Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books and St Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Good Girl Complex is exactly what I was expecting it to be and then also a little disappointing. What I expected was a fast paced whirlwind romance between a "good" girl and a "bad" boy and there's more than meets the eye for both characters. I'm disappointed in the cheating aspect. No one really deserves to be cheated on unless they are an absolute terrible person but even so then just break up. You're not happy? Be single. I was also disappointed in how Cooper is developed. He is a stereotype of many stereotypes for bad boys. Same with good girl Mac. I did like getting both POVs which is nice.

This was an average romance book and I was hoping for a little more substance.

3 stars

I wanted to love this one and I did love parts of it, but there were things that just ruined it for me. I loved Mac and Cooper's relationship and how she felt herself around him and how she was able to escape from her toxic family with his encouragement. The story kept me intrigued the whole time and I loved the writing style and flow. Some deal breakers for me though were the revenge plan and the cheating. I don't mind cheating in books if it is done a certain way. In this one though, the heroine is cheating on her boyfriend when she still thinks he is a great guy who is faithful to her. It's not until later that she realizes he is a scumbag. I didnt care that she cheated on him because i knew he was a scumbag, but she still thought she was in love with him and was hanging out and connecting with another guy. I still loved her and Cooper together and was rooting for them, but the cheating just didnt sit well with me. The revenge plot was so juvenile and I hated it. The way he initially came on to her was cringe worthy, but I eventually came to like their relationship alot.

I enjoyed this book!! Elle Kennedy always delivers a solid romance and this book was no exception. I loved the main characters and how they developed their romance. The plot was interesting and well done. I would recommend to others.

Not the biggest romance fan and honestly don’t really love the trope of good girl goes to college and meets a bad boy. The best parts about this book is when our main character isn’t pining over a boy or daydreaming about the bad boy. I honestly loved her aspirations of wanting to grow a business she started without the help of a man or lover. I loved her at the beginning of the story and then the romance happens and for me I started to become checked out—had I read this book at a different point in my life when I was twenty and single af—maybe I would have gotten those same butterflies our MC got. This is really an enjoyable book. Just wish the trope was different.

DNF at 27%.

I’m sorry, I just can't handle these characters. It’s not even the cheating by Pres, or the current emotionally cheating (complete with lying) by Mac that I have so far encountered, it’s 100% Cooper and Mac just isn't really helping because I can't understand why she likes him other than 'he's so hot'.

Cooper is the most lewd, sex-driven character I have ever read about. This kid doesn’t miss a single opportunity to make a sexual comment. He doesn’t seem to see any woman as anything more then something he can tap whenever he wants to.

Maybe I’m just too uptight, but if a guy I didn’t know talked to me like he talked to Mac the first time we met, we would not be hanging out. Cockblocking a friend or not. And then the continual sexual comments he injects to every single conversation they have (most of them completely normal till he opens his mouth) is gross. And the idea that his inappropriate comments actually do something for Mac is…well, you do you girl, but I think its unrealistic and disgusting to be quite frank.

To sum up what I have read of the plot…. Mac’s boyfriend is a rich, snotty, white male of extreme privilege. He uses this to get Cooper fired from his job. After two days of being mad, Cooper and his friends decide they have to get revenge. So, they are going to help Cooper find this Pres guy (Mac’s boyfriend) and steal his girlfriend, who is Mac. Okay. Then the gross starts and for some reason Mac, who is supposed to be this ultra-smart, owns her own business at 19 or 20(?), and in love with Pres falls for it.

That is where my comprehension of her crashed and the relatability to her dipped to zero. Then she starts trying to justify her relationship with Pres and how perfect it is and you go “okay, she is in denial about how happy she is in her relationship” and then she starts emotionally cheating on her boyfriend and then upgrades it to flat out lying for him. THEN she gets an inkling that he might be cheating on her, but doesn’t really push it and continues her emotional cheating with Cooper, who continues to throw sexual innuendos at her every opportunity that presents its self. Ugh. I just couldn’t anymore.


I don’t mind the premise, I just can’t stand the characters.

As the first in a series, this really worked for me. Kennedy does a great job of introducing supporting characters I want to learn more about. As a standalone, it fell a little flat but I'm excited to revisit it after the next one comes out!

This is an opposites attract romance of revenge that will pull on your heartstrings.

