Elle Kennedy has created a flawlessly layered and enticingly addictive romance that hits all the marks and more. This story Second Chance/Friends to Lover/Enemies to Lovers romance is pure gold and I loved every minute of it. I adore Elle Kennedy’s romances; I know going into one that I am going to read it cover to cover in one sitting and this book is no different.

Gen and Evan have known each other their whole lives pretty much and have been through so much together. These two were the epitome of troublemakers, always getting into mischief together and having a blast while doing it. But something happens to Gen during a night of debauchery that changes her outlook on how she’s been living and what she needs to do in order for her to get her life together. One of the things I loved most about this story was the second chance aspect not only of love but in all things. Her redemption arc was beautifully written and felt so incredibly genuine. Nothing about her felt forced or unreal, it was organic and had you identifying with her character in so many ways.

I felt for poor Evan he honestly didn’t understand what was happening between him and Gen for a long time in this book. You could feel his frustration at not understanding why things changed so quickly and drastically. He tried so hard to hold on to the old relationship they had, but what I thoroughly enjoyed was how he adapted to what was between them now. He listened to Gen and took what she said seriously never making her feel bad or that it was a joke. It spoke volumes about the type of guy he is and how much he truly cared for Gen no matter which version of her he got.

Elle has a brilliant way with her words; they wrap around you like a warm blanket on a cold night making you feel comforted and entertained. You will without a doubt fall into her books effortlessly and completely until the very last page is read, and at the end you’ll have a permanent smile on your face.

2.5 stars - I liked this better than I liked the first book but overall it was fine. The romance didn’t excite me, I didn’t think Evan and Gen had chemistry.

Some spoiler-ish stuff below;

The parts of this book I liked were Evan hanging out with Riley and learning to be a big brother. I think that watching his growth from that was really sweet. I also liked seeing Gen start to believe in herself. But the engagement plot didn’t work for me at all.

Disappointing after loving her Off Campus series. Still thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for access to the arc!

This was an angsty, emotional, and swoon worthy look into Gen and Evan's second chance romance. I knew I was going to prefer this one to Good Girl Complex-Gen was a much more interesting and complex main character than Mac. I loved the character development for both Gen and Evan but particularly Evan. If you've read the first book in the series, you know he is a bit of a bad boy with a penchant for destructive behavior. Watching him mature and find his own path was highly engaging. I love the redemptive arc to their relationship and the intense spark you could feel between them. There was an intense chemistry that was palpable throughout the entirety of the story. I highly recommend this if you love angsty childhood lovers. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Okay, I see you Elle Kennedy. This book was funny and fast paced. I loved both the characters and the self transformations they accomplished throughout the book. There were times of pure humor and times of difficult and tense moments addressing social issues we still face today. I really liked that Elle Kennedy didn’t draw out issues in an unnecessary way. There was definitely that push/pull between the main characters but it wasn’t for the entire length of the book. Same thing for when she hinted at something that may have happened to the characters in the past. She didn’t leave you wondering what happened for the entire book. Overall I really enjoyed. I can’t wait for the next book that takes place in Avalon Bay! I’d give this book a 3.5 ⭐️ overall!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and the author for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

Bad Girl Reputation in a stand alone but also a sequel to Good Girl Complex as it is the book after in the Avalon Bay Series. It can be read alone however it will “spoil” who ends up with who in Good Girl Complex if you don’t read them in order.

Bad Girl Reputation is a dual perspective book following Genevieve and Evan. Genevieve is coming home for her mother’s funeral after a year away. She left behind Evan, who had been her best friend, boyfriend, and partner in crime since high school. They have a lot of passion but make a lot of bad choices together that kind of spirals their lives again and again. Genevieve wants to grow up, like, yesterday; and Evan wants Genevieve, like, forever. Are they both ready to grow up; or are they holding each other back in different ways?

This was my sixth Elle Kennedy book. I enjoyed the Off Camps series she wrote and decided to read Good Girl Complex and then Bad Girl Reputation. I had to give this book a few tries, stopping and starting. I had difficulties really getting into it. I think that was because there were a lot of characters to keep track of with little description so it was near impossible to become invested.This was an issue I had with Good Girl Complex. I can’t even remember all the names of all the friends and who is with who this week and who is fighting with who right now. It’s a lot. Then this book opened up Genevieve’s whole huge family with her, what, five? Four brothers? In addition to the whole huge friend group etc. I understand that the author is building the world and characters up for more books but we don’t really get enough of these side characters, sometimes I’m not even sure what anyone looks like, there is such a lack of physical description. She did a much better job with the large friend group and character descriptions in the Off Campus books. I never felt as lost in those as I did here.

