4.5

This gave me all the delicious tropes from an old school romcom. I loved it. Did I want it to feel even just slightly steamier I did. This felt like a romcom movie though and it was super fun. Will check out the second.

Amnesia FMC
One Bed
Closed Door
Let me warm you up
Fake Relationship
Spies
Mystery
Twin Sister
Swoon worthy cradle carry
Nightmares
Emotional Wounded MMC
And Double Crosses Oh My!

Included link to my Amazon profile once the review posts

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter is an entertaining read that touches the heart and gets it racing!

A fun spy romcom it takes tropes from traditional romcoms and spy novels and combines them to highlight both and create a new genre.

Characters are well-developed, challenges feel realistic (for an international spy) and it brings laughs and smiles.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This was too good! It is an action packed, espionage adventure, with an enemies to lovers trope and a grumpy/sunshine trope! This was incredibly well written, so entertaining that it kept me on my toes until the very end, I read it in one sitting. It’s like a gender reversed Bourne identity storyline, but made better somehow. It made me laugh out loud multiple times, I’m looking forward to picking up more books by this author.

This book is a mix of Alias, amnesia, and Finlay Donovan and was SUCH a fun read. It was an engaging and entertaining light read if you’re looking for something fun!

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I have loved all of Ally Carter's books, but 'The Blonde Identity' is geared more towards an adult audience, and I absolutely loved the shift. It felt like a trip home into her world and I really hope that there are more books in the series. The writing style is as good as I remember it, and I really felt invested in the story and the characters. The plot came together so nicely and there were enough twists to keep the reader on their toes.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

~Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of *The Blonde Identity* in exchange for an honest review. ~

Well, I can honestly say this was exactly what I expected going into it— a ridiculous, cute spy romcom. It’s over the top, ridiculous, dramatic, and filled with tropes, but damn if it wasn’t a good time!

This book is just compulsively binge-able. The pacing is fast, the writing is quick, the chapters are short, and I was constantly laughing. Ally Carter had me invested the entire way through.

As far as characters go, I think our FMC was the most well-developed and grew the most, which is particularly impressive since she starts the book with amnesia and can’t even remember her own name. She was dorky and cute and you have to root for her to figure out her past as well as come out the other side alive. The MMC, Sawyer, well, he’s a pretty over-the-top-dramatic spy guy, who detests the way spies are portrayed in media, which did make for some fantastic banter with our FMC, who was so completely out of her element. Of course, he’s also a certifiable badass with a somewhat tragic backstory who can’t help getting attached to the klutzy amnesiac FMC. Was it completely predictable and stereotypical? Oh yeah, but I still loved the ride.

I’ll admit, there were some twists at the end that I was anticipating but didn’t necessarily see coming, so I’ll applaud Carter for that. All in all, this was a good fun ride! I could have done without the cheesy love declarations at the end, as that pushed the corniness a bit too far for my taste, but this gave me exactly what I expected from the summary and I had a great time with it.

Tropes
*grumpy + sunshine
Pros:
*humorous situations and banter between characters
*lots of action makes for binge-worthy reading
Cons
*over too soon
Spice Level
*Fade-to-black (unfortunately)
Will I read any sequels?
*Yes

Ally Carter is in my hall of fame, so I was eager to read her first stab at an adult rom-com with her signature wit and global stakes. First and foremost, I don’t love amnesia storylines as I find them overly convenient, but she did a fantastic job with the same in book four of her famous Gallagher Girls series, Only the Good Spy Young. Ally Carter handles tropes in such a self-aware way, so they come off as intentional rather than lazy.

The book begins with an identical twin, name unknown, waking up in Paris alone. She’s bloodied and in a snowbank, with a male spy over her and yelling at her to run. Apparently, her sister is wanted by a “very bad man” and the CIA in tandem, having double crossed them both. And of course, everyone thinks she’s her sister. Our main character has no money, no prospects, is 27 and a burden to her parents…(kidding, I just watched Pride and Prejudice last night.) But she does have no money and no idea where to go.

PACING

Despite my love of Ally Carter and how many boxes the synopsis checks off, I had a difficult time getting into the book for its first half because of the pacing. Most books have the opposite problem—too slow—but I found The Blonde Identity to be much too fast. It’s dizzying. The characters are immediately off on a sprint through the city, the first chapters flying by in a series of gunshots and risky jumps and explosions. The trouble is that this never really slows down enough for me to get a feel for the characters or the core of the story, a domain in which Carter normally excels. It was lacking that sizzle, that depth, that characterizes most of her books for me. Certain choices, like not revealing names in the POV chapter headings until the characters discover them for themselves, have the effect of disconnecting me rather than grounding me. Throughout the book, both characters felt too far away for me to really appreciate them, much less the two together.

I could see Carter deciding this purposefully, i.e. “I’m going to write a book that’s all chase scenes” per her forte, but even then, tried-and-true proportions exist for a reason. Her traditionally speedy chapters were fabulous little snapshots as always, but because they were also showing these fast-paced scenes, it was hard to keep track of what was going on or what we were supposed to feel because there wasn’t enough room to sink into it. Because of that, The Blonde Identity felt less satisfying to me.

