Unfortunately, this veers closer to 2.5 stars.

I was excited about this one, as I’ve really loved romance titles with action/adventure plots recently, but this had issues for me with both the romance and the spy plots.

First, this is advertised and marketed more as a romance in a spy setting BUT it came across to me as very much a in-detail spy book that had sprinkles of a romance in it, so it wasn’t what I expected or what I really wanted. On top of the lack of romance at the center, the romance itself had very little chemistry to me and was super surface level. Because of the whole “we just broke up and then found out we’re both CIA” there’s a lot of reasons in the first half of the story around why they broke up/shouldn’t be together instead of building a romance, so it very much made me think they should not be together.

Outside of that, I felt there was a lot of overly detailed spy terms and a lot of jumping around that made things confusing to follow.

A great premise that fell super flat for me.

I was craving a spy romance, a sapphic one at that and I saw the Mr and Mrs Smith comparison and I opened this one ready to fall into this one and love it, wouldn't be able to put it down and yet I'm... frustrated. Because from the early parts of this book I grew bored and couldn't get into it. I couldn't understand why. This is not a bad book or romance. Usually, I'm turned off by bad writing but that's not even the case here the writing is romance-solid. It's not the setting I wanted to read a spy romance and I love having characters reconnecting during a split up. Yes I was a bit disappointed that there's no Mr and Mrs Smith rivalry which would have added some spice to a story that's lacking some. But it took me a while to realize that my issue is the characters. KC and Yardley never got to a point where they were distinct enough in my head besides one's the tech and one's the field spy. They never crystallized as fully-fledged characters in my head. There were times when Yardley seemed to have been given more development than KC which didn't help to make KC a more compelling character.

Hence the frustration. This book has some really good and solid romantic moments and writing, it's good and I think people are going to love the novelty it brings to sapphic romance (unfortunately for me a lesbian reader, it is a very dry corner of publishing when it comes to originality). Yet I can't love it like I wanted it to. I wanted to love this so much more. Even the spy plot wasn't that intriguing to me, I'm mourning my expectations.

I really want other people to love it, I think there's a lot to love and fall in love with.

A fun twist on a queer Mr & Mrs Smith featuring two women in the middle of a painful break-up realizing they're both spies for the same agency and that so much of their relationship was based on necessary lies to protect their secret identity.

This was a fun read! I particularly enjoyed the way it balanced action/the case plot with the main romance. Often, I feel like romance novels with an action side plot neglect one or the other, but this managed to evolve both in a way that felt satisfactory without dropping the other. I do think there could have been a little more tension/less predictability when it came to the actual case they were working on, but since romance novels are often formulaic, it didn't bother me too much. The focus on both KC and Yardley learning to get to know each other truthfully for the first time and re-contextualizing their relationship (and break-up!) was compelling enough to forgive the book not being super plot twisty in my opinion. It just felt a little long at times because it was obvious where we were going. But overall, an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've been in a ginormous reading slump lately so I really just couldn't get into this one. Nothing against the book, it just didn't have that spark that made me want to continue reading.

If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You by Mae Marvel blends thrilling espionage, a slow-burn sapphic romance, and just the right amount of intrigue to keep readers hooked from start to finish. Think James Bond meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but with a fresh, queer twist—and plenty of action and heart.

The story follows Yardley and KC, two CIA agents who are thrust into a high-stakes mission together. Despite their differences, their dynamic works perfectly, making for a compelling and engaging duo. The progression of their relationship felt natural and genuine, never rushed, and it was easy to root for them both in both their professional and personal lives.

What I really appreciated was how the romance developed alongside the action—it wasn’t forced, but rather unfolded with the right amount of tension and chemistry. The pacing of the story kept me engaged, with enough thrills to satisfy any spy fiction fan, but also moments of vulnerability that added depth to the characters’ connection.

While the CIA portrayal does stretch the limits of believability at times, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. Sometimes, fiction is about escape, and a little suspension of disbelief only added to the fun.

Overall, If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You is a perfect blend of suspense, action, and romance. It’s a fun, fast-paced read for anyone who loves spy thrillers with a sapphic twist. Mae Marvel has crafted a story full of heart, danger, and undeniable chemistry between two characters you can’t help but root for. Highly recommended!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

The premise of this book sounded very interesting. It had a lot of potential. I did enjoy elements of it, including the queer/genderqueer rep and parts of the relationship between the two main characters. But sadly, it was quite boring. I found myself just skipping over paragraphs without meaning to because it wasn't keeping my attention. This is a spy novel, I feel like it should have been more. Just... more.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced copy.

I enjoyed Mae Marvel's previous book. This one was not for me. I got very lost in the spy plot, which got tedious really quickly. I didn't really like either protagonist. I didn't really enjoy either the romance or the main plot. I feel bad that I feel that way, because lesbian spy story should be something I really like.

This was a solid, enjoyable book. My favourite aspect was definitely the plot surrounding the black op and dangerous tech - I think it was really well-executed, with good foreshadowing, twists, and tension. I also really appreciated how many of the spies were female and/or queer in a line of work that is usually male-dominated. And, in general, the spy-ness of it all was very engaging and fun and believably written.

The part that was more lacking was, sadly, the romance. There wasn't even necessarily anything wrong with the romance - Yardley and KC were well-realized characters on their own, and I completely understood the conflict that arose in their relationship, and I thought the story did a good job of showing how they grew as individuals before they were able to grow back together as a couple. But the problem is that I really only saw them as a couple in crisis trying to mend things. I know this is probably a personal preference thing - some people live for second-chance romances and established couples in stories - but I found it hard to connect with a relationship that I mostly only saw on its bad days. I think maybe a handful of flashbacks could have remedied this. The narration alludes to happy moments together earlier in their relationship, but readers never actually get to sit in and experience those moments.

