3.75⭐️, rounding up

WOW Ally Carter this was everything I wanted and more! I LOVED THIS. If you were hesitant after reading The Blonde Identity, please give this a try as this is more of a true spy romcom. I would love to see this adapted into a movie.

This story takes place over ten years and multiple timelines and is a slow burn for the main characters but faster for the readers with the alternating timelines. I loved watching them realize they were developing feelings, and their banter was so fun and had me giggling and kicking my feet.

This was such a fun read and had me hooked from the jump. There was a little bit of a lull in the middle but the last 20% really picked up again. The twist at the end was also something I didn’t see coming at all but really enjoyed. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a fun spy themed romance.

Omg this was so fun. Like many others, I was excited about this book because I LOVED the gallagher girls books growing up and I couldn’t wait to continue an “adult” version! This book really felt like I was watching a movie or tv show the way it was paced and switched between flashbacks and present day. Like I could just visualize it so easily how it would switch in film. That was so much fun to me! I absolutely loved the tension we could see building from them and it left me intrigued in the present moments to figure out what happened between them that tore them apart.

Great for you if you love forced proximity, amazing banter, and “enemies” to lovers (more like two people who really don’t like each other but really not liking each other is a cover up for how much they don’t like how much they like each other and refuse to admit it)

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and the author for an ARC for my honest review :) This book is expected to be released on August 5, 2025

A charming follow up to The Blonde Identity. I loved the push and pull between King and Alex and Ally does a great job of balancing humor with the more serious aspects of the story. I could've done without the pregnancy reveal at the end, but overall really enjoyed this one.

This was a fun, twisty follow-up to The Blonde Identity — full of spy shenanigans, sharp banter, and that slow-burn chemistry between Alex and King. The time jumps were a bit confusing at times, which pulled me out of the story a little. But once the timeline caught up to The Blonde Identity, I couldn’t put it down!

We get a deeper look into the backstory of book one, and book two carries it further, especially when Zoe and Sawyer show up, while wrapping up Alex and King’s story in a satisfying (and chaotic) way. If you love action-packed romance with a little espionage and a lot of sass, this one’s for you.

I want to preface this by saying Ally Carter was one of my favorite authors when I was younger, and that three stars is not a bad rating for me.

It is a good book, but it's just okay. This book just fell a bit short for me and was a little too...much? Little bits of somewhat over-the-top scenes that worked in her young adult series have not hit the same for me in her recent adult books. I found myself rolling my eyes at the drama of it all when I’m sure I was supposed to be giggling and kicking my feet.

It is still a fun time, and I would recommend it to others looking for a fun summer read, but for me, her adult books haven't hit the way her older books did (and I'm saying this as someone who re-read them recently and thinks they still hold up).

3/5 stars, good but not great. Would still recommend this for a quick, fun (and over-the-top) time.

I think this book is a good fit for those who like arch romantic banter and almost absurd spy situations with a strong competitors to canoodlers vibe.
Bring on the beaches! There's a lot of time shifts, sometimes to the point of confusion, but also a fair amount of plot spirals and turns which will delight those who like to experience books as movies, even as they are reading them. Two top rival spies, Alex and King have a long history of love and loathing and now they are handcuffed together, without memories of what happened or where they are. A lot of other memories surface however and Carter efficiently laces them into the plot. Both characters were a bit too Mary Sue for me, but will appeal to those who are fans of Carter's other books

"To all the little girls who wanted to be spies when they grew up. There's still time." Te?)
Ally Carter, seriously, WTF? As a fan since the OG GG days, it angers me to say that this might just be your best work!
What I Loved: The writing in this is spectacular. Not only are the interactions between Alex and King THE best, but the narrative is absolutely beautiful, and the flashbacks are well-placed and inspired. The yearning is jaw-dropping, the "Who did this to you?" is perfection, and the action is top-tier.
What Could Be Better: Another 200 pages, please.
Final Thoughts: You need to read this.

