I Knew You Were Trouble is a spicy enemies-to-lovers romance that kept me hooked from start to finish! Lexi, the talented and determined documentary director, initially has zero interest in following boy band Rebel Heart on their reunion tour. But when she meets Aidan, the band’s egotistical yet undeniably charming frontman, things take a turn. Their chemistry is electric, and the tension between them is delicious. I loved the way their antagonistic relationship slowly evolves into something more complex and passionate. Aidan’s impulsive, entitled nature clashed perfectly with Lexi’s guarded and emotionally distant personality, creating sparks at every turn. The enemies-to-lovers trope is executed wonderfully, with both characters growing and opening up as they face their pasts and develop a deeper connection.

I'm not sure if this was supposed to be grumpy/sunshine at the beginning because I was struggling to see who was the sunshine when they were forced to work together and neither were too happy about it. I was worried I wasn't going to enjoy the book because right from the outset I disliked both of the main characters.

Luckily the characters were well developed as the story continued and showed complexity. What might have seemed like a shallow, awkward and disagreeable (but beautiful - obviously) MMC at the beginning became more likeable as the story progressed.

I couldn't help but compare the story to the recent film "The idea of you". The older female, younger male, him the unofficial band leader, him British... I found the film very repetitive with the female to-ing and from-ing her decision. I appreciated the FMCs ability to be more decisive.

Overall it was an enjoyable and easy to read novel I would recommend to anyone wanting a slightly spicy romance novel.

This was great. I was especially impressed with the side character and subplot developments. Each of the five members of the boy band had a distinct personality and their own arc. Along with the constantly shifting settings (their own a world tour), the many mini subplots ensured I was never bored. Main characters were also multi-dimensional and had great chemistry.

(Potential minor spoiler ahead.)

My one grievance is that I couldn't understand why he forgave her in the end. We're told it's because he liked the final doc. Ok, cool...that doesn't negate the pretty huge breaches of privacy and trust he was angry about in the first place. Also, the wrong party performed the grand gesture...

But, much like Aidan, I forgive easily and would still recommend this to anyone who likes celebrity romances in general.

I definitely got sucked right into this book and spent a couple late nights finishing it! The premise is fun and the characters, while flawed, make it a fun read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book had potential at first but omg Lexi is so fucking annoying and selfish,all she cares about is herself and no one else her character irrated me so much and her being the MC make me hate the book about and not give a fuck about the Romance.
I think I only liked Ravi in this book but yeah I was so bored and annoyed and skimmed alot as I couldn't care less ,the writing has potential tho.

I really liked this but the characters for the most part were unbearable and passed flawed which held back the rating for it unfortunately

Okay, so I couldn’t finish this book. The world was too shallow where characters were did what they wanted, not having self control or any kind of depth in their life.
Also it was bit boring, I got to the 30 % of it and plot was starting from there. So not my book.
Only good thing was how book was placed mainly UK and commonwealth countries, so more drawn to that. It was refreshing.

Thank you NetGalley for an early release of this book for an honest review. Lexi is a successful documentary director who gets roped into directing a documentary about a boy band. I enjoyed how Lexi was able to get each band member to dig deep and trust her with their honest interviews. The book was interesting and I enjoyed the writing style.

This was a decent book - not really anything special, or emotionally-packed, but it was a rom-com and it was sweet.

Lexi is a lovely character; she's relatable and all she's trying to do is her best - even though she's a bit of a mess! She's vibrant and charismatic which goes a long way with getting her in with the group. Aidan at first comes across as a really miserable jerk, but as the book progresses it's easier to see as how he shows his protective side. He's very slow to warm up and let loose - but he's a sweetheart at the absolute heart of it all.

The book did throw me for a bit as I was very confused as to if there were missing chapters as there was just some harmless flirting and then bam - insta-love. That's not my favorite trope to begin with and it was so sudden & abrupt that it really was difficult to read.

Aside from that the writing style was really addictive and it flowed so beautifully, and was just really enjoyable. I also absolutely adored how Emma Rae wrote Aidan - this is a single POV yet you truly get such a feel for Aidan - how he feels, what he feels, what he thinks - it's really nicely done. The 3rd act breakup drove me absolutely insane, as I just absolutely cannot stand the great majority of how they are written - this one however, I was able to see the point and what resulted was truly beautiful (the reconciliation).

I really enjoyed this one and have put Emma Rae on my must read list from now on!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fairly enjoyable read and what I'd describe as an "okay" book.

The premise sounded really fun - an Oscar winning documentary film maker stuck with a boy band she has zero interest in, until she falls for one them.

I really enjoyed the sub plots and side characters in this and I really liked how the boys in the band and Lexi's relationship developed. The side characters and especially Duncan (I would 100% read Duncan's book!) kept me interested enough to keep going, The main attraction was a bit meh for me though. I struggled to feel any real chemistry between Lexi and Aidan or really understand their attraction to each other at all. I couldn't really figure out why Aidan suddenly seemed to want her so badly out of nowhere and she fell for him way too fast considering everything that leads up to it.