I also think the book is mismarketed slightly. The title, cover art style, and description all gave me the impression that this would be a bit of a comedy. It is very much not. This book leans very serious and tense, with much more emphasis on action and romance than levity.

Overall, this was a good book. I would definitely consider reading from these authors again.

A delightfully sapphic twist on Mr. and Mrs. Smith with a second chance romance, open door spice, and a fun spy mission!

Is this a realistic view of how the CIA works? No, but I'm a big proponent of suspension of disbelief and had a great time following Yardley, KC, and a cast of diverse supporting characters on their mission. We follow the pair through different parts of the world and various personas, my favorite of which being Max and Daphne towards the end. Despite the twists and turns, the outcome was predictable, something I personally did not mind as I was in this book for the journey, not the destination.
If I Told You, I'd Have to Kill You does a nice job of balancing the action and romance, though sometimes felt long-winded with the analysis of Yardley and KC's relationship and future. I appreciated that the author made an effort to criticize the flaws of the agency, particularly how heteronormative and patriarchal many of the protocols and red tape within our government and society are, even if it came off as slightly cringe at times. And while I appreciated the spicy scenes, they did often come out of the blue, which I excused the lack of buildup due to Yardley and KC's long-term relationship.
All in all, I had a wonderful time reading this book and would recommend! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read If I Told You, I'd Have to Kiss You.

The premise of the book sounded so good and I wanted to love it but...I couldn't get into the characters. There were so many character changes with the two main characters being spies and in the process of breaking up. I couldn't keep up with it all. I read about 45% and that was all I could handle.
I am not sure what would make this more readable. Maybe if only one was a spy? There was a lot going on in this story. Maybe there should be a chart with all the characters?
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy.l what a good book. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I loved the characters of KC and Yardly and the chemistry they had. Definitely had Mr. and Mrs. Smith going on. A new author I'll be looking out for,

a very cute book about some awesome people with some awesome vibes. tysm for the arc, would recommend. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️.5 / 5

It could be rounded up to 3 at times, but I found myself struggling throughout the book.

I really wanted to love this book. The concept was there but the execution was lackluster. The writing was slightly choppy where I had to re-read the entire page to understand what was going on.

I think if the author wrote a sapphic romance between Yardley and KC without the “spy agent” aspect, it would’ve read better! The entire mission was lost on me but the chemistry between the two was amazing!

If I told you, I’d have to kiss you gave me Get Smart for the sapphic reader vibe! It was cute and I enjoyed it!

I’ll recommend to all looking for a very light read with the spy-thriller desire.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.

If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You hit my favorite type of book, a spy caper, but it’s also an inclusive book that was written in such a way that I wanted to live in its world of acceptance and clear representation of why diversity of thought and experience really does make a difference - especially when it comes to saving the world.

Our spies are actually a couple whose relationship hasn’t stood the test of time thanks to the CIA hiding from them that their partner is also a coworker. Instead the two have had a passionate relationship which has held back a big chunk of honesty. And in its dying breaths Yardley and KC suddenly learn that the other is in fact a spy and that they’re now being tasked with KC, the tech in the background, taking on the role of field operative while Yardley, the star field operative, acting as her mentor. The action doesn’t stop in this one and the two find out if they can rekindle their relationship while finally getting to know each other truly (and saving the world). This was really well done, and I loved the spy story as much as I did the dive into the two’s personalities and relationship.

Interesting read. I didn't think I would enjoy novel about spys, but the author proved me wrong. The plot was very intricate and interesting. There was mystery and suspense, as well as a little angst and romance. Overall, a good read. Well done.

This was a really good WLW book! However, it just fell flat for me and started dragging halfway through.

Some of the interactions between the characters weren’t as meaningful as they could’ve been and the spy stuff wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped it would be.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

I really quite enjoyed this one - it's a unique take on a Mr. & Mrs. Smith spy vs. spy concept, with a twist. I am usually not a fan of second chance romances, but this isn't really that; the breakup is fresh, and they're still clearly in love with each other. Like a lot of sapphic books, the communication shines through, which is especially interesting here since it's clear that up until the events of this book, there has been almost no communication between the two FMCs.

I will be honest that I did start to lose interest about 2/3rds of the way in - there's a lot of detailed spy work and the business of the job they're on overwhelms the character development at times.

But the last few chapters are really fantastic. I felt like we were gifted a true second chance romance here, where these two were able to strip down all the lies (inherent in both their jobs and their own personalities due to childhood trauma) and finally figure out a way to move forward honestly and together. Loved it!

4 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book. THIS BOOK. Excellent concept. We love a good twist on sapphic romance, and this one features two CIA spy leads. However, it somehow fell flat in reading it.

I'm new to the second-chance trope, but there were at least two sex scenes that had (virtually?) no foreplay and I had to reread the page because suddenly, with no leadup or context, the two main characters are full-on having sex. I like a good spicy scene, but it felt really abrupt.

The characters being spies never quite felt believable.

And while I do appreciate some of the deeper themes the book attempts to delve into, especially the question of "what makes a romance long-lived?" If I Told You felt very, very long.

Again, great concept and still a fun read if you like WLW romance! It just fell a little short.

I would rate this book a 3.5/5 stars,

The book was pretty good and interesting as well as enjoyable, I AM IN LOVE WITH KC AND YARDLEY, they both had a lot of cute interactions and it was so fun to read their interactions, the story was quite good as it kept me wanting more and more but by the time i was nearing the end it started to get a little bit boring that's the only reason why i gave it 1.5 stars less. But if you are into spy stuff its a pretty great read.