Lexi is an Oscar-winning documentary director whose focus is on some of the darker aspects of humanity. Her new boss decides to have her follow a boy band on tour and direct a documentary about their reunion. She not so happy about it but she reluctantly agrees to it. Little did Lexi know that she'll start to actually like the boys and spending time with them, becoming invested in all their lives, especially Aidan, who she can't get out of her mind.

When I decided to pick up this book from NG, I selected it because of course most of the tropes interested me. One of the tropes I don't particularly like it's a celebrity character, but I still chose it.
And thank God I did, this book was a rollercoaster of emotions, I wanted to keep reading it all the time but at the same I was dreading nearing its end, because I knew there was going to be a third act break up, you could sense it from the way Lexi handled certain things, and I knew this break up was going to hurt and it freaking did. But, unlike most break ups, this one was needed as it helped both Aidan and Lexi to figure some things out about each other and themselves.

I enjoyed reading this book so much because I actually liked every connection Lexi formed with most of the band members while helping them out in their private lives. It is an engaging book and so well written you couldn't help but keeping on reading. You actually felt you were travelling around the world with the band, you were staying in 5 star hotels and cheap hotels, you felt jet-lagged, you felt happiness at being back stage watching the band perform, you felt anger when Aiden kept boycotting Lexi's efforts to do her job, but you inevitably felt exhilarated when he started changing his mind and give Lexi his real self and some stomach-knotting lines.

Their romance is so intense and tense, there was that push and pull that kept you wanting more and more. This is a single pov book, I didn't mind it in this contest, because it was painful not knowing what Aiden felt or thought in certain parts of the book, but that's what happens in real life. Though, I wouldn't have minded to get a glimpse of his real feelings at the beginning when he didn't want Lexi around or when they broke up. So this is my official request to Emma Rae for a couple of bonus scenes.

Thank you Hera Books and NetGalley for the ARC, the opinions are entirely my own.

3.5 stars

Blurb

He’s the world’s most famous frontman. She couldn’t care less.

Lexi is already an Oscar winning documentary director at just 30-years-old. But when she is asked to ditch her current project in exchange to film Rebel Heart - a reunited boy band - she is disappointed to say the least. She didn’t work this hard to follow a boy group on tour and document their every manufactured move for teenage fans.

But after meeting Aidan, the unofficial ‘head’ of the band, something new stirs inside her. She thinks he’s egotistical, entitled, and impulsive. Equally, Aidan thinks Lexi is high-strung, secretive, and emotionally devoid.

Tensions rise, and as Lexi blends work and pleasure, she can’t let go of her difficult past with the father that abandoned her. She doesn’t expect people to stay in her life for long. Especially the lead of a boy band. But is this project about to prove all of her expectations wrong…?

My thoughts:

I recently finished reading I knew you were trouble by Emma Rae, which took me a little while to get into, but once I did, I found myself enjoying the story. The book brought back a wave of nostalgia from my younger years when I used to watch shows like Popstars: The Rivals and X Factor.

The dynamic between the characters Aiden and Lexi intrigued me, especially their enemies to lovers relationship as Lexi takes on the role of Director for the Rebel Hearts documentary, something they both initially oppose. I admired Lexi's strong-willed nature and her determination to get the job done no matter what.

One of the highlights of the book for me was watching Lexi connect with each member of the band individually, breaking down their walls and discovering their vulnerabilities. It was fascinating to see how she went from being the unwanted Director to becoming an integral part of the group.

Overall, I found this book to be a great easy read. The character development and plot kept me invested. If you're a fan of enemies to lovers tropes, boybands and enjoy stories of personal growth and self-discovery with a cute romance thrown in, I recommend giving this book a read.

Thank you to Emma Rae, Hera books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

I raced through this one in a couple of days. I really enjoyed the characters and the character development. The friendship between Duncan and Lexi was great, you could feel from the start that they had been something between them before, but friendship won. I felt the ending was a tad predictable, but that didn’t stop me from wanting the same to help for them.

A variety of well-developed characters, a fun plot, and ...spicey. Yes, please! I Knew You Were Trouble, by Emma Rae, is a book you will not want to put down! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

I love Emma Rae’s writing.
I couldn’t put this book down as I just wanted to know what was going to happen on the next page and couldn’t help myself.

I didn’t want this book to end. I needed more Lexi and Aidan!

