I feel like I’m the last person on earth to just now be reading my first Elle Kennedy book! However, I’m sooo excited to now have her backlist to binge because this was sooo fun. The small town beach setting was EXACTLY what I needed during this cold February. This would make a perfect beach read, but if anyone is craving those warm summer months, I highly recommend reading this one immediately! You’ll feel instantly transported to a sunny and warm location 🥰 This book had me swooning from beginning to end. I will say, though, that I was not a fan of the main character. She killed me lol. Overall, 3.5 stars rounded to 4 from me! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

Maybe Elle Kennedy should just stick to writing about college hockey players. This book lacks everything that made her hockey books fun. Of course it shows that she tried her best to get something romantic and fun on the page but it truly missed the mark. Mac and Cooper have the same chemistry that a mop and a box of chocolates has. While that sucked the rest of the book gave major Outer Banks scenary vibes and that I was definitely here for that. Of course this book will sell beacuse it's a tiktok other but hopefully her next one will be better.

Perfect for fans of contemporary romances that feature characters in their 20s. It is a little different than her previous books but still a great read!

This was a mix of Outer Banks meets After. It was an entertaining read, but I felt it to be very cringey. I don't love the cheating trope and it made how the story was going to play out very obvious.

I liked the passions of our main character, though!

This was my first Elle Kennedy novel, but I really enjoyed it! It was fun and a super fast read! I really liked the characters and the chemistry between them. I can definitely find myself picking up more of Kennedy's books in the future!!

Oh, Elle Kennedy is just not the author for me. I felt the writing itself was weak and the whole setup for the novel was pretty bleak and has been done before. Haven't we all seen "She's All That?"

The premise of this romance novel seemed like it would be right up my alley, but I didn't feel anything for the main characters. Their connection didn't seem realistic and was more based on their attraction for each other's appearance. This may appeal to someone in their early 20s, but I found it to be pleasant, but just okay.

Kaetrin reviewed this back at the beginning of February and gave it a B-. I liked it a bit better; I mentioned in the comments on her review that it was a B verging on a B+ for me, but I recorded a B+ in my book log, so a B+ it is.

When I saw that Kennedy had a new series, I somehow got the impression that it was more women’s fiction-y than her previous work. I was happy enough to find out that it’s similar to the other books of hers that I’ve read – a New Adult romance set in a college town.

I didn’t have a huge problem with the set-up, in which townie Cooper tries to seduce rich girl Mackenzie to get revenge on her boyfriend, who got him fired from his bartending gig. I felt that it was handled with a light enough touch; Mackenzie wasn’t some vulnerable poor little rich girl, and Cooper wasn’t a moustache-twirling villain about it. Soon enough his feelings are real and then it’s just waiting for him to get his comeuppance when Mackenzie finds out the truth. Honestly, I felt like Kennedy left it for too late and by the time it happened I kind of wish she had chosen a different, more subversive route to resolve the conflict.

Other than that, my main complaint was one that I commonly have in NA romances – serious issues are introduced but because the characters are so young, and because of the limitations imposed by the HEA, it feels like the issues are never sufficiently addressed. In this case, both Cooper and Mackenzie have lousy parents. Both sets of parents are cliches – his are poor/druggie/criminal, while hers are rich/cold/appearances-above-all-else. I kind of wish we’d at least see the characters in therapy by the end of the story. Otherwise, the treatment feels shallow and vaguely “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”/nature over nurture, and that doesn’t sit well with me.

Niggles aside, the writing is good, the setting is appealing and the characters – especially Mackenzie – are likable. I am looking forward to future books in the series.

By and large I was underwhelmed by this one, it didn't capture me the way the Deal did and it is forgettable in an oversaturated market

I'm absolutely in love with this mind-blowing book. In this amazing book you will find a sweet, sassy, smart girl who meets a broody, sexy tattooed guy and thier explosive chemistry. Lots of fun banter and of course lots of dramas too. You won't be able to put this book down until you finish it one go. And I guess this always happens when you are reading Elle Kennedy's books.
Im really hoping this book continues to be a part of a series and we get more books!!

Revenge dating and second chance ... that's all you need to know about this book before picking it up. If that's not your thing then you probably wont like it. This is a new adult contemporary romance, and I do want to say though that yes the book has a very predictable trope and I knew what was going to happen before it did and (even though I hate comparing books) it is very similar to After which is why I took a star off. BUT I still think this version was written well enough that readers will want to finish the story, and it doesn't read like fanfiction so that was a plus for me. so what is this book about ? well like the title implies its about a Mackenzie the "good girl" aka a rich girl that just doesn't seem to be totally involved with her own world, she's almost like an outsider but not really. And then we have Cooper the local tattooed bad boy that came an disturbed her perfect life. The story is told from both pov which I actually enjoyed. I prefer being able to hear the thoughts of both character specially when it doesn't seem to focus more on one over the other. This really allowed me to be able to get more into the story and want to know what else would happen.
Mac's character was likable, it was different to see a girl being portrayed as someone who didn't need to be saved which usually happens when it comes to this type of story line. But she seemed dependent enough and realized what she needed to do on her own, well mostly since it decisions were little bit based of Cooper.
Cooper was the generally misunderstood guy that looks bad but really isn't, he was responsible except for the whole fake dating thing of course. There were times when he was a bigger ass than he needed to be. Those times when he would just randomly say how annoying she could be seemed a bit random to me since they came at times when she wasn't really doing anything to him I think that it would have been better to show those moments as well so that it would make more sense.
The secondary character were well written as well I enjoyed seeing their interaction with them, can Evan get his own book ? thank !
the main reason why I didn't give up on this book was because the author was able to add subplots to the story that gave it what we needed to make it stand out over the other books with a similar story line. Mac's crappy relationship with her long term bf and her parents and Cooper's relationship with his brother and mom really gave it the push I needed to like the story.
I would recommend reading this book because it’s amazingly well done with many different conflicts, character development plus the romance and spice is just good. Also I would say get the audiobook because Joe Arden is one of the narrators and if you've listen to any of the books that he has narrated before then you know why, you wont regret it !
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC

