Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy Book Review

“‘Yeah, real wild night you’re having,’ I drawl, gesturing at her glass of water. ‘Someone’s got a good girl complex, huh?'”

(pg. 37)

About

Author: Elle Kenney

Genre: New Adult Romance

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Synopsis

Serena Singh is tired of everyone telling her what she should want–and she is ready to prove to her mother, her sister, and the aunties in her community that a woman does not need domestic bliss to have a happy life.

Things are going according to plan for Serena. She’s smart, confident, and just got a kick-ass new job at a top advertising firm in Washington, D.C. Even before her younger sister gets married in a big, traditional wedding, Serena knows her own dreams don’t include marriage or children. But with her mother constantly encouraging her to be more like her sister, Serena can’t understand why her parents refuse to recognize that she and her sister want completely different experiences out of life.

A new friendship with her co-worker, Ainsley, comes as a breath of fresh air, challenging Serena’s long-held beliefs about the importance of self-reliance. She’s been so focused on career success that she’s let all of her hobbies and close friendships fall by the wayside. As Serena reconnects with her family and friends–including her ex-boyfriend–she learns letting people in can make her happier than standing all on her own.

Review

Spoilers Contained Below

To the good girls,

I love an Elle Kennedy book because who doesn’t?

An an Elle Kennedy summer read? Sign me up. I mean, I buy it up!

I liked how Good Girl Complex was written in dual POVs because it helped me connect more to our main characters Cooper and Mac(kenzie).

Let’s talk about Mac.

I liked Mac. She was a hard-working, took-no-shiz woman and I loved that about her. Mac took a gap year from college to work on her girlfriend and boyfriend embarrassing blog stories that had grown in popularity. The websites also helped Mac become a self-made millionaire aside from her parents richness, which I’ll get into her parents later. But I loved how Mac made a name for herself out of her passions and that she knew what she wanted. However, her parents made a deal with her that she could take a gap year to focus on her websites if you went to college the next year. So that was where Mac found herself. It was different for her to be in college because she was notably older than a freshman, but in college it really doesn’t matter how old you are because everyone deserves to get an education.

I really liked Bonnie, Mac’s roommate because she seemed so free-spirited and fun. Nothing says free-spirit than meeting a roommate for the first time and that roommate is not wearing a shirt or a bra. I would have felt awkward if I were Bonnie or Mac, but I liked how Bonnie was confident in herself and didn’t care and Mac didn’t seem bothered either. I loved hat for them. I really did want to see Bonnie more throughout the book because, again, she was a fun character who looked out for Mac. But we only saw Bonnie more so in the beginning because Bonnie helped Mac get out of her comfort zone in the dorm.

There was something Bonnie said in the beginning that really had me thinking

“If that was me, I’d be pretty bummed that my whole life was planned before I even started my first day of college. It’s like gettin’ the movie spoiled when I’m standin’ in line for popcorn.”

(pg. 21)

I had to stop and think about what she said.

Because Mac had her whole life basically planned out for her.

Her parents were these rich people who had a lot of control over Mac’s life and bank account. But I mean, Mac was a millionaire, so she could take care of herself now if her parents wanted to drop her. But I didn’t like the way Mac’s parents treated her and her accomplishments. Just because running a website isn’t the most conventional job, Mac was successful and had proved that it could make a living and if she didn’t want to go to college, then I think that should have been her choice not to do so. Sometimes, people don’t need to go to college if it doesn’t benefit them or they already have it figured out. I’m not saying don’t go to college because it is a good experience, but in Mac’s case, college didn’t seem like something she needed to do. She jus tad to do it.

Mac gave me the sense she had to do a lot of things she didn’t want to do.

Had to be the prefect daughter for her senator father and her country club mom who wanted her to be nothing but a pretty face.

Had to be the perfect girlfriend to go with this plan.

Her dumba** boyfriend Preston SUCKED 🤪!!!!!

Literally not her boyfriend, Preston, who was drunk off his butt and who was all sleazy and gross trying to feel Steph up at the bar when she told him to stop. And not Preston who followed Steph to the bathroom and tried to harass her and very well was going to harass her until Cooper came to beat Preston up and give him the shiner he deserved? Yea, that Person.

What got to me like no other was how he was such a fake f*** 🤪. tell me I’m wrong.

This LOSER literally was an angel in Mac’s eyes, which made absolutely gosh darn no sense to me because he was a harasser, a misogynist, and walking red flag. But yet he acted like he was a good, loyal boyfriend to Mac by opening her door, being nice to her parents, understanding Mac, and yada yada yada that I could see through his fake a** act!!! I mean, it was cute when he drove her around campus and then took her to that observatory to look at the view from the college, but my gosh, he really was trying to do the mostest because he was the baddest person ever. Also, not him having a freaking HELICOPTER to fly them over the school. What bad and bougie 🤪!!

I didn’t go to college in the states, but I have heard about people being super duper rich on campus and having Tesla’s lawmborgiunes and the whole nine yards. A helicopter????? That’s wild. The best mode of transportation at my university was a moped 😂.