Enemies to lovers. Lexi and Aidan hated each other from first sight. She thought he was an arrogant playboy out to ruin her job.

Lexi had to follow a band around making a documentary about their world tour. She hated it instantly but had to grin and bear it, or risk getting fired.

Things started to heat up between Lexi and Aidan when she sat on his lap one night at a party and he may have gotten a little bit too excited 😉

I loved the back and forth between these two.

The other characters drew everything together. You got to know them all on a deeper level and really feel connected to everyone.

The third act breakup was so sad 😢 I really felt for Lexi. Such a misunderstanding could have ruined everything.

The grand gesture from Aidan was so heartfelt. It may have made me feel a bit giddy.
I love these two so much and just wish we could have more of them!

Tropes:
-reverse age gap
-grumpy/sunshine
-workplace/secret romance
-forced proximity
-enemies to lovers
-rockstar
-slow burn (heat starts at 44%, spice at 62%)
-single pov
-miscommunication
-found family

If you like any variation of the tropes listed, definitely read this book! The tension was palpable in the beginning and the found family aspect is perfection! It was slow going for me initially, but when it started going from enemies to lovers, I was hooked! I ended up loving this book and not wanting it to end!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This is the second book that I have been fortunate enough to read an ARC copy of from Emma Rae. While the storyline in I Knew You Were Trouble is completely different from Love Game, some of my comments and critiques of the two books are very similar.

I'll be completely honest: there were moments when I wanted to abandon the book and leave it on my DNF list, but I pushed on for various reasons. The first is because I don't have many DNF books. I have some books that I take a hiatus on, sometimes a years-long hiatus, but I always end up returning to the book when I am in a different mindset. I also wanted to push through because the overall plot and concept of the story were interesting. I was initially drawn to the story because of the blurb and I wanted to see it through. I knew that Love Game was worth finishing when I read that a few months ago, and something told me that I Knew You Were Trouble would also be worth it.

The writing itself was fine, good actually. I still do not enjoy all the time cuts within a chapter, similar to what Emma did in Love Game, and I think some of them could have been edited out completely as the information provided in some sections wasn't too relevant to the overall plot, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me. What bothered me was the lack of evolution or insight into Aiden and Lexi getting to know each other and spending time together. Aiden's feelings for Lexi start to change at one point and, because we don't have any of the stories from his PoV, nor any scenes where they start to spend time together and see them growing closer. I think we either needed to add pages to the story and develop that part of the plot or, remove some of the sections that didn't really do anything for the overall story (was mainly just a filler) and switch it out.

I really enjoyed all of the characters. I know Aiden and Lexi are our main love interests, but the whole band of Rebel Hearts is well-written, and I love the partners that they end up with. I grew up with a lot of boybands. New Kids on the Block started when I was very very young, Backstreet Boys, NSync, 98 degrees, and, even though I was a little too old, I also experienced One Direction. This story spoke to my boyband pop groupie inside my heart and I loved it. I guess, because I read this book so soon after the death of Liam Payne, I kept thinking of One Direction throughout the whole story. Duncan and Merideth are also amazing additions to the story. I actually want there to be a second part of this book just to see how the relationships evolve and continue (please, please continue) in a few year's time.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I am glad NetGalley, Hera Books, and Emma Rae gave me the opportunity to read it in advance. Thank you!

I loved this book. It reminded me a lot of The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. I was hooked from the beginning of the book, and hard a hard time putting it down because I enjoyed it so much. It is a great story about love and trust, and just WOW i loved it!

Thank you NetGalley and Hera Books for allowing me to read this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

3.75 ⭐️
I read this book in a little over 24 hours, because I immediately got a little obsessed with the story and a certain broody unofficial band leader. ;) I don’t know if it’s just me, but I kinda kept thinking of One Direction whenever the band was mentioned. (Proud directioner <3 ) So who could blame Lexi when she started fantasizing about and falling for Aiden? Not me. I loved Lexi and how she connected with the boys and what she did for all of them. She also didn’t let anybody tell her how to shoot her documentary, and I kinda admired her for it and therefore loved it even more how the documentary turned out in the end. I was a little bit worried though, how Aiden would take her secret filming, and I was always waiting for the bomb to drop. Luckily it all did work out in the end.
All of the characters felt so real, because everyone of them had their flaws and their baggage and I could relate to some of them.

