I loved “Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous” and I was genuinely pumped about getting to read Mae’s second book early! “If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You”, it’s a unique take on a Mr. & Mrs. Smith spy vs. spy concept, with a twist.Mae does a spectactular job of striking a balance between nonstop action, sultry slow-burn romance, and clever banter. The chemistry between Yardley and KC was explosive, and I adored how accurately the book depicted the world of technology and spies. I loved the spy story as much as I did the dive into the two’s personalities and relationship. My favorite thing about this novel was the characters. The authors were able to build two distinct personalities for each of the main characters and merge them seamlessly as the story went on. Yardley started out as the unflappable spy and this completely flipped with KC being the one in control at the end. The only part I would have liked more of was their civilian life, either before or after they discovered they were both spies. I liked the progression of the relationship. They don't just magically decide to get back together when they figure out who the other one is, they have to labor over it in a way that felt genuine, and ask themselves questions about who they are apart and who they are together. I really enjoyed reading Yardley and KC’s story. Many thanks to Mae Marvel, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review. I am eagerly awaiting Mae’s next book!

This book was so fun! Yardley and KC are both spies, but neither know about the other. After their failed relationship, they discover the truth on a mission gone wrong, forcing them to confront their truths while they work together to save the world. The tension between KC and Yardley was so much fun while they are trying to complete their mission!

Thank you to Mae Marvel, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review (unpaid).

When I first saw this book, only two words came to mind: Sapphic. Spies. I was delighted. And after reading the book, I am just disappointed. There was minimal action until 70 percent into the book, the romance was meh at points, it felt like there was a lot of character backstory that just was randomly dropped in to make plots work, the villain was totally predictable, and as an NC girlie, I hated how stereotypically Southern Yardley was written.

If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You by Mae Marvel
Contemporary sapphic romance.
Yardley Whitmer is a spy. Second generation. Her skills have made her one of the elite in the business. With the spy business comes a lot of security clearance which means she can’t talk about what she does to anyone besides her direct coworkers. This has made her relationships difficult since she can’t say where she’s been, what she’s doing or even commit to future events. Lies don’t make a relationship easy and she holds herself back because of the job.
KC Nolan, aka Tabasco, is in love with Yardley but can’t seem to get through to her. Her job as a hacker for the government doesn’t make it easy either since she can’t share much. When she and Yardley end up on the floor of the Starbucks trying to protect each other, it becomes apparent they work for the same company and someone’s been manipulating them. They team up to find both the betrayer and discuss their feelings while doing a bit of undercover work at the same time. They can handle it. They are the best in the game.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and audiobook which is narrated by Mia Hutchison-Shaw. A phenomenal performance with distinct sounds and emotions for the two main characters and several secondary. The tempo was pleasing even while there were arguments and spy stuff going on. While the POV changes with chapters, it’s not hard to follow since the book is third person. The performance ramps up the tension as the situation between the two proceeded. And grows steamy with the sexy scenes.
I did speed up the playback to 1.5 and slightly higher so I could read along with the audiobook.

Loved the two females in the spy game. Clearly each had excelled in their careers. Didn’t like the lying they had to do for security reasons. Great job on tracking the villain and adored the final scenes. Plenty of steamy scenes too for a romance.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.

I enjoyed this smart, funny romance. It was action packed and full of witty dialogue. Each character is unique and well developed and their relationships are real and relatable.

Yardley and KC were together three years but things were falling apart and they agree to break-up. the problem is that they're both CIA operatives and neither knows about the other. So each of them has been holding out on the other. Then it's all revealed when they are assigned to the same operation and are forced to work together.

This is, of course, a second chance romance and, from what other reviewers say, a Mr. and Mrs. Smith adaptation (I never saw the film).

My biggest problem with the book was that I felt that writing was all over the place. It was constantly focused on each MC's inner turmoil of what went wrong and how things could be repaired. Of course, those issues are important, but they were basically included on every page and it got tiresome and took away from the spy craft aspects of the plot. I struggled to finish the book.