Preston was just trying to overcompensate for what a shizzy human being he was. He really thought that him being nice to Mac would cancel out all his atrocious actions. Not going to cut it. Not for me.

And not the fact that Mac literally told him that she kissed Cooper, and him brushing it off as she was drunk and made a mistake. Because Mac was really torn up about it and beating herself up for being a bad girlfriend and Preston was going to be mad. But I was like, he probably slept with the entire campus in that gap year she wasn’t there. It was a red flag that he didn’t care that much about the kiss because he kissed all these other girls (for sure) so Mac kissing Cooper was nothing because he finally felt like they were on the same level.

Also, not all these rich girls talking about how they were okay with their partner cheating and how that was just part of the game or something. I’m sorry?????

Cheating is normal? Infidelity is okay?

Cheating is not okay, I don’t care how rich or poor a person is, it is not okay to cheat on a loved one because at that point you probably don’t even love that person if you are cheating. And no one should be with someone who doesn’t want to be with them and sleeps with all these other people. Because that is not okay. Absolutely not.

“To me, cheating is so insulting. It says to your partner: I don’t love you enough to be faithful, and I don’t respect you enough to let you go.”

(pg. 88)

Darn right.

It boggled me how so many women at this school had the mindset that cheating was okay and natural.

Another red flag of Preston was how he patronized, mocked and controlled Mac. He literally laughed at her websites and patronized it by calling it a “silly project” like making a million dollars from her project was “silly.” Dude, needs to live in the 21st century because woman can be successful breadwinners too. Preston just felt threatened because he was a loser and had nothing going for him besides his fake good looks and his fake loyalty and his fake personality 🙃. If he were really a good guy or in love with Mac, he would have been excited and supportive of her websites, hyping her up not tearing her down. But he wasn’t. That bothered me.

If someone feels threatened by your successes and makes you feel bad for it, you don’t need that person in your life.

Red flag number three was how he made plans for them without her knowledge or consent. They were in the middle f a fight because Mac clapped back on him for demeaning her work, and he went ahead and planned a dinner with her parents. He talked to her parents behind her back and said they would eat with them and then he dragged her to go. When at this dinner, I can’t believe they talked about Mac’s future like she wasn’t even there—-all the tires she owed take with Preston that she had no idea about and the things she would do.

“Less a future than a threat.”

(pg. 178)

That’s for darn sure.

Mac always preached this “plan” that was set for her. This goes back to what Bonnie said earlier, and wow, have I diverged from what I was talking about there.

But she had her entire future planned for her where she always knew she would marry Preston because he was wealthy and his family was wealthy. Sh knew one day she would have kids with him and they would live together, and I had to agree with Bonnie that it was sad that she had her whole life planned for her when she still had her whole life ahead of her. She could grow and change and do all these things, but because everything had been planned for her, Mac felt trapped.

Mac wanted adventure, she wanted a thrill.

She didn’t want to be a housewife or a pretty face. It made sense why Mac felt exhilarated or like a different person whenever she was with Cooper and his friends because she didn’t need to be this good girl everyone wanted her to be. She could just be Mac—she could be free. If I felt confined to my future, I would want to feel free too—–to feel like I had more of a choice in my life because it is my life.

Cooper gave her that.

Cooper gave me bad boy vibes, intense bad boy vibes.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a bad boy protagonist.

“Tattoos. Tall, dark, and damaged. The more emotionally unavailable the better . . . if he’s got a juvenile rap sheet and motorcycle, I’m open for business.”

(pg. 30)

Tall, dark, and handsome out. Tall, dark, and damaged in.

I’m joking.

I LIVE for a bad boy, good girl trope. Superior trope I tell you.

But it depends how it’s played.

Cooper had a plan to get back at Preston who got him fired from the bar he worked at just because Cooper punched him like he deserved. But because Preston was rich and had more influence, the boss of the bar decided to fire Cooper like Preston asked. That sucked because Cooper just needed an honest job and he was doing the right thing by pummeling the trash, but unfortunately, money does have influence. But now Cooper was bitter and wanted to exact revenge on Preston.

The plan Cooper, Evan (Cooper’s twin brother), Steph, Alana, and Heidi devised was that Cooper try “seduce” or charm Mac to like him and then have Mac choose to be with her and then have Mac break up with Preston by rubbing it in his face that she was dating Cooper. Then he would break up with her because he had gotten his revenge on Preston.

Now, the second they came up with this dumb as heck plan, I was like, “This is not going to end well.” 😅 First things first, it was just absolutely sleazy and gross and wrong that Cooper was going to use Mac into dating him just to break up with her after he got what he wanted. He also didn’t seem to have remorse at the fact that Mac was a human being and that he was going to hurt her in the process all for what? A sick sort of revenge for a petty thing like he fired you from your job? I could understand a less severe payback, but using a person? Nope. Not it. Absolutely no. And the fact that hey also said that he could sleep with Mac or kiss her if she initiated it, made me feel gross because Mac wasn’t a toy, she was a person.

