This was an easy, light hearted, funny ,cute, romance book. I loved the part in Amsterdam. I also enjoyed reading the different povs as you get to read the story from different perspectives which makes it interesting. Overall I enjoyed this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

This was a fun, light hearted romance that was the perfect swoony read. The characters were likeable with witty banter and I loved the will they/won’t they romance. Definitely a book worth reading this year!

This review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review may contain spoilers

I’d give this book a solid 3 stars—an enjoyable read overall!

This was a light, fun book with more layers than just the central love story. It featured strong female leads, great female friendships, a revenge subplot, and a book boyfriend that was described Thor lookalike!

Kate and Willem's romance was a slow burn, filled with plenty of tension and banter that I was absolutely invested in. Kate's best friend/cousin made a fabulous character, may we all be so lucky to have a Margot in our lives!

I also really enjoyed the book’s exploration of different countries. The details about the lifestyle, food, and landmarks were fascinating. And the vernacular used in the book? Loved it!

This was the 5th book in an interconnected series, I did not read the previous 4 books and felt that it was ok to be read as a standalone. I would recommend reading this author, I can't wait to go back and read this whole series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #IKnewYouWereTrouble #NetGalley.

This was a cute easy rom com. The whole double life and revenge plot was a little juvenile but still charming. This was my first book by Sandy Barker and I enjoyed her British humor.

Another great rom com within this series of intertwined standalones, The Ever After Agency.

I loved the fact we managed to get revenge as well as a HEA in this one. Both were sweet!!

Thank you for the ARC!

I didn't realize this was part of a series, but I think it could be read as a stand alone? I don't plan on reading the previous 4 books, but this one was alright! It had some slow parts, but overall, i thought it was pretty good. 3.5 stars
Thank you NetGalley for my ARC!

A fun, humorous read with strong female friendships and a swoon-worthy male lead!

❤️ Lighthearted | 🤩 Entertaining | 📖 Engaging

Sandy Barker’s I Knew You Were Trouble takes readers on a journey through London, Amsterdam, and Verona as Kate Whitaker’s world is turned upside down by the shocking revelation that her fiancé is also engaged—to someone else. Rather than wallowing in heartbreak, Kate is determined to seek revenge and travels with Willem —a strikingly handsome stranger who delivered the devastating news—to Amsterdam to reveal to his sister that her fiancé is also engaged to Kate. But what starts as a mission for payback soon leads to unexpected romance.

I was intriguing by the premise, the cover and the Amsterdam setting —a mix of betrayal, revenge, and unexpected romance, which promised an engaging read. This was my first book by Sandy Barker, and while I enjoyed the humor and the strong female friendships, I later realized it was part of a series. Though it works as a standalone, I suspect I would have appreciated it more with prior knowledge of The Ever After Agency and especially Poppy’s background.

The book is fun, lighthearted, and entertaining. The humorous interactions between the characters made me smile, adding charm to the novel. The bond between the betrayed women was a refreshing aspect, focusing on female friendship rather than just the romance and the revenge plan.

Unfortunaltely, here are a few things that didn't work for me: Kate’s initial reaction to discovering her fiancé’s betrayal: She seemed to take it surprisingly well, almost as if it didn’t matter much. Later, it was revealed that they had only been together for three months and that Kate was more pragmatic due to a recent breakup, which provided some context. Still, her first instinct being revenge rather than confronting him felt unrealistic. While the premise was promising, the storyline felt flat at times. However, the smooth reading flow and pleasant writing style made it more enjoyable. The pacing and the long drawn chapters were another drawback for me. I was particularly looking forward to more development in the Amsterdam storyline, but it felt underutilized. Finally, the confrontation with Jon was underwhelming. After so much buildup, it felt like a missed opportunity for a more satisfying or dramatic conclusion.

While I Knew You Were Trouble had its moments of humor and charm, it ultimately didn’t fully deliver on its potential. However, the strong friendships and likable characters—especially Willem—kept me reading. Fans of Sandy Barker or light romance might still find enjoyment here.

Would I pick up another book by Sandy Barker? Maybe—but I’d consider reading earlier books in the series first to get a fuller appreciation of the characters and their world.

I kindly received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest

Sandy Barker’s "I Knew You Were Trouble" had all the makings of a fun romantic comedy, but sadly, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The story centres around Kate Whitaker, who’s blindsided when a handsome stranger, Willem, shows up on her doorstep to reveal that her fiancé, Jon, is also engaged to someone else. Kate’s understandably shocked, but what really threw me off was how she handled it. Despite all the red flags in her relationship, including the fact that she didn’t even live with Jon, she seemed completely oblivious. Instead of feeling empowered or mature, Kate came across as pretty naive.

Things take a turn when Kate joins Willem on a trip to Amsterdam to break the news to his sister. What starts as a supportive gesture soon turns into a plan for revenge against Jon, and unexpectedly, Kate finds herself developing feelings for Willem. I liked the idea of the plot, but I struggled to get into it. The romance between Kate and Willem never really clicked for me. By the time I’d reached the point where I stopped reading, there had been barely any real connection between them—just a lot of uncomfortable silences and not much actual interaction. For a romance to work, you need to feel the chemistry, and unfortunately, this one felt pretty flat.