I enjoyed this romance story. I didn't finish it as fast as I would've liked but it had a great overall storyline with romance chemistry that I fell for.

I've been a fan of Elle Kennedy for awhile and was so excited to read this book. I loved the story and was excited that it wasn't your typical romance - it's steamy but I also liked the opposites attract aspect (and the origin of the relationship added drama that you wouldn't get in a rom-com).

This was a great read for fans of her off campus series. It will be interesting to see where the rest of the series goes. I cant wait for the next one.

I found the general idea of this book pretty interesting. The characters have this complicated, unexpected relationship that they’re both genuinely committed to developing. While I liked learning about the characters themselves, I found that the middle part of the book dragged on with plot lines that we really
didn’t need in so much detail. The end felt a bit rushed and we didn’t quite get enough of a resolution, I feel, on some of the more important aspects of the characters’ lives.

This was a great book for people who like fresh-out-of-HS stories. I wasn't a huge fan, but I think a lot of people will definitely love reading this.

I discovered Elle Kennedy quite by accident last year, and was excited to see that she was going to get a traditionally published book. If you take this book at face value, it is very enjoyable. I'm probably older than the target audience but enjoyed it all the same,

Good Girl Complex is such an amazing read. Breaking the rules never looked so good. You have the clone and the townie. The good girl and bad boy. You have looking past a person's status. That added angst and family drama. You have Mackenzie and Cooper who you are just going to love. Mackenzie is the good girl, the clone, more than what she seems and just simply amazing. I love how Mackenzie takes a stand and proves she is more than the girl that comes from money. She is not afraid of hard work. Cooper is that townie bad boy that will own your heart. He may have be a little jaded but he has such a big heart. I love Cooper and Mackenzie together. They make so much sense as you really get to know them. You will swoon when it comes to Cooper. I love Mackenzie and how she does not let anything stand in the way. Cooper and Mackenzie are full of surprises and bring out the best in each other. The Good Girl Complex just gives you these fabulous feels. You need to meet Cooper and Mackenzie and fall in love with them as revenge turns into more.

My first Elle Kennedy book - I had really high expectations, but the characters felt so juvenile and truly grated on me the entire time - I just wanted to smack some sense into them! That being said, I still can't wait to read Bad Girl Reputation, so... I guess it wasn't all bad :)

I was a little worried to see the lower star rating when I went into this one, but I decided to give it a shot and I’ll say I quite in enjoyed it! I peeked at some of the reviews and see a lot of people have compared it to After and that’s why they disliked it. I have never read After, and based upon a number of things I’ve heard about it over the years (re: problematic stuff) I don’t currently have any intention to.

I will say, I am of the belief that nothing is 100 percent original and there are countless romance stories out there with the “guy dates a girl to win a bet” trope. It’s okay to reuse tropes, especially if they’re ones that work. Do I love this trope? Not really. But did I enjoy this book? Absolutely. I’m sad so many have down rated it simply because it’s similar to another book because they are based on the same premise.

As for this book specifically, I loved these Mac and Cooper together! I enjoyed the way they helped each other see that the world around them is not black and white and felt there was some really noticeable character growth throughout—something that isn’t always the case in romcoms. I mentioned that I don’t love this trope, and I feel like for good reason. It’s problematic. It’s dehumanizing toward the target of the bet. But I appreciated that this book quickly went from “I’m doing this for a bet” to “damn this person is not what I expected”. I mean, he DEFINITELY falls first in this one and seeing him grovel when everything comes to light was worth it. Although, I do wish we’d gotten the whole “he dated you for a bet” reveal done and over with earlier in the book.

I did find Mac to be a bit wishy-washy at times, and I see this book as more of a HFN than HEA. It absolutely reads as if it has a HEA, but a piece of me feels like this would have been better as a second chance romance where the characters spend some years apart finding themselves before finding each other again. But! They are great together and I think they are good for each other and can make it work, I just expect a few more bumps in the road (perhaps an epilogue that was further out would have changed this).

Needless to say, this is fun, flirty, and definitely sexy at times. I loved Cooper’s character especially, and enjoyed the growth both characters experience throughout. I think the lower rating is worth a grain of salt in this case.