I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

This debut novel launches Cammie Morgan’s spy-school saga with flair. Cammie—genius linguist and covert ops prodigy—faces her toughest mission yet: navigating normal teenage life when she starts falling for Josh, an everyday boy who doesn’t belong in her secret world. Ally Carter’s fast-paced writing, witty chapters, and clever blend of spy action and teenage angst make it irresistible. Students love the mix of code-breaking, undercover missions, and sweet romance—all framed by Cammie’s strong voice and internal struggle. It’s perfect for readers who want a little danger with their drama. The success of later books shows just how hooked readers get after this one!

I love spy stuff. My favorite superhero is Black Widow. I grew up watching reruns of the original Charlie’s Angels. I’m obsessed with all things espionage. So happening to come across this book in a lousy old Goodwill that day (I have a whole story for this day btw) seemed to be fate.

I loved it, and I wish so bad that I could attend the Gallagher Academy (despite the fact that I’ve graduated already). Though I wish it was a bit heavier on the espionage, easier on the romance. If there’s gotta be romance, I hope there’s a Mr. and Mrs. Smith-esque feel to it.

Cammie was kinda annoying at first, but I grew to love her. She definitely deserves better than Josh. I want to see Macey developed more, I feel like other than her show more introduction we barely got to see her in this book. Bex and Liz, unfortunately, I could really care less about. I hope they get some good development too, though.

Otherwise, this was great and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

(Goodwill: A man tried to steal a fold out table- more specifically the table that my mom had already taken the tag off to purchase at the register. He tried to physically fight me, my mom, and the store’s manager so he could get out of the store with the table. I don’t know if he was drunk or on drugs or what. Needless to say, the security had to escort him out kicking and screaming. We got our table in the end. That was a wild day.) show less

It’s time to go undercover with book one of Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls (which also happens to have one of the longest book titles I’ve come across), I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You.

What I Loved

Girl Power: …and a LOT of it. Knowing how to rappel off roof-tops, take out enemy combatants (as part of a class final exam), and how to kill with a ketchup bottle, are skills I think every girl should know! It was so cool reading about the Gallagher Academy classes and seeing these highly intelligent teens putting their lessons into action. However, some of them REALLY need those Driver’s Ed classes they’re taking.

Love As A Covert Op: The way Cammie and her friends treated a relationship with Josh as a show more covert operation had me laughing out loud. Completing deep background checks, placing a tracker in his shoe, hacking into his emails, and everything else the girls did to determine if Josh should be treated as the “enemy” or a possible love interest was hysterical. Of course, I’m not condoning this in real life (can you say “stalker”?), but it was sure funny in the context of this story. What was just as humorous was the girls’ reaction when they realized they had been trained for absolutely everything – except dealing with boys.

What I Liked

Josh and Cammie: What a pair – the ordinary boy and the extraordinary girl. I liked the chemistry between these two, and the confusion Cammie felt every time she was around Josh. I think any girl can relate to being discombobulated around a boy she finds adorable, but seeing Cammie acting so professional and cool with her spy skills and then a complete wreck around Josh was hugely entertaining. And when a forklift got involved in a relationship discussion in the exciting finale, I couldn’t stop laughing (I’m STILL laughing about it).

Cammie’s Team: I adored all The Gallagher Girls with their various strengths and quirks. If I had to pick a favorite, though, I’d have to go with Liz, the genius-level klutz of the bunch. Any time she attempted field work (or basically just walked into a room) it was a disaster waiting to happen; that she hasn’t already killed herself or someone else with her lack of coordination is a miracle. Running a close second was Macey McHenry, senator’s daughter and “bad girl,” who was the only one able to speak “boy” and became the team’s consultant on all things romance-wise. Brilliant!

Story Format: Several sections of the book are set up like an official report being submitted by Cammie about her ongoing “operation” involving Josh. Referring to herself and her friends as The Operatives, explaining the mission objective and the steps taken – with humorous asides throughout – was cute and clever. I had to laugh as I read a serious “official” passage and then it switched to Cammie’s internal thoughts. This format was a fun change from more linear narratives and was perfectly appropriate for the tale.