I absolutely love Ally Carter and this book certainly did not disappoint. I immediately loved King from the start, his broodiness, stubbornness and intrigue had me wanting more. I loved the duel character POV as well as the storyline flashback and to present day. It kept the story moving and kept making me say oh just one more chapter!! I can’t wait to bring this into my classroom library. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

4.5⭐️

Ally Carter is my exact brand of humor & flirty banter. I will gladly read all of her books for the rest of my life. The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold is a fast-paced absolute joy ride of a book and I loved every minute.

One thing about me is I love a story with a dual-timeline, especially if it’s a second chance romance. Carter weaved together both timelines and both POVs into an adventure and fun-filled tapestry. Some of the back and forth had me double-checking the timeline and such, which is literally the only reason this isn’t 5 stars.

I loved the banter, the action, the mystery, not to mention that King is everything, and I would simply die for him. I absolutely devoured this. I think she strikes a really nice balance of humor/lightness with characters who have depth and are dealing with past traumas. I highly recommend this book, this series, and any of Ally’s adult novels! Thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

I love this series. Just the right amount of action and banter and wit and romance. The enemies-to-lovers bit in this one was exceptional. The perfect escapist read — would definitely recommend!

So I wasn’t aware there was another book before this one.. don’t think it truly affected the story and could be used as a standalone. I’ll have to read it and see.

I liked both Alex and King, but I think it was how their story was told that really threw me off. The way it’s written in alternating timelines each chapter often left me confused. I had to keep looking back at the beginning of each chapter to see who’s story it was and the timeline.

The book was ok. There’s a lot of action and love the main character being a bada$$.

An excellent follow-up to one of my favorite reads of 2025, The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold answered several questions that I had about Alex’s backstory after her introduction in The Blonde Identity.

This book was filled with just enough super-spy antics to make it interesting, while remaining light enough to make this an enjoyable read that I could pick up before bed or read on a break. While the “dual timeline”/ “time jump” aspect confused me at first, once I got used to it, it was a compelling way to tell the story and helped me understand why certain people or locations were important. I loved that Carter created tension between Alex and King through their verbal interactions and the scenarios that they were put in, without relying on mature scenes.

My favorite part of this book was watching Alex and King’s relationship grow in the “past” portions of the book. Seeing them get paired up and truly being better together helped make the bits where King was broody and Alex was stubborn in the present have a bit more weight, Ally Carter did a great job of making me feel through the characters, which is something that I love about her writing! I will say that, in this book, it took me about a third of the way into the book to understand their relationship and really start feeling for King and Alex.

The thing that kept this from being a 5 star read for me is that while Alex and King were fairly fleshed out, i felt like I didn’t get to spend enough time with some of the side characters to really connect with them. I felt like I was supposed to connect with Merritt, and while I understood her importance, I didn’t have an emotional pull to connect with her. This story was definitely more plot-driven than character driven, and I tend to look for a good mix of both. That being said, being more plot-driven was nice while reading because I didn’t need to remember a million side characters to understand and appreciate the story!

This book is filled with funny one-liners, a good amount of mystery, and tons of super-spy scenarios that pay a respectful homage to the spy movies that Alex loves so much. If you’re looking for a nice light read that gives Kim Possible, Spy Kids, or Totally Spies vibes, this is definitely a book that I’d recommend!

How does she do it? How does Ally Carter do it? How does she do it? She's so good at this and I just keep being marveled every single time. I think I might like this one even better than the first. I love Alex. I love King. This was thrilling. This was exciting. This was everything. It felt like I was watching a movie. This was the best of everything Ally Carter does. Spies AND heists and twists and emotions and romance and everything. I want more. I don't know if we'll ever get more. I don't know what more we can get. But I want more. You should read this. You reading this review trying to decide if you should read this, read it. Maybe read The Blonde Identity first, but do it. Read them both. They're both so good.

Also, it's both of them, I'm sure of it.

