ARC REVIEW

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy of Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy
Release date: October 4, 2022
4 star


Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in the Avalon Bay series, the first being Good Girl Complex. I actually already own Good Girl Complex but haven’t read it yet which is how I know they both can be read as a standalone. Bad Girl Reputation focuses on Evan Hartley and Genevieve West - two exes with a turbulent but passionate history. Gen returns home for her mother’s funeral and is ready for a new path in life: no drinking, no partying, and no more Evan Hartley. Evan on the other hand knows that he and Gen can be good together, he just has to prove it to her, even if that means turning over a new leaf himself.

This is the second Elle Kennedy book I’ve read, the first being The Deal from her Off-Campus series, and I liked this one a lot more. I started reading this on an incredibly humid day, iced coffee in hand, and Kennedy pulled me right into Avalon Bay with all its drama, past and present, lingering heavily in the air. A major theme throughout this book is second chances, redemption, and forgiveness, which I loved a lot. I loved the way Gen and Evan grew and worked to shed their bad reputations without losing themselves. They have great banter, a strong history, and immense love for each other. It’s the perfect Kennedy writing style - a lot of fun, a bit of spice, and the right amount of drama and romance to keep you engrossed from the first page. The ending seems to be set up for a third Avalon Bay book which I am all for, just as soon as I read the first one!

I've been a huge fan of Elle Kennedy since I picked up the Off Campus Series on a whim last year and fell in love! Her newest series is no different. I was super lucky and got an ARK from Netgalley and finished it in one sitting. The romance was great as always and there was the perfect amount if humor. All in all I though it was a great sequel and I hope there's another installment with perhaps Alana’s love triangle?

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am not a big fan of second chance romances but I gave this one a shot. It was fine, but predictable. I hadn't read the first either so thst could be part of why I wasn't very invested.

Second book of the series. First person present. It’s a second chance romance, but the characters feel a bit generic. There is also no discussion of TW including sexual assault and substance misuse which can be very triggering to readers.

I liked the book so much I just hated the fact that she wasn’t together with Evan anymore even though they broke up but you can still see them every time they see each other again that they break up to have make up sex. And their relationship was just destructive but deep down she and he still cared for each other, I didnt like when his twin would try to tell her to stop seeing him an be rude to her. Some of the characters were okay, thank you netgalley for giving me this arc! 5 stars

Together Evan and Gen are toxic. They bring out the absolute worst in each other... or at least they did before Gen’s sudden departure from Avalon Bay without telling Evan. The death of her mom brings her back to town and like magnets they are pulled back to each other. This time Gen is determined not fall back into the same cycle.

I’m used to romance novels, even Kennedy’s previous works, depicting a “bad” boy/girl who falls for a “good” girl/boy. I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance where both are “bad” for each other. Let me tell you, I believe Kennedy’s writing because part-way through I was still hoping they both got their HEAs with other people. 

This is another solid Elle Kennedy book. It is everything you come to her books expecting: contemporary new adult romance, complex characters, flirtatious dialogue, a compelling reason the characters can’t be together, and an open-door romance.

It was interesting to watch how both characters evolved, first because they had to but then how the drive to change came from within. 

Characters from the first book do make appearances in this story, including Mack and Cooper. The latter of which lost a lot of appeal viewing him from Evan and Gen’s perspectives.

Also, now after reading, I want a blow pop (no that isn’t a euphemism) but IYKYK.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the privilege of receiving an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advance copy!

I so enjoyed heading back into Avalon Bay to spend more time with the Hartley brothers! In February, I read The Good Girl Complex, which is the companion novel to this story. Like the first novel, this story exudes all of the Outer Banks vibes that I love so much!

I really enjoyed Evan Hartley’s character in Good Girl Complex, so I was excited to go on his journey in this novel! Elle Kennedy’s writing pulls me in every time, I can never get enough. I hope there are more Avalon Bay novels in the future!

Evan Hartley isn’t quite the same after his longtime love left town a year ago, with no word as to why. Gen, Evan’s long time love, returns to town unexpectedly. She’s not who she used to be, but neither is he. We find out what made Gen leave, and how Gen and Evan fit together after all this time!

This was such a fun, easy and sexy read! I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press/St.Martin’s Griffin for sharing this advanced reader digital copy with me for an honest review of the book.

