Book Review - I Knew You Were Trouble by Paige Toon

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Title: I Knew You Were Trouble - Jessie Jefferson Book 2

Author: Paige Toon

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK

Publication Date: 30th July 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Life as the undercover daughter of a rock god isn't going to be easy. How will Jessie adjust to her old boring life again after spending her summer living it up with her dad in LA? With tough decisions ahead (and not just choosing between two hot boys), can she cope juggling her two very different lives? 

Summer may be over, but Jessie's story is just beginning…

I have been desperately wanting to get my hands on a copy of this book, from the second I finished The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson and it was definitely worth the wait. In fact my only complaint about this book is that I read it far too fast as I was so absorbed by it, and I fear I will have an even longer wait for book 3 in this fabulous series. 

Those of you who read my reviews regularly may have noticed I may be a bit of a Paige Toon fangirl, and having read this my opinions of her have gone up even higher. 

I Knew You Were Trouble deals with when Jessie returns to England, and having to go back to school, while knowing she is the daughter of Johnny Jefferson, but trying to act normal, It isn't before long that the press get wind of who she is, and then Jessie's life changes for ever. 

We see a lot of Jessie's friendships both with her school friends and new boyfriend Tom, but also the crowd she was hanging around with in Los Angeles last time around. The budding relationship with Tom, is very sweet, and it is clear he really cares about her. It is also good to see Jessie is making new friends at school and that an older friendship is starting to strengthen again. 

Although this can be read as a stand alone, I am so glad I had read the first one, as I find with series, the more you read, the better you get to know and love the characters. 

This is definitely true of Meg and Johnny. They are adjusting as well to having a new 15 year old daughter in their lives, and there are some lovely scenes between Johnny and Jessie. It is clear that he really loves her and is trying his hardest to be a father figure, and relations between Jessie and Meg seem a lot friendlier this time around. 

One of the things I love about this book is that it gives real insight into the crazy life of a teenager of famous parents, although the media frenzy surrounding Jessie was always going to be insane, since she is the "long lost daughter".  I think young adults especially that read this, that may be celebrity mad, will stop and think twice if instant celebrity is really what they want, after reading this book, as all Jessie really wants is a normal life, without bodyguards following her everywhere. She starts longing for the very things that the majority of people take for granted - privacy, anonymity, and to be able to decide which boy shes actually in love with!

I Knew You Were Trouble is a fabulous continuation of Jessie Jefferson's story. It is witty, upbeat and entertaining and just perfect to read over the summer holidays. And don't worry about it being a young adult title, older adults will enjoy this too, or at least I know I did. I loved every single second of this book, and read it in a matter of hours, as I couldn't bring myself to put it down. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Childrens for this review copy. This was my honest review. 

I Knew You Were Trouble is published today. Happy Publication day Paige. 

Book Review - The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson by Paige Toon

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Title:  The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson

Author: Paige Toon

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK

Publication Date: 30th January 2014

Rating: 5 Stars

Jessie has always wanted to find her real dad. But when her mum dies in a tragic accident, she thinks any hope of discovering the truth is gone too.

It isn't until Jessie goes off the rails, that her stepdad makes a shocking announcement: her father is legendary rock star and former hell-raiser, Johnny Jefferson. Suddenly finding herself the daughter of a global superstar, Jessie is soon sucked into the LA lifestyle - paparazzi, parties and hot guitar-wielding boys included!

But despite the excitement, Jessie's still reeling from her mother's death and the revelation about Johnny. Can he live up to her expectations and help her move on? One thing's for sure, Jessie's tiny little world has just got a whole lot bigger…

I was a bit apprehensive about starting this book as I don't tend to read Young Adult books, however since I absolutely love Paige Toon's adult books and enjoyed all the books so far that have featured Johnny Jefferson, I knew sooner or later I would read this.  And having heard that there is a sequel to this due out later this year, I decided to make sure I had read this.

So glad that I did, as this book provides all of Paige Toon's trademark warmth and humour, and turns them into an incredibly easy to read story, that was highly enjoyable. 

Jessie has gone off the rails a bit recently. She is reeling from her mum's tragic death, and is suddenly playing up to the troubled teen stereotype. She is living with her step dad Stuart (who is also a teacher at her school), and her mum had always refused to reveal the name of Jessie's "real dad". 

After asking her stepdad if he knows who her father is, she is told the whole story, and it turns out to be mega rock star Johnny Jefferson. Johnny is currently living in LA, and invites Jessie over for a week to get to know the family.

I loved all of Jessie's story, from the troubled teen, just trying to make sense of a world where her beloved mother dies in a freak accident, to what she gets up to in LA. During the book, she tests boundaries, and does start to mature a bit. 

The interactions between Jessie and Johnny, are as you may expect stilted at first, and then they blossom, especially once Johnny explains his version of the romance between himself and Jessie's mother. 

It has been years since I read a book about teens for teens, and it has made me remember my younger days of reading, when I would have loved this book and probably shared it around my class at school. As is often the case I was reading this on my commute, and I was blissfully unaware of many of the stops as I was enjoying the story so much.

This book shows that Paige can turn her hand to young adult books just as brilliantly as adult books. I am very much looking forward to her upcoming releases this year. 

I Knew You Were Trouble: A Jessie Jefferson Novel is out on the 30th July 2015.