I have followed this author for a while and I had a really hard time listening to this. I’ve read many books where the Good rich girl goes for the bad boy but it really felt unoriginal. There wasn’t anything that really stuck out to me

This is going to be another one of those weird reviews because … lol

Elle Kennedy has been a hit-or-miss author for me since the beginning of time. When I love her, I loooooooooooooove her and when I don’t, #twitchyX1000. Very rarely am I ever middle of the road. It’s weird, but it is what it is.

You should also know that since I’ve become an audio junkie of sorts, I have learned something that is very difficult to explain, but again, is what it is. I have found on many occasion that *listening* to a story can turn the experience of the story for me 180 degrees both positively and negatively. It’s a phenomenon I have learned to just accept without question. I don’t have a concrete way to explain the reasoning, so I’ll leave it at that.

That being said, if I’d have been *reading* this story instead of *listening* to the audio, I more than likely would have set it down to read something else very early on (probably no later than about 20%) and possibly not even finish the story because it’s cliché and pretty predictable and I could see the writing on the wall so what’s there to look forward to? *shrug* However, Joe Arden and Ava Erikson are really good at captivating and their performance was so stellar that I was sucked in with little hope of getting any sleep LOL They are both incredibly talented and I enjoyed this story more than I expected because they brought it to life and sucked me in.

The plot of Good Girl Complex is realistic and relatable and it happens all the time. It’s a tale as old as night. The haves vs the have nots is as old as Romeo and Juliette and unfortunately, Elle Kennedy didn’t spin it in any way that was original in my opinion. Her imagination was nowhere to be found and there were really more cliches than necessary.

Soooooooooo, this is my drawn out way of saying the story itself gets 3 stars from me but the audio experience gets a shinny 5 star rating :) I’ll be telling anyone who asks me my opinion that if they have a chance to pick audio over ebook, pick audio for this story! #TRUST

Specific note regarding the audiobook: I really liked the narrators chosen for Mackenzie and Cooper! I think that they fit the characters perfectly. They were also pleasant to listen to. They did a great job telling the story of Good Girl Complex and their acting was also great!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Good Girl Complex, having had mixed experiences with Elle Kennedy’s books. The first book I read by her was The Deal and I absolutely loved it––it’s actually one of my favourite romance novels. Maybe because I loved it so much, it set a very high standard, or maybe the other tropes just weren’t as high on my preference list?…but in either case, the rest of the books in that series (aside from The Legacy, which I haven’t read yet) just didn’t live up to The Deal.

So, now that that’s out of the way, back to Good Girl Complex. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go…but I’m happy to announce that I really liked it! It’s now my second favourite Elle Kennedy book! I really liked the setting (and am happy that she will be writing at least another book set in the little beach town), and I also really liked the characters.

Mackenzie and Cooper had chemistry from the get-go and I loved reading about them. I also really liked the side characters and was happy to find out that two of them will be getting their own book i.e. the next one in the Avalon Bay series! But back to Mackenzie (I’m going to keep calling her that because I wasn’t a fan of her nickname––Mac) and Cooper.

I really enjoyed reading about them and following along, watching their relationship develop. There were some elements in Good Girl Complex that I hadn’t come across in other romance books before, which only made this read more fun. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. I definitely recommend this one and look forward to book 2––Bad Girl Reputation!

man why are toxic people so addicting to read about?! I hate it here. All the characters were pretty mean humans. It reminded me of “After” with how this man went after this girl with very bad intentions. Overall, it was an entertaining read and has me curious about the brother’s story. If you like all the drama and toxic characters this book is for you. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review.

Thank you for this ARC NetGalley, Elle Kennedy, and St. Martin's Press


This gave me such Outer Bank vibes/OBX vibes, and I am here for it. So much of this seemed relateable in one way or another. I loved the way that this book had enough steamy romance and amusing banter with the characters. I enjoyed the relationship between Mac (the good girl) and Cooper (the bad boy). Another thing I enjoyed was how Mac became a strong female character. This was my first book from Elle Kennedy, and I loved it.

