*Thank you to Ally Carter and her team for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review at my pleasure.*

A spy, rom-com novel? Sign me TF up!

The Blonde Identity features some of the best writing that Ally Carter prevails at: romantic banter, spy jargon, and badass, movie-style action. Not to mention how quickly the story begins and progresses, leading you on a whirlwind of explosions, guns, and ultra-thin nightgowns.

Our hero and heroine are total opposites, which, in romance-world, makes them the perfect couple stuck together in a covert spy chase on European soil. This rom-com is filled with tons of fan-favorite tropes: one bed, grumpy-guy x sunshine-girl, fake marriage, etc.

Ally Carter is a marvel at writing fast-paced, high-stakes action scenes that leave you breathless and at the edge of your seat, while also writing the most intense romance story about strangers falling in love with each other while you, the reader, begin to fall in love with them. The Blonde Identity was a delight to read and I wholeheartedly recommend it to all romance and spy-lovers alike.

Ally Carter does it again! She's never disappointed me throughout my childhood and she wasn't about to start now. Without even starting the book, the dedication alone hit the nostalgic feels in me. As a long-time GG fan, no series has been able to compare to it for me but man this book and hopefully series has the potential to do so. This book just felt like a grown version of GG for me even if they aren't connected. I dove into reading pretty much blind. While I knew the tropes beforehand, I didn't read the summary so I can be fully surprised from the get-go. I was truly hooked from the moment the book started and it was revealed that the main character has amnesia. I wasn't expecting it and I had to know how it would play out. The book teaches a good life lesson. As much as we think we know someone we don't. When we know someone for so long we tend to stay the same with them but throw ourselves into a new group of people and/or a scenario to see how we can change as a person. The way both the female and male characters challenged themselves over and over again was fun to see. The book felt like a breeze with the short chapters which is a book trait I love. I finished it within a few hours because I couldn't put it down. Such a fun read that I recommend for a long flight or beach day!

Ally Carter is a very popular writer of young adult novels, and this is her first novel for the adult market. It's pure fun! The main character wakes up with amnesia -- and it seems that someone is trying to kill her. She's rescued by a very hot guy (this book is both mystery/action and romance, a wonderful combination) who informs her that she is actually the identical twin sister of the notorious spy everyone is mistaking her for. Lots of action, lots of humor. I think readers who like Janet Evanovich's books will like this too.

I really loved Ally Carter's YA novels, so I was excited to read The Blonde Identity. Unfortunately, it felt childish. The characters were pretty one dimensional and it was trying really hard to be funny and sexy, but came off as cheesy and forced. It didn't really feel like a spy novel at all- Sawyer doesn't seem to have any useful spy training and just keeps reinforcing that Zoe is "not like other girls" (I.e. her twin sister).

Love Ally Carter’s new book! Spies and romance… what more could you want? All the best tropes are here… Sunshine/grumpy, fake dating, only one bed.

“I will kill any man that hurts you, even if that man is me.”
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Ally Carter does not miss with this adult novel chalk-full of morally grey characters, mistaken (and forgotten) identity, fake dating, one-bed, forced proximity, and twist after twist in the closing chapters, and reader, you are in for a treat with this one!
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I’ve been dying to get my hands on this one, having read everything by the author prior, and this did not disappoint. The entire time our main character was trying to figure out who she was, I was right there with her guessing her occupations and quirks from her old life, and somehow I missed the perfectly clever tidbits of clues throughout, which mad her reveal that much more satisfying. Throughout the book, I was questioning everything about everything, and the lulling sense of security at points was woven in the greatest way.
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This book isn’t just a spy novel or a romance, but a book about discovering and embracing who you are and what you can do, and not living in shadows of your old self. Our main character blowing the heck out of her shell was beautiful to see, and of course, in true Ally Carter fashion, there was banter and wit that had me laughing out loud, even in the face of danger. You won’t want to miss this one, I promise you that!
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HUGE thank you for the author and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! You can pick this one up on August 8!

Gallagher Girls was one of my personality traits in middle school, so you bet your ass I'm going to read Ally Carter's adult fiction.

The Blonde Identity is basically a fade-to-black Gallagher Girls book with salty language and older main characters. While there is no spy school (though they often joke about/debate the existence of spy school), Zoe (not a spy, but everyone thinks she is) teams up with Sawyer (actually a spy) to find her missing/hiding twin sister in an adventure set in Western Europe.

The story started off slow--no one really knows what's going on (amnesia), and therefore neither does the reader. Honestly, the first hundred pages I kept wondering when something--anything--was going to happen. While it picked up and ended wonderfully I do wish Carter leaned more on plot and character building rather than action-action-action.

Still, as more information unravels and as the FMC starts to find her personality again, the book becomes much more engaging and fun. I laughed plenty and caught myself grinning more and more, especially when Zoe is just a hoot and a half. Overall, if you liked Gallagher Girls as a teenager, you're going to love The Blonde Identity as an adult.

