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Trouble's What You're In

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Trouble's What You're In

It was a prank.
It was a stupid prank.
I didn’t know all the details, but the plan seemed simple enough.

Get in.
Get out.
Get even.

My job was to flirt with my crush Aiden Black.
Yeah... THAT Aiden Black.

But the night didn’t go as expected.

I knew the plan, but I didn’t expect it to be more than that.
I knew it was a prank, but I didn’t expect it to be a set up.

I didn’t go looking for love.
I didn’t go looking for trouble.
But somehow, when I ran for my life, I found both.

200 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2020

94 people are currently reading
372 people want to read

About the author

Danielle Allen

80 books3,171 followers
Diversity in Romance Advocate.
Life Coach.

XOXO

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5 stars
130 (48%)
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80 (30%)
3 stars
42 (15%)
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12 (4%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
Profile Image for Chelsea Humphrey.
1,487 reviews83k followers
March 23, 2021
"The story idea came in 2015.
The cover was purchased in 2017.
The story was written and published in 2020.
This is dedicated to that journey."


What a powerful dedication! I love it when a story that took the less easy path becomes an incredibly special one, and was this book ever worth the time Ms. Allen put into perfecting it. This is a really tough book to review, because it's best for you to go in blind, as I've seen multiple reviews here that contain big spoilers without being marked as such. Just know it's a fast paced novel of suspense with a tender friends-to-lovers romance crafted in between, and the writing is poetic and provokes a deep sensory experience. I can't recommend this book highly enough, and it's available to read via Kindle Unlimited for free!

Thank you Shelly for gifting me this copy. ❤️
Profile Image for Rosie.
1,646 reviews32 followers
June 3, 2020
This book was a page turner think 'Mean Girls' on steroids.

During the commission of a prank Brooklyn Cage is tasked with preoccupying her secret crush during a frat party--she's all in. Shortly thereafter, she's running for her life in the dark woods. What happened and why?

Longer rtf ... maybe!☺
Profile Image for Jacinta Howard.
Author 21 books497 followers
May 28, 2020
Sweet and sexy, this romantic whodunnit is Danielle doing what she does best—crafting a breezy, well-written story with just enough intrigue to keep readers invested until the end.
Profile Image for Natalya | TheIslandReader.
283 reviews11 followers
May 29, 2020
Danielle Allen's latest release, Trouble's What You're In,  is a mixture of a whodunit and a solid friends-to-lovers romance. As a reader, I really love solid suspense weaved into my romance novels.

Brooklyn's finishing up her last year of college and some mix up with her scholarship and financial aid leaves her without housing. As a result, she's forced to live in the cheerleading squad's house with her former best friend and a number of catty girls who don't like her and wish she wasn't there. Things take a drastic turn for the worse when a prank goes horribly wrong and she's left running for her life.

Fearing for her safety and torn on how to protect herself, she runs into the arms of her best friend, Jay. He provides her with a place to stay and a listening ear. While these two try to figure out how to solve this mystery, close-quarters force these two to take stock of their true feelings for each other. Being together will be murky though due to a common thread in their past and their current dilemma - not to mention fine ass Aiden Black: a guy Brook has her eye on.

The romance takes a little bit of a backseat to the overall story. While I liked seeing how the romance would play out, I was more intrigued by the truth and motivation behind the tragedy. The girls were mean, the gossip was sensational, and trying to prove the truth was stressful. I was all in.

I will say based on the synopsis, without giving too much away, I expected to be more invested in Aiden than I was and was looking for a bit more friction. There was a spark there that I felt never turned into a full flame.

Overall, this was a solid book with a sweet and sexy romance and suspense to keep you reading until the end. 
Profile Image for Joy Novel Thoughts.
573 reviews70 followers
June 7, 2020
Umm hello drama, death and slow burn romance!

Trouble's What You're In by Danielle Allen had me hooked and needing to know what happened from the moment I started reading the story. It starts in the middle of the action and she's running but we don't know why or from whom. Goodness! My heart was thudding in my ears and I dying to know what would happen next!

I read the blurb for this and still didn't fully grasp what I was going into and I think going in basically blind to the story is what makes it so great. You know what didn't happen from the beginning but you don't know what actually happened until the very end, and this girl... had it all wrong! I thought I knew who the bad guy/girl was, but nope. I was wrong.

But the way we found out what happened was so beautifully cunning and I freaking loved it!

Now, onto the romance... it took me a bit to figure out who the romance would be between and then once I did I was dying for them to bang already! Like pull your head out of your butt and jump him, will ya?

