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.

If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You was such a delight to read! It has everything you’re looking for if you love the sapphic exes “will they won’t they” trope! And I can’t forget to mention the pining and the slow burn! Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed the detail Mae Marvel placed on each sentence, each character description, each word choice. It was all so carefully and passionately planned out; I was lost in this book! Most importantly, I enjoyed how each character was so relatable. It spoke to the mistakes we make as humans, and how there’s always a way to right those mistakes; and if we right those mistakes, we may even get our happily ever after. I would give If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You more than five stars if I could!

This spin on a "Mrs. and Mrs. Smith" type of story is so fun, has fresh elements, and I was entertained the whole way through. Both KC and Yardley are relatable and entertaining main characters, and I appreciate the ways in which they both developed through a combination of plot-driven circumstances and internal motivation to grow and change. This is a fast-paced, sexy read about highly skilled spies and it is a great blend of thriller and romance.

I absolutely loved this novel! One thing that I always love is when a novel has more than just one element to it, and this was a perfect example. This was/had a solid romance plotline for sure, but it was also an action/spy thriller with a full plotline that would make for a satisfying novel on its own if the romance element was removed. This was a complete and satisfying novel, multiple times over (and some novels fail to achieve that even the one time, hah!). The writing was excellent, the characters felt real and genuine, and the plotlines managed to be believable and realistic despite being a high-action-spy-thriller. The two parallel plotlines were woven together extremely well and worked off each other as opposed to feeling shoehorned in. I have no criticisms and would recommend to everyone. (In fact, this novel would make a nice bridge between romance and action thriller for readers of either genre who want to branch out!).

The romance. This was very well done. These characters had some significant (yet realistic and relatable) issues to work through and the novel didn’t cut any corners or make anything too conveniently easy. We saw some great communication and insight as to how relationships can be difficult even when everyone wants them to work out and is willing to put in the work. There were a lot of high emotions at play. I particularly appreciated how neither character was “the bad guy” and they both shared somewhat equivalent responsibility for their problems.

The non-romance plot was great too. The action and spy stuff were fun without being over the top. The stakes were high enough to keep me invested and yet not so fantastical that it wasn’t believable or got too stressful. There were lots of other types of relationships explored besides the central romance, which I greatly appreciated.

As a last aside, I personally enjoy it when characters in situations like this can have their big interpersonal conflicts but also put a pin in it to be professional and get their job done. They are affected by the relationship drama, but they are also the badass spy that they are being presented as.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

This book was so fun! When I first read the summary, I immediately was interested and could not wait to read it. I found the romance to be pretty decently written, and the story interesting. The romance was balanced nicely with the action scenes. Neither seeemed to overshadow the other, and take away from the story being told. KC and Yardley were a little similar character wise so it did make it sometimes difficult to differentiate between them. I do wish more time at been spent on them interacting in their roles at work before finding out who each other was. It would have added to the story beyond just being told about their past.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book!

It was so fun! I loved every page of it. I loved how visual the writing was - I could see the action movie scenes (and this really would be an amazing movie— someone get them a deal!!) but I really loved the relationship building as well. So sweet, steamy, and lovely! Highly recommend!

If I Told You, I'd have to kiss you was such a heartfelt and thrilling romantic thriller a twist just like Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I never thought that I would have an interest with a CIA type of storyline. Let me say that I loved every bit of it. I enjoyed the details and research that was portrayed for these undercover agents. I enjoyed the brewing romance between Yardley and KC. They are great characters with well-developed backstories. I am so happy and glad that I got to read this novel by Mae Marvel.

Thank you Netgalley and to the publishers for reading If I Told You, I'd Have to Kiss You.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

Queer female spies? Yes, please. The book felt heavy on the "spy stuff" as I read it, but I could definitely imagine the various action scenes and enjoyed that experience. The pacing of the book was reasonable to me; there wasn't much time spent on the relationship between Yardley and KC before their secret (and overlapping!) lives were revealed to each other spectacularly.

