Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy is a standalone contemporary romance novel. The story in Good Girl Complex is one that does have a changing point of view and is a take on the old wrong side of the tracks romance trope with a slight love triangle involved.

At twenty Mackenzie “Mac” Cabot has still not grown out of the need to please everyone and do as others think she should. Growing up in a rich family Mac’s parents dismissed her accomplishment of creating an app that generated a seven figure bank account and only wanted Mac to get a college degree.

Mac enrolls in Garnet College located in the beachside town of Avalon Bay where she meets Cooper Hartley. Cooper is so obviously a bad boy but Mac just can’t seem to get him out of her mind even though she has been in a long time relationship with her parent approved boyfriend. Mac keeps telling herself it’s just a friendship with Cooper, until it’s not.

I’ll have to admit starting off Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy I was a little hesitant on rooting for the main characters knowing there was the “perfect” boyfriend in the background. However, the author did a great job making the bad boy good and the good guy cringy where I did end up rooting for the old switcharoo. Of course there was conflict and obstacles along the way but the spicy romance kept the pages turning waiting to see how it would all turn out in the end.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Sadly, this book did not work for me. I'm a huge fan of Elle Kennedy's The Deal, so when I saw she was coming out with a new novel, I knew I had to request the arc. I think my main problem with it is that it reminded me so much of the After series by Anna Todd, which I did NOT like. I found those characters toxic and wanted to tell all the students I talk to in school to stay away from that book and those kinds of characters in real life.

It was full of tropes, and though there's nothing wrong with tropes in general, I was looking for something new to this book. A bit more depth to the characters, which I didn't get. I almost DNF'd it at 40% but wanted to finish it, hoping there'd be something more.

Again, this is a personal review, and there will probably be other readers who will enjoy the heck out of this book and that's always a good thing!

given i'm familiar with elle kennedy's work and loved the off-campus series, i went in with a certain hope and expectation that it would paint the same type of feeling across the board that made you empathize with the characters created. while i can't say that i had that same feeling between mac and cooper, nor with the group of friends and the circumstances around them, there were still so many elements within that i enjoyed!

i liked the small town feelings and the camaraderie that grew between them all, where the supposed bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks helps the girl with money and a pedigree to protect to find her voice and what she really wants out of life — in spite of the ulterior motives that first led to the pair meeting in the first place. it's a secret that can't remain that way, one that eventually does get revealed in the worst of ways and at the worst of times, but forces both to grow up.

i feel where it fell a bit was in building up to the pair getting together. with as much as they didn't know about one another until after they were already enmeshed in a relationship, things that likely would have been addressed prior to a relationship together, it feels like it would have made for a better narrative overall had there been more moments between them before they came together rather than after.

Let the games begin! It's a battle between the upper and lower class' and it's a fight that may just leave a few hearts in disrepair.

So grab your sunscreen, a beach chair, and buckle up, because this is one fun summer read.

As Always, Happy Reading!

"4/5 Beaming Brains!" - Lit-Up My Mind

I am finding this year that a lot of the books I'm reading fall into the good/ok category. This was not a bad read but I just felt it had so much more potential than what we actually got. Overall a pretty easy read and while I wasn't over thrilled by it I also didn't have a hard time getting through it.

I will say while I haven't read After by Anna Todd I am quite disappointed to read so many reviews that state this is pretty much a replica. For those who have read both I can understand the disappointment that the author chose to have a book so closely resemble another's work.

I think there are many readers who are going to love this book and that's pretty awesome!

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed **

This book follows rich girl Mackenzie who is attending college with her rich boy boyfriend after a gap year. During this gap year she meets poor boy Cooper, a local “bad” boy who was born and raised in the town. Every single character in this book reads like a charicature of character you think you would be in a romance novel. Mackenzie is a “not like other girls” girl who is a super hard worker despite her family being millionaires. Cooper is a bad boy who would NEVER go for one of the uppity college girls….until he does. Preston (Mackenzies rich boy boyfriend) is a douchebag frat boy. And not one of has any personality traits beyond that.

I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot because once you know the general outline of the plot there is literally no point in reading this book because you will be able to guess every single that happens BUT I will say this book is stocked full of tropes and none of them are executed in an original way.

There is spice and it’s….fine. It’s truly nothing to write home about and doesn’t make up for the lack of original plot or characters.

