I absolutely love it when an author knows that short and sweet is sometimes better than drawing out the story! This book definitely lives up to that—it's a quick read with a speedy story, which makes it easy and enjoyable.
The author expertly weaved a story of romance with the struggles of body issues, self-consciousness, and living up to others' expectations. As such, the characters become well-developed, and we see them beyond the romance between the two MCs.
That said, at times the characters felt a bit repetitive, and we seemed to run into similar 'barriers' or 'obstacles' throughout the book, which was frustrating at times. While I know this added to the characters (i.e., showing how ingrained some of these issues were), it stagnated the story a bit. This also made their reuniting a bit lackluster, as I didn't really feel like the characters got over their issues enough to be at the point where they could have a long-lasting romance (however, it was one of the coolest grand gesture moments I've read in a while).
Overall, it was an enjoyable read and one I am glad I picked up; however, it is not necessarily one I would gravitate towards for a re-read.

Thank you very much for the eARC!
Please note that all views expressed here are my own.

Tropes:
- Magazine writer x artist
- Opposites attract (straight-laced girl and bad boy)
- Italian vacation romance
- Reformed player
- Broken MMC
- Body image issues
- Grand gesture
- 2 spice.
- 3.5-star rating

This was a fast-paced, spicy romance that delves into themes of self-discovery and breaking personal boundaries. Jess's journey from a rule-abiding journalist to someone exploring her desires is both relatable and empowering. Xander, with his bad-boy persona, challenges Jess in ways she hadn't anticipated, leading to moments of tension and passion.

Though I felt that the character development and relationship progression could have been more fleshed out, the chemistry between Jess and Xander is palpable, and their dynamic keeps the pages turning. And while the story touches on deeper themes, such as body image and self-worth, I found the exploration of these topics to be a bit surface-level. Nonetheless, the romance is engaging, and the setting provides a picturesque backdrop for their evolving relationship.

Here Comes Trouble is the perfect finish-in-one-day read for readers looking for spicy with a dash of emotional depth!

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The book delves into themes of second chances and personal growth, adding depth beyond a typical love story. With a steady pace, it keeps readers hooked through drama and conflict.
The focus isn’t just on the romance, but also on the characters’ personal development, overcoming past struggles, and discovering themselves. While the plot follows some familiar romance tropes, it’s still an enjoyable read for fans of the genre.
Overall, it’s a quick and fun story.

DNF.

I’m a firm believer that romcoms should never be third person, and this was no exception. Perhaps if it were written in first person, I would’ve really liked it, but that didn’t happen. I tried to get through this and I just couldn’t.

No hate to the author EVER! This just wasn’t right for ME.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick, fun, breezy book. It would be perfect for when you're looking for a book you can read in one day!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Boldwood Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book feeling practically giddy, I mean - look at the cover? It's beautiful. And a promise of a bad boy artist paired with a journalist in a forbidden romance? I was completely giddy for the prospect and was really hoping for the best.

Instead; the characters were lackluster at best - I felt absolutely nothing for Jess. There was no depth, no vulnerability, no anything aside from this bland shell of a character. Xander had his name going for him and that was about it, he had more depth than Jess, but he was just slimy and wrong - he certainly had no bad boy sexiness to him.

Then as the "romance" progresses (there was just absolutely no chemistry, no yearning, no spark), we get to a point where he takes unsolicited photos of her "and paints them" - he does all this without her consent and then has the audacity to be mad at HER for her being upset at the violation. It was just the pure audacity of it all that just ruined any chance for them to really be anything more than "yuck". I think I would have enjoyed it all much moreso without that disgusting scene (and it really did come out of nowhere, he was made to be thoughtful and then bam, it felt really vile!).

Overall, not the book for me but I can say that it was a very quick read.

I really wanted to like this book, however, it fell flat for me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, and the plot felt rushed. I did find moments of humor and some tropes that I love. Maybe if it had been longer, I would have enjoyed it more.

Oh. My. Goodness.👏🏽👏🏽

I adored this story, I loved the writing style, dual POV, and character development for each of the main characters! The story gave me a little bit of how to lose a guy in a ten days vibe, which I loved!

This story was short but still allowed you to grow attachment to each of the main characters and had a strong representation of anxiety, eating disorders, and pressures!

Jess is our FMC, who has landed her dream journalist job, and her head is already on the chopping block. Her articles are plain and dull. They don't have any life or excitement!

