This book is about a rich girl falling for a local bad boy opposites attract with a love triangle. Mackenzie and Cooper have been raised completely different from each other, but learn they have much in common with each other as they get to know each other. They have to decide if what they have in common is enough to maintain a relationship.

The banter and attraction between Mackenzie and Cooper is hot. It was good to watch Mackenzie grow into a strong and independent woman.

This story is good, but not great based on personal preference. Cheating for me is a turn off/deal breaker and undermines the whole relationship for me. I also thought the idea of pursuing someone based on revenge was juvenile and immature for someone in their early twenties.

I give it 4 out of 5 and am looking forward to more books about Avalon Bay.

Thank you St. Martin’s press, NetGalley, and Elle Kennedy. I received an arc and an voluntarily leaving a review.

Overall this was a pretty good book.
I would probably read this again at some point, too. I really like the cover and the plot. It’s reminds me of a revenge version of she’s all that, where instead of making a new boyfriend, Cooper’s claiming a douche bags girlfriend. It was spicy, heartfelt and just a really good book.

What a great romance book. I enjoyed every aspect of this story. It's not going to be for everyone but it felt real and honest to me because of the great writing. There's a vulnerability to these main characters and this story that caught me off guard in the best of ways. I laughed, I felt sadness, I felt empathy, and I just enjoyed every single page. It feels like a play on the Outer Banks TV show with it's own intrigue and unique set of circumstances. Great characters whom electrify the plot. A plot that doesn't quit and seamlessly transitions with great flow making it easy to read. It's charming and full of interesting plot twists. Elle Kennedy's writing is excellent; her story telling structure is perfect for this journey between this unlikely pair. All the secondary characters played excellent roles to which I hope stand alone stories pop up featuring all of them within this same realm. This is one I wished didn't end and once it did hoped more was forthcoming. For fans of New Adult, forbidden-esque, friends to lovers stories with great depth, plot, setting, and characters don't miss this one.

Mac is a good girl who has always done things to please her wealthy parents. She is already a successful businesswoman and has made millions from an app she launches. To please her parents she is attending college in Avalon Bay. Her boyfriend is also there and Mac thinks that her life will eventually follow the path of marriage and following the rules of her life. She has fought against how she really wants life to be until she meets Cooper. Cooper allows her to be herself and soon their friendship becomes more. Cooper has to accept that Mac isn't like the rich kids he usually sees come to town. They fall for each other and try to figure to make things work.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elle Kennedy is a classic, and I recommend her to every romance reader. I love her previous works with Briar U, but Good Girl Complex felt a bit different. In a good way! I thought there was some definite growth in the book, and I enjoyed Mac as a character.

While some of the dialogue could have been a bit stronger, I liked the story overall.

I loved these characters! The main characters and the side characters were phenomenal. It gets a little steamy. Great story. I could not put this book down.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and the publisher for a eARC of this book.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the characters, especially Evan the twin brother, as well as the dog. I didn't like the cheating or the revenge plot, which seemed very juvenile. Both main characters had parents who were less than ideal, and the parallel impacts the parents had on each character was quite interesting. I didn't quite feel the friendships between the other characters -- they seemed a bit superficial to me. I liked the contrast of the rich girl vs poor boy and the supportive uncle was a nice addition. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt and thought an epilogue would have been appropriate in order to tie up some loose ends, but perhaps there will be another book about Evan that will let us know what happened.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was a fun read set in a small east coast beach town with a near by college. We follow Cooper, a local townie with an identical twin brother, and Mac, a college student new to the area. The novel sets off with Cooper working at a local bar and gets in a fight with a "clone" a rich college guy who takes advantage of the townies. Cooper gets in a fight, loses his job and holds a grudge against the college student, Preston. To get back at him his local gang think Cooper should get with Prestons girlfriend to make him jealous. From here we see the interactions between Cooper and Mac, neither of which could have imagined what would happen next!

I have enjoyed every book that Elle Kennedy has written and I think she does college romance so well! So, I was looking forward to Good Girl Complex and couldn't wait to start it!

Mackenzie is the good girl-always doing what she can to make everyone around her, especially her parents and boyfriend happy, all while putting aside what she really wants. Cooper is the stereotypical bad boy, hardworking but comes with baggage and a temper that gets him into trouble. The two cross paths in a interesting way, neither expecting the connection they find. Do they pretend they aren’t feeling anything, or go with their gut and take a risk?

