Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of Too Good To Be True.

It’s hard to summarize the book without giving much away. I will say that the author did a masterful job of weaving together several narratives to form the story. One in present time, one in past flashbacks, and one in past journal entries. They all worked together seamlessly to make a full and rich story. It was a mystery/women’s fiction that I just couldn’t put down!

There was so much potential here for an edge-of-your-seat guessing game. There was potential for a high-stakes thriller. For me as a reader, however, it just did not come together. I think the concept was clever and I think it hit some strong emotional notes, but overall I ended up frustrated by the execution and pacing.

A lot of early reviews for this are positive so I have been checking my head and wondering if I have a fever. I think it just comes down to personal preferences (as all books do!) and this just did not work for me as a reader. I thought it too long and there was a lot of explanation where I wanted action. This is being marketed as a psychological thriller. There are elements of a psychological puzzle here, but I would say none of this really fits as a "thriller" here. There were no thrills.

Again, this all comes down to personal preference. Where some find a book fully engaging, others might find the same book slow and frustrating. Unfortunately I was the latter here.

Carola Lovering does it again!

Generally speaking this was a really great read. I loved the different storylines as a way to give each of the characters a unique perspective.

I didn't see the twist coming, and I love when that happens because I am good at predicting these things.

The only reason I didn't give this a 5 star was because of the ending. I was left scratching my head a little. It just wasn't how I anticipated the book culminating to.

I loved Carola Lovering's first book, and I will still absolutely recommend this to others!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finally a thriller that’s developed with really thought out characters and a twisty plot. I absolutely loved the first half of the book, and thought I had figured it out, but not quite! It’s best to go in not knowing too much about the plot, except you’re in for a wild ride.

this is a fast-paced page turner.
Can't give much of the plot away without spoilers but it's a roller coaster of a ride.

Skye Starling is a wealthy and intelligent woman. Her mother died when she was young, and the trauma caused her to develop some life ruling compulsive behaviors. She was teased as a child because of them, and self-confidence does not come easy to Skye.
So it is very surprising to Skye when she meets an older man Burke Michaels, and the attraction is instantaneous. He comes from a different world than Skye, but he is kind, makes her laugh, and doesn't ridicule her compulsions. When Burke proposes, Skye says yes, certain that the two of them will live happily ever after.
Told from Skye, Burke, and Heather's perspectives, we soon learn that there is more to this story. To say much more would mean I would be entering shark-infested spoiler territory! What I will say is I was 100% #teamskye. She is an amazing character who overcomes and deals with a lot and never loses her kind and compassionate nature. Her mother's death, a toxic and abusive former boyfriend, and her OCD have all left Skye vulnerable, and Burke's lies might destroy her.
I am not going to talk about Heather since that would be giving too much away, but I was #notteamBurke and #notteamHeather for reasons that will become apparent when you read Too Good to Be True. I am looking forward to some lovely and potentially heated discussions after this book publishes.

Burke and Heather have been together since they were teens and now they are middle aged with almost grown children. They are struggling with money and have a hard time moving on from a hard past. Skye Starling is in her late 20s, struggling with OCD, rich and wondering if she’ll ever find love. Skye meets Burke in a seemingly random way and they fall in love, move in together and get married, then things quickly fall apart. Is Burke the manipulative, scheming jerk that he seems to be? Is Heather the innocent mother just trying to make a better life for her kids? The answers are all twisted up inside this great story.
Some spoilers ahead: it’s hard not to feel sorry for Heather. She had a hard life with so many things happening to her that she really did not deserve. Can you really blame her for the lengths she went to? Her life was hell and just when it seemed that happiness was on the horizon, it was all snatched away.
Burke made some really bad decisions and while I wouldn’t say he’s a monster, he’s definitely not innocent, but rather a man driven by desperation.
Skye was the only one innocent in all of it. Thrust into a situation from events that took place when she was only a baby, she was manipulated and taken advantage of. I was very surprised by her choices at the end of this book, and I would have loved to have known how it all turned out.
All in all, this was a great read. Different from the same old story lines of most psychological thrillers these days and definitely worth the read!