Enter our MMC Xander, misunderstood artist who feels like his is losing everything. He is kinda of an arrogant jackass but we love that in an MMC 👏🏽

This was such a gorgeous romance, i loved reading their journey and growth ❤️‍🔥

I really wanted to like this book, but I just don't think it was long enough to have the proper development that it needed. There were several things that were just skipped over completely, and time passed without the reader really noticing. I think adding more to the story would help a lot.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Christy McKellen for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.*

It was a quick, easy read! I think I would have liked if it had been a bit longer because it would have given more time to connect with the characters and build more tension.

Here Comes Trouble by Christy McKellen is a short (less than 200 pages) slow burn workplace romance where opposites attract.

Sensible Jess is a journalist that is given the assignment to interview infamous bad boy artist Xander Heaton. Xander is irresistible but infuriating and Jess must get his tell-all written without losing her composure. As the two clash, Jess and Xander soon find themselves connecting and their attraction grows. Will Jess be able to maintain her professional boundaries or will Xander's magnetic charm win her over?

This is a quick, fun beach read with a straightforward plot and witty banter. I feel like it could have been a bit longer, maybe exploring more by way of character depth, but overall an easy read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Christy McKellen, and Boldwood Books for this ARC! Publication date was March 9th 2025.

Here Comes Trouble was exactly what I needed to read. It had me laughing AND swooning over the romance. Xander was an irresistible MMC. While this was somewhat of a predictable read I did love it. I definitely would recommend this for a book club, beach read, plane ride, or any time you want to cozy up with a good read. This book is pretty spicy, but in a good way, not just to have spice. It was the perfect amount. Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and Chris McKellen for the advanced reader's copy that was complimentary. All opinions are my own.

Jess had her dream job writing for a magazine and thought her life couldn’t get better until her boss calls her into her office and tells her she expected more from her and that if her next article isn’t perfect, she will no longer have this job. When her coworker who was supposed to interview Xander Heaton, a popular artist, is stuck elsewhere, Jess offers to do it to try and write something that lets her keep her job. This was sort of a slow-burn romance with the sweetest ending!

Thank you Christy McKellen, and Boldwood Books for allowing me access to this ARC via NetGalley.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Vibes: 😈🏢💘🔥🎨
Rating: 2.5 ⭐
Tropes: bad boy hero / forced proximity / opposites attract / workplace romance
⚠️ TW: body dysmorphia

I wanted to like this book, I really did. The description gave me so much hope for all the romantic tropes in a short book (less than 200 pages) and I was left disappointed.
I feel like the romance was rushed and there really wasn't much chemistry between Xander and Jess.
Was an ok read to pass the time and gave me something to fictional to focus on, but need to be honest with myself.

Also, as someone who suffered with BDD (body dysmorphia), a trigger warning would have been nice.

Thank you Net Galley, Christy McKellen, and Boldwood Publishing for an EARC of Here Comes Trouble.

I was not a fan of this book. The characters were a bit awkward and the story felt rushed. The FMC suffers from trauma of an eating disorders in her teens. I do like how she was able to gain confidence in herself but I think she went about it the wrong way. I wish she learned to love herself more before loving herself with the help of a man. Also, the MMC using her as inspiration for his painting without her consent 🤦🏼‍♀️

This romance follows Jess and Xander in a good girl x bad boy dynamic. She’s a journalist looking to secure her future with her employers and he is a grumpy artist looking for a comeback.

I definitely liked Jess better than Xander, I actually found him quite off putting in places. Her growth was defined and had purpose and extremely relatable.

While this was a unique and captivating story, this could have been a full length novel and would have flowed a lot better and been more engaging. I also struggled with the third person POV as it was difficult to tell who’s POV it was at times and seemed to switch. There also wasn’t a lot of Xander which I think plays into him not being very likeable as it was hard to tell what he was feeling a lot of the time.

I’m also not sure why this book was marketed as a spicy novella because it lacked spice.

If you’re looking for a quick and unique story, then this could be for you.

📚Opposites attract
📚 Novella
📚 Good girl/bad boy dynamic
📚Artist MMC
📚Journalist FMC

Plot: 💜💜💜💜
Characters: 🤩🤩🤩
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Writing: ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC!

I like the premise of the story with the opposite attract thing and I'm generally a fan of stories where one of the characters is a writer. While enjoyable enough this didn't really hit the mark for me. If you're looking for a quick light read though this would be a good choice.

This book was just okay and didn't really hit the mark for me. It just flat in many aspects of the story.

loved this romance and finding love and remembering love before the one. love the friends and the chemistry between the couple was on fire and loved the banter.