I wasn’t able to listen to the audiobook before it came out but this weekend I heard it and it was amazing!

I thought that the story flowed nicely I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to @netgalley, publishers, and author for gifting me this arc audiobook in exchange for a honest review.

Good Girl Complex is told in dual perspectives. Mackenzie "Mac" Cabot is a 'clone' forced into attending university by her parents even though she already has a thriving business. Cooper Hartley, a townie, is a local bartender who hates the rich and snobby college kids who live in his town. Despite his distain for these kids, Cooper and Mac become fast friends.

Cooper is rough around the edges, but oh my...he is one of my new favorite book boyfriends. I could relate so much to Mac's idea of trying to be the "perfect" daughter and trying to limit or lower her shine, so she isn't seen as making problems.

Overall, I liked this one. I always enjoy a story told from different perspectives. I struggled with Cooper not being honest with Mac when he realized he liked her. I am not a fan of the "misunderstanding trope."

This one was sassy and sexy with plenty of flirty and witty banter, so so fun! Loved the steam and relationship dynamics as well.

Ohhh my gosh!!

I absolutely was not expecting to live this as much as I did but I’m so happy I did. These characters and their romance was spectacular. This author and narrator did a fantastic job!

Absolutely amazing!!! Highly recommend!

This book had a lot going for it- enemies to lovers, townies versus rich college kids- a true Romeo and Juliet romance was brewing. But while I enjoyed the book it definitely fell short of my expectations. It could’ve been really cute, but sometimes their relationship felt a bit toxic. And I don’t even mean how they got together, cause that is definitely a popular trope. But there was a lot of taking out their anger on each other. Anyway, still a fun read, just don’t expect this romance to melt your heart.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This audiobook is well read and entertaining. The narrators did phenomenal reading this book. I truly enjoyed how protective Cooper was of his colleague Steph against Preston. I adored Bonnie and MacKenzie's characters. I enjoyed the steamy romance between two hardworking people. This audiobook is in stores for $26.99 (USD).

I don't know how many books I've read by this author, I think it's four but I only really liked one of them. So when I saw this well-known romance author had an audiobook on Netgalley, I knew I had to try it out and I'm glad I did since I had a good time listening to this story.

In it, you will follow Mackenzie as she moves to a town near the beach to get a degree. She also wants to focus on her internet business even though her boyfriend doesn't take her seriously. You'll see he's kind of an asshole and not meant for her. Cooper, on the other hand wants to get bit of revenge against her boyfriend and plans to seduce her and make her see who her boyfriend really is. Turns out, he'll fall in love and that wasn't in the plan!

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook.

DNF

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me, I didn't vibe with the writing style or the characters so I've decided to put this book down for now.

DNF @~6%

This book had too many tropes that I didn't like, I didn't enjoy the two main characters, and the whole vibe of this book just felt like fanfiction. Not for me but if you are a big fan of the "bad boy/ good girl" trope, maybe check this one out.

Overall, I really enjoyed this quick read. I listened to it on audio, and it was well done. My main hangups were with Mac. She is supposed to be this business woman who has made millions of dollars, so why then is she so dumb? She doesn’t know her boyfriend is cheating on her. She lets her parents dictate that she goes to college at 20. She can’t find a place to live when she is kicked out of the dorms. She drops out of school. She climbs on a roof during a severe thunderstorm. If you can get over all of this, then you can enjoy the love story between Mac and Cooper. I had a hard time with it.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my ARC.

I was surprised how invested I got into this story. It was my first novel by Elle Kennedy but I already requested all her other books from my library. I couldn’t put this down because the chemistry between Cooper and Mackenzie was good.

Good Girl Complex is one of those books that start out great and become fantastic once you listen on audio. The dual narrators make it so easy to become completely immersed in the story of Cooper and Mac. With just the right amount of steam and romance without being sappy, Good Girl Complex is fun and addictive and a perfect road-trip listen!