The only reason I’m giving this book 3 ⭐️ is because I finished it even though I could have easily dnfd and I don’t give books I finished below a 3.

This book was given to me via Netgalley from St. Martins Press in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

I want to give a non spoilery review but the synopsis gives away so little that I don't think I'll be able to fully explain my thoughts without giving spoilers. However, if I had to summarize my issues into one, non spoilery sentence, this is what it would be. I felt no chemistry between the characters and felt no emotional attachment to either of them because I feel like the characters had no depth.

The rest of my review will contain spoilers. Readers be warned.

What in the After did I just read? If I wasn't writing a review for this, I would probably DNF it. Right off the bat, the main characters have an interaction that didn't feel believable. I like to get to know the characters a bit more before I can believe that initial "spark" needed between characters to feel the sexual tension. Within the first couple pages, Mackenzie is painted to be a loyal, no nonsense girlfriend who is adamant cheating is dumb and the couple should "break up instead". But Cooper's and Mackenzie's FIRST interaction has her all googly eyes over Cooper. Then later has her thinking about him, checking him out, texting him despite knowing his intentions. At this point we don't know much about either character, but when one of the main points about her personality is she isn't a cheater and she is that easily swayed to another guy,,, I'm going to have a hard time believing her character for the rest of the book. And she continues to be with Cooper throughout the book, even though she is still in a relationship with her boyfriend, Preston.
Now, i don't mind "cheating" or blurred lines in books, but they have to be well done. They have to make me want to kill the other guy so that the main characters can just FINALLY be together. I'd rather rip my heart out then let these two be apart. I have to believe in their love.
Considering Mackenzie and Cooper have as much sexual tension as the Sahara Dessert, I didn't believer in their love. I felt no chemistry or sexual tension between the characters at all. The sex scenes did not have me hot and bothered. By 80% I still wasn't convinced they were made for each other.
Then at 88% their relationship seems to get...dull. They are temporarily living together and constantly getting annoyed and picking fights with each other. This never really seems to get resolved or talked about? Mackenzie says she will move out and he says he doesn't want her to and that's kind of... that. But I feel like a new 6 month old relationship shouldn't be an issue. It gave me "we should just be friends" vibes.

Now onto the "plot twist" of the book. Cooper knowing Preston, lying about it, and then making a bet he would sleep with her and then break her heart. I feel like this is basically an exact replica of After story line, even down to the way she found out. Now, because I am not convinced by their love, zero part of me wanted her to forgive Cooper and get back with him. Especially because it went on for 6 months, which is so long. I didn't love the way they got back together. It felt very anticlimactic and like she gave in to easily.

I didn't feel connected to or really cared about any of the side characters or plots. I don't really feel as if they had any depth to them either. Evan and Mackenzie's relationship was really weird to me. Going from him hating her, them having a come to jesus moment, and then all of the sudden he's a little too friendly.
I didn't feel like the characters had depth or really evolved throughout the book.

I’m a huge fan of Elle Kennedy and the Briar U series, so I was so excited to get an advance copy of Good Girl Complex, coming out on February 1. Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to my (admittedly high) expectations.

I don’t like cheating–not even a little bit; it’s a major “ugh” inducer–and while our leading lady doesn’t cheat–she only kisses another guy before she breaks it off with her douche-canoe boyfriend,—cheating is a major part of the story (see aforementioned douche-canoe boyfriend and his penchant for philandering). The hero of the story is also actually a bit of a jerk (ok, a lot of a jerk), and honestly, I think Mac could have done a lot better. Their relationship starts out as part of a revenge plot–Cooper loses his job at the bar because of Mac’s wealthy and entitled boyfriend, Preston, so Cooper determines to seduce Mac to get back at him. The best way to start a relationship, to be sure. Of course he really falls for her, and she falls for him, but then the truth bites Cooper in the booty.

The writing is typical Kennedy–well written new adult romance, with dual perspectives, and yeah, I even found myself rooting for Mac and Cooper a couple of times, but unfortunately the transparent plot and the inevitable trainwreck I saw coming from chapter one made me want to DNF half-way through. I didn’t, and I give it a solid 2.5 stars. Because it’s not terrible, but it’s not good either.

3.5 stars

“I have a way of spiraling with anticipation of catastrophe. But that’s always been the rhythm of my life. Things start looking too good and a house falls out of the sky.”

Good Girl Complex is written in the first person narrative through the perspectives of Cooper and Mackenzie. Avalon Bay is a beachside community made up of locals trying to get by and the wealthy students of Garnet College. Mac is a wealthy and reluctant college student with a long-time boyfriend named Preston and a politician father. Cooper is the local bad boy with a huge disdain for the trust fund kids. After Cooper has a run in with Preston that gets him fired from his bartender gig, he decides to swoop Preston’s girlfriend off her feet to humiliate him. But what happens when Cooper realizes Mac isn’t like the other rich kids and the feelings start to become real?

Thoughts: Elle Kennedy is a new-to-me author but I know her Off Campus series is really popular. I’ve since read The Deal and I prefer this one. It’s better written, less problematic, and felt more mature. Definitely not as steamy as that book but there are some detailed love scenes in this one. Not a lot of surprises but it was a decent read. I mean you always know how making a bet to sweep someone off their feet is going to play out in a romance novel. Rich good girl/local bad boy, friends to lovers, with lots of pining. I wouldn’t consider Mac to be your typical goodie two-shoes. Cooper and Mac had decent chemistry but don’t see this relationship lasting very long. Bonus points for a great setting. This is the first book in the Avalon Bay series and we’re introduced to a lot of local characters. Overall, a decent small-town college romance novel but nothing very original or unique about it. If you’re a fan of her other books, you’ll likely enjoy this one.

Thank you St Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Elle Kennedy for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay for this book think Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story meets Outer Banks. We have the rich girl that is bored out of her mind paired with the hot bad boy local from the wrong side of the tracks. Did I mention he’s a hot twin? Okay anyway so stereotypical tropes galore but add a revenge plot with secrecy and you have the story.

I really loved the beginning of this book I tore through it. But about 60% in there was so ouch wasted time and then BAM bad things, BAM ended no epilogue. I was a little salty about zero epilogue. I really want more of Avalon Bay and I’m hoping the twin brother along with some of the other girls get their own story here. There’s room for more.

I LOVE Elle Kennedy books. LOVE THEM. I devour them and can’t put them down. I love the characters and her writing is charming and paced well. But this story I didn’t love the set up with cheating despite her boyfriend being a horrible human. I didn’t like that he just kind of blip disappeared. And Mackenzie needed some reality checks.

Cooper is a gem, I love him and his tattoos he’s an angel even though he’s not. But dang he was sexy. He’s so wrong and everything I love in a bad boy with a heart of gold. I loved their friend group. I truly hope we get more of them and I really want more resolution or just something else from this story.

It was a good Elle Kennedy book I would still recommend and honestly it made me want to go read The Deal again.

Mac and Cooper are from opposite sides of the tracks and if not for a run-in with Mac's boyfriend they probably would never have met. Cooper has worked hard for every thing he has and his upbringing was polluted with addiction and absent parents. He's jaded by the rich "clones" that blow into town and take what they want and leave his town on the same high class they came in on. When he gets a plan to enact revenge on one of these said "clones" he has to form a false relationship with Mac, but he quickly realizes that she may look like the "clones" she's far from it. Growing up she followed the rules, toed the line and Cooper sees another side to her, a side that would break her away from the mold her family has put her in. These two have undeniable chemistry and I adored Mac's character and the strength. But when a relationship starts off with false pretenses there is bound to be a wake up call and theirs broke my heart! It's a beautiful story with small town feels, steamy times, and a strong leading lady!

3.5 to 4 stars

This is a small town, opposites-attract, rich-college-girl-meets-townie romance with a bit of a twist.

Cooper Hastings has roots in Avalon Bay even if they are kind of rotten. He works hard, is loyal to his twin and friends, and makes money where he can. An altercation with a rich college guy causes him to lose his job and extra cash. So he and his friends cook up a revenge scheme...and it involves befriending the jerk's girlfriend.

Mackenzie Cabot is a rich Princess but also has her own self-made company and money. But her parents and longtime boyfriend have expectations for her that she is trying to meet. She does not even realize the seriousness of her discontent and unhappiness until a tattooed, persistent, charming guy barrels into her life. She tries to be the good girl, but deep down that is not who she is. She has fire, humor, passion, and her own goals. Cooper's friendship draws her out and makes her want to live for herself and follow her own dreams.

