This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

My thoughts:
A laugh out loud romantic comedy. Though part of a series, each book can be read as a standalone.
I found this story to be entertaining with lots of humor. The friendship of the women was delightful. And, throw in a sexy, swoon worthy male….you know the story is going to be good.

I Knew You Were Trouble is a light-hearted and amusing romantic comedy that blends revenge with romance unexpectedly and refreshingly. Kate Whitaker, who has always believed in love, is thrown into turmoil when Willem, a handsome stranger, knocks on her door with shocking news. He reveals that Kate’s fiancé, Jon, is not only cheating on her but also engaged to his sister. The revelation leaves Kate reeling, unable to comprehend how she missed the signs.

Overcome with anger, but captivated by Willem’s striking Nordic charm, Kate agrees to accompany him to Amsterdam to help inform his sister about Jon’s betrayal. What begins as a simple act of kindness soon turns into an intricate plan for retribution. As Kate becomes involved in their shared mission, she finds herself drawn into a world of scheming, self-discovery, and, unexpectedly, romance.

Filled with humour, I Knew You Were Trouble offers an entertaining escape, perfect for a summer read. It is a tale of broken trust, sweet revenge, and the unpredictable paths love can take, all set against the backdrop of a vibrant and romantic European city.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

What do you do when a random dutchman turns up at your door and presents the evidence that your fiancee is not the spectacular catch you thought he was .

This is what happens to Kate when Willem turns up on her doorstep one evening with the evidence that her fiancee Jon is not only not an airline pilot but is also engaged to his sister, Willem begs Kate to come and meet his sister and let her know her fiancee is not the man she thinks he is. The idea is crazy but Kate finds herself travelling to Amsterdam to shatter the illusion.

The two girls get together and decide they need to protect the world at large from this serial fiancee, especially when it turns out fiancee number three is just round the corner.

Through all the upheaval Kate doesnt seem to feel the grief at the loss of the relationship, just anger, but when she starts to get feelings for Willem, she knows they cant go anywhere, he's her fiance's other fiancee's brother - can they.

I have to say this was a great book, a very enjoyable read, the characters were very well written and I could imagine it as a film.

If you like a story with strong female characters then this could be the book for you.

Either the author is a big taylor swift fan or she put the wrong title to the book because willem is not trouble actually far from it!
My mistake though was I did not know this was the 5th book in the series! Although you could read it as a standalone as it does sort of explain characters!!

This was an easy read but it definitely didn’t have the drama and revenge plot I was expecting and realistically how have these people got money to be flying around to these destinations at a drop of a hat so yeah story felt a bit unrealistic aswell.

Thank you to netgalley

The 5th installment in the Ever After agency was so good, I’m definitely going to read 1-4. I adored Kate, Poppy, “Penny”, Lucia, &. Adriana & her brother Willem. The MMC I absolutely wanted to throw hot dog water on - Jon. But I over all loved the plot of this book and cannot wait to read more by Sandy Barker!

Had Potential, But Too Many Issues

I really wanted to love this book, and there were some things I enjoyed—especially the male protagonist, who was well-written and easy to root for. Unfortunately, the rest of the story didn’t quite work for me. The plot was so unrealistic that it was hard to stay engaged, and the mid-chapter POV shifts were confusing and distracting. The side characters felt over-the-top, making it difficult to take the emotional moments seriously. And honestly, Poppy’s POV didn’t add much to the story—I think it would have been stronger without it.

I can see why others might enjoy this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

Super cute and quick read! While I enjoyed it, it did feel like it was missing something but I did enjoy it!

Quick, cozy RomCom. This was first time reading a Sandy Barker book and will definitely be reading more!

Thank you Boldwood Books for granting me an ARC! All opinions are my own and not influenced by the publisher.

I enjoyed reading this book, the plot was unusual and entertaining and the characters were mostly believable. I liked how the bettayed women stuck together to get revenge but I thought that the way they went about it was very unbelievable (why would they involve Poppy - she is not even a friend of Kate's?). Apart from that the book is a highly entertaining, fast-paced read.

