Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU
By: Ally Carter
Published By: Hyperion
Release Date: April 25, 2006
Series: Gallagher Girls (#1)
Pages: 284
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.



Even though I'd heard good things about the Gallagher Girls, I had never given much thought to reading the books. But one night, I wanted something different to read, something that would be good but also light and fun, and I thought that the Gallagher Girls books might be just the ticket. And I was right.

Cammie Morgan is just like any other girl...except for the fact that she attends spy school. The Gallagher Academy, unlike its facade of being a boarding school for rich girls, trains girls in martial arts, computer hacking, and various languages (to name a few subjects) so that they can work for the CIA or other similar organizations. And this year, Cammie and her friends Liz and Bex get to start Covert Operations - real field training. Cammie has always been like a chameleon, able to blend in and slip by unnoticed. It serves her well in her spy training. But it also means that, when a boy notices Cammie on a test mission, it shakes her. Because this boy, Josh Abrams, is not just another boy. And although Cammie knows fourteen languages and how to incapacitate any attacker, she soon learns that her toughest mission will be navigating life outside the Gallagher Academy.

I don't know about you, but there was a time when I was younger that I thought it would be awesome to be a spy. (This may very well have coincided with my seeing the movie Harriet the Spy, but I digress.) With the first book in the Gallagher Girls series, I got to revisit that dream. Ally Carter has done a fantastic job of creating a world within a world. The Gallagher Academy sounds like such a fun school despite all the work that they're doing. It was fun to live vicariously through the girls - I wish that I could crack codes or speak fourteen languages or do any number of things that these girls could do! After reading about the things the girls had to do in this book, I can't wait to see what is in store for them in the next one. I'm sure there have to be more spy secrets, and I want to know what they are! Beyond this, I enjoyed the interaction between Cammie and her friends as well as exploring Cammie's relationship with her mother. This book touches on a lot of issues while still maintaining its light, fun feeling.

As for the relationship between Cammie and Josh, I really liked that it was sweet and innocent. Josh is the kind of guy that every girl could fall for and would want as a boyfriend. Despite this, I appreciated that the romance aspect didn't completely take over the story. And yet not everything was easy and perfect. Cammie and Josh had and may still have some major issues to work through, which should be interesting.

Reading the first Gallagher Girls book has definitely left me wanting to read more by Ally Carter. This is the perfect book to read when you was something fast-paced and entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy!