3.25 🌟 rounded down

I had high hopes for this novel, but unfortunately, I found it just okay. There was some humor and relatability to it, but overall, it was too ridiculous and reminiscent of Weekend at Bernie's for me. I didn't find David's agent, Stacey, to be particularly sensible, and their decision-making together was comically flawed. The premise was there, but the execution was not.

Recommended for readers who enjoy crude descriptions and dark humor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

This book is everything I didn't know I needed! Funny, twisty, and deeply moving, I Might Be in Trouble is a brilliant blend of chaos and heart.
David Alvarez, once a literary darling, is now grappling with grief, imposter syndrome, and a stalled career. When he wakes up to find his seemingly perfect date dead in his bed, he's thrust into a wild adventure with his fiercely loyal and sharp-tongued agent, Stacey.
Aleman expertly balances laugh-out-loud humor with poignant explorations of queer dating culture, grief, and the behind-the-scenes pressures of the publishing world.
David's struggles are raw and relatable, and the banter between him and Stacey brings warmth and levity to the story's darker moments.

Who doesn't love a dark comedy about a failing author who, while searching for inspiration, goes on a Grindr date and wakes up to find his date dead beside him in bed? Happy Valentine’s Day!

I read I Might Be in Trouble in two sittings. For that reason alone, I would highly recommend it. It’s engaging - a blend of suspense and dark humor, and the pressures of creative life and complicated family dynamics.

What I loved most about it is how this book portrays New York City. It is a place where anything can happen. The city serves as more than just a backdrop - it's a character itself, with its unpredictable energy and its ability to take an ordinary evening into something extraordinary and unpredictable. While the protagonist's decisions and personality might not always be relatable, the way the story captures the spontaneous, chaotic nature of NYC nightlife feels authentic to anyone who has experienced it firsthand.

And of course, it's refreshing to see queer characters in a story where their sexuality isn't the main focus - it's simply part of who they are as they navigate this wild situation. I did find the main character’s immaturity and self-centeredness frustrating at times (and I believe no one with any taste would choose to stay at The Plaza), the fast-paced narrative and dark humor make this an engaging, quick read.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Length: 325 Pages
Read if you like: Thrillers, Queer Contemporary, NYC-set reads

I'm not interested in graphic intimate scenes, and the beginning of this book started out with some of that. I'm so glad I kept reading, tho! The story quickly took off and kept me hooked til the end....which was a little underwhelming honestly. Overall tho, I would recommend.

Thank you netgalley for the prerelease

I Might Be in Trouble was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

[4.5 stars]

This dark comedy of errors was such a pleasant surprise...and, it was so much more than the funny book I was expecting. Our main character, David Alvarez, is a gay writer living in NYC. After a smash hit debut novel, his sophomore novel bombed and his bank account is running dangerously low as he anxiously awaits to hear if his publisher will buy his third novel. During this period, David meets a man on Grindr and, after a fantastic date with him, David wakes up to this man DEAD next to him in bed. Fearing that he’ll be under suspicion for his death and that this will impact his writing career, he calls a trusted friend instead of the police. I Might Be in Trouble mixes the ridiculous with the heartfelt and the funny with the gravely serious. The story starts out like an LGBTQ romance, then turns into more of a Jesse Q. Sutanto novel, then ends up with a bit of cat and mouse thriller mixed with character driven literary fiction. So much…but it works. The plot gets zany at times, but roll with it! And, I got emotional by the end as I was rooting for Daniel to get his life in order and feel good about himself again, which was shocking given I expected a darkly funny satire-ish story going in.

A very spicy comic cozy amateur detective story.

Very Finlay Donovan adjacent. The morning after a romantic hookup with a mystery guy, David (a writer) wakes up to his new squeeze, who is very dead.

David calls Stacey, his literary agent, and they decide to move the body, Four Aunties and a Wedding/ Weekend at Bernie style. Along with the intrepid Stacey, David tries to keep ahead of the law and find a killer.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy!

Couldn't really get into this one. I tried and then set it aside to try again later, but ultimately I just think it's not for me. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I Might Be In Trouble surprised me in the best way. Daniel Aleman takes a messy, real-life situation and turns it into a story that’s emotional, funny, and super easy to connect with. It’s one of those books that makes you feel like you’re reading about a real person trying to figure life out—with all the bad decisions, awkward moments, and small victories that come with it.

The main character is complex and totally believable. She makes mistakes (lots of them), but that’s what makes her feel real. The story touches on identity, pressure, and growing up too fast, all while still keeping a light, readable tone. It's not preachy or overly dramatic—it just gets it.

Why not 5 stars? Some pacing issues, and a few parts felt a bit rushed or too neatly resolved. But overall, it’s a meaningful and refreshing read with a strong voice and a lot of heart.

If you like contemporary YA that isn’t afraid to dig into tough topics but still keeps it hopeful, definitely check this one out.

There is absolutely no way in hell you'd be able to carry a dead body through New York for that long without getting caught. "Claire, is that really what you're getting caught up on?" Yes!?!!?

Maybe this was too literary meta for me, maybe I just missed the point all together...to me, this was trying too hard to make an overarching comment on the publishing industry and not hard enough at constructing a plot that makes sense. David is wishy washy and floundering through life, he won't do anything to help himself but can't wrap his head around why no one else is bending over backwards to either. The whole idea of writing a book within a book that's the same premise of the actual book...it's been executed well, just not here.

