Ally about switching from YA and middle grade to adult: “I don’t have time to make a whole new fan base!”

“Ally, you don’t get it, it’s the same fan base.”

As a Gallagher Girl for over a decade (happy 25th birthday to me lol) I can’t emphasize that sentiment enough. I’ve loved getting to grow up with Ally, Cammie, and my fellow Gallagher Girls. It’s so special to have an author from your teen years, look at their now grown up fan base that has stuck around, and say “You know what. I’m gonna do something for them. They deserve it.”

At the end of this event, she thanked us all for being her readers. I definitely feel like Ally Carter raised me 😂 so, Ally, thank you for that. Thank you for everything. This book has been so special and I can’t wait for everyone to get to read it. ♥️

read in 2023: the blonde identity by ally carter

Here’s the thing about waking up with no memory in the middle of the night, in the middle of the street, in the middle of Paris: at least you’re waking up in Paris.

I opened the Blonde Identity and now I’m crying at the dedication

Cause like most Gallagher Girl fans (like myself) who found the books in childhood and grew up with them are now adults

YOU. GUYS. SEPTEMBER 24TH???

THE BLONDE IDENTITY

Looking forward to Ally’s new book so I drew some fanart!!

Can’t wait to fall in love with the one character no one remembers like I always do

And nothing on this earth is sexier than a woman who told death to fuck off.

Ally Carter (The Blonde Identity)

recently i been reading The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter and it’s really good. i didn’t think i would actually like it since i don’t reach for spy books . also this book got me out my reading slump, which is great!!🪽🪽

Squee. My Pre-order came a whole week early!! Ally Carter is one of my favourite favourite authors and I am *so* excited about this book!

An espionage rom-com with a dash of amnesia set (at least to start) in Paris. I've paired it with Murchie's Paris Afternoon blend which seems fitting.

I finished off the novel I was in the middle of reading last night so I can read this today. The other books in my (very long) to be read queue will have to wait.

Isn't getting a new book by a fave author just the best thing?

The Blonde Identity By Ally Carter Review

Ally Carter has always been one of my favorite authors. Her books got in into reading and out of many reading slumps. While writing this review I tried my best to take off the rose-covered glasses.

Spy/Espionage books have always been my favorite genre of books. the hard part about that is it's so hard to find a good espionage book. Ally Carter has ways been my go-to espionage author. From the moment she opens her eyes all the way to the last page I devoured this book. It's filled with many different tropes like grumpy/ sunshine characters, one-bed trope, amnesia, fake marriage, and mistaken identity. While the ending wasn't exactly what I thought it would be it made more sense for the situation they were in.

*Thank you to Ally Carter and her publishing team for a ARC copy of this book*

I know, I know. Long time no see! I promise I’m doing my best to come back and post more here soon. Adult life is terrible.

But happy August! Not only is it my birth month but it’s also Ally’s book tour month for TBI!

I wanted to post about it because I’ll be at the DC stop! Can’t wait to see Ally (and hopefully some Gallagher Girls) there! ♥️

Here’s the thing about waking up with no memory in the middle of the night, in the middle of the street, in the middle of Paris: at least you’re waking up in Paris.

– Ally Carter, The Blonde Identity

I haven't read the book yet; but I'm SQUEALING at the fact that the spin of the Blonde Identity is fucking plaid

Ally knew exactly what she was doing

Rating: 2/5

Book Blurb:

The New York Times bestselling YA author of the beloved Gallagher Girls series bursts onto the adult scene with a fast-paced, hilarious road trip rom-com about a woman with amnesia who discovers she’s the identical twin sister of a rogue spy… and must team up with a rugged, grumpy operative to stay alive.

It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.

She only knows three things for certain:

1. She has a splitting headache.

2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.

And oh yeah…

3. People keep trying to kill her.

She doesn’t know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there’s only one explanation: obviously. . . she’s a spy!

Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister.

Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.

That’s easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they’re lying their way across Europe—dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name.

But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget…

Review:

What's a girl to do when you wake up with amnesia and people chasing after you and a hot spy who is reluctant to protect you? Well Zoe is about to find out! Zoe wakes up in the middle of the night in Paris with no memory of who she is and how she got there. The only thing she knows is that she has a terrible headache, a hot guy is standing over her telling her to run, and that people are trying to kill her. According to said Hot Guy, aka Sawyer, she has a twin sister named Alex who is a deadly spy who has a drive that people are after and since Alex and Zoe are twins, people will be coming after her thinking she is her sister. Zoe now has to stay with Sawyer while he tries to protect her while she also tries to figure out who she is and what has happened to her sister. Now they're both on the run, taking a roadtrip and doing fun spy things while their feelings for each other grow. Unfortunately this one fell flat for me, it read so much more juvenile and young adult than what it was meant to be, an adult romance. I felt like Zoe was 16 rather than being an adult and the story felt all over the place. I was not feeling the chemistry between Zoe and Sawyer and for what was suppose to be a fun action rom com with spies this one just did not hook me at all despite how much I tried to like it. If you like spy romances with fade to black scenes and a younger protagonist kind of voice then give this one a go it'll probably work out better for you than it did for me.

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Step Aside Bond and Bourne, It's Blonde Time

Ok y'all...THIS BOOK. I literally fangirl squee-ed out loud while reading. Zoe and Sawyer are entirely compelling as romantic leads, and the story is well-plotted and engaging, not to mention the perfect combination of drop-dead funny and heartwarming. On top of that, it has one of the sweetest dedications to a set of fans I have ever seen. As a former Gallagher Girl, let's talk The Blonde Identity.

This book is amazingly well done, and it handles two very well developed characters and an A+ list of spy and romance tropes that include, but is not limited to, the following:

Only one Bed

Amnesia

Twins

Teaching the girl to defend herself

Secret hideouts

PTSD nightmares

An alphabet soup of organizations, the Russian mob, and Mossad

Hostage exchange

WHERE IS THE DRIVE?

Exploding safe house

Pretend marriage

What I am most impressed by though, is how Zoe and Sawyer's relationship works through and around the tropes to really get the reader invested and drag them through the story. I read this book in one sitting, and it was SO FUN. And as a fan of the Gallagher Girl books part of the fun and charm was that this book SOUNDED like an older cousin of those books, which just hit the reading spot.

There were also some hella strong 1996 The Mummy's Rick and Evy vibes? The romances are not identical by any means, but I get some really similar vibes from some of the plot beats and one or two scenes, and honestly I was SO THERE for that too.

This post is shorter than usual because I super do not want to spoil this book--I want to convince people to go out and READ it!

Are we excited yet???