Thank you to @netgalley and Macmillan audio for the chance to review Good Girl Complex: An Avalon Bay Novel by Elle Kennedy. This book was just so much fun. Mac was a people pleaser. Despite already having a successful business, her parents insisted that she attend college. She moved to the beach town of Avalon Bay, which has an amazing cast of characters. There are locals, with varied financial statuses, and then the wealthy students of Garnet College. She has a boyfriend, who is a jerk and who caused a bit of trouble at the local bar. Mac meets local badboy Cooper, who has decided that he is going to get back at Mac's boyfriend by trying to get her to cheat. Cooper gets to know, Mac, however, and realizes that she isn't like the rest of the trust fund kids. He falls hard, but, how to handle the plan of sabotage as they become closer?

Super sexy, loved the banter. I cannot wait to read book 2! This was narrated by Ava Erickson and the amazing Joe Arden..... perfection.

I loved this audiobook and this story! Elle Kennedy never fails to bring the heat and the swoon with romances that remind me of what it felt like to first fall in love. And I loved the setting of Avalon Bay! I can’t wait to read more from this series!

This book felt like sliding on your old favorite jean shorts before you head down to the beach. It gave me Outerbanks vibes for sure, and it felt familiar in a way that was like "I have definitely read this story before." That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this - I really did! In fact, when I started listening to this, I was craving a familiar "you're on summer vacation" kind of book, and this scratched that itch. I really did love learning more about Mackenzie and Cooper, and the town of Avalon Bay. However this lacked depth in a lot of ways, and I found myself zoning out while listening. BUT I still enjoyed it enough to pick up the next book in this series, so it gets a 3 star rating from me!

I really enjoyed this audio book. The narration was wonderful and I really enjoyed the setting and cast of characters, who I’m looking forward to meeting again in the other books in the series.

While I genuinely love Elle Kennedy, I didn’t love how nonchalant cheating was handled in this book. That didn’t sit well with me.

5 stars for the narration, three for the story. To be fair, this isn't my usual genre, so that's on me, not the author. The writing is good, I just had a tough time with liking all the rich cheating going on. The dog is adorable.

I liked the characters of Mac and Cooper quite a bit - they had some complexity to them, and together had good chemistry. Many of the supporting cast seemed at bit two-dimensional, though, so I hope as the series goes on they get a bit more realistic. Good story, suspenseful drama but not too over-the-top, interesting setting. I look forward to the next book in the series.

As someone with a severe good girl complex this was truly a relatable read. I feel like my only complaint is at times this felt very juvenile- not in the writing but just in the way the characters were acting (which makes sense considering their ages) but as someone in their mid twenties I did want to take their heads and bang them together like little coconuts in hopes that they would communicate. Anyways love Elle Kennedy she is my girl, I just definitely think this was in my opinion a middle of the road read.

I loved this book! It’s an opposites attract story between Mac and Cooper. I loved their romance and I loved all the secondary characters! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Good Girl Complex
By Elle Kennedy

So I think it’s no surprise to anyone that I have fallen in love with Elle Kennedy’s novels. This was my third novel by her in 3 months… she has quickly become one of my favourite romance authors. So when I saw the advance copy of her next novel, I had to read it.

This novel will be the perfect beach read, it gave me all the summer sunshine vibes that I needed during this chilling Canadian spring.

I would like to thank Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for a honest review.

Romance level:❤️❤️❤️
Steam level: 🔥🔥
Plot points:💥💥💥
Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a decent story. I will give the next book in the series a listen because I typically have enjoyed many of the books written by this author. I really loved that the main hero wasn't the one rolling in money to swoop in and take care of the heroine. I felt that the maturity levels of the characters were age appropriate. They are in college, so don't expect this group of friends to behave like well adjusted adults. Also, living in a resort town my entire life, I felt like Elle Kennedy portrayed the setting, characters, etc. in a relatable way. Most of all.... JOE FREAKING ARDEN. The narration sold this story in a big way- it was fantastic!

This was an okay romance. I couldn’t get connected with either of the main characters. One of them seemed too naive or too dumb to be real, and the other one acted like everything was just a big game. I just didn’t like either one of them. I don’t like the trope of keeping a big secret that you know will jeopardize the relationship. It annoyed me that this just followed the regular beats of a romance with nothing surprising or special added in. Not my favorite.

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.

I enjoyed most of what I got to listen to, but unfortunately it archived before I could finish listening. I liked both of the narrators, but the overall story line was forgettable. I'd definitely listen to the narrators again.