Another thing that didn’t sit right was the subplot involving revenge. It seemed like the whole thing was just a way to bring back characters from previous books rather than adding anything meaningful to the story at hand. It felt forced and disrupted the flow of the narrative rather than enhancing it.

Overall, while "I Knew You Were Trouble" touches on some interesting themes, it just didn’t come together for me. The characters weren’t developed enough, the romance felt lackluster, and the plot never quite picked up the pace. If you're looking for a light read, it might work for you, but personally, it didn’t live up to its potential.

I ultimately decided to DNF this book at 50%, though I had considered stopping much earlier. I kept giving it a chance, hoping it would improve, but unfortunately, it never did.

One of my main issues was with the protagonist, Kate. From the very beginning, her choices felt questionable, particularly her decision to open the door for a complete stranger without any real justification. Additionally, her inability to recognize the clear red flags in her fiancé—someone she didn’t even live with—made her appear naive rather than mature. Her character lacked depth and self-awareness, which made it difficult to connect with her. Furthermore, her relationship with her cousin felt more like that of two teenagers rather than grown women in their thirties or forties, adding to the overall immaturity of the character dynamics.

Another major flaw was the lack of chemistry between the romantic leads. By the time I stopped reading, their interactions had been minimal, consisting mostly of “intense silence” rather than meaningful dialogue or emotional connection. Romance thrives on strong character development and engaging interactions, but this story offered neither. Without a compelling connection between the protagonists, it was difficult to stay invested.

Additionally, the subplot involving the so-called revenge plan felt contrived, as though its primary purpose was to reintroduce characters from previous books rather than contribute meaningfully to the storyline. Instead of enhancing the narrative, it disrupted the flow and made the plot feel scattered.

Beyond the character and plot issues, there were also significant cultural inaccuracies that impacted the reading experience. The book presents Amsterdam as a slow-paced, relaxing city, which is a misleading portrayal. In reality, Amsterdam is a busy, dynamic environment, more akin to London but on a smaller scale. While this could be overlooked as artistic license, the incorrect use of Dutch language was far more problematic. These mistakes could have easily been avoided with proper research.

While the book does have a lighthearted tone and some witty dialogue, these positive elements were overshadowed by weak character development, a lack of romantic tension, and significant cultural misrepresentations. Ultimately, this was not the book for me. If you’re looking for a well-developed romance with engaging characters and a compelling plot, I would recommend looking elsewhere. This book gets 1 aka 0 ⭐ from me.

This book was so good! I really loved the characters and how well developed they were! I enjoyed reading their story!

I just loved this book! It has such a good story and amazing characters. Once I started reading this book I just couldn’t put it down.

I would highly recommend reading this book and the other Ever After Agency books in this series as they are just amazing.

I would like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review the books early.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

Wow!! What a great book!! This one was a page turner! Had me hooked from the first page! This was a first for me by this author but will not be my last. I enjoyed the plot, characters and the writing style!!

😭😭😭 I'm not crying for any negative reason; it's because this may be the last in the Ever After Agency Series, and I have become so invested in the characters that reappear, story after story!
But let's not dwell on my sadness. Let's embrace the fun of the story!
There's a little twist in the tale this time, as Poppy, our favourite matchmaker from the Ever After Agency, engages in an activity for a client that is most definitely not matchmaking!
Poppy's client, Kate, is reeling from discovering that her fiancé, Jon, is a two (three?) timing serial fiancé. Having originally found him through a match with another agency, Kate contacts Poppy for some help with revenge!
Oh, but the plot thickens. Kate finds she has feelings for the Thor-like Nordic Willem, who opens her eyes to the deception she has suffered. And he happens to be fiancé #2's brother...
I'm not saying any more about the plot because you need to read the book, but suffice to say it was so engaging that I read it in one sitting.
We have a bit of travel, lots of 'will they-won't they?' moments and some great side characters in the form of fiancé #2, almost fiancé 3, and Kate's cousin Margot, who is hilarious!
I love that though the story is about a particular client, we get constant updates about Poppy, a pivotal character in all the series books. And her life is about to take its own new turn... are you sure this will be the end, Sandy B?
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Let me start off by saying i tend to love Sandy Barkers books. This series has definitely been so fun. This book specifically has such a fun plot, and it's silly how much i enjoyed that. As always, the characters are fun, and the story reads fast and easily. I also love how the main plot of this story wasn't necessarily the romance.