What I Didn’t Like

The Ending: With a quick, throw-away comment from Josh in the final chapter, I get the feeling he and Cammie will not be continuing their relationship in future books – which is a shame. I hope I’m wrong, because I’d really love to follow a relationship between a normal guy and an extraordinary girl trying to make adjustments for those Gallagher Girl assignments. Other than the possibility of no Josh in future installments, however, I can’t complain.

Conclusion

With its mix of action, humor, romance and girl power, Ally Carter has started her Gallagher Girls series off with flair. I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You is an extremely entertaining read that takes a teenage spy’s first romantic crush down a VERY interesting path into unknown territory – the suburbs. Fun all the way! show less

The Great Gallagher Girls Reread

A few years ago I found myself in the predicament of having nothing to read. This can either be the best or the worst situation to find yourself in, depending on the circumstances. Mine was about the middle of the road. I was 14, had some pocket money and was wandering through the book department at Target (they have a somewhat limited selection). I chanced upon I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You, the first of the Gallagher Girls series. Fastforward to today, the sixth and final book has been released and I have bought the five books in the series I didn't already own and am revisiting Cammie and her friends to see how it all ends.

There is one main word that comes to mind when I am show more describing this book: fun . I have always found The Gallagher Girls such an enjoyable read and I have narrowed it down to two predominant aspects. The first is that it takes place at boarding school (the Gallagher Academy). I have always wanted to go to boarding school, since I started reading stories where the main character goes away to school and has a roommate and goes to class where she lives and gets into mischief and has adventures. From Malory Towers to Hogwarts, I have always had an obsession with the idea of boarding school and always wanted to go to 'see what it was like', as I told my parents who never caught on to the idea. The second aspect is SPIES. Badass, kick your ass, teenage girl spies (in training). At the boarding school. Where they take classes such as Covert Operations and Protections & Enforcement. You can say it sounds far fetched all you like, but I think it sounds awesome and that's why it appealed to my 14 year old self and why it still appeals to my 20 year old self today.

In this first installment, we are introduced to Cammie 'The Chameleon' Morgan whose mother is the headmistress of the Gallagher Academy and whose father was killed on assignment. It is not a normal life and Cammie is not a normal teenage girl, and neither are her friends. The school is an all girls school, with little opportunity for interaction with *gasp* those other kinds of humans....boys! So when Cammie meets one who thinks she's just your average teenager and who is showing some interest in her, she's way out of her depth. He can never know what she is. And yet, the promise of being normal draws her in and she is left with some tough choices to make.

I feel like my own summary of the book doesn't do it enough justice. The dialogue between characters and also inside Cammie's head was witty and funny, and I especially enjoyed her 'real history lessons' where a Gallagher Girl was involved in almost everything you know about and stuff you don't. I loved her relationship with her friends and how important she realised it was. The gadgets were cool, the classes sound heaps better than mine and I found I enjoyed this just as much at 20 as I did at 14. Bear in mind when you do read this that it is the point of view of a fifteen year old, written for fifteen year olds, and be careful not to expect a literary masterpiece - and you might just enjoy it. The four star rating I first gave it still stands. Bring on book 2! show less

I think that overall, this may be more like 3.5 stars but it kept me amused and made me laugh several times so I'll give it 4 stars for that! [b:I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You|852470|I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls, #1)|Ally Carter|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275627200s/852470.jpg|1008494] is a fun and light book about a school for female spies. I love the idea behind the book and was really excited to get started on it.

This book is full of strong, independent girls who can look after themselves. Not really something you see all too often in young adult literature, sadly! That's certainly what I liked most about this book and what makes me want to continue on with show more this series. I liked Cammie at times but she did such stupid things at other times! Cammie's friends, teachers and her mother were great characters and I really look forward to getting to know them more.

It wasn't all great though. A few portions of the book were so incredibly boring I have to wonder why they were even in there! It would just drag for about twenty pages but it did always pick up pace again. However, it was light and entertaining and not a bad start at all to the series. I'm very interested in reading book two! show less

I picked this book to read because I really like the covers and I got most of the sequels at an event my city was having. I have it, but I read it as an ebook I checked out from the local library so I could read in bed without having to get up and turn off the lights when I finished.

