I was wholly unprepared for this book. Neither the title, the cover, or my knowledge of other Elle Kennedy works implies that this is the story of a revenge plot centered around cheating. Although I am not opposed to this trope, Good Girl Complex, the story of Cooper and Mac, fell just a bit short.

The story opens with Cooper (mmc) getting fired from his job as a bartender after an interaction with Preston, a rich boy with a superiority complex. Cooper then decides his best choice of action is to enact revenge on Preston by stealing his girlfriend, Mac (fmc). Sure, Preston is a cheating asshole, but does that mean you should drag his girlfriend into the mix? The sad part is that Mac plays right into the scheme. She and Cooper have an immediate attraction to one another, and Mac soon finds herself crossing the line.

Although this trope isn't a hard-no for me, I find that the circumstances of these characters did not improve upon their story. At the core of it, the reasons for this revenge plot are based in the social class differences of these characters. Cooper is a blue-collar working class man, whereas, Preston and Mac are upper class, with wealth and privilege. This opposites-attract narrative of Cooper and Mac is a source of constant tension between the two that continues through the end of their story. Although there are cute moments between the two, them always being at odds with each other did not encourage me to root for them.

Good Girl Complex was a complex read (pun intended). Cooper and Mac are not perfect characters (revenge and cheating aside!) but I'm still happy I read their story. Elle Kennedy's writing has always been a source of great entertainment for me, and I will continue to read her work moving forward!

This romance is very enjoyable. It's what most want - a trope that goes "wrong before right".
Townies vs Clones - names of the groups of people in the novel, so you know there is going to be a clash.
Good guy vs bad guy, inherited money vs hardworking for money, secrets withheld. It checks a lot of boxes. I enjoyed the duel POV. Some hot sex included, FYI.

I listened to the audiobook of Good Girl Complex and loved it! I'd give it a solid 4.5 stars. Opposites attract, strangers to friends to lovers, messy family drama for both main characters and plenty of spice had me wanting to continue listening to the audiobook at every chance I got. The voice chosen for Cooper is *heart eyes.* Character development was great, their chemistry was spot on and some surprises along the way. The only reason I gave 4.5 and not 5 was 1) Mac states too many times that Cooper is so unlike his twin (we get it already!) and 2) this story ended so quickly, it needed an epilogue! I look forward to checking out other works by this author.

The main character is this book was so annoying. It was hard to finish. I love Elle Kennedy which is why I continued, but wow. Her story was so unbelieveable and she was just whiny and annoying. I hope she learns from her mistake and writes better characters for future books!

I really enjoyed this book. I do think Mac forgave Cooper way too easily though. Also, I would have loved to hear more about the hotel renovation. Overall, very well written (and read via audiobook).

The dual narrators really made this audiobook a great addition to the story. Getting a sense of each of the characters through the narration made the story more
impactful.

This audiobook was absolutely amazing. I was so choked in the end of what was a great love story. Mack and Cooper were so much fun. Both narrators had great inflection and the story was so animated. More and more I’m loving audiobooks. Got a long drive this story will definitely keep you captivated!
Five fantastic stars!

I received a complimentary copy to listen to and voluntarily left this review!

This book was definitely different than I expected. Definitely not safe for work if you know what I’m saying. But I loved every second of it.

The narrators really sounded like i imagined these characters. Their tone was really well portrayed.

Good Girl complex is a dual POV revolving around the lives of Cooper, a townie, an Mackenzie, a well off college student who kicked started her career by creating two websites.

While Cooper pursues Mackenzie out of revenge after an altercation involving her boyfriend he quickly catches feelings.

I really enjoyed the start of the book and enjoyed Mackenzies character as she went on a path of self discovery learning how to stand up for herself and take what she wanted. However I found with each passing chapter I was more nervous for how the book was going to end, with good reason. I found the ending to be a little rushed. It comes to a climax and then just ended.

I will say I really enjoyed both narrators and found their voices were exactly how I would have heard them in my head! It really added to the novel and I think i enjoyed it more because of the choice of narrators.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy is the perfect read if you're looking for a feel-good romance with a dash of spice. I'm a fan of Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus series so I was excited about this book. It did not disappoint! At first, I thought this would be your typical "you used me" trope. However, there were so many more layers to it! I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the ball to drop on our main character to find out. However, other key moments in the plot kept me on my toes and kept the storyline fresh. The story wasn't just your typical romance but also dealt with classism and dysfunctional families.

The audio version of this book only increased what I loved about it. The performance by Ava Erickson and Joe Arden was spot on. Joe Arden did a great job of showing male emotion during the two main character's conflicts, which I feel many audiobooks sometimes miss.

Overall, this was a fun book and I really enjoyed it. It was a fun story with good characters and a charming setting. I'm looking forward to what else Elle Kennedy has planned! Hopefully, this will become a series!

Audiobook published by Macmillan Audio. ARC kindly provided by NetGalley.

