3.5 stars

I, like most everyone, loved Off Campus so I was excited to read my first book from her that wasn’t from that universe. While I overall enjoyed this book as it was a light read and a real pallet cleanser, it didn’t live up or my high expectations from the teaser explanation of the book. Around 55% in, I started to get bored which made the last half of the book feel about 80 pages too long. I really bought Cooper and Mac’s dynamic but there were a lot of sub-points that made the book as a whole a little all over the place. The ending was really strong and the book as a whole is good. I did find myself hoping some of the side characters might get their own books on the future.

I’ve been a fan of Elle Kennedy’s work for a while now. Her Off Campus series and Briar U series are ones I consider guilty pleasures and find myself rereading them, constantly. Because of that, I absolutely jumped at the opportunity to be able to read this book early. After reading so many of her books, I hate to say that this one didn’t live upto my expectations. The whole premise of it sounded really interesting but the execution just felt a little too mediocre. All of the main plot points that were established at the beginning of the book took a backseat as the story progressed. The romance just felt like it happened too quickly and I would’ve preferred if it had been prolonged for a little while longer to build up more angst. Mostly, I did just feel a little bored while reading it. In the end, I think this book just wasn’t for me.

A wonderful new adult romance that focuses a women coming of age as she goes away to college and realizing her worth. This book was a really enjoyable and light read. I love the main character and the hero in this book and could feel their connection as I was reading. I wanted so badly for them to get there happily ever after - not just with each other but in life. A must read in 2021. Trigger warning for cheating.

Steam Rating: 🌶🌶🌶

Favorite quote: "Don't waste this moment. If your heart's telling you to follow something - go for it. Don't let anyone hold you back, because life is too damn sort. Build your empire. Slay dragons."

I was all in from the start on this one and devoured the first half quickly. Cooper, the bad boy, has a run-in with a cocky college kid who flaunts his wealth and ability to get Cooper fired. Cooper decides to seek revenge by finding and stealing the rich kid's girlfriend, Mackenzie (Mac), to publicly make a mockery of him.

The premise reeled me in - Cooper and Mac's dynamic seemed like a quick setup but flirty, passionate, and fun. Admittedly, I got a little lost in what felt like many minor subplots to build character backstories and help trigger interest in what appears to be a book series. Why did Cooper's twin brother, Evan, break up with his girlfriend? It was obviously a bad breakup, but why?

I'm sure some people are into this writing style, but it's not typically my cup of tea. While I may not venture through the upcoming series, I felt like the storyline was well written and wrapped up nicely at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Good Girl Complex in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this novel by Elle Kennedy. I believe this to be the first I’ve read from her and appreciated the story, though some of the characterizations were a bit slow and unrealistic at times. Overall, a fairly typical yet nice romance.

3.5 Stars
Readers will find that Kennedy’s edgy and fast paced writing puts a fresh spin on a classic romance trope. While Good Girl Complex may follow the predictable story arc of bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks meets down-to-earth rich girl, Kennedy manages to make it feel new with a cast of wild characters (closely resembling crew from The Outer Banks) and a female protagonist that is one badass burgeoning CEO. Despite the story taking place in the fall-winter, Kennedy’s commitment to developing the setting of a small college town nestled on the coast makes this feel like a summer read.

While I completely appreciated Kennedy’s writing style and enjoyed the characters, I did find the story arc started to bore me around the 40-60% mark. The predictability of the plot line wouldn’t have been an issue had this book been about 100 pages shorter (that likely would’ve bumped it to 4 stars for me). That being said, it was a great light read and I would definitely recommend this if you’re heading on vacation, or just want a guilty pleasure book.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book and I’m intrigued enough by the characters and the setting to want to read the next Avalon Bay novel that comes out!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for the free electronic copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was an entertaining book in a guilty pleasure kind of way. Mackenzie reminds of those sisters with K names that are super proud of themselves for being self made when really the've had everything handed to them. She thinks going to college is a waste of time because she's already a successful businesswoman running an app where people share mean stories about their boyfriends. Cooper starts out a bit better, he's a local in a town that gets overrun by entitled college kids and then makes a morally questionable decision that left me wondering who I could root for in this story if I didn't much like the main characters. Yet, I something kept me reading. It's a bit predictable and some scenes feel too convenient, and the research is iffy (i.e., you can't inherit credit card debt, yet Cooper and his brother struggle for this reason). In spite of all this, I still wanted to know what would happen next. It's a fun read, like eating cotton candy: you'll enjoy it in the moment but won't feel satisfied when you're done.

