Thank you Berkley and Shelf Awareness for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This was a cute rom-com that was more mystery than romance. It started with a mistaken identity and ended with a love interest. It was a quick read but I felt that it had toooo much detail on the "spy" action.

The Spy and I (Feb 13, 2024): Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Romance, Tiana Smith and PRH Audio for the free ebook and audiobook, for which I have the privilege of providing an honest review below.

After reading this book, I will need all the “spy romance” genre recommendations y’all have! I inhaled this wildly entertaining mistaken identity romance-espionage-adventure book in a day.

Dove and her twin sister Madison are total opposites. While Madison circumnavigates the globe as a travel photographer, Dove is a happy introvert. Her job as a security analyst allows her to live her life behind the comfort of her laptop. While Madison is in town, they make dinner plans, but when Dove shows up early, happens to know a quote from The Princess Bride, is passed a secret briefcase, and ends up in the middle of a shootout, she finds her life is irrevocably changed. With Madison missing, Dove is launched into a complex international hunt for a rogue spy with Mendez, a dashing and mysterious man claiming to be her sister’s CIA partner. As the danger intensifies, so do Dove’s feelings for Mendez. But in a world of spies, can anything they say be trusted? And since when is her sister in the CIA?

This fun, fast-paced adventure kept you guessing until the end. It read like an action movie, with many cute and funny moments mixed in with the action. Seeing Dove and Mendez combine brawn and ingenuity to solve the mystery and save Madison was a blast. It was a fantastic time.

This was a big miss for me unfortunately. The Spy and I left much to be desired. Quite frankly, I found the story to be lackluster and it felt very immature. The number of plot holes would've caused a sinkhole for me. I don't generally feel so strongly, but I had high hopes and I thought the description had a lot of promise. It just fell flat and left me wishing I had stopped reading sooner.

Title: The Spy and I by Tiana Smith

Publication Date- 02/13/24
Publisher- Berkeley Publishing Group
Overall Rating- 4 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Spy and I by Tiana Smith is a fresh take on the rom com that incorporates some plot devices from movies we know and love. One of my favorite things about this novel was the wit and banter between the two main characters. I was laughing and having such a good time while reading this. Going into The Spy and I you should expect a light hearted and “insta love,” story. If those are your expectations and to have a silly goofy time then you will have a good time. The spice level was perfect for me, I don’t love a ton of it and when it’s there I prefer there to be an honest connection and meaning to the intimacy. Tiana Smith nailed that.

Lately I have been having a hard time finding a good rom com with a solid plot that the main focus isn’t on how smutty it can be. This has a solid plot and you find yourself routing for the characters and their agenda. I genuinely did not expect this read to be as fun as it was.

Looking at my notes while reading some things I said about the book: “Lots of good quotes just a damn good time,” “kind of reminds me of the movie the Heat,” and “I do really like the MC and this isn’t cringey.”

I would totally reread this when I’m sick or just need a good pick me up.

📣 a hacker is recruited to be an operative so she can bring down a baddie & save her sister

📖 how’s your January reading going so far? Mine is good—I’ve read three & I’m currently reading At First Spite via ebook & The 10,000 Doors of January on audio.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

It’s no secret that I love an operative/heist/let’s take down a baddie/steal something book. The Spy & I by Tiana Smith provides those thrills, in addition to some humor & some clutch neck-kissing 💁🏻‍♀️.

Dove is a hacker who stays on the legal side of things. She’s totally devoted to her sister, Madison, a supposed photographer that Dove soon realizes is *actually* a CIA agent that the CIA believes has turned bad.

Mendez, another CIA agent, reveals all of this to Dove, AFTER he stops lying to her & maybe before or during? (the details have gotten fuzzy since reading 🤣) around the time they start the neck kissing.

The chemistry between leads in moments like the neck kissing is strong but fyi, that’s about as much as it progresses on page.

Other pluses for me about this book beyond the humor & neck-kissing are the brave heroine & her devotion to her sister—her faith in her even when the signs point to something else.

But weighing down my enjoyment of this one a bit is that the plot doesn’t seem believable to me in a distracting kind of way (I wondered why things were happening like they are) & I wanted more from the relationship, emotionally.

