Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this copy early!

I have read many a book from Elle Kennedy and 3 have completely blown me out of the water. Unfortunately this was not one of them, but I have to say I am looking forward to certain character books in the future.

We fallow Mac and Cooper in this book with lots of great background characters that really helped bring the story together - most of all Evan the twin brother.
In the beginning Mac is dating another male that she has been with for years and known since children. I didn't quite by how fast she was already retreating from him after meeting Cooper vs the way she swooned over her man. However, we know he is shitty and she soon finds out.

Coop and Mac have a great dynamic - a lot of arguing, but they enjoy it. Not as much banter as I know Elle can write, but these characters were more focused on future and deeper connections.
I recommend trying it! Elle writes college romance well.

This gave me a very outerbanks vibe, which I loved! I read this so quick and didn’t want to put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! I love Elle Kennedy so I was looking forward to reading this book~

Overall, I enjoyed the world the Kennedy has created to start a new series, but I find myself more looking forward to Evans book than I did reading the first in this series. Spoilers ahead!

This book only real con is that it has a trope that I hate and it wasn’t in the books synopsis. What the synopsis doesn’t mention is that Cooper only initially starts to pursue Mackenzie because of a bet. I dislike this trope and feel like the main trope should always be in the books description.

I kept reading it because I adore Elle Kennedy, and she had a previous novel that had a “bet” as well (The Dare, Briar U Series), but turned it on its head by not keeping the bet a secret, meaning neither of the characters were the butt of the joke. I was hoping that would be the case for this book, but the bet dragged on and on. I personally feel like the bet didn’t need to be a part of the story—Cooper had sufficient motivation to revenge pursue Mac without his friends egging him on and there was enough going on in the story otherwise. Because the bet storyline kept dragging on, I couldn’t get a sense of the characters chemistry because I was too busy waiting/dreading for the other shoe to drop. Should I be forgiving Mac’s infidelity just because her boyfriend (unknowingly to her) cheated first? Coopers motivations for pursuing the relationship were clear (first as revenge, then out of genuine feelings and jealousy), but Mac’s less so, she would constantly play hot and cold with Cooper and crumble in her resolve to stay away from him.

I had hoped the secondary characters would play more of a positive role in the story, as they had in the Briar U and Off Campus series, but the secondary characters only add to the negative drama (Mac’s roommate excluded). Given Steph’s initial involvement with the precipitating incident, I thought she should have had more of a role in the novel thereafter, but that isn’t the case—instead giving more of a spot light to Mac’s roommate who didn’t really move the story along in the same way Steph could have (in that Coopers motivations for pursuing the bet make more sense when it isn’t about being fired, but rather about getting revenge for a friend who was sexually harassed).

That being said, I still adore Elle Kennedy and am going to continue reading her book and can’t wait for Evans book!

Opposites attract but can they make it work. Mac and Cooper could not be more different but a lie twines them together, but will Copper protect her from his truth?
This book was easy to get into I didn’t quite realize it was a “romance” novel but it actually was kinda lighter on that which I enjoyed.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book, but it won't be my last! Thoroughly enjoyed this New Adult Romance. Mac and Cooper are from opposite sides of the tracks, but you know what they say about opposites! I'm guessing (hoping!) that this is the start of a series! I want to revisit Avalon Bay and see what happens to the whole cast of characters!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review!

I just wanted to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC!
There were a quite a few things I enjoyed about this book but also some things that I didn’t enjoy! I don’t want to give too much away but I loved the chemistry of the main characters so much and the development of the relationships with the other characters.

3.5 stars rounded up 4 stars

Something about Elle Kennedy books and her characters just get ahold of me and won't let go. Just as in her other books, Mac and Cooper and their gang of friends are so fun and entertaining and make me want to get to spend more time with them. I'm hoping this is indeed a series so I can spend more time in Avalon Bay.

Pros: Like I mentioned above, I always love the characters that Elle Kennedy creates, and I love her sense of place when she writes. I felt like I was walking on the campus and along the boardwalk while I read this. I also loved the friend dynamics and the idea of found family.


Cons: I wanted more of a resolution with Mac and some of the people who cause her problems in her life.

I truly enjoyed reading another Elle Kennedy book and can't wait for the next book in this series.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of Good Girl Complex in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: New Adult Romance
Pub Date: February 1, 2022
Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was well-paced for 3/4 of the story, and I really enjoyed the character development. I even felt like the side characters were well developed throughout the story, and you don't often get that in romance books. One thing that bothered me, though, is I felt like the plot was a bit derivative of other popular books in this genre. It had some original moments, but I also felt like it was really lacking in originality in others. Additionally, I thought the ending was really rushed. I would have liked the same attention to the plot at the end of the book that was shown at the beginning.

