I ended up DNFing this one. My review on Goodreads had no rating and was as follows: DNF. I’m pretty bored. I don’t care enough about the characters to continue, and Sabrina’s obsession is pathetic and uninteresting. Thanks anyway to St. Martin’s Press for a free digital galley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I can't get enough of Carola Lovering's writing! Her previous books were fantastic so I couldn't wait for her newest one. This book is hard to characterize into one genre but I think domestic suspense fits best along with a healthy dose of domestic drama. I promise you won't be able to put it down. It's a fantastic beach read!

First of all, the cover perfectly fits the overall sexy suspense vibe of the book. Told in multiple points of view and alternating between past and present, Can’t Look Away is the story of Molly, Jake and Sabrina, and how their lives have connected over the years.

Sabrina's POV is the only one told in the first person. She is happily married housewife living in a very chic suburb with her devoted husband Hunter and adorable young daughter. The only obstacle in their lives is Molly's difficulty in conceiving a second child. Hunter was not her first love - that was Jake, a musician - but she is very much in love with Hunter. I loved how the author explored the angst of first love and the insecurities of your twenties.

Once Sabrina enters Molly's life, things turn topsy-turvy. Sabrina is manipulative and is stalking Molly and her family. I was on the edge of my seat reading this book and couldn't look away! There is a bit of a live triangle here so if that triggers you, then you should probably avoid this one. But all's well that ends well, there is a happy ending, and that is why I added this one to my "romance" shelf.

There is a big reveal that I figured out fairly early on, but it did not spoil my enjoyment of this story.
Molly is a very relatable main character, and I really felt for her as she was navigating the relationships in her life. If you are looking for a book that is full of surprises and suspense, with definitely romance in the mix, this one us for you!

(Thanks to the publisher for providing a digital review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Molly is enjoying her life in Flynn Cove. She has a supportive husband, Hunter, and a daughter named Stella. She also works as a yoga teacher. She had dreams of becoming a writer, but that dream seemed to have fizzled out when her relationship with Jake Danner, member of the successful band Danner Lane, ended. A new friendship, however, threatens to bring Molly’s past to the present when she discovers her new friend, Sabrina, is married to Jake. Is this new friendship serendipitous, or are there other motives involved?

Can’t Look Away started with such promise–it had a mystery and suspense to it and I couldn’t wait to see how things would turn out–but it was ultimately anticlimactic to me. I was left wanting more at the end. I really liked the style. The reader gets to hear from multiple narrators, and events from both the present and the past are covered. I also liked how effectively the tidbits from both timelines worked together to tell the story.

Unfortunately this is not a book that is one that will stick with me past the last words on the page. It was a good mystery, but I didn't find the thriller tag to be very accurate.
It is a great read if you want something to suck you in and keep you engaged but not one that will leave you with great quotes or great takeaways.

The characters were frustrating at times throughout the book. It did get nicely tied up and I enjoyed the ending of the book. The manipulation felt a bit like a soap opera on the pages and I was here for it while I was reading.

The author did mention Frozen an excessive amount. Its like the little girls whole personality was Frozen, but that was just a nitpicky point of mine.

Overall pick this up if you want some drama and are okay with it not being super fast paced but one you'll want to keep reading

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This was an easy read, in a good way. The story was compelling and the writing was solid. There were lots of plot twists and turns, and I liked the juxtaposition between past and present. Overall a solid thriller-ish read without being too heavy.

This one was a total miss for me. A bunch of unlikable characters making a lot of poor decisions. None of it particularly shocking and definitely didn’t feel like “a sexy suspense novel” per the book description. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

My first book by this author and it was a hit for me! A psychological drama, with some romance and a little mystery mixed in. The character development was really good and the twists and turns were flawlessly executed! I enjoyed the book, and it was easy to pick up with these characters lives and I found it to be suspenseful and well written! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

Book: Can’t Look Away
Author: Carola Lovering
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Review ~

Can’t look away started with Jake who is part of a boy band who is in a relationship with Sisi. After awhile he grew apart from her and did not want to be with her anymore. But little did she know that.

Molly is now in the crowed of Jakes show and he can’t keep his eyes off of her. Molly and Jake hit it off right away. Through their ups and downs Sisi is part of them because she is a crazy ex and will do anything to break them up.

Later in the book Molly is now married to Hunter and has a daughter named Stella. Sabrina is also known as Sisi who is now married to Jake and is now best friends with Molly. Sabrina wanted her to m eat her husband who is no other than Jake. Jake and Molly still have lingering feelings for each other.

Overall I loved this book. In the beginning I was kind of confused but the book grew on my and now I love it.

