★★★彡
Summary:
Which is more dangerous: being an international spy... or surviving high school?
Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world's premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it's three digits, why bother locking it at all?)
But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she's attending a private school with hundreds of "mean girl" wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school's elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat... all while trying not to blow her cover.
From the hilarious and poignant author of Audrey, Wait! comes a fast-paced caper that proves that even the world's greatest spies don't have a mission plan for love
Summary:
Which is more dangerous: being an international spy... or surviving high school?
Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world's premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it's three digits, why bother locking it at all?)
But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she's attending a private school with hundreds of "mean girl" wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school's elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat... all while trying not to blow her cover.
From the hilarious and poignant author of Audrey, Wait! comes a fast-paced caper that proves that even the world's greatest spies don't have a mission plan for love
After reading a 5 stars review of this novel by critic I respect, I was expecting to love this book. Sometimes, however, my personal preferences came into play and gave me a different impression form her's. For her, this book deserves 5 stars, but the two things that bothered me annoyed me a lot. I want to say that this really is up to personal opinion, so yo might want to check out her review if you are considering reading this novel. It is always a possibility that maybe the things that bother me about this book would not bother you.
I actually considered stopping about halfway through. I was not into the story and could not get myself to like the main character. The story felt a bit too general for me. I felt like I had read this story a million times. It actually reminded me quite a bit of School Spirits, except in AKA the main character is a spy, and in School Spirits the main character hunts and gets rid of supernatural evils. There was not much that surprised me, there wasn't much action, and I was bored out of my mind. I am glad I kept reading, because the book gets really good at the end. I wish the entire novel had been more like the last quarter.
I mentioned I disliked the main character. I thought she was an idiot, and could not believe she was raised a spy with the amount of foolish mistakes she was making. Now that I look back, I can see that she makes those mistakes because she has been placed in a situation she has never been in before, and she doesn't know how to act.
Maggie is socially inept when it comes to friendships and romance.
I actually considered stopping about halfway through. I was not into the story and could not get myself to like the main character. The story felt a bit too general for me. I felt like I had read this story a million times. It actually reminded me quite a bit of School Spirits, except in AKA the main character is a spy, and in School Spirits the main character hunts and gets rid of supernatural evils. There was not much that surprised me, there wasn't much action, and I was bored out of my mind. I am glad I kept reading, because the book gets really good at the end. I wish the entire novel had been more like the last quarter.
I mentioned I disliked the main character. I thought she was an idiot, and could not believe she was raised a spy with the amount of foolish mistakes she was making. Now that I look back, I can see that she makes those mistakes because she has been placed in a situation she has never been in before, and she doesn't know how to act.
Maggie is socially inept when it comes to friendships and romance.
“And to be honest, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do now that we had made out. Should I text? Was I supposed to send a thank-you note or something?”
Are you kidding me? I think even if you have never been kissed before, you would know not to send a thank-you note to the guy you made out with! And sometimes she made the stupidest comments that made me want to harm my book (which I never would because books are precious).
“He kept smirking in his smirky way.”
Uh. Wow. Very informative, thanks.
And, you know how I was talking about her not being such a great spy?
And, you know how I was talking about her not being such a great spy?
“This is difficult, okay? It requires a little precision. I’m safecracking a person. I gotta figure out the code before I’m in.”
“Honey, we need to get this information as soon as possible—”
“I know!” I cried. “You think I don’t know that? I’m very aware that this whole thing is on me, thank you very much.”
“Margaret.”
“Sorry,” I said immediately. “Look, I can do this. I can do this better than anyone because I am a spy, okay? I am a great spy and—and something is licking me.”
There was a definite wetness on my calf and I glanced down to see a huge, shaggy golden retriever pushing his nose against my leg, then giving me a big doggie grin. I had seen this dog somewhere before, and I looked from the dog to his leash to his very cute owner.
Oh, no, I suddenly realized, my heartbeat flying into overdrive. Oh no, oh no, oh no.
“So,” Jesse Oliver said, “what’s this about being a great spy?”
You probably shouldn't be shouting into the phone about how you are a spy out in the open where anybody could hear you. I understand that most people would not believe this, because, duh, it's not like spies actually exist (or so we think?), but if I were a spy, I would be a lot more careful.
In the end, it doesn't really end up mattering, but I still think she could have (should have) kept the "I'm a spy" secret a little better.
In the end, it doesn't really end up mattering, but I still think she could have (should have) kept the "I'm a spy" secret a little better.
If those two things don't annoy you as much as they annoyed me, you will probably love this book. I actually quite liked it, and would have given it more stars if I hadn't had wanted to punch Maggie in the face there for a few (okay, a lot) chapters.
But then there's the good.
I quite liked the relationships between the characters. I loved Maggie's parents, and their interactions did not fail to make me laugh.
I quite liked the relationships between the characters. I loved Maggie's parents, and their interactions did not fail to make me laugh.
“[W]hen it came to Jesse Oliver, I was suspicious.
“He’s a delinquent!” I yelled out to my parents. “He was arrested for shoplifting last year!”
No response.
“I just want you to know that I’m going to be hanging out with someone who has a criminal record!” I cried.
“Let’s not forget that our family can never reenter Luxembourg without being arrested!” my dad yelled back.
Touché.”
I agree with Khanh (the reviewer I mentioned earlier) that it was great to see the parents learn how to be parents of a high school girl as Maggie starts to act like a teenager for the first time in her life. She has been kept away from people her age her entire life (due to the three of them being spies, not because they are terrible parents), so she's got a lot to learn.