Pros:
-Adorable
-Some real good one-liners
-All the nostalgia

Cons:
-Would have liked more focus on the MCs and their relationship
-Relied too much on constant action

I always love a spy novel, grew up reading Ally Carter's Gallagher Girl Series, and I was so happy to receive an advance copy.

It was amazingly written and thought out, with twists and turns and a lot of action/adventure and of course a great fake dating romance trope along with memory loss, which makes things even more interesting! Ally Carter knows how to write amazing characters and plots and this just shows that her adult novels are just as great as her YA novels. You can't help but feel excited as you read this novel and there's never a dull moment.

As someone who grew up reading her YA novels, I am so glad that she's back to writing adult ones.

It's a book that I will be recommending to everyone I talk to!

When I started this book it reminded me of a mad-cap caper movie starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, but soon I became invested in the characters. You still need a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief because no one can fall from bridges and walk away unscathed, among many other things, but it was great escapist literature.

- A spy and a woman with amnesia on the run from... well, everyone.
- It's got ALL your favorite tropes!
- Kept me on the edge of my seat and laughing out loud the whole time.
- THE BANTER!! Top tier.
- 100% convinced I could go head to head with the russian mafia now. (This is 100% not true, send help).

Overall, LOVED this new book from Ally Carter. Great jump into the adult novel category. Can't wait to see what she does next!

This was a fast and fun read! Excellent pacing, hilarious and fiery banter, romcom meets spy caper that kept me guessing. Pure entertainment!!

My thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Very cute enemies to lovers trope with some espionage and fun thrown in. Very good story line and some strong character development made this an enjoyable read.

Zoe wakes up and she has no memory, just a few things in her pockets. All she knows is people are trying to kill her and a mysterious, good-looking spy claims that her sister, Alex is the spy everyone wants. Running from bad guys, every intelligence service agency, bombs, the truth begins to shift and she’s not sure who to trust. Who is she? Who is the guy who saved her? Can Zoe channel her inner Alex?
This action-packed romance will keep readers on the edge of their seat. Characters are fun, endearing, and engaging. Plot is intense, full of mystery, and filled with plot twists and turns. For fans of Janet Evanovich and Ally Carter’s other books this is a must-read. 5 stars, Adult

Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

It is January 2023. Should I be reading the dozens of ARC's I have that come out before August? Yes. Did I pick this one up immediately on approval and read it in one day? Also yes.

If you have ever seen the show Covert Affairs...this is the vibes of THAT SHOW BUT A ROM COM.

Enough said. Ok but if you haven't seen Covert Affairs, it's a spy show. with a badass female character and some stellar romances and plots. The romance in this .....is IMMACULATE!! We have one bed trope, 'who did this to you' and he calls her good girl. I'm dead and I need sequel immediately and I'm going to be waiting a long time why did I do this to myself.

I loved Ally Carter's debut adult romance! It was a thrill-packed, laugh out loud ride that brought joy to my life! Great for fans of her YA titles who have anxiously been waiting for her next book!

Love this book! An action-packed thriller with romance thrown in that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I didn't want to put it down, but I also didn't want it to end.

This book was a DELIGHT. I loved Ally Carter's GG and Heist Society series when I was younger, so I was very excited to hear she wrote an adult spy rom-com. Despite my high expectations, this book did not disappoint.

We meet our main character when she wakes up on a street in Paris, under attack by a bunch of people who want to kill her. She quickly finds out that her identical twin sister is a spy, and has gone rogue. Everyone- CIA, MI^, Mossad, and the bad guys- want her dead. And since they think she's her sister, our MC now has a target on her back. Luckily her sister's partner realizes that he has been targeting the wrong sister, and decides to help our MC escape everyone looking to kill her. They realize that the only way to end the manhunt is to find the rogue spy and get their hands on what she stole.

First of all, the banter in this book was just *chef's kiss*. It's grumpy-sunshine dynamic, mixed with Jason Bourne mystery. I kept trying to guess what was going on, and am happy to report that the twists were great and I didn't see most of them coming (especially THAT one).

Highly recommend. This is a fun, twisty, and swoon-worthy read. Basically, it's got something for everyone!

I loved Ally Carter in middle/high school, and with this book, my love for her books has continued into adulthood. The Blonde Identity scratches that itch that I didn't know needed to be scratched. Can't wait for it to come out!

Run...and get this book. I love this one so much. From the first sentence to the very end- or is it? I was hooked. Fast-paced with twists along the way. I read it too fast and now I really hope there will be another book. I love how each chapter was titled either Her or Him...it added to the intrigue. I kinda want to see this as a movie.

Fans of the GG series will have a lot of fun reading this, feeling the nostalgia of Carter's spy series--but also the cheesiness and insta-love. Fair warning too, and I'm not sure if it'll just be the arc or if it'll carry into the finished copy: romance lovers beware, as there was no smut here whatsoever. Those critiques aside, it was still a fun read, and the love interest was quite swoony.