Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC. I have to say, this is one of the few books in recent memory that I DNF'd. I really wanted to like this book - the premise was super interesting, but I just couldn't get into the narration. There was just too much prose with too little action. I probably read 50% before I finally caved and put it down.

I received an ARC of There's Going to Be Trouble by Jen Silverman through NetGalley. This was my first time reading this author, and while the book had some intriguing elements, it didn't fully meet my expectations. The novel follows two intertwined timelines. In 2018, Minerva "Minnow" Hunter, a teacher in a small town, becomes the face of a scandal after helping a student. Facing death threats, she flees to Paris, where she falls into a passionate relationship with Charles, a young activist. As she gets involved in his protests, she unknowingly echoes a dangerous past from her family history. In 1968, Keen, a Harvard PhD student avoiding the Vietnam draft, falls in love with Olya, a fiery community organizer. His involvement in her protests leads to unforeseen and perilous consequences. The stories of Minnow and Keen explore themes of revolution, legacy, and the impact of personal and political decisions. There's Going to Be Trouble offers a compelling premise with its dual timelines and exploration of political activism across generations. The characters are well-developed, particularly Minnow and Keen, whose journeys are both poignant and thought-provoking. However, some plot twists felt predictable, and the pacing could have been tighter. The transitions between the two timelines were sometimes jarring, which affected the overall flow of the narrative. Despite these shortcomings, the book's strong character development and the vivid depiction of historical and contemporary protests kept me engaged. Silverman's writing is evocative, capturing the tension and passion of the characters' struggles. Fans of historical fiction and stories about political activism might find this book an interesting read, even if it doesn't fully deliver on all fronts. I would consider reading more from Jen Silverman in the future. #netgalley #there'sgoingtobetrouble

Jen Silverman's "There's Going to Be Trouble" is a thought-provoking novel that explores the complexities of radicalism, love, and the unintended consequences of political action. The story unfolds through two parallel narratives, one set in 1968 and the other in the present day, connected by a shared theme of youthful idealism and its often tragic aftermath.

Silverman's writing is both lyrical and sharp, capturing the intensity of youthful rebellion and the disillusionment that can follow. The characters are flawed and complex, making their choices and their mistakes all the more relatable. However, the novel's pacing can be uneven, with some sections feeling rushed while others linger unnecessarily.

While the novel's exploration of political activism and its personal costs is insightful, it sometimes veers into melodrama. The romantic subplot, though well-intentioned, can feel forced and predictable. Despite these minor flaws, "There's Going to Be Trouble" is a compelling read that raises important questions about the nature of change and the sacrifices we make in the pursuit of our ideals.

Underwhelming. I liked where the author was going but seemed like she couldn't land the plane. Did not finish the final third

While this was a compelling dual timeline historical fiction book set in the present and during the late 60s at the height of the student protests against the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights' movement, I just didn't find myself getting drawn into it like I had hoped I would. A bit more literary than I prefer but still a good read if you want to learn more about that period in history. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and Rabdom House for the ARC! This was an interesting read but ultimately fell short for my interests. Maybe too political, maybe the duel timeline didn’t feel like it was serving the purpose to me. I think many readers will enjoy this!

i often think that in books with multiple perspectives, one is stronger than the other, and this was no exception — except it feels that the two traded places at the halfway point.

how surprising and addictive this book was!

Minnow, an American expatriate strikes up a relationship with a radical French activist involved in the gilets jaunes movement. for those unfamiliar, the movement that emerged in 2018 in France fought globally for improved living standards for the working and middle classes, fiscal and social justice, via, in particular, the resignation of the president of the republic, Emmanuel Macron. still living in france when this movement emerged it really hit close to home! I remember how bubbling the atmosphere was at the time. « there’s going to be trouble » embodies militant passion, revolt and fervor, while at the same time delivering an unsuspected love story between two characters with heavy, well-kept secrets. i was held in suspense from beginning to end. i chose to publish this review as a way of bouncing off current events in france, with the results of the european elections, the dissolution of the national assembly and new legislative elections, and the far-right party in france on the brink of coming to power through the front door💀. my review is rambling, but recent political events in france and the mobilization of the population, in reaction, of the french in france and elsewhere against the far-right is very real and brought this book back into my memory, and i absolutely had to talk about it.

