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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Elle Kennedy’s hockey romances, so I decided to branch out to her non-hockey books. I’m sad to say I was a bit disappointed, though maybe this just isn’t the story for me. I thought these characters lacked the chemistry that Elle’s normal couplings do, and I found the story kind of flat.
That being said, I’ll try a different non-hockey series from her!
That being said, I’ll try a different non-hockey series from her!
I got some really strong CW vibes from this one and I'm saying that in the most positive, I-love-those shows interpretation of that.
There's tons of family drama, friendship drama, relationship drama, and finding-yourself drama to ensure that not a moment goes by that your emotions are not invested in what's going on in the story, but it's all evened out by fun and light moments that help you discover that you really do want Mac and Cooper to realize that they're perfect for each other and that they both have great things to offer the other.
There is a lot going on in the story, not just with the relationship between Cooper and Mac, but in how they each relate to their families and how they start taking the reins for their own lives. It was really great to see how they each became better versions of themselves just by being together and how they managed to define themselves outside of the relationship.
Overall, it's a great beach read that pulled me in and made me care about the characters enough that I really hope this turns into a series and we get to see some of the other characters, especially Cooper's twin Evan, get their own hard-fought HEA.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the engaging read!
There's tons of family drama, friendship drama, relationship drama, and finding-yourself drama to ensure that not a moment goes by that your emotions are not invested in what's going on in the story, but it's all evened out by fun and light moments that help you discover that you really do want Mac and Cooper to realize that they're perfect for each other and that they both have great things to offer the other.
There is a lot going on in the story, not just with the relationship between Cooper and Mac, but in how they each relate to their families and how they start taking the reins for their own lives. It was really great to see how they each became better versions of themselves just by being together and how they managed to define themselves outside of the relationship.
Overall, it's a great beach read that pulled me in and made me care about the characters enough that I really hope this turns into a series and we get to see some of the other characters, especially Cooper's twin Evan, get their own hard-fought HEA.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the engaging read!
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 I think for me! I did read it within a week and did find myself invested in the characters and did like the book
1.5 at best
This book was what would happen if After had a baby with parts of the Netflix show Outer Banks, in the worst way possible. The writing was mostly serviceable, but I was not invested in the characters or story at all. Watching Mac and Coop “fall in love” felt like watching paint dry. It was an aggressively mediocre, lifeless story, and to me that’s a worse offense than just being horrifically terrible.
I’ve heard a lot of hype about this author before on book Twitter, but if this is any indication of what her work is like, I’ll stay clear of the rest of it.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
This book was what would happen if After had a baby with parts of the Netflix show Outer Banks, in the worst way possible. The writing was mostly serviceable, but I was not invested in the characters or story at all. Watching Mac and Coop “fall in love” felt like watching paint dry. It was an aggressively mediocre, lifeless story, and to me that’s a worse offense than just being horrifically terrible.
I’ve heard a lot of hype about this author before on book Twitter, but if this is any indication of what her work is like, I’ll stay clear of the rest of it.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
Perfect lighthearted summer read! To be honest this book wasn’t ~revolutionary~ but it’s one of those easy lighthearted reads that makes you just not want to put the book down. Very predictable and cliche but sometimes you need that! You know what I mean?! Truly loved it. Would recommend!
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the book was very predictable, the characters were pretty flat, and it was hard to connect with people who are all soooooo breathtakingly beautiful and overlappingly promiscuous. The level of wealth described was obscene. I think Uncle Levi was the redeeming factor. The rest, I mean, I didn't dnf it, but eh.
I wanted to love this more than I did (because I love The Deal so much and the rest of that series is pretty high on my TBR). I listened to Good Girl Complex on audio and found it to be a quick, enjoyable listen. However, there was really nothing here that wow'd me.
I honestly did not really find Mackenzie to be a very likable heroine. I didn't feel like she was relatable - it felt like her only personality traits were being rich and hard working (relatively, for the kind of rich that she was). I never really felt any sort of connection to her.
And then Cooper - he was alright (morality aside but I went into this book with a good idea of the spoilers) but not really a lovable character.
The other thing I wasn't thrilled with was that the reveal and reconciliation happened way too close to the end of the book (like the characters are reconciling at the 97% mark). I would have liked the book more if the reveal had happened sooner so more of the plot could have covered them working through their problems and then finding their HEA. Instead I would categorize this ending as an HFN because it happened too late in the book to indicate this couple really is destined for a HEA.
Will I read more Elle Kennedy books after this? Absolutely - I'm still eyeing all of the Off-Campus and Briar U books. But will I continue with Avalon Bay? Maybe not.
I honestly did not really find Mackenzie to be a very likable heroine. I didn't feel like she was relatable - it felt like her only personality traits were being rich and hard working (relatively, for the kind of rich that she was). I never really felt any sort of connection to her.
And then Cooper - he was alright (morality aside but I went into this book with a good idea of the spoilers) but not really a lovable character.
The other thing I wasn't thrilled with was that the reveal and reconciliation happened way too close to the end of the book (like the characters are reconciling at the 97% mark). I would have liked the book more if the reveal had happened sooner so more of the plot could have covered them working through their problems and then finding their HEA. Instead I would categorize this ending as an HFN because it happened too late in the book to indicate this couple really is destined for a HEA.
Will I read more Elle Kennedy books after this? Absolutely - I'm still eyeing all of the Off-Campus and Briar U books. But will I continue with Avalon Bay? Maybe not.
Había visto buenas críticas y quería leer algo sencillo, pero no me ha gustado. No me gustan las bases sobre las que construyen su relación y no me los creo, siento que me están intentando vender unos sentimientos que no veo reflejados en el libro.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've read better. As always, relationships goes well, until someone screws up big time or a big secret comes out. Nothing ✨amazing✨
I've read better. As always, relationships goes well, until someone screws up big time or a big secret comes out. Nothing ✨amazing✨