Enemies to lovers but with a boyband heart throb MMC.

Sign me up.

Lexi - Golden Globe award winning film maker, tasked with making a documentary about a boy band (Rebel Heart) and Lexi is pissssedddd (Girl I would be too in this situation).

The band has already booted one filmmaker, and they are not giving Lexi a warm welcome.

This was a slow burn, with a lot of details and then it just flew. There are some morally gray areas of the characters, but isn't that what also makes us hooked on the story?

This was my first read by Emma Rae, and I will be checking out more of her books.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my ARC!

4.00 stars
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A celebrity enemies-to-lovers? Count me in! Lexi is a thirty-year-old Oscar-winning documentarian, leaving her as the top choice to direct a documentary on a famous boy band reunion tour: Rebel Heart. Lexi hasn't come all this way in life to film some boy band movie, but if she wants the greenlight on her next project she has no choice. From the start, it's clear that the group doesn't want her there and goes out of their way to make filming a struggle.

We meet our bandmates, including our unofficial leader, Aidan. I wasn't a huge fan of Aidan initially; he's egotistic, entitled, and will do anything to stop Lexi from filming. Our two MCs have an intense connection together. As the story goes on, Lexi becomes closer to the band and helps them come to peace with certain aspects of their life, but as a reader, you begin to question if she's doing all of it for the documentary.

I liked how this book gives you a glimpse of what a famous boy band may go through, how you're perceived due to tabloids, and how one event can shape your entire persona. I was more invested in other characters than with Aidan and Lexi...Aidan is painted in a bad light, but Lexi isn't better doing some questionable things to get footage for the documentary.

This book does include a third-act breakup, it allows for our characters to grow apart. I enjoyed reading about Lexi building rapport with her father once again, and how he dropped everything at the drop of a hat to take care of her. Overall this was a good read, please note that it does deal with some serious content and isn't a lighthearted read.
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I would like to thank NetGalley, Hera Books, and Emma Rae for a copy of I Knew You Were Trouble in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book publishes on November 21st 2024, pre-order your copy today!

I Knew You Were Trouble follows Lexi, an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker reluctantly assigned to follow Rebel Heart, a reunited boy band, on tour. Frustrated by the project, she’s surprised when she meets Aidan, the charming but infuriating frontman, and feels an unexpected connection. As she navigates the tension between her career and personal life, Lexi’s guarded heart slowly opens, challenging her expectations and forcing her to confront her past. The result is a story of unexpected love, personal growth, and a journey that neither Lexi nor Aidan saw coming.

This book is a fun and engaging read that brings a fresh twist to the enemies-to-lovers trope. The dynamics between Lexi and the Rebel Heart band members are well-written, making you feel like you’re right there on tour with them. Lexi’s character, strong-willed and ambitious, brings a unique edge to the storyline, and watching her impact each band member was one of my favorite parts of the book.

The romance between Lexi and Aidan is both tense and sweet, creating that perfect push-and-pull that keeps you invested. I would have loved to see Aidan’s perspective in a few scenes, just to get a deeper look at his thoughts and emotions, especially as their relationship develops. The plot itself has a nice balance of predictability and originality, keeping it entertaining without feeling repetitive.

Overall, I Knew You Were Trouble is a solid read with memorable characters and a cute romance. The author’s writing style is fresh and fun, and I’m excited to explore more of her work in the future.

4 Reverse Cowgirl Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5

This is the second book I have read by Emma Rae and it is good. It's not amazing, but it's not bad. Given that it is related to movies, the best way to describe it would be to say it's not going to be a blockbuster or win any Oscars. But it's not going to get any Razzie Awards either. For those of you who don't know, those are the awards given to the worst of cinematic failures. It's a standard homework Christmas movie but without the Christmas. You know, a run-of-the-mill romcom that is sweet in the end and you're not going to regret reading it, but it's not going to rewrite your brain chemistry.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Lexi Hart is an Oscar-winning documentary director who has been asked to step in to film a documentary about a boy band on their "Heartbeats" tour which is funded by the network that is funding her next project. The issue is Lexi would rather pull her teeth out without anaesthetic than do this, but she doesn't want to jeopardise her next project. So she acquiesces and she, her handy dandy cameraman (who also happens to be her ex) and her assistant fly halfway across the world to follow some men around. The issue is none of the men want anything to do with the film crew, especially Aidan McArthur, the band's UBL (unofficial band leader).

