I read this book in just a day. It had me hooked from the start and the dual POV was delicious.

Like many beach reads, you have an inkling for the ups and down of the story right off the bat. Does it make the book any less enjoyable? Not for me.

Romance aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the coming of age story and felt like I really got to know the cast of characters. I'd recommend it if you're a fan of the small town vibes in Archer's Voice and Flock.

Sadly, I did have some quality issues with the NetGalley ARC on my Kindle with lots of odd line breaks and some page numbers within the text itself. Hopefully this is resolved quickly!

Let me start by saying, I love the “pretend to like the girl and end up falling for her “ trope in books and i especially love it when it’s done out of revenge (twisted I know) so I had high hope for this.

It took me around 100 pages to get into as I read on my kindle and the formatting wasn’t best suited for that. There are a few times where speech occurs on the same line even though two people are talking so I was kind of confused. I moved over to my phone and it was much better to get a grasp on.

Cooper comes of a smidge and I mean, a smidge juvenile. But he’s hot as hell nonetheless. I really liked watching him fall so deeply for Mac and I love their dynamic. When he talks about their relationship being only theirs and they can be themselves even if that means they bicker - I love that.

Mac is a sweetie, a bit naive but sweet. I fell for her when she rescued Daisy from the rocks despite it being high tide. The way Kennedy shows the struggles between her and her family even tho they are wealthy is very eye opening. It shows treat no matter if your rich or poor, life won’t always be kind.

I do wish their break up lasted a bit longer and was a bit more angsty. I enjoy the break up points on these kind of romance books. When they sob for hours, or isolate themselves or do something stupid (like drink themselves blind) so I just wish there was a bit more of that. I also would’ve liked an epilogue to find out how the hotel is going and how their relationship is.

Overall I enjoyed this book for what it was. A happy romance with barely any angst and a HEA.

This was such a cute, fun, quick and easy read that I read super quickly. It was funny, gripping and tomantic. the characters were well written, the story was well written and super cute and I loved the writing. I really enjoyed it.

LIKES
☀️ Mac’s growth from insecure to unapologetically owning her achievements.
☀️ Dual POV - always a winner in romance books.
☀️ Proper explanation of the lead up to the break down of Mac and Preston’s relationship.
☀️ The chemistry. Mac and Coop had good banter from the beginning, so the romance felt believable. I liked how the tension was built up over time.
☀️ The side characters also had good development arc’s - particularly Evan and Heidi. We love to see it.
☀️ Elle Kennedy knows how to write a great steamy scene 👌🏻

DISLIKES
🌙 The lack of female solidarity. Whilst Cooper and his friends were total tools, I couldn’t believe how catty the women were against another woman they’d even never met.
🌙 I’m not a fan of the whole ‘tricking someone into dating you for revenge’ trope (definitely not the name), which meant I never fully warmed to Coop.
🌙 The townie/clone rivalry got a little petty for people in their 20s.

Mac and Cooper are from opposite sides of life, but come together in a story about defying expectations and being different to what people expect. I absolutely loved it ! Ohh the storyline was fascinating, deep, intense, thrilling, and shocking! Honestly, as much as I needed to know how it ended-I didn’t want it to! I needed more!!

Elle Kennedy is back with another romance story to sweep you off your feet.
Mac is a college freshman, who doesn't want to be there. She already knows what her dreams are and wants to follow her heart but there are a few obstacles standing her in way, mainly her parents and their idea of what will make Mac the 'perfect' daughter.
1) Go to college, make connections for the future, socialise.
2) Continue to date your long term boyfriend Preston. He has money, comes from a good family and is already lined up to work for his dad's bank. Being with him is a benefit for the whole family.
3) Get Married, have babies and be a stay at home wife who will organise galas and charity balls like her mom.
THE END
But Mac has dreams, and when local boy Cooper becomes her friend her eyes are opened to a different side of life, adventure and risk that she' s spent her whole life ignoring.