Gripping, hard to put down novel about the twisted relationships between three people. The author provided a thoughtful portrayal of OCD, grief, and trauma. I didn't particularly love any of the characters as people but found them all to be nuanced and interesting. There were different timelines but instead of being confusing, it was all done in an easy to follow way that added tension to the central plot. I highly recommend this thriller and can't wait to read Lovering's next novel!

I really enjoyed how Lovering did multiple POV and gave the backstory between Heather and Burke. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half and the twist in the middle. However, I thought the second half was somewhat repetitive and I did NOT enjoy the ending at all.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a well written book. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

Skylar is from a very wealthy family and has never been lucky in love due to having OCD that was brought on by her mothers death when she was eleven.

Skylar thinks she found the perfect man in Burke. After a fast courtship Burke purposes and Skylar is thrilled to say yes. Burke is older handsome and more mature than anyone she has ever dated. Shortly after the honeymoon Skylar finds letters Burke has written to his therapist. Burke is actually a married man using Skylar to get her money.

Heather is Burkes wife and they have been together since high school. Heather is the mastermind behind THE PLAN.

Great read and very suspenseful. Would recommend. Carol Lovering is a great story teller.

Thank you Netgalley & St Martins Press

From the very first page to the very last page, I was totally involved in this novel.
The author wove a story so intriguing that I found myself surprised at every twist it took.
I couldn’t put it down.
I don’t want to give anything away, so I will stop here.
Don’t miss this!

I am a huge fan of this author and this book did not disappoint me! I love books with in reliable narrators and this definitely fit the bill. I was never sure who I could trust or what story I could believe. I found the book as a whole to be super satisfying. Must be willing to suspend belief in realistic situations! I finished this book in less than 24 hours.

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author, for letting me have a copy of this book to read and review. This story started amazing. I was into it, could not stop turning the pages to learn more and get into the story and let the story take me for a ride. Definitely a fun read.

Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering is a thoroughly engrossing domestic thriller. Told from three different POVs that take you through several decades. I cheered on characters in one chapter and yelled and cursed them out the next. There are many thrilling dimensions to this story and it went in directions I didn’t anticipate. Great read - google recommend!!

#TooGoodToBeTrue #NetGalley
Special thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin press for providing me with an ARC.
This novel is so good, i really loved it, this is a debut novel for Carola Lovering , it's so good and surprised me in a lot of ways.

Carols Lovering has hit the jackpot with this story. Her characters are skillfully developed and their relationships are complicated. The story told from three points of view gives the reader just enough information to form conclusions that may or may not be true at the time of the telling. I was surprised time after time as the story changed in ways I did not see coming. A satisfying read for anyone who likes psychological family drama.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from St Martin's Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#TooGoodToBeTrue #NetGalley

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I loved it. Every time I put it down, I wanted to read more. The writing is great, the characters are great and the story is great. The way the book has three POVs, and different timelines allowed for a number of 'what the heck' surprises. I'm not sure how many other ways I can say how good this book is, Just read it!

PS - Near the end Skye calls Burke "Goose" - is that an error?

Too Good to Be True is one of the best domestic thrillers I’ve read this year, or the last five years probably. The pacing and writing is excellent and I could not put this book down, muttering one more chapters, one more chapter, and then I got to the BIG UNBELIEVABLE TWIST, and just kept going to the end. The three main characters were carefully constructed and we feel for them in one chapter and hate them in the next. Three POV’s and my head was spinning trying to figure it out. I didn’t. I could not tell which one was true. Seriously, one of the best!

Lots of great twists in this book about a young woman and her "perfect" husband. A definite page-turner with lots of memorable scenes. I had hoped for a different ending, which I didn't feel supported the main character's development. Still, I did fly through this book! And I look forward to reading anything else by the author.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.