When I first saw the book all I could see was that it was written by Elle Kennedy one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all of her books starting with The Deal which created my love for her books. When I saw that Bad Girl Reputation was written by her I requested it immediately not even knowing what it was about. Originally I believed it was a standalone but I soon found out that it was the second book which was even better for me because I got to read Good Girl Complex which was a fantastic read.

This book is about Evan and Gen’s story. Evan is Copper’s twin brother who we learn about in the first book but we also learn that he has a long, possibly toxic, relationship with Gen. In the first book we have some background about the characters but not much. When starting to read this book we get to see in both Evan’s and Gen’s perspectives. Gen comes back into town for a funeral and stays to helps her family deal with the loss. While she’s back in town she runs into Evan a few times but tells him that they both need to change and grow up in order to consider being together again.

I loved reading this book because you could see Evan’s character development throughout this book and how different he is from the way he acted in Good Girl Complex. Gen on the other hand is a surprising character because we learn about her in the first book but not enough to form a direct opinion of her since we don’t have her side of the story.

This is a great read, especially if your a big fan of Elle Kennedy’s books. I even say that you could possibly read this book as a potential standalone since they tend to go over a quick summary throughout the book of who some of the other characters are and the roles they play in Gen’s and Evan’s lives. However, I don’t recommend reading it as a standalone because then you would miss out on Evan’s character development and Mac and Cooper’s amazing love story.

This was a great book and a fantastic read. Elle Kennedy never disappoints!!

I am sad to say Bad Girl Reputation was not one of my favorite books by Elle Kennedy. I have been a long time fan of her books since I first read The Deal. I found it hard to connect with the characters and felt Evan and Gene had a very toxic relationship. Hopefully her next book will have more character depth like her previous book series.

Elle Kennedy, author of the bestselling book "Good Girl Complex", is back with another fun and steamy novel called "Bad Girl Reputation." This book centers around high school sweethearts and on-again/off-again couple Gen and Evan. When Gen has to return home for her Mom's funeral, she runs into Evan and the sparks fly like always. Evan, having been left behind when Gen left for a new career, is still upset but can't deny their chemistry. However, old habits die hard and they both have to gain some maturity and perspective in order to have any hopes of making their relationship successful.

I have to be honest that I didn't really enjoy Gen and Evan at the beginning of the book. They were both immature and their relationship seemed toxic. However, I appreciate the growth they both showed and how they were willing to leave bad habits behind in order to improve themselves.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own

I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked Evan, Gen was alright they both annoyed me at times but overall I liked them. I liked the involvement of the characters from book one. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and was looking forward to reading the sequel. It took me at least a quarter of the book to feel invested in the main characters of Gen and Evan. It seemed like a big part of their struggles could have been solved with some open, clear communication. I had a hard time feeling a connection to their relationship.

After the book finally got moving, I was motivated to finish and see how it ended. While I did like the first book more, I'm glad I was able to see another relationship in that world.

I was hoping I would love this one more that the first. it was good but nothing I would scream and share about. I found myself more so reading to finish since I was already invested than reading for enjoyment

I had trouble finding Evan and Gen’s motivation in this one. Didn’t really grasp why Gen dropped Evan out of nowhere and skipped town a year earleir, and just didn’t get why Evan couldn’t her go for the first third of the book. For that, it just made the book drag on.

We finally get some clarity on why Gen left town, and it was completely out of left field, which I’m sure was the intent.

After seemingly coming to terms with the incident, Evan and Gen can’t seem to stay away any longer.

I enjoyed readind about the main characters’ history, just didn’t seem to care what they did in the present.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to reading this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVE Elle Kennedy's Off Campus series and I had high hopes for this story. Sadly this story just didn't have the same effect on me.

This main characters, Gen and Evan, have very toxic relationship. Which is fine, but I feel like they didn't truly over come their toxic traits. It took me a while to get into the story and really want to read it. I couldn't ship them the way I ship other characters in romance books.

This book definitely has a good spicy level for the few scenes it did have but the romance was not there for me.