Cooper has spent his whole life watching people flit in and out of his home town, but he knows the distinction by now. You have the townies, like him, his brother Evan and their group of lifelong friends. They've lived here all their lives, work hard and still struggle day to day. And then there is the clones. The rich kids who go to the college in town and leave every summer only to be replaced by other clones coming to the seaside town as an 'escape' from their stressful lives of making millions and hosting parties. The main thing he knows is that he has no time for them. That is until he becomes friendly with Mac, a rich girl from Garnet who just might have more to her than new shoes and expensive jewels. Cooper might just realise they have more in common than he could ever imagine...


Good Girl Complex has created a new world for Elle Kennedy that I hope we get to explore more of in the future, with characters like Evan and Bonnie really shining in their side character roles. While the particular tropes used in ggc were not my favourite of Kennedys, I did enjoy the overall story and settings and found her writing enjoyable.

Thank you in advance to NetGalley UK and Elle Kennedy for providing me with a review copy of this book.

I requested good girl complex because I knew I would like it. And as it turns out: I did. Very much.

Mackenzie is a goody good rich girl with a perfect boyfriend: Preston. They are the perfect couple and have their future all planned out. Mackenzie, despite wanting to develop her own business, goes to College to please her parents. On a night out she meets Cooper who doesn‘t fit in her world, at all. His bad boy attitude and candor reels her in immediately and they start becoming friends. Soon their friendship is the most exciting thing in her life. But the secret Cooper keeps from her could destroy their peace.

I loved Mackenzie so so much. She is a fun girl which at the beginning of the book is chained by the boundaries she puts herself in, as well as the ones her parents and her boyfriend put on her. When she meets Cooper she sees that there is more to life than staying in your comfort zone and not offend anyone.

Cooper is the perfect bad boy, who isn‘t actually a bad boy. He may look like one but he is soooo kind and supportive and not at all an asshole. Okay maybe a little. He has his own struggles going on but manages to keep his life together.

When Cooper and Mackenzie are together, there is chemistry, there is spice and they are soooo supportive of each other.

I also really liked the other characters, except one, you‘re not supposed to like until the end.

All in all I loved the story, the protagonists, the dynamic between the characters… It all felt so real and genuine. And I loved that Mackenzie stood up for herself.
With that said: I‘m excited for other books of the author.

One of my favorite quotes that Cooper said to Mackenzie: „Build your empire. Slay dragons.“
And for me that basically says it all.
Go preorder it and enjoy it on February 1st. You won‘t regret it, promise!

Good Girl Complex ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 (3.5) rounded up to 4⭐️ for NetGalley.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

Good Girl Complex is told from two perspectives, Mac and Cooper.
Mac is your typical rich girl who definitely gives off those ‘good girl’ vibes. Cooper is your definition of ‘bad boy’.

Firstly, I’ve got to mention the cover because it is just gorgeous! I love the authors writing style. It’s so easy to read and boy does Elle Kennedy know how to write those steamy scenes. I really enjoyed having both Mac and Cooper’s perspectives, I feel like getting to hear both their thoughts really made the book for me.

I have absolutely adored Elle Kennedy’s previous books so I was ridiculously excited and grateful to receive an advanced copy of Good Girl Complex. However, I found it difficult to fully get on board with this book when I dislike so many of the tropes featured in it. Revenge dating is a big no from me, as well as the whole focus of cheating and unfaithfulness being at the centre of this book. I think this is a big reason why I couldn’t get into and enjoy the book as much as I’d hoped.

If you aren’t so bothered about those tropes then I’m sure this one would be a very enjoyable romance read!

It was sassy, enjoyable, easy to read romance! One of the highly recommendable reads of this year! If you're a fan of the author and enjoy her previous Off-Campus series as much as I did, this book is a great fit for you!

Ooff. That was good. So very good.

I'm trying to think of what to write, but I don't have words. Good Girl Complex was brilliant. It follows to lives of Coopper Hartley, resident bad-boy townie, and Mackenzie Cabot, a freshman at Garnet University for the rich. Without spoiling anything, the reason these two meet has my toes curling. It's a premise I love, and boy did Elle Kennedy write it well. Their friendship is full of banter, and the chemistry between them is fire. They are both passionate, argumentative people, two sides of the same coin and work so well together. I can't say there's a single thing I don't like about this book. The side characters are all great, even those we hate, and add incredible depth to the story. I am so looking forward to the next Avalon Bay novel.