Call me crazy but I actually enjoyed this neighborhood drama.

Jake and Molly were an item once.

In 2013, Molly was a 23-year-old young woman aspiring to be a writer. She had good friends and is enjoying a night out with them when she meets Jake.

Jake Danner is the lead singer of a band that is getting recognized and he is hoping for his big break.

Molly and Jake's paths cross during one of his concerts and after locking eyes, they share a moment of connection. Afterward, Jake asks a friend of hers for her phone number. The rest is history or so it should be. Despite their great chemistry and love for each other, their relationship is not to be.

In 2022, Molly is married to Hunter and has a five-year-old daughter, Stella. Molly wants another child but she is dealing with infertility issues when she meets a young woman, Sabrina who seems to understand what Molly is going through. A blooming friendship ensues. One night, Molly and Hunter are invited over to have dinner. Unbeknown to Molly, Sabrina's husband is none other than Jake.

With so many unresolved issues, Molly and Jake seem to be pulled into one another's lives. Together they wondered what forces took them apart. Learning the truth might hurt more than they think.

I didn't particularly like Jake. He was selfish and had grey areas in regards to faithfulness. I did love Hunter all the way. Molly was nice and I understood her motivations. The same can't be said of Sabrina's.

Can't Look Away entertained me. The narrators Caitlin Davies, Karissa Vacker, and Zachary Webber did a good job becoming Molly, Jake, and Sabrina. Between the past and present chapters and the 3 POVs, they kept things straight for me.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely enjoyed this one! I admit, I love reading books about a jealous and obsessive lover/ex-lover (think the You series). Add some thriller and suspense material in there, and I am hooked. It was a little different than I expected but in a better way. I flipped through the pages and was captivated by the story and the characters.

I loved another book by this author so I walked in with already high expectations. I wasn’t surprised that I enjoyed this one, but am so happy that I did. Please write more books - writing about obsessive behavior seems to be a trend with her books, and I am thrilled.

The structure of this book is one that really stands out. Molly’s chapters are told in third person, but Sabrina’s are in first person and refer to Molly in second person. Makes one wonder if we’re hearing Molly’s story or Sabrina’s. Which does the author want us to think is the protagonist? I found the writing style and the alternating voices fascinating. There is not much a reviewer can say without revealing too much because the first twist happens pretty early on. What I can confidently share is that Lovering takes you on a ride. The alternating emotions in the chapters keep you wanting to read more. I love the way the author’s mind works and I can’t wait to read more from her.

WHAT A STORY! Can't Look Away pulled me in right from the start. The story is told from three points of view and the timeline switches from present day (2022) to 2013-2016. Molly is a graduate student who in 2012 meets Jake Danner, a musician, in NYC and falls in love. Their relationship isn't always smooth sailing and does not last. Fast forward ten years and Molly is now married to Hunter and living in Connecticut when she meets a new friend Sabrina. The reader discovers that Sabrina has secrets to hide, but then again...Molly has secrets of her own as well. The characters in the story may not have always been likable, but I was still invested in finding out what was going to happen next. I feel the build up at the end could have been a bit stronger and everything was tied up a little too neatly. Still a solid 4 star read.

I tore through Lovering’s earlier book, “Too Good to Be True” and listed that as one of my favorite thrillers of 2021. Therefore, I was so excited for this follow-up, “Can’t Look Away.” The buildup was great and I thought it was leading up to something very sinister and exciting, but it really didn’t. Perhaps I came in with the wrong idea, but I was expecting a thriller and this reads more like a domestic drama. As a result, I kept waiting for some more thrills that didn’t really come up and was left feeling a little bit disappointed at the book’s end. This book follows a couple, one who is obsessed with one of the parties of the couple, and how their lives progress over nearly a decade. I’d anticipated some more thrilling intrigue with this premise, but just found it to be okay and a bit underwhelming. 3 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.

My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5

This is a multi POV story essentially about obsessive love and how it can endanger and hurt those that you care about. Shifting between two different timelines, Molly meets lead singer Jake Danner at a concert in the 2010s while he is performing and they fall in love quickly and they both ride the wave of his rising fame and success. He even penned “Molly’s Song” for her - their biggest hit to date. Skipping to present day, Molly is living in the suburbs married to someone else, finding it difficult to fit in and meet new friends until she meets yoga student and newcomer Sabrina. It is clear early on that Sabrina has other motives and many secrets that link to Molly and Jake’s past.

