Sunday, January 3, 2021

Book Review: Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

  


Goodreads Overview:

Bestselling author Ally Carter returns with an exciting stand-alone novel, about a girl stranded in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness with the boy who wronged her . . . as an assassin moves in.

Maddie and Logan were torn apart by a kidnapping attempt when they were young. They were only kids -- Logan's dad was POTUS and Maddie's father was the Secret Service agent meant to guard him. The kidnappers were stopped -- but Maddie was whisked off to Alaska with her father, for satety. Maddie and Logan had been inseparable . . . but then she never heard from him again.

Now it's a few years later. Maggie's a teenager, used to living a solitary life with her father. It's quiet -- until Logan is sent to join them. After all this time without word, Maddie has nothing to say to him -- until their outpost is attacked, and Logan is taken. They won't be out of the woods until they're . . . out of the woods, and Maddie's managed to thwart the foes and reconcile with Logan.

Jacque's Review:

I am a huge fan of Ally Carter and have read all of the books in her Gallagher Girls, Heist Society and Embassy Row series. I really enjoyed the fact that this was a stand alone. I could enjoy the story without a cliffhanger or lengthy wait for the next installment.

Maddie is the daughter of the President's primary secret service officer and is Logan's best friend. Logan is the First Son of the United States and has lived a pretty sheltered life. He is extremely smart, but never seems to meet his parents' unrealistic expectations.

When Maddie and her father moved to Alaska, she assumed it was due to her father's injuries in the line of duty. She was forced to give up her Washington D.C. lifestyle with her fancy clothes, luxurious accommodations, and most importantly...her best friend Logan. Her father took her to a remote cabin where she had to learn to live off the land. Chop wood, carry water, catch fish, etc. To help pass the time, since there was no internet or cell service, she read a ton of books and wrote letters to Logan. She waited every day for his reply, which never came.

One day, Logan arrives in Alaska and the two are completely awkward. Maddie is furious with him for never writing her back, but he insists he never received the letters. When the two are kidnapped by men they believe could be from the same organization that tried to kidnap his mother years earlier, they must work together to survive until help arrives.  Maddie is familiar with the area and has years of survival skills. Logan speaks Russian and can understand what their captors are saying. He also has a near photographic memory and is able to use his skills to their advantage.

This was a fast paced, action packed adventure. I absolutely loved Maddie and Logan and enjoyed seeing them reconnect. There were a number of flash backs to letters Maddie wrote Logan over the years, which added some insight into their lives prior to her leaving DC and her life in Alaska before his arrival. They both want to regain what they lost, but neither wants to get hurt again in the process. 

This is one of my favorite Ally Carter books so far and I gave it a solid 5 stars. I would definitely recommend it to any younger teen. I have a hard time finding books for my teenage son, since he doesn't really enjoy fiction, but this is a book I believe even he would enjoy.

No comments :

Post a Comment