Member Reviews
An audacious and twisty psychological thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed.
We have three protagonists:
Heather (30 years ago) - a teenager who has had little in the way of parenting. Her mother died when she was very young, leaving her with an almost always absent father and a young brother to raise. Heather is very intelligent. She gets a babysitting job with a young family. The family are very wealthy, and she sees the mother as a sort of mentor/role model. She wants what she has... Then, on Heather's seventeenth birthday the unthinkable happens...
Burke (30 years ago and the present) - a local bad boy who is in love with Heather. The two eventually marry and have three children whom they both love to distraction. Now though, through a series of unfortunate choices, Burke is unemployed. Heather, ever mercenary, seeks a way out of their dire financial situation.
Skye (present) - a beautiful blond heiress to a pharmaceutical fortune. Skye has a debilitating OCD disorder which has hampered her love life and greatly impacted her life as a whole. Her OCD originated when her mother died when she was just eleven. When Skye meets the handsome Burke at a beach resort in Montauk, she immediately falls for him. He is everything she has ever wanted - and mature enough to overlook her OCD.
How the lives of these three converge is a twisty, mesmerizing, roller-coaster ride.
"When you get rich enough, you don't even have to use money."
While reading this novel I realize that this author is very talented. Why? She has created such in-depth characters that you can see the good and the bad in each of them. There is not one that you can root for over the others, because you 'know' them so well that you can see both sides of their stories. A love triangle, a hot mess, unreliable narrators, a great read.
This is a novel with themes of parenting, opportunism, bigamy, avarice, deception, subterfuge, and revenge.
"One husband, two wives, three versions of the truth"
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. A twisty thriller that I can whole-heartedly recommend. My first read by this author, but most certainly not my last!
There is nothing like a good psychological thriller. The three narrators keep the story moving and the reader guessing until the end. I wasn't a big fan of when the tone of the story shifts near the end, but it didn't make me put down the book. Worth your reading time.
Twisty enough that even if you think you have them all figured out - keep going! This story moved quickly, it is both plot and character driven, and it’s an enjoyable read!
A captivating tale of love, betrayal, and the unforeseen consequences of trusting too readily. Readers who appreciate a blend of suspense and emotional depth will find this novel to be a compelling and thought-provoking journey into the complexities of human relationships. Highly recommended for those seeking a narrative that challenges preconceived notions and keeps them guessing until the final revelation.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and author Carola Lovering for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book.
Heather and Burke are high school sweethearts from a small town. When Heather gets a new job babysitting for a new family in town, her life path is forever changed. She gets a glimpse of life with wealth and starts to make changes. She stops partying, she breaks up with Burke, she even starts bringing her little brother to spend time with the family.
Everything seems perfect until one day tragedy strikes, and Heather turns on her new life, back to Burke. They get married and move to New York.
The book follows them through alternating point of views, through multiple timeframes, and even diary entries.
There were so many twists to this one. I loved it and want more!
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I had read a previous book by this author and it wasn't my favorite, but the premise of this one intrigued me and I wanted to give the author another shot. I liked this one and found it very engrossing right off the bat. The second half did start to drag out the conclusion and made the pace of the book pretty slow.
Loved the most part of this book but the last bit just seemed to flop for me and didn’t live up to the rest of the book. I enjoyed the style of writing but I don’t no what happened towards the end, Shane because this book would have defo been worthy of 5 stars.
Pretty good thriller. The first half was awesome! I couldn't put it down! But then it kind of plateaued until the very end. Overall great read!
*Thank you @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.*
This one just didn't grab me, which is disappointing. It had a lot of potential and good plot set-ups, but it just wasn't very satisfying in the end.
This book is a wonderful addition to the many mysteries and thrillers that are arriving on our shelves! Middle-aged marriages are tough, it's great to read about how you're not alone.
This book was so great! I read it in one day!
I loved both Skye and Burke together AND apart. Heather I just didn’t trust at all.
SPOILER ALERT :
The story had a little bit of a trigger for me with the death of a child. But it was a necessary part of the story unfortunately. Grief can make people literally crazy.
I didn’t believe in the whole man journaling his emotions but it made for a great story!
I was hooked till the end.
Another great read that I could hardly put down. Wait, what?! That ending though! I loved how there were so many POV to this story. The journal entries tied in to the book so well. Would definitely recommend! Thank you for the ARC :)
I loved the multiple point of views. Too Good to be True was very well-plotted. Loved the twists. This was such a page-turner. I recommend just diving in blindly, and you will not regret it.
Most of this was enjoyable. However, the last 1/4 went in a direction that I wasn't expecting, and that was disappointing. Still good, though. (3.5/5)
This one was twisty and addictive. The first half of the book had me hooked. I found the second half slowed down. Overall, the was a great thriller with an interesting plot.
I’m. dry late to the game, but I finally read Carola Lovering’s second book and wow! The twists and turns in this one are crazy! I love the back and forth narrative between three characters. You really get to “know” them well. This is a great thriller but also an interesting love story.
Skye falls for an older man, Burke, and they decide to get married after a year of dating. Skye has crippling OCD and has had problems maintaining relationship. Burke seems like the perfect guy to Skye, but she’s also very wealthy, so she hasn’t always dated guys with the best intentions. Heather dated Burke in high school and we see her perspective of what kind of guy he is. Really enjoyed this one.
Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.
I’m an avid mystery-thriller reader and Too Good to Be True is the first book by Carola Lovering I’ve read. Starting out it’s confusing with the flip flopping between characters and their journals and timelines. Skye is a bit of a dumb rich girl and Burke a stereotypical male-in-a-midlife crisis.
Overall I found the book to be just ok.
I had trouble with this one probably because of the multiple pov’s but I finished it. I enjoyed reading too good to be true. The less you know about the book the better. Read it.
This book kept me guessing! I love this authors style and I didn’t guess the twist at the end. Parts were a little slow so kept from being a five star.