Elle Kennedy, you have been added to the auto-read list.

3.75⭐️

thank you to netgalley and little, brown book group UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

a rich good girl and a bad boy ‘townie’ = just what i needed!! i really enjoyed the story and the premise. elle never disappoints, this was fabulous- i loved the chemistry between mac and cooper, however, their ‘love’ story was very basic and predictable in some ways. that being said i did very much love the ending and wish there was more!! 😂

I requested this book because the cover is stunning and because the blurb had me hooked.

However, those two things lured me into reading (skimming) a cliche story with predictable dialogue and unlikeable characters.

The use of the worst trope ever coupled with a writing style that I, personally, don't like meant I just skimmed through the book to see if anything improved. It didn't. The only redeeming quality was the dog.

Thank you Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the arc of Good Girl Complex.

I was overjoyed to be given the chance to read and review this book by Elle Kennedy. Good Girl Complex has the classic troop of revenge love with a sprinkle of Kennedy Magic.

From chapter 1 I loved Cooper, he really believed he could get revenge and walk away. But quickly doubts his actions when he gets to know MacKenzie. Cooper sees that his stereotyped attitudes towards the "clones" is outdated and not always true.

The puppy that brought them together, how can we not want the perfect ending.

This book is fantastic, it's exciting with Cooper and Mackenzie having their budding relationship plus they both have separate storyline which make this a fun packed action read.

Elle Kennedy books are not without some wonderful love....making. Recipes for love and dessert type outcomes.
A must read book for ALL romance readers in 2022!

#NetGalley #GoodGirlComplex #ElleKennedy #Books2022

DNF - Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I didn’t like the concept of getting with someone to get back at someone else.

I feel like my entire review could be summed up by me saying "it's 5am and I've just finished this book" but sadly Netgalley requires a few more words then that.
I had high hopes for this book since last year and freaked when I got accepted for an ARC. I said to myself that as soon as I finished my assignments I was going to read this asap and that's exactly what I did.
Elle Kennedy has a talent for writing relationships with so much chemistry, not even romantic relationships either. The overall friend groups she creates all seem like the best of pals and I want a friendship like that.
I could not put this down, hence why it's 5am. Highly recommend this one.

I had high hopes for this one as I have heard great things about the author but I just can’t get past the plot, The guy is going to try to date the girl just to get one over on the guy she is already dating, sorry nope that’s just icky. I know it will have happened in real life but I dont want to read about it

I really enjoyed the build up of the relationship between Mac and Cooper. This is a classic Elle Kennedy romance novel and fans of her previous books will not be disappointed. I also enjoyed the backstory to the side characters and the friendship of the group. I look forward to reading further books based on these characters too.

Elle Kennedy is one of my "go-to" authors; no matter what genre or trope she is writing in, she never disappoints. I was super excited to receive a copy of Good Girl Complex and it turned out to be everything I hoped for and more. A brilliantly written New Adult romance, it contains everything I have come to love from Elle's books.
Without giving anything away, any reader thinking of picking this one up should know that its packed full of chemistry and passion between the two main characters, its an enjoyable read and will have you hooked from the very beginning.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc for an honest opinion.

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

This book was a cute and fast paced contemporary romance! But also it was so predictable and seemed like I’ve read it before. There was no shocking plot twist, just the same old. But hope others will like this way more than I did. So if you’re in for a cute and fast paced contemporary romance? This is it for you.

Oh, I do love a classic bad boy falls for good girl trope.

Mac was an interesting character with the romance running alongside the progress of her own business and work ethic. Whilst Cooper was the loveable not-so-bad bad boy.

Definitely a feel good romance, perfect for summer with a female character that will have you aspiring to chase your goals.

Although there are some aspects of the story that didn’t sit quite right with me, I definitely got stuck on the chemistry between Cooper and Mac.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️