Also, this whole plan gave me After by Anna Todd vibes. If you know, you know. And if you know, you know it didn’t end well 😂. After the first book, it didn’t end well. You just have to read it you know. But the plan gave me the same vibes. I was not here for it.

Cooper and the locals, more so Cooper was very adamant about Clones. In Avalon Bay, there was the college students, the locals, and the Clones. The clones being Clones the same stuck-up, robotic people that came every summer who acted rich and entitled. People like Preston didn’t help break the image that all Clones were the same, so Cooper thought Mac was a Clone because she dated a Clone. But he judged her before he really knew her, and didn’t care if she got hurt because Clones don’t matter in his eyes.

But Cooper was surprised to discover that Mac was different.

Mac was fun and full of life.

I freaking laughed to myself how Cooper gave me some Kaz Brekker if Kaz Brekker were an f-boy level of calculation with how he gauged the situation with Mac. When he saw her at the bar with Bonnie, he was very flirtatious, but he was playing a strategic game with her by not trying to overstep because he knew she had a boyfriend, but also wanting Mac to overstep and take a risk on him. It was just very investing to be inside COoper’s head when he thought about how to interact with Mac. But of course, if a hot mysterious guy comes up to you, most likely you’re going to be interested because it’s exciting. Mac was deep down, excited because Cooper was hot and he was different than preppy a** Preston.

One of the things I really loved about Cooper and Mac was their banter. Such easy, electrified, and witty banter. They matched each other’s energies and snarkiness and I loved it. Kudos to Elle Kennedy because that’s something I noticed is that she writes some of the best and fun banter. Their texting banter was also very fun to read—-very flirty. I wondered what angle Cooper was playing at and if he was beginning to like her or if he was still trying to get Mac to like her for the plan.

I also loved how honest Cooper and Mac were with each other; they weren’t afraid to speak their mind. That’s a refreshing quality because most people keep their inner thoughts to themselves, but I guess when you don’t care what people think, it’s easier to be blunt because everyone else is probably thinking the same thing.

Not going to lie, I LOVED that Cooper called her Princess. Like get you a partner who gives you a cute nickname. Maybe he meant it as an insult at first because she was rich, but still, it was a cute nickname.

They also had very vulnerable conversations.

Cooper opened up about how his mom left a long time ago and only cared for herself. Cooper’s relationship with his mom was definitely complicated because the mom never cared for Cooper or Evan—-she left them a long time ago and they had to take care of each other. This explained why Cooper had a darkness about him because he had to grow up quickly to protect himself and Evan. He also had to be stronger for his brother and himself against the constant hurt of his mother coming and going and not knowing if this time would be the time she stayed. It made my heart sad the way that Cooper described how Evan would still get his hopes up about the mom staying because Evan was the younger twin and he wanted to have hope the mom would change. But Cooper knew better, however, it’s not like he could consistently ingrain in Evan’s brain that the mom didn’t care. So Cooper had to be extra protective of Evan’s heart because he didn’t want Evan to hurt when the mom proved Cooper right. It’s not fun to be right in wrong situations. Because the mom wasn’t there for them, Cooper and Evan and an unbreakable and unique bond where they could read each other and get each other. Sure, they were twins, but they were closer than that—-if you can get closer than being a twin.

Their dad also passed away early on in a driving accident, which had to be difficult for Cooper and Evan to go through—-to lose two parents in different ways.

Cooper’s biggest fear was to end up like his parents, which was understandable. He wanted to do better, and that’s amazing; it’s funny the lessons life teaches you—-who to be and not to be. I didn’t think Cooper was going to be like his parents because he was already trying not to be and taking the steps to do that. I liked how Mac also reassured him that he was more than his past. It’s easy to think that we are our parents or the sum of everything that happened to us, and in some ways we are our experiences, but we don’t have to become them or become our parents. We get to decide every day who we get to be.

Cooper was doing better. Maybe not with this plan of his, but he was an honest and good guy who just faced a lot of hardships that he shouldn’t have had to have face. Those hardships put up a bullet proof wall around him that said don’t F*** with me and it’s made it difficult for others to really know him or for him to know himself. But Mac understood him because, let’s say it all together now, SHIZZY PARENTS!!!!

What’s the number one cause of kid’s hardships growing up?

SHIZZY PARENTS 🤪!!!!!

YAY.

I’m joking. No yay. BOOOOOO!

“‘I’ll grant you that having emotionally absent parents isn’t much better than physically absent ones.”

(pg. 106)

We love parental trauma, she said sarcastically.

But in all seriousness, I never realized how much parental trauma does cause a lot of hardships and hurt growing up because no one tells you how to grow from it or deal with all that pain. No one. You live with it and figure it out and hope you end up okay. I mean, you can go to therapy and get help, of course, but not everyone has that option. I know what it’s like to grow up navigating that trauma by myself and it’ snot easy and most days I have no idea if I’m dealing with it in a healthy way or if I’m okay. I just try, but it’s hard. However, I do agree that emotionally or physically absent parents are both not easy things to grow up with, and it can cause a lot of harm that kids have to live with and navigate for the rest of their lives.

