Member Reviews
I finished Too Good To Be True the other day and I really enjoyed it!! I’m not going to give a synopsis because I feel like you HAVE to go in blind.
It has dual timelines which really explained how the past was affecting the present. Some of the characters were unlikeable but in the end you understand why. This book had a very different ending than I was expecting but it worked for me. This book isn't a typical thriller, but it's well written, I was glued to the pages and it surprised me! My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 and I will be looking for more books by @carolatlovering
Though I purchased a physical copy I need to thank @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my digital arc as well.
With Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering, we have a captivating thriller told from the perspectives of three narrators. With the split narration, it keeps readers on their toes wondering who is reliable and who isn't.
Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.
I liked it well enough, but the story lost its edge as the chapters went on -- especially the very last page. I'm okay with over-the-top impossibility, so the far fetched plot didn't bother me. My rating hovered between 3 and 4 stars, so I rounded up.
Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. The style of writing just wasn't for me and I was unable to connect.
3.5 stars
This was a good, suspenseful story…but that ending?! What happened?? I’m all for a sweet or romantic conclusion, but when someone lies to you, manipulates you, and steals a couple million dollars from you, you don’t just let that go because oops you both fell in love along the way. I liked the book, but that piece was a bit much for me. I also wasn’t thrilled when the protagonist’s love for her deeply-flawed partner appeared to magically cure one of her OCD compulsions at the end. That being said, I did mostly enjoy how the story was told through multiple characters’ perspectives, and I love a good (seemingly) unreliable narrator. Regardless of anything else, I’ll probably pick up another Carola Lovering book in the future.
This book by Carola Lovering hooks you from the beginning, much like her other novel. Within the first few chapters you know that things don't add up and it is very intriguing. It has the excitement from the new relationship but also the mystery of the situation that keeps you reading.
Skye Starling is too pretty to be single, right? Burke Michaels is too amazing not to marry, right? “Too Good to Be True” by Carola Lovering circles around Skye and Burke’s relationship to reveal everything that they’re both hiding from each other. Including why Burke ever started going out with Skye to begin with. Packed with drama and action, I couldn’t put this one down.
I love love, so throwing two people together and making them seem very much in love is such a hook for me. Throw in some mystery and thrill, I’m going to spend all my free time reading that book because I have to know “HOW DOES THIS END?!?” Lovering does great work here creating characters that you can’t help but root for, because love should win, right?
Skye’s OCD is an interesting theme throughout the book. It makes her vulnerable and causes her to shut people out. It consumes her days and her thoughts. It makes her weary and tired. Sometimes it feels like it might get leaned on too heavily, but it creates depth for the story and is a key feature of Skye’s life, so it should be key in the story as well.
I also found Lovering’s planning for this book to be so well done. The way all the pieces fit together at the end made a lot of sense to me, but there were still a few elements that I didn’t guess. Burke’s family really makes the whole story thrilling, adding suspense to the mix.
Overall, I gave this book 4 stars. The twists and turns near the end were interesting and added so much drama. Connecting all the dots made this read irresistible.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the initial eARC they sent me in exchange for my review!
The first 65-70% of the book was fantastic. The story was gripping, The multiple POV, especially Burke's Diary was well designed. I would have liked a little less obvious clue that Heather was Skye's nanny. For the readers paying attention, it is so easy to track that Libby's baby is never named when everyone else had a name. And Skye's grandpa's pharmacy F&C while Libby's maiden last name was Fontaine. I wish the author had more creative ways to hide these details to make my experience even more surprising but it was fun nonetheless.
The last 30% was very weak I thought, I didn't really like where the ending was headed. I wasn't convinced that Skye would want to still explore her relationship with Burke. I would have preferred a more dark twisted ending personally. But any ending other than the sappy one would have worked.
I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!
4.5 stars
Ugh…I just realized I never came back and finished this review. And of course now I can’t remember much of what made me rate this so high. 🤦♀️
My apologizes to the author! A lot of life has happened since I finished this in Sept of 2020, and I’ve read a lot of new books since then. I obviously loved it, so I’m not changing my rating and you'll just have to take my word for it that it was great!!!
