Review: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover (Gallagher Girls #3) by Ally Carter

Published by Orchard 2009

When Cammie "The Chameleon" Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she's in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she's there to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world's best school (for spies), "exciting" and "deadly" are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers' plot, with only their espionage skills to save them. 

As her junior year begins, Cammie can't shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn't feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion's corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions, Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe? 

Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey's private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth....

♥♥♥♥♥

I feel as if this one was a bit of a letdown after book 2 but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Overall, the series is going well so far and I'm liking it.

Near the end of summer vacation (or the summer holidays), Macey invites Cammie to see her in Boston, where she and her family are hard at work trying to get votes that will affect Macey's dad's career in the next election. Secret Service agents are all around them, protecting them, but Cammie and Macey soon find out that Macey is the centre of a kidnapping plot, and Cammie will do anything to keep Macey safe.

*WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM PREVIOUS BOOKS; IF YOU PLAN TO READ THIS SERIES PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW*

In this book, there is plenty of action, mystery and suspense (which just about killed me because Carter just kept keeping me on my toes). Sometimes I just couldn't turn the pages first enough. A new side of Macey was also seen in this book, which I liked because it's not a side she shows often, if ever. Zach is also back, along with his own bout of mysteriousness as he keeps popping up in various places, and throughout the book, I never really knew what he was doing or what his motives were (still not really clear) and he didn't reveal very much to be honest. Boy, is he elusive. Cammie stuck her nose in as usual (one of the many things I love about her besides her smartness and determination). Yet another new character makes an appearance as well: Cammie's aunt, Abby. Abby is assigned to be Macey's personal bodyguard after a rooftop attack on Cammie and Macey leave them both very injured. Abby was a great character; she was fun, experienced, which meant that she told a lot of spy stories and inside jokes, and she knew what she was talking about; she came off as a very confident character. The laughs were there, but ultimately this book had a more serious and heartfelt tone. We see how far Cammie, Bex and Liz will go to protect their friend, and how far Cammie's family would go to protect her. Also, Zach was a lot more serious (which means no kissing scenes, boo! Although, Cammie and Zach do come into close proximity at one point). The ending was explosive and I was not expecting it, but I'm lucky I had book 4 on hand otherwise I would've just about died if I couldn't read what was going to happen next. The only bad thing I would say about this book is that sometimes I felt as if some things went on longer than was necessary and I was begging for it to just get to the point. Overall, a book that was overflowing in mystery and secrets; a great read.

4 stars