BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY – Spies, Lies, and Allies by Lisa Brown Roberts

I absolutely loved this book! So check out my 4.5 Review below and enter a fabulous giveaway. Enjoy!

Spies, Lies, and Allies by Lisa Brown Roberts
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Summers are supposed to be fun, right? Not mine. I’ve got a job at my dad’s company, which is sponsoring a college scholarship competition. I just found out that, in addition to my job assisting the competing interns, I’m supposed to vote for the winner. Totally not what I signed up for.

My boss is running the competition like it’s an episode of Survivor. Then there’s Carlos, who is, well, very distracting––in a good way. But I can’t even think about him like that because fraternizing on the job means instant disqualification for the intern involved.

As if that’s not enough, an anonymous informant with insider intel is trying to sabotage my dad’s company on social media...and I’m afraid it's working.

Review:

Spies, Lies, and Allies had me a laughing, sighing, swooning mess!  This was such an adorable book and it almost had a Breakfast Club feel to it at times, which I absolutely loved!  When I finished that last page, I realized that Lisa Brown Roberts has become one of my favorite authors.  Each time I pick up a book by her, I not only fall in love with the characters and story line, but I always have the hugest smile on my face while I’m reading.  I did just that with Spies, Lies and Allies and I can’t recommend it enough!

“Did anyone ever tell you your eyes look just like Hershey’s Kisses?”
Omigod. That was my outside voice.

In hopes of spending more time with her dad, Laurel Kristoff got a job at his company over the summer.  She would be assisting the new interns and at the end of the project she would help vote for which intern would win a $100k scholarship.  You guys…. I loved Laurel right from the start! Yes she was Star Wars obsessed, huge heads up about that, but she had me laughing from the nicknames she gave people, to her Facebook stalking, to her reactions to something as simple as someone else leaving notes in her notebook.  But she was so much more than a teenage girl who made me laugh.  I felt as though I got to grow up right along side her.  So many of her feelings and insecurities took me back to moments in my past where I felt just like her.

I sneak a peek at Carlos. If I had to vote today, I’d vote for him. He was so passionate when he spoke, and he did so much research and he— he— My brain shuts off as he raises his head and meets my gaze, one corner of his delicious mouth quirking up.
Delicious? What is wrong with me?

There was four summer interns – Carlos, Elijah, Ashley and Jason – competing for the scholarship.  And alongside them was Trish, whose father worked at the company. They were all so different from one another and their first project was to work together as a team.  They had rocky moments with each other, especially Trish and Laurel. But we watched as they tried to put aside their differences and take those first few awkward steps to form a friendship.  It wasn’t easy and mistakes were definitely made along the way. But I loved watching them all figure out how to mesh together as a team.  It was so entertaining and smile inducing!

I’m indignant , but my body is also buzzing from the adrenaline of this… this whatever we’re doing. Are we just joking around? Or are we flirting? Whatever it is, I don’t want it to stop. But it has to. I’d never forgive myself if he was disqualified because of me.

When Laurel was at work, she constantly found herself drawn to Carlos.  They could joke so seamlessly together, but it always had this undercurrent of electricity.  Sparks flew any time Laurel and Carlos were around each other and I found myself gripping onto every word they said to each other.  It made me feel like I was falling in love for the first time, all over again.  But nothing could happen between them.  There was a no fraternizing rule at work and if it was broken Carlos would get kicked off the team and lose his opportunity for the scholarship.  Sigh. I have to say that Carlos was so easy to love. He was thoughtful, smart, and such a hard worker. He also stood up for Laurel and every once in a while a little bit of jealously would peak through.  I loved everything about him. But Laurel? She could be so clueless at times since she didn’t have much experience with boys.

“And you’re a lot smarter than I thought you were.” An ironic smile curves her lips. “You’re still a princess, but you’re more of a Fiona than a Sleeping Beauty.” – Trish to Laurel

There was so many hidden gems in this story about friendships and family relationships.  I absolutely loved the interactions between Trish and Laurel.  Trish could be so bitchy towards Laurel and they seemed like polar opposites.  Yet I loved watching Laurel find her backbone and I have a feeling that a lot of people are going to love this part of the story!  But I also loved watching her relationship with her dad develop. It was funny, awkward, and had moments of hurt and love all rolled together.  Laurel and her dad came to become one of my favorite father/daughter relationships in any book I’ve read. It warmed my heart and there was so much emotion between the two of them.  So if you adore relationships outside of the couple, you are definitely in for a treat!

“But we’re not supposed to fraternize. Rule number eight. Remember all the exclamation points?”
He takes a long sip of water, so I take the opportunity to stare at his mouth.
“I see rules as suggestions.” He sets his glass on the table and his lips take their sweet time curving into a tempting smile.

There is so much I’m not even touching on, but pick up this book and you’ll discover my love for Elijah, or the ridiculous daily jokes Laurel told Miss Emmaline or even the mystery that was in this story.  But my favorite thing was that I couldn’t make it more than a few pages without busting out laughing or having the hugest grin on my face.  And I won’t ever forget how a scene towards the end made me cry.  I absolutely loved Spies, Lies and Allies! So if you adore YA Romance, you definitely have to give one of her books a try!

I wish I was like Rey in The Force Awakens, brave and tough. Or Princess Leia, snarky and brilliant. But right now, I feel like a young Anakin Skywalker, when no one thought he was capable of piloting his own Podracer, let alone winning a race.

PS I have to give a heads up that there were A LOT of Stars Wars references, she even calls her dad Vader.  And at first I was definitely confused.  You see, I’ve seen six of the movies but that was forever and a day ago.  And besides kinda knowing the characters names and what they looked like, that’s it.  Yup, sorry lol. So when we kept getting Stars Wars references I thought this book may not be the best fit for me.  But I was completely wrong. Even if there were probably a few things I completely missed….I totally had to Google stuff like Alderaan….I still loved every single minute of it.  Oh I didn’t get the Harry Potter references too. Yes I know I’m an awful human being lol. But hey I got The Big Bang Theory reference ha!

PPS There were a few moments between Carlos and Elijah that I would have died to be able to know what they were saying!!  Does anybody else feel that way too??

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by Entangled: Teen. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

 

About Lisa Brown Roberts:

Award-winning romance author Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn’t recovered from the teenage catastrophes of tweezing off both eyebrows, or that time she crashed her car into a tree while trying to impress a guy. It’s no wonder she loves to write romantic comedies.  

Lisa’s books have earned praise from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and the School Library Journal. She lives in Colorado with her family, in which pets outnumber people. Connect with Lisa at www.lisabrownroberts.com.

Author Links:

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