Goodness, the tension was palpable and I was panting from how hot is was. If you are looking for a sexy as hell slow-burn romance, you need to check out Trouble's What You're In. Trust me on this... this is not a story you want to over look!
Profile Image for Tiffany Tyler.
689 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2020
Let me start by saying that if you are a fan of the movie "Mean Girls" or one of my personal favorites, Atonement, then you will devour this new book by Danielle Allen. In fact, this is Mean Girls and on steroids with far greater consequences. Allen cleverly writes a whodunit that has a little bit of everything for every reader's taste. As the title suggests, you will be welcomed with suspense and intrigue on the very first page.

"People make mistakes. It's how they handle mistakes that show character. It doesn't mean you have to keep them in your life. But it means that you can move on from the situation free of any burdens that relationship carried."

Whew, talk about a timely reminder! Somehow in the middle of the overarching mystery of storyline, Allen added in some romance and life lessons. If you are not familiar with the author's work then it should be mentioned that she is quite talented in a number of genres. Trouble's What You're In brilliantly put those skills on display and is worth a few hours of your time!
Profile Image for Toya  Davis-Stokley.
2,538 reviews98 followers
June 2, 2020
Big Trouble!

This story gave me the vibe of The Women of V series, with the mystery, intrigue, and whodunit! I enjoyed Brooklyn, and how she stayed true to herself, even when things got dicey! I was so afraid for her, as things were looking real shady! Those heifer cheerleaders were something else! To plan this elaborate prank to harm Brooklyn, who didn't give a damn about any of them? Like for what? I still couldn't figure out who else other than Dakota, had it out for Brooklyn, until it was revealed. Carter's mom was a savage! She was getting justice for her baby! James is the man👑! He was there every step of the way to help Brooklyn out. I was disappointed in Aiden, as I thought he would do right by Brooklyn, because he was feeling her. But, nope it's all his family and image that was important. Glad James got his girl. They truly deserved each other. Great read! 👍👍👍
342 reviews3 followers
May 31, 2020
I had no idea what I was in for when I downloaded this book but I'm so glad I took on the adventure. From beginning to the end I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what actually happened to Carter. It was tragic that the Trifecta was no more but I felt relief when the truth was revealed. I thought my girl was gonna go down for a crime that she didn't commit. James was always there and I was rooting for their love despite the fact he was Carter's ex-boyfriend. I loved their friendship and how honest they were with each other. Carter's poem Third Eye Love You really made me okay with Brooklyn & James's relationship because it really showed that they always had chemistry and Carter noticed it too. It also showed Carter's feelings about their friendship and how alone she felt in their friend group. It sucks that Carter was a different person when she joined the squad but I couldn't help but side eye her because she played a part in the prank and how they planned to blame everything on Brooklyn. Aiden was trash and I'm glad Brook didn't fall for him. This was a really good story and I loved every moment of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Celesté.
289 reviews4 followers
August 18, 2022
Ughhh I loved this!! It’s soo rare you get solid suspense and romance mixed in one.

Brooklyn Cage is tasked with distracting her secret crush in the basement of his elite fraternity house. Meanwhile her fellow cheerleaders are thought to be pulling off a revenge prank upstairs. The night ends with Brooklyn running through the woods to escape “whatever” that frat bros intend to do to the prank culprits. She finds herself out of breath and on her best friends doorsteps in the middle is the night still trying to make sense of what happened and how the prank went sooo wrong.

This will have you on the edge of your seat!
Profile Image for Ericka cannon-mosley.
143 reviews12 followers
June 3, 2020
Intriguing story

This story kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I enjoyed the mystery as well as the romance between these two friends. Danielle has done it again, pulling you into the story and not releasing you into these characters got it together. Those cheerleaders, they were all a hot mess, and to me they didn't have an ounce of remorse for the trouble they caused. I won't go into much more detail but I'll say this, you definitely want to read this here book!
Profile Image for Matthania.
374 reviews35 followers
October 30, 2022
A prank ends up deadly, and Brooklyn finds herself the middle of it.

This was a great quick read. I liked Brook and Jay's friendship and enjoyed seeing it blossom into more. The mystery was great and seeing everything unravel at the end was satisfying. Trouble's What You're In had a solid plot with solid characters, though Brook annoyed me at times, especially with her feelings about Jay and how she handled the romance in her life.
Profile Image for Mabell.
144 reviews1 follower
June 1, 2020
Loved!!