“I sat back in my chair and sighed. “I have to seduce someone,” I announced to my parents. “High school is already destroying my moral code and I haven’t even set foot on the campus yet.”
My mom peeked at my dossier. “I think ‘befriend’ is the word you’re looking for,” she said after a minute.
Sometimes she’s no fun.”
Maggie's parents are awesome, and they genuinely care for her and her safety. Their freak outs are to be expected, since they have no previous experience with any of this, but they are also relevant to the story line (I'm not going to give the plot away, but trust me on it!).
“Do you have any idea how worried we were?!”
The confrontation had moved from the front door into the kitchen, where I could see remnants of my dad’s stress eating habit: a crust of toast and a smear of jelly on a plate next to his open laptop. Not a good sign.
“Look, I’m sorry, but what do you want?” I said. “You signed me up for this, so this is what I have to do. I have to go to Halloween parties and spend time with people! It’s my job!”
“It’s two thirty in the morning!” my mom cried. “In Manhattan! Do you know all the things that could have happened to you?”
Did I mention that they are awesome and have a sense of humor?
“My dad was about to say something else, but then he stopped and frowned. “What’s your costume supposed to be?”
“Is that a Burberry trench coat?” my mom asked. “I told Angelo, no designer labels.”
“Yes, and I’m going as a spy. It’s a long story, but don’t worry, I’ve got it covered.”
Both of my parents’ faces went blank. “A spy?” my dad said.
“Yes. Is that okay?” Maybe I should have checked first.
My mom was the first one to burst out laughing. “Is that how people think spies dress?” she howled. “Oh my goodness, this is hysterical!”
“The fedora!” my dad cried, collapsing in laughter next to her. “Are those binoculars? Tell me you’re not wearing night-vision goggles, too!”
“Stop! My sides hurt!” My mom was laughing so hard that tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
“I hope you realize how damaging this is for a teenager’s self-esteem.” I glared at them. “But no, go ahead and laugh at me. It’s cool.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” my mom said, now wiping her eyes. “You look adorable.”
In a world of push-up bras, garter belts, and potential belly-dancing costumes, “adorable” wasn’t exactly what I was going for.”
I also loved Angelo and his relationship with Maggie. He gives her great advice, and loves her even when she messes up (and then helps her fix her problems).
“Angelo works for the Collective, too, but I think he’s semiretired now, or at least that’s what he says. For all I know, he’s getting ready to be knighted by the queen or about to go spelunking somewhere in the Galapagos. He always gives good advice, too, especially about safecracking and lock picking. It’s like if Tim Gunn and James Bond had a baby, and that baby was Yoda. Angelo’s response? “Who’s Yoda?”
Roux becomes Maggie's "friend" right away.
“But Maggie,” my mom added, her voice cautious. “You know this means that you aren’t actually making friends. You’re getting to know people to gain information, but it can be more difficult if you get attached.”
Yeah, we all knew that was not happening. Roux and Maggie develop the cutest friendship. Maggie knows nothing about clothes, or make up, or how to act with the guy you like, but she knows what is right and what is wrong and that makes her an amazing friend. Roux is a mean-girl-turned-social-reject, but she learns from her mistake and becomes a great friend. They have the sweetest friendship.
“Here’s the thing. Before you came here, I was a shitty friend. You know that, I know that. I lied, I cheated with guys that were losers—and I’m still not sure why, but I’m going to blame my parents—I spread rumors. I did all the things that girls do on those ABC Family shows. And it made me really, really sad, but I kept doing it because I didn’t know what else to do.
“And then you showed up at school and we became friends and now it’s like”—Roux’s voice was getting wobbly—“you taught me how to be a good friend. You listen to me, you don’t tease me about being all crazy sometimes, you made sure that I was okay after the Halloween party. I didn’t know how to be a friend until I met you, so if that’s why you don’t want to tell me whatever it is that you need to say, then I just want you to know that I’ve learned. I can be a friend to you because you’ve been a friend to me.”
Maggie + Roux (by the way, it's pronounced "Roo") = BFF
Lastly, the romance between Maggie and Jesse Oliver is adorable. Jesse is not the typical love interest found in YA novels. Sure, he is hot, but he is not suave. He was burned by the last girl he loved, and is afraid Maggie will burn him too. He is open with Maggie, straightforward about his feelings, and awkward-adorable.
“Are we sworn now?” he said, his eyes crinkled at the corners.
“Yes,” I said, and tugged on his finger for good measure. “It’s also possible that we’re now considered married in the country of New Guinea.”
We both cracked up at the same time. “Kidding!” I giggled. “Kidding! At least I think I am. Who knows?”
“Let’s Wikipedia that when we get home,” Jesse suggested, but he was still laughing.”
[...]
“And suddenly I realized that Jesse and I were really close together. More specifically, our mouths were really close together.
“Oh,” I said. “Um, hi.”
“Hi,” he whispered back. “This okay?”
“Well, we’re already married in New Guinea,” I whispered back. “This is just the natural progression of—”
And then he kissed me.”
Plus, no insta-love nonsense!
“Jesse snorted, which was really not an attractive quality for him. “You’ll probably be the only person at the party. So, you go to Harper?”
I recommend that you read this book and form your own opinion. After writing the review, I actually considered raising my rating to 4 stars, because it really was quite enjoyable, but the first two things really did bother me. Let me know what you think!