I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley.

An action-adventure, second-chance romance. Fights! Explosions! Gay spies! Sexy competence! Technology-assisted longing! Lots of breaks to feel and discuss feelings! If it's for you, you know it already.

Thank you so much to Mae Marvel and St. Martin’s Griffin for this E-ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own! 🥰

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Find more on my IG @kayreads_romance

⚠️ !! Please be sure to check any TWs before diving in !! ⚠️

What to expect:
* Sapphic
* Spies
* “And they were roommates”

Okaaaay! I loved Spy and I love women soooo this was great!
I love a secret double life situation in books. This was a really fun read and I’m excited to pick up a physical copy!

A sapphic spy romance was not something I knew I needed in my life, but I am glad that it's here. This is both an action adventure and a romance, and I enjoyed the way that they were able to put aside their issues to focus on the job when needed. This kept me engaged the whole time, mixing action and romance in a way that keeps the reader involved in what turned out to be a wild ride.

I received a free advance review copy through from St Martins Press through NetGalley and my review is voluntary.

This is my first experience with Mae Marvel—literary and life partners Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare. I not only highlighted quite a few passages, but also made notes of emphasis or agreement. As I have a final print copy of the book in my hot little hands [more on that later], I *could* share quotes with you . . . but, I would have a beast of a time picking just one quote, and I don't want to spoil anything. If you come across sections that you find especially striking, I'd love to hear from you—we could have a remote book discussion.

There's a lot going on in Kiss You, as I affectionately (or lazily?) have come to call it. It isn't just a spy story. It isn't just a romance. And it for darn sure isn't a surface-level story. It's sexy, erotic, intimate, suspenseful, action-packed, and sometimes really funny—usually in a clever, sassy, or snarky way. There are spy gadgets, disguises, chases, escapes, vehicles galore, and teamwork; feminist and sociopolitical commentary; love, romance, trust, and deep relationships of all kinds; and competent, skilled, bold, powerful, and strong women in various roles. There are Southern expressions that bring situations to another level. Beyond main characters Yardley and KC, there is an extraordinary cast of supporting characters including (but not limited to) Irish hacker Kris; Yardley's and KC's handlers, Atlas and Gramercy; the first Black woman president of the United States of America, Ada Williams; and British agent Julia.

I found the strongly fem POV of the book refreshing. On top of that, for far too long, there hasn't been representation of so many people I love—and so many more I haven't yet met. I'm overjoyed to see greater representation of people of all types in books for folks of all ages.

Content warnings include death of a parent (in the past and mentioned in passing), neglectful or emotionally abusive parents, family abandonment, infidelity, and at least a couple explicit sex scenes.

While I wrote this review based solely on the notes I made while reading, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to attend a book discussion with Mae Marvel on the Sunday before publication. My thoughtful partner was looking for signed editions of books I've mentioned to him [more than in passing—I don't think he keeps up with all the books I read, and I wouldn't expect him to] and discovered that the authors were scheduled to appear at a romance-only indie bookstore in his hometown—Love's Sweet Arrow, in Tinley Park, Illinois. We spent a delightful afternoon listening to Mae Marvel talk about their books, writing process, marriage, and family. Author Becca Grischow moderated. Now I have additional books from all three authors to read. 4.5⭐

5/5 ⭐️s
🌶️🌶️ - medium spice

LOVES:
- The heartbreak and longing between them is so tragic 💔🥺
- All of the spy action and fun facts from Yardley were super entertaining!
- The mystery and secrets kept me wanting to see what would happen next and making predictions about who I thought was the “villain”. This was action packed and full of emotions!
- The journey back to each other was written with so many meaningful conversations and thoughts around what love really is and what it looks like to truly love someone. These women learned a lot about themselves, what they want/need from a partner, and how to make that happen. It was inspiring!

“Seems to me the only thing you can choose in this life is love or fear.”

