Review – The Blonde Identity

Item: The Blonde Identity
Rating: 4.5
Author: Emily

Posted September 14, 2025 by Emily in review / 0 Comments

TITLE: The Blonde Identity
AUTHOR: Ally Carter
Publisher: Avon
PUBLICATION DATE: August 8, 2023
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RATING:

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. Which is 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…

"Spies! Amnesia! And banter that’ll make you chant “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” No one writes an action rom-com quite like Ally Carter." – Rachel Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs

Tropes Included

grumpy x sunshine
only one bed
fake marriage
amnesia
mistaken identity

Review

Zoe wakes up in Paris with no memory and runs into a Hot Guy Swayer, who happens to be a spy. And then they suddenly find themselves running from bad guys together, while figuring out who she is and why people want her dead.

I’m a huge fan of Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series. So naturally, I was excited when I heard she was writing an adult romance novel featuring spies. And let me tell you, The Blonde Identity didn’t disappoint. It really felt like Gallagher Girls, but for adults and with a bunch of my favorite tropes.

It was such a fun blend of genres. I didn’t know spies/mystery could go so well with romcoms – they feel like opposites. But somehow it worked. The intensity of the mystery elements were nicely contrasted by pockets of lighter, romcom moments, which made this book more intriguing and fun.

I just love Ally Carter’s writing. Not many people can write mysteries as well plotted as she can, where the timing of each reveal is just right.

The characters were great too! Zoe was so funny and always made me laugh and grin, especially when she’s doing things that make Sawyer’s life more difficult. Their romance and relationship development was so fun to watch, as well as Zoe’s journey of self discovery. The juxtaposition of their personalities (he’s a grumpy spy and she’s Miss Sunshine), as well as their knowledge and experience (he’s a spy with all his memories and she doesn’t know who she is) made for an interesting dynamic. It was fun to gradually learn more about their respective backstories as well.