Many years ago I read Ally Carter's Middle Grade/YA series, The Galagher Girls. Since then I have not read more of Ally Carter's books, but I did very much enjoy the film she wrote. So, when I saw she had an upcoming Adult Romance/Mystery/Thriller, I was curious. This is not the type of book I generally read, but it was a lot of fun. The premise was interesting and there was just enough Mystery to keep you reading. This was also one of the few books where I was okay with a character that had amnesia, usually I won't even pick up a book with that trope. But, it was handled well. Will be recommending this one to fans of Carter but also anyone who wants something fun to read. (Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the ARC)

In a return to her adult roots, Ally Carter has delivered an exciting, swoony, and funny spy rom-com in a way only she could pull off. The readers who grew up with the Gallagher Girls will love Carter's newest spy series (myself included!).

I loved her YA spy books and was hoping this would have the same appeal, but for adults. I found myself skimming the book just to see if the sister showed up again, because that was actually the most interesting part to me. I found all of the characters to be pretty annoying and it didn’t feel anything like spy books she’s written in the past. This was almost more YA feeling in the behavior of the characters than her YA novels. This one was just not for me.

If you were a fan of the tv show Alias or the Gallagher Girls book series then this is the book for you. It's another excellent Ally Carter spy novel. The Ally Carter writing that we all know and love, but now it's for adults. The Blonde Identity has everything I loved about Ally Carter's books as a teenager and everything I currently love about books as an adult all rolled into one amazing book.

As a long-time fan of Ally Carter, the dedication of the book alone was worth the price of the book let alone the amazing story that followed. This was the best book I've read in years and that started with the very first line. I normally don't see the first lines and think I really want to read this book, but this one grabbed my attention and never let go. I'm also not the type of reader who annotates books, but I've preordered multiple copies of this book so that I can annotate one. Every interaction between the two main characters is *chef's kiss*. The main character points out tropes as they came up, and that made my favorite tropes even more enjoyable. I loved everything about this book, and I can't wait to reread the story again and again when I have physical copies of the book.

A woman wakes up on the Paris streets with no memory of who she is. But immediately a handsome stranger protects her from a gang of people trying to kill her... he claims that he knows her twin sister. He's worked undercover with her in the past, and they need to get away before they are both killed. A wild goose of an adventure then takes place.

Why I started this book: I love I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You and was thrilled to learn that Carter was writing a grown up spy story.

Why I finished it: Struggled with this book for personal reasons, and when I was in a better frame of mind, I came back and loved the zany comedic elements of this light spy romance. And I'll admit there were places that I laughed out loud. This is a breezy romp, and you must be in the right mindset to fully enjoy it.

Thank you to Ally Carter and NetGalley for this ARC.

I have been a massive Ally Carter fan my entire life, and was unbelievably excited to see that she was releasing an adult spy book, as the Gallagher Girls had been such an important part of my formative years. This novel follows a woman with amnesia who gets thrust into the world of spies and villains with no idea how she got there or who anyone is, let alone herself. Somehow, she ends up on the run with a grumpy operative, who makes her new life even more complicated and confusing than expected.

The premise is fun, the banter had Ally's signature comedic, fast-paced, and catchy style, but it fell short to me as a whole. I would consider this book solidly middle of the pack in terms of rom-coms and spy novels. I loved the idea and some of the elements of the characters, but they felt a bit flat. These characters, especially the (unnamed) female lead came off as very young, a bit more fitting for a teen story than an adult one, which makes sense given Ally's background in YA stories. It was an entertaining read, but lacked some depth that could have made it stand out. As someone who has read (and loved) every other Ally Carter book, I can't wait to follow along as she continues on this path of adult novels.

3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advance copy of The Blonde Identity. I was excited to read an adult book from Ally Carter and I enjoyed it as much as her previous books that I have read.

I was thrilled to see an adult novel from Ally Carter and was not disappointed! As a previous reader of the Gallagher Girls series, I enjoyed this book from start to finish.

Grown ups version of Gallagher Girls. Wherever Carter leads me, I'll go. Loved it, couldn't get enough of it and can't wait for the sequel. There better be a sequel!

Amazing! I had a great time reading this book. The chemistry between the two characters are off the chart.

"So obviously, we’re in an only one bed situation.”
"Yes?”
"So this is a classic only one bed scenario…”
"I’m confused.”
"There’s only one bed.”
"Yeah. I can see the bed. It’s right there. And…oh.”

OMG I did not know what to expect from this book! I had loved the author’s Gallagher girls series so when I heard that she was making an adult spy romance, I got excited because I thought we’d get some spicy scenes! Unfortunately we don’t get any spicy scenes like that, but that did not take away from this spy romance! This book is what would it be for a random person to wake up and have no memory and a hot spy telling you to run with bad guys chasing you! I cracked up so much with how Zoe would react to things dealing with amnesia. The professions and lives she thought could be hers were hilarious. If you have amnesia there’s a chance that you could be a ring fighter lol! I loved Sawyer! As a spy you don’t get a happily ever after, but I loved how Zoe made him want one! He is so swoony and I’d love to have him rescue me! While this book doesn’t have spicy scenes it does have steamy kisses, and is a closed-door romance! There are times that Zoe and Sawyer had to fake being married and I loved that! This book does leave off that it could be part of a series and I really hope we get Zoe’s sister’s romance!