I really loved the premise of this book! It’s a lighthearted, humorous, and charming, making it an enjoyable and fun experience from start to finish.

The story does a wonderful job of showcasing the power of female friendship and understanding. The bond between the characters felt real and heartwarming, which made it easy to connect with them throughout the story. Plus, it's a quick and easy read, perfect for when you need something light and entertaining.

While it had potential, I was hoping for a more exciting revenge plot. It didn't quite live up to the tension and excitement I was hoping for. Despite that, the book’s charm and humor kept me hooked, making it an enjoyable read overall.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinions!

This book is the fifth book in a series. Its a cute romantic comedy with betrayal and revenge.
The story joins Kate on a mission across Europe to unravel her husbands lies. The journey is fun going through Amsterdam and Verona.
I felt like the romance happened way too quickly, making it not very believable. I was a little confused going back and forth between point of views also. It was a cute read that had its funny moments, offering a pleasant escape into the story.

What a cute story of a cad and the women he conned.

Kate is engaged to Jon. Then, Willem shows up to tell her Jon is engaged to his sister. Betrayal and growth ensue.

Sandy Barker introduces us to Kate, a woman with a tidy life: a job she likes, a hilarious best friend, and a stable-ish fiance. Then, a Thor-like man throws a wrench in it and forces her to examine her life.

It's a romance full of tropes (often in a tongue-in-cheek way), but it also examines the concessions women make to fill the roles they think they should be playing.

Barker's "Ever After' series is a fun look at how women can find their happily ever after. This book also revisits some previous characters giving readers a nice callback to people they already love.

Kate is caught off guard when a man named Willem shows up at her door with unsettling news. A security specialist, Willem had been investigating a man his sister is engaged to—only to discover that Kate is engaged to the very same man. Shocked to learn that her fiancé, Jon, has been leading multiple relationships built on deception, Kate and Willem begin unraveling his web of lies. As they dig deeper, they uncover a third woman who has also fallen victim to Jon’s schemes, and they attempt to bring her into their efforts to expose him.

As Kate and Willem grow closer, their shared mission turns into something more. However, I found the book somewhat confusing, as it shifts perspectives between Kate and Poppy, a matchmaker who seems to be orchestrating events from behind the scenes. Poppy’s chapters felt disconnected from the main storyline, making me wonder if her backstory was explored in a previous book. While the premise was intriguing, the multiple viewpoints made the narrative feel disjointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this free advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

⭐ 3 Stars

Overview

So, first off—this one’s on me. I didn’t realize this was book #5 in a series when I requested the ARC, so I spent a decent chunk of the book confused by all the name-dropping and character references. If you’ve read the previous books, this probably won’t be an issue, but as a newcomer, it took me a minute to get my bearings.

The title? A little misleading. It’s not Willem who’s “trouble.”

My Thoughts

Despite my initial confusion, there were definitely things I enjoyed about this book:

✔ The romance – Willem is an absolute sweetheart, and I loved how much joy he found in introducing Kate to new foods and experiences. Their relationship had a really gentle, wholesome energy, which made it super easy to root for them.
✔ Kate & Margot’s friendship – These two are friendship goals, no question. Their dynamic was one of my favorite parts of the book, and by the end, the group—including Lucia, Adriana, and Poppy—felt like a little found family, which was really sweet.
✔ Once the POVs settled, the pacing worked – The first third of the book was a little tricky for me because Kate and Poppy’s POVs felt too similar, and I had to keep checking back to see who was narrating. But after the first few swaps, their voices became more distinct, and the rest of the book flowed well.

That said, there were a couple of things that didn’t quite hit for me:

✖ The revenge plot felt underwhelming – I was expecting more chaos, more drama, more “John Tucker Must Die” energy (minus him getting the girl at the end, obviously). It had the setup for a juicy, high-stakes revenge plan, but it just didn’t go as hard as I wanted it to.
✖ The overuse of “wowser” – Not a huge deal, but it pulled me out of the story every time I saw it. It just felt a little repetitive.

