Everyone knows the Hales.
Mega-rich and salaciously famous.
No one knows shy, quiet Willow Moore.
Until she makes one daring move that changes her world forever.
At seventeen, Willow moves across the country to connect with her famous older brother, Loren Hale. Before she can even say hello, she runs into the teenager who’s been vandalizing Loren’s house with his group of delinquent friends.
Garrison Abbey is off-limits.
As decreed by her very protective older brother.
But if he’s so awful, then why is he so friendly to her? Willow can’t help but be drawn to the mysterious boy next door.
He has a bad reputation.
She’s yet to carve one of her own.
The more their paths cross, the more Willow realizes maybe…just maybe they’re exactly what each other needs.
Bad Reputation is a collector’s edition of Willow & Garrison’s romance. It contains:
· TWO NOVELS (Whatever It Takes and Wherever You Are) in chronological order.
· A READING GUIDE to read along with the Addicted/Calloway Sisters Series.
· BONUS CHAPTERS not found in the duet.
If you have not met Willow and Garrison yet, we highly recommend starting with Whatever It Takes.
Review
In 2015, I discovered the Addicted Series/Calloway sisters series. I don’t want to describe my entire relationship with the series because if we’re being honest, it’ll be a Ted Talk. The most important takeaway is that I have yet to find a series that even after all these years manages to captivate me. I’m in the middle of a re-read—currently on the third book, Addicted for Now—and as I read, I’m still completely in love with this universe and characters. I’ve said it a thousand times, and I’ll say it again. If home was a book, it would be this series.
The Addicted Series/Calloway sisters series mainly focuses on three couples: Lo and Lily, Rose and Connor, and Ryke and Daisy (Core Six). Beautifully. And in the span of ten books, we witness them overcome addictions, and the media, and fears to be these strong amazing characters that have forever impacted me. And regardless of wherever I go, I always think of them when I think of top characters for me.
Willow and Garrison are supporting characters within those books. Their story is told through the eyes of the main six characters. And when the series was still being published, there was a brief web-series featuring Willow and Garrison. That web series turned into two books -- Whatever It Takes (Bad Reputation Duet Book 1) & Wherever You Are (Bad Reputation Duet Book 2). Both were published in 2020. I’ve always enjoyed Willow and Garrison and had an interest in reading their story in their own POV. However, due to a complicated situation, I wasn’t able to read it. And when I found that they were reworking their books—this time in chronically order, a reading guide and with new bonus characters-- I couldn’t wait to read it.
Bad Reputation is the story that Willow and Garrison deserve. Just as the characters before them, I felt myself completely deeply invested in them and their story.
Like mentioned before Willow and Garrison had been introduced in previous books. And this book starts from the beginning of the story. The first chapter is told in Willow’s POV, and right off the bat she discovers that she has a brother out there she never met. She packs up her car and drives from Maine to Philly on her own. At seventeen years old. We learn very quickly how brave she is.
Garrison lives in the same neighborhood as the Core Six. He’s a rich, lacrosse player, who along with his friends has been terrorizing them by pulling pranks on them. He’s angry. He feels alone.
Both characters were dealt with terrible cards. Garrison’s brothers are physically abusive to him and his parents do nothing to stop it. Willow is put down several times by her looks and her personality, sometimes by a man who she considered a Dad. They really don’t have anyone in their corner.
Then, one day they met at a comic book shop. Willow has started building a relationship with her brother, Lo. Garrison has been labeled a traitor for abandoning his friends for one of their pranks and took up Lo’s offer to work at the comic bookstore. On the outside, Willow and Garrison are completely opposite. He’s a bad boy, and she’s a shy girl. However, they both learn they have so much in common and develop a deep friendship. Willow later described “I realized that everything we saw in each other was everything we couldn’t see in ourselves.” And I think that is a perfect way to describe their relationship.
They don’t start dating immediately after meeting. Instead, they get comfortable with each other. And a major thing in their relationship is consent. Garrison always wants to make sure Willow is comfortable. He doesn’t want to hurt her. And when they do get together, unfortunately for them, they have to endure a long-distance relationship. But they make it work. It’s tough at times, but they make it work. Because regardless of the situation, they are the only ones for each other. And they need each other. As Garrison said – “There’s no one else. There will never be anyone else. Whatever it takes, wherever we are, it’s always been you.”
I couldn’t count how many times I cried during this book. It’s nearly 800 pages so I’m sure I cried at least 500 of those. I may or not be crying right now as I write this. It’s an emotional ride from when Willow and Garrison were teenagers to them raising their teenage daughter together. We see them grow and discover what they want. We see them learn to love themselves and achieve success.
I just want to briefly mention the core 6. It’s not their moment to shine, however, they are such an integral part to Willow and Garrison’s life. All six of them were influential to Willow and Garrison along their journey. As much as it is a romance, it’s a found family story. And this group is as tight as they can be. They root for each other and encourage each other on. I’m not going to go through and break down each relationship, character by character. But I will point out two.
The first is Willow and Daisy. There’s a scene in particular towards the end that I can’t stop thinking about. I cried when I read it, and I cried when I read it the day after. At the beginning, Willow was unsure whether she and Daisy would connect. As Willow said “Daisy Calloway? Showing me around? I don’t think she’d be fond of me.” And fast forward several chapters later, and they are best friends. We saw the friendship develop in Daisy’s POV in her books, but it was also great to see it develop in Willow’s eyes. Both have had pretty terrible friends in the past, and to find a ride or die? That was important to them. And I’m happy in Bad Reputation I got to witness that.
The last is Garrison and Lo. Lo gave Garrison a chance when he didn’t have to. In a way Lo saw himself in Garrison. And his small act of kindness – offering him a job—changed the path of his life. He met Willow. And six other wonderful people who made a difference in his life. He got away from an abusive situation. Garrison explains it best when he said, “You’ve been more of a brother to me than my brothers” and that he “probably wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for” him and Lily.
Final Analysis
Bad Reputation is truly a Krista and Becca Ritchie story. An epic romance, with emotions, laughter, and heart gripping moments. A found family trope. Amazing friendships. A full circle journey that finds a place forever in the hearts of readers.
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