I digress. I don’t want to fall down a deep rabbit hole of my thoughts.

The moment that Cooper’s mind changed about Mac was when Mac spontaneously jumped into the water to save the puppy that was screaming for help. A random scene if any, but I liked how Cooper went to help her save the puppy because he cared enough for Mac that he didn’t want her to drown. I also thought it was incredibly kick butt of Mac to hear the dog and jump into the water to help the dog without a care in her mind. What a selfless queen. A dumb queen, but selfless. I mean, sis needed to be safe. Because Mac couldn’t keep the dog in her dorm, Cooper said the dog could stay at his house. It made my heart happy how much Evan secretly loved the dog. I knew Cooper would warm up to the dog eventually. I liked how they had this shared love between them with the dog they saved. I also liked how they bantered over what to name the dog, unanimously agreeing the dog’s name was Daisy.

After they saved the dog, it crossed Cooper’s mind how sleazy and wrong the plan was and how he liked her enough to respect her. He didn’t want to do the plan anymore because he was petty, but he genuinely wanted to get to know Mac because she was different. The thing was, she was still dating Preston at the time and they were just friends who felt very unfriend like feelings for each other. For Mac, it was because Cooper made her feel alive and like the most honest version of herself that she didn’t know she was holding back. And for Cooper, Mac made him want to see the world in a better light and to be someone worthy of an amazing person—-love brings out the best in people.

I loved how Mac supported Cooper’s passions/side-hustle of creating hand made wooden furniture. I mean, how freaking cool was that that he made his own furniture! That’s called hard work and talent for sure! I also loved loved loved how Cooper supported Mac with her websites and future endeavors. He didn’t make her feel like a fool for the websites she created, but he thought it was pretty stinking cool that she built a whole company for herself and was a boss b**** CEO 👏🏼!!! I also loved how she wanted to share her new project with Cooper because all the other people in her life were sucky and didn’t support her.

From the minute Mac saw that dilapidated hotel on the corner and she kept staring at it and mentioning it, I was like, she’s going to save that hotel. I felt it. I mean, why else would the book keep mentioning this random hotel if it wasn’t significant. I’m not going to lie, I still wonder why her next big project was saving a hotel because she literally went from an online CEO to now a hotel entrepreneur? I loved how passionate Mac was and wanted to expand her career. But in my mind, it didn’t make the most sense why she would take up such a project when she was talking about wanting to be part of the creative process more. I thought she would create another website or something, maybe for Cooper, and run that so she could be the creative person again. But a hotel didn’t seem like best move in my opinion because, yea, she could be creative in how she designed it, but it didn’t seem to fit with what Mac was thinking about. But I do admire how she just went for what she wanted and did it.

It sucked that her parents thought her crazy and Preston talked her down in the demeaning way he does. The only person I knew she should have talked to right after she bought that hotel was Cooper.

“‘You believed in me,’ I say. ‘You’re the only one who ever has. That means a lot. I won’t forget that.'”

(pg. 260)

I knew Cooper would support her 100%, and he did. I also loved how she wanted to work with Cooper’s Uncle’s company to help rebuild the hotel because that gave the Uncle and the company business. I also loved how Cooper was doing some of the furniture. It was just a good partnership and support system they had, and I appreciated that.

I also really loved their fair date. It was the first time we saw Mac really feel exuberant and the most herself and Cooper a less intense version. I loved how he bought her cotton candy and gave her a cute little tid bit about cotton candy. I never knew cotton candy was invented by dentist. What had me cracking up about their conversation a lot more than it should have was how Mac was like “Cite your sources” (pg. 111). In college, it’s a known thing that they don’t want you to plagiarize, so they include plagiarism rules in every syllabus. I took many writing intensive courses in college, and this one teacher was really particular about how we cited our sources, from the capitalizations to the punctuations and all that. I used to think most professors just glanced at the works cited to make sure they had it because who the heck really wants to look at the works cite din detail? Hahaha, oh but this teacher did. She would dock points and everything. It became a running joke between my peers and I that we had to cite every source from our pictures, clipart’s, what we said, what we did. So I just found it hilarious when Mac said that.

They were on the ferris wheel when Cooper asked Mac why she liked Preston, which was a very valid question excuse I don’t know what the heck she saw in that dude. Mac said Preston grounded and restrained her 😯. He grounds her to be a more uptight verso of herself and restrains her. That does NOT sound healthy!!!! She’s not a dog. I don’t think that anyone should be with someone if they ground and restrain you, especially the latter. I loved that Cooper just told it to her straight that Preston and her had no chemistry. Heck, saying someone restrains you and then that same person treating you like a child rather than a human being was not it, sis. I mean, every time she was around Cooper, she felt something more—these sparks—maybe it was the newness, the enticement or a bad boy, or something else, but it sure as heck was more than she felt with that darn Preston.