While this is a 3.5 - I'm rounding up to 4 stars.

I've got to admit, the first 15-20% of this story was slow and full of mostly unredeemable characters (i.e all the rich, college assholes) BUT once that part of the story starts to be overshadowed by Mac and Cooper's growing relationship, I started to get a lot more invested and enjoyed where the story went.

Elle Kennedy's writing is classic, quick-read NA fun, and seeing that she was going from self-published to being under a publisher had me nervous - would it be her same style? Would it be changed? Luckily, it was mostly her same style with mostly the same pacing to her other stories, which worked for me.

Overall, a good read and all of the loose ends were tied up - now I'm just left to wonder who (if anyone else) will also get a book. Evan? Steph? Alana? Tate? We shall see.

I hate to give negative reviews because I know how hard authors work. That being said, this book was really not for me. This is my first Elle Kennedy book so I have nothing to compare it to, but I just found it to be very predictable and kind of plotless. Good Girl Complex felt like the plot of After but the setting of Outer Banks.

The only other book I read with basically no plot was Ugly Love and I loved it because Miles and Tate have such chemistry. The main characters in this book have chemistry but not *that* much. I wish I’d read Elle Kennedy’s other books so I could tell you guys how this one compares. I’d say if you like Elle Kennedy, go for it!

I’ve always been a fan of Kennedy, but lately her releases have been lacking. Good Girl Complex was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022 but sadly after reading it, I’m disappointed. This book brought nothing new to the table and embodied a basic romance novel with no creativity. At first, I was really engaged and interested in the story but after the halfway point I felt like the pacing was off. The romance evolved very quickly and the fight that took place at the end of the novel did nothing to further the plot. It was completely unnecessary and could’ve been corrected or adjusted. Overall, this novel lacked creativity and engagement.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a good New Adult romance that made me want to read more as the story progressed. I wanted to know these characters and to see just how complicated things were going to get because if you know Elle Kennedy, she definitely brings it.


Most young adults are still swimming their way through a College degree and having to deal with what comes next for a career and Mackenzie is no different. Much to her wealthy parents' urging and a deal that she made with them to attend school, Mackenzie is now a full time student. Determined to stay focused and stick to the future plans her and longtime boyfriend have, nothing is going to get in the way of that. That all changes when she crosses paths with the town’s resident bad boy.



I really liked the chemistry between the two main characters and you instantly felt the passion between them. Although I was not a fan of the initial plot and I was disappointed that there was no epilogue, I still enjoyed Mac and Cooper’s journey. If you're a new adult romance fan that loves a little bit of drama, then this one's for you.

If you love a great story, set in a beach town, as much as I do, I’m sure you’ll love Elle Kennedy’s Good Girl Complex! This story features McKenzie (Mac) and Cooper and I fell in love with them from the beginning. The character development is outstanding throughout the book. Although this book features the often used trope of one character being on the lower socioeconomic scale (Cooper) versus Mac, a girl from a really rich family, the plot contains some unusual twists and turns making this an excellent read. Although the ending was predictable, it was quite satisfying. A great read!

A good example of why I shouldn't judge books by their adorable covers.

Upon first glance, this book has the ideal college/bad boy trope going for it. Mackenzie "Mac" is one half of our protagonists who breaks the stereotypical rich kid description by being a self-made woman with the creation of a popular app. During her college experience, she begins to feel the distance between her then-boyfriend, Preston, thanks to the temptation that local bad-boy/hottie Cooper presents.

The thing is, Cooper and Mac meeting isn't exactly fate.

Cooper and Preston have history and Cooper sets out to retaliate against the serial abuser by stealing his girlfriend. However, when the nature of his and Mac's relationship begins to blur, the looming truth poses a threat itself.

Synopsis sounds great, right? Well what I couldn't get over is that Cooper seems scarily possessive over Mac and the cuteness of their cross-socioeconomic status relationship just becomes uncomfortable. Also, the dialogue seems very juvenile and generic in how it's developed and I found myself rolling my eyes quite often.

