For those who love to read but want to find newly released young adult romance books, “Good Girl Complex” by Elle Kennedy is a good choice.

This novel, released in February 2022, features an ordinary “good girl” meets “bad boy” trope. Mackenzie “Mac” Cabot is the classic good girl; she goes to prep school and is a people pleaser. She has very demanding parents and a long-time boyfriend. Mac is going to college, which is requiring her to move to a wealthy beachside town. This is where her storyline takes a change. She has spent her whole life trying to stay away from the “wild and unruly crowd”, that is, until she meets local bad boy Cooper Hartley.

In my opinion, it was a cliche story. I always love a good highschool/college romance story, but this one lacked an original storyline. It took me a while to read, which is never the case for me. It was a little difficult to read only because of the toxicity of the relationship. Some of the toxicity and even triggers that the reader can face while reading this book are: abusive parents, a partner who “love bombs”, manipulation, and many more aspects that go with the “abusive relationship” stereotype within writing. If you are sensitive to that kind of content I do not recommend this book.

The characters could have been a lot more complex. They had very basic characteristics that usually relate to characters within this genre. While reading, I realized that the characters lacked development.

The novel was not at all terrible, but it could have definitely been better. If I were to make suggestions on how to make it better, I would have told Kennedy that she was straying way too far into the cliche part of the young adult romance genre.

The part that makes it cliche is that it is a “good girl goes to college to rebel against her family” type of book. The “revenge” she tries to get is getting into the “wild crowd” and going against what her family and hometown viewed her as.

The story is great for someone who is big into the general YA romance genre. It is also a great book for someone who is into highschool/college books or the good-girl-meets-bad-boy trope. For someone looking for a new story or new ideas, this book might not be for you.

Rating: 6/10
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