I also didn't warm to Lexi. I loved her at the start, this great documentary film maker who won an Oscar for a really important piece. I loved that she wanted to do a documentary on fast fashion because she was so passionate about the environment, but that's NEVER spoken about in the book again. No comment about how many outfits the boys get through or how their merch is destroying the planet. She even goes out to buy a new dress and shoes at one point to impress Aidan, and it just felt off for a character who's supposed to be an environmental activist. I also did not love the whole lying and filming people without permission aspect to the story. I'm all for flawed characters who make mistakes but if I was dating someone who was secretly filming me without my permission for a documentary I don't think I'd personally ever get past that. That is a huge betrayal of trust without any good reason apart from "it would be great footage".

This book also felt very formulaic to me, from the plot to the sex scenes, and it just felt like I was skimming the surface the whole time. Lots of telling rather than showing. There are also situations that have caused characters a lot of trauma and pain that get resolved very conveniently out of nowhere. It felt quite predictable and a bit like ticking off all the beats in a romance novel.

But while I had some gripes, I did still kind of enjoy this, and I would maybe recommend to younger readers (maybe early 20s) who were super into boy bands!

3.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Hera Books and Emma Rae for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I lowkey loved this book!

After winning an Oscar, documentary maker Lexi wants to continue with shooting documentaries that make an impact. However, the sponsor for her next documentary tells her she will only get the necessary funds if she first makes a documentary about a famous boyband.

After reluctantly agreeing to do it, she finds out that the band might be difficult to work with since they don’t want the documentary. The most vocal about this, is Aidan the ‘main star’ of the band.

But of course Lexi is able to convince Aidan and the rest of the band to work with her, instead of against her and the end result is an amazing documentary and maybe some love?

The book is an easy read and makes for an interesting viewpoint of the rich and famous. In the beginning of the book, you are almost forced to hate the boys, because of their attitudes and manners. But slowly, you start to fall in love with them, just like Lexi.

Only downside, I could see the third act breakup coming from a mile away and it could have so easily been avoided.

But I would definitely recommend the book!

This book unfortunately was not for me. I felt like the MMC and the FMC had no chemistry. It also felt a little too insta-love for me. They went straight from hating each other to being together with no real interactions. I also didn’t find the main FMC very likable.

This was such a fun, fast-paced read. I loved it when characters have great banter & dialogue and this story was full of it! Loved it!

If you're a fan of steamy, character-driven romance with emotional depth, I Knew You Were Trouble will keep you hooked from start to finish.

I enjoyed this rom com especially the banter between the hero and heroine even though i think the title caused a Taylor Swift song to get stuck in my head.

Anyone who grew up with a favorite boy band, is going to love I Knew You Were Trouble by Emma Rae. Lexi and Aiden's story was so sweet, I read this book twice. Will highly recommend this title to adult romance readers. I will definitely be reading Rae's other book soon.

Thank you so much for the arc! I absolutely loved this one, it just felt so cozy and nostalgic to me and the characters were like people I already knew which I adored. I really didn’t want this story to end and I would love to close tha characters again, maybe a book about miller 🙈

Thank you NetGalley, Emma Rae and Hera for this e-ARC of I Knew You Were Trouble. This was my first book by Emma Rae and it was wonderful! In this enemies-to-lovers story, Lexi - an Oscar winning documentary director is given the job (against her wishes) of a behind the scenes look at the boy band Rebel Heart. Aiden, the unofficial band leader and major heartthrob, is against the documentary and does everything he can to have Lexi taken off the project. Of course, things change and sparks fly as they tour the world and fall in love. Not only was this a love story between Lexi and Aiden, but all of the members of the band are working through their own love story in unique and beautiful ways. Overall, this book was a delight to read!!

This one was such a delightful whirlwind! Imagine being an Oscar-winning documentary director and getting stuck filming a boy band reunion tour. Yeah, Lexi’s not thrilled either. Enter Aidan, the cocky, charming lead of Rebel Heart, who rubs Lexi the wrong way in all the right ways. She thinks he’s a diva, he thinks she’s uptight—classic enemies-to-lovers vibes!

Their banter is as sharp as their chemistry, and despite her best efforts, Lexi starts questioning everything she thought she knew about love, life, and boy bands. Funny, swoony, and full of heart—this one’s a backstage pass to romance!

I really like this book!! I really enjoyed Emma's other book love game so I was so happy when i got approved to read this book!! I loved Lexi and Aiden and even though we didn't see It at first they grew to have amazing chemistry🫶 the side characters where also really loveable! They were a few twists In the book that definitely kept me hooked! It was sweet to see Lexi make up with her dad too! I love a happy ending and Im very glad Lexi and Aiden found their way back to eachother!🩷 I will continue to read this author's work! Thank you to Netgalley and Emma Rae for this ARC!