This was a great friends to lovers, college romance! I can't wait to share it with our followers and to read more from this author.

honestly, i had higher expectations for this book. i was immediately disappointed with the big conflict elle kennedy chose to centre the entire plot on because it was very predictable and that’s what made the book less interesting to read.

i didn’t feel much of a connection the characters which is another reason this book was a 3 star read for me. however, certain aspects were great—especially the tropes elle incorporated with the main couple and the friendship/family bonds were heartfelt.

overall, this was a quick book i would recommend if you’re looking for a cute and easy read.

Elle Kennedy can be depended on for a fun read, and GOOD GIRL COMPLEX was no exception. Cooper was an Everyman bad boy with a grudge against the rich crowd. Then he meets Mac, the rich good girl looking for more. I really enjoyed their connection, and the friendship between Cooper and Mac. At first, Mac frustrated me but I really like how she eventually stood up for herself. Not real crazy about love triangles, but the trope was handled well here.

When will these boys learn a bet never works out as planned?! Cooper was great mix of bad boy, loyalty and confidence. Really loved him. Mac was very likable and was a unique character in being both the "princess" but always hardworking and actually did build a life away from her prestigious family. Good Girl Complex included many of my favorite troupes from having a hot converted closed off bad boy, two mismatched leads that turn out to be perfect, told from both leads point of view, and of course, some steam. Highly recommend.

I loved how the friendship developed with the MC's. i though they're chemistry was instant and i like how open they were with their attraction. that being said, it had a lot of characters (maybe the author is writing more books based on the area) and that got kind of confusion. Also, i didn't buy that she would purchase a hotel randomly. otherwise i liked the book and read it within a day or two.

This was fun! This book was lighthearted, funny, and SHOCKINGLY compelling. I devoured this in one sitting - Meg was an interesting protag, and Cooper was super charming. Their relationship had me hooked almost immediately. I'm not typically fond of romances where the premise is "our lives are simply too different, we can't make it work" but somehow Elle Kennedy hooked me with this.

I enjoy a good romance-ish book every once in a while. Nothing like a little love to breakup all the thriller/mysteries I read. But, this one just hit me wrong. Since the beginning, I knew everything that was going to happen. It’s nothing new but a little too been there done that for 2021.

<<SPOILERS START NOW>>


Here are the things I didn’t like and wonder if those that loved this book thought the same things.

1. Why drag Mac into Cooper’s revenge plot. I know Heidi was hesitant but I hated that everyone else thought it would be a good idea to just use Mac like that and think it’s ok. There were other ways to get back at Preston.

2. Why are all the girls these bad boys fall for written as the ‘she’s different from other girls. She’s so cool and fun and is a tshirt and jeans type person’ plus she’s a good girl who’s crazy in bed? It’s been overdone and cliche.

3. The ending was too abrupt. She forgives him and all is well. An epilogue would have been a good idea. Just to tie things up for me. Does Mac open the hotel, does Evan get over his ex. Does Heidi finally come around to Mac?

4. That’s another thing. Heidi was mad at Cooper, for good reason. But she took it out on Mac and I hated that. Why do we always pin girls against each other when they’re really just mad at the guy who wronged them? Happens in real life too and it drives me crazy.


The book was engaging. I read the entire thing in 2 days. So it was easy to read. I just have been wanting more for my romance/rom com books lately, something different. Just didn’t get it from this one.

2.5 stars, rounded up

i really don't know how to feel about this book. i'm a casual fan of elle kennedy. i liked off-campus and briar u as my guilty pleasure reads and i should have went into this book with the same mindset. but i didn't and i think that really lessened my enjoyment of the book.

the book follows mackenzie - or mac - and cooper. mac is your typical rich girl that wants more freedom and cooper is your typical "bad boy". the two meet, hit it off, fall in love, face a few problems, then reunite. typical elle kennedy formula. but idk, i just feel like this was a really forgettable book for me because i was on autopilot.

i can see why this book would be people's cup of tea. the 'good girl/bad boy' trope is a fan favorite for a reason. add in a bet, rich girl/poorer boy, and smut and you have what most people would love in a romance book. unfortunately, these things just didn't work out for me. i found that the characters were so flat and one-dimensional. they were pulled straight out of wattpad. if you exchanged cooper and mac's names for y/n and harry styles, you could most likely find a fanfic like this on wattpad.

mac especially irked me. she was your typical rich girl who wanted "more in life". i hated the shit she put up with and i found her development to be a little sudden. i would have liked to see more a gradual and natural development in her, especially because she had such a good set-up for that. i also thought that things came too easily for her, especially when it came to her problems with cooper's friends. that particular arc was resolved in five chapters when it was built up for half the book.

cooper's your typical bad boy, i guess. i wasn't really invested in him. he was kinda boring and just horny. idk. i just couldn't relate to the two main characters and couldn't care for them. their romance was cute i suppose, just a bit on the insta love/lust side, which again, is not my cup of tea. i felt like the two just had sexual tension and would have liked to see more romantic tensiom between the two of them.

i thought the ending was cute. i really liked coopers' ending with his family, i genuinely teared up at that part. and the final grand gesture was nice and fit the story. i liked the side characters and side plots a lot more than mac and cooper. would have loved to see more bonnie and levi! pls give me more.

would recommend this to people who have enjoyed elle kennedy's books and people who love trope-y stuff. otherwise, steer clear. maybe i picked this up at the wrong time, who knows.

