Well, that was underwhelming. At least it wasn't problematic like Good Girl Complex, I guess. Personally, I think Elle Kennedy's writing style, as well as her characters are very awkwardly dated. Her stories often read like problematic, early 2010's romcoms. The main female character is always supposed to be a badass, but the way this is shown is by having all the other female characters around her be incredibly one dimensional to make her look better, and the men around her will often openly compare all the women in the book without any repercussions. This book is no exception from this pattern. However, the main problem I have with Bad Girl Reputation had nothing to do with the writing style or cliche characters, as sadly, I was expecting that. It had to do with the lack of plot, stakes, and character growth. This book follows Genevieve and Evan, two exes, however we never really see their relationship develop. They constantly state that they are bad for one another, and then they'll tell a short anecdote about when they were kids and first falling in love. Then, at the very end of the book, after being on again off again for years, they decide their love is worth it and get together, but there is nothing to say that this is the end of their story. We haven't seen them grow as characters or partners. There have been no scenes of their relationship or the status quo changing in ways that it hasn't already done so before. Everything was very cyclic, so when you get to the epilogue, there is no sense that this is the the end or that Genevieve and Evan have at all grown, matured, or even fallen deeper in love. This made the entire reading experience very weird, as I never could tell what point of the plot I was supposed to be at and if things were going to pick up more or fi this was it. Overall, I'm sure some people will enjoy this as a quick and easy read, but personally I found it quite dull.

This book was great. I loved the relationship between Evan and Genevieve. To me it’s a great beach and poolside read. There were some parts that made me smile beyond belief and want to cry the next. Overall it’s a great book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Elle Kennedy for the arc!

I love Elle Kennedy and have read almost all her works. This book gave me so much anxiety! In a good way. Our on-again/off-again couple definitely had all the hallmarks of a toxic relationship, before Gen leaves town to work on herself. When she returns, he is determined to get her back although some of their destructive tendencies are hard to shake. I enjoyed the growth of the characters, though I kind of wished Gen had stayed gone a bit longer to make their new "grown-up" relationship a bit more believable. I also felt like her issues with her mom were tied up a bit too easily. Overall, it was a good time.

Elle Kennedy is a well-known author amongst romance readers from her Briar U series. Kennedy has a very clear, authoritative voice in her books. She creates vivid settings with fun characters that we compulsively read. I read the first book in the Bay series, Good Girl Complex, which wasn't as good as her Briar U books. It was slower, with fewer enjoyable characters, but not bad. I picked this one with higher hopes, that she'd catch her stride with the series. Unfortunately, I found this book disappointing. It started slow and never picked up, neither protagonist was convincing, and the book lacked the sense of setting that Briar U had. Again, not a *bad* read but not very fun or particularly enjoyable. I won't be recommending this book as I do Briar U but for big fans of Elle Kennedy it would be worth a read!

I didn't like a lot of the side characters in the book and even though the main character annoyed me a few times I was still rooting for them. Not necessarily rooting for them to get together (I don't think the author did a good job in this aspect), but I was rooting for them as individuals to improve themselves. Even after reading good girl's reputation and for the most part, liking them I didn't like the part they played in this book. Finally, I think that in both books the author has tried to sell this group of friends as good friends, but they are clearly not. I don't understand how they're still friends after constantly dating their exes, keeping secrets, and going behind each other's back and I assume this is to give them all their own books/stories, but just ultimately decreases my enjoyment of the book. It wasn't terrible, but if the series does continue I do not think I will be picking those up.

I wasn't sure what to expect after hearing all the hype around Elle Kennedy's books and starting with this one. The main characters are childhood friends who dated through their adolescence then lost their way, and reconnect in this coming of age story.

I thought they were both pretty immature and a bit toxic to each other at the beginning of this book, but learned to love themselves and each other through the story. I struggled a bit to relate and connect to the characters, and couldn't feel much of a connection between them beyond their sexual chemistry. I just crave a bit more of a deeper connection between best-friends/childhood lovers stories than I got in this one. I also felt that with how much they wanted to feel like 'serious adults', the characters could have been aged up a bit because they are both only 22 and what they're going through doesn't really seem that unrealistic for their age (that's just my opinion though).

All in all, it was a sweet story of two characters shedding their bad girl/bad boy reputations and maturing into their adult selves, but felt like it was missing a deeper emotional backbone.