Unique premise compared to what I normally gravitate to when I'm picking my next book to read. I thought the dual timeline was well done and balanced in a way where I didn't prefer one over the other. Thank you for the early copy!

Riveting, unique storyline. Often I was left wondering and wanting to know what happened to one character as if switched to another, but that just gave the story even more edge. I will say that having read it in ebook, it was much easier to translate the French as it wasn’t always clear through context clues what was being said during the brief French dialogue

There's Going to be Trouble was an absorbing read. I loved Jen Silverman's writing and would read more from her. I appreciated the risky political storyline as well as the romance.

"I am beginning to ask myself: What world do you want to live in? How must the people in that world be treated? What must you do to ensure that this is the version that comes to pass? We keep doing the same things again and again-- and your country, too, what I see in the news, its the same thing again and again. We go in circles, a hundred years pass and the same people are starving, the same people die. What if it could change?"

When i received the ARC Galley of There's Going to Be Trouble by Jen Silverman I was not expecting how starkly relevant it would be to what is going on in America/Canada right now. At the time I was reading this the University encampments were at their most active. Attacks from the police and Zionists at the worst. Although Silvermans work takes place primarily in Paris, France (dual timelines) the similarities to the protests going on at Ivy League Campuses in America- and across the world is almost eerie. Its interesting - as i find myself consuming work like this I wonder if they could have predicted this. They being- Jen. I found myself wondering the same thing the night I wanted the movie Civil War. I highlighted so many portions of this work- which I always find to indicative of the work being a living breathing thing. I really enjoyed the dynamic of Minnow being Activist minded and Keen being very logical and Scientific minded. It was personally relatable for me. The way their relationship played out was interesting and realistic. I had an inkling of what was going on with the two timelines however really enjoyed the mystery of it. As someone who recently connected with a group of Activists I loved seeing the friendship and family Minnow had crafted for herself.

The way depression was represented in this work was flawless. Thank you for that. The sex when it was represented was done in a way that was erotic and beautifully written.

I would read future works by this author.

This novel was a slow burn for me, taking considerable time to engage with and even longer to finish, leaving my feelings about it somewhat ambivalent. The writing is top-notch, and I appreciated the incisive social commentary on politics, protests, and activism.

Both timelines in this dual narrative were compelling and interconnected seamlessly, which is rare. However, the exploration of personal relationships, crucial to the book's themes, fell flat, with the romantic connections feeling particularly unconvincing.

The abrupt ending left much to be desired. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review this book.

i really really enjoyed this one. i found both the past and current storylines very engaging and i liked the political commentary , especially in the portions about the vietnam war. i look forward to reading whatever jen silverman writes next!

Increasingly intricate and secretive, this novel kept me intrigued and curious for almost it’s entirety, the dual timelines and convoluted chain of rebellion and individualization quite unique and fascinating.

I was excited about this story, thinking it'd be a book I loved. It took me a long time to get into and then a while to finish, I'm a bit conflicted about my experience with the book. The writing was solid, but overall I felt underwhelmed and didn't feel the storylines were delivering in the ways I expected. I will give the caveat that I'm a mood reader, and I feel like I might've forced this at the wrong time. I think some people will really enjoy this and some people will feel meh about it.

Protests serve as the framework for the dual storylines in this novel: the Vietnam War in the US and the more current Yellow Vests demonstrations in France. Needed change underpinned both movements, but a dark side is explored in this novel when frustration becomes anger and violence seems the logical next step. The anonymity crowds and chaos give cover to those who destroy storefronts and vehicles of innocent women and men. For others, it’s about a need to belong as is shown with Keen. In Minnow’s case, it seems she suffers from a predisposition to act without assessing the cost to others or the basic question of whether or not it is her fight. As it is with most of those who tangle in this book, their moral compass will be exposed when they are pressed to make a decision to face the consequences of their decisions or to pass the buck.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want a book that’s a slow-burn character study about a social activist father and his daughter and how their romances impact their political ideas? Do you like books chock full of parallels and callbacks?

