All about the cheesy girl reputation 🤪 This was way corny. I don’t hold this genre to the same level of other genres because I read this for escapism and entertainment but that said parts of this were kinda meh. I think my biggest issue was with the dialogue. I could not get past how cringey the main guy character’s speech and thought were. It just felt forced and sometimes even dated. Also the main conflict with the cop was not exciting or interesting so the books climax just kinda fell short. Though the steamy parts might take you to greater heights 😂 That said it’s a solid 3 stars. I enjoyed it enough to be entertained and to finish it but with lots of eye rolls.

*I received this copy to read and review from NetGalley

I like this book despite Gen's character. She should have sh*t or got off the pot with Evan. I like that the same characters from the book were in this book. This book made me cry, laugh and cheer for Evan. I will be checking out the rest of Elle Kennedy's books.

I really enjoyed this one. I like the way that grief of a parent was handled. I don't know if this will be a super memorable book for me, but I did enjoy reading it!

this was really fun to read. i enjoyed both of the main characters and how messy both of them are. this was very entertaining to read if you like both of the main characters making poor decisions and trying to improve on themselves and their lives. i like the connection that gen and evan have, and the sex scenes was really great and there’s a lot as well. i really enjoyed reading from evan point of view and just watch him grow throughout. this is a great book to read and not take so seriously.

thanks to netgalley for an audiobook arc. ♡

I went into this expecting a different story. I was expecting Evan and Genevieve to pick up right where they left off, enabling each other into being the most chaotic possible versions of themselves and eventually ending up together in a toxic version of happily-ever-after. This was not that. Bad Girl Reputation was actually a really sweet story with an underlying theme of growth and transformation — and not just for the main pair, but for many of the characters, as well. There were some loose ends left behind in Good Girl Complex that this book tied up nicely, which I loved — and there’s an epilogue in this one, which I was really excited about!

Of the Hartley twins, my heart still belongs to Cooper, but this book showed me another side to Evan that made me fall for him, too. I got major Danny Zucko / Landon Carter vibes from him wanting to change for Genevieve, and him working so hard to do so. He had me swooning.

This book deals with destructive relationships, family trauma, death, and addiction, so it’s definitely not as light and witty as Cooper & Mac’s story was.

From the first mention of her in Good Girl Complex, Genevieve is packaged as the train wreck who left town to run away from the chaos she left in her wake. In this book, though, we get to understand her side of the story. Why she actually left, how she’s tried so hard to change and grow into someone she and everyone around her can be proud of — how she worked to shed her bad girl reputation.

Here are the top 5 things I liked:
1- The self-improvement theme
2- The connection that Evan finally gets with his mom
3- The nursing home encounters
4- Evan's big brother relationship with Riley
5- Evan playing matchmaker
6- The epilogue

Read if you like:
Second chance romance
Childhood friends to lovers to strangers to lovers
Small town romance

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ahh the only thing I like better than small town rom coms is small town rom coms set on the coast! A little predictable, but I still enjoyed every moment of this one!

To some extent, I didn't relate to these characters at all. Genevieve was the typical bad girl in high school, and Evan was along for the ride with her- and if anything, I was the exact opposite. They got into all sorts of hijinks until she left one day with no word. When Genevieve comes back into town, no one believes that she has changed- and she refuses to give Evan the time of day... Well, she tries.

But as you learn more about Genevieve's past, you start to relate to how you want to move on from other's expectations of past you and start to forge that current you that you try to become. She is trying to do everything right to make up for a past moment that haunts her. And Evan- she's worried that he can't change along with her.

Evan refuses to let her go and will prove that he will do whatever it takes. Hence the most ridiculously hilarious scene in a nursing home (although, to some extent, I totally blame the nursing home for not being more cautious about sending an unknown dog into that room), as he tries to prove that he too can change.

Will they get their second chance, and will they truly change? You'll find out!

Bad Girl Reputation at its core is a book about desire, willingness and ability to change. For that, I can appreciate it. For the romance, however, I struggled a little bit.
The core relationship was quite troubling at times (particularly as it was depicted in the characters’ pasts, which was understandable. However, that toxicity was alive and well even in the present. Possessiveness/jealous hero is a trope I struggle with in this day and age, and I went into this book not knowing that’s what I would get. Setting my personal opinion aside, the trope was written true to form. However, I would have liked to see a stronger awakening from the hero. The heroine’s side stories supported her arc, but the hero’s side stories seemed mostly filler. From a technical perspective, the narration was great. If you’re a fan of the trope, I’m certain this book will be for you.