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Lexi was very relatable as a character. I enjoyed that she felt real because she didn't have her shit together and that she was trying to do the best of the situation. She compromises her well-being for others and has this innate ability and magic that makes people's lives better without releasing it. She has this charismatic personality that people cannot help but be drawn to. She has a way of fixing people's problems or giving advice that ends up making them happy. It was through these little acts and gestures that slowly persuaded the band to like her and accept her as one of their own.

Aidan is initially a dick. You think he's not a very nice person, but as Lexi spends more time with him you realise that he is just protective of his boys and take time to open up to new people. He is VERY SLOW to trust and it does take him a while to open up to Lexi. He is an actual sweetheart at times and down to earth even though he is so famous, he ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT PEOPLE. He wants the best for his bandmates in everything they do - personal and professional. He is one of their biggest cheerleaders, the literal daddy of the group, even though he's 25. And you can see that he's just trying his best in the situation that is thrust on him.

There was a small moment where I thought the book might be missing a few chapters because Aidan and Lexi went from hardly talking to being so in lust - it almost gave Insta-lust vibes. I honestly thought that I'd skipped a couple of chapters.

But putting that aside, I will say that the writing is pretty addictive and I couldn't put the book down. It was so entertaining to see how Lexi navigated everything and I was just sucked in. THIS BOOK MADE ME SQUIRREL, (which always makes me rate a book higher because it means that ANY FREE TIME I HAD, any moment, I was opening my Kindle or iPhone and squirrelling away reading). The writing had this way of drawing you in, it flowed and effortlessly conveyed the character's emotions. Considering this is told entirely from Lexi's POV, Emma Rae did a fantastic job of portraying Aidan.

This DOES have a third-act breakup so prepare for this...
****SPOILER*****
but it allowed the book to take an interesting direction. I loved that Lexi reconciled with her father. It was sweet how he was there for her and dropped everything to take care of his daughter. In so many books, those types of relationships go in the direction of splitting further. And the fact that they were able to come together and she was able to find forgiveness, love and compassion with him was sweet.****SPOILER****

I think a lot of this book is not just about Lexi finding love with Aidan. It's about Lexi finding love in herself. She is so quick to help other people find love, that she doesn't focus on it for herself, but in this she finds friends, she finds, family and she finds love and I think that message made this book really sweet, really cute and enjoyable.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Celebrity Romance
▶ Enemies Hate to Lovers
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Age Gap (Lexi 30, Aidan 24 - 5.5 Years)
▶ Backwards Cap
▶ Director X Boy Band Singer
▶ Rolled Sleeves

Overall, as mentioned, this was good. I enjoyed it and have sinched Emma Rae into my must-read author's list!

I really enjoyed this book and didn't want to put it down. It's not easy to make an entire ensemble cast of characters so dimensional and compelling. I was really confused about why Aidan was so distrustful of the documentary and worked so hard to get rid of Lexi, but the payoff was worth it.

Lexi and Aidan made great romantic leads, but I was impressed by the dynamics that Cal, J.P., and Duncan all had, too.

Overall thoughts:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Release Date: 21st November 2024

‘I don’t care how many fans he has Aidan McArthur is mine.’

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Found Family, Workplace Romance, Queer Rep (Side Character), Third Act Conflict.

Lexi is had made a name for herself as an Oscar winning documentary director, however without funding the documentaries she wants to film are just out of reach. In an attempt to gain said funding Lexi finds herself being forced to work on a project involving at reunited boy band as they tour the world. What could do wrong?
Interpersonal conflicts, budding relationships, lies & betrayals.. if you wanted drama here it is!

Firstly, I want to commend Emma for yet again creating a FMC & MMC that you love and hate at the same time! She has a knack for writing complex & testing characters. Not your standard copy & paste romance. The were moments in the book where I truly hated both main characters, but found myself forgiving all by the ending.

I can only describe this book as a rollercoaster, it’s intense. I think I’ve got whiplash from all the drama 😂
But what do you expect when the topic is a boy band on tour!

Overall another great book by Emma, keep doing what you’re doing!

Thank you to Emma Rae, Hera & NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were very well developed and the plot was fantastic. Would recommend for anyone who loves a good romance!