You can never go wrong with an Elle Kennedy book. I absolutely loved her previous NA romances, and this one was just as good! The characters were so real and three dimensional. The plot kept me engaged and interested. I could not put this book down. Can’t wait to see if Evan gets a book.

elle kennedy i am begging you please get rid of cargo pants and cargo shorts no matter how good you think they make a guys a** look. every single book of her that i’ve read seems to have a guy in cargo shorts.

but now onto the review, cooper hartley reminds me of a combo of a few of elle kennedy’s past main characters but not in a bad way. he’s the so called tattooed “bad boy” with family issues, who seems to enjoy sleeping around. mac on the other hand is one of the “clones”, who goes to the prestigious college in their small beach town. mac was a character i really enjoyed too. she was a lot more developed than some of kennedy’s characters in the past. mac is an entrepreneur who has goals and ambitions of her own. the two begin as friends, while mac is still with her boyfriend and following her parents rules. <spoiler> not really a spoiler but the cheating trope kinda bothered me. mac seems so judgmental of the other rich girls for excusing cheating, but does it herself. i know preston was but it still bothered me </spoiler>.

the ending seemed a little abrupt to me and i wish it would have been drawn out a tad bit more. i’m still unsure if this is a series or a standalone, as i have seen both on kennedy’s instagram. if it’s part of a series then the ending is a lot better. i have to say i hope this does end up being a series kennedy continues, as so many of the background characters seem to have their own interesting stories. i would love to read evan and tate’s books!

"I'll be the best friend you've ever had. I always go above and beyond what's expected of me. I mean, I liberated goats for my friends."

"Every rich girl from a good family wonders what it's like to be with the guy from the wrong side of the gilded gates." A very Allie & Noah story. You know how it goes...






Cooper has something ominous about him, but a magnetism thats undeniable. Mackenzie is trapped by expectations and trying to make everyone else happy. There's a fire in her that Coop sees. Chaos and peace. But could one overheard conversation and secrets tear apart this OTP? If you like The Notebook and After, then Good Girl Complex is right up your alley!



Ps. Cooper has a twin brother who will worm his way into your heart with the sweetest gesture. Can we get an Evan Hartley book?

READ IF YOU LIKE:
-the notebook
-friends to lovers
-bickering & banter
-small college town
-revenge plan trope
-arguments over the socioeconomic implications of pastries
-a rescue pup
-#IsThisAKissingBook: there's something real between Coop and Mac.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy!

Song: Always Forever by Cults

3,5 🌟

* rich, good girl x poor, bad boy
* opposites attract
* beach setting
* gay side character
* dual POV

tw: parental neglect, cheating

For Cooper there is nothing worse than rich people who think they're better than others.
When one of them is hitting on his friend, and despite her protests, he doesn't stop, Cooper gets into a fight with him and gets fired. He and his friends are seeking revenge and want to steal Preston's long-time girlfriend Mac.

Mac is a rich, college, good girl. Her future, career, education and relationship was already planned out by her parents. She has no say, until she meets mystery, tall townie with tattoos. Mac knows she should avoid people like him but his company helps her open her eyes to new opportunities.

For Cooper it was supposed to be just the bet. He doesn't know what to do when he might actually be falling for Mac.

Things I liked:

✔️ the way Elle always creates characters - flawed and likeable

✔️ group of supportive friends

✔️ Mac - even thought she has to change her lifestyle, she stayed the same. She is stubborn and doesn't like being told what to do. Believe me, she will do it the other way around.

✔️ Cooper - he cares about other people and fights for right things even though nobody gave him good examples.

✔️ twin brother - yes, he was annoying but I enjoyed his character development

✔️ Puppy - YES to rescuing dogs. Lately it became my favourite "trope".


Things I didn't like:

❌ my least favourite trope - love triangle

❌ cheating storyline - for me, nothing justified cheating but Mac's reasons weren't even good. If you don't feel butterflies anymore and you think sex is boring maybe talk to your boyfriend or break up with him first?

Even though, there were some things that bothered me, I still enjoyed this book. If you like NA and Elle's writing, definitely go for it.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!