I loved loved loved this audiobook. The narrator transports you into the authors world and you feel just as invested in the ongoing relationships as the characters do. I cannot wait to read/listen to more from this author. Will definitely recommend.

This was a second chance, best friends to lovers to enemies to lovers relationship and I was here for all of the steaming off chemistry.⁣
⁣
The constant battle between these two of fighting then making out, then trying to make each other jealous, to hooking up was 🔥🔥.⁣
⁣
The chemistry between these two was legit dynamite; when they tell you kiss and make up, these two couldn’t keep their hands off of each other no matter how hard they tried.⁣
⁣
These two grew up together, Evan losing his dad young and his mom running off; and Gen coming from a huge family and not having the best relationship with her mom, they were always stirring up trouble. ⁣
⁣
Gen leaves for a year, only to return for the funeral of her mom and getting caught up in helping her dads business to stir the pot with Evan again. The journey these to took to finally get it right is filled with chaos and love and insecurities and so much growth. I really enjoyed it.⁣

I really enjoyed the dual narrators and thought they did an awesome job bringing the characters to life.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I DNF'd at about 10%. I didn't like any of the characters, I found them immature and frustratingly boring. Everything was about over drinking and pot smoking. I know she usually writes college-age characters, but this was like reading what high school students think college kids sound like.
The characters had more attributes I'm used to seeing in darker romances, but without the follow through or background present in a dark romance. I didn't like the way the leads talked to each other, the people around them, or even themselves. I was not having a good time, which is surprising since I loved the entire off-campus series.

A solid 4 stars.

Reformed self-proclaimed "bad girl" Genevieve returns back to her hometown for her mother's funeral after mysteriously leaving with no goodbyes a year ago. Upon her arrival, she can't avoid the man that played a part in her leaving in the first place. Evan Hartley is the bad boy with a good heart you love to hate and hate to love. Can Gen and Evan work through their past reckless behaviors and overcome the worst parts of themselves?

This story was cute and had all the drama, lust, and personal growth I love to see in a summer beach read. I started this before knowing it was a sequel, and now I'm going to have to work backwards a read Good Girl Complex, which I feel speaks for itself.

If you're looking for a book to keep you invested in the story, but don't want to exert any form of emotional effort for it, this is the book for you!

This ARC was given to me to review from the publishers (St. Martin's Griffin) and NetGalley. All comments above are solely my true opinion after reading this book.

Elle Kennedy has done it again, and honestly, this book is even better than Good Girl Complex, and I thought that book was fantastic so that's saying a lot. Genevieve West finds herself back in her hometown, a place she left a year ago when she decided she needed to make a change in her life. A change for the better. She's spent a year making better choices and doing better for herself, but within minutes of being back in Evan Hartley's presence she finds herself wanting to make those bad decisions again. Evan, who has been on a downward spiral since Gen left, is determined to make her stay this time, as well as find out what made her leave without saying goodbye. Honestly my only criticism of this book is how I felt that Cooper was quite different from the Cooper we met in Good Girl Complex. He was extremely harsh, and at times really got on my nerves. But overall I loved this book!

Bad Girl Reputation
⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 Romance
🎶 Bad Reputation- Joan Jett

One sentence synopsis:
A reformed bad girl comes back home after a year away only to be reunited with her old bad boy boyfriend and friends.

My review:
This was just ok. Nothing remarkable but nothing super cringe either. I found it to be a little lacking in depth. The guy does have a cute nickname for the girl, Fred. Her name is Genevieve. I thought “Fred” was just so out of left field and pretty cute.

It’s a rekindled romance but without the flashbacks, just them talking about their past relationship, so that’s different, at least for me. I think that just made me miss a lot of their supposed connection.

This is good if you need a break from heavy books but there are much better romance options if you’re looking for something to blow you away. I’ve read some of her older books (Off Campus series and Briar U) and much prefer those to this series.

