This was my first Elle Kennedy book and it was such an enjoyable read! To be honest I didn't think too deeply into the story as I was reading it - the one thing that did annoy me was that from page 1 you know there's going to be a horrible miscommunication/conflict, and it happens basically 10 pages from the end so it did all wrap up relatively quickly.

However, the romance was very sweet and I actually really loved Mac, the main character. She was different and cool, but not in a 'not like other girls' kind of way.

I am really interested to see who the next book is about - I'm particularly really interested in Steph or Evan!!

Perfect summer romance book! Lovable good girl and the bad boy from town, set in a cute small town during summer. So excited to have recieved this ARC from net galley. Pick this up for a fun, beach read.

Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy
Tags: Contemporary Romance; New Adult Romance; College Romance; Small Town Romance; Beach Town Romance

Cooper is a local boy to the small beachside Avalon Bay, a town dependent on, yet resentful of the tourist / rich folk crowds they depend on. When a run in with a rich, college frat boy leaves Cooper down a job, he’s riled and ready for some revenge. Cue the arrival of said rich-frat boy’s longtime girlfriend to the area as a new student. Cooper and his friends hatch a plan for Cooper to seduce her away from her boyfriend, and break up with him as a means of revenge. What starts as a half-hearted plan, changes when Cooper meets and begins to fall for MacKenzie…

Elle Kennedy is honestly a go to author for me, and I loved her New Adult series Off Campus and Briar U. So when I saw she had a new NA book out (even though it wasn’t with my beloved hockey players) – I knew I had to read it. Elle doesn’t disappoint delivering a great world / setting that I wish I could visit, and a new set of interesting characters who I can only hope will spin off to have their own stories as part of a series.

I enjoyed the dynamic between Cooper and Mac – and I liked that it didn’t come together too easily. I loved how independent Mac was and that she was a bada** in her own right – I mean having her own tech business? Not like a side hustle, but legit? That was a really cool bit. Cooper gave me a bit of Garret vibes (for those who read her Off Campus books), and I loved him – so I was into it. I also really enjoyed Cooper’s twin Evan – and the seeing the relationship between the brothers (and the relationship that builds between Evan and Mac).

I read the entire book in a day. It was a fast, easy read and I look forward to (hopefully) more Avalon Bay in the future – (*fingers crossed* here’s hoping for an Evan or Steph book next).
Special thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy – all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Good GIrl Complex is a fun and flirty opposites attract romance. Elle Kennedy's main characters are young adults from opposite worlds. They arent' supposed to be together but they keep finding a way into each other's lives.

Mackenzie is a young woman who is about to start college. She has always lived a 'privileged' life but isn't the typical money-craving princess. She is tough, sassy, and a boss. At such a young age, she already has a successful internet business. Her parents don't really know about it and it's not because Mac hasn't tried to tell them about it. They want her to complete college and marry into another powerful and rich family. She is following the path as she is enrolled in college and her boyfriend Preston is already planning their future. When she meets a 'townie', Cooper, it only helps her realize that her planned life isn't for her.

Cooper is a hardworking, loyal young man. He has always had to work for everything. He and his brother Evan always look out for each other and that is a special bond that readers get to read about. Cooper is sexy and every girl notices. One night at work, Cooper meets Preston. Preston is arrogant and annoying giving off major eye roll vibes. So, Cooper decides to steal his girl just because he can. That leads to his interest in Mac. But that quickly changes when they start talking. Their attraction is undeniable so it was easy to root for them to be together.


I give Good Girl Complex 3 stars. Elle Kennedy is such a great author and I always enjoy her reads. However, I just couldn't really get into the story. I liked it but it took me a bit to finish the book. I think the characters are great I just felt like something is missing. The characters are okay, the chemistry is there, it just seemed like there were filler scenes that didn't push the story forward. Not my favorite by this author but I am still looking forward to reading more of her work.

Highly recommend this book! This was my first book to read by this author and I can't wait to read more! The characters and the story stay with you long after you finish the book. One of the best books I have read in a long time.

2.75/5

Let me preface this by saying I have read all of the BriarU series and the Off Campus series and I LOVED them. So needless to say that I was super excited to see that Elle Kennedy would be writing a NA romance!

This story just did not sit well with me, and it was not the story itself because Im all for the small town bad boy and the preppy rich girl love story - I mean Dirty Dancing is my favourite movie of all time. It was the characters that turned me off of this book.

Starting with Cooper, man did not just have a chip on his shoulder he had a whole ruffles bag and was really unfair to Mac in the comments he would make. Then there was Mac who would say one thing and do the complete opposite? If the characters were a little more likeable I would have liked this book a little more.

Despite that, this book still had touches of Elle Kennedy’s classic charm and relatable writing style that kept me reading the whole way through. I will definitely still keep reading her books because BriarU and Off Campus still have a place in my heart!

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley, Elle Kennedy and St Martin's Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This was exactly what I needed right now to give some happiness and joy to stressful times. I loved the characters on this one and I tend to enjoy the challenges that get people together. I really enjoyed how different these two characters were from one another while still having some things in common, like stubbornness, that causes them to knock heads. I flew through this one and really enjoyed the small town, coastal vibes and the interesting ways that both ways that the main characters make their livings in the end.

