What books are similar to I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You?

The 10 closest matches to I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter on ReadingList include Lulu's Mysterious Mission, My Explosive Diary, No Talking, Point Blank, and Red Kayak. Each is scored on shared themes (man-woman relationships, nyt:series_books=2010-07-11, and spies), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

If you liked I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You, read Lulu's Mysterious Mission, My Explosive Diary, or No Talking — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (Realistic Fiction · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of man-woman relationships, nyt:series_books=2010-07-11, and spies. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 6–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Lulu's Mysterious Missiongrades 2–8: Shares themes of spies, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
My Explosive Diarygrades 2–8: Shares themes of spies, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
No Talkinggrades 3–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Point Blankgrades 6–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Red Kayakgrades 6–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Schooledgrades 3–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Scranimalsgrades 3–6: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Compoundgrades 6–9: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Girl Who Could Flygrades 4–6: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsgrades 7–10: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →

Books like I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton · grades K–3 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton · grades K–3 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Trading Places with Tank Talbott by Dori Hillestad Butler · grades 4–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
101 Ways to Bug Your Parents by Lee Wardlaw · grades 4–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

Trading Places with Tank Talbott by Dori Hillestad Butler · grades 4–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
101 Ways to Bug Your Parents by Lee Wardlaw · grades 4–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
All the Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey · grades 6–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity by Dave Roman · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Five Survive by Holly Jackson · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You?: The 10 closest matches to I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter on ReadingList include Lulu's Mysterious Mission, My Explosive Diary, No Talking, Point Blank, and Red Kayak. Each is scored on shared themes (man-woman relationships, nyt:series_books=2010-07-11, and spies), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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