ROMANCE & TROPES

Eventually, towards the end, we got more of that core that I’d expected, once the two characters were physically landing in one location for longer than 30 seconds. The book itself is fun despite its choppiness, with a bit more heat and chemistry, although scenes are fade-to-black in a way appropriate for younger and more modest readers. In the same way that Gallagher Girls is an excellent “young YA” book for those readers graduating into teen reads for the first time, The Blonde Identity would be a stellar choice for those delving into the adult romance world for the first time. It’s insta-lovey, which fits with the Hallmark genre that Carter screenwrites for and loves.

Once names came into play, the speed felt better, although it was still too quick for me. Carter took plenty of risks to differentiate this one from her previous work, which I appreciated even when they didn’t work. She telegraphed her tropes, meaning she used them as a wry wink to the audience rather than needing them to feel genuine. I was fully expected and liked this; The Blonde Identity is nothing if not self-aware.

PLOT

The actual conflict itself didn’t feel high stakes although the actions and motivations did. They needed to find a flash drive that her sister had stolen, so needed to work their way over to Switzerland to pose as her and get into the bank, complete with slight plot holes of convenience. The action was exciting but constant, so I started to get numb to it. While I appreciate how short and snappy the book is overall, I think her other books work because of the attachment you have to the characters, setting, story, etc,. You get this sense of a deeper history, and you’re just getting snippets, so your imagination fills in these rich, resonant gaps. Because we don’t have a history or connection in which to ground ourselves, the plot and romance feel shallower in this read.

SMALL DETAILS

Also, quick pet peeve! The fact that the main love interest guy called the girl “lady” constantly felt like suuuuuch a turn-off that I could not get over it. Each time it came up, I visibly cringed.

One aspect I also found strange was that Carter re-used some factiods and character signifiers from her Gallagher Girls series that avid re-readers may recognize—ex: a nice girl says “oopsie daisy” instead of cursing, characters see motion more easily than stillness so you should freeze if you’re avoiding someone searching for you in a crowd. This wouldn’t have been a problem if she’d changed audiences like ten years ago in real time, but I found it an odd choice considering that the book is positioned as being for the now-adult readers who devoured Gallagher Girls way back when. Most picking up The Blonde Identity are doing so likely because they read Gallagher Girls.

As an identical twin, I’m also very picky about how twins are used, but because the twin aspect really didn’t come up too often, it wasn’t an issue here.

OVERALL

Anyways, I was expecting more and so closed the book feeling emptier than I wanted. The book felt overall pretty flat to me, like it was a ground zero draft and could have been a lot more fleshed out. Ex: we’re in Paris! That could have had this lush atmospheric detail, but instead it was just a side-note; it could have been swapped out with any other location, and the reader wouldn’t have noticed because there was no detail.

Still, I’m harsh on Carter because I love her writing and style and previous work. I respect her creative risks, even when they don’t work, so I’ll still likely read the sequel of this in case this is a one-off critique, but I hope the pacing and proportions are wildly different. In the next book, we’ll at least have more of a foundation going into the first half of the action. Fundamentally, my main issue is that it wasn’t grounded in much of anything, so I could never get my footing enough to appreciate everything.

For those fresh to Ally Carter and therefore unspoiled by the rest of her five-star-worthy canon, you may like the breakneck action, clean romance, and her effervescent zingers and banter. The situations are goofy; you definitely have to suspend reality, but if you can, it’s light, frothy, and fast.

It’s definitely a quick read you could knock out in an afternoon by the pool.

Fans of her YA books will be so happy with this read. It’s a fun, sexy, road trip adventure. The MCs are well suited and offer balance to each other. This book is a fast paced page turner!

4.5-5 stars.

This was such a fun read. It’s in the same vein as Finlay Donovan (a favorite of mine) plus has a Parent Trap situation and some fun romcom elements, like just-one-bed & a fake couple. I loved the banter and character growth. It made me truly laugh out loud. It’s ridiculous and fantastic. I really hope this becomes a series. I need more books like this!

I wasn’t familiar with this author before and have been looking up her backlist.

Highly recommend for anyone who likes humor with their mystery/suspense.

Many thanks to the author, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for access to the eARC. I also listened to the audiobook, which has excellent dual narration.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read

This was a LOT of fun. I laughed often, and enjoyed the whole ride. I loved the banter and the main relationship.

That said, this very much feels like a YA book. It's much more like my favorite YAs (Prince in Disguise, 10 Blind Dates) than my favorite adult romcoms (The Bodyguard, Undercover Bromance). The main character feels young. And because of that, there's an uneven feel to the story at times - the f-bombs and bullets and spies parts of the book have one tone, and the romance/banter has a different tone.

Overall it still worked for me, but readers who are looking for something spicy (this is "closed door") and mature might be disappointed. (Language)

Rushing at break-neck speed, full of laugh-out-loud moments, this book brings together the best parts of Ally Carter's books in a practically perfect spy thriller + romantic comedy. Being a big fan of Gallagher Girls and Heist Society, I couldn't wait to read this, and I'm happy to report that I had so. much. fun.

