Ally Carter Day 1

Hey everyone! So in honor of the new Ally Carter book Only the Good Spy Young, coming out in four days, I wanted to do a special four day Ally Carter book review. So first on today's blog is I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You! Here we go!

Characters: Cameron aka Cammie Morgan: chameleon/headmistresses daughter/world class spy
Elizabeth aka Liz Sutton: kid genius/chronic klutz/lover of all things tests and organization
Rebecca aka Bex Baxter: daughter of MI6 agents/the next James Bond/daredevil in training
Macey McHenry: daugther of senator/resident boy expert/newest addition to the Gallagher Academy
Joe Solomon: Cov Ops teacher/mystery man of the Gallagher Academy/friend of Cammie's deceased father
Josh Abrams: regular guy who likes Cammie/hater of Gallagher girls/Cammie's first boyfriend

The Plot: Cammie Morgan goes to a school unlike any other. She goes to a school for spies. Along with her friends Bex and Liz, Cammie attends the Gallagher Academy, a school for girl spies with a cover as an esteemed and snotty private school. As school starts, a new roommate is introduced to the girls, Macey McHenry daughter of a famous senator. At first, Macey's looks, attitude, and total lack of respect for the other Gallagher girls causes tension among the four girls. However, on a Cov Ops mission Cammie discovers something that unites all four girls together. A boy. Who likes Cammie. At a private spy school completely shut off from the outside world, boys are a rarity. So Liz, Bex, and Cammie, led by Macey's expertise embark on a whirlwind adventure to win Cammie Josh's heart and to learn more about the real work of spies in the process.

What I liked: I loved the relationship between the four girls. From the very beginning you can sense the camaraderie and bonds between Liz, Bex and Cammie and when Macey enters the picture, you see how the girls look out for each other and work together. In a time when so many novels are filled with the girl character who just sits back and waits for a man to fix the problem for her, it is refreshing to read about a whole group of girls who aren't going to wait in line. I also loved that Ally Carter consistently filled the novel with spy references. For instance, she uses the terms like "honeypot" and she talks about the career day with all the foreign spy organizations. It brings a sense of realism and interest to the story. She could have just left it as "this is a school for spies" but she didn't.

What I didn't like: I thought it wasn't serious enough to be a spy novel in some parts. I know they are only teens and the novel was supposed to be lighthearted but still in some places, like during the training, I wish I could have read about more intense exercises or training. But overall, that was pretty much it.

Overall: I would give this book an 7 out of 10. I loved the book don't get me wrong, but I loved it as a fun summer read and that is all it was. I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You is a novel without a deeper meaning or some in depth point and frankly in this novel some deeper meaning wouldn't have made sense. So that was the reason the book got a 7. I'd Tell You I Love You will never be a Kite Runner or a Tree Grows in Brooklyn but it will be an exciting summer read that will keep you thoroughly entertained.