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

I remember reading this series a few years ago. But like my re-reading habits, I had the urge to read it, and couldn't stop until I finished the whole book. To sum everything up, this is a really fun read, for when you want to escape to a whole different world.

Here, the focus is on teen spies. You might think "Alex Rider", but there's none of the danger in the Alex Rider books here. Instead, it's focused on the training of these (very smart) teen girls. In short, it's more fun than action.

Cammie, the protagonist, happens to be the headmistress's daughter. And through a series of events, she meets -gasp- a normal boy. But seeing as she doesn't know how to deal with boys (having lived in an all-girls school from young), she and her friends (with some help from the new girl Macey), apply their spy skills to helping develope their relationship.

To me, it's pretty ingenious how the spy concept was used to amplify and parody the actions of girls when they have a crush. To Cammie and her friends, going through his trash (after learning about it in Covert Operations class) to find out more about him is normal. As the reader, we're inclined to think this is over-the-top. But it not only shows how clueless they are, it reminds me of how girls will use anything as evidence to analyse a guy (something which I've been helping my friends do since I came here :D ). The actions might be exagerated, but the feelings aren't (I am, however, keeping this book away from my friend in case she gets inspired by their actions).

Characterwise, they have a bunch of predictable but entertaining characters. I especially love Liz, the genius girl (who is sometimes a bit blur). The dynamics in the group work really well. (As a side note, I realise most books have the same type of characters, but it's this that makes the book entertaining. It'd be boring for books to contain the same types of characters).

Plot-wise, it's ok. Not exciting, more of the teenage drama stuff (with a twist). I can't say that the romance felt very believable (Cammie is inclined to gush too much), but it was, at the very least, cute. I preferred to read about the world of a secret spy school more than the developing romance between Cammie and Josh.