I loved the bit of mystery in the story and the friend to lovers. In the book of words from Carter, she knew of their unrecognized love for each other, I think that and the fake “bad girls club” of cheerleaders led to her changes. You always need that person in your life that is down with everything, those that have it are truely lucky. As always this is a top read from Ms. Allen, she puts everything in her books and it is appreciated!
Profile Image for |Stephanie|.
1,232 reviews42 followers
February 11, 2022
TROUBLE’S WHAT YOU’RE IN was a friends to lovers mystery centered around a fraternity prank gone wrong with someone ending up dead.

This is my second book by Ms. Allen and I didn’t enjoy this as much as I did TRUTH OR DARE sadly but it was still an entertaining story. It kept me guessing with the mystery aspect but also invested in the angst of the blossoming romance. The dialogue felt a little too young for me to be honest though. But that’s to be expected with a New Adult storyline. All in all a solid mystery romance with a haunting cover. 3 Stars!
Profile Image for Tsholonki .
441 reviews7 followers
January 25, 2023
The suspense had my stomach in knots and some scenes were added in there too. Wow! Stellar work!
Profile Image for Acloseread.
161 reviews2 followers
May 31, 2020
😲😲😲😲😲😲

Be still my heart! Mannnnnnnnn. This book right here has my heart doing somersaults in my chest. It was a great mix of mystery, romance and so much more. From the opening scene to the last page,your heart is in your chest. You will question every detail and every character. You feel you know all the answers but you know nothing until the very end. Great job Danielle Allen! Can’t wait to see what will be released next. Never disappointed!

228 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2020
Another banger!!!

I loved the mystery of it all!! I loved how I was trying to figure out exactly what happen to Carter and how everyone was involved. The slow burn of the relationship was everything. The anticipation made it even better for when it finally happened. Once again Danielle Allen has put me in the story so that it felt so real and so vivid. Her writing continues to captivate me with every story. I can’t wait for the next book!!!
40 reviews
May 29, 2020
Suspenseful!

This book is a wild suspenseful ride from the first page to the last lol. Danielle writes with an amazingly vivid pen. This novel easily joins the "DA would be awesome on screen" list
Profile Image for OhhSlimmm.
506 reviews31 followers
August 7, 2020
Trouble

This is the first book by this author I gave a low star to and I feel conflicted. I didn’t connect with the storyline or characters. Storyline was so PG-13 and all the details on who did what were too noticeable. I thought it was gonna be more so of a mystery or twist on who did everything but everything was right in your face. Not the best work from this author.
Profile Image for Whit.
3,635 reviews51 followers
June 28, 2024
Absolutely Shocking!
Thank you Ms. Allen, this is a story that needed to be written and you ROCKED IT!

The amount of sadistic cruelty that is allowed to go on in these Frat Houses is mind-boggling as well as criminal.
We raise our children with a keen sense of right and wrong, and they end up drowning in destructive mob mentality in these unsupervised college Dens of Iniquity. As a result, too many of these young people are robbed of their futures and their lives!

What happened to Carter was heart-breaking, but what deceitful Dakota and her hateful minions did to Brooklyn, was so much worse.
Trevor's father should go to the same jail as his son. Nevertheless, I deeply admire what Carter's mom did so that those cheer-leader bullies would get just what they deserved.
Profile Image for Mrs..
5,979 reviews105 followers
June 8, 2020
A Whole Lot of Trouble

What could be worse, a bunch of elitist prima donna cheerleaders hating on a Cinderella-type of other student, or being accused of a crime? Try both... Brooklyn was minding her business hanging with her crush Aiden Black, when all heck broke loose and she was caught in their web. Brooklyn was a scholarship student, a dancer, sent to play nice with the cheerleading squad. The squads leader was out to shame her about her so called man. As the story unravels, Brooklyn was accused of unmentionable issues and needed her best friend to reduce her stress. James came to her rescue.... Side note: James can get it.... His side of the story helped to make Brooklyn's strife easier to watch.

