As a queer woman I LOVED this book. It was so much fun and reading it. Love. We love Sapphic love. I was def rooting for them to get back together. Admittedly I did get a bit lost for the spy stuff. But. That’s okay LOL.
There was roughly 3 sex scenes and I honestly would have been okay without the sex scenes. That said. It wasn’t super spicy. But that very last sex scene where they used an adult toy? Very realistic in sapphic relationships.

Overall def recommend my fellow gays to read this book for funsies.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this book I had a hard time jumping into it. I would rate this a 3/5 I think it was good but something I wouldn’t pick up again.

Super fun! Especially if you liked Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

This is a Sapphic romance where both characters are spies but are unaware that their partner is one too. This made for a fun, action filled & thrilling read. I enjoyed both FMCs but will admit I felt for KC more. There's plenty of spy action while also maintaining the romance.

A fun read!

First, love the concept of this book. Ms. and Ms. Smith should absolutely be a thing and I think the characters in this were great choices for those roles. My hang up with this book is that there was entirely too much spying in the romance and not enough actual romancing. I just said in another review that I do not read for the plot and this book has a lot of plot and a lot of technical mission details and my eyes glazed over the way that they do when I am reading NF and there are details about troop movements. I wanted more feelings is all.

<i>Thank you to the publisher and NetGally for the ARC.</i>

Second-generation spy Yardley Whitmer, code name “the Unicorn,” can do no wrong. With her combination of debutante-style charm and expert spycraft, she’s become an instant legend in the field. If only finally moving out of her girlfriend’s home were as easy as rappelling off the Eiffel Tower. But living a full-time cover story has slowly eroded her relationship with KC until there’s nothing left but lies.

KC “Tabasco” Nolan, hacker extraordinaire, can crack anything—except the code that would tell her the right moment to confess her secret job to Yardley. Now it’s too late, and she’s in danger of losing the best chance at love she’s ever had.

When an undercover shakedown goes wrong, Yardley and KC discover the unbelievable truth—that they are Unicorn and Tabasco, and they’ve both been working with the agency for years. To salvage the mission, they’re compelled to partner up and fly across oceans, race through winding European streets, and give in to inconvenient passion while hiding in an ambassador’s linen closet.

This book was so much fun. I love a romance with a solid plotline (which a lot of them don't so much). The high-action thriller side of this was a ton of fun and kept me turning pages. The characters were relatable. There were a lot of high emotions, and that elevated the book rather than drag it down. Overall, I really enjoyed this. 4.5⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This book ended up not being my cup of tea. There were a few things that didn’t work for me, but I think readers with different preferences than me would enjoy the book!

First, both the protagonist and her love interest work for the CIA. Yardley (the protagonist) sees working for the CIA as unquestionably good and patriotic. Given the actions of the CIA in the real world, I disliked that the narrative never challenged the assumption that everything the CIA does is good.

This book seemed evenly split between the action/adventure plot (trying to get a weapon out of the hands of a bad guy) and the second chance romance. For me, it felt like neither half was fully explored or developed. I never totally understand the how and why of the spy mission and I also felt like I didn’t know the characters that well by the end of the novel. I didn’t emotionally connect with the characters or end up invested in their relationship.

The writing style also wasn’t my favorite because it was pretty heavy on describing the characters’ internal thought processes.

Overall, I don’t think I’d recommend this book if you have similar tastes to me. However, you might enjoy this book if you are a fan of spy novels and like your romance stories to come with a lot of action and external plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book!

Highlights:
- comes out June 2025
- open door spicy scenes
- spies on a mission
- secret identities
- 2nd chance romance

I absolutely love this book! Just enough spy thriller, romance, humor, and SPICE to make you read it in one sitting. Being from the South and having lived in the DC world this hit so many notes of familiarity for me with the caricatures of people I've encountered over the years.

I would love to come back to KC and Yardley's world down the road and I can't wait to read what the Mae Marvel team writes.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.

To be honest, I had a lot of high expectations for this one, especially given the fact that it’s so difficult to find good sapphic love stories. However, I was frustrated by the lack of character depths and how contrived the plot seem to be.

Great double spy romance with a twist. I really liked this story. And the main characters were made for each other. I liked the spy aspect of this romance. It was almost like watching a movie unfold. The romance was equal parts spicy and dramatic. There's some angst and a whole lot of action and drama. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family and I look forward to what's next from this author.

Mae Marvel introduces not one, but two powerhouse female protagonists in this captivating story! KC and Yardley are skillfully developed characters, each with a rich backstory that informs their current struggles. Their emotional depth and resilience make them both relatable and inspiring as they face real-world challenges while remaining dedicated to a greater cause.