I laughed a lot, and I NEED to see this adapted to a screen, because it would be incredible. The characters are so loveable, I was rooting for both of them the whole way through! The twists, the turns, the secrets that slowly got revealed, all leading to an epic conclusion, all of it so well done.

It does have a lot of profanity (including a whole lot of f-bombs), a lot of innuendo, and one fade-to-black scene. This isn't something I love, and it does (unfortunately) knock a half star off for me. But that's my personal taste, so. You do you.

But all that to say, I really enjoyed reading this, and it brought me right back to reading Out of Sight, Out of Mind for the first time in the best way. It's very fun, and I'm very much looking forward to whatever Ally has in store next. 4.5 stars from me!

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book! This was a book where I was captured and captivated by the 1st page. I loved every scene and every character. I cried and laughed and loved this plot line. This was my first book read by Ally Carter, and I promptly requested every other book of hers from my local library. Even though you think you know how this is going to end, there are wonderful elements of surprise and love and humor and passion. Well done. Thank you!

Huge fan of Ally Carter and the Gallagher Girls, and she really delivers with The Blonde Identity. The same pacing, action, and fun I remember from GG, but with a more mature and morally gray set of characters. I loved being in Sawyer's POV. 4.5 stars

This is my new favorite book. I love, love, loved it! I read it in one sitting...up way too late last night. I don't want to give anything away, but Him and Her was inspired! I'm a sucker for great dialogue and this title has it in spades. I love to watch characters verbally spar and hold their own. Most excellent! This would be a perfect weekend read - buy it now!!!

I haven't read any of Carter's previous spy books, but when I saw this one I decided I would give it a go, and all in all I was very pleased. Is this a particularly believable story? No. Is it still worth the read? I would say yes. It's a fun, surprisingly light spy romp that's an enjoyable, quick read. The situations were all a little ridiculous, but I suppose the same could be said of any spy story. All of the main characters are likeable enough though, and I was certainly pulled in by the romance. The one thing I will say is that despite this being billed as a romance novel everything is fade to black, so make of that what you will. As a whole I was greatly amused with this book, and should someone ask for something that this falls under I would be more than happy to recommend it. In fact I think this might even be a good read for upper YA readers as well, and I will certainly be looking forward to reading a sequel or spin-off novel, should it materialize.

Ally Carter's first adult book was a fun spy romance - campy and silly, but also a couple you could root for. This was very closed door and I prefer my romances with all the steam, but still overall enjoyable.

3.5 stars

This was a fun romance/thriller/mistaken identity mashup. I liked the fast paced (although somewhat far fetched) action as Zoe and Sawyer pair up to figure out why her sister Alex is on the run. Solving the mystery of who Zoe is and at the same time avoiding the mob and trying to save her sister. This was a fun and easy read - I recommend!

Thanks to NetGally and Avon and Harper Voyage for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I saw a lot of negative reviews for this one, but I enjoyed it! I was a huge fan of The Gallagher Girl's, but I had no idea this was written by the same author until I saw a TikTok!! It was a fun read that combined mystery and a romance. Closed door romance, an unreliable narrator, will they/won't they, and many other tropes.

Zoe wakes up and has no idea where she is, or who she is. A man shows up and tells her to basically get her shit together and move, but how does she know this man? Why is she bleeding? Who is after her? After talking to the man, she realizes that she's being mistaken for her twin sister, who must be a spy. Zoe goes through getting away from those who are after her all while not knowing if she can trust the hot man by her side. Will she find her twin and figure out who she is?!

I enjoyed this, but I HATED the pet names. Icky vibes from the male MC calling Zoe sweetheart and baby, but otherwise, I was a fan of their relationship. Ally Carter gave some twists that I wasn't expecting!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When she wakes up and finds herself in the middle of Paris with some man standing over her yelling at her to RUN! she has no idea where she is or why she is laying in the snow. In fact she has no memory whatsoever. When people start shooting she runs! Now she is with a hot guy, people are chasing them trying to kill them and the only thing she can come up with is she is a spy!

I have mixed feelings on this book. I enjoyed the adventure, I enjoyed the danger the couple was in, I even enjoyed some of the dialogue between them. On the flip side, that same dialogue could get a bit annoying. At times I thought the story read like a middle school adventure book. But then I thought, hence the title "Blonde" Identity. Because whew, dumb blonde came across a lot! But then again, it is kind of what made the character rather endearing! This book is supposed to be an adult story. At times I found myself thinking that it was just the author's excuse to be able to use the "f" word and to have a couple of steamy scenes between the characters. So yes, mixed feelings. The story gave me vibes of some interesting movies. Think of course The Bourne Identity, maybe even the Die Hard movies, because a lot of kick-butt scenes and such. But then I'd think of movies like the Lost City and Red, kind of adventure/dangerous movies with comedic undertones. So all in all I enjoyed the book and had a fun time reading it. Oh, it did end on a cliffhanger so we may get a sequel!