Ally Carter is an author that I read back when I was in junior high and she was writing the Gallagher Girls series. One thing about Ally is that she can write some VERY FUN spy material. This was action-packed and goofy, and I loved getting to be an adult and reading something written for adults by this author who I genuinely grew up with.

This was corny and ridiculous, but also a laugh-out-loud good time and I am so happy that I got to read it.

If you love Alias

A woman wakes up on the streets of Paris in the middle of the night with no memory. She only knows three things: she has a splitting headache, a gorgeous man is standing over her telling her to run, and people are trying to kill her. According to her enemies, she’s a rogue CIA operative named Alex who stole from a Russian mob. According to gorgeous Sawyer, she’s actually Alex’s identical twin sister, Zoe. As Zoe and Sawyer pretend to be lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon in an attempt to escape the criminal organization and intelligence services who are after them, Zoe must decide who she can trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget. Fans of the mystery, danger, and action of Alias will fly through The Blonde Identity.

this is the book for you if you're just looking to turn your brain off and enjoy the ride (positive)! the nostalgia of reading the gallagher girls series really took over when reading the blonde identity.

the romance has as much depth as you can get when the story takes place over an incredibly short period of time and one main character has amnesia (which is to say, not much depth). they do have good chemistry, though, and it's fun to see them trying to gain their footing while working as a team for the first time. i should also note that this is a closed door romance!

thank you netgalley & avon for the eARC!

SYNOPSIS - a woman wakes up with a head injury and absolutely no idea of her own identity. She knows she’s in Paris, that she hit her head somehow (ow), that she has some kind of amnesia, and that an extremely hot guy with a gun is standing over her, telling her to run. As the woman struggles to remember who she is, she ends up tangled in some light international espionage (and romance… and gunfights… and romance).

REVIEW - Avon/Harper Voyager... you have no idea how much this book meant to me, and how much getting the opportunity to read and review it meant to me. When I was a 7th grader doing an overnight volleyball camp, I packed the usual things - athletic wear, hair ties, and of course, books. Specifically, the first book in the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter. I remember this because I took it out to read between sessions and one of the coaches thought the title was hilarious. Fast forward to 2024, and I’m once again reading an Ally Carter book…and oh my goodness, I loved it. The sense of nostalgia it gave me for those early days as a reader, reading the Gallagher Girls books, was incredible. The Blonde Identity is hilarious, adventurous, mysterious, and absolutely wonderful. I loved the characters so much and I seriously cannot wait for the sequel (sweet lord there better be a sequel).

I did not expect to love this one as much as I did.

What would you do if you woke up in the middle of the night in the middle of Paris with amnesia and a bunch of people trying to kill you? Oh, and arguably the most attractive man you've seen is standing over you telling you to run?

Eventually, with the help of said hottie, Zoe discovers that she is the twin sister of a rogue spy and has somehow been roped into the middle of an international plot, being chased by criminal organizations - the Russians - and intelligence agencies alike. There's pretty much no one that doesn't want to get at her.

What ensues is an action packed, witty, and laugh out loud road trip rom-com. Yes, I really did laugh out loud more than once. The romance is sweet but not sickly so. They both have their issues and their big one, being on the run, stays in the forefront.

I really liked that the book started with a bang and didn't really slow down until the end. The action built towards logical points but it was done well. I found myself wanting to find out what happened next or, if I had it fairly confidently predicted, how it would all unfold. That's a win for me.

If you like Rom-com mysteries like Finlay Donovan, You're probably going to want to pick this up.

This book is for the Gallagher Girls and all of the adults (including myself) who when they were 12 wished they had gone to the Gallagher Academy. The Blonde Identity was action-packed, suspenseful, and laugh-out-loud funny, with a side of romance!

The Blonde Identity follows a woman who wakes up in Paris with Amnesia and discovers that her twin sister is a spy who has gone rogue. To stay alive, she has to work with a grouchy operative who she knows nothing about. As the protagonist tries to recover from amnesia she is on the run, looking for her sister, and unintentionally finds love.