~Good Girl Complex Review~
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3.5/5
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I love the off-campus series by elle kennedy so when i saw this one on Netgalley I knew I had to request it. I’ve heard really good things about this one and i’m excited to dive right in.
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Pros:
+i love dual perspective books
+dramatic irony!!!!!!
+cute dog. any book with cute animals instantly gets 10 extra bonus points
+love the “im gonna clean up your battle wounds” trope and the “im going to complain the whole time while you do it but secretly love the attention” trope
+the banter and tension ahaha
+bonnie!!
+drama
+the brotherly love
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Cons:
-i’m not super into the “i’m going to try to get you to like me because of a bet” trope
-i also hate hate hate cheating especially when the person doing it is a hypocrite who has stated “cheating is stupid.” like bestie what do you call what you are doing rn??
-men with anger issues
-using the term “wifey material”
-the “boohoo im rich and have problems just like you” trope
-STOP WITH THE MUTUAL PINING OMG THE MISCOMMUNICATION TROPE IS SO ANNOYING JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER
-why does there ALWAYS have to be girl on girl hate. seriously why
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i’m so conflicted on this book because while it was entertaining it was also SO annoying at times. the end was also very abrupt so idk if i fully am satisfied with it. i would recommend this if you like elle kennedy but it’s def not my fav!!

I have read a fair number of Elle Kennedy books and enjoyed the heck out of them. I love her skill at writing conversations. The banter and flirting and fighting are always fantastic. And she brings that skill to The Good Girl Complex, giving it a great rhythm and readability. But the overall story wasn’t my favorite and the characters were unlikable all around. The richie collegiates vs poor townies dynamic was too cliched for me and so on the nose it nearly hurt.

There’s a difference between taking a favored trope and bringing it to life with a new story and taking that trope and just creating a checklist. This story could literally be placed 10, 20, or 30 years ago, and with the exception of cell phone advancements, it would fit right in without an eye blink… because it’s been done and there was nothing inventive or new to make it stand out. It isn’t timeless, it’s tired.

Mostly, I’m disappointed. It’s not horribly written, so I experience just enough of the EK magic that I know exists, but it surrounds a plot and characters that didn’t work for me. The setting and setup hit you right away so you know exactly what you’re in for but it doesn’t deviate or go anywhere from there. So it wasn’t a total surprise… just a letdown.

Overall, I didn’t like spending time on it. The ending and reconciliation was too quick, contrived, and without the desired emotion. There are many others of the author’s work that I’d recommend. But not this one.

2.5 Stars
I forgot about the back and forth banality of these types of new adult romances. There wasn’t any fun banter (for me) and it’s simply drama of the push/pull angst variety. I love a little angst when it serves the story progression, but it was all too predictable and I wanted more from the characters.

I couldn't reason with some of the decisions the main characters were making. A few of those decisions completely contradict their characterization. Such as a supposedly successful entrepreneur/millionaire MacKenzie stays in a benign relationship, lacking love and passion to appease her parents and follow “their" plan. Don't even let me start about the legal paperwork Evan and Cooper's uncle present to them and which they immediately sign without knowing anything about the particulars. While the uncle is shown to be offering them a generous gesture, reading before signing should've been par for the course. Especially concerning Cooper's potentially successful furniture building business.

With all that drama throughout the story, I was amazed at how the ending seemed to wrap up quickly and simply. I’m not sure what I think of that when throughout the entire story, there were so many outside influences factoring in. Trust me, I get the irony when I complain about the college-age drama, but then also how it simply wrapped easily. There's no pleasing me, I guess.

On a positive note, I found it to be an easy read, even if I was occasionally shaking my head at the banality of these 20-somethings.

This was a cute a story about Mac, a college girl from a well off family, and Cooper a bartender from the wrong side of the tracks. I like the two people from different worlds trope so this was a great read for me. Their were also a lot of other characters and I liked getting to know Cooper's twin brother Evan. Through a lot of the book Mac is trying to find herself and figure out if she is really on the life path she wants to be, or if she is just doing what is expected of her. The "good girl" gains the confidence to be herself and go after what she wants under the influence of the "bad boy". I enjoyed it.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’ve never read a boring Elle Kennedy book, and “Good Girl Complex” was no exception. It had good entertainment value, a cute setting, and a well-executed plot. However, it didn’t have characters you could root for. Cooper and Mac are both kinda terrible and both have some serious misogyny going on in their heads. Bonnie was the one character that deserved way better in the book. It was also pretty predictable. The trope wasn’t one I hadn’t seen or read before, and it played out exactly how I knew it would from the beginning. “Good Girl Complex” wasn’t revolutionary, but it was a solid read when you’re in a slump.

I love a good romance story, where there is depth to the characters, where their individual stories shine, just as much as their budding relationship. Cooper and Mac are very different people, from opposite sides of the track. Yet, I loved that they both shared the same dreams and aspirations to make something of themselves on their own, and together. I'm also a sucker for small town stories and one located on the beach was just an added bonus! The supporting roles of the local "townies" and privileged college students at the nearby campus fully rounded out an enjoyable story. If you are in the mood for some romance with fun loving, complex characters and one adorable puppy, you've found it.

This book was a bit of a "young" read for me, but I went for it anyway. There were a lot of good parts of the rich girl/townie boy trope. I really liked that Mac began to cone into her own because of her relationship with Cooper.

I really dislike cheating by a main character, regardless of how it is justified in the book and there was some of that cheating in this book. That really ruined it for me. I'm one of those people for whom there just is NO justification for cheating. So it's near impossible for me to like a book in which a MC cheats.

Those who aren't as sensitive to that subject and who a-

a dual POV romance is the way to my heart!
the banter between mackenzie and cooper was *chefs kiss*.
mackenzie is a good rich girl who pretty much does what her parents expect of her. cooper is a bad boy (but like secretly a sweetie pie). Cooper and mackenzie are brought together by the fact that cooper wants to get revenge on mackenzie’s (terrible) boyfriend by getting with mackenzie.

the ending did feel a little rushed to me and could have used an extra 50 or so pages but i loved it so much and can’t wait for the next one in the series.

Mac, the ideal daughter with the picture-perfect boyfriend, college experience, and bank account, meets Cooper, the antithesis of all she and her background seem to represent. As Mac finds herself during her first year of college, she realizes that her true self couldn't be farther from the facade she's been projecting. She starts to fall for Cooper, not knowing that the secret he's harboring on the true nature of how they met could break her heart and more.

A fun read! Didn't resonate with me as much and the spicy scenes were a bit too much for me, especially with the youthfulness of the characters, but a fun and lighthearted read!!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, Elle Kennedy, and NetGalley for this ARC!

I loved the first half of the book! I was entertained and felt that I had a good connection with the characters. However, when I continued reading, I felt that the book was being strung along. I might feel that way because the characters connected and go together so quickly. It seemed that this book could have been shorter, or maybe just not as many storylines as it had. I loved the content that was there but I'm not sure what threw me off. I think this book could benefit from an expansion of the beginning or to shorten the ending of the book.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I've read Kennedy's Off Campus and other college books so I was thrilled to get an early start on a promising new series.

MacKenzie Cabot is from a wealthy family and after taking a gap year to grow her successful website, is to start college at Garnet College, a fictional liberal arts university somewhere on the South Carolina coast. Her boyfriend Preston Kincaid is a real D bag and womanizer.

Cooper Hartley is a hard working "townie" who gets into a scuffle while tending bar at one of his gigs with Preston, who sexually harassed one of the waitresses, Cooper's friend Steph. Once Preston lays unwelcome hands on her, Cooper punches him. His boss has no choice but to fire him because Preston's daddy owns half of Avalon Bay property, which tracks as Preston treats women like property.

Cooper and his twin Evan, and their friends decide to get revenge when they see a picture of Preston with his unsuspecting girlfriend MacKenzie. Cooper decides to get Mac to sleep with him and shove that in Preston's face. Cooper later withdraws from her revenge plot when he gets to know Mac and that's she isn't like the other "clones", a derogatory nickname for the rich students and families who summer in Avalon Bay.

This book got more enjoyable as I got through the first half, but as readers we know the truth always comes out and when it does, it is a doozy. It would have been better to tell Mac what her cheating ex did rather than for it to be a big secret that explodes. Her parents are real pieces of work too, and while Cooper and Mac bonded over shitty parents, the author also focused on Mac's interest in being an entrepreneur and not a typical princess who is spoiled and obnoxious. Especially as the friend group unfairly misjudged her and keep things from her when she was getting to know Cooper, before she dumped the dude. It was only when Preston started attempting to make decisions for her and her parents being fine with that control, that she decided she was done.

I'm interested in future book featuring the twin brother Evan, there's real potential for additional books. Will definitely recommend this book to fans of New adult romance.
4/5☆
TW for sexual harassment, unwanted groping and alcohol abuse.

I don’t typically read new adult romances a lot because college kids are…still very kid like in their logic.

But Elle Kennedy does new adult well, balancing the optimism and sometimes myopia so prevalent in younger adults with the burgeoning senses of responsibility, loyalty, and honor that develop in maturing early twenty-something’s.

Mackenzie and Cooper are very much still growing as individuals, breaking free from the expectations of their families and communities. And while they are brought together by a clash in values and an ill-considered vengeance plot, their relationship develops such that they transcend who they thought they were to themselves and to each other.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit and I look forward to more Avalon Bay stories!

I really enjoyed both off-campus & the briar u series so when I saw Kennedy was releasing a new book I was excited and had high hopes! But unfortunately this one just wasn’t my cup of tea.

The whole plot just didn’t really vibe with me. There’s cheating and childish revenge plots that I wasn’t really on board with. I found myself not really liking any of the characters, they both kind of annoyed me. I also felt the relationship felt very rushed in a 0-100 way. And then there’s a part when she buys that random property it just felt chaotic? Like I didn’t feel like any of the characters or their reasonings were fleshed out at all. Overall, I didn’t think it was necessarily a bad book, but definitely not one of my favorites.

*thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for providing me with a ARC in exchange for an honest review*