I enjoyed this book and it quickly became one of my recent favorites! "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Emma Rae revolves around Lexi, an Oscar-winning filmmaker, who finds herself reluctantly following the boy band Rebel Heart on their reunion tour. The dynamics between Lexi and the unofficial band leader, Aidan, spark an entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance that kept me engaged from start to finish.

Lexi's journey of navigating the challenges posed by Aidan and the other bandmates is both humorous and heartfelt. Their initial animosity transforms into something deeper, and the tension is intense as they gradually learn to understand one another. The blend of a reverse age gap, forced proximity, and celebrity romance creates an enjoyable backdrop for their evolving relationship.

The book is packed with a rich plot, a wonderful found family, and plenty of open-door spice that enhances the romance. I also appreciated the stunning array of global locations, which added an exciting element to the narrative.

"I Knew You Were Trouble" is a quick and emotionally-charged read, especially for fans of boy band culture. It struck the right balance of romance, humor, and emotional depth. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun story!

When I was searching for my next read on Netgalley, I was immediately drawn by the blurb of this book. Celebrity romance? Enemies to lovers? Boy band? SIGN. ME. UP.

Lexi – Award winning filmmaker, grumpy, could not be impressed that she’s forced to film the world’s hottest band.
Aiden – UBL (Unofficially Band Leader) of Rebel Heart, protective, hottie and does not want this film to happen.

It starts with Lexi being voluntold that she must film the band’s documentary if she ever wants funding for her next big project from the company.

The band had already kicked out one director, and they were determined to kick out her too. However, after a few nights, Lexi ‘won’ her right to stay to film the band. She had a suspicion that the band would just show her staged, predictable moments and make as hard as they could for her and her crew. However, unknowingly to the band, she had a few questionable tricks up her sleeves to capture the not-staged moments.

Eventually, we see Lexi and Aiden slowly fall for each other. Nevertheless, it was not a smooth ride, but they did find their HEA.

Overall, the story was fine.

This is a SLOW BURN romance. It took me a few days to get into the story itself. There is a LOT of details for the first half of the book (for examples, meeting all the bandmates, background information, etc.). There’s also the fact that Lexi would use body cams and illegally film the band without their knowledge or consent. In the world of trying to go viral, privacy laws in common law or civil law* is such a big issue. I encourage anyone that would be inspired by Lexi’s method of using body cams to film to ask a legal representative about the law.

The book hooked me in about 60% in. I usually dislike third breakup acts, but it added to the story.

This was my first Emma Rae book, but not my last. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

(*Bandmates are majority all from countries that practices common law, except bandmate J.B.)

This was fine. Just fine.

Aidan is a jerk and I really couldn't get over that. Lexi is too accomplished to be doing a documentary on a boy band, regardless of contracts.

The enemies to lovers plot was as expected.

It's not going to win any awards, but it does the job.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lexi is an Oscar winning documentary filmmaker. Her star is on the rise, but when she’s asked to abandon her project in order to film a documentary on famous boy band, Rebel Heart, she’s disappointed to say the least. In order to get funding for her project, she must follow the band on their world wide tour and deal with the entitled unofficial head of the band, Aidan. Lexi and Aidan butt heads as tensions rise. Will they be able to make this film without killing each other?

To be honest I wasn’t feeling this one. Aidan was really immature and behaved unprofessionally in order to get Lexi fired from her job. From the beginning, he ices her out and gets the band to avoid her interviews. This leaves Lexi with no choice but to secretly tape them. I took issue with this because it didn’t seem realistic that an Oscar winner would go to such an extreme to get footage. Not to mention it wasn’t ethical at all.

I’m also not a fan of MMC’s hooking up with other women after they’ve met the FMC. It’s disappointing, and I’m not quite sure what purpose it truly serves. That’s time that would’ve been better spent building the relationship between Lexi and Aidan.

I didn’t enjoy this book at all, and it was hard for me to root for the romance. Not only is she having to deal with seeing Aidan with other women, but he treats her very poorly, and I’m just left wondering why she’s bothering. She’s an accomplished filmmaker, and frankly he’s beneath her. It’s bad enough that’s she’s got a sweet and caring ex who happens to be her camera man, and still somewhat has feelings for her. Now a second chance romance between the two of them would have been the story I would want to read.

Overall, I struggled to get through this. And after reading reviews of the author’s previous book which contains the cheating trope, I don’t think her books are right for me.