This was a beautiful love story ♥️ with a bunch of action and adventure thrown in. What more could you want? 🤷‍♀️

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the eARC 💝

DNF at 11%

I should KNOW better than to read any fiction book that features a US government intelligence agency, and yet I still tried because it's Sapphic. If this had featured a made up intelligence organization, I probably could have handled it. The writing isn't bad, the premise is just a little too ridiculous for me. You're telling me the CIA didn't see it as a problem when one of their spies had previously moved in with one of their tech analysts? They're ridiculously secretive, sure, but this was too much.

The writing is good, if a little repetitive, but had there been some small tweaks to this premise, I probably would have enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Dnf’ed at 51%. I truly wanted to love this, but I found the characters didn’t pull me in, and the spy plot, which I was really looking forward to, fell flat. I had high hopes, but couldn’t stick with it. I wish Yardley and KC the best though lol.

Two spies, one broken relationship, and a mission that could possibly save their romance. Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls but make it sapphic! Yardley Whitmer "the Unicorn" and KC "Tabasco" Nolan are two spies who are great at their jobs and in love with each other... the only problem is that they are both spies under the same company and have never told or figured out that the other was a spy. Now their relationship is torn apart but when a mission has them both running into each other and realizing that the other is a spy and that they have far more in common than either could realize they'll now have to team up to work together on a new mission that could save their relationship as they are finally able to be their true selves. I love the idea of this book but it just felt lackluster unfortunately. The execution of the book just felt a bit slow, repetitive, and I just wasn't all that invested in the characters or their romance. I wish I could like it more but it just wasn't a big hit for me. I do think other readers will have fun with a sapphic spy romance and should give it a try though!

Release Date: June 10, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

no quote because arc!
3.5💫
This was fun but I wasn’t the target audience I think. I really liked the forced proximity and the writing style but I couldn’t get over the sheer lack of communication that simmers throughout this entire book without ever being resolved. There would be no need for the book if anyone just talked! KC and Yardley were fun characters but they needed to learn how to communicate and it kinda killed the book for me.

**thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!**

This was so fun! Sapphic spies are everything to me. I was a little confused with all the names being thrown around, but that didn't deter my enjoyment of the book! I had a great time, and think this plot forward book is the perfect summer beach read.

A neat twist on a workplace romance/spy story. Imagine thinking your partner does one thing for work and then you find out they're a spy. Now imagine it for both partners. Except for extra fun, they are in the middle of a break up. Basically whatever can go wrong has gone wrong and now they're on a case together.

I definitely had fun reading the book. It was light with serious moments. I'd consider it second chance-ish, workplace romance-ish and some forced proximity thrown in for fun. There's even a little bit of found family.

I am not sure if it was me or the plot of the book but I didn't love this one as much as I loved Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous. This one was missing whatever made that one work as well for me. It's not a bad book, I just went in with high expectations and they were not met. If you're looking for a light sapphic romance, definitely pick this one up.

YOU GUYS this is giving ally carter’s gallagher girls but sapphic!!!! (and grown because 🔥🥵) i can’t be the only one who read those in middle school right?! anyhoo, this lil second chance moment had me WEAK, they are both so hot and they deserve to kill it on their missions (no pun intended) while also living happily ever after 🥹

This is a well-written, intensely emotional novel. Both the romance plots and the suspense plots are strong. I was hoping, based on the cover and the title, that the book would have some humor in it, but it doesn’t. Both the main characters are very negative about the chances of their relationship working out, which made the mood fairly dark and heavy.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I loved reading her previous novel Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous.
And was super excited to start a new novel If I Told You, I'd Have to Kiss You by Mae Marvel.
The characters are excellent! Marvel creates great characters that I feel in love with.
This book is perfection overall, but I think my favourite element in it was the characters. I just couldn't help getting attached to them.
Loved this book. The characters are well developed, the plot is tight and keeps the reader invested. Loved the ending. The whole book is fantastic. Highly recommend.