I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1)

When I picked this book up, I didn't know what to expect. I almost left it in the library. I'm so glad that I didn't!

I first picked up ITYILY because of Dot Hutchinson. She reviewed the entire series on her blog, and I figured, "Hey, if she likes it, I guess it can't be that bad." My little sister also loves the series, but that doesn't hold much weight with me. She's fifteen and our tastes in books are polar opposites (excluding very important exceptions such as Hunger Games and The Thief). My sister's obsession with Cammie Morgan came in handy, however, because it meant I could appease my curiosity without spending a dime.

Cammie is a spy-in-training at a super-secret spy school, Gallagher Academy for Girls. It's like every other super-exclusive boarding school, except for the secret passageways, the sign outside the dining hall that sets the language spoken for the day (anything from American English to Mandarin Chinese or Farsi), the electrified sword that routinely sets inquisitive seventh-graders on fire, and the fact that every student is a certified genius.

At a school like that, surprises are sort of expected, except Cammie usually knows at least some of the secrets ahead of time. After all, her mom's the headmistress. Only her mom didn't bother to mention the new Covert Ops professor, Joe Solomon, or the fact that he obviously has some sort of history with Cammie's mom, or the fact that he's smokin' hot.

A hot single male in a building full of teenage girls can cause a lot of buzz, even if that buzz travels around in seventeen different languages. The only thing that could make a bigger buzz is Macey McHenry, the spoiled daughter of Senator McHenry and the newest girl in school. To Cammie's chagrin, her mom decides to stick Macey in with Cammie and her roommates, brainiac (even by Gallagher standards) Liz and in-your-face Brit Bex.

Suffice to say Cammie has enough on her plate when Solomon sends her, Liz, and Bex out on a "mission" for class. As bona fide chameleon or "pavement artist," Covert Ops should be right up Cammie's alley. She can follow anyone anywhere without being noticed.

Except she is noticed. By a boy. A normal, non-spy boy named Josh who thinks she's just another normal, non-spy girl.

Quicker than a roundhouse kick to the face, Cammie finds herself in a real-life mission. Her objective: to decode said boy's "Boy Language" messages (both verbal and non-verbal), exercise her chameleon skills to take on the befuddling role of "normal girl," and, above all, not get caught by her mom.

What a fun book. I mean, really, it's very fun. This isn't a terribly deep book, nor terribly twisty, despite being about spies. There are some surprises, but nothing that will make you drop your jaw and go "Holy cow!" It has the light, fluffy taste of cotton candy with the munchability factor of popcorn. Despite telling myself that it was "just okay," I found myself eager to return to see what would happen next.

The front of my sister's book proudly proclaims that the ITYILY has been optioned by Disney (which means someday it may be coming to a screen near you), which makes sense to me. It totally felt like a Disney movie, in the best possible way. The professors are crazy in a non-threatening way (I heart you, Mr. Moskowitz), and the girls are charmingly boisterous in a way only fifteen-year-olds could pull off. I laughed out loud when Cammie started freaking out that Macey could decipher the mysterious language known as Boy, because it was all so over-the-top yet incredibly like how I remembered my awkward younger years. Boys are weird, y'all.

Sure, there are a couple minor things that bugged me. The book is supposedly Cammie's official report to her mother but included far more extraneous personal detail that a spy would ever put in a report... or a teenager would tell her mom. Seemed to me like there was a better way for the author to frame the narrative. Some of Cammie's more outrageous claims (mom allegedly killed a man with only a People magazine) grew a bit old. Also, there were some moments where I had to suspend disbelief (just wait 'til you get to the scene with the ropes and Josh's roof and...), but I maintain that these moments are what would make the book a great Disney movie.

All in all, a surprising yet pleasant experience. I've already torn my way through the second book and am eagerly awaiting the next two (see, I have this little thing called work that disallows me from reading 24/7).

***Points Added For: Non-dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship, homeschoolers (even if it's just a cover), a female rival who isn't a total you-know, giddy teen girls who balance the line between amusing and twee, an unexpected resolution.

***Points Subtracted For: A girl named Dee-Dee who dots her i's with hearts, full sentences in German and French that are never translated, Roseville's unsatisfyingly explained hatred for Gallagher Academy.

***Good For Fans Of: Heist Society also by Ally Carter, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (so says Amazon), Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (so says my sister).

***Points For Parents: One d-word and one implied b-word, some lying to authority figures.

Cammie is a chameleon, she blends into the crowd without being noticed. This is the way she likes it since it's never good for a spy to be noticed. She's known all her life that her destiny was to become a spy like her parents and now she's out to prove it to everyone. Starting off at the elite all girls spy school that her mother runs makes this book exciting and will have you turning pages until the very end. The characters are all unique and really show the true meaning of sisterhood when Cammie gets into a bind. A great book to kick start an awesome series! I can't wait for the 5th book to be released to find out what happens next!

Reader reviewed by emma

Cammie is an average girl who if you met on the street you wouldn't think twice about. She is the very definition of average. At least thats what it appears. Cammie is actaully a genius who go to an all girls school for spys. But unless you had high enough clearece you like everyone in the near town of Roseivelt would think it was just a boarding school for privilaged girls.

