***Contains Spoilers for I'd Tell You That I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You and for The Gallagher Girl series***
The spoiler will be marked though, if you want to skim past the huge warning sign here. When you get to the ***SPOILERS!!!*** sign, just skip on past to the ***END SPOILERS***
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Apparently, not everyone has read The Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter.
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...
...
Which I suppose means I've been doing a terrible job.
...
...
...
I first read I'd Tell You That I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You in 2016.
Four long years ago.
At the time, while I loved books and read as many as I could get my hands on, I wasn't reading as many books as I do now. I wasn't a blogger or even a reader of blogs. I didn't have a thousand new books on my TBR pile. I basically just read whatever was lying around the house or what happened to be stocked at the library.
Since I read the Gallagher Girls (And let's be honest...probably BECAUSE of the Gallagher Girls) I've fallen in love with the Cold War Era and Spy novels.
Out of the 34 books I've read this year, 9 have been spy novels. (And that is not counting novels that involve spies/people spying.)
Spy novels tend to have a pretty set pattern.
Spy is going about their life peacefully but in boredom/ spy is calmly going through a "boring" "standard" (but highly dangerous) mission.
Spy gets attacked/called in to HQ
Spy gets new mission and their story begins. They figure out who the bad guy is...they hunt him down...They kill/capture him.
In YA Spy novels (at least the ones about girls) the big drama usually circles around a boy.
A civilian boy! *Horrified gasp*
How could she do such a thing? She is forced to juggle her spy life and her "normal" life. (And of course she manages to hide this from her spy parents/supervisors) AND THEN SHE MUST MAKE A DECISION! She has to chose between them!
But naturally she figures out a way to do BOTH!
*** SPOILERS!!!***
...
Alright! I warned you.
...
I'd Tell You That I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You is a little different...
Not much...It follows the same basic pattern.
But in the end, she decides between the two...and she leaves the boy. It still wasn't an easy decision for her. Or rather, it wasn't a painless decision.
And her mom/Headmistress of Gallagher Academy/Amazing Spy...knew. The whole time.
...
...
Ok. You're good now....
...
***SPOILERS***
What I really love about the Gallagher Girls series (besides the properly used spy lingo and trade-craft terminology) is the quiet diversity. All of the girls are different. They're unique, they're flawed...
I also love the fact that this book has no "girl-hate"
An all girl school? A lot of authors would have made A LOT of the drama based off the girls. There is some mild drama (obviously) but that's more along the lines of "prickly new girl is rooming with us" sort of thing.
And it isn't resolved by her quitting, leaving, getting kicked out...
I won't say how (since I already left my happy little spoilers above)...but I really loved these stories.
And even after four years, after all the spy books I've read (fictional and non-fictional) I still love them.
-MK
The spoiler will be marked though, if you want to skim past the huge warning sign here. When you get to the ***SPOILERS!!!*** sign, just skip on past to the ***END SPOILERS***
...
Apparently, not everyone has read The Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter.
...
...
...
Which I suppose means I've been doing a terrible job.
...
...
...
I first read I'd Tell You That I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You in 2016.
Four long years ago.
At the time, while I loved books and read as many as I could get my hands on, I wasn't reading as many books as I do now. I wasn't a blogger or even a reader of blogs. I didn't have a thousand new books on my TBR pile. I basically just read whatever was lying around the house or what happened to be stocked at the library.
Since I read the Gallagher Girls (And let's be honest...probably BECAUSE of the Gallagher Girls) I've fallen in love with the Cold War Era and Spy novels.
Out of the 34 books I've read this year, 9 have been spy novels. (And that is not counting novels that involve spies/people spying.)
Spy novels tend to have a pretty set pattern.
Spy is going about their life peacefully but in boredom/ spy is calmly going through a "boring" "standard" (but highly dangerous) mission.
Spy gets attacked/called in to HQ
Spy gets new mission and their story begins. They figure out who the bad guy is...they hunt him down...They kill/capture him.
In YA Spy novels (at least the ones about girls) the big drama usually circles around a boy.
A civilian boy! *Horrified gasp*
How could she do such a thing? She is forced to juggle her spy life and her "normal" life. (And of course she manages to hide this from her spy parents/supervisors) AND THEN SHE MUST MAKE A DECISION! She has to chose between them!
But naturally she figures out a way to do BOTH!
*** SPOILERS!!!***
...
Alright! I warned you.
...
I'd Tell You That I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You is a little different...
Not much...It follows the same basic pattern.
But in the end, she decides between the two...and she leaves the boy. It still wasn't an easy decision for her. Or rather, it wasn't a painless decision.
And her mom/Headmistress of Gallagher Academy/Amazing Spy...knew. The whole time.
...
...
Ok. You're good now....
...
***SPOILERS***
What I really love about the Gallagher Girls series (besides the properly used spy lingo and trade-craft terminology) is the quiet diversity. All of the girls are different. They're unique, they're flawed...
I also love the fact that this book has no "girl-hate"
An all girl school? A lot of authors would have made A LOT of the drama based off the girls. There is some mild drama (obviously) but that's more along the lines of "prickly new girl is rooming with us" sort of thing.
And it isn't resolved by her quitting, leaving, getting kicked out...
I won't say how (since I already left my happy little spoilers above)...but I really loved these stories.
And even after four years, after all the spy books I've read (fictional and non-fictional) I still love them.
-MK
The Gallagher Girls series!!! *fangirling* I'm currently reading the last one (United We Spy), and oh my word, I LOVE them so much! I have found a new favorite series *heart eyes*.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! :D
DID YOU HEAR SHE'S COMING OUT WITH A PREQUEL SOON? ABOUT WHEN BEX AND LIZ AND CAMMIE ALL MET???
DeleteWAIT REALLY???? YES!! :D :D ahhh, can't wait! <3 <3
DeleteGuess I have to read it now! ;)
ReplyDeleteThey're so good :)
DeleteAnd if you don't read it, I'll just keep desperately posting about the series. :P
*sigh* Ah the feels. I want to do a re-read this summer and maybe blog about it. You interested???
ReplyDeleteLilah
YAS!!!!!
DeleteHi. I haven't read these so I don't know what to say, but I wanted to make my presence known.
ReplyDeleteBye. 😂
That you're going to read the ASAP?
DeleteYou'd love them! And they'd be perfect for a nice little break when you need a recharge from working on your book!
How is it coming, btw?
Ivie!!!! You have to read them!! They are so good!!!!
DeleteI didn't see this until now. Sorry. I am sending my book to my editor July 6th!!!!!!!
Delete