Cooper is a local in a college town where the young rich “clones” run rampant and he and his twin brother and their friends despise them all and what they stand for. When one clone goes too far and gets Cooper fired from his job, he is determined to make the entitled pretty boy pay.

Mackenzie is starting college at her parents’ behest after a gap year where she started her own company. All she wants is to be working on her brand, but at least she is finally able to be with her boyfriend, who also attends. They have been together for years and he is her rock.

Mackenzie meets Cooper and, unbeknownst to her and his vendetta against her boyfriend, strike up a friendship. But she quickly finds herself feeling more than friendly feelings for the sexy local bad boy. Things are falling into place in Cooper’s plan until he realizes that she isn’t just another clone. But will his genuine feelings for her matter when it all comes out that she was just a means to an end?

This was such a great build up to the inevitable heartbreak! Elle Kennedy can really write a budding romance and she did a phenomenal job portraying realistic infidelity. I loved the dynamic of Cooper’s friend group and how it affected his and Mac’s relationship. I liked how independent Mackenzie was and how sweet and sassy the banter between them was.

It has been awhile since I have dived into an Elle Kennedy book so when I saw the announcement for Good Girl Complex, I was intrigued by the synopsis and trope.

Although I enjoyed the story of Mac and Cooper as well as the secondary characters, I felt like at times parts of the story fell a little flat. Some of the issues at hand just were brushed over or quickly resolved. Part of this could be because we may be seeing more insight to some of these issues with secondary characters in their own books. For example: Preston’s character as a whole. The way that he is presented at the beginning of the book doesn’t live up to some of the interactions we see throughout the book. (Trying to be as vague here without giving spoilers.)

Mac’s character was probably one of my favorites in term of her strong will and that in a sense she was self made. She was determined and wouldn’t back down from a fight. I love that she didn’t live up to the typical rich girl and refused to fall into what her parents wanted her to do or be.

“It’s some kind of twisted foreplay. Bickering about puppy names as a form of flirting, every escalation another piece of clothing we’re daring the other to remove in a metaphorical game of strip poker. It’s gotten to be too much. I can’t stop myself, though. Every time he texts me, I say this will be the last time, then I hold my breath, type a reply, hit send, and wait for my next fix.”

Mac and Cooper I would say almost have an instant attraction to one another from the very beginning. Though they both fought it, the magnetism they had towards one another couldn’t be beat. A lot had to do with Mac and Cooper being very similar to one another. Most of the arguments you see is because they were pushing for the best for each other, in their own ways.

Overall, Good Girl Complex is not my favorite book by Elle Kennedy but I would still recommend the book to fans of Elle’s writing.

****ARC was kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review…****

4.5 ⭐️
🌶/🌶🌶🌶🌶
i really like the book it’s really good but I felt like the ending was a rush, that why I give it 4.5⭐️ but in general the book is good and I love it, cooper holds a special place in book boyfriend list and Mackenzie too.
I’ll write a longer review when the release date approaches.

It's hard to talk about what I didn't like without giving away spoilers. This book was a whole lot of mess. Not with the writing which is what saves the books but everyone is a mess. Mackenzie starts off cold but you eventually warm up to her and realize that every person in this book is mean to her. Not until the very end do they somewhat become nice. Only after she bends over backwards for everyone. I wanted more character development but what drives this book is the drama between the townies and the local rich clones. It escalates to a point where a revenge plot is thought of and of course brings with it a whole set of repercussions for our MC, Cooper. I wanted more from him in his redemption as well as his development. It was there but these two spent the entire book fighting. Opposites attract but I also need to see some relationship work as well. It was still a nice beach read with lots of complex emotions but not my favorite of hers.

I adored this book!! With the same mixture of romance, steaminess, feminism, and honesty that you expect from an Elle Kennedy novel, Good Girl Complex also brought the delightful energy of a small-town story. Slightly reminiscent of a Nicholas Spark's novel but with more social awareness (and better sex scenes!). What I love about this book (and all of Elle Kennedy's books) is the agency and power of her female characters, and the sensitivity and depth of her male characters. I will most definitely be screaming about this book to anyone who will listen!