While studing for the life she is destined to live she mets a normal boy who thinks shes a normal girl. Now Cammie and her three roommates must do eveything in their power to keep her relationship a secret. Cammie must decide between destiny and true love.

Ally Carter puts a new twist on the classic tale of forbiddied love in in this savvy novel that had me grinning like an idiot laughing out loud and making me feel like a Gallagher girl.

Reader reviewed by Lilibeth

Cammie Morgan is not your ordinary girl-next-door, though she may look it. Cammie Morgan is a spy-in-training at The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Where girl-geniuses roam, The Gallagher Academy is the most high-tech, place-of-knowledge in the United States. From the grade of seven, The Gallagher Girls are tested at every turn and are expected to be prepared for what comes at them. During her first Coverts Operation, Cammie is unexpectedly flabbergasted by the fact that she has been spotted--and not by The Subject she was assigned to dutifully keep surveillance on. That is when Cammie realizes that she has a whole other test, operation, experiment that is hers to accomplish, no matter how unskillful in the subject. One that doesn't exist inside the containment of The Gallagher Academy's walls. One that is going to take all of her roommate's help.
Josh.

Can I just say that there is probably not another novel out there that has a title as accurate as I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You--the book, not the title. This debut novel was something very different from my collection of urban fantasies and paranormal trilogies. They did not prepare me for the boy-challenged genius Gallagher Girls. Though, to my surprise, the novel captivated me from the first few pages to the unexpected last ones. I'll have to admit that there were parts where I had to put it down because I knew the next event was going to be a bit mind-blowing--or hilarious, which I enjoyed; but, in the end that was a good thing. Albeit, thinking at times that there could have been more details about the girls, but what was supplied was enough to satisfy to the very end. The creative details of all the Academy's gadgets and secret passageways were impressive and so unprecedented that you do not see it coming. That's not just about the material things at The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, the girls will shock you with their knowledge--or with Tasers, whichever the situation demands best. I applaud Ally Carter for her creativeness and courage to bring to the YA community something I am sure must have been top secret. Seriously, the ending was so well-planned and -plotted that, in the end, I was amazed. Though, as a reviewer of YA novels, I have to say that this really is a new taste for me and I'm still testing out the flavor. I recommend this YA read to fellow reader of the age, to try something of variety for once and check out The Gallagher Girls; you will be impressed, I know I was.

Reader reviewed by Chioma

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You is a book worth reading. It is about this all girls spy acadamy disguised as a snot noise rich girls private school. The main character Cammie not only a student at the acadamy but is also the deans daughter. One day on what they would call a practice mission for the first time Cammie notices that a guy is actually notices her. At first she dismisses it as her imagination but when she tells her friends they have a different opinion of the situation. When he is all checked out Cammie and this boy make a date. Now she has to deal with her biggest mission ever. Keeping her spy life and her love life seperate. This is definately a great read.

Reader reviewed by Rin

Cammie. a student at the Gallagher Academy, the spy academy for girls. They study things like secret operations, 14 languages and assimilation into other cultures/settings.

Things start to get shaken up when Cammie falls in love with a civilan by the name of Josh. And no way can she reveal her identidy to him.

Besides that, there's also the relationship that Cammie has with her headmistress mother and her grief for her father who died while on an important spy mission.

Trying to keep her identidy secret, and desiring to get closer to Josh leave Cammie torn and her hiding her identidy leads to a funny humourous plot that teens will love.

I'd reccommend this book for a good evening of reading and you'll be sure to want to read the next one.

Reader reviewed by Natalie

Cammie Morgan is your typical student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. She takes the same classes, and she has the same ambition: to become a spy. Under the guise of a school for rich geniuses, the Gallagher Academy is really a spy academy for exceptional young women. who do have martial arts black belts, are fluent in fourteen languages, and are expert in hacking into almost anything.
Sophomore year is when the students start their first field work, in Covert Operations class. Cammie and her friends are thrilled that they're finally getting real experience.Cammie is also known as Chameleon because she is very good at not being seen which is perfect for being a spy. Then something goes wrong. Cammie takes on a covert operation of her own.

Out one night on a mission someone sees her. Not just anyone...a boy and falls for him. Unable to tell him who she really is, she uses all her skills to track him and accidently-on-purpose bump into him. But is that enough? In a school where final exams involve being kidnapped, Cammie is about to get her most challenging assignment: transforming herself into a normal girl to date a normal boy.

Reader reviewed by linda

Imagine you went to an exclusive private school where you learn every language in the world, how to kill someone with a piece of uncooked spaghetti, and how to track someone through a carnival. This is Gallagher Academy for Gifted girls, gifted girls who become spies. What they forget to teach you about is how to deal with guys so when Cammie, a student at Gallagher, meets a totally cute guy who is interested in her she freaks out! Now the girls are rummaging through his garbage and breaking into his house to find out more. It's not your usual love story but it's quite cute and a good read.