Although James and Brooklyn came from similar backgrounds, he was a star athlete, and Brooklyn was the outsider in her crew. She needed to pull strength from within to deal with her fate. Would the victim be victimized for her social status? The outcome was movie theatre ready. The story was a romantic suspense, that kept my interest until the last page turned.
Profile Image for plortasy.
392 reviews2 followers
November 14, 2021
I loved it so much at first I was skeptical but after realizing it was the best friend to lovers I knew I was going to love it I think every aspect of it was amazing. I think romance is the main focus and the who don't it is in the back but I do think the author does an amazing just at making sure the audience was able to really keep updated about everything. It wasn't like this situation happened romance and things throw everything else that's supposed to drive the store at the end. Everything was structurally placed perfectly even the conflict between them. It was really reasonable and made since so I think it really made the story way better. I also just love Jay with my entire being like even when he was upset or they were in an argument he was always there for her. I just love that man and I wished I had someone like that in my life. The whole book was amazing and I don't think there was anything I would change about it.
Profile Image for Mrs Book Bae.
186 reviews1 follower
February 12, 2022
This book was definitely a page turner! I couldn't stop reading if I wanted to. Brooklyn ended up in a very devastating situation due to some back stabbing cheerleaders. She was basically thrown into a prank gone terribly wrong that lead to her trying to prove her innocence and solving a murder all while trying to protect her scholarship and enrollment in school.

When I read the excerpt I thought Aiden Black would be the love interest but then came her best friend James Williams. From the beginning when she went to him for help I saw the chemistry between them. I absolutely love their friendship, their banter and how they acted on their feelings. It was sexy as hell. The way the story played out and how the truth took time to unfold was everything. Danielle Allen is a very versatile writer she executed the mystery in this story really well.

I felt like the romance took a backseat to the mystery in the book but it was still an overall amazing read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for ariana.
240 reviews127 followers
October 30, 2021
5⭐️ 1🌶

Lets start this review off by saying: the main characters in this book aren’t white and the cover is super important as to what is happening in this book!!

This story follows Brooklyn and the events that follow her after a prank goes very very wrong!

This book is mainly about the results about this prank going wrong but you know Ms. Danielle has to add some romance in there. Jay and Brooklyn had so much chemistry and I truly loved this friends to lovers romance!

I also think Danielle did an amazing job showing the struggles of Black students on scholarships tend to go through at PWIs. Brooklyn was targeted solely based on being pretty, black, and on scholarship while her counterparts where all elitist and rich!

I thought this story was PHENOMENAL and so well done! Prefect Halloween read!
266 reviews12 followers
June 30, 2020
Live-action suspenseful thriller

This was yet another book by Danielle Allen that drew me in and kept my attention. I was so deeply entrails, just like when I was reading "The One", this book read like I was watching an ABC network show, (shout out to Annalise Keating). I could literally visualize every scene. It was vivid and thorough. I quickly went from rooting for Brooklyn to get with Aiden to hating his guts so quickly lol. Brooklyn and James just seemed to be made for each other, even though it took her a lot longer to catch on, trying to be loyal to a disloyal "friend". I loved the outcome! Bravo Danielle!
Profile Image for Dani Elle.
407 reviews1 follower
June 9, 2020
Teeth clenching good!!!

First, let me admit that I cheated....I skipped ahead to the end right before chap 10, because I couldn't take the suspense!!!!! After I got a little taste, I went back to finish this suspenseful, sexy story. Carter, Jay and Brooklyn are a trio of friends who call themselves the trifecta. After a very solid friendship, circumstances change and so does their friendship. This book centered around a prank that went wrong and all the fallout that happened after. Literally teeth clenching!
Profile Image for Sandra (Book Loves) Atueyi.
708 reviews22 followers
August 12, 2020
My first time!!!!


Trouble’s What You’re In by Danielle Allen is a interesting read. Danielle Allen does a good job. This is my first time reading from this author. It’s a romantic, mystery, college students, drama and jealous.

Dakota and her cheerleader squads are mean, jealous and disrespectful. Brooklyn, Kim, Aiden and James are my favorite characters for this book. Brooklyn should pay the attention who’s she dealing with. James, Aiden and Kim are good friends to Brooklyn.

Good choice reading:
Book Nerd
My first time
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Profile Image for Michele Hallahan.
260 reviews6 followers
June 20, 2020
Wow!

I absolutely loved the friendship between Jay and Brooklyn. Their love for each other was so effortless, they didn't even see the progression of it, until it was too late. Swoon worthy romance aside ladies and gentlemen, If the drama and suspense in this story doesn't have you frantically flipping pages, I don't know what will. This was so vividly written, but that's not a surprise coming from this author.
419 reviews5 followers
August 9, 2020
First of all, Brooklyn & James make a cute couple. I guess them having a friendship first helped.
The girls in the cheer house were too devilish. I can't believe nobody really was going to come forward with the truth after what happened to Carter. They had no concern for life. I knew who most likely started the fire but I was hoping the wrong person wasn't gonna go down for it & then I really like the way they got the truth out the girls in the end.
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