The action and espionage elements of life in a spy agency are perfectly balanced—intense and thrilling without ever becoming unrealistic. The stakes are high enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, yet remain grounded, creating a story that’s both immersive and captivating without feeling overwhelming.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

TLDR: I wanted to LOVE this book. I was so so excited to receive the arc, I started it right away. I will say I liked this book, but I unfortunately didn't love it the way I wanted to.

3.5 Stars, happily rounded up!

Review:
If I Told You, I'd Have to Kiss You had a lot of promise—a sapphic spy thriller with a romantic twist? Sign me up! But unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The premise was fantastic, and there were moments where the story really shone, but overall, it felt like the execution didn’t live up to the concept.

The romance between Yardley and KC had potential, I like them both, but everything just felt very repetitive and the story was weighed down by too much introspection from them both - and them saying the same thing. The moment they finally get "back together" wasn't as big as I was hoping either. On the spy side, the action scenes were decent, but the stakes felt predictable, and the twists didn’t pack much of a punch. Some of the tropes, like the "we have to kiss for the mission" moment, were the moments I were hoping for and found myself smiling throughout.

While the book is a PHENOMENAL idea, written well and has all the fun spy-movie vibes, the pacing and dragged it down for me. I wanted to love this one, but it ended up being just okay. It’s a decent read if you’re into the genre, and do think it's worth a try if it's piqued your interest.

Thank you so much to Mae Marvel and NetGalley for this ARC.

Have you heard the story of Tabasco and the Unicorn? Sounds like the start of a bad joke but it’s actually the start of a fun Mrs and Mrs Spy romantic suspense story. Hear me out, two absolute badass women break up only to discover they are both CIA operatives and are now working together on possibly the biggest, highest stakes op of all time. There’s tension, passion, stolen moments; super fun side characters that steal the scene when they show up (Nan may be my favorite but who doesn’t love an old woman sipping tea on the porch and giving epic advice?!)
That being said, although I liked this book, I didn’t love it. The story is good, the characters are good, I wanted to know what happened next, but then I would set it down and not be drawn to get back into it; I felt excited at the end of a chapter only to find the next one started somewhere else with no resolve for what had grabbed my attention. I normally finish a book within a week of picking it up and this one took maybe a month? I almost DNF many times. Happy I finished it, The last few chapters were actually really
Good. All in all 3.5 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s for the ARC

The story follows two strong-willed women spies who are deeply involved in a high-stakes mission while grappling with the fallout of their fractured relationship.

I enjoyed the mix of action-packed moments and quiet, emotional scenes, along with their complex, messy relationship, which was filled with both passion and regret.

I especially loved how the title became an integral part of their truth. It was beautifully executed by the authors.

Overall, this is a gripping and emotionally engaging story that skillfully blends espionage with personal drama.

Honestly, I was sold at Ms. and Ms. Smith!

A mission goes array that leads to KC and Yardley finding out they both work for the agency. They are trying to move on from a failed relationship while being forced to work together in order to save their mission.

I love a strong female character, and Mae Marvel gave us two!! The characters were so well written and developed. KC and Yardley have very different histories, and you can see how it has led them to this point. They battle real human feelings and problems yet are able to put things aside for the greater good. I also loved the supporting characters (shoutout to Gramercy.) The romance plot was wonderful. The action/spy plot also kept me entertained and waiting to see how that played out.

Overall, I LOVED it!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

If I Told You, I'd Have to Kiss You is 1 part spy craft and 1 part romance. It was everything it was advertised as and I finished it so quickly! The discussions about love, queerness, and feminism coupled with action-packed scenes made this a fun and heartwarming read.

This is so hilarious and entertaining, a perfect book to kick back with on an evening where you wish there was a queer redo of Mr and Mrs Smith. I can’t say anything about the movies, but a book like this definitely exists now.

Thanks to publisher and NG for an ARC, really enjoyable, a hearty rec!

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were great and very entertaining. The story was very well written and I loved the plot!

I’ truly loved this book and couldn’t put it down! It has both a love story between the two main characters and also some action/spy adventures. I was pulled in by the Mrs and Mrs Smith and I was highly satisfied that it rang true! I would like to thank the publishers, author and netgalley for allowing me to read this, it was wonderful and I’m looking forward to reading the next book from this author :)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and heartily endorse it! The plot was fascinating and quite complex. Along with a hint of romance and angst, there was mystery and suspense. A nice read all around!

This book has great characters with very interesting backstories. I loved seeing the characters and their story developed. Also, queer female spies? Amazing!! The banter between the two mains was awesome. A book I can very easily see as a brilliant movie.