When Cooper called in his payment from that deal they made from that first night they spent together at the bar, and he was like Kiss me or tell me you don’t want me??? I was like, the screaming is not coming only from the fair now!!!! I was SCREAMING.

I mean, I wanted her to kiss him because heck yea 🤪, but also because they were so good together. She did kiss him, but I didn’t expect them to escalate as quickly as they did, but I guess it was all that tension between them. Freaking Heidi had to interrupt them.

Gosh, it made me feel awful the fact that Cooper’s friends were still out to get Mac and wanted Cooper to break her heart as well as Preston’s, but we all knew that Cooper was going to like her and see her as more and that his whole deal would complicate things. Because his friends knew about the deal and now they had to keep it a secret from Mac even though most didn’t want to. And by most, I mean Heidi.

Heidi and Cooper used to have a thing where he slept with her. To him, it was always casual, but to Heidi it wasn’t. So when Cooper started to actually like Mac, she felt betrayed because she thought Cooper wanted to be with her because that was the signals she was getting all summer. Honestly, this is why we don’t sleep with our friends 😅. Also, there’s always, always, always, one person in a friends with benefits situation that catches feelings. **cough cough Heidi*** So Heidi was a bit bitter and out to get Mac. I really thought it anyone was going to out Cooper’s secret/the plan, it would be her. She had the most motive and the Mose to gain from ruining Cooper’s first real relationship and person he loved.

Gosh, not me actually gushing like a child when Cooper called Mac his GIRL!!!! HIS GRIL!!!!

Get you a partner who calls you his/theirs/hers!!!!

I freaking also loved the moment Mac dumped Preston’s butt. IT was a big red flag that he wasn’t even upset by it. Bro, should have been groveling and begin to keep her, but he just let her go because he didn’t love her. He loved himself. Mac deserved better and I was glad she didn’t take Preston’s shiz any longer because she had a nice guy who did like her for the real her and wasn’t CHEATING on her like a LOSER.

“‘A big commitment?’ She’s smiling. Grinning, actually. I think this chick is laughing at me.

‘I’m not afraid of commitment, if that’s what you’re suggesting.’

‘Uh-huh,’ she says.

‘I’ll commit the [shiz] out of you.’

(pg. 244)

Committing the shiz out of her?

We love to hear it 😂.

Once they were together, they were really cute. I loved how territorial Cooper was, not in a dramatic or weird way, but he just really loved his woman and he didn’t want anyone to touch her or look at her.

“Sometimes I have no idea how we’re supposed to fit in each other’s lives. And then add in the fact that you’re an argumentative jack*** and I want to punch you half the time, and . . .”

(pg. 231)

I also thought it was cute how Mac also got jealous of anyone who flirted or looked at Cooper. I loved when they were at a party and she saw Cooper talking to a girl, and Mac was like don’t touch my man’s and went up to Cooper and pulled him by the belt-loops. We love a belt loop moment. But Cooper really didn’t care about that girl he was talking to because he only had eyes for Mac anyhow.

You know, I really liked Evan in the beginning when he loved Daisy and he seemed harmless. But then he became a real pain in the a** once Cooper and Mac started dating.

I really detested Evan. I was like, what sword is up your crack, my gosh. He was terrible.

I absolutely detested the way he treated Mac because she was one of them—a. “Clone.” Get over yourself, she was not a Clone and she was a nice, fun person. I just felt like all the locals were so used to judging others that they couldn’t see how much their judgment clouded their vision and made others feel less welcome the same way the Clone made other people feel.

I didn’t like how Evan treated Mac at all. He constantly made rude remarks or jokes to her. He made her feel like she was other because she was a rich Clone. And the way he even looked at her was mean. I just didn’t understand why he was being such a butt now or why he was so angry.

When Evan asked Mac a revolting question after a party, I wanted to rage. Not going to lie, when Cooper knocked the lights out of his brother, I was not mad 🙈. Evan had it coming to him. He was being a douche canoe and he deserved it. Mac had done nothing wrong to deserve that repulsive treatment and Evan kept pushing. So yea, he shovel have get punched. I’m not going to feel bad. Evan was assign for it and all his poor treatment of Mac built up to that punch.

Evan had a drunken night once after gambling, and he called Mac to pick him up. It was a special bonding moment because Evan trusted her to reach out on a vulnerable night and he confided in her. I think he was trying to be better for Cooper, but he also did’ know who else to call who wouldn’t judge him. I liked how Mac was there for him and didn’t judge her because of what he was doing.

I liked how the next day, Mac covered for Evan because she knew Evan didn’t want Cooper to be susncpious of Evan and where he was. But Evan and Mac were confidants now with watching over each other and be friends. I liked that they came to an understanding and were no longer hostile, or more so Evan. I really don’t know why he was in the first place.

I thought it was funny though how Mac confronted Evan about the ghost story he told her about the house, and how everyone laughed at her because Evan was messing with her. If I was Mac, I would have also believed Evan. But it was kind of funny because Evan was trying to be mean, but this joke wasn’t the meanest thing he did. It was just funny.

