I liked the swoon worthy moments in the book and loved the plot, however the subject of cheating was very unsettling for me and made it hard for me, personally to connect to the characters.

Overall the story was lovely and I would recommend but do warn readers about the cheating elements.

The opposites attract premise plays out well in this book. Rich girl Mackenzie chaffs against the plans her parents have for her life but not until she meets Cooper does she have the courage to really push back and take a stand for what she wants.

Cooper isn’t really a bad boy—he just has a lot of baggage. And Mac isn’t really a straight up good-girl either. They’re a good match and I enjoyed watching their relationship grow. What I found less believable was how mature they both seem for their age. If they had been at least in their mid-20s I would have found it more believable. But still a good read.

Brilliant writing, but a sore-subject plot.

Cheating is just not fun for me to read about it. I’m sure many other people will enjoy this one, but I have a hard time shipping anyone who is already in a relationship with someone else.

Great writing style though and a perfect cover. If the cheating plot wasn’t such a big aspect in this book I’d have really enjoyed it I think. This one will do well I’m sure.

This book, about have's and have not's and all that implies kept me glued to the pages. Ms. Kennedy built an interesting seaside world of townies and rich kids but made sure that the characters were developed in a way to feel real. Cooper, the sexy bad boy, didn't start out in my good graces based on his intentions towards Mac but he eventually won me over. Mac, on the other hand, I loved from the beginning. Even though she was blind to some things that were going on around her, when she came to terms with it, she was a strong, focused, intelligent character who spoke her mind and took no prisoners. These two had great chemistry and ultimately were meant to be together. I enjoyed their ups and downs and really liked that they had to fight to get to their happily ever after. I also enjoyed the secondary characters quite a bit and I'm hoping we get to see what happens to them in future books. I love it when an author puts in some work to make the secondary characters believable and ensures they play a strong role in the story. This happened here and was a part of why I really enjoyed this book overall. Looking forward to seeing what's coming next.

5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Very good! Will definitely be recommending this book on my Instagram bookstagram account.

Elle Kennedy has yet to disappoint! I’ll forever love a good girl/bad boy trope. It was a light and fun read filled with the best witty banter and a little Spice! I felt the ending was a bit rushed but overall it was a great read!

4/5 stars


Thank you to NetGalley and Saint Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review.

I loved a lot of this book, but the last 20% was too frustrating for me. The fact that they didn't talk killed me and I HATED that Coop lied right to Mac's face. That really annoyed me and seemed out of character. I mean I get it to an extent because he thought he would lose her, but I don't think it added to the story and kind of made it drag for longer than it should have. That being said, I did really like the relationship between Mac and Coop. They had chemistry from the start and supported one another. And I really want Evan to get a story.

Cooper grew up in Avalon Bay, South Carolina and has seen how poorly the wealthy college students treat his local community for a long time. And then Preston gets him fired.

Mackenzie has been dating Preston for four years, but they have been long distance for three. Now she is joining him at Garnet College. She doesn't know what a bad guy Preston is.

I could describe this book using simple tropes and stereotypes of the rich girl and the working class bad boy. But that would miss all that's special about the book. The characters are so deeply written. I can understand their dreams and empathize with their choices. There's so much intensity in their relationship.

Elle Kennedy is a master at writing new adult romance. I am so excited for this new series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

TW: sexual assault

I really enjoy reading all of Elle Kennedy book. This is another great one that I will be recommending for all my book friends.
I really liked the chemistry between the two main characters and you instantly felt the passion between them. It's like a beach town version of the haves and have-nots with some Outter Banks thrown in. The townies always having to serve the rich folk who think they can get away with anything simply because they can. You get the heat, chemistry. character and relationship development. And considering the relationship between Coop and Mac didn’t exactly start out with the best intentions on Cooper’s part. The motivation behind how they met & why is huge part of the story line so I don't want to spoil it but it totally gave me After vibes.

I love an Elle Kennedy New Adult novel, generally speaking. I love a good girl/bad boy trope. This was a funny, sexy read, with well written characters. However, it just fell a little flat for me. I felt like I'd read this before, which is fine, but that's it. Fine. I would still recommend this book for lighter romance readers.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret...this is my first Elle Kennedy book that isn't MM, and it was SO good!

I, for the life of me, couldn't put this book down. School who? Homework what? Exactly, didn't think so, this book deserved ALL of my attention, hence why I finished it an a day! I loved this story, this trope just gets me. Rich girl gets duped by low-class boy but the low-class boy falls and falls hard, oh yes, and they hate each other at the beginning. Makes for a perfect recipe of a dramatic, and very very fun story! I wasn't feeling the whole book reading before this book, I needed something to get my out of my slump, and this definitely did the trick and then some! So good! I wasn't even planning on reading this so soon, but here we are!

Love it! Can't wait for February for everyone else to read it too!

Check TWs friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and Saint Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review.

Huge fan of Elle Kennedy -- i've read over a dozen of her other novels include the 'Briar U' and 'Off-Campus' series. I have been hearing a lot of buzz about this title and have been really looking forward to reading this standalone. Good girl & trust fund kid, Mac, meets bad boy, Cooper at their wealthy beachside college. They fall hard for each other but secrets threaten to tear them apart.

Check out Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy and be sure to get this contemporary romance wherever you buy books!