I just finished reading 'The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold' by Ally Carter, and wow—boy was that good! The writing was lit (in the best way), and the plot was really, really good. I'm a total sucker for spy romances, and this book was another banger from Ally Carter.

This is actually the second book I've read by her. Her previous book, The Blonde Identity, was just as fun. So I had high hopes for this one—and it did not disappoint!

This series has become one of my favorites. The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold is another solid spy romance from Ally Carter, and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t read her older books, but I did read The Blonde Identity—the first in this series—and liked it a lot. This second title didn’t disappoint either.

Ally Carter’s writing is sharp, funny, and very readable. She’s great at building characters with charm and personality. The story follows Alex, a smart, witty, and very capable spy who might come off a little like a “Legally Blonde” type—but make no mistake, she’s tough and clever. Then there’s King, the male lead. I wasn’t completely sold on him, but he’s a good mix of broody, protective, and occasionally funny.

The book is told in dual POV and switches between past and present timelines. We get to see how Alex and King met, worked as fake couples on missions, and slowly built a connection. In the present timeline, they find themselves kidnapped and handcuffed together—even though they’re not on good terms anymore. It’s part action, part romance, and part comedy, with some great banter and a self-aware tone that works well.

If this is Ally Carter’s usual style, I’m definitely interested in reading more of her work. This book was fast-paced, fun, and well-written. I’d give it 4.5 stars and plan to get the paperback when it's out.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. It was a joy to read.

Another fun and quirky installment in the Nocturne Falls universe! This series is such a cozy comfort read for me—paranormal romance with a touch of mystery and humor. In The Blonde Who Came in with the Cold, the wintery setting added a nice atmospheric twist, and I really liked the dynamic between the main characters.

The romance developed a bit quickly (as usual in this series), but it was sweet and satisfying. The magical elements were whimsical without being over the top, and I always enjoy seeing familiar characters pop up from previous books.

Not the strongest in the series, but still super enjoyable. If you’re already a Nocturne Falls fan, you’ll definitely want to add this one to your shelf!

“Mercy.”

Unfortunately not as good as The Blonde Identity (loved seeing snippets of Zoe and Sawyer, though!)

I liked both Alex and King, but I think it was how their story was told that really threw me off. The way it’s written in alternating timelines each chapter often left me confused and I felt it poorly affected the plot’s pacing and build-up.

It was when the alternating chapters lessened around 20 percent in that I finally got invested and more interested in where the story was going.

Also, I still have no idea who Kozlov or Collins actually is. When it comes to the spy stuff and missions, I’m just here for the vibes.

3.75 stars.

3.5 stars rounded up. So, the good news is that I did like this book a little better than the first one. The bad news is that I didn't really love either of them, even though I really wanted to. The series as a whole sounds so fun and the stories moved along quickly. I just never felt really connected to the characters or the plot. This was an entertaining read overall though. If you liked the first book, then I think it's safe to say you can expect to like this one too.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was fun! This is technically a sequel but could probably be read as a standalone but is more impactful if you have. I had read the previous book, Blonde Identity, and enjoyed it very much, it was satisfying to see what was happening behind the scene on Alex’s end. Even though it had been a while since reading the first there was enough information to remind me of the important parts without it feeling like the pacing was slowing down. The shifting timelines was an effective tool to connect dots and move the plot along. I enjoyed the romance and the banter between Alex and King- they were both strong and feisty. This will definitely make a great summer read that can easily be enjoyed year round.

I went into this book with high hopes after loving the first one so much, but this one didn't hit the way I was hoping it would. The dual timelines and the dual POV got to be a little bit to much and I had a hard time keeping track of everything. But I will say I loved the emotions of the characters and the dislike of each other (but secretly they're in love).

I was so excited to read this book after loving The Blonde Identity! There were elements of the book, like the main characters, that I really enjoyed, but overall the jumping timelines felt too muddled and left a lot to be inferred by the reader. I felt like a lot of plot lines were either rushed or incomplete and even though I KNEW I was reading a romance, I had a hard time seeing the romance plot develop organically.