Pre-reading:
Don't know anything about this book other than the fact that it has a gorgeous cover.

Thick of it:
I read a lot of books where the main character girlypop’s name is a fish.

Emily in Paris?

Oh god, I literally only speak English. (Thank god for Kindle’s translation feature.)

She reminds me of Marianne from Normal People.

The incident? Oh no, is this another college girl gets raped book? I’m tired, publishing. I’m so tired. (It’s tentatively not?)

And that’s how I met your mother.

This has to be her dad right?

Why am I Keem?
I would get a pamphlet thrown at me and read it.

Romance mentions serial killers sin

I get the feeling Katie may have gone crazy and lit a fire and died after girlypop made her read a book that made her uncomfortable? Like that Criminal Minds episode? (Dead wrong.)

Oh no, is that her dad‘s true love, and her mom is his first girlfriend? (Wrong again.)

Yes, Keen!

This book is aggressively academics in college and I love it.

This book feels very timely with all the academic protests going on.

Peter and Keen are coming off a little gay. Is her dad not dating because he’s gay?

I also agree that angry is better than sad.

OK, but the solution isn’t to humanize women by being like what if they were one of your women it’s just that women are people too. What if it was your family member is still a woman made an object in relation to a man.

I’m so in love with Keen.

Gotta put that fun in funerals.

Very Sally Rooney

I like this book.

Describing the shadows as cyan in this moment was so smart. It immediately triggers an A24 film montage.

I don’t like that she’s gonna break him because I love him. (She does and she doesn’t.

Also, wow, we are 35% in, and I am ride or die for my chemistry boy.

I don’t like Charles. He is setting off all the red flags. Girlypop on the other hand, I’m just like she’s deeply damaged and not ready for a relationship and he’s gonna get caught in the crossfire, but like she’s not intending to hurt him. Versus Charles is gonna be too selfish not to hurt Minnow. (Wrong about Charles.)

Ugh, I like this book.

Also, I’m still assuming Keen is her dad. I feel like that’s gonna be the plot twist at like 80% through this book, and if I’m wrong I’m gonna be a little pissy, or if they’ve already told us the dad‘s name and I’ve somehow missed it-(It wouldn't have been a plot twist if you read the goddamn blurb for the book, Samantha.)

Fuck religion so much.

What the fuck, dad? I was team dad for so much of this book. I'm never team dad! Women deserve the right to their own bodies.

I’m gonna need a good explanation for why her dad thinks it was wrong to drive the student, or he’s dead to me. (Do better, Keen. Ffs.)

Once again, Samantha‘s literary gaydar is unmatched. If only this translated to real life.

I want Peter and Keen to make out.

Yessss. They finally revealed that Keen is the dad. I knew it. I don’t know if this is supposed to be a bombshell. I may very well have just missed his name drop during his first chapter. (It is literally in the blurb, you idiot.)

Please don’t make sweet baby Keen go to war. Oh my god, this book is going to break my heart.

It’s a little Warm Hands of Ghosts given that it’s historical and a character study.

That is one struggle for men that I will never be able to understand, and it makes me so sad for them. The draft is wrong. You should not be forced to die for your country.

This book is so well-paced. It keeps you turning pages.

I think I care more about one side of the timeline, and then the next chapter is like lol no, you care about this one more, and then the next chapter is like lol no, you care about this one more. I think baby Keen has my heart though.

I don’t understand why girlypop is so opposed to people knowing that they’re together. It’s completely legal. They’re not doing anything wrong. She's not that much older, and they're literally colleagues.

But if none of them are so precious that they shouldn’t be used, isn’t that exactly what capitalism is doing that they’re rallying against? That they’re just being used?

Oh my god, I love Keen. He learns the girl he loves’ favorite book.

I am on my period, but the book did make me cry. I just love him so much. He loves his daughter so much.

The parallelism in this book is so good

Why are Keen and Peter not together?

Wait, so she doesn’t even give him the book? Peter does. Why is he not dating Peter? (Such a missed opportunity.)

Who‘s afraid of little old me?