DNF. This book has immature characters and the plot is ridiculous. I didn't like any of the characters. I had to give up reading it.

I’ve read one other Elle Kennedy book – <i>The Deal</i>, because I’m a sucker for fake dating – and I doubt I’ll read another after <i>Good Girl Complex</i>.

I liked <i>The Deal</i> well enough, but now I think I mostly liked it because it featured tropes I like. <i>Good Girl Complex</i> has tropes I absolutely, positively, do not want to read.

These include:
-Rich/Poor relationship with chips on both characters’ shoulders
-Infidelity (even though it’s not between the main characters)
-Bad Boy/Good Girl
-Not Like Other (Rich) Girls
-Worst of all: they got together because of a bet

I didn’t connect to either Mackenzie or Cooper and honestly disliked them both. Mac is a twenty-year-old who doesn’t want to be in college because she wants to focus on her million-dollar business, but her wealthy and influential parents want her to get a degree. (Geez, I wonder why I didn’t connect to her).
Cooper got screwed over by Mac’s ex, and Coop and his friends decide the best revenge is to get his girlfriend (Mac) to dump him for Cooper. One of the friends says it’s a horrible thing to do to their credit. But still.

It got to the point in the story where I just didn’t want to keep going. You know the bet will blow up in Cooper’s face, and they’ll break up for a time, then get back together. There wasn’t tension? <spoiler>(And then they don’t even work through things on screen? It’s just “Yup, let’s get back together and walk into the sunset without fully discussing the issues that made us break up in the first place.”)</spoiler>
I would have preferred if it dropped the bet plot way earlier in the story and then explored some of the other plot points more: Evan and Cooper’s relationship with their mom. More of Mackenzie fixing up the hotel. More of them navigating their relationship instead of the annoying drama that’s been done by a plethora of early 2000s teen movies.
So, unlikeable characters (that I think I’m supposed to be rooting for?) and an annoying plot – I’d definitely recommend skipping <i>Good Girl Complex</i>.

<b>Audiobook Review:</b> The narrators were fine. The performances were a little too dramatic for my tastes, however (Like, I was getting embarrassed for the characters and how over the top their thoughts were).

One of my most anticipated books of the year. And it fell so flat. Sooo disappointed in the outcome of this story, slow dragging is the nicest way I can say how this book felt. Just not for me unfortunately.

ENJOYED it so much!
Its been so long that I enjoyed a romance novel this much!
And probably the only YA that I have enjoyed.
Mac and Cooper are super and enjoyable.
Thank you Elle Kennedy for the funny dialogue. I miss witty and funny conversations!
I am anxiously waiting for the next book in the series! "Bad Girl Reputation"
I have not read a novel that I enjoyed this much in months!
Narrators were amazing: Again I love the the hero is read by men and women by women-it really adds to the story.
https://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/

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? I don’t. But I enjoyed this book’s take on it and 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 (and that’s okay too!).

I mentioned I don’t love this trope. 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 for me).

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.

I wanted to read Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy because of her previous books. However, Good Girl Complex left my reader's heart wanting more.

Good Girl Complex is an opposites-attract/New Adult romance in a coastal college town, where there's an intense rivalry between the townies and the wealthy college students. We follow Mac, the good girl, rich college student, and Cooper, the rough around the edges townie, as they become friends and, eventually, more than friends. Conflict arises between the two characters mainly because they come from two separate worlds.

I thought I would like this book, but the characters were one-dimensional, boring, and too unlikeable for me to form any connection and root for their storyline. There is also a lot of lying and miscommunication between the characters that started to feel annoying and too much as I kept reading.

I will say, Elle Kennedy's writing is still excellent, and her sex scenes are spicy throughout the book. I would still recommend this book since it was an overall good story, and I have high expectations for characters that the average reader may not have. It was a 3.5-star read for me. I would have rated Good Girl Complex a 3 star read, but it gets extra points for Daisy, the dog.,

Good Girl Complex
An Avalon Bay Novel
by Elle Kennedy
Narrated by Ava Erickson; Joe Arden

Pub Date 01 Feb 2022
Macmillan Audio

HOT HOT HOT!
I was listening to this book mostly on my commute into work and there's nothing like getting to work and wishing you were at home!

Sooo I have to agree that there's nothing "new" to the story. Rich girl, sad boy, bad intentions, family baggage bla bla bla... but WHATEVER peeps, I still enjoyed the heck out of it.

The narrators were perfection. I love audiobooks, they make me love (or hate) a book I might not have been that interested in.

If you love open door romances and good girl meets bad boy this ones for you.