Below is my review as found on Goodreads, with a few tidbits added on.

This was the first book that I've read of Elle Kennedy's, so if you enjoy her writing style from her other series' then you might love this book! Unfortunately, it wasn't really my cup of tea.

I loved the dual P.O.V, and being able to dive into the characters' minds; all of the characters were introduced super well, considering that I have not read the first book of this series. The general plot surrounds Gen and Evan attempting to "redeem" themselves and their reputations while trying not to be someone that they aren't. Growing into adulthood and not letting their high school selves define who they are supposed to be - probably one of the most relatable themes for a new adult book! Unfortunately, that's the only part of the story that I enjoyed. Again, I've never read Elle Kennedy's work, but there is way too much emphasis on lusting over another person. Until around the 3/4 mark, it seemed that the only thing the main characters "loved" about each other was their bodies ...which for people that grew up as best friends, you'd think there was some more depth to their relationship. Closer to the end we got to see a bit more of why they care for each other, but then the ending felt rushed with their resolving conversation lasting a mere few sentences. But besides some uncomfortable paragraphs, I found the dialogue to be entertaining, and enjoyed seeing the dynamics among the different friendships. We see some complicated issues: problematic law enforcement, addiction, broken families, etc. I think the substance abuse could have used a bit more attention, so that we could truly believe why sobriety is so important for Gen, but it was still handled with care and I appreciate that it was included!

If you're a fan of Elle Kennedy, I'm sure this will be a great read for you! But I'd suggest to skip this one if you're not a fan, or if spice is something that you don't like to see every chapter.

This is a book. you can read in 1 sitting! You don't need to read good girl complex to read this book but I highly recommend reading both!

I was so sad when this book was over! I wanted to read more about Evan and Gen! I liked the push and pull of this book. I think a lot of readers can relate to this story about growing up/changing but also trying not to lose who you are in the process. It's something we all go through more than once in life and I enjoyed going on this journey with these characters.

Also I think I am in love with Evan...

If you like young love/old flames reuniting, character growth, stories set in small towns and some spice you won't be disappointed with this book!

Thank you to St.Martins Press and NetGalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review!

TW:
Loss of a parent, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual harassment.

I really enjoyed this second book in the avalon bay series! I loved the push and pull of Gen and Evans relationship and to see them grow together from their old habits and behaviors. I had recently lost my mom also and could really relate to a lot of things that were said in this book about the mother/daughter relationship. All in all I’d give this book a solid 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed the ambiance of this book could really sense the coastal southern town feel. Some parts of the ending felt a little rushed, jumped from point A to point C in matter of few pages which made the ending not feel as appealing. Overall the book was really adorable and the dynamics between the characters felt natural.

This is a sweet story of redemption and second chance love. Gen and Evan have intense chemistry. They find love again while trying to better themselves and change their bad boy/bad girl ways. I liked the story. One of my favorite subplots was the relationship between Evan and his “little brother”, Riley. They had some laugh out loud moments. Overall, a good story, but not my favorite from Elle Kennedy.

Over the last year or so, I have been reading all of Elle Kennedy's books and this one was exactly what I expected...except, maybe it wasn't. These characters and the story felt more in depth, more gritty, more real. These were more like real people, trying to overcome the difficult hand they had been dealt. They were flawed but worked hard. Not to say that previous books were bad (I keep reading them, right?), but this was probably the most mature and well written of Kennedy's books that I have found. Still some fun, some escapism, some beach read, and some spice...but more memorable and thoughtful.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was my first Elle Kennedy book and I'm super upset I haven't read her before. I loved this book.

The story revolves around Gen and Evan. They are high school sweethearts, who are in a toxic relationship until Gen just up and leaves with no explanation to Evan. Gen has to return to her small coastal town after her mother dies. Her dad needs help with the business and selling of their family home. She and Evan immediately start their on-again/off-again romance, but Gen just can't handle it. Evan decides to be a better man for her.

It's a great love story and how to be a better person of yourself without losing who you are.