Oh my god, the history repeating itself is so good. So tragic, but so good.

Awww what an ending.

I think Minnow’s arc is a little unsatisfying but also fitting because her ending is just the pure possibility that’s given to her by Christopher, but like also gimmie more.

I don’t love that her arc ends with her resisting in Paris, like Paris isn’t yours.

Post-reading:
I love going into books blind and being pleasantly surprised.

Let’s get this out of the way, I’m a sucker for character parallels. You give me some slow-burn character development with pointed callbacks, and I will eat that shit up every time.

I think the blurb does this book a disservice when it attempts to sell you on the idea that it’s a lit fic romance book. The romances are arguably the most lackluster part of this book. They’re a means to an end to describe the father and daughter relationship that is at the heart of this story.

Keen is such a compelling character. It’s such an effective way to get the book’s theming across that people have always been trying to make the world a better place and that if it was so easy, your grandparents would have done it. It’s so smart to couple the timelines together so that the audience bonds to this young man and his passion for more while knowing it has to all inevitably go ary given the present. It’s deliciously tragic, and the book is appropriately miserable and firmly hopeful given its subject matter.

A subject matter that feels all the more poignant given the state of things and the current campus protests. While the events of the book are fictional, they’re realistic and believable. They’re given the appropriate emotional weight, and nothing is settled all too tidily.

This book is a rare example of a dual timeline where readers are going to care about both POVs equally. It’s paced so well for a book that is probably best categorized as a slow-burn. You’re going to be flying through pages even though the book’s plot passes at the snail’s pace of a slice-of-life novel. The writing feels similar to Sally Rooney’s in that its characters throw around weighty dialogue like it’s nothing and their romantic entanglements suffer from miscommunication.

The book debates its social commentary so well by having so many devil’s advocate characters who have stinging, biting rebuttals. They make salient points. They best our heroes at times. And those heroes feel appropriately naive and grow accordingly.

If you like character studies and love some liberal academic debate, it’s a solid little book and you should definitely pick it up.

Who should read this:
Liberals
Historical political commentary fans
Character study fans

Do I want to reread this:
Maybe? I’m not a huge historical girly, but I would read more from the author

Similar books:
* Come and Get It by Kiley Reid-social commentary, character study, college
* Vladimir by Julia May Jonas-social commentary, character study, college
* You’re an Animal by Jardine Libaire-modern classic retelling, character study
* Sirens and Muses by Antonia Angress-social commentary, character study, college
* The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden-historical, magical realism, character study
* Normal People by Sally Rooney-character study, college
* Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney-character study

- Jen Silverman’s writing makes you feel as though you are reading a nonfiction narrative. Their characters and the world they inhabit feel so real and the prose flows so smoothly.
- This book is slower-paced than what I normally read, and still I couldn’t help but be drawn in to the dual narrative stories of Minnow in the present day and her father in 1968.
- Reading a book starring activists that is half set at the campus protests of 1968 is quite something right now. This book raises many questions we have seen repeated since then and right now - what style of action will make the most impact? Can you live with yourself if you don’t protest? How much are you willing to sacrifice for your cause?

When Minnow finds herself in the middle of a public scandal because of her role in helping one of her students with a controversial decision, her life begins to unravel. Seeking a clean slate, she accepts a teaching position in Paris. There she meets Charles—a young activist with a powerful French family. Minnow finds herself pulled into more and more dangerous protests, and things finally reach a tipping point that she is unaware mirrors a tragedy from her family’s past.

Decades earlier, Keen is pursuing his PhD at Harvard and praying he won’t be drafted for the Vietnam War. He falls in love with Olya, a radical activist who persuades him to join her cause. He could never predict the consequences that would follow him afterward.
The novel jumps back and forth in time between modern France and the student movements of the late sixties. It’s a story about the cost for standing up for what you believe in and a warning to make sure that you’re standing up for your own beliefs instead of adopting someone else’s. It’s about how infatuation can blind us and how our choices shape us. It’s about legacy, creating change, and the way history repeats itself.

Reading this just as the campus protests were beginning around the country felt surreal and ominous. I can’t imagine a more timely book for people to read right now.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.