I tried to consider this book on its own but at the same time I couldn’t help comparing it to The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter, which has a similar premise & which I gave 5 ⭐️.

Ultimately this is an enjoyable read with promise but it left me somewhat unsatisfied.

4 ⭐️. Out 2/13

CWs: abandonment of dad; parental loss; murder; reference to torture; violence.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a white floral dress, stands in a field of yellow flowers. A gray sky is behind.]

If I hadn't read a very similar book previously to this, I think I would have liked this a lot more. The overall premise was fun and the characters were likable. Some of the overt innuendo was honestly unnecessary - it felt forced at times and made the scenes less enjoyable. There were parts that moved a bit slow and possibly could have been cut. There was so much technical jargon that it brought me out of the story at times. I'm all for authenticity, but I don't think quite so much was needed.

Overall, I had a good time reading this, but there were a few things that kept it from being an all-out fav.

Oh I liked this one but I think it leaned a bit too much into the spy plot and not enough into the romance. It gave classic spy rom-com hijinks. The action and background keep the story fast-paced but the romance is still great and has depth. I like that they each have different skills so they are both needed in different ways. I wish the book was more evenly balanced between the romance and suspense plots.

If you loved The Blonde Identity then you must check out The Spy and I!

Right place. Wrong person. After a case of mistaken identity, one woman must work with her sister’s sexy spy partner to save the world in this heart-pounding romantic comedy.

This is such a fun read! Dove, the female MC, is just the funniest character. I love her boss girl/hacker vibes yet she shows vulnerability too. And don’t even get me started on hunky CIA agent Mendez! He’s so dreamy. I absolutely enjoyed all the hijinks they went through to escape the bad guys all though this was closed door the tension between Dove and Mendez is top notch!

I highly recommend The Spy and I if you are looking for an adventurous rom com!

If you were a spy what would your code name be?

So I am not big on suspense romance but this one looked funny so I took a chance and received an ARC. It was funny. Dove looks very similar to her sister, who unbeknownst to Dove works for the CIA. An operative mistakes her for her sister and hands her a briefcase with documents and then someone immediately kills the operative. She runs. Mendez works for the CIA and is looking for Dove's sister. They believe she has turned on the CIA. Dove knows she would never turn her back on her country but how in the world can she prove it. Sparks immediately fly between Dove and Mendez but now they have to go to Prague to find the bad guy and hopefully Dove's sister. Dove is a penetration tester. (I had to ask my IT husband if that was a real thing or just made up for this romcom. It is really called that.) She tests company's security systems on their networks to make sure they are safe from hackers. It is very fast paced and the romance just involves flirting and kissing which I definitely would have liked more action in that department but they are running for their lives. I will definitely check out more from this author. I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters.

-"Well, I am a penetration tester. Most guys have their own theories about what that means."

Super cute spy romcom.

Reminiscent of the 2000s romcoms I love so much. (The Killers, Knight & Day, The Spy Who Dumped me)

I loved the hacker x spy dynamic between Dove and Mendez. It kept me on my toes through the book - not REALLY knowing who to trust.

Super fun, action packed read.

Huge thank you to Berkley & Berkley Romance for the ARC!

I would categorize this book as more of a crime/thriller book with a romance subplot rather than a romance novel. The romance aspect is underlying throughout, but it wouldn't be that different of a story if it was erased all together. But other than that,this book was really fun! I enjoyed reading a crime novel from a protagonist who had no idea what was happening at any given moment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this digital ARC! Dove is forced to partner up with Nick Mendez to execute an illegal operation & find Dove’s missing sister Madison. 🔍 This… sorta worked? I was pretty invested into the “fighting crime” excitement, but there really was a disconnect for me & it wasn’t as smooth romantic connection compared to other romance reads.

✔️ Mistaken Identity
✔️ Forced Proximity

This book was just ok for me. I think it's because it felt like a lot of cliches from every spy/action movie and it didn't really bring anything new to the table. The romance was also surface level and I was not invested in either of the leads. It felt like it was straddling the line between Hackers, Mr & Mrs. Smith and The Spy Who Dumped Me - I wish it leaned more into the latter and read more like a romcom as the action elements felt lackluster.

