Skip to main content

Member Reviews

This was a book that had me hooked from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. A woman wakes up and doesn’t know who she is and gets involved in a spy plot with a very handsome spy. The banter between the two was amazing and had me chucking the whole book. The tension and romance between the two was amazing. The never ending action kept my attention the whole time. I loved this story and really hope there is another one about the sister.

Thank you to NetGAlley and HarperCollins Publishers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Ally Carter's adult debut is everything an Ally Carter fan could want and everything a first-time Ally Carter reader needs.

Romance, Action, Aventure, and more. Carter's writing is so distinct in the best of ways. Each character's voice rings true and finding a fast-paced, adventurous, romantic, and comedy novel is unique in adult fiction. I am a huge Ally Carter fan and have read all of her books and THe Blonde Identity does not disappoint.

You will laugh, gasp, swoon, and panic with the characters during this novel. Fans of The Princess Bride, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and any spy novel will want to pick this up!

Was this review helpful?

Having first encountered Ally Carter through her "Gallagher Girls" series and subsequent work in the YA sector of literature, I'm well-acquainted with how good she is at crafting excellently-engaging, edge-of-your-seat spy-action coupled with witty banter, cheeky humor, and root-for-them romance. That talent is as on display with this foray into fiction for adults as it is in her YA offerings, and I simply cannot wait to see what comes next - hopefully, it's more adventures with this crew, because they are as utterly delightful as the Gallagher Girls cast, the Embassy Row cast, and the Heist Society cast. This is a terrific addition to her bibliography, and anyone looking for a wild, globe-trotting ride full of spies, shadowy villains, and two main characters who are vibrant individually but sheer magic together, will find exactly what they're looking for in "The Blonde Identity."

Was this review helpful?

Oh I absolutely adored this book!!! 😍 From the first page I was HOOKED.
I fell in love with Sawyer and Zoe!

This book had it all:
💗 sizzling chemistry
💗 adventure
💗 twists
💗 FAKE MARRIAGE
💗 Zoe. She was the kind of main character you could relate to, but also wanted to be when you grow up 🤣
💗 THE DECLARATION SCENE
💗 and so many other things but I can’t list them because they’d be spoilers. 😩

Basically you need this book in you life. That is all. you’ll thank me after you read it.

Was this review helpful?

Ally Carter did it again! Like she and many other said this is basically an adult Gallagher girls ( which middle school me was completely obsessed with!! ). This book was fun, face-paced, and overall and easy and enjoyable read. The book starts off with a bang and the readers are really thrown into it all which I loved because honestly with some other books the info dumping gets a little to much for me and it’s nice to read something that automatically hooks you from the start! I don’t want to give away to much of the plot but like I mentioned before this is basically an adult Gallagher girls ( adult as In content and not spice ( she has closed door scenes and not open ) Both the fmc and MMC’ are both badasses in my opinion and their interactions with each other had me laughing at times to! I can’t wait for it to be released in the fall and Ally thank you for making my adult Gallagher dreams come true!

A special thank to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sending me e arc in exchange for an honest review!

Was this review helpful?

This is the adult Gallagher Girls book of my dreams, and I loved every page! It had the same puns, humor, and rom-com vibes as the Gallagher Girls books but as an adult novel. If you are looking for a serious spy novel, this is not the book for you, but if you want a hilarious enjoyable rom-com race throughout Europe, this is perfection! I love that even though this is a sillier spy novel, the twists kept me on my toes, and I could never guess what would happen next! I have been obsessed with Ally Carter since the early 2000s, and I'm so glad she decided to start writing adult rom-coms. This book was a blast, and I cannot wait for the second book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book! It is perfectly paced, and the characters are easy to enjoy. The action just sucks you in from page one and will keep you engaged all the way to the end of the book. It is the perfect read if you want adventure and action, with a lovely romance thrown in. I can’t wait to recommend this book!

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyage and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

Was this review helpful?

ahhhhh this was seriously so GOOD. 😭 there was not ONE dull moment. i was literally hooked from start to finish. it felt like there was a live action movie playing in my head as i was reading. there were moments that made me crack up and moments that felt like a knife to the chest. but i absolutely our main characters (i don’t want to say names bc that is kinda part of the story) and their chemistry was insaneeee. 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨🫂 and that ending?? ms carter am i sensing another book? bc that would eat. 🤭😩🤞🤞

Was this review helpful?

