I am so grateful to Avon for allowing me to read an ARC of The Blonde Identity.

This novel was everything I could have wanted from an adult Ally Carter rom-com. It was extremely fast-paced and full of drama, mystery, and romance. It is everything I expected and more.

The story holds your attention easily and makes it difficult to put it down. It’s different from the other rom coms on the market and I think that’s what makes it so enjoyable; the added spy factor makes it!

The Blonde Identity is super cute and I’m hoping for a sequel

**thank you Avon for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

4.5 Rounded Up:

this book comes out two days before my birthday and I could not think of a better gift from Ally or the romance book goddesses. Ally dedicated this book to all the GGs and I could not think of a more honorable and accurate way to start and sum up this book. The definition of a love letter to everyone who grew up reading the Gallagher Girl's series and all the books in the Ally Carter Spy Universe (hereafter know as the ACSU). Okay now about the actual book.

I will not lie, I was incredibly excited and ready for this book but also very apprehensive being such an Ally Fan *tm* and also such a picky reader when it comes to my romcoms. But I should've known better. Him and Her (they will remain unnamed for reasons) had such intense chemistry right off the bat that I knew their story was gonna be such a whirlwind. To fill *ONE* book with well worn and well loved tropes such as grumpy/sunshine, only one bed, amnesia, and FAKE MARRIAGE, especially for an adult romance debut is no small undertaking but not only did Ally pull it off in the most entertaining, chaotic, I-can't-stop-reading way but she did it with all the heart, comedy, and action of a book from the ACSU. Actually you cannot convince me this book doesn't take place in the ACSU. For readers who have always wanted to read an ACSU book but wasn't sure if you wanted to go the YA route, this book will give you all the vibes with just a bit more swooniness and f-bombs.

This book is one of the most iconic adult debuts I have ever read and I am so excited to see where Ally takes my favorite amnesiatic spy people next.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this book.

First off, I'm a little biased. I love Ally Carter. I am a high school librarian and I have been reading her YA for years.
Secondly, this isn't YA and I am loving it. It reminds me of a Mission Impossible or James Bond movie with a female lead.

I could not put this book down, there were so many twists and turns and who were the good and bad guys. It totally kept me on my toes and who doesn't love a little love story to go along with trying to stay alive while you are fighting the bad guy and your identical twin is there to help you?

Ally C must love spy-type stories, because between this new Adult and her Gallagher Girl series YA she is crushing it in the spy novels.

Great read.

Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher for providing this read. All opinions are my own.
Fans of Ally, Carter will find her similar style in this book. Protagonist Zoe (whose name we learn several pages in due to her experiencing amnesia) is being chased and is under attack due to be in the twin sister of a spy named Alex. Alex‘s partner Sawyer takes Zoe along with him as they try to survive and figure out what happened to Alex. There are some sweet, and sexy, moments between them as the storyline progresses, with Carter’s signature humor throughout.

This book was SO. MUCH. FUN. I've always loved Ally Carter's writing because it's simple and fun and engaging and just really relatable! And I loved the whole bourne identity based thrilling adventure! It gave me the vibes of the one arc in gallagher girls (iykyk) and also gave me ADULTS with heart racing tension while also being mostly close door romance! The characters were so fun to read and I enjoyed both POVs! This was easily a one sitting read because it's fast paced and lighthearted while also feeling like a spy thriller all at once. Truly the complete package mixed with the BEST tropes!

I mean... one bed... fake married... SPIES. THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL and I hope Ally keeps making more adult rom com esque fun things like this!

I have been an Ally Carter superfan for over a decade and lost my mind when she announced her upcoming adult spy rom com. I knew going in that this book was going to feel like it was written exactly for me, and "written exactly for me" it was.

Some books are beach reads: zippy, funny, breezy, and unpretentious. (You could totally read this on the beach.)

Some books are fireplace reads: cozy, reflective, comforting, and personal. (You could totally read this by a fireplace.)

Some books are coffee shop reads: witty, sophisticated, worldly, and fresh. (You could totally read this in a coffee shop.)

The Blonde Identity, however, became a "treadmill read" for me. I read the entire book while running, sweating, gasping for air. The fast-paced spies-on-the-run theme is executed so well that I was able to shut out my own physical experience and zero in on our amnesiac heroine and her reluctant rescuer and their breathtaking journey.

The "closed-door romance" is steamy enough to get your heart beating a little faster, but not smutty at all; it's the sort of thing you could safely recommend to most people without it getting weird. The banter is particularly golden; every joke landed perfectly and I laughed out loud (in public! on the treadmill!) several times per chapter.

This is a cliche of the five-star rating system, but it's the truth: if I could give The Blonde Identity a million stars, I would. Ally Carter has done it, and outdone herself, again.