I didn't know the overall premise, beyond that the prep school the main character attends was special in some way. Finally read it and I'm glad I did. This isn't a hard or long book to read. I finished it in about 2 hours. I stayed up late just to read it in one sitting, which wasn't too hard because it was very enjoyable. I have to admit that it wasn't the greatest book ever and I'm hoping that the series will get better the farther in I go. Its show more interesting but it lacks a certain pizzazz, a je ne sais quoi element. The variety of characters was good and they were all distinguishable. Cammie was a rather strong lead. Her friends are funny and a good team for her to have.

I liked the relationship aspect to a point. I liked the idea of it and I liked the guy, but the execution felt lackluster. My favorite part about him was his name (my boyfriend's name is Josh). The Josh in this book seems like a pretty sweet guy, but I never really felt like the relationship went anywhere overall or got very deep, maybe because of the circumstances that Cammie is under and the role she is portraying. That could definitely be a part of it, causing a general disconnect. I really want this aspect of the story to be strengthened in the next book and I hope this doesn't fall apart in the empty space/time continuum between books, like the movies Aliens and Alien3.

Overall I liked the book, but I am expecting a lot more from the sequels and I'm hoping the romantic aspect will also be done better, if it is kept. A quick, enjoyable summer read. show less

I kept putting off reading this book because I had so many other young adult fantasy/romance books on my list. Then, I read that Ally Carter got the inspiration to write the Gallagher Girls books from the TV show Alias, I HAD to start the series. I love strong, spy type of characters that can hold their own as CIA, FBI, or whatever secret style, kick rears and take names kind of descriptions that follow. Just plain, 'ol AWESOME! Oh, I wish I was a Gallagher legacy!

I'm typically more of a fantasy reader, but this book drew me in until the end. The main character Cammie and her sidekicks Bex, Liz, and the delinquent heiress Macey are fun to get to know. I would love to have Bex as my best friend. She is tough, yet funny at the same time. show more Liz would probably get on my nerves, being the know it all, black and white type, but she rounds the team out well. Everyone knows a good spy team needs a geek. Macey is the late comer to the team. She is a black sheep type, but will surprise you as the story unfolds. Minor characters that I hope to learn more about are Cammie's mother, the gorgeous Ex-CIA agent and current Head Mistress of the Academy, and the new Covert Operation teacher, Mr. Solomon. He too is a gorgeous ex-CIA agent. Both of these two were seen dancing at a local event and I'm wondering if things will evolve for these two gorgeous people. I also wonder if this will be OK with Cammie? She and her mother both still mourn the death of her father, who went missing during a mission.

While the girls are learning CoveOps this fall semester, Cammie meets a local boy. The girls team up, practicing their skills to make sure he is safe for Cammie to date. The antics they get into while surveilling Josh made me laugh. One of my favorite scenes is where they are almost caught inside Josh's house, try to repel out the window while Liz the Geek gets tangled up in her cables. This is what Cammie says about it: Behind Josh, Bex must have fixed Liz's cable, because I heard the whizzing sound of two people in near free fall and then the clanging of someone landing in a pile of metal trash cans. Thankfully, Josh thinks it's raccoons. I also like how Cammie views herself while spying on Josh:

This is probably a pretty good time to point out that while it may appear that I was lurking-I wasn't. Lurking is what creepy guys with random facial hair and stains on their shirts do. Geniuses with three years of top secret spy training don't lurk- we surveil.

Ahh, teenage, genius, stalker, rationalization. I love it!

Suffice to say, the book takes us through how Cammie sneaks around and dates Josh without anyone except her friends knowing. She knows that what she is doing could be dangerous for the Academy, but the attraction to be with Josh proves too much to resist. Cammie turns out to be a really good covert ops girlfriend, almost making a success of the relationship, although she has had to create a whole different persona just to be with him. They don't call her the Chameleon for nothing. But, when things get out of control and her cover is almost blown, Cammie has do something is that is really hard for her.

The climax of the story is so much fun to read. I won't give too much away, but it involves CovertOps, the team, retrieving a disk, Mr. Solomon on the opposing side, and...Josh. The ending of the book leaves you satisfied with Cammie and her team, but in a world of unknown for the future of Cammie and Josh.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a breathe of fresh reading for me and a very nice change from fantasy. I would say, The Gallegher Girls is like a Tom Clancy novel at the teen level. Since I love the Jack Ryan series of Clancy, that's a huge compliment. This is a great YA spy read! show less