This book was a wild ride! It follows a woman who wakes up in the middle of Paris with no memory of who she is. Oh did I mention that several people hunting her down? In an attempt to learn who she really is and escape, she tags along with the cute spy who is trying his hardest to keep her alive... and to not fall in love with her. Sparks and bullets fly as this duo try to survive in one of the most romantic cities in Europe!
~~~
I cannot put into words how much I loved this book! As a huge fan of Ally Carter, this adult spy novel is exactly what I needed. The book has everything as it is hilarious, suspenseful, shocking, and swoon-worthy.
At first, I thought that the the premise of spies in Paris may be a bit cliché, but it is done in such a fun way that I was hooked and read it as fast as I could. I enjoyed how fast-paced the plot was. I never felt that it dragged at any point. The mystery of who the main character is also surprisingly full of twists. You feel for her as she tries to navigate this world of espionage that everyone around her remembers but her. I will say that the plot is centered more on the characters relationship and connection than tense espionage plot points, but for this book, it really worked. I appreciated all the side characters and how they kept coming back into play in the most unexpected ways. The only thing that I wished had been different is more detail on how the evil character that is trying to kill them. I feel there was a missed opportunity to make this book a bit more serious and in-depth. Since it didn't, I wasn't as tense as I feel I could have been at certain points because I didn't know the real danger. This, of course, could be intentional to have the book be more light-hearted spy romance. Regardless of this critique, I really enjoyed the plot!
Speaking of characters, I couldn't get enough of them. They were funny, endearing, and relatable. I appreciated that the main character still had a strong personality that shined through despite the fact she didn't know who she was. Even if she wasn't aware of it, her mind knew what to do. Other books who have similar tropes make the amnesiac to be this boring zombie-like character without any personality, so I appreciated that this was not the case here. I also appreciated that the main characters had flaws and made mistakes. While the male protagonist was this smart super spy, he was human and made mistakes. I thought that the inclusion of this made the book more realistic and the characters more likable.
I think the strongest point of this book was the two main characters and their relationship as they had awesome chemistry. Their banter flowed really well in a way that had me chuckling. It never felt stilted or forced. As a fan of romcoms and spy novels, it's rare to see both genres come together in such an fun way.
Do I think that this book is a realistic version of spy life? No... Did I love absolutely every minute of it? Yes! I cannot recommend enough!

Was this review helpful?

Waking up in the Parisian winter with a concussion, no shoes or coat, and a bad headache is not fun. And it's not even because of tourist stuff; this woman finds out that she has been mistaken for a spy, who happens to be her twin sister Alex. Her only hope is Alex's ex-partner Sawyer, who has a vested interest in keeping Alex's sister alive. It's not for any altruistic or sentimental reasons; Alex has vanished with a USB flash drive that can take down a mob boss, and her sister is the only lead that Sawyer has. At least, that's what Sawyer tells himself before he and the amnesiac woman pose as a married couple to hide from everyone who thinks that she is Alex.

This is a fun romance novel, with plenty of twists and turns. I've been following Ally Carter since high school and was honored to receive a review copy.

Was this review helpful?

Let me just start this off by saying that this is a book I’ve been waiting my whole adult reading life for. I have been an Ally Carter fan since the early GG days when I was in middle school, so when she announced that she was writing an ADULT ROMANCE SPY 😍 book I about lost my ever loving mind in excitement, and then, when I got approved for an arc from Harper Collins, I wanted to cry. And all I have to say now that I’ve finished, is this book was everything I needed it to be and more. So, thank you Ally for this 🫶🏻

From the drop, Ally does what she does best and just pulls you into the story. Sawyer and Zoe are so funny and witty and watching them fall in love made me feel all warm and fuzzy and made me feel like I was reading about Cammie and Zach all over again (iykyk 🤪) The story was consistently moving without feeling like it was spiraling out of control or moving too slow. The mystery behind what was happening and sitting there trying to figure it out with Zoe was 😙 chefs kiss perfect. Every time more information was revealed was like a little red thread pulling the story together until the end when the cards were laid out and I was left sitting there like 😦 because I didn’t see it coming. The dynamic between Sawyer and Zoe will having rooting for the from the very beginning. In true Ally fashion, she’s brought me into this new world that I love and never want to leave and now I absolutely cannot wait for the next book 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 to come out!!

Was this review helpful?

A reminder of all the reasons I love Ally Carter's YA series are on display in her new adult title. Fast-paced, action-packed, quick and quippy dialogue, and a grumpy/sunshine romance this hits all the right notes. Even though it takes place in winter in Paris, this is the perfect read for vacations, beaches, planes, trains and every thing in between.

Was this review helpful?

3.5/5 rounding up

I was a fan of the Gallagher Girls series when I was younger, so I was excited to learn Ally Carter was writing another book. However, The Blonde Identity reads more as a young adult/new adult novel than a true adult mystery to me. The mystery stays pretty surface level and the reader doesn’t learn much about the threat and why they’re after the main character throughout most of the book. Additionally, the espionage didn’t have the level of detail I would expect from an adult spy novel. Overall, the characters were fun and story moves along quickly making it an enjoyable read.