Mac also felt like she had to win over Cooper’s other friends—Alana and Steph.

This girl is SOOO kick butt to climb out on the roof in the middle of a freaking storm just to patch the roof up because Alana and Steph needed help. Sis, really did the mostest to gain their admiration and friendship. But it did help because they didn’t see Mac as another prissy princess Clone, but someone who was willing to get down and do the nitty gritty work even if it meant some crazy work.

Cooper didn’t like that Mac risked her life like that, but he was just more mad at himself for not picking up his darn phone in the first place. They sure had some tension that night.

The only friend Mac probably couldn’t win over was Heidi because of Cooper’s history with her.

There was this freaking moment where Cooper had the opportunity to be honest with her about the original plan he had. Mac saw Preston at the beach and Preston knew Cooper and was surprised that he was the one dating Mac now. But Cooper tried to play it off like he didn’t know Preston when he did, but Preston mentioned something about how Mac had no idea.

And Cooper straight up lied to her face! I SCREAMED when he lied to her face 😫. Bro, WRONG MOVE.

I kid you not, I knew that was going to backfire in his face later on because he should have told her the gosh darn truth even if it risked a lot and even if it hurt because it would be a million times worse now if she found out later that he not only had this original plan to use her, but that he also lied straight to her face.

If there’s anything I can say to someone is that is don’t lie. It makes it worst than if you told the truth the first time. Trust me.

Lying just made him look guilty.

But I understood why he lied. He didn’t want to lose Mac because if she found out the real reason he got close to her, she would probably hate his guts. I mean, she would, but it was much worse that he played not knowing Preston as nothing and then when she seriously asked him about him, he lied to her again. I knew the truth was going to bite him in the butt eventually, but he should be honest with her.

I enjoyed the whole Christmas moment with Evan, Cooper, Daisy, and Mac—very wholesome and cute. I loved how this was the first year in a while that they wanted to go all out with a Christmas tree and how they took the time to decorate it to really make their house feel like a home. Mac lived with them ever since she dropped out of college—-she dropped out of college because she was tired of letting her parents control her and she was cut off and out of the dorms. Honestly, I cackled when she dropped out of college because college really wasn’t for her. She talked about how boring it was and it never seemed like she was interested in college in the first place. Not going to lie though, the first two years of college with the general classes are boring as heck because no one wants to sit in a lecture hall to pay a professor money to drone on about something they could care less about.

So she moved in with Cooper and Evan even if it was kind of early on in her relationship with Cooper.

The moment I liked about Christmas was when Evan gifted Mac a paper princess ornament he made her because of the nickname she had. The fact that Evan took the time to make her a gift was beyond sweet. Such a contrast of kindness compared to the complete d*** he was earlier.

The thing that sucked about their Christmas and why I really felt for Cooper and Evan was that the mom made an unexpected visit.

It really hurt to see how bothered Cooper was by his mom being there, but Evan feeling happy that she was there. Cooper knew his mom’s tendencies and could see through her unlike Evan. But Cooper wanted to protect Evan from the mom hurting him. The mom didn’t give me loving vibes. She gave me vibes of she was just passing through. And frankly, if Cooper didn’t believe the best in her and knew she was going to leave, I believed him because if she had shown her true colors time and time again and never proved Cooper wrong, then it wasn’t likely this time was going to be different.

You know, I’ve read my fair share of shizzy parents in books from leaving their child, manipulating them, chaining them, whipping their child, and some putting their child in a tank to use them as an energy source to power the world (that one was truly the worst). I’m talking about the Shatter Me series with the last one, just in case you’re wondering 😅. Yea, it’s wild. But in a contemporary book, I think DANG. This woman was on a new level.

Stealing $12,000 from her son!!!?!?!!??!?!?!

That’s insane.

He worked SO HARD for that money and she STOLE it 😨. She looked under his floorboards and skewed out of there with all that money!!! Money he was going to use to buy Mac a really good gift, but now he couldn’t because his mom was a selfish prick who stole his life savings!!!!!!

I was so furious for Cooper.

It made sense why Cooper was upset and that he took it out on Mac. I mean, it’s never okay to take your feelings out on people, but I knew why he did. If I had all that money stolen from me—-money I had to work my butt off to get—I’d be pezzed and angry 😂. Money had always been a sensitive subject between Cooper and Mac, even if sometimes they joked about it. But Cooper couldn’t deny that he had to work for his money because he never grew up with a lot of it, while Mac was handed her money from her parents. I mean, nowadays her income came solely from her, but she did have that cushion of support from her parents for most of her life. When Mac offered Cooper money, she wasn’t doing it to be condescending, she just wanted to help him because she loved him. Cooper saw Mac’s offer as a petty hand out. I could see why he felt that way because he always had to rely on himself and be strong, that taking handouts or help from others seemed wrong.

His anger really was just the heat of the moment in not knowing how to accept help because he wasn’t used to it.

“I feel . . . heavy. . . My whole life, I’ve felt weighed down. By my parents’ debts, my brother’s bull[shiz], that sense that I’m trapped in my own head.”

