Review by Booklist Review
After hitting rock bottom, notorious party girl Genevieve West left Avalon Bay to start over somewhere new. Now her mother has passed away, and she's back in town, trying to navigate the relationships she left behind, most noticeably with Evan Hartley. Evan was crushed when Gen left and is determined to get her back, but despite their undeniable heat, their entire relationship history has been based on toxic and self-destructive behavior that Gen is desperate not to fall back into. Evan's going to have to grow up and prove it to Gen if she's going to trust herself around him. Kennedy's steamy romance is full of second chances and redemption. Evan and Gen are complex characters who discover how to move on from past behaviors while staying true to themselves. Kennedy surrounds them with friends and family, including Gen's many protective brothers, who deliver some hard truth and good advice, and Evan's twin brother, Cooper, and his girlfriend, Mackenzie, from Girl Good Complex (2022). This is sure to delight Kennedy's many fans, as well as garner new ones.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When former "bad girl" Genevieve West returns home for her mother's funeral, she's tempted to fall back into her wayward ways in Kennedy's delicious sequel to Good Girl Complex. Twenty-two-year-old Gen has turned over a new leaf in the year since she left Avalon Bay, quitting drinking and getting her life together. Most of the townspeople are willing to chalk up her former misbehavior as teen antics, but sheriff's deputy Rusty Randall has reasons for not letting it go. During a drunken night out, he assaulted Gen, and, in retaliation, she blew up his marriage. Now that Gen's back in town, Rusty's out for revenge. But he's not her main concern. That would be her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley, whom she abandoned without a word. Evan still loves Gen and hopes they can pick up where they left off--but Gen won't let him lead her back down a bad path. To prove himself, Evan must reform. Evan's growth from party boy to worthy romance hero is a joy to witness, especially as, along the way, he reminds Gen that having fun is not a crime. The duo's unbreakable connection comes through on every page with palpable chemistry and an even stronger emotional connection. This will-they-won't-they offers a fun balance of life lessons and steamy sex scenes. (Oct.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Genevieve West is over her ex-boyfriend Evan Hartley--until she sees him on a trip back home to Avalon Bay for her mother's funeral. Gen is both emotionally and physically triggered by his presence alone, never mind actually speaking to him. She's brought back to their dating days, which were full of drinking, drugs, and intense passion, and she swears not to get involved with him again. However, when her father offers her a job at their family-owned business, she can't refuse, putting Evan in her orbit yet again. Evan, on the other hand, vows to get Gen back by being the good guy, walking a straight path, and doing all he can to woo her. Trying to make peace with the past, Gen and Evan exhibit a strong push and pull throughout the novel, leaving readers rooting for one or the other at any given time. But can they turn their bad reputations around and have a second chance at love? VERDICT Full of lusty scenes, Kennedy's second "Avalon Bay" book (following Good Girl Complex) is a great read for fans of the series or as a stand-alone.--Erin Holt
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Kennedy returns to Avalon Bay as a reformed bad girl and her bad-boy ex decide if they should follow the rules or chase the rush. When former bad girl Genevieve West returns to Avalon Bay after spending a year in Charleston, she discovers that her mother is dying. Within the week, she's attending Laurie's funeral, and her plans to return to her new life are dashed when her father asks her to manage their family stone business while he sets their affairs in order. She soon realizes that not much has changed in the Bay since she left: Her friends still drunkenly party through the night, her five brothers still wreak havoc when they can, and her tattooed ex, Evan Hartley, is still as devastatingly handsome as she remembers. Years of passionate, jealous, and raucous on-and-off dating led them into more trouble than they could count--sometimes even with the law--and although it's been a year since she left town without saying goodbye, Gen knows she can't stay away from Evan for long. The problem is, Evan's hot temper and bad-boy ways, along with looming threats of arrest from Deputy Rusty Randall, threaten to disturb her carefully curated sobriety, reminding her of the real reason she bid farewell to Avalon Bay. But when Evan begins to prove that he's a changed man, Gen finds the energy between them harder and harder to resist, and she wonders whether she lost herself on the way to becoming good. Kennedy's Avalon Bay sequel follows Good Girl Complex (2022), which tells the story of Evan's hardened twin brother, Cooper, and his rich, out-of-towner girlfriend, Mackenzie. Kennedy takes the bad girl--bad boy trope a step further here by exploring what happens when they finally grow up ("I don't know where my life took a turn off the misspent youth, coming-of-age CW drama and wound up stranded inside a Hallmark movie"), and she ends up with just the right amount of heartfelt and sexy. A steamy tale of first loves and second chances. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