Final Thoughts

This was a cute, easy read with a sweet romance and strong friendship dynamics, but it didn’t quite give me the high-stakes drama and revenge plot I was hoping for. If you’re already familiar with this series, you’ll probably enjoy reconnecting with the characters, but if you’re jumping in for the first time, it might take a bit to get into.

Aside from the fact that this is book 5 in a series - a series that I haven't read - I have a few other reasons for not enjoying this book.

Kate is supposed to be a little older than the usual characters in these style of books. Something I was really impressed with when I first started reading. However, she is . . . I was going to say immature but that's not quite right, maybe naive? Considering the fact that Willem has just turned up at her door to give her some MASSIVE LIFE CHANGING news, she has certainly fallen under his spell rather quickly. This was very uncomfortable reading.
Her friendship with her cousin, Margot is weird too.
Still, I powered through , y'know, just in case it turned into something wonderful - but it didn't.
I have no doubt that if I had read the previous books, I would have been more invested and would have understood a few other characters a bit more.

I'm sorry to say that I DNF'd this one. I got past 50% and was so bored, the FMC was also driving me crazy. She couldn't make decisions by herself it seemed, someone needed to tell her to do things in order for her to actually do them. She didn't try very hard to win over the MMC, she had a chance when they went to Italy, he offered to show her around more and explore the city but because the reason they went there wasn't going to happen she tells him lets just change our flights and go home, she should have used the opportunity to her advantage! She spent pages lusting after him and threw away the best chance to see if he was even interested in her. I also didn't like how there was another person's POV that wasn't the main couple, it threw me off and felt like I was reading two different books, I skimmed a lot during those chapters. Her cousin was also very pushy at times but then again, the FMC was basically a doormat. I wanted to like this but it was just a chore to get through.

I have mixed thoughts on this book. I enjoyed the FMC, Kate, as she navigates her thoughts and actions after finding out her fiance is engaged to another woman. This then spirals the book into more of what is going on with everything. One thing I had trouble with was the POV of Poppy as one of the two POVs in the book. As I hadn't read any of the books prior, it was confusing why she was featured instead of Willem, the MMC. I did love the subplot of finding unexpected love when your world has been turned on its side, but I felt there were so many more subplots added that seemed to take away from the overall plot of the book

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪: 3.25/5 𝓢𝓣𝓐𝓡𝓢 ⭐️

I picked up I Knew You Were Trouble by Sandy Barker without having read the previous books in the Ever After Agency series, but since they’re companion novels, I didn’t feel lost at all. The premise immediately hooked me—Kate Whitaker, fresh off discovering her fiancé’s betrayal, teams up with Willem, whose sister has been similarly wronged, to get some well-earned revenge. It’s a fun setup, and I enjoyed following Kate on her journey of self-discovery, heartbreak, and new beginnings.

Barker does a great job bringing the settings to life, and I especially liked the strong female friendships in the story. Kate’s bond with the other women felt genuine and empowering, which was a highlight for me. That said, the romance between Kate and Willem developed a little too quickly for my taste. While they had chemistry, I would have liked to see more buildup and tension between them before things progressed. Some of the subplots also felt a bit rushed or underdeveloped, which kept me from being fully invested in certain moments.

Overall, I Knew You Were Trouble was an entertaining read with a good mix of humor, heart, and romance. It didn’t completely blow me away, but I still enjoyed it and would consider picking up more books from the series.

Thank you so much to Sandy Barker, Boldwood Books & NetGalley for the ARC!

This romcom involved a lot of mayhem as Kate is informed by Willem that her fiancé is not who he says he is. Kate works with Willem, his sister, her best friend and others to create a revenge plan full of drama and chaos. The hijinks push Willem and Kate closer together as they travel around Europe in pursuit of punishment. They are sweet and awkward as they navigate this tough situation and Kate really comes into her own through this journey. It was a good time filled with laughs and girl power.