I love a good redemption arc story!
I'm not sure what I expected going into Bad Girl Reputation, but the book definitely exceeded them. This is a story about second chances, forgiveness, trying to grow and do better than the past, and I ate it all up. It's a nitty gritty story with two people that have been drawn together their whole lives, who become downright destructive together, but they're also no better apart. After meeting Evan in Good Girl Complex it was interesting to get to be in his head and get to know him and his motivations in life, and to also get to know the infamous Genevieve that is mentioned in book one.
At first I wasn't sure if I was rooting for them to work it out, for them to work themselves out definitely, but together? Not so sure. But as the story evolved it became so much more and it was honestly beautiful to witness how it all developed and came together.
Genevieve and Evan are magnetic and you just can't help but want to be in their orbit.

There's a few typos towards the end that needs to be sorted, where it says "know" instead of "now" and a sentence that was missing a word, but I'm sure this will be caught and fixed before the release in October.

(Sidenote: I'm so grateful this one had an epilogue as opposed to Good Girl Complex, so the ending felt more rounded off, and not so abrupt.)

I really liked Good Girl Complex so when I saw the next book in the Avalon Bay series was available via ARC, I clicked that request button as quickly as possible. I'm so excited I got to read this one before it releases on October 4. Elle Kennedy always manages to write books that keep me engaged and wanting more.

Cooper's twin brother Evan has been hung up on Genevieve since they were both kids. The two have had an on again off again relationship since they each started dating. They have this explosive chemistry, fueled many times by riling each other up and making the other jealous. The two get into all kinds of trouble and predicaments together. When Gen finally disappeared from Avalon Bay without a word to Evan, he's heartbroken and confused. He rebounds with any and every girl he comes across, all unsatisfying because he knows who he's always loved. When Gen finally returns after her mom passes away, the two are bound to continue running into one another in the small seaside town. This Gen isn't the same as the one who left months ago, though and Evan is determined to understand what happened and how he can be back with Gen, who's trying her hardest to not be the same bad girl she once was. She's stopped drinking and is backing off of the partying and bad decisions. Now, Evan is convinced he needs to reform himself as well so he doesn't lose the girl he's loved half his life.

I freaking loved this. I read it in one day, sneaking one chapter in after another every chance I got. I loved Evan's character so much in this one, after not liking him so much in Good Girl Complex. This guy was funny, charming, and a bit cocky. I loved the effort he put in with Gen (aka Fred) and how she always confidently knew he loved her. It was never a question. So. Good.

I was looking forward to this after reading the premise and because I love Kennedy’s The Deal, but I ended up being super disappointed. The characters are really immature and unlikable from the start, and they don’t get much better. There’s also too many side plots with friends that I didn’t care about at all.

I read this book immediately after Good Girl Complex and much preferred it to the first book in the series.

Gen and Even are a second chance romance story set in their own hometown. The fact that they reconnect in the same town made this book unique to me. Many second chance stories have a different setting. Instead, Gen is forced to return to her same hometown as a different person. Her hometown is where she’s been reckless and immature. She has to be her new self with the same influences and that was a really compelling storyline for me. We see most second chance romance MCs mature off page where as Gen and Evan endured their journeys on page throughout the entire book.

Evan and Gen are WILDLY immature at the beginning of the book and it irked me. Many readers have criticized this in other reviews, but their maturity journey was the entire point of the book. I didn’t enjoy them at the beginning… I don’t think I was supposed to… but I really, really liked how their story progressed.

Thank you to St. Martin’s press and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my review!

4/5⭐️ 2.5/5 🌶

**I received an advanced copy of this book from St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review of the novel. My thoughts are my own and have not been influenced by any outside parties.**

Elle Kennedy’s Bad Girl Reputation is the perfect read if you want a quick charming and sexy second-chance romance.

When former bad girl Genevieve (Gen) returns to her hometown following her mother’s death, she is determined to maintain her new “good-girl” persona and stay away from those who encouraged her wild side. However, running into her ex-boyfriend Evan makes Gen question how much she really has changed, and if she even wants to.

Evan, Genevieve’s ex-boyfriend has spent the past year mourning the girl who left him behind with a string of parties and women. However, when the Gen suddenly comes back into his life, Evan realizes Gen’s homecoming may be the perfect opportunity to win back the girl he loves. But will she still want the town’s notorious “bad-boy," or has she left that part of herself behind?

This book was actually quite charming. The interactions between Gen and Evan were amusing, cute, and full of tension. I liked the push-and-pull dynamic between Gen and Evan. It was believable that they loved each other a lot, and had a certain level of history and trust. The writing style used by Kennedy was consistent with the style of the novel, and the dialogue matched the personalities of the characters.

