"Sometimes villains make the best heroes.”

Book two?! There’s gonna be a book two?! Why did nobody tell me?!

Okay, so. This was fun. I honestly thought there was more to the identity of the FMC so the reveal was a bit anticlimactic. But aside from that, I really liked “Her”. And it truly felt unreal to be back in the world of spies with Ally Carter’s signature writing style.

The Blonde Identity was a fast-paced, easy read. The characters were likable and endearing. And I loved the Her and Him chapters. Is it weird that for some reason I kept expecting Cammie, Zach and gang to show up? Maybe for a reallly short, really quick cameo? It just felt like this book is the GG series’ baby book. (If that makes sense?) I couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity. And I was overcome with nostalgia for most of the book. (Not surprising considering I was in my early teens when I read the GG books and it made me realize my quite unrealistic dream of becoming a spy.)

I’m trying to keep the air of mystery of the book so this review is nothing but vague. Quite unhelpful, I know. But let me just say Ally Carter writing Adult spy rom-com is a dream come true. I admit I didn’t love it as much as I was hoping. (Hence, the average rating.) But I think that was mostly my fault since I was in the mood for a spicy read but I didn’t want to put off finishing this any longer so I pushed myself to read it. I was wanting some smut but what I got was a closed door romance and an FMC who reminded me of Captain America (iykyk).

Overall, The Blonde Identity lived up to the promise of a spy rom-com. If you’re looking to spend some relaxing and fun time with a book, you can’t go wrong with this one!

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley to read and review. Quoted excerpt/s may change in the final print.

Wow! What a ride! Almost like it was written for me in mind! An adventure romance, it starts in snowy Paris. A woman wakes up on the icy streets, she has no idea who she is or where she is until she see's the Eiffel tower. She also doesn't know why men are chasing her and shooting at her or why she's wearing high heeled shoes in the middle of winter! There's nothing in her pockets that give her any clues but then a super hot, grumpy guy rescues her and at first he thinks she's a woman named Alex but it turns out she's probably Alex's twin sister. And thus starts an adventure of spies on the run filled with sexy, witty banter and plenty of trope-tastic misadventures. Its great sexy fun that doesn't fall apart in the third act! includes a very satisfying ending.
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What a fun story! I read this pretty quickly as I was easily absorbed into the story. The plot flows along nicely, with some good twists and turns to keep the tone tense and mysterious. There was also a great amount of humor, it was truly an entertaining book. The romance was just right in my opinion, not too much but enough to be interesting and cute!

All around, this book by Ally Carter was so enjoyable! It definitely had some Easter eggs for the Gallagher Girls fans, and similar vibes while being its own thing.

As a forever fan of the Gallagher Girl series, this book has fulfilled everything I've ever needed in a grownup version of a spy romance! The dual perspectives of both Zoe and Sawyer worked so well to giving us insight on how both of them were feeling about one another and helped to put the plot forward. I appreciated how familiar the writing was even though it was now written for adults, it was strangely comforting to read a book from an author I've loved for years that gave me all the same feelings in an adult relationship and storyline. Once again, Carter manages to give us a few twists and turns as well as make us fall in love with both Zoe and Sawyer. I am so hopeful that this is just the beginning of a new series of adult spy romances from Ally Carter!

*ARC provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Here's the thing... I wanted to love this book. I literally kept checking NetGalley daily in hopes the book would be in my library. It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't at all what I was expecting.

When I first read that she was writing an adult novel, I could feel my heart drop and an audible "oh sh--" leave my lips (Sorry... language). As many others, I grew up on Ally Carter's novels. Her Gallagher girl series started the spark of my "I'm into bad boys and leather jackets" era in middle school. So when I heard she was going to make a book that was supposed to be the adult version of that series and tagging stuff like "only one bed" I got so ecstatic! Finally, a book series I loved as a kid growing up with me in real time! But that's the thing... it wasn't in real time.

