with Evan and Gen. I liked getting to hear their story. The characters are a little immature but I guess they are early 20s. I was glad to see Evan (and Gen) grow up and realize his potential. I also liked that his mom cleaned up her act. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will definitely recommend to friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this e-ARC

Bad Girl Reputation is the second installment of the Avalon Bay series. This book follows Evan And Genevieve who has come home after losing her mother to illness. She is reluctant to come home and attend her mother’s funeral but her father wants her to stay home for a while. To make matters worse, her ex also shows up to her parent‘s home after the funeral and it appears the two may still have feelings for each other.

I really enjoyed this book as well as several other books from Elle Kennedy. It is a great story for anyone who loves second chance romances, finding happiness, and overcoming challenges.

4.5 Stars/ 5 from me!

Thank you, Netgalley for this new Elle Kennedy arc. I have been looking forward to reading the second book in this series for some time now, and glad I got the chance! I will say I had super high expectations as the first in this series was phenomenal. Getting into this one took me a bit longer cause I had to relearn who all the characters were again, and try to remember which twin was talking. The story line was fantastic, but it still took me a week to get through. I will still recommend this read to friends and customers. But I really wanted to see more character development and see more romance throughout the book.

This was a super cute story. I didn’t like it as much as Good Girl Complex but I enjoyed reading about Gen & Evan’s story. Thank you to NetGalley, Elle Kennedy, & St. Martin’s Press for the ebook arc!