This was a cute spy rom-com that was heavier on the rom-com than the spy stuff. If you don't buy the relationship you won't enjoy the book, but I enjoyed it and thought it was cute.

I was looking forward to this sequel-Sterling & King's backstory was fun. The dual POV made it interesting. The time jumps were a little confusing at times. But it was good to hear Alex's story and read her happy ending.... Ready for the next one in the series!
This was an ARC from NetGalley.

Ally Carter books never fail to be a delight. Alex’s story was so much fun! I would read 20 books in this series and still want more! And that cliffhanger!!!!!!

This book has a catchy title with a main heroine with mad love for all things "classic spy". Alex becomes frienemies with another recruit who has a lofty family history of spycraft - what's worse is that he keeps telling her to go home. The book opens with our two main characters waking up tied to each other, having been drugged and kidnapped. This dual POV closed door romance flips between timelines and perspectives as their enemies-to-lovers story plays out. It's an easy read, and it's easy to imagine this book plays into a lighthearted rom-com movie. I'd recommend this for beach reading and light-hearted romance with closed doors.

Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC of this novel in return for a honest review. All words and opinions are my own.

The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold is a delightful spy novel/enemies to lovers romance. Ally Carter is at the top of her game in this story of two brilliant operatives who make a great team despite, or maybe because of, an abrasive relationship that thinly disguises an intense mutual attraction. It's all here: fraught back stories, banter, mystery, suspense, character development, and a satisfying slow-burn romance between very savvy spies who are predictably dim at navigating their own hearts.. The timeline see-saws, so you do need to pay attention to chapter headings.
A fast, fun sequel that easily stands alone.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold follows Alex and King, two spies with a history who must work together to figure out what happened to them and why they’re being chased across the world.

This book is a sequel to The Blonde Identity and much of it takes place after the events of that book. I really enjoyed Alex and King’s relationship and how we got to see all different aspects of it, from when they met up until the present and despite how it sometimes seemed like they hated each other, there were always little clues about how that wasn’t exactly true. I also loved seeing more characters from The Blonde Identity and understanding how these characters worked with Alex and why the events from that book happened the way that they did.

My main issue with the book was it jumped around between the present and flashbacks a lot. It would have been helpful to have just a little more distinction between them as the present narrative got lost a few times. But overall, this was a great sequel to The Blonde Identity and a very enjoyable read.

Thank you Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley again for the chance to read this early.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This was such a cute story! I hadn't read the first in this series, but it wasn't a problem reading this one. I enjoyed the characters, the banter, the different timelines to help piece the story together. It was an easy and interesting read that I will recommend!

I read Ally Carter back in middle school/high school with her other spy series and had no idea she wrote one for adults. This is a second book in a series but I was able to jump right into this one without reading book one (haven't had the chance to read yet).

This was a perfectly executed enemies to lovers romance. Alex and Michael have quite the history which is shown through a dual timeline. I found this helpful since we get plenty of backstory of what happened between them which is always helpful in a second chance romance. I thought these two had the best banter and chemistry. The way Michael yearned for Alex was unmatched! I loved him for being so down bad for her haha.

I thought Carter wrote the dual timeline really well. The timelines flowed nicely with each other, plus the transitions were very smooth.

I really enjoyed this one and will have to go back and read book one. Would recommend if you like second chance romance, enemies to lovers, and spy adventures.

Fun rom-com with a twist. A great sequel to the the Blonde Identity. Fun characters that you care about and want to see succeed.

This was just so much fun - I loved the banter between the two characters and the slow burn!

I loved the spy plotline, this was kind of giving James Bond vibes with a dash of feminine rage 🤭

Alex was such a strong and fierce character and I loved how sassy she was. King started off so gruff but he was very much “I will burn the world for her” and I LOVED IT!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge Ally Carter fan. Her latest, The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold is a book her loyal fans will love.

Alex’s story is a tightly planned masterpiece. readers get the full story, from when she entered “Spy School” to post Koslov. Zoe makes an appearance, naturally, as her story kicked off this whole plot. Alex and King have a romance lasting years, with King falling for this clever, defiant, and determined woman.

I’m not normally a fan of a lot of flashback, but this time it worked. I only had to go back to reread once to eliminate confusion.

I can’t wait for the next book from this author. I am a fan, now!

I always loved ally carters YA spy books so was excited to receive this ARC. I had a fun time with this and enjoyed the chemistry between the couple. I love forced proximity and fake marriage so was cool to have it repeated several times in the spy scenarios. It did get a little confusing when there was multiple chapters in a single flashback to remember what setting we were in.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect blend of mystery and romance; I couldn't put this book down! Both Alex and King are so well-written and have fantastic banter throughout the book. The dual timelines keep the pacing of the book moving quickly from start to finish.

Top 5 books of 2025, without a doubt. I felt the rush of ALL the feelings: butterflies in my stomach, edge of my seat nail biting, pit in my stomach worry, happy tears of joy, relatable feelings of sorrow and grief…all the feels.

The chemistry and banter will have you kicking your feet. The action will have you imagining scenes from Bond and Mission Impossible with a little Mr and Mrs Smith thrown into the mix. The writing will have you constantly saying “just one more page”.

This is the definition of a must read.

I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This book was action packed and also hilarious. I was hooked from the first chapter. The alternating timeline could be confusing but I think it was necessary to tell the backstory properly. Overall, a great sequel to The Blonde Identity and I’ll be first in line for her next book.!

This was the perfect spy version on second chance, enemies to lovers story! I loved the mixed time frame and kept me guessing. I thought I knew who the baddy was but I was actually wrong! It was a good twist and I love the characters. If she wants to make a third book, she totally should.

Ally Carter is quickly becoming an ‘auto-read’ author for me!

Her main characters in this book are sharp, smart, and have great banter. I loved the dynamic between Alex and King.

The pacing with the flashbacks worked well for me, they gave you the context for the next ‘present’ chapters and made it easy to remember details.

So thankful I was able to read this ARC!

Normally, I like a dual timeline. The back and forth is a fun way to reveal the story. But here, with the high stakes and lives on the line, I think it slowed the momentum, especially in the first half of the book. Their time on the island then, cut with Vegas and the island now, felt like I was abruptly pulled in different directions just when each story became intense. However, I think the dual timeline worked really well in the second half of the book, where more feelings are involved.

Now with all that said, I still freaking loved this book. The dialogue is so, so sharp and funny (and I want a Future Spy hoodie). And how the previous book got tied in was perfection.

A spy that wakes up without any memory of what happened. What's worse is that shes tied up next to her rival/ obviously guy she's had a past with and they must figure out what happened and how to move forward
Lots of fun!