Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Good Girl Complex

This is a hesitant 3 stars (I waa initially thinking 2.5); the book is about cheating as a grounds for a relationship, and even when the characters themselves frown upon the issue heavily, I think the cheating – when found out – should have been worked on more. The main characters are young, though, so you shouldn't expect too much emotional maturity from them. They are both still finding their place in the world and figuring things out, which gives them a little slack.

Both the main characters are flawed and doing things for the wrong reasons. The plot revolves around breaking up a relationship / cheating as a revenge, but that revenge plot turns into unexpected real feelings. The main characters Cooper and Mackenzie are not good people, even though they seem to make each other better by encouragement and emotional support when they are together.

Both the main characters have a tendency to avoid the hardest conversations and facing the truth, though, which creates the basis for the ultimate tension and

third act breakup

. I wish the issue was resolved with more groveling, self-improvement, and a longer heart-to-heart conversation, especially as the morality of cheating and lying has been a constant subject in the story.

I also wish the book continued a little further into the timeline and showed if they really could make their relationship work in the long run – if they can look past the revenge chesting plot. Now it feels like the characters are still looking at each other with rosy shades of lusty infatuation, and the real world might still be too much for them to stay together. Yet maybe that is what they deserve: a good-ish relationship on shitty grounds, or yet another breakup to break their hearts.

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caitlinspeachyreads's review

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fast-paced

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

1.75

Simply put it was awkward….

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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

3.0

I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed Elle Kennedy’s previous work and wanted to read more of her work. This book was okay, it wasn’t outstanding, I just wanted more.

This book has two points of view. The first is Mackenzie Cabot and she does everything right so what could go wrong? Mac is a people pleaser to her demanding parents, her prep school friends, her long-time boyfriend. It's exhausting for her to always be following the rules. All she wanted 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 at Garnet College. Twenty-year-old Mac has had plenty of practice suppressing her wilder impulses, but that all changes when she meets Cooper Hartley. The second point of view is Cooper Hartley, and he is rough around the edges. Raw. Candid. A threat to Mac’s ordered existence. Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life. However, Cooper doesn’t trust any clones in his town, he doesn’t trust anyone who comes and goes into his town, but Cooper soon realizes Mac isn’t just another rich clone and falls for her. And falls 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.

There were too many loose ends for my liking. Did Mac finish the hotel? Did it do well? Did the locals finally accept her? Did Cooper’s business do well? Did they finish the house? I have way too many questions for the first book in the series. I really didn’t like the whole dare thing, it just felt like an updated version of She’s All That and as much as I loved that film, it just didn’t work within this book. I also thought the bet and revenge thing would have come out sooner rather than within the last five chapters. Even though I liked Cooper, he needed to grovel some more and more again, instead of using her website and her hotel. Again, all the chaos and the solution were done in five-ten chapters when I wanted it sorted it sooner. I liked the trope of rich boy x poor girl and rich girl x poor boy, but it was just slightly predictable, and I found myself skimming through the bits that we knew was going to happen.

I liked that there were discussions about how parents can be shit parents whether you are rich or poor. Cooper had shit parents and managed to make a life for himself. Mac had shit parents and managed to make herself a billionaire and make a life for herself. I liked the gang within Avalon Bay and how they are all getting up to trouble but they also go to bat with each other and look after each other. I liked the growth between Cooper and Mac and how they’ve managed to stop judging everyone and getting to know someone before you judge them.

Hopefully the characters will grow on me within the next book in the series and the loose ends will be tied up and we might get some more answers to the questions that we didn’t get in this book.

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rachel_jones03's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

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chapters_and_pages's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was my first Elle Kennedy book after hearing loads of hype surrounding her, and it’s safe to say, this will not be my last!

Mackenzie is a people pleaser who is used to doing what those around her expect of her. Her rich parents and rich boyfriend expect her to become the perfect trophy wife, supporting her successful husband in his big career. But all Mac wants is to continue focusing on building her internet business. Enter Cooper. Cooper is the opposite of everything Mac has ever known. He’s rough around the edges, nothing like prim and proper boyfriend Preston. As Mac and Cooper begin to grow closer and closer, they both must grapple with the different worlds they both come from, and the secret Cooper is hiding from Mac.

I loved this book! I’m obsessed with a good romance and this one definitely ticked that box! I loved Mac, the fact that she was successful on her own merits and in spite of the lack of support from her loved ones, she was thriving. And who doesn’t love a bad boy who is actually a softie? Cooper is honestly a new favourite of mine.

I really enjoyed the side characters, especially Evan and Bonnie, and I loved the way that Mac went from being an outsider to fitting in with Cooper’s friends, who were essentially his family, by the end of the book.

Overall, I really loved this book and I can’t wait to read more by Elle Kennedy!

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alexcabanechevarria's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny fast-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

4.0

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britwalsh16's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Elle Kennedy has done it again! The only thing I didn’t like was that there was no hockey in it. Lol Mac & Cooper are the perfect example of opposites attract, and the passion they have for eachother even when they are fighting is inspiring! I want passion like that!! And though it may have started out as a revenge plot, Mac is much better off without Preston. He is such a dick! I feel bad for his future wife! Lol

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kell_yeah_reads's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-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

4.0

this book had a good balance of conflicts along with reasonable responses which IMO are hard to find in the wild.

spice 🌶 - a 4 🌶 spicy

length - just right.

reading speed - read in 2 days
did it make me cry? - no

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