Overall, it was a fun read that didn't take a long time to get through, and I would still recommend it!

A sweet stand-alone, new adult contemporary romance by Elle Kennedy? Sign me up!

Good Girl Complex was an easy read with coastal vibes that managed to take my mind away to somewhere peaceful and relaxing while reading!

I had no doubt going in that Elle Kennedy would make us swoon over her always well-developed characters, and I found my new favorite EK heroine in Mac!

Mackenzie (aka Mac) is a life-long good girl who functions more as a prop to her wealthy parents’ expectations than her own individual. Which is such a shame, as she is very evidently a smart and motivated individual from the beginning!

Fortunately, she meets Cooper, and although under less-than-ideal circumstances, they bring out the best in each out that they both kept tucked away as individuals.

My only complaint about this book is there was no epilogue. I would love to know more about how things ended up, not only the couple, but also their various business ventures.

I don’t know if this is the first in a series or a stand-alone, it could still go either way and be fantastic. If it does go into a series, I look forward to revisiting the other side characters in the story and more of Avalon Bay!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide my honest review.

Ok.
This literally took me months to read, and I desperately wanted to enjoy it.
I think my timeline reflects that.
Ultimately though, I just couldn’t connect. Our heroine felt more like a token of revenge and less like a main character.
Our hero was kind of stuck on his revenge, and it didn’t feel like he was ever really open to a connection forming between him and the heroine.
Overall, this just felt like fitting into the generic good girl/bad boy trope, and it was just not my cup of tea.

Wasn't a fan of these two -- the chemistry between them did not seem as organic as some of the characters in her earlier books, and their relationship seemed forced and stilted.

As a big fan of Kennedy's Briar U series, Good Girl Complex was a book I absolutely needed to read. There is something about the predictable storyline of books like this that appeal to me; you know there's going to be two people from opposite lifestyles who unexpectedly come together, and something derails their relationship but they end up back together in the end. Kennedy takes that storyline to a new level that pulls me in and has me finishing the book in a matter of hours. Fans of Kennedy's other works shouldn't miss Good Girl Complex.

A bit formulaic in the townie bad boy meets the rich good girl, whose boyfriend is cheating on her. What starts as a bet on Cooper’s side leads to friendship with sexual attraction underneath it all. Everything follows the formula including the resolution but Cooper is what redeems the story for me. His background and personality outweighed Mac’s, who seemed a bit bland and expected. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad story, it’s definitely got some entertaining moments and a cute rescue dog, but this may not be a story you remember a year later.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.

Cooper and his fellow townies don’t like the rich local college students especially when one of those local rich boys gets Cooper fired from his job. When Cooper and his friends find out that the guy has a girlfriend though, they devise a plan for revenge. Cooper is going to steal Mackenzie away from him, the only problem is that he starts actually having feelings for her. This story has been told. Did I start to care about the characters? Yes, even the side characters. But was I annoyed at the predictability and cliche? Also, yes. Cooper and Mackenzie rescue a dog from drowning, they go to a carnival, they even break up and get back together with a grand gesture on a website. Add the bet to the mix, and this is every other romance novel ever. Also, the ending was abrupt, there was a lot of the author telling rather than showing the reader what was happening. There’s a time jump of a few weeks with little detail. I’ll probably read more by this author if she uses these characters again, but I expect more.

This was a great read! I loved the detail she provided about the characters, setting and background. This is a solid coastal romance with excellent character development and storyline. Kudos!

3.5 stars rounded up

This is one of those books that takes a bit to get invested in. But hey, I liked it once I got past the first bit.

Good Girl Complex follows Cooper and Mackenzie.

As Mackenzie navigates college, it becomes clear that she isn't your typical freshman. She is the CEO and founder of her own company and made a deal to attend college after a gap year. While she's not looking forward to the classes, she is looking forward to spending more time with her long-term boyfriend, Preston.

Cooper just got fired from his part-time job. After getting in a fight with a college dude who was harassing one of his friends and colleagues, the college dude gets Cooper fired. After learning that college dude, Preston, has a girlfriend, Cooper and his friends hatch a plan to break them up by "seducing" her away from the jerk.

The problem? Mackenzie, the girlfriend, is nothing like what Cooper was expecting and he starts falling. Mackenzie, on the other hand, is struggling with her attraction to her new friend, Cooper, and her loyalty to her boyfriend and family.