This seems like different books at some times. I expected this to be a thriller, but it is really more of a soap opera/ drama. I enjoyed the love story of Molly and Jake - and there is so much drama with Sabrina and her secrets. Also Sabrina’s story was promising and I was curious to what all the fuss was about over Jake. I was disappointed with the lackluster ending. There was so much more potential to Sabrina and even Liz’s storyline! It is a quick read and pretty easy to follow throughout.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Spice Level: 0/5

I have mixed feelings on this one. Overall I enjoyed this domestic drama but I never got on board with why the drama started in the first place. That piece was a little for fetched for me but I still liked this story and character development. I liked the multiple POVs, I especially liked the early days of Molly and Jake.

After quickly falling for a rockstar on the rise, Molly knows she should be cautious with her heart. Despite her better judgement, Molly can’t help but fall for Jake Danner and he seems to love her just as much. Nearly a decade later, Molly is living in the suburbs with her daughter and husband, Hunter, when she becomes friends with her new yoga instructor and neighbor, Sabrina. They become fast friends, but Sabrina seems to have less than generous motives.

I loved this one! I found the writing to be so addicting that I couldn’t read it fast enough - I just needed to know what was going to happen next. I am a sucker for books told from multiple POVs and this one was done well. I knocked off half a star because I didn't totally love the ending - I felt like it was very rushed and we didn't get the vengeance we deserved! I won't say more as to avoid any spoilers, but that being said, this is the perfect summer read as it’s intriguing, fast and mysterious.

4.5/5 stars!

This pretty nutso book was SO FUN. It reads like a thriller, but no one dies and no crime has been committed. Instead, we encounter twist after twist as we bounce from 2013 Brooklyn to 2022 Connecticut. At first, it is unclear how the characters and timelines are related, but as we slowly get a clearer picture about what is going on, the fun truly starts.

The book is about obsession, jealousy, long-held grudges, and the pains of having creative and famous boyfriends. It can be a bit silly at times (the main character Molly is woo-ed by her front man boyfriend first through eye contact while he's on stage and then through playing her a Blink-182 vinyl in this apartment like it's Otis Redding or something). But I could not put it down over the long weekend, and relished in the absolutely bonkers ending. If you need a page turner that is easy to digest, this is the pick!

Can't Look Away is the epitome of thriller classics. A heroine to root for, a long ago love interest, secrets too dark to reveal...except they are! If you're looking for your next awesome read...look no further...it's Can't Look Away!

Love in your twenties. Do you ever really forget and move along? When you think you did someone/something comes along to change it all. Exciting story of love and obsession.

Do you want to read some high school-level drama, except populated with adults with lots of money and zero worries in the world?

You're in luck.

Molly and Jake, a writer and musician respectively, lock eyes one night at one of Jake's gigs, and the next thing you know, they're a couple. Of course, it doesn't last long, because this sort of love usually doesn't. Molly, irritated that Jake wants to work more on his music than on their relationship - because it has to be one or the other, it certainly cannot be both in the world of Lifetime movies (which, fair warning, this is). What I find interesting is that anyone who has an artistic bent - like Molly, supposedly a writer - could not understand another person with an artistic bent not wanting to give up their art.

But that's all academic, because they break up and go their separate ways.

Years later, Molly is now married to Hunter and has a five year old who loves Frozen. I totally get the latter; my nieces were obsessed with it. Much as I adore Idina Menzel, every time there was a reference to the movie, all I could hear was Idina singing Let It Go, and it was a bit of an overload.

Molly, Hunter, and their little girl live in a wealthy enclave amongst other similar families. Molly's having trouble fitting in with the other wives in the neighborhood, until Sabrina shows up. She's married, but her husband has not yet joined her. Molly hits it off with her immediately, and from there, the two are pals. We then get the usual Lifetime-esque interactions between the wives who have always had money, before they married their wealthy husbands, and the duo of Molly and Sabrina.

The narrative is told by rotating through Jake, Molly, and Sabrina, and it doesn't take long (or a genius) to figure out one of them is a psycho stalker. There isn't a lot of suspense to be had in the book, but there is loads of "woman perceives another woman has wronged her and seeks revenge" drama going on.I'm not generally a fan of those, but swank enclave drama does interest me somewhat, so I did finish this to its disappointing and ultimately unsatisfying ending.

Everything wraps up neatly, bow on top. If you like your thriller-wannabes or drama-filled tales ending very tidily, or if you're a big fan of Lifetime movies, this is your book.

Warning: there is a lot of swearing in this book, with the f bomb going off every 20 seconds it seems. I read mysteries, hardcore thrillers, and things of that nature, so I wasn't put off by it. If you're sensitive to it, you might want to give it a pass.

Two stars out of five.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy.