I am literally OBSSESSED with Genevieve and Evan!! The connection between them drives the entire story, it is relatable, which is the best part! Also the drama kept me toned in the entire read and left me wanting MORE!!

🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶🌶🌶🌶

Gen and Evan. Evan and Gen. This was the couple in high school, who was also the couple always getting in trouble. That is until one event made Gen pack up and leave town. Now she’s back after her mom’s death, reformed, but with her bad girl reputation still haunting her.

I hated Evan, but where Gen is trying to rid herself of the reputation of being bad, Evan is just trouble (arrogant, hot-headed, hard-headed). As much as this is about Gen, it is even more so about Evan and his metamorphosis.

Narrated by Lee Samuels and Summer Morton, “Bad Girl Reputation” by Elle Kennedy is the 2nd in the Avalon Bay series. I never read the first, but in this case it is okay because your reading of it is not tied to any prior knowledge.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for selecting me to listen to the ARC of “Bad Girl Reputation”.

Themes: 🌶🌶🌶 💋romance, 👫, 🏖beach, 💔❤️‍🩹, ↔️
My feelings: 😅😡🤭🫠

#netgalley
#macmillanaudio
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#audiobook
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Elle Kennedy’s books are mediocre at best. It wasn’t an original story and the characters were meh. I wouldn’t really recommend.

In all honesty, I would give this book a 3.5 stars if I could (nearly four actually)! This gave me exactly what the cover depicts: campfire vibes. Genevieve and Evan had history, not all good in fact, and they made it repeat (yes, to those who say history doesn’t repeat itself that’s a lie) though in a way better this time around. They both went through their own trials through the book, especially family and their past doings, but they worked it out! I found that this was something somewhat new for me to read from Elle Kennedy which is good but I think a part of me felt that the wordings (the possible book quotes) used were a bit repetitive in the world of romance novels so it slightly turned me off.

It’s not Elle Kennedy’s very best in my opinion yet, all in all, pretty damn happy with the book and I’m so glad I was able to read it!! (Goodreads please make there be a 3.5 rating soon, this book deserves it at least).

In “ Bad Girl Reputation” (Avalon Bay #2) by Elle Kennedy we get to meet former bad girl Genevieve. She is back home for her mother’s funeral and is asked to stay to help her fathers’ business. But being back home also means seeing Evan – not only is he her ex but her unruly partner in crime who she soon figures out is as irresistible as ever. But with turning over a new on life can they still be the same as they were, or could they be even better?

I received a copy of this book, and this is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for allowing me the ARC of this Book. Bad Girl Reputation is the second book in the Avalon Bay Series. This was my first book by Elle Kennedy and her writing style and Characters have made me a fan!! I will definitely be going back to read book one of the series and any following books. Gen and Evan's relationship has been toxic, fun, adventurous, lustful, but can it be an End all, Be All type of relationship? I absolutely LOVED their banter and inability to keep their hands and minds off of one another!!
Gen wanting to come clean of her bad girl reputation and Evan wanting to do anything to keep her is the perfect love story. I can't wait to read more about all the characters in Avalon Bay!!

3.5 stars

Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy is a delightful second-chance romance that brings Gen and Evan together after she left town on a supposed dime a year earlier.

Gen and Even were two trouble-making, partying kids who had grown up together, always getting into trouble and running wild. They were best friends turned girlfriend/boyfriend. One night, Gen left town without so much as saying goodbye.

A year later, after the death of her mother, Gen came back having made some changes. Seeing Evan at the funeral proved there was still plenty of heat.

The sexual chemistry between the two was undeniable, but I never really got a feel for any emotional chemistry. I'm not really sure what they saw in each other beyond a shared history. Yeah, sex was great, but while she tried to avoid him, he kept being all possessive, cutting into dates she had with another guy. Though - I still haven't yet figured out why she kept dating him except, maybe, to make Evan jealous. I don't know. Never really figured that part out.

Narration: Lee Samuels and Summer Morton did a fabulous job narrating the audiobook. They each did a terrific job with the voices and drew me in from chapter 1. I listened at 1.25x speed.

Side thoughts:

* I don't feel like Gen and Evan eventually came together. It's as if a bunch of things happened, and then they just decided, not necessarily that they were drawn together.

* Some of the scenes were confusing with all the side characters. I couldn't recall who was related to whom and who was dating whom, etc., especially in scenes when they were all there.

* The cop who had it out for Genevieve was ridiculously obnoxious. At least he got his comeuppance.

* I liked the writing style and enjoyed the overall story. It's a good escape-read!

Thanks to McMillan Audio and NetGalley for the Audio ARC.

3.75⭐️

Genevieve returns to Avalon Bay when her mother dies after leaving her old bad girl life behind her one year prior. She wasn’t close with her mother, and doesn’t even really feel sad. At the funeral, she finds herself face to face with her ex, Evan. The two were bad influences on each other, and had a pretty toxic relationship where they were making each other jealous and fighting just to have makeup sex. But Jen wants to leave Evan in her past and wants to be a better person, so she starts dating a good guy named Harrison. In an effort to win Jen back, Evan decides he too wants to be a better person and tries to woo Jen.

I did not like Jen and Evan as a couple at all. Evan is possessive of Jen even after breaking up a year before, and initially crashes her date with Harrison. Aside from getting drunk and partying and having sex, I don’t really know what Evan and Jen have in common or how they’re supposed to be good together. This is a second chance romance, but I found myself hoping they would just break up and find other people. There are some nice spicy scenes in this, but overall, this is a pretty toxic relationship that I don’t think would realistically last long term even after Evan and Jen seemingly get their shit together.

So I recalled wanted to like this book, but the main male character drove me crazy and I just wanted to shake him. Outside of that I liked the narrator of the audio book.

Is “Avalon Bay” one of my favorite romance series? Absolutely! Elle Kennedy writes with a perfect mix of humor, tension, and emotion. It’s so easy to fly through her books and ‘Bad Girl Reputation’ is no exception.

We meet Genevieve ‘Gen’ in the first book of the series, or rather we meet the negative reputation she has earned. We learn of the ways she hurt Evan before leaving town and she was definitely a villain in my eyes before she ever even made it on page.

The Gen we meet in ‘Bad Girl Reputation’ was nothing like the heartless woman I had in my head. The growth in Gen over the course of the book is admirable. We learn the “why’s” of her thought processes and actions, and we’re able to understand how she became the person she was and is now.

The tension and emotions between Gen and Evan was heart wrenching and I couldn’t help but fall in love with them both.

5/5 stars for this emotional beauty. I can’t wait to continue on with the series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Genevieve West has been absent from Avalon Bay for a year, but is forced to return for her mother's funeral. Upon her arrival her past slams her in the face, mainly her ex-boyfriend/best friend/childhood friend/bad reputation partner in crime, Evan Hartley. While the two did not leave on good terms, there is an undeniable sexual chemistry between the two. The problem, when they are together it can mean nothing but trouble. The only way for Genevieve to change is to distance herself from Evan, his solution... to become a changed man. The two may have complicated pasts, but together, things only get worse...for now at least.

I want to first talk about the narration done by Lee Samuels and Summer Morton. As with most audiobooks that I listen to I will increase the listening speed. I find that the typical narration speed is too slow for my liking. My usual speed preference is 1.5 (on Audible or NetGalley's Audio Player); however, with this particular book I was able to listen to it on 1.25 speed and feel comfortable with the pace. It was a pleasant surprise to have happen because it sounded like a normal conversation. That being said, I know not everyone is picky about the audio speed, but for me I like it to sound like a flowing conversation rather than a forced one. Both Lee Samuels and Summer Morton did an excellent job with the characters and expressing not only their personalities but their desires for the other characters. I felt that Gen's character was able to reach into her emotions better than Evan's but that may have been due to the character develop in the writing rather than the narration. Regardless, the two were quite enjoyable to listen to.