Thank you to the publisher, Elle Kennedy, and Netgalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Bad Girl Reputation was a fun read. My first Elle Kennedy read and she did not disappoint. I loved Genevieve and Evan's love story, the connection they have but cant deny that they had somewhat toxic relationship. I liked that it's also a story of forgiveness and second chances. The determination of both main characters to better themselves and give their love a second chance and Evan so determined to get his girl back.
I enjoy romances with POV chapters.
Overall i enjoyed this book, i think the other characters were written well in the story.

This is the second book in the Avalon Bay series and covers the relationship between Evan and Genevieve. While Bad Girl Reputation, out October 4, 2022, may seem like a easy read, it has a lot of heart and is a story about second chances, redemption, and growth.

I will admit I was really curious about Genevieve as a character. In the first novel, she is mentioned, but always negatively in relation to Evan and how their relationship was crazy and out of control. When I met her in this book, she was trying to get sober. I found her to be an interesting character, trying to shed her toxic habits while authentically being herself. That is not an easy feat and this book really focuses not only on her character growth, but Evan's as well.

The relationship between Evan and Genevieve, in the first third of the book was, honestly, unhealthy. However, the author acknowledges this and that is one of the overarching ideas of the book. How can two people who are clearly obsessed with each other, who love each other, who have this history, be together in a meaningful way without engaging in toxic behaviors? How can they grow together to be with one another now that they are adults? I really appreciated that the author doesn't rush this because I wasn't really on board with their relationship in the beginning because of how much influence they had on one another and the growing up that Evan had to do.

The big reason why this book is getting 4 stars (4.5 if you round up) is because I really do feel like that growth happened too quickly for how much they needed to reassemble themselves and how each other would fit into their new lives. I also felt the end happened too quickly as well. Really everything gets resolved in the last like 20 pages, and it didn't feel credible to me.

If you like angsty romance, second chance romance, and character growth, this is the book for you.

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

This book brings the DRAMA, and I loved it. Instantly I was obsessed with Gen and Evan's relationship. I didn't think I would like the push and pull relationship they had but I loved it so much.

When you read a romance novel you expect it to be focused on the relationship aspect of it, but I can honestly say I loved Gen and Evan just as much separately. The growth both characters go through in this story was so relatable as well as enjoyable.

Gen is returning home to her small coastal town for her mother's funeral. She left this town a year ago trying to start fresh and shed her "bad girl ways" but is back and is quickly pulled back into the life she tried to avoid. Evan has been her on and off boyfriend since childhood and he was a big part of the trouble she used to cause. Partners in love and crime their relationship fed off of the adrenaline of causing trouble together. But Gen has changed and is trying desperately not to fall back into old habits, as well as Evan's arms.

Their attraction is undeniable and SOOO spicy, but you get to watch them grow as people as well as a couple. I enjoyed it so much. The banter between the two was so fun.

I highly recommend this book for all romance lovers!

I thought this book was a great addition to Good Girl Compelx, as I read them back to back. I felt like it was a great way to hear about the love story between Evan and Genevieve, but also gave me some closure between Cooper and Mac. There were times I felt like it was just reading about sex, and they should have wanted more in their relationship—but whatever makes them happy!

This book was the perfect second chance childhood love romance read for the summer. The characters were lovable but had an edge of realness to them. The interpersonal relationships within this book were realistic and clear. Although there was a lot of characters it was easy to remember who was who due to how each character was truly their own person. I really got to know each and everyone of them to some extent. The flaws within the characters just made them even more relatable. I never felt the negative biases against peoples life choices that make me feel judged that sometimes be a theme within romance books about turning your life around.

It was hard for me to put the book down at points. And I can't wait to read more about Avalon Bay, the characters, and their love stories. This book was a HEA.

Below is my review as found on Goodreads, with a few tidbits added on.

This was the first book that I've read of Elle Kennedy's, so if you enjoy her writing style from her other series' then you might love this book! Unfortunately, it wasn't really my cup of tea.

I loved the dual P.O.V, and being able to dive into the characters' minds; all of the characters were introduced super well, considering that I have not read the first book of this series. The general plot surrounds Gen and Evan attempting to "redeem" themselves and their reputations while trying not to be someone that they aren't. Growing into adulthood and not letting their high school selves define who they are supposed to be - probably one of the most relatable themes for a new adult book! Unfortunately, that's the only part of the story that I enjoyed. Again, I've never read Elle Kennedy's work, but there is way too much emphasis on lusting over another person. Until around the 3/4 mark, it seemed that the only thing the main characters "loved" about each other was their bodies ...which for people that grew up as best friends, you'd think there was some more depth to their relationship. Closer to the end we got to see a bit more of why they care for each other, but then the ending felt rushed with their resolving conversation lasting a mere few sentences. But besides some uncomfortable paragraphs, I found the dialogue to be entertaining, and enjoyed seeing the dynamics among the different friendships. We see some complicated issues: problematic law enforcement, addiction, broken families, etc. I think the substance abuse could have used a bit more attention, so that we could truly believe why sobriety is so important for Gen, but it was still handled with care and I appreciate that it was included!