Although I struggled with this book, there were a lot of good lines. Reading "When are you going to accept that I'd be happy watching paint dry with you." was maybe one of the sweetest lines I've ever read in a book. However, it was hard to get past the toxicity of the relationship. I understand that the main purpose of the book was a story about redemption and reinvention, but it feels as if the characters can never truly grow unless they aren't together. Their most fulfilling moments are when they are separated, and every time they interact their old toxic habits come back. It was hard for me to root for the characters because it always felt as if you were waiting for one of them to mess it up. While they tried so hard to become new people, it feels as if they still never got past who they were in highschool.

I love Elle Kennedy and will read anything she publishes. I read the first book in this series last year, and it was like no time had passed when I picked up Bad Girl Reputation. Historically, I like the characters from the first book in a series better than the second, but dang I loved Gen and Evan even more than Cooper and Mac. The fact that they completely accept each other for who they are, never feel like they have to hide anything from each other, and always cheer each other on is so refreshing in a romance novel. So many romance novels rely on secrets and lack of communication, but Gen and Evan are the opposite. They definitely go through some growing pains and have to figure out who they are separate from being "Gen and Evan" but it was nice knowing they always cared about each other.

I really hope this isn't the last book in the Avalon Bay series, because I definitely want to spend more time with the "Fuck Around and Find Out Gang" and see what happens with Alana, Wyatt, Tate, Steph, and Heidi.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy.

Bad Girl Reputation follows Genevieve and Evan, who are exes and have also been best friends since childhood. Together, Evan and Gen were destructive, allowing their bad habits to rule their decisions. A year ago, Genevieve packed up and left town without saying a word in order to try and get her life together, leaving Evan heartbroken. She's now back in town and we watch as her and Evan reconnect while also trying to fight their pull.

I liked this book a lot better than the first book in this series. I found myself more invested in Gen and Evan's characters and their stories compared to Cooper and Mac. I love the second-chance aspect of their relationship, I find that the characters in these types of stories have a stronger connection which makes you want to root for them. I als really liked how in order to be together again, both of them had to grow individually first. Evan's character development was so sweet to see, I loved his relationship with Riley, and I admire Gen for being able to put herself first and do whatever she needed to do to bring herself to a place where she was proud of what she does. Gen and Evan had a lot of really sweet moments together which i really appreciated, but I did feel bored and uninterested at some parts. At times it felt like their relationship was just missing something, something that would make me feel consistently invested in their story. I think there was more potential with their relationship that did not get explored.

I also wish there was more development with their friend group as I felt like there were so many problems within it in the first book and some of those problems just continued into this book and had little to no growth or development by the end of this book. I feel like having a strong friend group can really add to the story and that is something this book and series lacks.

I will say, I am very satisfied with how the book ended and am so glad there was an epilogue this time! The epilogue was cute and it was nice just being able to see everyone together and getting along.

I was really intrigued by the premise of Bad Girl Reputation, but it wasn't a good fit for me. Gen moves home after her mother's funeral to help out her father at the family business, and is determined to remain sober and stay away from her ex. But at the funeral, the two of them make out, and it gets harder to resist him from there.
I ended up DNFing, because I just couldn't get myself to want Gen and Evan to get together. Most of what we get about their history in the first quarter of the book sounds incredibly toxic, and it really seems like Evan hasn't changed-- or, at least, if he did, then he's changed right back at the sight of Gen. Gen's friends also seem pretty toxic overall and not at all supportive of her sobriety. Overall, at around the quarter mark, I couldn't find myself believing that Gen could healthily stay in her hometown-- interacting with her friends and Evan-- and remain sober. Usually even with second chance romances I can feel the spark of what they used to be/could be again, but it seemed like I was being told that they had occasionally been good together, rather than being shown it. Maybe my feelings on the matter would have changed down the line, but as of the quarter mark, I just desperately wanted Gen to leave town and everyone involved to find people to surround themselves with who would support and uplift them.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy in exchange for a honest review.

Oh boy, this was a book that I thought would be five stars and the five stars ran away in terror. I was so excited about this book because I loved her Off Campus series (if you read any of her books you should read those and the Briar U series they are *chef's kiss*).

There are so many red flags in this book and I am concerned for the main characters because Evan and Gen need therapy (so much of it). I could not ship them because their relationship is so toxic that even if both changed a new leaf they should never get together especially if the best part of your relationship is the make up s*x (like no).

I DNFed it at 20% because there was no redeeming it. The only good thing about the book was Copper and Mackenzie because they were the voices of reason (too bad nobody listened to them).
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