I would read the phone book if Elle Kennedy wrote it. This story is no exception and I enjoyed every second of these sassy characters.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Elle Kennedy for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I want to live in Avalon Bay! Every time I read about Avalon Bay I am carried away. In the second Avalon Bay book, you meet Cooper's twin brother Evan and his long time love Gen. Their relationship has had some toxic tendencies and Gen has tried her hardest over the last year to turn a new leaf in her life. But when her mom dies and she ends up back in Avalon Bay, she is afraid to fall right back in with Evan. She has worked too hard to go back to her old ways.

The growth of Gen and Evan throughout the book is so inspiring. Their relationship is steamy and sweet and makes me want more of Avalon Bay.

This was a great follow up to Good Girl Complex! I liked getting a more in depth look at Evan and Genevieve’s story and following along with them. I think this author is so good at romance writing and I’m thrilled to have been given a copy of this book to read.

Thank you to SMP Romance, NetGalley and Elle Kennedy for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I have posted in past and with my review of Good Girl Reputation that I was getting really frustrated with Elle Kennedy books - for a few specific reasons. Her characters are all white, skinny and for the most part, rich. I feel like this book, just like the entire Off-Campus and BriarU series, has a lack of diversity. The fact of the matter is, Elle Kennedy writes white kids and struggling young adults really well, and that’s what these books are.

I wanted to give this series one more shot but this is what I didn't like. The games and just the toxic nature of this couples past relationship was just not a winner. The cop storyline was not needed. The lack of context beyond the surface level of their dynamics with their moms. So many freaking names of friends and brothers I could not keep track of who was who. Cooper and Evan's dynamic, my god you are freaking brothers act like it.

There was a theme of second chances and forgiveness. Gen and Evan did have amazing great chemistry. Gen was so determined to change and I loved her confidence but also her vulnerability. I really loved that this was childhood friends to lovers, there is so much history with that dynamic.

Overall, if you like Elle Kennedy’s books, I promise you will enjoy this one too. I just don't think she is the author for me at this time.

I am a huge fan of the Off Campus series and love Elle Kennedy's collaborations with Sarina Bowen but this one fell a little short for me. I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope and this book brought it in strong. I wish I felt stronger chemistry for Evan and Gen but it just wasn't doing it for me with this one.

Decently good, took a couple try’s to get started but had some good jokes. Lots of spicy moments 😉 all in all not bad. Quick easy read

I love some of Elle Kennedy's books such as the Off-Campus series. I could not get enough of that series! I, however, just could not get into this book. I felt like it was slow and the romance was not good in my opinion. I was so excited to read this one but it was so underwhelming.
*thank you to netgalley for an arc.

Okay this is gonna sound crazy but I loved this one even more than the first one. I’m so so happy that we get another book. I’m really looking forward to it.

Gen wants to leave behind the bad girl reputation she had. When she returns home she is determined to stay away from her ex, Evan ,who helped foster that reputation. Evan has other intentions,and wholeheartedly goes after reuniting with Gen. A fun and sexy read.

This is the second book in the series and I think it was fair. I liked Gen and how she struggled to be a bad girl turned good. I don't care much for the cast of the series. I would say it was a fast read and I would purchase it for my library.

Good Girl Complex was my very first Elle Kennedy book and OH MY GOSH how in the world did I wait this long to read her books?! I've had tons of friends rave over how much they love the Off-Campus & Briar U series, but I decided to hop in and read her newest series first. And I am SO glad I did. I finally get the hype. And believe it or not, Bad Girl Reputation was even better!

The second chance trope? COME ON. Bad Girl Reputation had me obsessed from the minute I opened the first page of the book. I've seen some less-than-stellar reviews on this series, and I honestly don't quite understand that. If you're a romance fan in the first place, this is a great read to just sit back and soak in another world. I had a good idea that I would love Genevieve and Evan’s push-pull, angsty, in-out relationship more than Evan’s twin Cooper and Mackenzie’s story from Good Girl Complex, and I was so right. Their attraction is explosive and magnetic and kept me on the edge of my seat.

I honestly cannot wait until the third book of the series, The Summer Girl, comes out in July 2023!

I’ve enjoyed the Avalon Bay series because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. This book feels to me like a classic 2000s teen/young adult drama like 90210 or One Tree Hill. I’m along for the ride with the messy characters to see what random, crazy events they get into.

I enjoyed getting more info on Gen and Evan’s on again/off again slightly toxic relationship. Throughout the book, that toxicity lessens and they develop a healthier, more adult relationship.

As per usual, I could do without the third act breakup, but what can you do!

I wanted to like this but the story felt very dated. A lot of old tropes and very little character growth. It's not the worst story I've read, but it's far from a favorite too. Maybe I was just not in the mood for this one right at this time? Sometimes I get burned out on certain kinds of stories and this may be part of that. It wasn't so bad I wouldn't recommend it at all. It's an easy read... If you're looking for a light fluffy story this fits that bill.

Genevieve has returned to Avalon Bay and finds out that time doesn’t heal all wounds. Her ex, Evan, is determined to win her back no matter what

Elle Kennedy’s stories are usually full of angst and emotion and drama, and this book is no different.

If you like small-town, second chance romance, you won’t be disappointed.

We all watched the drama unfold about Even in good girl complex and I was HERE for his story.

Genevieve and Evan have some MAJOR history, that she tried hard to forget when she left home, but after being forced back into town for her mothers funeral, she is instantly thrown back into his radar.

Evan is working on ditching his bad boy behaviors to show Gen how good they can be together + I loved watching their story unfold.

Second chance romance for the win!!!

I enjoyed the book. I love a good second chance romance and I have been promoting it in my store. It’s on my spicy booktok table. It’s a very refreshing read as the characters personalities are different from what I generally read from my romance book. The book sells well and we are constantly reordering the book into our store.

I had mixed feelings around Good Girl Complex — specifically the cliched characterizations and dated gender tropes — but I like Elle Kennedy, so I wanted to see if Bad Girl Reputation showed any growth. Unfortunately, it kept a lot of the elements I disliked about the first book (I cringe every time a man calls Mackenzie "princess"), while also adding in a pretty toxic relationship.

Honestly, I can't tell you if Gen and Evan learned to treat each other better (I hope they did!), but I didn't stick around to find out. I was so put off by their immaturity and how much they weaponized jealousy that this got bumped into the DNF pile.

As I said, I generally really like Elle Kennedy, but I don't know how much longer I'll keep reading her books if they dependably portray icky relationships and casual sexism in a way that's borderline aspirational.

I loved this one for different reasons than the first one. I definitely liked the relationship between Gen and Evan better than Mac and Cooper. The second chance romance theme was wonderfully executed.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This is book #2 in the series and you can read it as a stand alone but I recommend reading book #1 first. I enjoyed this book and found it to be a fun, easy read. I really like Elle Kennedy's style of writing. A for sure must read.

I didn't realize this was part of a series which makes me want to read book 1 .this book is angst friends to lovers to enemies to frie ds to lovers... its quite the delivery. I loved how even poor decisions were never apologized for they were owned and used to develop the characters. Itas broke some of those thoughts we have that we must be perfect and we can never just be us down. Loved this great little quick read