If you're a fan of Elle Kennedy, I'm sure this will be a great read for you! But I'd suggest to skip this one if you're not a fan, or if spice is something that you don't like to see every chapter.

I really enjoyed the second book of Elle Kennedy’s Avalon Bay series. We head back to the bay again but this time get to follow Evan and Genevieve’s on and off again relationship. I actually enjoyed the romance between the two characters in the sequel even more than the first book. Their history and dynamic felt genuine and honest, and the chemistry was almost palpable, If you like Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus series you won’t be disappointed with this read!

This is a book. you can read in 1 sitting! You don't need to read good girl complex to read this book but I highly recommend reading both!

I was so sad when this book was over! I wanted to read more about Evan and Gen! I liked the push and pull of this book. I think a lot of readers can relate to this story about growing up/changing but also trying not to lose who you are in the process. It's something we all go through more than once in life and I enjoyed going on this journey with these characters.

Also I think I am in love with Evan...

If you like young love/old flames reuniting, character growth, stories set in small towns and some spice you won't be disappointed with this book!

Thank you to St.Martins Press and NetGalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review!

TW:
Loss of a parent, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual harassment.

I really enjoyed this second book in the avalon bay series! I loved the push and pull of Gen and Evans relationship and to see them grow together from their old habits and behaviors. I had recently lost my mom also and could really relate to a lot of things that were said in this book about the mother/daughter relationship. All in all I’d give this book a solid 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed the ambiance of this book could really sense the coastal southern town feel. Some parts of the ending felt a little rushed, jumped from point A to point C in matter of few pages which made the ending not feel as appealing. Overall the book was really adorable and the dynamics between the characters felt natural.

This is a sweet story of redemption and second chance love. Gen and Evan have intense chemistry. They find love again while trying to better themselves and change their bad boy/bad girl ways. I liked the story. One of my favorite subplots was the relationship between Evan and his “little brother”, Riley. They had some laugh out loud moments. Overall, a good story, but not my favorite from Elle Kennedy.

Over the last year or so, I have been reading all of Elle Kennedy's books and this one was exactly what I expected...except, maybe it wasn't. These characters and the story felt more in depth, more gritty, more real. These were more like real people, trying to overcome the difficult hand they had been dealt. They were flawed but worked hard. Not to say that previous books were bad (I keep reading them, right?), but this was probably the most mature and well written of Kennedy's books that I have found. Still some fun, some escapism, some beach read, and some spice...but more memorable and thoughtful.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book and I'm super upset I haven't read her before. I loved this book.

The story revolves around Gen and Evan. They are high school sweethearts, who are in a toxic relationship until Gen just up and leaves with no explanation to Evan. Gen has to return to her small coastal town after her mother dies. Her dad needs help with the business and selling of their family home. She and Evan immediately start their on-again/off-again romance, but Gen just can't handle it. Evan decides to be a better man for her.

It's a great love story and how to be a better person of yourself without losing who you are.

I love a good redemption arc story!
I'm not sure what I expected going into Bad Girl Reputation, but the book definitely exceeded them. This is a story about second chances, forgiveness, trying to grow and do better than the past, and I ate it all up. It's a nitty gritty story with two people that have been drawn together their whole lives, who become downright destructive together, but they're also no better apart. After meeting Evan in Good Girl Complex it was interesting to get to be in his head and get to know him and his motivations in life, and to also get to know the infamous Genevieve that is mentioned in book one.
At first I wasn't sure if I was rooting for them to work it out, for them to work themselves out definitely, but together? Not so sure. But as the story evolved it became so much more and it was honestly beautiful to witness how it all developed and came together.
Genevieve and Evan are magnetic and you just can't help but want to be in their orbit.

There's a few typos towards the end that needs to be sorted, where it says "know" instead of "now" and a sentence that was missing a word, but I'm sure this will be caught and fixed before the release in October.

(Sidenote: I'm so grateful this one had an epilogue as opposed to Good Girl Complex, so the ending felt more rounded off, and not so abrupt.)