Evan and Genevieve were very immature for their ages. Then suddenly over a few weeks Evan was all reformed and a new man. I think the author could’ve played with time a bit more here. She often was telling instead of showing in the story so in that vein we could have skipped ahead a few months a least or a year to give Evans character real time to change making it more realistic. I also felt like the main characters of Good Girl Complex had different personalities here than they did at the end of that book so that was weird too.

I understand why some people really liked this book. The second chance trope. The friends to lovers. The meant to be. I just don’t think it was done well. If you’re the kind of person that can look beyond how well something is done and like it for the idea of it, then this book is for you.

This story is about forgiveness, second chances and learning to love again! We all make mistakes in the past and it’s hard to forget that we aren’t tethered to them forever! This was a sweet read. I would highly recommend it to my friends. Elle Kennedy never seems to discount in the romance. Can Gen and Evan over come the past? Read to find out!!

I've been wanting to check out one of Kennedy's books for a while and I'm so happy it was this one! The story was fun and I love that Genevieve is a wild child who lives life to the fullest and stands up for herself. Gen and Evan were a great couple with a crazy amount of chemistry and I loved their scenes together. They may bring out each other's passionate sides, but that's not always a bad thing.

I always appreciate romances where we get each person's point of view. I like seeing how they feel about each other and it was especially great to see how Gen and Evan were working to be their best selves. Evan made a great mentor to Riley and Gen showed she's reliable and strong. They were already good people, but knowing they were happy with the strides they made was sweet.

This went by so quickly and I pretty much tore through it. I didn't necessarily love the couple's friends because they seemed to come with a lot of drama. It seemed like they were all sleeping with each other and it got a bit tangled and silly. Other than that, I really enjoyed this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the copy

I was given an Arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book and to be honest I wasn’t impressed. I really struggled to relate to these characters and at one point their immaturity level was so out there that I had to put the book down. I know this book is about second chances but the journey to get there was so infuriating…(ex. Him crashing her date) the whole thing was awkward and not in a good way.

I had really high hopes for this book but I feel like it was kind of a let down.

Second chance romance in a small town setting. The chemistry between the main characters is good but lacking in the tension i had expected.. overall a swooney easy read about second chances and personal growth wrapped up in a solid romance

Thank you St.Martins press for this ARC.

I have been counting down the days till Bad girl reputation is released! Elle Kennedy is an author that no matter what I will read her upcoming books. I can’t even begin to tell you how many time I have re read her series. However, this book just didn’t do it for me. It was wildly predictable and honestly a little boring. I did not find any connection with the characters and had a difficult time finishing this.

Childhood friends turn toxic relationship. Then try to better themselves. The story plays out exactly how you’d imagine. I’m sad that I didn’t enjoy this book. I still love you Elle, throw some curveballs in the next one.

I enjoyed this book so much more than I anticipated! The second chance trope isn’t my favorite but I think Elle Kennedy did a great job of making things interesting. I really enjoyed watching Gen and Evan’s relationship develop as they try to navigate moving into a more responsible lifestyle.

I will say I didn’t fully understand some of the dynamics Gen and Evan have with their families. They both have really complicated relationships with their parents and I thought that part of the story could’ve been expanded on a little more to make the story more cohesive.

Overall though it was a great time!

12/10 yall, oh my gosh. I've never read an Elle Kennedy book but everyone raves about her and I understand why!!

Gen comes home for her mother's funeral and her ex-boyfriend shows up to pay his respects....and they get caught getting hot and heavy in the bathroom by her family.

Gen has just come home from a year long adventure of becoming sober, bettering herself and finally making good decisions. Meanwhile, ex-boyfriend Evan is still the party boy who gets into mischief every damn day. She tells him to get it together if he wants a chance to be with her for real.

I usually love Elle Kennedy books, but the Avalon Bay series has not been hitting the mark for me, sadly. Evan and Gen are the focus of this book and I think it mostly suffers by the fact that there's no real ramping up or stakes to their romance when we are told from the very beginning that they're obsessed with each other, have been in love for years, and didn't break up because of really anything to do with each other but because Gen wanted to figure out a way to improve herself and she didn't think she could do that with Evan.

I respect that this book is about self-growth and improvement but it doesn't make for a super compelling romance, sadly. There's no real heat or excitement here, despite these being two of the "bad boy/girl" characters. The fact that they both describe themselves that way also is just a tad frustrating because we really don't see them exhibiting any of these behaviors - everything they talk about happened already in the past and so there's nowhere to go from here.

