The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold by Ally Carter Series: The Blonde Identity #2
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Mystery/Thriller
Published by HarperCollins on August 5, 2025
Also by this author: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, My True Love Gave To Me, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, Only the Good Spy Young, All Fall Down, Out of Sight, Out of Time, United We Spy, See How They Run, Take the Key and Lock Her Up, Not If I Save You First
Format: Audio/Physical (336 pages) • Source: Purchased, Spotify Audiobooks
Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes & Noble
“Ally Carter wrote a unique, delightful, hilarious, unputdownable romance! I didn’t know I needed an adventure romcom about grumpy/sunshine spies with amazing chemistry and a dash of amnesia, but it was exactly what was missing in my life. I’m wonderstruck by The Blonde Identity! (Also, this book needs to be a movie!)” -- Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author
An action-packed, second-chance rom-com about two rival spies who must join forces in order to stay alive, from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.
Ten years ago, they joined the CIA.
Six years ago, he left the game.
Five years ago, they fell in love.
One year ago, she ran out into the cold with absolutely no intention of ever coming back.
And two minutes ago, they woke up, bloody and bruised and handcuffed together in the dark.
They don’t know where they are. They don’t know how they got there. And they have absolutely no idea who is after them or what this nameless, faceless villain wants.
The only thing that’s clear is that, after ten years of covers and chemistry, secrets and lies, these two rival spies have been sucked into their greatest mission yet, and now they’re going to have to team up to stay alive. (If they don’t kill each other first.)
This book had me wondering: am I in a reading slump because it took me forever to read this book, or did it take me forever to read this book because I’m in a reading slump? Ally Carter books are meant to be read in like two sittings so I’m disappointed in myself and possibly the book.
I just want to love these adult romantic suspense (?) books of hers so bad. They’re good and generally entertaining but I didn’t find myself caring that much. The first book had a more annoying main character than this one so I think it wins there, but it was a little confusing. There were VERY quick and frequent time jumps that made it hard to follow, especially because there were the same locations as present day. I know that because this book took me a month to read, it was probably even harder to remember what was happening and follow along… again, is that my fault or the book?!
I was really looking forward to this one wowing me but unfortunately it was a similar experience to the first book. Would I read a third? Absolutely. I think the premises are fun and Ally’s writing is enjoyable as usual. I hope she keeps writing adult rom-com mystery mashups because I really enjoyed the Christmas one last year.
I received this book for free (hey, thanks!) in exchange for an honest review. I promise that this does NOT affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. For real.
The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Magical Realism
Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on June 3, 2025
Format: eARC (320 pages) • Source: Publisher
Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes & Noble
A hilarious and heartfelt novel about how loves and lives are never truly lost, for fans of Rebecca Serle and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
With a leading role on a hit TV show and a relationship with Hollywood’s latest heartthrob, Meg Bryan appears to have everything she ever wanted. But underneath, her happiness is as fake as her stage name, Lana Lord. Following a tiny nervous breakdown at her thirtieth birthday party, she books an impromptu trip to Ireland. Specifically, to the village where she and her best friend Aimee always dreamt of moving.
When Meg arrives, the people in town don’t just recognize her, they seem to know her. She quickly—reluctantly—realizes she has somehow slipped into an alternate reality. One where she did move to Ireland as a teenager, one where she never got famous, and—most shocking of all—one where Aimee is alive and well.
She just wants nothing to do with Meg.
Despite her bewilderment, Meg is clear-eyed about one thing: this is a once-in-two-lifetimes chance to reconnect with her friend and repair what she broke . . . or else risk losing Aimee all over again.
This is a perfect example of me just really knowing my reading tastes. I love books about parallel lives or alternate realities, and this one’s concept grabbed me from the jump.
Our main character Meg is living the dream in LA as an actress on a popular show when she starts to realize she needs a break. Why not travel to Ireland and visit the town where she almost went to college with her best friend? She hops on a plane and when she lands, she enters a different reality where she lives there because she chose the other path. In this timeline, her best friend is still alive, she has an on-again, off-again boyfriend, another best friend, and an adorable cottage. Meg starts to fall in love with this life and wonders how she will ever go back to LA and live without these people.
There was something so engaging about this story – I generally liked Meg and even though she had flaws, she was a really strong and likable character. Same could be said about all of the other folks we meet along the way. I feel like there could have been some areas where the author went deeper but I just really fell in love with this book and knew it would be a five-star read.
I don’t want to spoil the ending but I definitely shed a few tears over it. It wrapped up so perfectly. Books like this always make me wonder how many alternate timelines could be out there from different decisions we make. I think Meg learned a ton from her “trip” to Ireland and it was nice to see the character growth. There was a touch of romance that I really liked, but the main takeaways were a bit more about friendship and finding yourself.
This book was exactly what I wanted it to be, so I highly recommend checking it out if the synopsis spoke to you.
Leave a Reply