(pg. 136)

It’s difficult not to feel that weight of everything on him because that’s all he’s ever known. It’s a feeling I feel a lot too.

Probably a random place to mention this, but on the cover Cooper has an anchor tattoo. I liked how we got to see how and why he had that tattoo—-it stood for all the things he felt weighed down by. All the things that anchored him. I mean, that can be taken in a good and bad way, but this tattoo had meaning to keep him grounded or a burden on the back of his literal neck he always had to think about.

He really had the hard knock life.

When the uncle mentioned suing the mom, I was here for it 🙈! I mean, she told $12k, SUE HER.

I love how they did sue her and caught her. But I know it was also hard for Cooper to not want to press charges against his mom in anger or retribution for all the hurt she caused. However, I respected and admired how he didn’t press charges on his mom because she was still his mom and he didn’t want to be the person who put his mom in jail. That took a lot of will-power. I did like how Cooper also cut his mom off, finally! It was about darn time. Her relationship with her sons was never healthy and kept hurting them and that wasn’t fair to them.

The part that broke my heart was how Evan finally lost hope in his mom because he saw her true colors.

“‘Now Cooper, I get you’re upset, but I’m still your mother. You’re still my boys. You don’t turn your back on family.’ She looks at Evan, who has remained silent, lingering behind me. ‘Right, baby?’

‘Not this time,’ he says . . . ‘I’m with Coop. I think it’s better if you didn’t come around anymore.

I fight the urge to throw my arm around my brother. Not here. Not in front of her. But I know the pain he’s feeling. the loneliness. Evan lost his mom today.

I lost mine a long time ago.”

(pg. 318)

I wanted to hug Evan 🥺.

It’s truly a sad day when you finally have lost hope in the good of a person.

I felt for him.

But at least he didn’t have to be hurt by her anymore.

They had someone else—their uncle.

Their uncle wasn’t a hug figure or character in the book, but he did make the sporadic appearance. When he did, he was always supportive of Cooper and Evan because no one was ever there for them. I loved that moment when they talked to their Uncle about always being there and how they viewed him as a father figure. I loved how much love the uncle felt for Cooper because he realized how they were like his sons and he wanted to take care of him. I loved loved loved that part at the end where the uncle called to meet them, and he showed them how he renamed his business Hartley and Sons 💛. He wanted to work on his business with his two boys who felt like sons, and to also leave them a legacy, which is something they never had because they didn’t have many people. But I loved their relationship. I would have liked to seen it more though.

Mac and Cooper made up because they didn’t want to lose each other, which I loved.

“‘What if I’d run off the best thing that ever happened to me?’

. . . ‘I’m serious. . . Mac, things around were never good. . . And then you showed up and I started getting ideas. maybe I didn’t have to settle for slightly better than nothing. Maybe I could even be happy.'”

(pg. 313)

He did deserve to be happy 🥺.

When they just made up, I could not with how quickly things fell apart for them. I saw disaster coming from the minute he lied to her 🙈.

Mac was at a party and she overheard Heidi, Alana, and Steph talking about the plan and Mac eventually figuring it out. If I heard that cryptic a** sentence, I would be curious what the heck they meant too. I think it really sucked though not only the fact that Cooper lied straight to her face, but also that her friends who were his friends lied to her. They kept Cooper’s secret because they were Cooper’s friends first and more loyal to him, which I understand. They were only trying to respect and honor Cooper, but still. It sucked because they knew and were also friends with her. But it was more Cooper’s fault for lying and keeping it a secret from her.

I didn’t blame Mac for chewing Cooper out. I expected it.

As she should 👏🏼.

Mac felt betrayed, hurt, and furious.

Cooper felt remorseful, regretful, and ashamed. As he should 😂.

But he really had all this time to tell her the truth and he could have told her the turn when she asked but he didn’t. He was scared. I mean, I know why he was scared, but if you’re scared of losing someone and you lie to them, you really will end up losing them when they find out because it’s going to be so much worse.

I felt terrible for Mac, but also, what a bad bi*** for how she picked herself off and said she wasn’t going to let Cooper ruin her life and she focused on her empire.

“Time to wipe up my smudged mascara and be a bad bi***. F*** love. Build the empire.”

(pg. 335)

I was like, “Let’s go queen!” She said, no man gets to make me sad 👏🏼.

Yes, it is not worth it! She did no wrong.

Cooper needed to grovel 🙈.

I will admit, it did make me sad how hurt Cooper felt because it felt like he lost the one good thing in his life and it tore him up on the inside. He really did love her—-he loved making her laugh, waking up next to her, and being a dog dad with her.

In their time apart, I liked the conversation Cooper had with Heidi. He needed to clear the air with her. Heidi kind of was why Mac found out about the plan like I thought, but it wasn’t her intention. The thing was Heidi was never the villain, but painted as one. She was just hurt by the way Cooper treated her and I would be too. She would have been a very kind or nice person if it weren’t for how Cooper made her feel like nothing after leading her on. What a great day it is when an f-boy realizes his f****ness 😂. We love a self-reflecting moment of realizing we are shizzy. But he was, and he needs to understand how she felt because it caused tension in her relationship with Cooper and his relationship with Mac.