Now onto the storyline....In this particular story I would like to note a few content warnings, which include mention of parental death (maternal), corruption in the police force, mention of forced relations (sexual in nature), mention of heavy drugs and alcohol. While these content warnings are not the highlights of the story they are crucial to the storyline.

Some of the things that I enjoyed about this story is that it initially begins with a "bad" boy and a "bad" girl. I enjoyed the parallels that the characters displayed rather than the typical good girl falls for a bad boy. While these characters had similar backgrounds and experiences, Elle Kennedy was able to distinguish the differences and demonstrate how they were perfect for each other. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Evan and his "Little Brother". It is during these scenes that you are able to see Evan growing as a person and in some regards imagine what he may have been like as a kid through the eyes of his "little" brother.

There were some components that I felt were just meh... While I was glad that we were able to see Evan's relationship with his mother in comparison to Cooper's, I felt as if there were components missing or forced. The majority of the book felt like we were just picking up the pieces of a broken life and it always just happened to work out happily ever after. I do understand that this is a book about "growth" it was a bit predictable.

Unfortunately there were other components that I just wasn't a huge fan of, such as the cover art or aspects of the storyline. Starting with the cover, it really just wasn't doing it for me. It does match the story well, there is nothing that is ultimately attracting me to pick up the book. As for the storyline, it was very obvious that Gen and Evan would end up together in the end. It was predictable that they would both grow to be better people, but still have the same chemistry. However, the components about the "bad" cop (how did I forget his name already) and his advances weren't great for me. I am aware that their are corrupt and perverted people in many career fields, it is certainly not specific to one, but it made me uncomfortable to experience that type of power dynamic. Although the story does not go into extreme detail about what happened, the behavior and abuse of power were cringeworthy. Truly not my cup of tea.

Overall the book was decent. If I did not have the audiobook I likely would not have finished it (which gives credit to the quality of the narrators), That being said, I can see the appeal and believe that there will be readers who will like this particular story.

(3.5 rounded down to a 3)

Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy is a contemporary second-chance romance. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at ten and a half hours and is narrated by Lee Samuels and Summer Morton. We follow are two main characters with alternating first-person points-of-view.

Genevieve West just returned home to Avalon Bay for her mother's funeral. Known as a "bad girl" while she was growing up, she's attempting to turn a new leaf. To help with that, she knows she should keep her distance from her ex, Evan Hartley. That may prove difficult, though, as their coastal town is pretty small and Genevieve's agreed to stay for a bit to help her father run his business.

Though this is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone, which is what I did.

This was a pretty okay read. Though both main characters felt very immature to me, they both grew and developed as individuals over the course of the novel. There's a lot of learning how to love and forgive both themselves and others.

This is a character-driven story, and there isn't much plot here. But it was a pleasant way to spend a day listening to an audiobook.

The chemistry between the leads was great, but for a time I was wondering if that's all they really had going for them. They definitely had a fairly toxic relationship at the beginning of this book.

Tropes in this book include: second-chance, high school sweethearts, small town, toxic relationship, twins

CW: death of parent, absentee parent, addiction, sobriety, drug use (on-page) and abuse, alcohol abuse, mental health issues

The publisher provided a audio ARC of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC Of Bad Girl Reputation.

Absolutely loved this book! Elle Kennedy hit it out of the park. I found myself laughing out loud at parts and crying at others. This was such a sweet, fun read. Can't wait to read more from Elle Kennedy.

This was another fun read by Elle Kennedy. I have really enjoyed all of the books that I have read by her, and this one was no different! I am always down for a good second chance romance, so this one had me sold from the very beginning. I also loved the small town setting. I will say the miscommunication trope was a little heavy for my taste, but still an enjoyable read.