For being such a big name in romance, Elle Kennedy has delivered a very mediocre, done before over-and-over again college romance that could be found with SO MANY Kindle Unlimited books. In my humble opinion, given her massive success Elle definitely has the room to take more risks, deliver books that have a quality above the average, and it's very disappointing to me that this book has nothing new or interesting to offer.

I want to preface this review by saying maybe I am no longer the target audience for Elle Kennedy's books. Her earlier books were some of the first romance books I ever read and as I was in college they struck a close cord, I was addicted, however I am no longer in college and there in lies the problem. The immaturity of the Mackenzie really was a huge obstacle for me in reading this book. The best parts of this book are the world of Avalon Bay that Kennedy creates and all of the side characters who I felt were much more real and interesting. Give me the bad twin Evan's book or maybe a book with the crazy, funny roommate and I might feel inclined to keep up with this series. This book will be a smash success, I'm sure of it because there is an audience for this book. I'm almost positive it will go viral on TikTok! Younger fans might not notice or might enjoy the immaturity and slight toxicness of this romance, but I will be curious what the general reaction to the cheating will be since that is usually a dealbreaker for a lot of readers.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book but I have definitely heard the hype before getting it but I did try to keep an open mind on what to expect. To me it truly felt like a blend of the book After and the show Outerbanks?
It was good but it didn’t blow me away or anything like I maybe would’ve expected after hearing about the authors other books. It just ended up giving some heavy cliche fan fiction vibes.
I’m saying that, it was good and I liked the storyline with the twins mom and slowly winning everyone over but other than that I think my expectations were just higher that what we ended up getting from it. It felt like what could’ve been an amazing storyline that stopped before it could reach peak potential.

I received Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy for free through Netflix in exchange for an honest review. It was certainly no hardship to read this book as I already read most anything by Elle Kennedy. This book was excellent and just as good as her other ones. I will continue to read her books!

I'll admit, I grabbed this because of the author and the fact that this wasn't related to the Off-Campus books. Because while I loved that series -- though admittedly lost some love with the spin-off -- I wanted to see what Kennedy could do in a new space, with new concepts, and different characters.

The answer, however, is.. there wasn't much new-ness to this.

I think this is the last Kennedy I'll request to review; I might still pick up the author if something appeals but I have a feeling I may have outgrown her.

I wanted to love this book. I mean I have the same name as the main character, it should have been delightful. However, I can't say this book standouts against the plethora of college romances specifically good little rich girl meets bad boy. I will say her writing style has definitely improved, but I wasn't sold by the premise here.

I am a huge fan of Elle Kennedy so when I came across this good girl vs rich bad boy trope, I knew I needed to read it immediately. I love the way the author gives her characters such big personalities and you can't help but fall in love with them. This IS an NA-style book and I think that should be kept in mind. There is so much heat, chemistry, and character development throughout the story. We meet Mackenzie, who goes by Mack, who is our sweet and easy-going character but also has this fiery and stubborn side to her. She meets Cooper, a hot temperate, and a charismatic male character that loves nothing more than pushing Mack's buttons to release her emotions. Oh - Did I mention this is a love triangle story? No? Well... Meet Preston. The trust fund boy who is an obnoxious douchebag and a real ladies' man.

Although some storylines moved a bit slowly along, we can appreciate that Kennedy put a lot of love and thought into her characters and their development. The character's chemistry and self-growth made the story that much more enjoyable.

If you are a fan of Kennedy's "Campus" series - You'll enjoy this one as well! Thank you so much, NetGalley for the ARC for my honest opinion.

Thank you so much for allowing me an ARC of this book!

Elle Kennedy's Briar Hockey series is one of my favorites! When I found out she was writing a new book, I was ecstatic. She did not disappoint with this book. Cooper and Mac are hilarious and honest and very real! I love the strong attraction they have with each other right from the beginning that turned into something even bigger.

Their story was fun to read as well as Cooper's brother and the "gang" of friends. :)

I wish there was an epilogue, but the ending was HEA and sweet!

I really enjoyed the coastal setting and loved the small town vibe. I did like the spin on the trope of a bet to take the girl out/ win her over and it still ended up feeling like a fresh take. However. The reveal was super drawn out to me and then they just wrapped it up after so fast. Worse she didn’t mind that the friends were in on it? That was hard to believe for sure. Overall, I liked it and it was a fun book with steam.