The plot was fun and engaging, and easy to read. There were moments of tension and stress, but nothing that made me so anxious I wanted to put down the book. I am not a fan of books where the main characters break-up for many chapters and it’s just awkward and tense, and this did not have a long drawn out separation which I was glad about.

It was a delight to watch Gen and Evan grow throughout the duration of the novel. Their respective transformations were a bit rapid, but not unbelievable. There were a lot of really sweet, cute, and funny moments throughout the book.

My main critiques are in two areas. I think Evan’s transformation was a bit too drastic and quick, especially when compared to Genevieve. Her character starts her journey into adulthood well before Evan, and yet they end in similar places.

Secondly, the ending of the book seemed a bit rushed. I was expecting a few more chapters, and suddenly I was at the epilogue. It felt a bit like Kennedy ran out of story and just decided to end it there.

Overall, the book was quite enjoyable. It was well-paced, romantic, funny and sweet. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a light summer rom-com, or those who like Emily Henry’s work. While this book is the second Avalon Bay novel, it can easily be read as a standalone.


Characters: 3.5/5
Romance:4/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

I loved Mac and Cooper from Good Girl Complex and was excited to continue the journey with the other characters in the series. Especially Evan. We didn’t see much of Gen in book one other than implication that she existed.

The book begins with Gen and Evan broken up, but hung up on eachother. They spend most of the book finding more reasons to be apart than together and finding themself along the way.

There were parts of this story I absolutely hated (characters I despised). Then there was Riley. A great addition to showcase Evan’s growth.

Overall, Bad Girl Reputation is a good addition to the series.

Arc received from NetGalley.

i really tried with this one. i loved the deal by elle kennedy but that’s honestly where my love for her books ended. i decided to give her another go with this one, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me.

i couldn’t really connect with the characters at all and honestly all there interactions felt forced. I’ve also concluded that second chance romance is not my thing. overall the spice was good & was honestly the only thing I liked. the writing style definitely needs work. overall I did not hate it but I didn’t like it. meh 2.5/5 stars

Bad Girl Reputation has the charm, organization and chemistry that was lacking from the first novel.

As the second book of the series, the story follows Cooper's twin, Evan, and his ex-girlfriend, Genevieve. This is a second-chance romance that ties up some plot holes and undeveloped concepts mentioned in the first book. Everything that happened to the individual characters seemed to have a purpose, where nothing felt out of place. I was not bored reading through it. I was intrigued.

Evan and Genevieve are both individually strong characters. They have their own struggles but they have their own self-determination that makes the story worth reading. It's a relatable concept in which they realize that they can't continue to live their lives like how they always have. There has to be change if they are expected to grow up and have a future- whether that is together or not.

An honorary mention for this book is the banter that occurs throughout their friends group. There were moments where I actually found myself chuckling at their comments. It felt realistic and relatable.

Overall, I enjoyed this book as it improves everything that the first book failed at. I finished this book wanting to learn more about the town of Avalon Bay. It's a nice summer read.

I haven’t read any other Elle Kennedy books, but I have heard really good things about their writing. This one was alright, definitely not amazing, but I think I’d still like to give Elle Kennedy another try.

I feel that the issue that I had with this one was that both of the MCs were unlikable. That made it difficult to care about them deeply. There were also a LOT of side characters, a ton of siblings, a twin from the last book, a bunch of friends, etc. I feel like I was drowning in people with no real substance. Cooper is one of the ones I remember, mostly because he seemed to be an absolute asshole.

This is such a good series if you just want something where you can sit back, relax, turn off your brain, and just enjoy some messy characters trying their best to make their way through relationships.

I've seen the less-than-stellar reviews for this and, yes, the characters are immature and don't act rationally. But that honestly didn't bother me because I could see their slow progression and development. It's not massive, but it's there, and that's personally enough for me with this kind of story.

I enjoyed the connection between Gen and Evan. Is it mainly physical? Sure. But it doesn't really promise to be anything more than that and I could totally understand why they are so attracted to each other. Their chemistry is top notch.

So again, if you are looking for a quick, entertaining read to help you avoid your own problems, then this is the one for you! lol.

