Book review: The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

6/10

WARNING: SPOILERS

Like many 90’s/00’s babies, I grew up reading Ally Carter in my teenage years. I dreamed of being a Gallagher Girl. I swooned over Hale in Heist Society. I even walked the streets of Embassy Row with Grace. There is no question that Ally Carter is a fabulous author of YA fiction – and that she made my childhood a better place.

So I wanted to love this. But I… didn’t.

The Blonde Identity tells the story of a woman who wakes up in Paris with no idea where she is. She becomes embroiled into top secret plots and spy stuff, all of which she tackles with a relish and enthusiasm that borders on irritating. It becomes apparent she’s been mistaken for her twin sister, who actually is a spy and would treat the situations with the gravity they deserve.

It’s not a terrible book, by any means. But it doesn’t have any of Carter’s trademark twists and turns. It doesn’t have the charm of her other books.

What I loved…

Alex. It’s just a shame the (arguably more interesting) twin doesn’t show up sooner in the book.

The unexpected villain. All eyes are on a man called Kozlov, but the real danger is closer to home… I liked this unexpected twist – it was one of the few I didn’t see coming.

What I didn’t love so much…

The cliches. I think they’re meant to be satirical but the main character literally, repeatedly speaks the word “Gasp!”

The forced relationship. Zoe and Sawyer have known each other for just a few days. Maybe that’s why his declaration of love is so utterly jarring for me. I found it a tad cringeworthy, especially at the end of the book where he gives up his lifelong career for a woman he met that week.

Sawyer. I just didn’t like him. I could get almost get behind Zoe’s relentless lust for life, but Sawyer wasn’t terribly likeable as a character. His backstory felt like it was shoehorned into the story. For example, he has repeated nightmares about a woman called Helena whom he failed to save. I feel this could have been unpacked more and, yes, maybe it would have been a cliché to have Helena be more than just someone on a mission he couldn’t keep alive but it would have given depth to his story and explained why she seems to haunt his dreams.

Overall, The Blonde Identity is a light, fluffy story that would work for killing time on a long train journey.