The Book:
The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
Published August 8, 2023 by Avon
Date read: November 12, 2024 (re-read)
The Blonde Identity spoilers can be found below, but they’re hidden under a spoiler tag so you’re safe to keep scrolling if you’d just like to read my review.
The Characters:
A woman with amnesia
A spy named Sawyer
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
This page contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this site.
The Blonde Identity Series
The Blonde Identity
The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold (coming August 2025)
The Plot (from Goodreads):
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.
That’s 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…
The Blonde Identity Spoilers
The Reveal:
“Her” name was Zoe. She was the twin sister of a spy named Alex, and had been mistaken for Alex by both Sawyer and all the bad guys. When Sawyer realizes she’s not Alex, he feels compelled to help Zoe since her face is all over “wanted” posters and she doesn’t know where home is.
Alex had stolen a drive containing the “little black book” of a Russian mobster named Kozlov. Sawyer had been chasing Kozlov for his whole career. Alex was supposed to turn it over to the CIA but hadn’t, so she was wanted by multiple agencies who assumed she defected and was going to sell it on the black market. Unfortunately, Alex being a fugitive meant Zoe automatically was one too.
They hop on a riverboat cruise and use that as a safe house for a few days, pretending to be newlyweds, until Kozlov’s men find them. They escape again (Sawyer kills a man with a negligee) and continue running. A CIA operative named Collins also tries to kill them on a train but Zoe pushes him out a door. Then in another small town she’s able to hotwire a car to get them away. They finally find some peace at Sawyer’s family’s cabin.
Zoe decides to access Alex’s safety deposit box to see if it contains any clues. She finds the drive there. She and Sawyer are attacked outside of the bank, but Alex finally shows up and saves Zoe. Then she’s captured again by Kozlov.
Zoe arranges a hostage exchange (at the job site of one of the people she met on the river boat cruise). It’s almost successful, but Collins shows up and ruins everything. He was Kozlov’s mole in the CIA, so Alex was right not to trust him. Collins had drugged Zoe with a secret elixir that the CIA had created that induced her amnesia; he had hoped that she would think she was Alex and lead him to the drive, which she did. Eventually, MI5 saves the day and gets Zoe safe. I think Collins died falling off the mountain? Alex parachuted down the mountain after the drive. She disappeared again, but she mailed the drive back to MI5 so people knew she was okay.
Turns out Sawyer was actually an MI5 operative, not CIA.
The Ending:
After Zoe is thoroughly questioned by MI5, they arrange a flight home for her. Sawyer’s father (who is also his boss) tells him to go after her.
In the epilogue, they’re living happily ever after in Sawyer’s cabin. Alex shows up a year later. Zoe and Sawyer immediately assume something is wrong, but when they ask she just says “I’m in an enemies-to-lovers situation, and I think I’m gonna need your help”. I can’t wait for Book 2!
I hope these The Blonde Identity spoilers were helpful.
The Review:
Thank you to @bookclubgirl for a gifted copy.
I re-read THE BLONDE IDENTITY on a whim today after seeing Ally Carter’s Instagram announcement for THE BLONDE WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. You know I had to get a refresher recap posted!
I loved it just as much the second time around. It’s fast-paced, international, thrilling, and absolutely hysterical. Our MC’s amnesia definitely didn’t take away her wit, and her nicknames for Sawyer just got funnier and funnier. I love the type of sunshine and grump where the sunshine is adorable and goofy and the grump is exasperated by her but in an endearing way.
I knew this one gave me holiday vibes but couldn’t recall why–it’s set in winter in Europe, so if you like to read with the seasons then now is the perfect time. I can’t recommend this one enough!
Follow me on Bloglovin’!