WOW this book filled a hole in my heart that I didn’t realize was there. First of all, I grew up as an Ally Carter mega fan. I remember my Mom bringing me home a copy of one of the first Gallagher Girl books that she found in a free book basket when I was in elementary school, and the rest was history. My best friends and I all had code GG names, my treehouse was our headquarters…. it truly was a whole thing. I think that I only read the first Embassy Row book but I very much kept up with the majority of Ally Carter’s repertoire.

When I saw Ally was writing an adult spy book, I just about lost my shit. Reading this was extremely nostalgic for me because there are SO MANY little Easter eggs throughout the book that tie back to the GG world. I also just haven’t read an action/romance like this since probably high school.

The Blonde Identity bounces back and forth from Zoe’s POV to Sawyer’s POV. I really enjoy both main characters and enjoyed their relationship and character development. It was all just pretty surface-level and more action-packed, which I think is just the name of Ally Carter’s game. No shame in that. If there’s a second book, I will definitely read it!

I’m going with a 3-star rating for this book. It was good and very entertaining, don’t get me wrong. But DAMN a lot of it was so cringy. The most acute example of this is the fact that throughout the entire book, Sawyer refers to Zoe as: “lady”. You can’t genuinely tell me that’s not the most unsexy thing you've ever heard.

Anyways, Ally, I love you. Thank you for writing this new book. The worlds your books create are incredibly special and I really don’t know who I would be today without them.

This book was just what I needed at the moment.
It gives grown-up Gallagher Girls, which is amazing as it feels like a natural continuation of a series I loved when I was younger. And I love the campy writing style of this book.

This book started out really great for me. Don't get me wrong the plot is strong and kept my interest! The juvenile dialogue/romance of grown adults is what disappointed me. (I'll refer to them as Hero/Heroine, because I don't want to spoil finding out their names for anyone.) I know this is this author's first adult novel and I felt that her characters had a great relationship but they did not act their age at all, especially the Heroine. She felt verryyy immature to me and I found myself skimming past her dialogue just to find what happened next in the plot instead of really enjoying the relationship that slowly built between the two. The story was enjoyable, but was way more in the vein of YA for me. Sadly I couldn't get into it as much I would have hoped!

Spy/Espionage books have always been my favorite genre of books. The hard part about that is it's so hard to find a good espionage book. Ally Carter has ways been my go-to espionage author. From the moment she opens her eyes all the way to the last page I devoured this book. It's filled with many different tropes like grumpy/ sunshine characters, one-bed trope, amnesia, fake marriage, and mistaken identity. While the ending wasn't exactly what I thought it would be it made more sense for the situation they were in.

*Thank you to Ally Carter and her publishing team for a ARC copy of this book*

Ally Carter has always done a great job with spy books and his one doesn’t disappoint. Zoe wakes up in. a snow drift in Paris, France. She is covered in blood, her head in pounding, and she has no idea how she got there. Up walks Mr. Hot-stuff, and he tells her to run, so…she does. Zoe has no idea who she is or why she is running which makes this book enjoyable. With a bit of suspense, spies, and romance, Ally Carter creates a great series that will continue.

I have been a huge fan of Ally Carter's books since I was just a tween and the Gallagher Girl series was just starting to come out. The acknowledgement at the beginning of this book 100% made me cry and was a reminder of how special those books were to me and what a blessing it is when authors that have resonated with me since that time transition to adult fiction so that I can continue to enjoy their work. This was a super fun mystery and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I hope there are more books in this world, as that door was definitely left open, and can't wait to read whatever Ally Carter comes out with next!

Ally Carter continues her reign as the master of spy novels with her debut adult rom-com, The Blonde Identity!

I flew through this book. It was such a wonderfully fast read and so perfectly paced, with great characterizations of our amnesiac heroine and broody hero. It’s really hard to create well-rounded characters when having gaps in knowledge is part of the plot itself… but Ally executed them wonderfully. Our main duo goes on the most chaotic cross-continental trip, dodging bullets and enemies, leaving our heroine playing a high stakes game with no one to trust. Ally Carter has such a distinct voice she brings to her books, and she adapted it incredibly for an adult audience.

I will say that this book was only a romantic comedy for a certain number of pages… before the plot did an absolute BACKFLIP and turned into a romantic thriller that has me begging for MORE after that last line. I cannot wait until this novel is in print so I can get my hands on it to read over and over… and over.

A thrilling read from an author that brings so much nostalgia — and proof of why books with the most unlikely heroes are some of the best ones out there. Ally Carter has not only made her re-entrance into the adult romance scene… but she’s flipped the genre upside its head and breathed a new fiery life into it.

Release Date: 8.8.2023
Review Date: 3.11.2023

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

t's the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory. She only knows three things for certain:
1. She has a splitting headache.
2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.
And oh yeah...
3. People keep trying to kill her.
She doesn't know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there's only one explanation: obviously. . . she's a spy!
Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she's not. She's a spy's identical twin sister.
Too bad the only person who knows she's not the woman they're looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.
That's easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they're lying their way across Europe--dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister's name.
But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can't remember or the mysterious man she can't let herself forget...

I requested this book because I loved Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series as a teen and this felt just as fun!
I loved the characters, all the tropes she used. I was cracking up at points. This was super fun! 10/10 would recommend!

What everyone else has said - Ms. Carter nailed a rom-com/ rom-suspense beach read. Very entertaining, tons of twists and turns and winks at the reader. Fair warning - a little insta-love-y - people who want "reality" in their romance need not attempt this one. lol

“You killed someone with a negligee!” and “touch her and I’ll kill you” are two of my favorite lines from this fresh, exciting rom com.

Ally Carter’s first adult novel does not disappoint. The writing is wry and funny and I flew through this book. I could not put it down! Zoe and Sawyer’s banter was great and their connection was organic. I loved watching their relationship evolve. The Blonde Identity had a lot of great one-liners that were only *slightly* cheesy.

This romance hits lots of tropes: one bed, fake marriage, touch her and I’ll kill you, just to name a few. It also features quite an adventure and some spy—I mean, operative—action. Really well done!

It gets 4/5 from me and I’ll be recommending it to many patrons.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First up, I grew up with Ally Carter and I have loved her Gallagher girls series since high school. That with her heist society and all fall down series, she's just been a relatively safe bet when it comes to what will I read next.

Summary:
It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.

She only knows three things for certain:

1. She has a splitting headache.

2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.

And oh yeah…

3. People keep trying to kill her.

She doesn’t know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there’s only one explanation: obviously. . . she’s a spy!

Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister.

Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.

That’s easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they’re lying their way across Europe—dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name.

But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget…

Review:
It was honestly so great. I loved the protagonist and attempts to stay positive throughout this traumatic experience. I love Mr. Hot guy and how he tries to reign her in unsuccessfully. I love the mystery on if she actually is this twin or not! The plot reminds me of Long Kiss Goodnight film from the 90s which was one of my favorites growing up. I love the dialogue and banter and the wrap up and answers we get at the end was perfect. It was exciting and fun an absolutely pitch perfect! I'm kind of hoping for a sequel or even a trilogy featuring this cast of characters. Another home run for Ms. Carter!

Ally Carter's The Blonde Identity takes readers on a fun and exciting (and Top Secret) romp across Europe. Our protagonist wakes up in Paris with no memory of who she is or how she got there. The only thing she knows for sure? Someone's trying to kill her. This entertaining premise reaches back to Carter's roots: espionage and extraordinary females. (I mean, please tell me you've read The Gallagher Girls series. Please--or get thee to the nearest bookstore asap!)

The Blonde Identity is an ideal pick for readers looking for a likable protagonist (and her sexy co-protagonist) to star in an escapade-adventure romance. It's not "spicy", so this novel is suitable for people who are sick of overly-descriptive or long sex scenes. It also means that younger readers could also pick up this book, no problem. Fans of Carter's Gallagher Girls will definitely enjoy and reminisce :)

For those who choose to embark on this adventure, I encourage you to remember one thing: genre! This is a romance, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

For my part, I sincerely hope Carter decides to write a companion novel. IYKYK.

The Blonde Identity is a novel chock-full of every romance trope you could ever want, in the best way—it’s the ideal buffet! Ally Carter’s chosen protagonist allows us to go on the journey with her, with each twist and turn having your heart race. Putting it down when there’s a perfect balance of action and dialogue just isn’t possible, keeping you gripped with every turn of the page. It’s the breath of fresh air I was hoping for, and I can’t wait for it to come out officially so I can recommend it to everyone I know.

Zoe woke up in a snow bank with an angry man standing over her who looks like he cannot decide whether to kill her or help her. Zoe didn't know who the man was, but then she didn't know who she was, either. Or why she was lying in the snowbank. She couldn't even remember how she got there. This opening scene opens a rom-com action book, worthy of a movie in the same trope. As the story moves along, Zoe is chased by those who kill her because it turns out she is not her twin sister, rescued time and again by Sawyer, but also does her share of rescuing him, and continues to decode clues to find out what her twin had been hiding,

I enjoyed Ally Carter's step into adult fiction. Much like her teen fiction, she is masterful at telling stories full of action, with lots of humor and romance. I would recommend this book (which hopefully becomes a series) to those who like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.