✦ Goodreads ➜ https://bit.ly/3hNNNNP
✦ Amazon ➜ https://amzn.to/3CveqyD
✦ Apple ➜ https://apple.co/3nPHzka
✦ Google ➜ https://bit.ly/3EuVbHs
✦ Kobo ➜ https://bit.ly/3lyhnYo
✦ Nook ➜ https://bit.ly/3nKLcb6

TAGS: fiction, romance, contemporary romance, new adult romance, young adult, YA, college romance, summer romance, boy next door, girl next door, good girl, bad boy

*Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Elle Kennedy for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review #GoodGirlComplex #NetGalley @NetGalley #stmartinspress @stmartinspress #ElleKennedy @ellekennedy33

Such a fun read! I loved the characters and couldn’t put this book down. I did find the ending very abrupt and rushed. I wish that had been fleshed out a little bit more.

Elle Kennedy writes the bad boy so well.
Mackenzie "Mac" being an independent, self-starter already owning her own business was a refreshing character, I wanted to shake her with the way she lets Preston treat her despite all of this. I loved Cooper and Mac's story!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eArc!

I was excited to read a new Elle Kennedy book that was separate from her Off Campus series. I think this book was good, but I had a few issues. First, Cooper was a little bit too jaded about the "Clones" and I struggled with how quickly he changed his mind about Mac. I also though Evan's feelings flip flopped a bit and I wish there would have been more to his backstory. Assuming there are other books in this series, we may get more then. Overall a good read, even if there were some things I didn't like.

Not my cup of tea. The characters didn’t really grab me and I disliked the way the relationship started. Not a fan of that sort of trope.

Snappy, fun and interesting! Good Girl Complex made .me smile while also thinking about deeper issues. Just the right level of angst meets romance. Solid read!

I REALLY enjoyed this book... no shock there! Elle Kennedy never disappoints for me!

This book is about Mac and Cooper - two people who come from opposite sides of the tracks and yet fit together so well! Their banter was great, their chemistry was on fire, and the character growth in them both was amazing. I'll admit I was a little nervous about the "secret"/conflict (no spoilers here!), but I will say it was not as stressful or anxiety driven as I had expected.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and if you have read any Elle Kennedy books, I think you're going to definitely like this one! And for readers who haven't read Elle Kennedy... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Revenge dating is always a hard trope for me to get into, because you know that they are going to fall for each other, and at some point, the betrayal will become know. I’m anxious the whole story usually, but, I know this authour delivers a top notch story, so I dove in. It was a great story, as these two seemingly opposite people make a real connection with each other. They also bring out the best in each other, and are supportive and encouraging. They have amazing chemistry, right from the start, and are really likeable characters. They work through problems and handle things maturely. I just liked them, I liked their friends, I liked how their lives turned around, making them both really happy. The bad things happened, obviously, it has to, but there was such a connection, you knew it would be handled the way they handled everything else. This was a great start to this series, and I can’t wait for more characters to get their HEAs!

If you are anything like me, you probably have an affinity for cheesy romantic books. Today’s book is one of those cheesy romantic books and is a book that I think will be a big hit after it’s release next year!

"Good Girl Complex" is a New Adult romance novel written by, Elle Kennedy. It is expected to be released on February 1, 2022.
If you would like to pre-order "Good Girl Complex" you can find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can follow the author, Elle Kennedy, on Instagram and Goodreads! You can also check out her website!

Before I get into this review, I would like to thank St. Martins Griffin Publishers, Netgalley, and Elle Kennedy for sending me this advanced copy for review. As always, all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

She does everything right. So what could go wrong?
Mackenzie "Mac" Cabot is a people pleaser. Her demanding parents. Her prep school friends. Her long-time boyfriend. It's exhausting, really, always following the rules. Unlike most twenty-year-olds, all she really wants to do is focus on growing her internet business, but first she must get a college degree at her parents' insistence. That means moving to the beachside town of Avalon Bay, a community made up of locals and the wealthy students of Garnet College.
Mac's had plenty of practice suppressing her wilder impulses, but when she meets local bad boy Cooper Hartley, that ability is suddenly tested. Cooper is rough around the edges. A threat to her ordered existence. Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life.
Despite his disdain for the trust-fund kids he sees coming and going from his town, Cooper soon realizes Mac isn't just another rich clone and falls for her. Hard. But as Mac finally starts feeling accepted by Cooper and his friends, the secret he's been keeping from her threatens the only place she's ever felt at home.

I gave this book 4/5 stars on Goodreads. I have read some of Elle Kennedy's Off Campus book series and I really enjoyed that as well. "Good Girl Complex" encapsulates everything that I love about that series and her personal writing style. I really connected with the characters and got attached to them easily!

My only complaint is that I wish this book contained an epilogue. This book was great, but I think it would have been perfect if there was an epilogue! Add an epilogue and this is a 5 star read for me!

This book gave me some serious ‘Outer Banks but make it more romantic’ vibes and I loved it. If you like Outer Banks and enjoy romance novels, I think that you will enjoy this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! Because there is some adult language, scenarios, and dialogue I would recommend it for readers 18+. This one exceeded my expectations. I think it is a fantastic addition to Elle Kennedy's repertoire, I am anxiously awaiting her next release (and I am silently hoping that it is a book which follows Evan)! After all, she is known for creating a “universe” full of characters and gifting each them their own book. Fingers crossed!