The book definitely packed a lot of action with the relationship arc between the main characters, and I appreciated the banter between them. Both Yardley and KC are written as versatile, highly intelligent, and quirky characters. This is the type of book that I wish could be made into a movie.

Unfortunately, this veers closer to 2.5 stars.

I was excited about this one, as I’ve really loved romance titles with action/adventure plots recently, but this had issues for me with both the romance and the spy plots.

First, this is advertised and marketed more as a romance in a spy setting BUT it came across to me as very much a in-detail spy book that had sprinkles of a romance in it, so it wasn’t what I expected or what I really wanted. On top of the lack of romance at the center, the romance itself had very little chemistry to me and was super surface level. Because of the whole “we just broke up and then found out we’re both CIA” there’s a lot of reasons in the first half of the story around why they broke up/shouldn’t be together instead of building a romance, so it very much made me think they should not be together.

Outside of that, I felt there was a lot of overly detailed spy terms and a lot of jumping around that made things confusing to follow.

A great premise that fell super flat for me.

I was craving a spy romance, a sapphic one at that and I saw the Mr and Mrs Smith comparison and I opened this one ready to fall into this one and love it, wouldn't be able to put it down and yet I'm... frustrated. Because from the early parts of this book I grew bored and couldn't get into it. I couldn't understand why. This is not a bad book or romance. Usually, I'm turned off by bad writing but that's not even the case here the writing is romance-solid. It's not the setting I wanted to read a spy romance and I love having characters reconnecting during a split up. Yes I was a bit disappointed that there's no Mr and Mrs Smith rivalry which would have added some spice to a story that's lacking some. But it took me a while to realize that my issue is the characters. KC and Yardley never got to a point where they were distinct enough in my head besides one's the tech and one's the field spy. They never crystallized as fully-fledged characters in my head. There were times when Yardley seemed to have been given more development than KC which didn't help to make KC a more compelling character.

Hence the frustration. This book has some really good and solid romantic moments and writing, it's good and I think people are going to love the novelty it brings to sapphic romance (unfortunately for me a lesbian reader, it is a very dry corner of publishing when it comes to originality). Yet I can't love it like I wanted it to. I wanted to love this so much more. Even the spy plot wasn't that intriguing to me, I'm mourning my expectations.

I really want other people to love it, I think there's a lot to love and fall in love with.

A fun twist on a queer Mr & Mrs Smith featuring two women in the middle of a painful break-up realizing they're both spies for the same agency and that so much of their relationship was based on necessary lies to protect their secret identity.

This was a fun read! I particularly enjoyed the way it balanced action/the case plot with the main romance. Often, I feel like romance novels with an action side plot neglect one or the other, but this managed to evolve both in a way that felt satisfactory without dropping the other. I do think there could have been a little more tension/less predictability when it came to the actual case they were working on, but since romance novels are often formulaic, it didn't bother me too much. The focus on both KC and Yardley learning to get to know each other truthfully for the first time and re-contextualizing their relationship (and break-up!) was compelling enough to forgive the book not being super plot twisty in my opinion. It just felt a little long at times because it was obvious where we were going. But overall, an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've been in a ginormous reading slump lately so I really just couldn't get into this one. Nothing against the book, it just didn't have that spark that made me want to continue reading.

If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You by Mae Marvel blends thrilling espionage, a slow-burn sapphic romance, and just the right amount of intrigue to keep readers hooked from start to finish. Think James Bond meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but with a fresh, queer twist—and plenty of action and heart.

The story follows Yardley and KC, two CIA agents who are thrust into a high-stakes mission together. Despite their differences, their dynamic works perfectly, making for a compelling and engaging duo. The progression of their relationship felt natural and genuine, never rushed, and it was easy to root for them both in both their professional and personal lives.

What I really appreciated was how the romance developed alongside the action—it wasn’t forced, but rather unfolded with the right amount of tension and chemistry. The pacing of the story kept me engaged, with enough thrills to satisfy any spy fiction fan, but also moments of vulnerability that added depth to the characters’ connection.

