Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Bad Girl Reputation

I hated this book. Just being honest and blunt, it wasn’t great. The writing style is fine; it’s an easy read. But so many frustrating little things add up to one big disappointment. To begin, I didn’t know this was a sequel. Fortunately it doesn’t read like one, though. But the characters are so annoying. Genevieve literally cannot get out of her own way, and the constant back and forth between her and Evan is so tiring. “I want you so bad, but no I can’t! Okay maybe just a little.. but no, I shouldn’t!” Come on. Over and over with that same schtick. Here’s a list in page order of ridiculous things that happen:

1. Gen is sober, for over a year. She describes a one-time relapse where she ends up in a strangers bed with no memory of the night, and how she can’t continue on drinking and partying like she used to. She turns down every single drink offered to her, declines drinks basically pushed in her hands. But all of a sudden, when she’s on a FAKE DATE with Harrison, she’s totally fine with having a glass of wine? “It’s not like I’m pounding shots or downing cocktails. I won’t even get a buzz..” says what sober, recovering alcoholic? This is the big point that pulled me away from the story, honestly, and shows careless writing. Seriously, a recovering alcoholic is going to be okay with one glass of wine? Just lazy.
2. The whole cop ordeal. ACAB all the way, but it seems so pointless and misguided to have the whole “drunk angry creep cop” storyline play out. There wasn’t any need, Gen had turned a new leaf of sobriety and not partying, why is this cop still showing up at every turn and somehow knows whenever there’s substances involved? Again, just lazy writing. There’s no real danger, so they had to come up with some enemy to ruin the character’s plans. It’s just a weak attempt at real conflict.
3. The first time Gen and Evan have sex again, it’s on a public beach. They fall asleep naked and she wakes up late for work, furious at herself for falling back with Evan and not being responsible. She makes it this huge ordeal about not being able to follow through with her obligations when she’s involved with him, when in reality it’s so simple. Her panic could’ve easily been avoided by a damn alarm on her phone. It’s ridiculous, and sets off the on-and-off-again between them.
4. Evan volunteers at a nursing home with his brothers dog. He’s visiting an elderly man with a beloved pet bird. Evan opens the bird cage, bird gets out, dog eats bird, elderly man is heartbroken and furious. Just another insanely pointless addition. This later comes back up when Evan and Gen run into the elderly man while on the boardwalk, and he chases them into a clown house. Which again, leads to nothing and adds nothing to the story.
5. Skip all of Chapter 19. Doesn’t add anything to the story and is just an overwhelmingly boring recap of a pokers night.
6. Genevieve is such a downer, really an unlovable character. She is constantly droning on about how she needs to stay away from Evan and be with someone different, but the second she finds a completely different and genuine good guy, all she can do is insult and make fun of him to herself. “The kind of guy I’d be making fun of…one of the yuppie tools… he’s far too nice..” Everything about Harrison, from his dad humor to his khaki pants, puts her off. She goes on about how nice he is, happy and optimistic, but how it only makes her feel more bitter and empty. There’s seriously something wrong with her. I get just not feeling attraction, but it’s like she craves sharp edges, and couldn’t stand to be with a kind, gentle man who’d treat her properly. She entertains Evan right in front of her date many times, allowing him to barge in and interrupt them again and again, simply because it excites her to see her ex jealous. She admits to herself that she has no attraction to Harrison, but “..there’s no harm in giving this a shot and letting him grow on me.” Yeah, no harm in leading the nice guy on and trying to force a relationship that clearly won’t work, just to get back at your ex.
7. Just the overall toxicity of Gen and Evan. Misery loves company. They both fully see how destructive and chaotic they are together, yet they both continue treating it like some sort of game. It’s pathetic and gets old quickly. Predictability isn’t a good trait in a book.
8. When Evan finally gets the courage to be a man and leave Gen alone for good, it’s at the worst time possible, right after she’s released from jail. He should’ve broken up with her forever ago, but no, he decides in her weak moment, “now’s the time!” And then literally the next day Gen PROPOSES TO HIM. With a blow pop. What am I even reading at this point.

I’m glad it’s over. Again, it’s an easy book to get through and an alright read. I just got stuck on the stupid little things, which matter to me. Do not recommend simply for those bits.

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xlaurareads's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

another great book by elle kennedy! i fell for evan hartley in good girl complex and couldn't wait to read his and gen's story and let me tell you - i wasn't disappointed! gen is such an amazing character and a real badass and i loved how the author described her inner conflict and made her and evan resolve all their issues and re-establish their relationship in a healthy way. i also liked how the author included story elements revolving around the twin's mother and included all the characters from the first book and drew a connection between the couples. the storyline around rusty randall was a bit annoying, but just because that man really was a pain in the ass - i'm glad the issue around him was resolved, as well. all in all, this was a stellar book which i read in only two days and liked a lot; however, i kinda missed the little "something" and a bit more plot for it to be a 5-star read.

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rusereviews's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

(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.

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cluckieduck's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

"Change is a choice we make every day, a thousand times a day. We choose to do this one thing better. Then the next. And the next."

While I didn't particularly enjoy Good Girl Complex I really wanted to read about Evan & Gen's relationship. Evan was introduced in Good Girl Complex as the identical twin to its male lead Cooper, but we only heard about Gen because of how her supposed actions affected Evan and influenced his dickish behaviour, so I was very interested to get more of a backstory on their past. Unfortunately, what we get is a very toxic second-chance romance between a girl trying to shed her party-girl image and live a sober life and a guy who can't take 'no' for an answer and doesn't believe that his supposed 'best friend' is being genuine in wanting to change her ways.