ARC provided by NetGalley
It takes a great deal of cleverness to write a domestic suspense story these days that can successfully surprise readers, and this one delivered with just the right amount of unexpectedness that set it apart. Carola Lovering is definitely an author to watch in this genre.
2.5⭐
I am surprised that my eyes didn't fall out of my head with the amount of eye rolling that I did. Every single character in this book was ridiculous.
I also don't understand how this book falls into the thriller category. It's not even a mystery. It's just a book full of unreliable narrators.
You simply must go into this book with no prior knowledge of the events that will occur. It is a fabulously written book. The characters are good, yet bad. They are flawed but caring. It is a melding of contrasts that will keep you guessing while the turns jump out unexpectedly.
An absolute must read. I was unfamiliar with Carola Lovering before I read this book. She is now on my list of authors to watch for. Too Good to Be True is sure to be a best seller. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. I recommend it to anyone who asks for a book suggestion.
I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.
There are three sides to every story. Which one is true? Wow! This book pulled me in and didn’t let go until the satisfying conclusion. This story is told from three different perspectives. Each multidimensional character appears to be searching for happiness and fulfillment. My opinion changed about each of the characters as the story unfolded. Some of the characters I grew to like and were cheering them on, while others left me shaking my head in disappointment. Many of the twists I didn’t see coming and enjoyed the way the story played out. All in all this was a very enjoyable read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advance copy.
3.5 stars. The first half was much better than the second half. There is a big twist about halfway through but I had if figured out before it was revealed. The second half was really just explaining how the first half played out, so it was a little boring. And a lot of it was unrealistic. Still a decent read though and if it were realistic, the pieces did all fit together.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. So many twists and turns to keep any reader guessing which will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning!
The story is told from three perspectives- Skye, Burke and Heather. Burke is a perfect man who proposed to his girlfriend Skye and she is very much happy that finally someone loves her and doesn't judge her because she has OCD. Burke is also married to Heather and they have three children. Now the question arises, why Burke proposed to Skye when he was already married to Heather?
It was really disappointing. I heard a lot of great reviews about the book and that is why I ended up requesting this title on Netgalley. When I started, I was excited and very much sure that this is going to be a 5 star read. But that didn't happen. The ending did not make sense. The plot twist was very very predictable. I am giving it 3 starts just because I liked the writing style. The first half of the book was gripping and suspenseful but what happened in the end was unexpected. I feel that If this book had been structured a bit differently it would have been better. I didn't like any of the characters. By the time I reached page 70 or 80, I was very much sure what was going to happen next. AND IT HAPPENED!!!! I love reading books with multiple perspectives but in this book, all the three characters ended up messing the entire story. This book was so much hyped but for me it did not live upto the hype. It was definitely not a thriller. I read this book last month. I decided not to post a review of this book because I felt that it's better not to because it's an unpopular opinion but when I read a lot of negative reviews, I felt relieved.
Where do I start? Maybe with the fact that this was SO good, and there was a twist in the middle that caught me off guard, and I did NOT see coming. After that, it was fairly easy to figure out minus a couple of loose ends, but it was still SO good. Have I said that enough yet? This is told in three POV’s, Skye’s, Burke’s, and Heather’s, and each brought a unique view to the story, and the ending was actually not what I ever expected in a thriller but I was very satisfied with it all the same.
The audiobook for this one was great, the three narrators for each POV were all fantastic. I really enjoyed Lovering’s first novel but I did in fact love this one a little more. I cannot wait to see what she does next! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced digital copy to review.
This was a twisty read that I really enjoyed! I liked the triple POV that spanned many different years, and also appreciated the mini-bombs dropped every so often that led to us connecting dots without the author having to connect the dots for us.
I also really appreciated that Skye suffered from OCD, and felt that the compulsions that accompanied her disorder were very well written and played into the story perfectly.
The plot twist did not feel forced, yet I saw it coming, which is fine. I think the writing was just that good that it didn't leave me guessing where the twist came from.
I received an advance copy; all thoughts are my own.
I really like this author. Her writing is fresh and I enjoyed this book from her. I sis like the different POV throughout this book, it made it interesting. I would highly recommend this book and I wish her well