Because things were good with Heidi, he focused on getting back his woman.I thought his grand gesture of calling himself a fail on the internet was cute, BUT I wanted a. bigger grand gesture for his momentous lie. I just wanted to see him GROVEL AND BEG or do something more. I just felt like he messed up big and needed to make it up to her big time. I did think it was cute that he asked her to meet and he waited so long in the hopes that she would come. She really wanted to tease him by being late.

But when he saw her, my heart 🥺.

He really laid his heart out there in the most honest monologue he said the entire book. But when he walked with her to the hotel she was saving and showed her the rocking chairs on the porch!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!

I was SOBBING.

“Mac, when I picture my future, I see myself old and gray, sitting in a rocking chair on a porch. With you beside me. That’ say dream.”

(pg. 354)

Get you a partner who builds you a rocking chair and puts it outside your house because that person wants to build a life with you 🥺💛!!!!

All I could think of when I read this part was that quote about how when you look back on your life and you’re old and gray sitting on a rocking chair, that you don’t want to have any regrets and to choose love. Or something like that, it’s all over Instagram if you look hard enough. But I just thought of that quote because here Cooper was making that quote come to life for the woman he loved.

“But I can promise to be the man you deserve. To be someone you’re proud of. And I will never lie to you again . . . Please, Mac. Come home. I don’t know what I am if I can’t love you.”

(pg. 354)

Okay, I retract my previous sentence. He did grovel and beg 😂.

He’s good. As long as he honest lie to her. I loved their second chance at love and how Cooper wanted to be a better man for Mac. I also just loved how Cooper made Mac the best version of herself because she could be who she was. Cooper also supported her with everything and that’s a beautiful quality.

After reading the book, I really wanted more of Cooper’s healing and growth because we got to see his backstory but I felt there was still parts of him that was hurt that he needed to process and work through. It was a great first step that he cut off his mom and he now had a booming business with furniture and his uncle, but I wanted to see more personal growth rather than meeting Mac and saying he wanted to change without really seeing that change until the end. I wanted to see him grow before our eyes to take a look inward at himself to think bout what he wanted to improve on. I just was really missing the change and the work he put into himself that he would put into their relationship.

I also wanted more of Mac’s parental resolution because it really came out of nowhere at the end—-it felt very rushed to me. She reached out after things fell apart with Cooper and they just accepted her back into their lives. I wanted them to actually talk because the way they treated Mac wasn’t okay, and being back in her life wasn’t going to magically mend the hurt she felt. I just felt like it was too easy how they ended back in her life and how they seemed fake nice to her. I wanted something more.

Other than that, the story was a good read and I loved all the cute moments and banter. The banter was so good. I’m really excited to see Evan’s story because he’s a complex character who surprisingly had a lot of repressed anger.

In Avalon Bay, there was Billy and Jay West who were close to Cooper and Evan because they worked together, or they used to work a lot together. They were the brothers of Genevieve West. Gen is this mysterious character that was mentioned throughout the book, however, her name was like a Voldemort trigger. Gen was Evan’s ex, and she used tone really wild and did risky things. They had a whirlwind romance from what I picked up with Evan and her constantly arguing, breaking up, getting back together. Okay, maybe not whirlwind, maybe a bit chaotic and unhealthy but maybe it was because they both weren’t in healthy places.

Gen suddenly moved away and apparently had a new place and life where she got herself together. However, I could tell Evan was still hung up on Gen by the way he tensed up whenever her name was mentioned—liek she was a fresh wound. Because she moved away, Gen broke Evan’s heart.

I’m thinking in the next book we’re going to meet Gen and how she is doing presently. Evan is also going to see her and it’s going to be about them finding their way back to each other or confronting the difficult questions about what happened between them and why she left. I also think they are going to relearn who they are and discover their new dynamic because they had all these years apart to grow and change, naturally they were different people. I also think it would be cool to have a then and now perspective, or at least backstories about their relationship in the past and why they loved each other and still have that love. I think it will be an interesting time. I’m excited. Evan deserves happiness.

I mean, Gen does too, but I don’t know her y

Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? What did you think of the book? 

What is your dream tattoo and why?

Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.

And as always, with love,

et to fully root for her the same way. I mean, I do root for her, but I root for Evan more. My gosh, this doesn’t make sense anymore 😂.

Rating

4.22 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: Mac is such a strong and fun woman and I loved her. I also loved Cooper, but I wanted to see him more when he wasn’t being broody or a flirt. He seemed like a good guy with a lot of hurt. I also LOVED Bonnie and she was done dirty by not being gn the book more 😅

Plot: If you like good girl and bad boys and After by Anna Toddy, you’ll love this 🧡

Writing: I loved the banter and the strong characters Elle Kennedy has

Romance: A little suspicious at first with the whole plan, but they were cute together and definitely had sparks