"Evan and I have always had this tension between us. Pushing and pulling. Making each other jealous and manipulating a response. It's all part of the bad habits I'm trying to break. Yet, in doing so, I'm repeating the steps."

I think I may be ageing out of enjoying Elle Kennedy because I just found it, overall, to be quite juvenile. And yes, comparatively, 22 is young, but their actions (Evan's more so) were so immature. I also didn't appreciate that Gen kept stringing along Harrison knowing full-well that their relationship was going nowhere while she still had feelings (and kept hooking up with!!) Evan. That was totally unfair.

Everything wrapped up much to quickly and neatly, throwing up happy resolutions between so many intertwining relationships, it was a bit of an eye-roll. I won't be continuing with the series after this.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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lucindanorine's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Overall I thought this was a really cute book. The audiobook narrators did a fantastic job! High school "sweethearts" that have to over come their own faults to make life work! I wish it had been more diverse, but it was definitely cute!

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arthur_ant18's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I may not have been the hugest fan of the Avalon Bay series opener Good Girl Complex, but I dove into its sequel with an open mind, considering how much I've enjoyed Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus series and its Briar U spinoff series. As it turns out, I had a pretty fun time with Bad Girl Reputation, what with Gen and Evan's fiery push-and-pull chemistry, the tight-knit and heartfelt nature of the coastal community they live in, and the themes of self-improvement and forgiving others for their mistakes.

Gen was an intriguing character from the start. While we'd never met her in Good Girl Complex, her partier ways and her turbulent relationship with Evan had been brought up multiple times—and never in a positive light. I was able to see the reason for that myself in the first quarter of this second chance romance, which shows the two of them dragging each other back down into a toxic whirlpool, even as Gen is attempting to stay on the wagon. Evan has his own baggage to handle, having to cut down on his penchant for drinking and brawling.

Then there's the boatload of jealousy that they purposely stir up in each other, which, admittedly, was a big turnoff for me as a reader. I know this is supposed to be part of the messy side of their dynamic and they have to conquer it, but it irked the hell out of me nonetheless. In addition, there's a beat in the beginning that makes Evan feel a bit like a Nice Guy who believes Gen owes him sex and a relationship like she's a vending machine who needs to pop out her merchandise after he's dropped in the coins. It goes by quickly and I'm able to root for them to work out later on, but it's still present.

As the book develops, Gen and Evan prove how truly capable they are of shedding their destructive tendencies and maturing into better people while managing to preserve the mischief and passion in their cores. The evolution they make happens for each of them individually as well as for their relationship, helping them step away from the toxic co-dependency on which they’ve hinged in the past. The banter they toss back and forth is entertaining to consume, too.

As heavy as this book might sound, though, I don't think it actually spends that much time unpacking all the hardships of alcoholism and drug abuse in spite of how much Gen and Evan struggle with them. It tackles those issues from a fairly glossy perspective, which has garnered some criticism from readers. As much as I would have been into a darker version of what Gen and Evan had to do to best their addictions, I'm also satisfied with this rose-colored depiction. I've read enough contemporary romances that get surprisingly intense despite their fluffy-looking covers that I'll just want trigger warnings handled with a lighter tone sometimes.

Getting to know the Avalon Bay gang was a fun element of Good Girl Complex, so I’m glad its follow-up introduces us to even more of the town and makes it feel that much more alive. Riley, a teenage boy whom Evan befriends through a Big Brother program, is a particularly charming newcomer. The villain that comes in the form of creepy cop Rusty Randall can be a bit too mustache-twirly for my taste, but he’s a serviceable obstacle for Evan and Gen to overcome.

What I really appreciate is the arc that’s explored for Shelley, the outrageously irresponsible mother of Evan and his twin brother Cooper (the latter was one of the MCs in Good Girl Complex). After having abandoned them, she now has the habit of returning to town every once in a while, pretending like she'll stick around and rebuild a healthy relationship with them, appealing to them for money, and then skedaddling out of Avalon Bay with said money. Cooper is the one who's hardened himself and doesn't expect his mom to change for the better, while Evan has always been lenient with their mom and holding out hope for her. But after how deeply she screwed them over during her last visit (which you can consume for yourself in Good Girl Complex), even Evan intends to not let Shelley off the hook this time. However, she goes on her own journey while her son and Gen take up the main plot, and it becomes quite heartening as it interweaves with the book's thematic core of mustering up the courage to work on your own character and creating enough space in your heart to be compassionate towards those who are undergoing such a process.

If you're willing to accept the time that the green-eyed monster spends roaring out of Gen and Evan and the somewhat sugarcoated approach to their vices, then I think Bad Girl Reputation will have plenty of merits for you to enjoy. Make sure you mark its release date (October 3rd, 2022) on your calendar!

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cheyreads's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was the perfect second chance childhood love romance read for the summer. The characters were lovable but had an edge of realness to them. The interpersonal relationships within this book were realistic and clear. Although there was a lot of characters it was easy to remember who was who due to how each character was truly their own person. I really got to know each and everyone of them to some extent. The flaws within the characters just made them even more relatable. I never felt the negative biases against peoples life choices that make me feel judged that sometimes be a theme within romance books about turning your life around.

It was hard for me to put the book down at points. And I can't wait to read more about Avalon Bay, the characters, and their love stories. This book was a HEA.

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kristinecircenis's review

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emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advanced reader’s copy.

Returning to Avalon Bay was like being reunited with old friends. I love a second chance romance story and Gen and Evan’s story checked all my boxes. I also loved seeing a sober main character. If anyone could attack demon’s head on, it’s Gen. I hope we see more of Gen and Mac in the future!

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