Several customers at the bookstore have been looking for Elle Kennedy books, so when I realized she was the author of Good Girl Complex on my digital ARC shelf, I moved it up the priority list. I am glad I did.

Good Girl Complex is a dual perspective romance following Cooper and Mackenzie’s stories. Cooper is a townie in Avalon Bay and loses his bartending job because he fights a rich dude for putting his hands on a coworker. That dude just so happens to be Mackenzie’s longtime boyfriend, Preston. She’s also a child of rich parents, but she made her own millions from a website during her gap year. Now she’s gotta keep her end of the deal and go to the college they picked, which is also where Preston goes.

Cooper and his townie friends hatch a plan for him to humiliate Preston by stealing then dumping Mackenzie. The only problem is, Mackenzie isn’t the “clone” he thinks her to be and he doesn’t want to stick to the plan. He wants her.

I’ve seen some hate for this book claiming their relationship is toxic, but I don’t think I see it that way. Just because a couple argues and debates doesn’t mean it’s toxic. Maybe that’s just because I’m an ENTP on the Meyers-Briggs test and debating for no real reason is kinda my thing, but I think it depends on the arguments a couple is having. With Mackenzie and Cooper, there’s a pattern of him saying something he doesn’t realize is problematic for her, she calls him out for it, they argue, then they learn and grow from it…. ya know… like adults who work through their issues. No relationship is perfect. Maybe that’s just me.

Really, Preston is the toxic one in all of this. He’s the worst.

I enjoyed Mackenzie’s character, partly because she reminded me of myself. Not the successful millionaire at 20 part… but the oldest child expected to act one way but really wanting to be free to be themselves. I love that Cooper created a space and place for her to let loose and be the wild child she was, all while being supportive of her dreams despite his own issues.

I flew through Good Girl Complex and was annoyed when I had to put it down and be an adult. Thank goodness for the winter storm giving me some extra reading time and thoughts of beaches while I hide from the snow. I’m now debating bumping the sequel (Bad Girl Reputation) up toward the top of my ARC list even though it doesn’t come out until October. I’m very curious about Cooper’s twin Evan and his second chance with Genevieve.

Note: I can receive compensation from qualifying purchases through links on this site.