While the CIA portrayal does stretch the limits of believability at times, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. Sometimes, fiction is about escape, and a little suspension of disbelief only added to the fun.

Overall, If I Told You, I’d Have to Kiss You is a perfect blend of suspense, action, and romance. It’s a fun, fast-paced read for anyone who loves spy thrillers with a sapphic twist. Mae Marvel has crafted a story full of heart, danger, and undeniable chemistry between two characters you can’t help but root for. Highly recommended!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

The premise of this book sounded very interesting. It had a lot of potential. I did enjoy elements of it, including the queer/genderqueer rep and parts of the relationship between the two main characters. But sadly, it was quite boring. I found myself just skipping over paragraphs without meaning to because it wasn't keeping my attention. This is a spy novel, I feel like it should have been more. Just... more.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced copy.

I enjoyed Mae Marvel's previous book. This one was not for me. I got very lost in the spy plot, which got tedious really quickly. I didn't really like either protagonist. I didn't really enjoy either the romance or the main plot. I feel bad that I feel that way, because lesbian spy story should be something I really like.

This was a solid, enjoyable book. My favourite aspect was definitely the plot surrounding the black op and dangerous tech - I think it was really well-executed, with good foreshadowing, twists, and tension. I also really appreciated how many of the spies were female and/or queer in a line of work that is usually male-dominated. And, in general, the spy-ness of it all was very engaging and fun and believably written.

The part that was more lacking was, sadly, the romance. There wasn't even necessarily anything wrong with the romance - Yardley and KC were well-realized characters on their own, and I completely understood the conflict that arose in their relationship, and I thought the story did a good job of showing how they grew as individuals before they were able to grow back together as a couple. But the problem is that I really only saw them as a couple in crisis trying to mend things. I know this is probably a personal preference thing - some people live for second-chance romances and established couples in stories - but I found it hard to connect with a relationship that I mostly only saw on its bad days. I think maybe a handful of flashbacks could have remedied this. The narration alludes to happy moments together earlier in their relationship, but readers never actually get to sit in and experience those moments.

I also think the book is mismarketed slightly. The title, cover art style, and description all gave me the impression that this would be a bit of a comedy. It is very much not. This book leans very serious and tense, with much more emphasis on action and romance than levity.

Overall, this was a good book. I would definitely consider reading from these authors again.

A delightfully sapphic twist on Mr. and Mrs. Smith with a second chance romance, open door spice, and a fun spy mission!

Is this a realistic view of how the CIA works? No, but I'm a big proponent of suspension of disbelief and had a great time following Yardley, KC, and a cast of diverse supporting characters on their mission. We follow the pair through different parts of the world and various personas, my favorite of which being Max and Daphne towards the end. Despite the twists and turns, the outcome was predictable, something I personally did not mind as I was in this book for the journey, not the destination.
If I Told You, I'd Have to Kill You does a nice job of balancing the action and romance, though sometimes felt long-winded with the analysis of Yardley and KC's relationship and future. I appreciated that the author made an effort to criticize the flaws of the agency, particularly how heteronormative and patriarchal many of the protocols and red tape within our government and society are, even if it came off as slightly cringe at times. And while I appreciated the spicy scenes, they did often come out of the blue, which I excused the lack of buildup due to Yardley and KC's long-term relationship.
All in all, I had a wonderful time reading this book and would recommend! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read If I Told You, I'd Have to Kiss You.

The premise of the book sounded so good and I wanted to love it but...I couldn't get into the characters. There were so many character changes with the two main characters being spies and in the process of breaking up. I couldn't keep up with it all. I read about 45% and that was all I could handle.
I am not sure what would make this more readable. Maybe if only one was a spy? There was a lot going on in this story. Maybe there should be a chart with all the characters?
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy.l what a good book. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I loved the characters of KC and Yardly and the chemistry they had. Definitely had Mr. and Mrs. Smith going on. A new author I'll be looking out for,

a very cute book about some awesome people with some awesome vibes. tysm for the arc, would recommend. 4 stars.