3.5 Good Girl Complex I have mixed feelings about the story, I really don't know how I feel, many things were great that I really enjoy and some others were kind of hard to dig and digest. Good Girl Complex is the story of Mackenzie and Cooper.

Two opposites attract this was the case for Mackenzie and Cooper two different worlds that will soon come crashing without a door to go back to return.

Mackenzie is rich and has everything she needs, the perfect rich boyfriend and life, she didn't know her life was about to take a turn that will never be the same even if that meant getting, heartbroken.

Cooper, was my favorite character from the book, I feel like he was the real deal in this story. He lost his job in a fight with a rich entitled boy who thought he had it all but lost it in the process. Cooper makes the bad decision to get even by making a bet with his friends, even if that bet meant to hurt the people that you love the most.

The hardest part for me to read was the whole betting thing and the cheating, I felt like Mackenzie's character was not strong enough to have more self-esteem

Another thing I didn't feel comfortable with the cheating part, if you're not happy with your actual relationship, why start something? these attitudes are the ones that made me lose hope in Mackenzie's character, I was waiting for the strong heroine to come out and make a point, and face the whole drama that was happening all around her but she never show up.

The Narrations By Aava Erickson and Joe Arden were great giving so much to the story and the characters I really enjoy them so much.

Good Girl Complex was a good book, It was not for me but I encourage you to give it a try and make your own conclusion as Elle Kennedy is a great writer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mcmillan Audio for this audio copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

“I’m little more than an ornament. A piece of furniture they move from room to room. These are my parents, my boyfriend, the people who, ostensibly, care the most about me in the world. Yet I feel completely invisible.”

If ever there was a book that personifies “no two people ever read the same book,” this one is it. In a lot of the reviews I have read, people are mad about the cheating or the personalities of some of the main characters. But that is not what I took away from it at all. I took away the strength of a young girl who had her life mapped out for but just knew it wasn’t right. A girl who had the wherewithal to forge her own path, parents and money and birth rights be damned. Did she stumble along the way? Sure! Did she make mistakes? Of course! But she saw what she wanted and went for it. Period.

“There’s nothing stopping me now. I’ve got time in the day and more than enough work between my websites and the hotel to fill it. Time to wipe up my smudged mascara and be a bad bitch. Fuck love. Build the empire.” 👏🏻👏🏻

The audio has 2 narrators, one for Cooper and one for Mackenzie. I always feel that one male and one female narrator when listening to a romance book really adds to the story. The angst and passion really comes through in the narration. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Available now!

I listened to this one on audio. I enjoyed the narration from both narrators, Cooper’s narrator a little more. I think I said “Damn!” out loud a few times. Definitely held my attention. I really enjoyed Mackenzie’s character. She was a strong female lead who really knew what she wanted. While the book started off a little juvenile in the nature of why Cooper started to pursue Mac, I really enjoyed it. I really thought I was going to quit after the first chapter or two though, because I felt like this book wasn’t for me. I tend to give audiobooks a little more give than an ebook physical book though, so I stuck with it since I was multitasking. I am glad I did. I liked most of the side characters and all the banter. I kept in mind that these were young adults in their 20s, so not all their decisions are the best. I think we were all a mess and doing stupid things in our early 20s, weren’t we?

Bottom Line: I enjoyed this one, but there were a few things in the plot I didn’t love. If you don’t want any spoilers, don’t read any more of this.

SPOILERS: I don’t usually like books that have cheating. Especially in this situation where two characters were cheating, and then one ends up with their side piece the day they broke up with their significant other. Its tacky and messy. But since there was deception and other things going on all around in this book, it works. One other thing I didn’t like was that Cooper has all his friends playing along and lying to Mac. No one deserves that, no matter how they feel about the “clones.”

**I received a copy of Good Girl Complex from NETGALLEY in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**