The book caters more towards new (& I mean new) adults with fade to black and little steam outside of kissing and references to downstairs feelings (which are very tame to the most part). Honestly, I'd argue the most mature part of this book is the cursing, and part of me wonders if it was tossed in to up the age rating (kind of like in movies, you drop too many f-bombs and end up in the R section never to be seen by anyone under 17 unless accompanied by a parent). So, as you can imagine, I was a bit disappointed as a 23-year-old to see barely any descriptors (like honestly just longer make-out scenes would've made me happier).

All of this being said, I'm glad my initial fear of this feeling like a spin-off gender-bend of The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer was quickly quelled. It's absolutely nothing like the Chemist. It offers it's own tale and is incredibly unique. Honestly, the storyline was very enjoyable. The dual POV was very useful in this novel to offer important perspectives into the character's lives and give more fuel to the "I only like men when they're written by women" fire. The writing did feel a bit too youthful at times, but ultimately the plot left me wanting more.

To conclude, this book is worth a read for the plotline, but if you're expecting an adult novel (esp after the one bed troupe leak) you may be a bit disappointed.

I can't put into words how much I loved this book. I have read all of Ally Carter's books and this is by far my favorite one. I love both characters, especially Zoe. She is so witty that at one point I thought we merged and I was Zoe because of every comment she made I also had made. Sawyer was the best male character and especially seeing how complex his thoughts were in navigating everything and his feelings. I truly believed this was Ally's best work and she was meant to write this story.

A fun spy thriller romance. Most of it was as believable as any spy movie. It is fade to black and not very spicy.

Ally Carter has once again proven her talent as a writer with her latest book. As someone who has been a fan of hers since childhood, I was eager to read this new work and was not disappointed. The dedication alone brought back so many nostalgic memories, and the book itself had the potential to be a new favorite series for me, even though it's not connected to her GG series.

*Thank you to Ally Carter and her team for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review at my pleasure.*

A spy, rom-com novel? Sign me TF up!

The Blonde Identity features some of the best writing that Ally Carter prevails at: romantic banter, spy jargon, and badass, movie-style action. Not to mention how quickly the story begins and progresses, leading you on a whirlwind of explosions, guns, and ultra-thin nightgowns.

Our hero and heroine are total opposites, which, in romance-world, makes them the perfect couple stuck together in a covert spy chase on European soil. This rom-com is filled with tons of fan-favorite tropes: one bed, grumpy-guy x sunshine-girl, fake marriage, etc.

Ally Carter is a marvel at writing fast-paced, high-stakes action scenes that leave you breathless and at the edge of your seat, while also writing the most intense romance story about strangers falling in love with each other while you, the reader, begin to fall in love with them. The Blonde Identity was a delight to read and I wholeheartedly recommend it to all romance and spy-lovers alike.

Ally Carter does it again! She's never disappointed me throughout my childhood and she wasn't about to start now. Without even starting the book, the dedication alone hit the nostalgic feels in me. As a long-time GG fan, no series has been able to compare to it for me but man this book and hopefully series has the potential to do so. This book just felt like a grown version of GG for me even if they aren't connected. I dove into reading pretty much blind. While I knew the tropes beforehand, I didn't read the summary so I can be fully surprised from the get-go. I was truly hooked from the moment the book started and it was revealed that the main character has amnesia. I wasn't expecting it and I had to know how it would play out. The book teaches a good life lesson. As much as we think we know someone we don't. When we know someone for so long we tend to stay the same with them but throw ourselves into a new group of people and/or a scenario to see how we can change as a person. The way both the female and male characters challenged themselves over and over again was fun to see. The book felt like a breeze with the short chapters which is a book trait I love. I finished it within a few hours because I couldn't put it down. Such a fun read that I recommend for a long flight or beach day!

Ally Carter is a very popular writer of young adult novels, and this is her first novel for the adult market. It's pure fun! The main character wakes up with amnesia -- and it seems that someone is trying to kill her. She's rescued by a very hot guy (this book is both mystery/action and romance, a wonderful combination) who informs her that she is actually the identical twin sister of the notorious spy everyone is mistaking her for. Lots of action, lots of humor. I think readers who like Janet Evanovich's books will like this too.

