Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

Cammie couldn’t be more excited to visit her roommate Macey McHenry in Boston to watch the official nomination of the presidential and vice presidential candidates. But Cammie’s end of summer turns out to be a little too exciting when Macey is nearly kidnapped. As the new school year at Gallagher Academy starts up, Cammie can’t forget what happened in Boston. She’s just not the same anymore, not after an attack like that. She can’t shake the feeling of how close the girls were to losing to their assailants. But Cammie is not one to go down without a fight, and when the threat against Macey becomes realer than ever, she knows she must take matters into her own hands. With the help of her best friends Bex and Liz, Cammie sets out to learn the truth of why Macey is being pursued—but the truth may be more twisted and personal that Cammie is prepared for.

I just loved Carter’s I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You and Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy. Those spy stories are full of flirty fun and awesome spy tricks, but while those may be better classified as “guilty pleasures” or “romances,” there is no doubt that Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover is a thriller. Carter takes her spy stories to the next level in this novel by embroiling the Gallagher girls in a mysterious plot. There isn’t as much flirting and romance in here as there is espionage, sneaking around, secrets, and danger. I have to say I really like this change. The boy escapades were fun, but adding in danger that’s closer to home for the Gallagher girls greatly helped develop particularly Cammie’s character. I immensely enjoyed this super spy novel and look forward to the continuation of the Gallagher girls’ spy adventures.

Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover will be enjoyed by fans of its two prequels, I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You and Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy as well as by those who liked Model Spy by Shannon Greenland and the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from personal collection