I'm actually a little torn with how I feel about this. If I had known about the bet going in, I probably would have skipped it. I really don't like the male lead betting that he can get a girl to fall for him. There's a handful of exceptions but as a rule, I really try to avoid it. Additionally, I really am not the biggest fan of cheating stories. But Mackenzie's "this is wrong" moral compass made it bearable and also Preston, the boyfriend, being a cheating jerk.

But, this book had some cute scenes (and a golden retriever) so it wasn't too bad. I also really liked a few of the friendships - especially the female friendships! And luckily for this book, I did start to ship the main characters fairly easily.

Also, this is solidly in the NA category, which is fun! I really like seeing more NA getting published. The main characters are 20-21 and 21-25 (I can't remember if Cooper's age is directly given).

All in all, this is a cute rom-com, if you can get past a few of the not-so-cute things. It also seems like a start of a new set of romances for Elle Kennedy set in Avalon Bay, and I have a feeling Good Girl Complex hinted at some of the major players in future books.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC of Good Girl Complex. I really appreciate the opportunity to read this!

TW/CW: drinking, smoking, sexual harassment, lying to significant other, fighting, minor blood / injuries, cheating (both emotional and physical), consensual sexual content

This book definitely falls into that nebulous NA category that is just such a hard sell. The characters and premise feel well-worn, and the prose itself is on the flat side, especially for a dual perspective. There are books that do the enemies-to-lovers trope more effectively.

Did you really fall into the lockdown, BookTok hole, if you didn’t read Elle Kennedy’s BriarU and Off-Campus series? I haven’t seen two series promoted more online than Kennedy’s best-selling hockey romance series. For many fans, her February 2022 release “Good Girl Complex” is a new era for Kennedy to go beyond just being a hockey romance writer.
After moving to Avalon Bay for college, Mackenzie “Mac” Cabot sets her sights on keeping her Internet business growing and playing the part of a dutiful daughter and girlfriend. One fateful night at the local bar throws local bad boy Cooper Hartley into her orbit–testing her limits and rational thoughts. Cooper soon realizes Mac isn’t another rich kid “clone,” and a friendship built on a secret blossom between the two. As Mac finally starts to be accepted in Cooper’s circle and in herself, the secret threatens to tear down everything the two have worked for since meeting.
Kennedy’s characters are often heartfelt and relatable to the point where you ask if they’re real. Yet, precocious Mackenzie and rakish Cooper fall flat compared to her beloved characters. Their chemistry–although explosive together–doesn’t make up for their bland, individual characteristics. Additionally, Mackenzie’s so-called “good girl complex” is rarely played upon in the novel and seems to be discarded after Cooper mentions it once.
Mackenzie and Cooper might be lackluster characters, but their underlying themes of personal growth, emotional abuse, and abandonment are written with Kennedy’s usual care and honesty. Nevertheless, the rest of the plot and the over-arching conflict is predictable from the first chapter and anti-climactic at the presumed climax.
The most disappointing part of “Good Girl Complex,” you might ask? The spice, the romance. The spice and sexual tension were blander than food at a Midwestern Thanksgiving dinner–which I have had the unfortunate pleasure to experience. If Mackenzie and Cooper’s relationship had been delayed a hundred pages and the sexual tension capitalized in the meantime, “Good Girl Complex” would have been infinitely more satisfying and swoon-worthy.
A lackluster release with minimal redeeming qualities, “Good Girl Complex” had the potential and foundation to be another of Kennedy’s swoon-worthy, steam-filled romance novels.

I LOVED this book. The beginning didn't get my interest at first but then...... but then had to see how it ended. Thank you for the advanced copy. I loved all the characters, and how the story played out.

SPOILERS AHEAD!
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4.5/5 stars; I received this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.. so here we go!

I read my favorite booktoker’s review of this book and was terrified that I wouldn’t enjoy it.. but I really really did! I am a sucker for beach themed books, and I loved the characters in this book! I can see the resemblance between the After series and this, but I mean, it’s a trope, someone else is going to write about a similar concept, but change the details, and I loved how EK did this story do I didn’t mind; I didn’t give it 5 stars because at the end I was left feeling incomplete, and empty.. but I kind of wonder if this is the last we will hear of Cooper and Mac or if EK will write more stories surrounding the characters of Avalon Bay, like how she wrote the off campus series; if we don’t get more books surrounding Avalon Bay I’d at least like an epilogue or more chapters of Cooper and Mac; like how is the hotel, how is the furniture business, etc etc; this can’t be the end :(