Spies Like Me

4.7

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Author(s)

Doug Solter

Genre(s)

YA Thriller

Age Range

13+

Release Date

October 04, 2016

ISBN13

9780998146607

ISBN10 or ASIN

Can she bring these girls together? When she discovers her father's plane crash wasn't an accident, sixteen year old Emma wants to punish those responsible. Even if it means becoming a spy. The mysterious organization known simply as The Authority wants Emma to join The Gems. This team of all-girl spies knows how to handle themselves on dangerous missions...like stopping an evil plan to incinerate the world's food supply. Meet The Gems... Olivia, code-named Emerald, is seventeen years old. Half English and half Jamaican. Specializes in leadership, marksmanship, and is a rated pilot. Miyuki, code-named Ruby, is sixteen and from Okinawa, Japan. She specializes in gymnastics and martial arts. Trained in jungle survival and deep sea diving. Once blew up her boyfriend's motorcycle using a rocket launcher. Nadia, code-named Sapphire, is sixteen and from Saudi Arabia. She's a science and computer nerd. Nadia's zero-gravity school agriculture project created interest from NASA. Emma, code-named Black Opal, is a transplant from New York City who specializes in high school theater and shopping. The Authority thinks Emma is the missing link to make this team work. Emma thinks The Authority is her only chance for revenge. Spies Like Me is the first book in The Gems Young Adult spy series that features fast-paced action, crazy thrills, girl-power bonding, International intrigue, and a touch of romance. Think Gallagher Girls meet Jason Bourne. If you like culturally-diverse characters, fun dialogue, cool spy gadgets, and a romance with a complex boy to figure out, then the first book in Doug Solter's exciting new spy series is for you.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

A delightful YA romp

May 20, 2017 (Updated: May 20, 2017)

Overall rating

4.7

Writing Style

N/A

Plot

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Characters

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The story:

Despite living a life of privilege, sixteen-year-old Emma Rothchild has known her share of tragedy. She lost her mother several years before, and more recently, her father. Determined to solve the mystery behind the mysterious plane crash that claimed her father’s life, she soon finds herself thrown into a life of danger and intrigue.

Recruited by the enigmatic Mrs. B into a clandestine organization known as The Authority, Emma is assigned to a team of highly-skilled, racially diverse teens called The Gems. She undergoes rigorous training in fighting skills, and voom, she’s off, hoping to uncover the circumstances behind her father’s death … but that is just the tip of a very nasty iceberg.

What I loved:

This story is extremely fast-paced, barely pausing for breath as Emma and her new friends hop continents several times. The action scenes are very well-realized, and the buildup of tension as the book progressed was admirable. Having grown up on James Bond movies and Charlie’s Angels, reading Spies Like Me made me harken back to those days when international espionage and taking down megalomaniacal bad guys seemed like an awesome career path.

However, the author never lets you forget that the main characters are teenage girls. Despite their varied (and impressive) skill sets, they have all the foibles girls that age typically have. There is plenty of lighthearted humor, usually in the rare moments between action scenes and plot devices that kept the story moving.

I suspect that this story was not meant to be taken terribly seriously, though, and the parallels to classic Bond films are evident, but then again, this book’s target demographic are probably too young to have seen those films anyway, so it’s all good.

What I didn’t love:

There were times when the dialogue, usually from the story’s villains, became a little OTT and cheesy. In addition, the fast pace of the book came at the expense of any real character development. The relationship between Emma and her teammates – Nadia, Olivia, and Miyuki (my favorite secondary character) – barely has time to develop, and we are told very little about their past lives beyond what you might find in a dossier. I hope that in future books in this series, the author gives these vital characters more depth.

My Final Verdict:

I’ve not read many YA espionage thrillers, but I’m fast becoming a fan. Spies Like Me is a fun, entertaining romp that will delight young readers who are fans of action thrillers. Emma is a strong enough character to carry the story, and readers (especially girls) will like her and want to keep turning pages.