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A review by brittanica_bold
Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy
4.0
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: October 4, 2022
My Rating: 4 bad boys > good boys stars (I don't make the rules!)
Quote that sums up the book: “What happens when the party girl and the bad boy grow up?”
Review:
Oooook, I was a bad girl…I requested this ARC thinking it would take months to be accepted (also thinking I didn’t have a shot in hell of being accepted) and then I sat on it for almost a month. Why, you may ask? Well, I just wasn’t ready to have my heart fully ripped out (not in the good way) by Elle Kennedy after the taste "Good Girl Complex" left in my mouth.
If you read my review of "Good Girl Complex" in March, you know that I was not a huge fan of it, and I am a huge Elle Kennedy fan. I was super disappointed and almost DNF’d…it was bad. I gave it a 3 and honestly kicked my own ass for that for a good month. It was not a 3. It will never be a 3. I hated everyone but Evan, and I really hated the MMCs.
What I liked about the book:
1. I legitimately liked the main characters in this one. Gen was on a self-reflective, transformative path the whole book, and I love watching characters go through transformations.
I loved that this book made it very clear that Gen was changing for herself and not for Evan or anyone else. She changed for her own well-being which is
I also loved that Evan supported her growth through her transition and definitely helped her to keep perspective on what things made her her versus what things made her destructive to herself. I loved that she didn’t lose her feist or her spirit, she really just grew up.
Speaking of transformations, Evan had one too! He was already the bad boy, ooey gooey goodness that I love, but then he totally put some of his more destructive habits behind him for the sake of winning his childhood sweetheart back and getting out of his bad boy funk. He was able to enrich the lives of the elderly, the youth, and his own family by the steps he made to put his own destructive habits behind him. I also appreciated how he realized drinking was a problem for him, but he also didn’t want to just quit entirely. He wanted to be able to do things in moderation rather than go all out, i.e. have a beer at poker night instead of going on a bender. For someone like myself, that seems like a much more sustainable long-term solution than going completely straight-edge. To each their own, but I liked this approach especially compared to Gen’s straight-edge approach.
2. To me, childhood sweethearts is one of the best tropes out there, and this one was done right. I really felt the connection they had having grown up together and having seen each other through a bunch of shit. This solidified my rooting for them from the beginning. There came a point in the book where I was worried we weren't going to get the HEA, and I was ready to judge this book hardcore with a 2-star rating. FORTUNATELY, we got our HEA!
3. I had already fallen for Evan in Good Girl Complex, but this line had my sliding all the way home for this man:
As a financially independent, mom of one with a crazy-ass work schedule, the fastest way to my heart is saying you’re not only willing, but are comfortable enough in your masculinity, to be a stay-at-home dad. Add in a guy with the moves of a playboy and the trademark Hartley smirk, and I’ll be your sugar mama any day of the week.
What didn't do it for me:
1. While book 1 of the Avalon Bay series had really mixed messages about cheating, this book had the terrible plot of using a nice guy for your own selfish needs. Gen knew she didn’t really like Harrison, and she had no sexual attraction to him, yet she kept stringing him along. This was especially bad when she was basically jumping out of bed with Evan every night to get into Harrison’s car the next morning. Harrison deserved better.
2. I’m honestly scratching my head a bit thinking about if there is going to be another book in the series. Seems like there may be something in the works for Alana + Wyatt + Tate. However, I don’t like these characters enough to deal with their drama. I may read a Heidi + Jay book, just because that’s opposites attract for sure and that could be fun!
Special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
Publication Date: October 4, 2022
My Rating: 4 bad boys > good boys stars (I don't make the rules!)
Quote that sums up the book: “What happens when the party girl and the bad boy grow up?”
Review:
Oooook, I was a bad girl…I requested this ARC thinking it would take months to be accepted (also thinking I didn’t have a shot in hell of being accepted) and then I sat on it for almost a month. Why, you may ask? Well, I just wasn’t ready to have my heart fully ripped out (not in the good way) by Elle Kennedy after the taste "Good Girl Complex" left in my mouth.
If you read my review of "Good Girl Complex" in March, you know that I was not a huge fan of it, and I am a huge Elle Kennedy fan. I was super disappointed and almost DNF’d…it was bad. I gave it a 3 and honestly kicked my own ass for that for a good month. It was not a 3. It will never be a 3. I hated everyone but Evan, and I really hated the MMCs.
What I liked about the book:
1. I legitimately liked the main characters in this one. Gen was on a self-reflective, transformative path the whole book, and I love watching characters go through transformations.
I loved that this book made it very clear that Gen was changing for herself and not for Evan or anyone else. She changed for her own well-being which is
I also loved that Evan supported her growth through her transition and definitely helped her to keep perspective on what things made her her versus what things made her destructive to herself. I loved that she didn’t lose her feist or her spirit, she really just grew up.
Speaking of transformations, Evan had one too! He was already the bad boy, ooey gooey goodness that I love, but then he totally put some of his more destructive habits behind him for the sake of winning his childhood sweetheart back and getting out of his bad boy funk. He was able to enrich the lives of the elderly, the youth, and his own family by the steps he made to put his own destructive habits behind him. I also appreciated how he realized drinking was a problem for him, but he also didn’t want to just quit entirely. He wanted to be able to do things in moderation rather than go all out, i.e. have a beer at poker night instead of going on a bender. For someone like myself, that seems like a much more sustainable long-term solution than going completely straight-edge. To each their own, but I liked this approach especially compared to Gen’s straight-edge approach.
2. To me, childhood sweethearts is one of the best tropes out there, and this one was done right. I really felt the connection they had having grown up together and having seen each other through a bunch of shit. This solidified my rooting for them from the beginning. There came a point in the book where I was worried we weren't going to get the HEA, and I was ready to judge this book hardcore with a 2-star rating. FORTUNATELY, we got our HEA!
3. I had already fallen for Evan in Good Girl Complex, but this line had my sliding all the way home for this man:
“I do,” he says. “Want a big family, I mean. I’d even be the stay-at-home dad. Do all the diapers and make lunches and all that.”
As a financially independent, mom of one with a crazy-ass work schedule, the fastest way to my heart is saying you’re not only willing, but are comfortable enough in your masculinity, to be a stay-at-home dad. Add in a guy with the moves of a playboy and the trademark Hartley smirk, and I’ll be your sugar mama any day of the week.
What didn't do it for me:
1. While book 1 of the Avalon Bay series had really mixed messages about cheating, this book had the terrible plot of using a nice guy for your own selfish needs. Gen knew she didn’t really like Harrison, and she had no sexual attraction to him, yet she kept stringing him along. This was especially bad when she was basically jumping out of bed with Evan every night to get into Harrison’s car the next morning. Harrison deserved better.
2. I’m honestly scratching my head a bit thinking about if there is going to be another book in the series. Seems like there may be something in the works for Alana + Wyatt + Tate. However, I don’t like these characters enough to deal with their drama. I may read a Heidi + Jay book, just because that’s opposites attract for sure and that could be fun!
Special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.