I Might Be a Hater, but this wasn't for me. Thank you Net Galley for sending me a copy in exchange for this honest review.

I Might Be in Trouble is a candid, intense novel that explores mental health, family, and self discovery with raw honesty. The characters feel genuine, and the storytelling pulls you in, though some parts can be emotionally heavy

"I Might Be in Trouble" by Daniel Aleman offers a refreshing twist on the coming-of-age genre with its unique and fun concept. The story follows a quirky and relatable main character through a series of adventures that keep readers engaged from start to finish. While the pace may drag a bit in the middle, Aleman's storytelling skill shines through, bringing depth and humor to the narrative. Overall, it's a delightful read that explores themes of identity and self-discovery in a refreshing way.

I started listening to this title and found it a bit too graphic in a few parts for my taste so I did not finish the whole book and will be unable to leave a review. I think if I had read in ebook format or paper, I would have been able to skip those parts and make it through.

What a fun read and a wild tribute to Weekend at Bernie's.

I went into this thinking it was going to be one thing, and it ended up being something entirely different.

This book was surprising to me because of how much I became invested in David and his growth throughout the novel. It became a really great look at being comfortable and confident with yourself in a world that doesn’t always set you up to feel that way. There are family and relationship dynamics involved and an understanding and discovery of what makes and builds your own support system.

There are also some thriller elements mixed with comedy and I just found this to be such an interesting blend of genres. I really enjoyed this one!!

Struggling writer David wakes to find his latest Grindr paramour lying dead beside him. He calls, not the police, but his literary agent, a woman in her sixties, for help. What results is a "Weekend at Bernie's" scheme of those two lugging a "drunken" corpse around Manhattan, attempting to get him back to his room at the Plaza. This implausible scenario went on WAY too long, and bugged the hell out of me. And, then . . .well, let's just say that the rest of the book DID NOT make up for this early gaffe.

This is billed as a mystery, but the only thing I found mystifying is why this was ever published.

David Alvarez is on a downward turn. His first novel did well, earning him a six-figure contract and lots of good publicity. He had a great apartment in New York City and a boyfriend who loved him. But his second novel didn’t do so well. His earnings stopped. Jeremy broke up with him. David had to move into a studio apartment, where he tried to think up a third novel and drank too much. His publisher wasn’t interested in his latest work. And his agent is thinking of retiring.

As David’s bank account dwindles down to its last few thousand dollars, most of which he needs for rent, he feels even more desperate. He can’t focus enough to write. So he decides to hit the dating apps. His last experience through the app was not worth writing home about, but this time David gets a response from a good looking man wanting to meet him at the Plaza for a drink. The man introduces himself as Robert, and as they drink champagne and bar hop, David starts to think that they may have a future. This man is a really good match for him, smart and sophisticated. They end the night back at David’s apartment, and David finds that Robert is still there the next morning.

But there’s a problem. Robert is still there, but he’s no longer breathing. David doesn’t know what to do next. He thinks through all the people he could potentially call to help him. He realizes that the only person still in his corner is his agent, Stacey. So that’s who he calls. They debate whether to call the police or not and finally decide to take him back to his room at the Plaza. That fateful decision changed everything.

They successfully take care of the problem, and David takes the opportunity to turn the experience into his next novel. But while the police close their investigation and move on, there is someone else who seems to have David in their sights. Will this new novel be his new breakthrough bestseller, or will it just break him?

I Might Be in Trouble is a dark thriller with humorous overtones from author Daniel Aleman. It’s partly an honest look at the challenges that full-time writers face in their careers and partly crime caper, with plenty of soul-searching and bad decisions.

I enjoyed the story of this novel, but I did want it to be more light-hearted overall. David had a lot of childhood issues that brought shadows of pain and struggle into the story. There isn’t anything wrong with that, of course, but I felt like it was sold to me as a dark comedy, which I love, and while this definitely had the darkness, I thought it lacked that irony that could have brought more comedy. For me, it was mostly just dark. I still enjoyed it. I just didn’t quite love it as much as I’d hoped.

Egalleys for I Might Be in Trouble were provided by Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Thank you, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this free copy for review. This was a fantastic and fast read as struggling writer, David, meets someone on a dating app, has a great date and fun night with him and in the morning, he wakes up to a dead body. Hilarity ensures as David, along with his literary agent, Stacey, try to decide what to do with the body so he doesn’t get charged with murder while using this to write a bestselling story to salvage his career. David finds out more about who his date really was while he also tries to figure out his own life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing company for this Advanced Readers Copy of I Might Be In Trouble by Daniel Aleman!

Weekend at Bernie's knockoff with ridiculous situations and characters making the stupidest choices possible. Just not the book for me.

I really really enjoyed this! What a witty, funny read. I found myself wanting to scream at the pages several times, especially in the beginning at poor David and his awful plan. SO much could've been avoided by better decision-making, but then we'd never have so much to root for!

I genuinely had so much compassion for these two cooky MC's. Their friendship and character development was so genuine and authentic, they were easy to want to succeed. There were so many times reading I did not know how we were going to make it through this experience, and yet, we persevered with resilience.

Can't wait to see what's next for Daniel Aleman! Would happily read whatever is next.