So, when I first started this book I honestly didn’t know if I was going to like it or not. I don’t LOVE second-chance romances but I gotta say, this one was done well. Genevieve and Evan had a wild and toxic past and the beginning of this story felt as if they were just falling into the same patterns so i’ll admit, I was worried! HOWEVER as the story went on, I found myself really falling in love with these two characters and their journeys of growth—both together and separately. Their chemistry was also off the CHARTS!

Gen stuck to her guns and I really liked that about her. I loved that she not only wanted to be better for herself but for the people around her. I enjoyed the dynamic of her family and I LOVED her dad 🥹

Evan kind of annoyed me in the beginning as he seemed super immature and petty. However as the story went on I found myself loving his journey and I LOVED his big brother vibes with Riley. It was so wholesome 🥲

This was a story about growth, second chances, forgiving, and self-realization. This ended up being a much deeper story than I was expecting and I’m so happy about that. I really connected to the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the story as whole.

Also that epilogue! Loved it. It was really a full-circle kind of moment for the characters in this story and I adored it.

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review!

Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in Elle Kennedy’s Avalon Bay series. This series is set in a small Carolina coastal town, one that thrives because of it tourists and the students at nearby private Garnet College. While many characters overlap in the series, the books can definitely stand alone.

Genevieve West has returned home from Charleston for her mother’s funeral. While never close, Gen is still affected by the loss, as are her five brothers. Her dad, Ronan, is lost without her mom there. She ran the office of their building supply business. Although her mom’s illness was brief, the lack of office management has caused monetary problems for the company. Ronan, at a loss as to how to get it all organized, asks Gen to please stay and get things in order, which she agrees to do for awhile, even though she fears the stay will undo all the changes she has made since leaving a year or so ago.

Will Gen be able to stay sober and see her friends? Will she be able to see Evan Hartley and stay out of trouble? And will the forces at play which necessitated Gen’s departure haunt her once again?

This is a well written story and series. Many social issues are brought up and dealt with using intricate storytelling. The characters are well drawn. I have enjoyed these stories and do look forward to the next in the series.

Can former bad girls/boys find a second chance at love or spiral out of control?

Genevieve and Evan had a crazy past with getting into a lot of teenage trouble that led to Genevieve leaving town for awhile. When she comes back they definitely struggle to be better individually and debate if being around eachother will ruin the good behavior they've each gained.

This is definitely an angsty romance which I like, but a few things annoyed me. I wasn't a fan of Genevieve leading on nice guy cop Harrison. It made her come off as extremely two faced. I also wanted Evan to get more courage to woo Genevieve instead of being a little stalker like.

Overall it was a fun rom-com filled with drama.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.

A second chance romance between Gen & Evan. The chemistry between the two MCs is electric. Two messy characters just trying to do their best. Was more into it for the romance aspect. Great summer read.

I love Elle Kennedy - the Off-Campus series is one of my favorite series and the Briar U and After Hours series are also really great. Avalon Bay is definitely a step into a more "mainstream" spicy romance with the cartoon-y cover (instead of a sexy scene or shirtless guy). I preferred Good Girl Complex to Bad Girl Reputation as far as this series goes. The characters in Bad Girl Reputation aren't super memorable, likeable, or relatable. I like the idea of a second chance romance but this feels a bit immature.

Read/Listen If You Like:
❤️ Second Chance Romance
❤️ Small Town Setting
❤️ Imperfect Characters
❤️ Dual POV
❤️ Some Spice

Audiobook Review:
My first ever audiobook was Good Girl Complex so it seemed only fitting I’d return to this one and listen to it as well.

This audiobook brings us back to Avalon Bay and flips to Cooper’s twin for his story to be told as we get to see the relationship between Cooper and Genevieve unfold.

This story is a second chance romance with the ‘bad boy’ and ‘bad girl’ characters coming together and deciding whether they are good for each other or not, and if it’s time to grow up or keep on the path of ‘bad behavior’

We get to see a bit more of the struggles for adults with bad parents and how that effects the relationships they have with others when foundational relationships are not good.

This one also has a couple spicy scenes and they were pretty well done compared to other spicy scenes I’ve read lately.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Griffin for ARC copies of this one! I am so thankful to receive it and read it in advance of its release!