I was more interested in learning about the side characters, but even with them I am not feeling the same love that I felt when it came to the Off-Campus series or the Briar U series. Elle Kennedy's writing still has some great moments that make me laugh, but this feels a bit more like going through the motions than a really compelling love story.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

it was good but i still enjoyed the first one way better. i can still see it being a big hit since tiktok adores elle kennedy!

A true second chance romance. The story of two people who share a past full of trouble and trauma. Through bettering their own personal lives, they find their way back to each other. I loved seeing how they both changed throughout the story but especially Evan who chances for the woman he loves. With the addition of bringing families with troubled pasts together, this book is full of emotion.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2 stars

Petition for the next book to be about Harrison (the lovable side hoe) so that poor man can have the happily ever after he deserves.

A lot of reviewers claimed this book was an improvement from the first one. I disagree. Although book 2 was absent of any cheating (luckily), the relationship was much more toxic. I was, indeed, prepared for this, given that the synopsis indicates the characters were in a tumultuous love affair starting back in the seventh grade. However, the characters didn't spend enough time developing healthy communication habits and establishing healthy behaviors that would provide evidence for enough growth to justify the initial toxicity.

I'm sorry (not sorry) to say: so many of the quirky character traits in this story came across as stupid to me. For example, Evan calls Genevieve "Fred," the most unsexy and un-endearing name he could possibly come up with. WHY.

Now that we've introduced Evan, let's dive into his character a bit. Why is Evan constantly harassing Gen by showing up on her dates (yes, dates plural, as in multiple times) with another guy? Why did Evan try to convince Gen, a woman who once suffered some form of alcohol misuse, that she can surely enjoy alcohol again in moderation? I don't think the author did a single Google search on the behavioral patterns of people who's experienced addiction. If she had, she wouldn't write a male love interest that convinces the fmc "to just have one drink." On the bright side, I kind of liked Evan's mentorship of Ryan, but I wish he pursued all these charity and community service activities for the sake of bring a better person rather than for the sole purpose if winning his ex girlfriend back.

Unfortunately, since book 1, Kennedy has doing a really bad job of making her characters likable. I miss the magic of her off-campus series.

The only good thing (in my eyes) about this couple is the sexual tension/chemistry that they have, which unfortunately contributed directly to the worst thing about this couple: their perpetual toxicity. I mean, they constantly got in each other's pants to avoid their relationship problems.

Anyway, I wanted to give this series another chance with book 2, since I have very nostalgic memories associated with this author's other series. However, I have to say, I will not be continuing on with this series.

Book rating 4/5 ⭐️

Childhood best friends to lovers, second chance romance. Normally is not my favorite trope but boy did I love this book! I was hooked from start to finish and couldn’t put the book down until I finished it. This is a great pallet cleanser! Such an easy read. Would highly recommend this book to anyone☺️

3.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a classic Elle Kennedy novel with the childhood friends to lovers trope. It was a breezy read, which is exactly what one hopes for with this type of book. Good banter, characters to root for, and ridiculous tension between the protagonists.

Not my favorite EK book, but a solid read. I didn't read the first in the series before this and it didn't make a difference.

Themes: friends to lovers, second chances, dysfunctional families

*SPOILERS AHEAD!*
I wasn’t super into this one. While I do like to keep up with books written by Elle Kennedy, I felt like the chatacters needed more fleshing out and emotional reactions to things. I love the second-chance romance trope and the beach town setting.

For example *SPOILER* our MC is recovering and is on the road to sobriety, but I do not think we saw an authentic portrayal of this. I feel like if a person is on that journey we would see a lot of emotion and anxiety surrounding them when tempted, which we did not get with Gen.

Also *SPOILER* I felt like the subplot with the cop was…not great? It had a lot of good potential for suspense but I didn’t feel it. He felt one-dimensional.

This was such a great story! I admit I did like Good Girl Complex a little better, but I honestly loved this one, too.

Evan and Gen's relationship is so much grittier and more complicated than Mac and Cooper's. Where Mac was someone who was a good person with her life together, Gen is just trying to pick herself up and make something of her life. I liked the real, relatable edge of Gen and her whole story line.

Evan had some serious growth in this book, which he had to do if he wanted to be with Gen. Seeing his transformation was inspiring and also warmed my heart. The parts with his mom made me want to give him a big hug and so did the arguments with Cooper. I felt like Evan was someone who was overlooked as just a wild child with issues as opposed to a human being with emotions and trauma.

Overall, I liked the whole flow of this book and the re-development of Gen and Evan. This is definitely a series I'm very much here for and I'm hoping other friends get books of their own!