Read if you like:
Third person dual POVs
Spy romance
Heroine with amnesia
Swoony spy hero
Protective hero
Closed door romance
Fake marriage
Forced proximity
Only one bed

Thank you to the author for this arc! The Blonde Identity was a five star read for me. As someone who has been reading Ally Carter since I was a child, this was everything I’ve ever wanted as an adult. The mission was glorious as were the characters. I absolutely loved the point of views of “him” and “her”. They are amazing characters and everything about this story from the pacing, action, romance, and tension was stellar!

I read anything from Ally Carter, but this was especially fun because it felt like a return to the Gallagher Girls. The only thing missing was a cameo from Cammie and Zach!

🧐 my thoughts:
I had no clue that when I requested this book from NetGalley that this was the same author who wrote the Gallagher Girls books. I read that series multiple times in middle school and loved it. So it all made sense when I started to read The Blonde Identity and was getting similar vibes 😅

👌🏻what i liked:
I genuinely enjoyed the mystery of the book. The mystery of Zoe having no clue who she was or what she was doing. The mystery of Sawyer. Was he a good guy? A bad guy? With the CIA? Not with the CIA? It was just really good. The end got super confusing trying to figure out who was with who and then you think you have it figured out until you didn’t. The twists and turns were unbelievable. Sawyer and Zoe’s little romance was super cute too, and super cheesy 😉

🙃 what i didn’t like:
I honestly thought there could’ve been more depth to the story and to the characters. Or maybe that was me just looking for more since I enjoyed the ride so much. I felt like I was still left with a lot of questions, but I also feel like Ally Carter left it open for a sequel or for a series. Which I really hope she does because I will be there! I did not like the heart strings that got pulled with Sawyer. I get that that was the point, but it made me hurt for Zoe. I’m so glad that what happened at the end happened or I don’t think I would be well writing this review right now. I was invested 😅

💬 quote:
“A danger bang. In the immortal words of Keanu Reeves, relationships that begin under extreme stress—” “Are you quoting Speed right now?” “—are doomed to fail. Last night was a whole bunch of adrenaline and dopamine and about a million other chemicals in our bodies getting all mixed up and going bang. That’s what last night was.”

📖 recommend?
If you were into the Gallagher Girls in middle school, then you most definitely have to read this one. It is so good! Please go check this one out when it releases on August 8, 2023!

🥰 special thanks
Thank you to NetGalley, Ally Carter, and Avon & Harper Voyager for granting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

An entertaining mystery and romance, with adventure and danger to add spice and suspense. I enjoyed the humorous banter between the couple and the use of the identical twin and amnesia tropes in the plot.

The ending was a little too perfect and it was hard to believe a seasoned spy operative could change his course so completely.

I have read a number of Ally Carter's YA books and have enjoyed them. This book was classified as an adult book, yet still felt very YA. There was a lot of action and some romance which was enjoyable. Yet, thoughts of the main character and the dialogue within the story did not fit an adult mindset. It was a fun and entertaining but never seemed to finish a thought or conversation before another fast-paced escape or adventure was upon them. It just felt superficial and in my opinion fell short for an adult book.

A Hilarious adventure through Europe, with all of the tropes and Ally-verse references a girl could wish for. It is a cozy escape to a world filled with mystery, confusion and comedy. It is hard not to root for the heroine and her many misadventures and yet I found myself at the edge of my seat with a rising heart rate as the plot developed and the predicaments our heroes sound themselves in became all too much.

It goes with out say that the cliches add to the allure of the comedic element of this story as it is truly a romantic comedy, set around the loss of ones identity and the overwhelming rise in the need to survive. The Spy adventure shares remnants of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, North by Northwest, Romancing the Stone, as well as Ally Carters own YA stand alone novel, Not If I Save You First.

The story combines the elements of her known YA Novels well also solves the overwhelming and necessary urge to involve the grown ups. The growth and change in our heroes is natural for this specific stage their lives. It is a reminder of why I find these stories so easy to connect to. The growth and change in the characters feels real, it is a warm, feel good read that serves as a point of anchoring for future me, when I find myself in a reading slump.

Ally Carter wrote the first book I ever read in one day. The Blonde Identity takes all the things I loved about her YA books and brings them to the adult level: the book is fun, action-packed, and filled with enough romantic tension between the lead characters, it keeps you hooked. I had the hardest time putting this book down to accomplish other things; all I wanted to do was follow Zoe and Sawyer’s adventures as they tried to restore her lost memory, escape bad guys in Paris, find her missing spy sister, and maybe fall in love along the way. The book was funny and I particularly loved Zoe’s dedication to classifying any and all romantic situations into common tropes: is this a classic enemies-to-lovers situation or maybe there was only one bed! I’ve already pre-ordered several copies for friends and I can’t recommend the book enough.

I'm a fan of Ally Carter, and this was such a win for me. If you loved the Gallagher Girls you are absolutely going to be ga-ga for this book. It was so. much. fun. and you could tell that it was fun to write. I love these books that don't take themselves too seriously and lean into the fun part of books - I was smiling almost the entire way through. Excellent characters, a well balanced and well-plotted thrilling caper. Highly recommend.

I've been a fan of Ally Carter for years. She has a knack for drawing readers into a story quickly. I think my library patrons will enjoy this one. I would recommend it for readers looking for action and witty banter with a romantic twist.