So this was new to me author! Let me tell you that this one did not disappoint at all!
I kinda got the 90's teen movie vibe from this book!
Let's start with Mac! She is a huge people pleaser, she has basically been groomed from childhood to become her parents. Mac is supposed to become her mother to sit on charity boards and focus on her future children with her long-time boyfriend and become a homemaker. Well, Mac is an entrepreneur creating websites and working on restoring a hotel. She wants more from life than what her boyfriend and family want from her.
Cooper is very rough around the edges, he is a twin and does whatever he wants. At first, he gets fired from his job because of Mac's long-time boyfriend so he and his buddies create this plan to get Mac to break up with her boyfriend and choose Cooper. Well, when Cooper starts this plan it's all about revenge, but once he gets to know Mac he slowly starts falling in love with her.
What's going to happen when Mac finds out the truth about what Cooper did? How is she going to react? For these answers, you will have to pick up this book and check it out for yourself!
I loved this story and it definitely reminded me about 1990's teenage movies! It was a quick and easy listen! Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the extraordinary opportunity to listen to this one I really loved it!

Hear me out on this: Good Girl Complex is essentially a retelling of The Notebook if it took place in 2022. Wealthy girl with dreams bigger than being a housewife to another clone of her father meets rugged local blue collar boy with tendency to use his fist when his lady needs defending. There are definitely cringy moments in this one- Cooper probably should consider therapy for the formerly mentioned err on toxic masculinity, Mac’s boyfriend is called a cheater when he should really be called a predator.. but the quick pace, the banter, the steam, it all got me. I enjoyed this story and I hope Daisy girl lives a happy spoiled life.

This was just fine. It honestly took me a while to like both of the main characters - Mackenzie and Cooper. I finally warmed up to them and enjoyed the story.

Since it’s a romance, it was obvious how things were going to turn out. I liked the side characters and how they played into the overall story.

Basically this was good. Just not mind blowing. Still would recommend if someone is looking for an opposites attract romance.

"Fuck love, build the empire." AH Good Girl Complex is SO GOOD ! The romance between Cooper & Mackenzie is impeccably written. Their relationship is cute and hopelessly romantic without being stale, and their banter makes the novel such a fun read. Elle Kennedy hits a wide variety of emotions and internal struggles among the characters, and I think it's very well done, especially within a light-hearted contemporary romance. I have absolutely no regrets choosing this book and would highly recommend!

Many thanks to Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Overall this one was good! A bit controversial at times. I definitely don’t agree with how they were planning on using a girl to get back at her boyfriend. Nor do I like that all his friends were lying to her. I’m not sure it really sets the right example for readers, although it did blow up in his face in the end. I liked the story and it was well written but I’m just not sure I can get behind the message.

I just finished listening to the audiobook ARC of this new release and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it! I loved the main characters so much with how they were both strong independent individuals trying to find their way in the world. A great new adult romance with tons of funny banter, rich girl/bad boy trope, and set in an adorable beach side town! This book would be an amazing summer read by the beach or a winter read while you are dreaming of a tropical vacation. If you need a new romance read definitely give this one a try!

Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for sharing this audio ARC with me!

I have to start by saying I'm not a huge fan of revenge romances in general, but I've read most of Elle Kennedy's backlist, so I was excited to read this anyway. Because I've read her previous books, I know that she's an amazing writer. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations.

Between the completely unnecessary revenge plotline (I didn't understand why so many people were okay with the dude randomly screwing over a helpless stranger), the heroine already having a boyfriend (which dragged on way too long), and the introduction of way too many characters (so many names and most of them weren't relevant), I think the author tried to do too much with the story in too short of a time period. The secret between the protagonists just left a pall over the narrative and led to me disliking the hero. I didn't think he earned the heroine's forgiveness, and the whole situation was just frustrating.

I think if I hadn't read anything by Elle Kennedy, I might have enjoyed this more. But I know her books can be so much better, and this just wasn't as good in comparison. It's just an okay read that had potential, but with the setup, the execution just wasn't what I hoped for.

This book was very captivating! I found myself listening to it every chance I could get! It felt like The Notebook meets Outer Banks (sans mystery). I liked both of the main characters, the backdrop of a prestigious college, and a very charming seaside beach town. Mac comes from a very wealthy family and due to a series of events falls in with a local bad boy. I found myself holding my breath waiting for the “Secret” to come to light and not wanting this couple’s relationship to combust! I recommend it!

Add this book to your summer reads!

I really enjoyed this story. I felt the author did a good job taking us on a journey with the characters and really getting to know them.

I felt one specific character could have taken more responsibility for her jealous actions….looking at your Heidi…!

The author did a good job at giving the reader what they needed without it feeling rushed or dragged out.

If your looking for a romance with some spice and comedy add this book to your list!

Outer Banks but age appropriate and with a believable romance. I love how clear Elle Kennedy’s writing style is yet the tones of her books never feel like repeats. The characters are great, very well fleshed out and believable. The basic premise of the plot was a little predictable, however there were some plot twists that I did not see coming. Overall a very enjoyable book, especially if you’re a fan of Outer Banks and the After series vibes.

I loved that their relationship was given time to develop and it wasn’t rushed like romance plots are a lot of the time. Like I said, the plot is quite similar to the after series (and many others before it), however I think this one is way better in a literary sense. Good girl complex it’s a story I think would have been good to read as a teenager. The female main character is quite self possessed and driven, while still making mistakes that a young adult would make.

I loved both narrators. Almost all of the characters are young, college aged kids and they both portrayed them all with the right amount of youth without aging the story down in my mind. Joe Arden has narrated a lot of audiobooks I’ve listened to and he’s always been great. Ava Erickson was less known to me but she was awesome narrating Mac’s parts.

Actual rating: 4.25/5