I really loved Ally Carter's YA novels, so I was excited to read The Blonde Identity. Unfortunately, it felt childish. The characters were pretty one dimensional and it was trying really hard to be funny and sexy, but came off as cheesy and forced. It didn't really feel like a spy novel at all- Sawyer doesn't seem to have any useful spy training and just keeps reinforcing that Zoe is "not like other girls" (I.e. her twin sister).

Love Ally Carter’s new book! Spies and romance… what more could you want? All the best tropes are here… Sunshine/grumpy, fake dating, only one bed.

“I will kill any man that hurts you, even if that man is me.”
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Ally Carter does not miss with this adult novel chalk-full of morally grey characters, mistaken (and forgotten) identity, fake dating, one-bed, forced proximity, and twist after twist in the closing chapters, and reader, you are in for a treat with this one!
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I’ve been dying to get my hands on this one, having read everything by the author prior, and this did not disappoint. The entire time our main character was trying to figure out who she was, I was right there with her guessing her occupations and quirks from her old life, and somehow I missed the perfectly clever tidbits of clues throughout, which mad her reveal that much more satisfying. Throughout the book, I was questioning everything about everything, and the lulling sense of security at points was woven in the greatest way.
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This book isn’t just a spy novel or a romance, but a book about discovering and embracing who you are and what you can do, and not living in shadows of your old self. Our main character blowing the heck out of her shell was beautiful to see, and of course, in true Ally Carter fashion, there was banter and wit that had me laughing out loud, even in the face of danger. You won’t want to miss this one, I promise you that!
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HUGE thank you for the author and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! You can pick this one up on August 8!

Gallagher Girls was one of my personality traits in middle school, so you bet your ass I'm going to read Ally Carter's adult fiction.

The Blonde Identity is basically a fade-to-black Gallagher Girls book with salty language and older main characters. While there is no spy school (though they often joke about/debate the existence of spy school), Zoe (not a spy, but everyone thinks she is) teams up with Sawyer (actually a spy) to find her missing/hiding twin sister in an adventure set in Western Europe.

The story started off slow--no one really knows what's going on (amnesia), and therefore neither does the reader. Honestly, the first hundred pages I kept wondering when something--anything--was going to happen. While it picked up and ended wonderfully I do wish Carter leaned more on plot and character building rather than action-action-action.

Still, as more information unravels and as the FMC starts to find her personality again, the book becomes much more engaging and fun. I laughed plenty and caught myself grinning more and more, especially when Zoe is just a hoot and a half. Overall, if you liked Gallagher Girls as a teenager, you're going to love The Blonde Identity as an adult.

Pros:
-Adorable
-Some real good one-liners
-All the nostalgia

Cons:
-Would have liked more focus on the MCs and their relationship
-Relied too much on constant action

I always love a spy novel, grew up reading Ally Carter's Gallagher Girl Series, and I was so happy to receive an advance copy.

It was amazingly written and thought out, with twists and turns and a lot of action/adventure and of course a great fake dating romance trope along with memory loss, which makes things even more interesting! Ally Carter knows how to write amazing characters and plots and this just shows that her adult novels are just as great as her YA novels. You can't help but feel excited as you read this novel and there's never a dull moment.

As someone who grew up reading her YA novels, I am so glad that she's back to writing adult ones.

It's a book that I will be recommending to everyone I talk to!

When I started this book it reminded me of a mad-cap caper movie starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, but soon I became invested in the characters. You still need a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief because no one can fall from bridges and walk away unscathed, among many other things, but it was great escapist literature.

- A spy and a woman with amnesia on the run from... well, everyone.
- It's got ALL your favorite tropes!
- Kept me on the edge of my seat and laughing out loud the whole time.
- THE BANTER!! Top tier.
- 100% convinced I could go head to head with the russian mafia now. (This is 100% not true, send help).

Overall, LOVED this new book from Ally Carter. Great jump into the adult novel category. Can't wait to see what she does next!

This was a fast and fun read! Excellent pacing, hilarious and fiery banter, romcom meets spy caper that kept me guessing. Pure entertainment!!

My thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Very cute enemies to lovers trope with some espionage and fun thrown in. Very good story line and some strong character development made this an enjoyable read.