Elle Kennedy does it again! This book was beyond incredible and a breath of fresh air. It's so refreshing to see a couple work through their toxic and immature relationship TOGETHER. Romance novels have a tendency to label a previously rocky relationship as dead in the water and use it as an example to compare the hero or heroine's new (amazing) relationship with. Bad Girl Reputation does what I believe more books should strive towards - showing the ups and downs of an established relationship and how the main characters decide to mature together for the sake of their love. It was real. It was honest. It was an easy 5-star read.

I can't wait to get my hands on the paperback and add Genevieve and Evan to my shelf! Thank you for allowing me to be an early reader of this fantastic read!

I'm wavering between a 3 and a 4, so I think I'll settle on a solid 3.5.

There's no doubt that this book is better than the first one in the series. "Bad Girl Reputation" stars Evan and Genevieve, two lovestruck teens with a wild streak and a will they/wont they relationship. One thing that makes Evan and Gen so compelling is the depth of their characters. They are both flawed and looking for a sense of direction and purpose in life. What makes this book worthwhile is watching them grow as individuals as well as in their relationship.

I've never been a second chance romance fan, but lately I think this trope is really working for me. There's just something very sweet about watching two people who know each other so well coming back together. The pining pays off more when you know how much love has been built up over time. It makes the reunion all the more worthwhile because they have overcome something to be together again.

I also really like the way we could see relationships build from the first book. Unfortunately, Cooper and Mac were still not great. BUT, it was really cool to see how the relationships have evolved between some of the side characters and Shelly.

There were a few things that didn't work for me. First, I thought the beginning of this book was outrageously slow. I don't know if there was something wrong with my attention span or what, but it took me so long to get into it. At the 50% mark, I was waiting for something to happen. It felt like we were going in the same circles over-and-over until the plot really got going. The last half of the book I really enjoyed, but that first 50% felt a bit like pulling teeth.

I also really did not care for the main antagonist. It felt like an easy target, and I maybe would've liked to see a more intricate plot point. I mean a man on a power trip? It just feels predictable to me. Honestly, I don't think the book even really needed him. I think it would've been enough to have Gen and Evan face the challenge of growing up and changing for themselves, without the looming presence of you-know-who.

Overall, this book was the better of the two Avalon Bay books. I think Evan and Gen are a really great couple and I was happy to read about the two of them and their relationship journey. However, this series as a whole has failed to impress me and remains incredibly underwhelming, so I don't think I would read another if a 3rd book comes out. I think if you're a fan of the author and like YA (even though this book was NOT YA content-wise, it just had a YA-feel), you would be pleased with this book. Check it out, give it a read, and see for yourself!

I have a good instinct that I will love Genevieve and Evan’s push-pull, angsty, in-out relationship more than Evan’s twin Cooper and Mackenzie’s story! I was so right! Gevan ( that’s how I named them) is explosive! Their attraction is not palpable! It’s on fire! So hot, so intense, so tempting!

Gen returns back to Avalon Bay she’s left without saying goodbye to Evan. They were childhood sweethearts: okay I’m correcting because nothing is so sweet about their relationship dynamics: their explosive chemistry, nonstop fighting, throwing tantrums, jealousy attacks and makeup sex is the pattern of their on-off relationship status for years. They’re a little toxic, volatile! They are even bad for each other but they cannot help themselves. It’s impossible for them to stay away from each other as well!

Gen understands clearly she’s in deep trouble after hitting the rock bottom. So leaving the town to find an appropriate job and loft at Charleston, keeping her sobriety, staying away from her addiction; Evan. But her mother’s sudden death forces her come back to her home, helping her dad’s business, spending a few months in town till her father finds another manager.

Evan learns the real traumatic reason why Gen left and why she’s so adamant to stay away from him. Even his twin brother Cooper thinks Gen brings out the worst of Evan, but he is completely wrong! Gen is trying too hard to leave her bad girl reputation behind, growing up, taking responsibilities, taking care of her family.

If Evan wants to get back the girl he’s lusting for years, he has to get his act together, learning to be mature. Could his plan work? They are like a dynamite together! Could they slow down and act like grownups to form less toxic more devoted relationship?

Let’s not forget a decent guy named Harrison also tries too hard to take his girl out of his hands! Could Evan let her girl ride into the sunset with another guy! No way! Game on!

I enjoyed this angsty, fiery, powerful story a lot! Gen’s brothers and Riley are my favourite supporting characters!

Gen was tough cookie! I loved her smart, determined and confident attitude! Evan was a little jerk at the beginning but his determination to take back his girl earned him several brownie points!