Thank you to NetGAlley and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I've been a fan of Ally Carter for years now, so I was excited to see was writing an adult thriller. The book starts out with a woman in the middle of the street unable to remember how she got there, who she was, or even why she was there. Right away the action starts with people yelling, attacking her while a guy is telling her to run. Their journey follows finding out who she is, who he is, and why people are chasing and trying to capture them. This is a fun espionage story with many twists and turns.

While I enjoyed this book, it did take me about 100 pages to get into it. The first 100 pages are so confusing given that the MC doesn't know anything. The character development is slow while the world around her is moving a fast speed. It took that long for the story to find its groove, and once it did, it was an entertaining spy story with many moving parts (in a good way) that had you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

If I gotta pitch this book I'd say The Spy Who Dumped Me meets The Citadel or The Night Agent and I'm aware that im using 2 spy movies/tv series but I can't think of anything else it reminds me of lol. I'd have loved this even more if it was a little more The Citadel/The Night Agent like , and the characters had more depth hence why I'm rating it "only" 4 ⭐️

Don't get me wrong - this was fast paced and entertaining, pure escapist joy, and not every book needs to be super deep and War and Peace like, I just personally get more invested in the characters and that's what matters most to me hence why I wish the MCs- Sawyer and Zoe - were more fleshed out and the book was longer.

The dual POV was perfect for this book especially considering it's only 300 pages and one of the MCs has no idea whats going on lol. It also helped with the tension and their chemistry. The story is filled with humour and banter and covert operations and fan fav tropes like - only one bed, will-they-wont-they, fake dating/(marriage? Lol), grump/sunshine.

The other thing preventing me from rating it 5 ⭐️ is the fact that this is adult and yet the romance is fade to black. That was very disappointing to me because the tension between the characters was building for more than 60% of the book, and it was great they had great chemistry and the tension was palpable so to have the culmination of that happen behind closed doors (literally!) was... pure torture, thank you very much.

The epilogue hints at a sequel that I couldn't find anywhere if it was confirmed yet or not, but if AC continues with this series I'll be picking the next one up!

Eternal gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

Was this review helpful?

She wakes up in the snow in Paris and doesn't know who she is. He finds her and realizes she is the twin sister of his partner and they are spies. This cinematic story is over the top and lots of fun.

Was this review helpful?

3.5/5

This one was such a fun time!! The Gallagher Girls books were so special to me growing up and the fact that Ally Carter wrote an adult spy romance is everything to me!

I'm not usually a fan of romantic suspense and tbh if this was not an Ally Carter book I would not have picked it up. It is face paced and would make for a great film, but lowkey I had a hard time following what was going on in terms of the action (where were they standing? how could that work? wait what?) which is 100% a me thing bc I find action scenes to be incredibly boring so I skim.

This book feels very young for an adult novel and lowkey if the characters were teens would read YA. The fact that every time Sawyer would swear, Zoe would go "LANGUAGE" really bothered me. Just don't have swearing in the book? I know some adults care about swearing but it was annoying to meeee.

It also is closed door and I prefer more open door, but it was hilarious to me bc when things start happening Zoe says "close the door" and I got a good chuckle out of that.

This book is chockfull of tropes, but it doesn't feel overdone. They have to pretend to be married. There is only one bed. They have to kiss so people don't notice them. The sunniest of sunshines and grumpiest of grumps (for a second dude is gone very quickly). Amnesia. and I'm sure there are more.

Overall, this is a fun lighthearted book that doesn't take itself too seriously. I can't wait to see if Ally writes another adult romance bc her writing is so fun.

*thanks to the publisher for an eARC; all thoughts are my own*

Was this review helpful?

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. On the whole, I found it delightful. There were definitely moments when I laughed out loud or got feels. But it was kind of tedious as well. It felt too long even though narratively speaking no time at all had passed and the plot was seemingly faced-paced. I also found Zoe kind of annoying sometimes.

Was this review helpful?

gallagher girls assemble!!!

this was a purely fun romp that carries the same tone and energy as the original ally carter series did. the romance is super sweet (what a dreamy male lead!!!), the action is fun and easy to follow, and i’m super excited for what i assume is the next book. i absolutely flew through this one as it was super engaging and exactly the kind of fast-paced fun i was craving at this time.

i do think while the lighter, more childish tone worked for me and my nostalgia, it might not have for someone who wasn’t doing book reports on the gallagher girls in elementary school. (also - there’s no on page spice, so if that’s something that’s a deal breaker for you that’s my fyi!)

thank you sm to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced e-arc of this book!!!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

Was this review helpful?