However, I should mention that I’ve debated dnf'ing this book, let me explain why. I am dutch. This book has scenes in the netherlands and a couple of dutch characters, which also brings with it some dutch language. While that definitely made me excited at first, i was quite disappointed. Not only was amsterdam written as such a cozy place where people slow down, and you can relax (its really really not, i feel like amsterdam has the same vibe as london, but smaller and with some historical houses that people like. Other than the side that, its just as busy, workfocused, etc), but she also uses an extremely offensive dutch swear word (kanker is dutch for cancer, and its really frowned upon to swear with it). Apart from it being offensive, it's literally not used correctly. My recommendations as good translations for asshole would be klootzak, lul, or any english word bc dutchies know english well, and we often swear in english. Dutch people knowing english is also my last point; the dutch characters are often written to say dutch words in english convos, which isn't realistic. We wouldn't go around saying "ja briljant" in an english convo.
These things all annoyed me a bit and took away from the, otherwise enjoyable, reading experience. Now i have read in another review that Sandy Barker has worked with a dutch person to ensure that this would go well, but unfortunately, it didn't work.

Are you not dutch? I absolutely recommend this book (as well as her others). Are you dutch? If you're easily bothered by these things, i would recommend skipping this book and just reading her others.

All of that being said, i sincerely hope that these comments dont discourage Sandy Barker because i really enjoy reading her books. These comments in my review are simply notes for other readers like me or tips for future writing of international romances. I will definitely not stop reading these books and will be looking forward to her upcoming books.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read any books by Sandy Barker before, but I’m officially a fan and about to binge all of her books! It took me a second to get into the book just due to the British language, but once I was in it, I was in it!

Willem is a man after my own heart. The way he literally went to another country to protect his sister from marrying the wrong guy is so honorable.

I was truly never bored and honestly there were moments that truly surprised me. I definitely didn’t Jon with someone else as well!

Well done!!

This is the second of the Ever After Series I have read and was happy to get it from Netgalley for a review. Kate is a successful career woman and is engaged to Jon who is a pilot. He seems to do a lot of extra shifts,she will get texts saying he has been called away to cover. She hasn’t known him long but she hadn’t had great relationships in the past but he was very attentive. Kate met Jon through one of the dating agency’s she had joined. One evening her life changes when she gets a visit from Willem who has something important to tell her. So,it turns out,it looks like Jon is engaged to Willems sister as well. Willem has been looking into Jon and he wants Kate to come to Amsterdam and speak to his sister.Kate takes her cousin Margot with her and they all find out it’s the same Jon but this time he is a diamond dealer. Willem is easy on the eye and Kate can’t understand why she has feelings for him when her life is such a mess. The girls want to get back at him and Kate decides she is going to contact Penny who works at the dating agency’s she didn’t meet Jon through to see if she will help. Willem and Kate end up going to Verona as they find out there is Lucia and they think she is about to become fiancé no.3. You must read the book to find out how they catch Jon and how their lives intertwine. Loved it.

What a delightful story in the end. There are some parts of this story that are a little much, but do you know what I loved it, I haven’t read all of the stories in the series, and at times I wondered if it was making a difference, if I was missing some important details, but overall I didn’t feel that I was missing anything out. The story is great, and you get swept up in it, you get attached to each of the fiancée’s and lady friends, they each have their own story to tell, and I love how they each get involved. Willem is a lovely man, and you can see how much he loves his sister and just wants the best for those he cares about. There are some amazing secondary characters in this one, like Margot who makes me smile at every turn.

This was my first introduction to Sandy Barker and won’t be my last! What a clever storyline with the fiancé with multiple unwitting fiancée’s. I was into all of the tropes: will they/won’t they, only one bed, forced proximity. And how can you not fall in love with two characters who bring out the most in each other. I was kicking and giddy at the end. I loved the different sides of the story and how it was told from different points of view. I was thoroughly entertained throughout. Bravo!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I Knew You Were Trouble was a light take on truly better for the world revenge (and a romance to boot). I had suspected, but wasn’t sure, that this was part of a series and now I’m eager to pick up some of the other books because if they’re anything like this one I’m sure they’re going to be the type of refreshing and fun romance you hope to be about to read.

In the case of I Knew You Were Trouble, Kate is stunned when a (very Thor like) stranger shows up at her doorstep with information that her Fiance, Jon, is in a relationship with his sister- and about to get engaged to her as well. It quickly becomes apparent Jon is a sleaze who has been lying and in fact seems to do ‘that kind of thing’. Kate, encouraged by her cousin Margot, decides to get even - with the help of the other women who were hoodwinked by Jon and with the support of a matchmaking agency she wishes she used instead of the one who set her up with Jon. While this doesn’t go deep, and Willem, the man who set the discovery in motion, is super hot but doesn’t seem to have more than that in terms of substance, the story is fun and funny, and the characters are easy to root for. Poppy, who works at the agency, was a bright point, and I would love to learn more about her own happily ever after!

I loved all the characters and have read other books in the series, but I must admit I do find that it wrecks the flow somewhat by the dual pov for poppy and whomever the other person is at the time ( the previous book was the same). It would be better if the other characters were featured slightly but it kept the single main pov as being the heroines. Otherwise a very nice talk tale which makes for a good holiday read