Bad Girl Reputation is the story of Gen and Evan. They were their high school or Avalon Bay's kids on the wild side - alcohol, pot, motorcycles, an on again off again relationship with wild nights - and when Gen comes back into town after leaving without saying good bye, sparks fly and tensions are high.
Evan never learned why she left and when he learns about the circumstances - he wants to show her they can be more - woe her - the work they both do in order to be together is rewarding as well as steamy and fun.
I have not read Good Girl Complex but I’ll go back to read more about Cooper and Mac now.
I enjoyed this book and listened to the audio in just a short two days - it definitely kept me going. I loved the changing his and hers POVs narrated by two narrators !

I would like to thank NetGalley and Elle Kennedy for allowing me to receive an audio of Bad Girl Reputation.
I truly enjoyed Bad Girl Reputation, Elle Kennedy is always spot on. This is a second chance romance and follows Genevieve. This is the second book in the series. You don’t have too but I suggest reading Good Girl Complex first.

Elle Kennedy's Bad Girl Reputation is a story of two people who love each other, but are terrible for each other. When Gen leaves town to get away from her reputation, she doesn't tell Evan, her on-again-off-again boyfriend of several years. She sees the damage they do to each other and decides that a clean break is the only way to approach it. Her mother's death brings her back to Avalon Bay where she must confront her past. This is the second in a series, though it stands alone. The characters' relationship is toxic and though they both demonstrate growth, they're immature and bland.

Thank you Macmillan Audio & Netgalley for an of Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy. This was my first book by this author and I am looking forward to reading more by her. I switched between audio and ebook for this one which was great. At first the male narrator reminded me of Joe from You but then I found him super sexy. Weird, I know…

Former bad girl Genevieve West returns home for her mother’s funeral and is doing her best to keep her distance from her ex boyfriend, Evan Hartley. While their relationship is full of passion, they always seem to get in trouble with one another. She finds it harder than she thought to keep her distance, but this time around she wants to do things differently. No more partying and trouble, she plans on getting out of town as soon as she’s done helping her dad with the family business. Evan, however, has other ideas…

This book reminded me a bit of Outer Banks as a setting. The chemistry between Gen and Evan is constantly sizzling - These two can’t keep their hands off of each other. Imagine keeping your distance from that?? The storyline goes quickly and you can feel Kennedy setting up for another in this series, I need to go back and read Good Girl Complex which is the one that came before this!

I’m torn about this book because it got to a point at the beginning where I wanted to DNF but then I devoured it! Also I felt the change in the MMC to be too abrupt to be believable in the long run so I’m still unsure about that, although I love the relationship he created with his little brother.
I disliked that cooper, a character I liked in the previous book, was the most annoying thing in this one though, he was obnoxious and it makes me wonder if I miss remembered book 1 or if I had rose tinted glasses because it was his love story.
Overall it was enjoyable and I would read more books in this series, but it wasn’t my favorite.

On the one hand, I really liked Bad Girl Reputation and found it much more satisfying than the first book in the series. On the other hand, I feel like there is so much character development on display here that doesn't really get explained or otherwise feel earned. In the immediate aftermath of reading this book, that left me feeling a little disappointed, but with time between me and finishing this book, I look back with more fondness than I felt right after finishing it so I think that's probably a good sign.

Essentially, this book is following Gen and Evan. Gen is back in Avalon Bay because her mom died, but she left really without saying bye to anyone, particularly her long time boyfriend, Evan. However, Evan comes to her mom's funeral and the two realize that the sparks between them have certainly not faded away. But Gen is trying to turn over a new leaf. She wants to be a "good girl" now. She doesn't really drink anymore, nor does she go out and party. Evan, on the other hand, has almost not changed at all. He may have even gotten worse. Gen fights her attraction to Evan for the next... while of the book, with limited amounts of success. Meanwhile, Evan decides he's going to prove to Gen that he can he can be a good person too.

I think it's more Evan's character development that bothered me more than anything, because you don't actually get to see him develop. You just get... sort of told that he's volunteering now to prove a point and then... he's... reformed? I'm not really sure what my takeaway with Evan is supposed to be if I'm being totally honest. So while I enjoyed the story, I just wish Elle Kennedy's talent with characters had been a little more on display in this particular book.

Oh, and the narrator did a great job! I really enjoyed listening to this one.