I found the main characters in the book funny, charming, and smart. This is the perfect read if you’re in a reading slump!

I grew up obsessed with the Gallagher Girls series from Ally Carter, so was very excited to read her first adult book! Sure, it’s a little flawed and has some cheesy lines, but it’s fun! Would make for a very fun adaptation

This book was so much fun. I ended up listening to the audiobook rather than reading the arc, and I didn't want to stop! It starts with life-or-death stakes and doesn't let up. I loved the Paris spy setting and how the reader learns alongside the narrator what is going on and who she is, due to her amnesia. This would make such a fun movie.

This fast-paced spy thriller/mystery (with a little romance thrown in!) hits a lot of boxes. It reads like it should be adapted ASAP into a Netflix mini-series. Because of that, I had a little difficulty getting into it (since it seems like it should be more "visual" than it is). However, overall a romp of a read, would recommend!

I loved the concept of this story a little more than the execution which was sad. Coming from a YA writing background, I think that might have informed this author's adult writing a little more than expected and more than I enjoyed. It felt a little on the immature side and I wish it was a little more aged up in it's character development. The action and the plot line was captivating though and it did feel like a great action movie.

I feel like this was made to be a netflix series! I loved this book. Half romcom half mystery.. I recommend this to everyone!!!

A delightful rom-com with a spy/thriller aspect. I really enjoyed reading this fast-paced story and will recommend all the time.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.

Reading this book felt like watching a Disney Channel movie. Like something I’d see on Hallmark. Did it make any sense? Not particularly. Was the dialogue cringey? Absolutely. Was I totally hooked and left wanting more? Yes and yes, please give Ally Carter seven more books and a Netflix deal.

Trope warning: insta-love.

I can get behind insta-love when it's done right, but this was not. The premise was interesting but I just couldn't get into it. It just wasn't executed well.

I grew up with Ally Carter reading her "Gallagher Girls" series so I was absolutely STOKED to see this book coming out. I enjoyed reading this book, it was like reconnecting with an old friend. Ally's voice is so distinguishable when she's writing books like this and it's so familiar and cozy and entertaining it was hard not to love it.

I do wish this book would have been in first person, but I understand from a stylistic standpoint with the characters positions why she couldn't do that. I did feel like I didn't connect with either of them on the level I could have if it were to have been in first person.

That's really my only critique, I loved the story line and I really did like the characters and getting to know them! And also all the little "Gallagher Girls" Easter Eggs really made this whole book!

Loved this book from one of my favorite authors. Ally Carter writes another winner with this mad dash rom-com around the world that's super fun, thrilling and of-course hilarious.

I am a lifelong Ally Carter fan, and this delivered exactly what my 12-year-old self would be happy to hear that I am reading late into my 20s.

I LOVE this book. It is a ton of fun. The protagonist wakes up and has no recollection of who she is or where she is, but she has an instinct to run. When she meets someone who calls her Alex, she assumes he can be trusted...at least a little bit, and partners up with him until he realizes she's not Alex, but her twin sister. It's a spies on the run sort of story. They're chased from Paris, and up on a river cruise, in the Swiss Alps, and more. It's sexy and silly and full of action.

I get why this was billed as an adult Gallagher Girls, but... this was not an adult Gallagher Girls book. I almost gave this two stars because I just didn't care for the plot, but I can't deny the fact that I am obsessed with Ally Carter's voice. I felt like the romance moved wayyy to fast and found the use of self-referential tropes to immediately take me out of the story every time. Our protagonist was overly sweet and not interesting enough to make me invested, and her love interest felt equally one-dimensional. The ending veered it a little to far into what felt like self-insert fanfic about her previous series, but I did enjoy some of the twists we got as we neared the story's conclusion. It was a quick read, and there was never any point where I wanted to quit, but there was also never any point where I actually felt like the stakes matched up with what was actually unfolding.