My Name is Trouble

by James Taylor, Marco Sparks

Jenny Valentine has a secret. Jenny Valentine is a secret.

Most of her classmates think Jenny is crazy. Sure, everyone read the Trouble books as a kid, but then they moved on. Grew up. But not Jenny. She's still running around in a purple trench coat at age 16, sticking her nose where it doesn't belong like it's her job. No one knows she's actually the estranged daughter of RJ Valentine, famed author of the bestselling Girl Detective book series.

But when tragedy strikes, Jenny is summoned at long last to Valentine Manor. A vast fortune is up for grabs, but only if she can live up to her fictional counterpart's reputation and solve the biggest mystery of her life. She'll have to chase the ghosts of a life denied while staying one step ahead of a killer who has made Jenny his next target. It's a dangerous game, but Jenny likes her odds.

After all, Trouble is her middle name.

My Name is Trouble is a young adult murder mystery novel written by James Taylor, with a story by James Taylor & Marco Sparks.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2019

About the author

James Taylor is a writer, podcaster, and jack-of-all-trades media producer. Over the years, he’s been a barista, a professional gambler, and a tech support phone jockey. When he’s not tucked into a corner at a random Starbucks working on Trouble, you can find him road-tripping around the west coast, drinking a pint of Dunkel by a fire pit, or playing video games in his office when he should be doing something productive. He lives in the Golden State.

Reviews

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Name is Trouble is the much-anticipated debut novel from the creators of Bros Watch PLL Too. The bros were my one stop shop for everything PLL when it was premiering, so I had to support them in this new endeavor of theirs. And, boy, am I glad I did.

My Name is Trouble follows Jenny Trouble Valentine as she’s summoned to the Valentine Manor where a vast fortune is up for grabs, but only if she can solve a mystery. Jenny is primed for the challenge and determined to win despite all odds.

Jenny is not a character for everyone. She’s brash with an in your face attitude. There’s a fine line to walk when writing a character like this since the goal is to make the character endearing despite their personality. Taylor and Sparks walk this line with precision. I love Jenny even when she says questionable things that made me laugh out loud. Jenny is part Japanese and a lesbian. Though this is not an OWN Voices novel, Taylor and Sparks are aware of diversity and make it a central tenant of the story.

The inspirations for this novel are plain as day. Taylor and Sparks draw from Pretty Little Liars, Veronica Mars, Nancy Drew, and others. There are also pop culture references, mainly Harry Potter, and one can never have too many Harry Potter references. ;)

My Name is Trouble will need to be reread before the sequel comes out. There are so many clues and bits of foreshadowing that went over my head. If you’ve finished the book you should listen to the Bros’ podcast “s01 Wrap-up and Q&A” to find out interesting bits of information about the book that you may not have caught.

Overall, My Name is Trouble is an incredible teen mystery novel that reads like a modern story full of teen angst and cursing with the right amount of over the top ridiculousness that makes these kinds of stories work so well.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully Written

No spoilers, I just finished the book and am ready to read it again to take additional notes on all the clues. Cannot wait for book 2

[Michaela Corning-Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Drew with an edge— the perfect late-night read.
Snaps for this gripping, fun-filled journey and extra snaps for all the subtle PLL references.
I can’t wait to read the next one!

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I’d like this book after being fans of James and Marco for years, listening to their entertaining PLL recap podcast. I remember hearing clues about “Trouble” and was happy to finally know what “Trouble” was all about! This book is a great, fun read. It has a fun mystery that felt a lot like Veronica Mars, a more modern Nancy Drew. There were some good twists and I was happy that I called some of the reveals but didn’t see the twist at the end. If you’re a fan of PLL and especially if you’re a fan of the “Bros,” I highly recommend this book! I can’t wait to get started on the sequel!

[Ryanne Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is SO MUCH FUN. I love a good murder mystery and these guys delivered. Twists, turns, a haunted vineyard, My Name is Trouble has it all. And one heck of an ending. I can't wait for book 2.

[KiraMai · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review somehow got deleted when I put this book on a list, so I'll recap that I absolutely loved it. The tone and voice of this novel is unique to the YA murder mystery genre and has a classic feel to it. Nancy Drew meets Clue (the game) meets Pretty Little Liars with a hint of film noir thrown in.

The narrative is driven by the mystery with a pacing of clue finding and troublesome situations every three steps. The writing is fun and focussed, hilarious and intriguing. It keeps you guessing and has a double twist ending - one of which you will love because our quirky, shocking, and lovable protagonist does something wild in her attempt to win the mystery game, and the other will leave you either raging mad or shrieking in delight.

I flew through it my first time around and missed a lot of details. I'm excited to read it again. I wasn't sure what to expect after having listened to James and Marco ("the bros") on their Bros Watch PLL Too podcast for years, but I knew they were capable of dissecting the elements of good story telling and communicating ideas well with an audience. Still, this blew me out of the water beyond my expectations and was SO MUCH FUN to read. Can't wait for part two!

[Dawnelle Wilkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am FUCKING DELIGHTED!

Twists I hoped/wished for (& really doubted but HAPPENED)and twists I had NO CLUE about. Well-written and funny and everything I could've wanted: all my favorite terrible cheese-ass teen tropes but w/ gayness & violene & drugs & sex so, y'know, like real life now and then and in our parents age and no! Not "kids these days," kids always, goddamnit!

