Review: Also Known As

Also Known As
by Robin Benway
YA Contemporary
February 26th 2013 by Bloomsbury Juvenile US
Source: Bought


Goodreads summary:
Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.


What I thought:
This was such a fun book! I had read somewhere that if you liked Ally Carter then you would like this - both books have spies and characters that are high school age. I just noticed that the covers are a little similar too. I love Ally Carter, so I picked this up. They are different in some ways, which they should be being two different authors. The jobs aren't done the same way and Carter tends to hide details so that you never know if something was part of the plan or not. Benway just lets the plan unfold, and there isn't exactly a set plan - there is a lot more spontaneity depending on the situation.

I really loved Maggie, Jesse, and Roux! They are each so different and have their own back stories. The author did a great job of letting the reader get to know them as the story plays out. They are such an interesting combination.

I could relate to Maggie and her parents. They are close and the situation is something they've never dealt with before. I thought both parties were so realistic. This is the second book that I've read this week that has a central strong family (Going Vintage was the other one). Right alongside Maggie's family you have Jesse's and Roux's that are both a little dysfunctional.

The conversations were great and there were several lol moments. I also loved Maggie's perspective during the party at Jesse's house. The romance was also fabulous, but didn't overtake the story. I loved Benway showing Maggie's hesitation with Jesse and how she didn't know how to handle things. Very sweet. Then there is a rather dramatic and serious ending that surprised me, but was very well done.

The only negative thing would be the language. There isn't a ton of it, but it is still somewhat consistent, although I'm sure realistic too.

Overall a very fun read! If you enjoy spy books with some romance and a family dynamic, and you don't mind the language, then I would definitely pick this up!

Content: There is some teenage drinking, innuendo, and language.

 
 
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What do you think? Do you want to read this? If you do, check back in June when this will be up for the monthly giveaway.
 







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