And Cooper realizes she is more than just a rich girl and finds himself under her spell and inspired to be better. He gets caught up in enjoying life with her and trying to ignore what started it all in the first place.

But starting out on a foundation is lies and secrets can be dangerous. These two also come from different backgrounds, circumstances, and ways of thinking. But they also seem to be able to understand each other in fundamental ways. They have witty banter, fun rapport, and good chemistry. But is it enough?

I have to admit there are some situations and tropes that did not appeal to me about this story, but overall she made me like Mac, Cooper, and believe in them as a couple. This brings a whole new cast of characters in a new boardwalk town. Some of them are likable, some had to grow on me, and some just annoyed me. But there seems to be some other stories brewing that could continue the series especially with his twin brother, Evan, and maybe playboy friend, Tate. I assume there are plans for more since this one did not have an epilogue.

As always, another read from Elle Kennedy that I loved! I love the story of a character going against expectations and I loved the setting of this one too. Overall, definitely recommend!

The Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy knows exactly what it wants to accomplish and accomplishes it exceptionally well. Both the characters and the plot contribute to the narrative. The comparison of the two distinct worlds in this novel is so well rounded and convincing that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I'm a fan of Elle Kennedy and was excited by the blurb and the prospect of this new book from this excellent author. Unfortunately, I didn't love Good Girl Complex as much as I hoped that I would. I enjoyed it, but there were just things that I didn't connect with.

Cooper is what is consider a "townie" and Mackenzie is a student at the local college. Mackenzie's family is well off and also as a student, she's considered a "clone". While "townies" and "clones" don't usually interact, Cooper has found out that he has a reason to establish a relationship with Mac. The two become friends, and as you can imagine, things end up taking a more romantic turn. The question is, can they overcome all of the issues that rise up to cause friction in the relationship?

While there were things I liked about the book, I had a really hard time connecting with the characters. I wanted to love them and wanted to really care, but for some reason, there was something lacking for me. I wish I could put my finger on why, but I can't. While this wasn't my favorite Elle Kennedy book, it's still well written and I'll check out her future works for sure.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

This was a good book - a quick read. I think young, college aged women will really enjoy this! As a middle aged women, it felt a bit undeveloped. But I enjoyed it regardless!

This is a rom com for the NA crowd (or those looking for something very light). Mac, a college student and influencer, falls for Cooper, a townie and bartender with a secret about how their relationship started. She's got a worm of a boyfriend in Preston, high pressure parents, and well, a good friend in Cooper. Can their love survive once she knows the truth? No spoilers from but you know......Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

the synopsis of this book is extremely misleading. the events that take place in this book were a complete surprise. the tropes and the main plot are my least favorite ever, and i would have never picked up this book if i knew it featured them. the hero was cute, but the heroine not so much (she was a annoying). i didn’t feel connected to any of the characters. i did finish it because i love the off-campus and briar u series, so i wanted to give it a chance.

Sassy, sexy, smart banter? Check.
Sweet and decent girl meets tattooed troubled boy? Check.
Super hot chemistry? Check.

Elle Kennedy has done it again! As usual, I love her work, and look forward to rereading this as soon as I get my hands on the physical copy.

Good Girl Complex is a new adult/opposites attract romance by Elle Kennedy and I was so ready for it. I am such a fan of Elle Kennedy’s. In fact, I think her ‘Off-Campus’ series is my all time favorite sports series. When I saw the blurb and cover, I couldn’t wait. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me.

Cooper is a ‘townie’ and Mackenzie is a rich student at the local college. The townies and the ‘clones’ don’t mix, but Cooper has a reason for wanting to get Mackenzie to be friends with him. The friendship eventually turns into so much more. But there are tons of obstacles between them, and her money is just a small part of it.

I think my biggest problem with this book is that I found most of the characters unlikable. They had moments that I liked them, but more often than not, not only the main characters but also the secondary characters weren’t great. It’s hard when you don’t love/connect with the characters to love the story. Cooper’s twin brother Evan might have been my favorite. He really grew on me as the story progressed.

Elle Kennedy’s writing is always fantastic and I enjoyed parts of this story, but overall it was just okay for me.