I was excited to read this based on the description but found that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped. Maybe I was in the mood for something with a little more substance-I don’t know-but the whole thing just seemed like immature meets petty meets can’t-get-enough-sex. I’m not saying it was a bad book. I just think I may not have been in the right frame of mind when I read it.

This was not what I was expecting yet also was exactly what I feared would end up happening. Mac is a rich girl who just wants to focus on growing her apps and business but her parents essentially force her to go to college. While there, she meets Cooper, the town’s resident bad boy and that’s when all her wild impulses start hammering at the surface again.

This sounded so fun! But it just ended up flat for me. There is a cheating plot that goes on with the main characters and a huge secret that takes until almost the end of the book to come to light. I didn’t really feel a connection with the main couple either. I ended up liking some of the side characters more so I might pick up any companion books!

This also felt unnecessarily long. I feel like there were a lot of added drama scenes that could’ve been excluded as they didn’t really add anything and just prolonged a certain plot point. The ending also felt really rushed.

Overall, this was just not what I wanted and it was a disappointment for me! But if you’re into little sea side towns, a ton of drama and the good girl/bad boy trope, check this one out!

2/5⭐️

TW: cheating, death of a parent, abandonment from a parent, toxic relationships, sexually explicit scenes, alcohol, violence, blood.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It has the bet trope (which as a big After fan, I can't help but love) and I like how powerful Mac was. I also really loved the beach summer vibe of this book and everything felt pretty authentic. A good summer read for sure!

After reading Elle Kennedy's full Off-Campus series (well, thank you #booktok for that one), I was intrigued to see she had written a new standalone and was instantly intrigued. Here, we follow Mac whose a chronic people pleaser who reluctantly starts college at a prestigious school in the south and Cooper, the bad boy townie she finds herself drawn to. While Mac seemingly has it all -- the prep school friends, the well-off life, parents who give her everything, and a devoted longtime boyfriend -- something seems off. All she wants to do is grow her internet business but her folks have insisted she get a degree first. So, she enrolls at Garnet College in the beachfront town of Avalon Bay. While she's used to repressing her wild impulses, something about local Cooper inspires her to let go and be free. Then, there's Cooper, who makes a She's All That-inspired bet with his friends to make Mac, the girlfriend of the boy who humiliated him, fall for him and subsequently break up with that jerk as revenge. What he didn't expect was to actually fall for her, realizing she's not like the rest of the snobby Garnet students.

Told in dual perspectives, it's chock full of juicy, compelling, and fun language that completely drew me in because, let me tell you, I was hooked. And sure, while there is some *spice* here, much like the Off-Campus books, this New Adult read seems more grounded and story-driven with vulnerable characters who have heart, dreams, and goals. Then, gah, that ending! While I appreciate a good HEA in my romance reads, I just wanted more to the story because it seemed to abruptly wrap up and I desperately wanted to see where Mac and Cooper were headed next.

I was surprised by all the 5 star review for the Good Girl Complex. This book was not for me. The story of the townies versus the rich, college preppies is a familiar one but Kennedy’s book was just on sexcapade after another. I didn’t feel the language or the nonstop sex moved the plot or character development forward. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Rating: 4/5
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction
Warnings: Cheating, death/abandonment of a parent + absent parents
Read if you liked: Off-Campus Series or She’s All That
Steam: 3/5
Tropes: friends to lover, forced proximity

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Good Girl Complex will be released on February 1st, 2022.

I have some mixed feelings about this book…on one hand, I really really hate the revenge-dating plot but also this couple worked and I finished it in one sitting. Elle Kennedy has the ability to create stories that suck you in.

Things I loved: I loved that Mac had her own company; this was such a good angle to the “rich girl” because she made her own money even if her parents had some. Cooper and Mac worked, I loved the banter and chemistry they had. A puppy, I love a puppy. Kennedy does talk about diversity of life situation, in this case death/abandonment of a parent and absent parents. I really loved the ending…it was pretty sweet. I’d also love to see the secondary characters in a series.

Things I didn’t care for: These books (I’m including Off-Campus because I just finished those) are lacking in diversity. This book was kind of a mess in content and I think I saw it that way because part of it was a bet + the complicated friendships.

Another slam dunk from Elle Kennedy! I cannot get enough of her words. She's a masterful story teller. I always find myself completely absorbed in the world's she creates. Good Girl Complex is one of her best! Well done!