Steam 🔥
Banter 🗣️
Swoon 💕

This was a super fun romantic suspense spy thriller featuring twins, mistaken identity, espionage, a swoony male spy lead, a female expert coder and a bad guy they need to track down/apprehend. Twisty and full of romance, I absolutely loved this one. Perfect for fans of Blonde identity by Ally Carter and great on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!!

I was disappointed in this book. The story line was confusing and had a lot of plot holes. I did not buy the chemistry between the main characters, their relationship felt very forced.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for giving me access to this ARC.

Dove is an introverted hacker who makes a living showing companies the security problems within their computer network systems. She looks a lot like her older sister, a travel photographer, who also happens to be a CIA operative. Dove is mistaken for her missing sister, pairs up with the hot CIA operative looking for her and the story begins.

This was a fun, cozy read that I enjoyed. A little mystery and danger. The romance aspect was a bit insta lust, without any real action. I would have liked to see this with Mendez’ POV. 3.5⭐️

I received this ARC through a Shelf Awareness giveaway promotion. I would like to thank NetGalley, Shelf Awareness and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This dramatically needs and edit. None of the details make sense and the whole thing is predicated on the reader not applying logic.

This felt more like a cozy mystery with a side of romance than a true romance book, so if that is up your alley, I definitely recommend giving it a read. There was a lot of action being a spy story, and I was drawn to the hilarious dialogue. I also thought the story was easy to binge, perfect when you want to escape from reality.

Dove Barkley works as an IT security expert, hacking her way into companies to demonstrate their security flaws. She thought her older sister Madison was a travel photographer, but after a case of mistaken identities and a near-miss shooting, she realizes Madison is an undercover CIA agent who has maybe (or maybe not?) gone rogue. Dove is unwillingly pulled into the CIA's plot to catch a criminal mastermind, and must team up with Madison's partner, Mendez, to uncover the truth. Dove isn't exactly thrilled about being pulled out from behind her safe computer screens, but if being a spy means letting herself be seduced by the sexy Mendez, well, maybe it isn't so bad after all.

I picked this up after finishing "The Blonde Identity" by Ally Carter because it sounded similar and I was in the mood for another fun spy caper. The book is similar in concept, but this one disappointed--the writing is juvenile, the romance is extremely insta-love (with no spicy scenes for payoff), and Dove's narration was frankly annoying and repetitive. We don't learn much about either of the main characters throughout the book, and while I'm willing to suspend some disbelief for spy novels, the plot felt ridiculous, but not in a fun, tongue-in-cheek kind of way. The absolute instant attraction between Dove and Mendez felt forced (literally within seconds of meeting him, she's drooling, and doesn't stop for the entire book) and the whole idea of the CIA dragging a civilian into a scheme like this felt so implausible, as did Dove hacking a CIA database at one point (really?). I see that the author has written several YA novels before, which is really what this felt like--YA trying to be adult by including some sexy make out sessions (although nothing else, sadly). This may find its audience but after reading "The Blonde Identity," I was underwhelmed.

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

I was not expecting this to be as good as it was. The Spy and I is fun, quick-paced, and interesting, despite its short number of pages.

The pacing and length make it easy to binge, but have a couple of drawbacks, too- the romance is so insta-lust and loosely structured (as is some of the plot) and yet, we don't see anything come out of it. I get that some authors don't feel comfortable writing sex scenes but in this sort of insta-lust pacing, some spice would be nice.

The plot was definitely interesting, but it's not something to read too much into. Because it's so quick, it was a style I enjoyed; if I think too hard about their ideas or what's going on, I'll find holes everywhere, but that's okay because I'm just reading something light and easy to pass the time and enjoy. But if you're one to be 100% immersed in the storyline and don't enjoy the holes you'll find, this might not be the book for you. Add on the instant romance with very little connection and zero spice, and it's not that much if you dig deep.

Also, I have absolutely zero knowledge of coding or hacking (though I'd love to learn how to code because then I could be in situations like this) but it certainly sounded like Smith knew what she was writing about.

thank you Netgalley for the free copy