[And thats the fucking point!!!: The Hardy Boys were fucking on the DL, Nancy Drew was SOOO interested in the "mystery of the old clock" b/c ITS A FUCKING METAPHOR for her awakening sexualitty, jesusfuck].

And the Red Geyser?! So amazingly satisfying and awful and beautiful. Steamed blood FTW!

I adored this book and am already 30 pages into #2.

WILL! READ! ALL!

Brava, gentlemen!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s so hard to not be biased, as I am a big fan of James Taylor and Marco Sparks, who wrote the book. Let’s get disclaimer out of the way.

I’m happy to say that this is a great book. The mystery is fun,the characters are wonderful and the ending...I don’t want to give too much away, but it made me want to go back and read the book over to see it all from another perspective.

I honestly can’t wait for the next in the Trouble series! I’m excited to see where the character goes from here and will absolutely follow Trouble into her next adventure. I love getting into a new series and can’t recommend this one enough.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story— targeted at teens, but beyond them, too. I have listened to the Bros for years, and this story felt like them... so obviously I loved it. There were a few small instances where this felt like a first novel, but there were even more that felt bigger than that. Trouble is a love letter to podcast fans (so many pod winks in here!) and teen murder mystery genre. It’s impossible as a reader for feelings not to be requited. I cannot wait for book two.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

I've been listening to the podcasts by these guys for several years and I was really excited for this book. I wasn't disappointed. I am so happy that is came to fruition, and I think readers will be really impressed. They developed great characters, focused on the details, and created a nice twist at the end. No spoilers, but PLL fans will love it. Ok boys, time to write the second one!

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, even though Jenny's frequent irrational spontaneity could be a bit annoying. After all the Bros Watch PLL Too podcasts, I can hear both authors' voices in this story with ease. I am very much looking forward to rereading this before the next installment to look for clues that I missed.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, witty, with a great twist.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun book, loved getting a refreshing and compelling protagonist that actually has a personality. Super stoked to finish the next book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun novel with a great mystery. I loved the twists and turns and was genuinely surprised at the end.

I really enjoyed all the Harry Potter references & Jenny had some hilarious one-liners.

The settings and characters were so rich, and I can't wait to see what's next!

[Claire Levy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery

Awesome characters, very funny, great story and mystery. I loved it, I can't wait to read more and get even more into the clues. I was also very impressed by the clothing and fashion descriptions! The Bros have certainly increased their knowledge in that department over the years 😂
After a re-read, I like it even more. If some of the writing felt a bit clunky on the first read, on re-read it makes total sense and is actually quite ingenius. I was also making notes and highlighting clues for future reference, which makes this novel even more rewarding for me. I can see this series filling a PLL shaped hole in my life for sure. Well done!

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing that this first instalment is somehow the shortest book in the series (so far). There is so much packed into this book! We've got character introductions - of which there are a tonne. You've got the central players, and plenty of fun side characters, who all feel engaging in their own right. There's also a tonne of set up and lore that doesn't feel like it's bogging down the reader or taking too long to get through - Jenny begins her investigations almost immediately. I think the novel gives logical barriers to Jenny as to why she can't be investigating every heirloom at once also.

The atmosphere/setting is great throughout this book. I love the homage to Veronica Mars by having a bunch of rich kids being assholes and the central heroine riling against them.

Speaking of Jenny, she's really fun here. She's a classic teenager who thinks she knows everything. Her detective skills keep her ego going for sure. It's great to see some representation given for the lead character.

And can we talk about the twist ending????? Excellent execution. Going back to re-read it with the knowledge of the ending is what solidified me as a fan. The author gets how to write a mystery, for sure.

If nothing else, I love this book for the attention to details. The part of my brain that absolutely loves theorising and re-reading for new things to pick up on is very satisfied. With every new instalment in the series, I find myself returning to this book, appreciating something new about it.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a trouble-some book for me (no pun intended). I find it hard to find a normative adult as the moral center. I am made nervous of the number of times Trouble puts herself at risk wandering around in the middle of the night in a dark woods. And I am gobsmacked by the ending...so unexpected, yet I am assured the clues are there. Sure. If you have enough information to go back and look. And perhaps have watched Pretty Little Liars. This book truly makes me feel old and not "with" current YA literature.

[Shani · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was uncreative, poorly written, and a big disappointment overall. First, the main character was unlikable and annoying. They describe Jenny as an asian lesbian for diversity points and just wrote her a teenage boy. Second, I can tell exactly which tv shows they plagiarized their ideas from (the Westing Game, Pretty Little Liars, Veronica Mars). It goes way past just inspiration... it's straight up plagiarism. The mystery was pretty fun, though. I'll give them that.

[Mallory · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is bad in a fun-to-read way. Read the whole thing on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Actually did not see the twist at the very end coming, because it makes no sense and had no clues dropped beforehand, but now that I know it's written by the creator of a PLL podcast I get it. My theory is she doesn't actually have a twin but she's just fully crazy/something like multiple personality + dissociative identity disorder.

[Kim Procknow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book club read. I probably would have stopped if it hadn’t been ‘required’ reading.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun mystery, looking forward to the next book.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a page turner. I did read it in record time. I didn’t like the main character.