Good Girl Complex: An Avalon Bay Novel

Elle Kennedy

Feb 2022 · Avalon Bay Book 1 · Sold by St. Martin's Griffin

About this ebook

*USA Today and Toronto Star bestseller*

Full of romance, hijinks, and longing, Good Girl Complex is Elle Kennedy at her very best.

She does everything right. So what could go wrong?

Mackenzie “Mac” Cabot is a people pleaser. Her demanding parents. Her prep school friends. Her long-time boyfriend. It’s exhausting, really, always following the rules. All she wants to do is focus on growing her internet business, but first she must get a college degree at her parents’ insistence. That means moving to the beachside town of Avalon Bay, a community made up of locals and the wealthy students of Garnet College.

Twenty-year-old Mac has had plenty of practice suppressing her wilder impulses, but when she meets local bad boy Cooper Hartley, that ability is suddenly tested. Cooper is rough around the edges. Raw. Candid. A threat to her ordered existence. Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life.

Despite his disdain for the trust-fund kids he sees coming and going from his town, Cooper soon realizes Mac isn’t just another rich clone and falls for her. Hard. But as Mac finally starts feeling accepted by Cooper and his friends, the secret he’s been keeping from her threatens the only place she’s ever felt at home.

Ratings and reviews

I'm a fan of Elle Kennedy and was excited by the blurb and the prospect of this new book from this excellent author. Unfortunately, I didn't love Good Girl Complex as much as I hoped that I would. I enjoyed it, but there were just things that I didn't connect with. Cooper is what is consider a "townie" and Mackenzie is a student at the local college. Mackenzie's family is well off and also as a student, she's considered a "clone". While "townies" and "clones" don't usually interact, Cooper has found out that he has a reason to establish a relationship with Mac. The two become friends, and as you can imagine, things end up taking a more romantic turn. The question is, can they overcome all of the issues that rise up to cause friction in the relationship? While there were things I liked about the book, I had a really hard time connecting with the characters. I wanted to love them and wanted to really care, but for some reason, there was something lacking for me. I wish I could put my finger on why, but I can't. While this wasn't my favorite Elle Kennedy book, it's still well written and I'll check out her future works for sure.

2.5* I'm calling it at 28% and giving this book the benefit of the doubt by rounding it up to 3*, in the hopes that by the end it redeems itself. I may come back to it, and skim through the rest, but for now I'm just not into it. Honestly, I was ready to call it quits at 3%. I requested Good Girl Complex because it sounded really good, this line from the blurb just hit me- "Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life." But their so-called friendship is based on a lie- the blurb is misleading and leaves out a lot some important details. So I feel a bit deceived and disappointed. The bet between Cooper and his friends is actually kind of ridiculous- what's the point of hurting the guy's girlfriend, when you're trying to get back at him? Preston's the kind of guy who only cares about himself.

Revenge dating is always a hard trope for me to get into, because you know that they are going to fall for each other, and at some point, the betrayal will become know. I’m anxious the whole story usually, but, I know this authour delivers a top notch story, so I dove in. It was a great story, as these two seemingly opposite people make a real connection with each other. They also bring out the best in each other, and are supportive and encouraging. They have amazing chemistry, right from the start, and are really likeable characters. They work through problems and handle things maturely. I just liked them, I liked their friends, I liked how their lives turned around, making them both really happy. The bad things happened, obviously, it has to, but there was such a connection, you knew it would be handled the way they handled everything else. This was a great start to this series, and I can’t wait for more characters to get their HEAs!

About the author

A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, ELLE KENNEDY grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and is the author of more than forty romantic suspense and contemporary romance novels, including the international bestselling Off-Campus and Briar U series.