This is a story that explores the idea of first love and if we ever truly get over it. Molly fell head over heels for the lead singer of Danner Lane, Jake. He even wrote a love song about her that filled the airwaves. But Molly grew up, moved on and started a family. She got over Jake. But then he moved to her town a decade later and sparks fly again. This is a great summer read.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I don’t typically enjoy “romance” novels but this had the perfect balance of a love story and suspense. I really enjoyed it and would read more by this author in the future!

This was a good read with multiple povs! It kept me engaged throughout the book.

It was definitely more of a domestic suspense than a thriller.

But it was still a good read overall

Mystery, specifically domestic thriller. I personally am not very interested in mysteries but I know many people I can sell this to as it was written well and a great concept. not for me, but still good.

I don't really have anything positive to say about this book. I would pass on it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a twisty domestic thriller, read this next! At the beginning, Sabrina's perspective reminded me so much of Joe's voice from YOU and it really roped me in. I loved the music elements too and kept wanting to look up Danner Lane on Spotify and listen to Molly's Song.

Oh boy, there is way too much living in this book.

I could not keep it all straight and the pacing was so slow, making it a chore to read. PASS.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with this read, though I think that falls on the marketing. This was pitched as a mystery/thriller, though it felt almost entirely as a domestic drama with some elements of suspense. I think if I'd gone into the read knowing that, I might have enjoyed it more, as throughout the book, I continued to expect twists and turns that just never really landed. The reveals that did happen felt more inevitable than a surprise, often hinted at strongly enough through the book that they were nearly impossible to miss.

I did, however, really love the relationships in this book. In particular, Molly and Jake's relationship felt all too real, reflective of toxic relationships I saw and experienced in my 20s. I also enjoyed seeing how fleshed out most of the characters were, their growth over the decade that the book spans highlighting the complexity of people.

Overall, this was a fun ride and I'm interested in picking up Carola Lovering's future work, though hopefully with a clearer idea of the true contents of the book.

Carola Lovering is an auto read author for me. I could not put this enthralling book down and stayed up into the wee hours of the night finishing it.

3.5 stars rounded up!

Woah, this one was a wild ride... told in alternating POV (mostly between Molly & Sabrina). While I found it to be a little slow at times, I was still very invested in this tangled love web.

Def more a love story with a light mystery element - not a thriller.

I am still deciding how I feel about the ending and how things were tied up.


Thank you @netgalley!

CAN’T LOOK AWAY review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

🎵I was so excited to read this one when I heard it was a romantic suspense. I feel like I haven’t read many books in that genre so I was excited to dive in. Unfortunately this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While I enjoyed the story, I felt like the pacing was a bit off. I kept waiting for something to happen, and by the time it did, the story was over. I would have liked it if it had gotten to the point a bit faster.

🎵Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Molly sees Jake in a crowded bar in 2013, and she can’t look away. From that moment, she knows Jake will be an important part of her life. Jake is the lead singer in a band and he in Molly fall in love quickly. Flash forward to 9 years later, and Molly is married with kids. Jake is no longer a part of her life. She feels alone in a new town and quickly becomes friends with Sabrina. Molly thinks it’s fate that she finds such a good friend in her time of loneliness. Except Molly has no idea the role Sabrina has played in both her and Jake’s past…

🎵While this is labeled as romantic suspense, I felt it was lacking quite a bit on the suspense. I would go into it expecting mostly a romance with a couple plot twists thrown in. This story still kept me entertained, but overall it wasn’t my favorite. I did really love the ending though. I was worried it would end differently, but the ending was perfection.

I think this might be my least favorite read of the year so far. As someone else mentioned, this is absolutely not a thriller. The “action” is at the very end and is a Monday morning for those of us who like darker mysteries. The scheming and games were pretty flat and uninteresting.

My biggest issue was that this book is beyond predicable. I am not joking when I say that I anticipated every.single.thing that happened. The only reason I actually finished listening to this was to see if I truly predicted every “twist” that unfolded. You could have read one of the first chapters, one in the middle, and the last few and would have gotten the gist. Long story short: miscommunication, distrust, lies, insecurity, and distance tore Jake and Molly apart, but they can't stop thinking about each other even in their adult lives.

Listen I’m not opposed to a sexy suspense story, but only when the characters are ACTUALLY enticing. I want to know who signed off on such a MEDIOCRE man being shoved down our throats. Literally everything Jake did was laughable. While we get a lot of background on Molly’s relationship with him, all it did was make her look like a whole fool for putting up with him and later ~reminiscing~ about their unhealthy relationship. For real though - despite allllll their history, I could not understand what about Jake was so jaw dropping. So he knows how to strum a guitar and has craaazy blue eyes. His personality is TRASH. He still treated her like TRASH. I mean honestly lies from the jump!!!

Molly isn’t a particularly interesting main character either. I can sympathize with her career troubles, but at the end of the day Jake and Hunter were initially struck by her looks. She just happened to be a sweet person. Unfortunately, her fertility issues are the only part of her life that makes me feel bad for her. There was potential here for the author to make a simple story far more compelling.

I could go on. But ultimately, this was not for me. The saving grace was the narrators. Without the emotion they put into this lacking story, I would have DNFd.

1.5 stars.

Molly, an aspiring writer, is in love with Jake, a talented musician who was previously involved with Sabrina. It’s a classic love triangle that produces a psychological thriller about love and obsession. The back stories that reveal the characters’ struggles and triumphs are well-done and the story itself is well-paced. The storyline moves easily between 2013 and 2022, using several points of view. As the characters and the story develop, the first loves morph into a longer-lasting love, and then descend into destructive obsession. It’s a slow process that is mesmerizing.

The author has produced a tightly woven tale that is emotional, with enough twists to keep the reader turning the pages long into the night. I enjoyed this latest book by Carola Lovering.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

I was really hoping for a big moment in the book. It was a really good idea of a story, but did not play out. I give this book 3 stars. Thanks to the author, publishers, and Netgalley for an advanced reading.

This one was hard to put down. You literally can't look away! Molly Diamond sees Jake Danner singing at a bar, their eyes lock and the connection is undeniable. They love each other fiercely and as his band Danner Lane rises, things get rocky. Molly has some separation issues because of her father leaving her when she was little and Jake is not always responsible in keeping in touch with Molly when he is on the road. There is also SiSi, the women Jake broke up with before Molly who has not gotten over it or the miscarriage she suffered.

Molly is now married to Hunter, a man she was friends with when she was living with Jake and has a almost 6 year old daughter Stella. She meets Sabrina at her yoga class and is so happy to have a friend in the snooty town she lives in. Little does she know that Sabrina has been watching her with her own agenda. jake comes back in the picture and life turns upside down. So many things happen that I will not spoil here. I do have to say that I think most of the readers will figure a lot of it out before any reveals.

This is a fun twisty book with great characters that make you engage in a variety of feelings.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's for an advance copy for review.

I was really looking forward to this story because of all the hype. I found it a very slow burn not a thriller. There really is not much going on than I thought. It’s sort of like a hallmark story.

I enjoyed this suspenseful story. This is a new author for me which I look forward to seeing what is next for them. This is a well written story where the characters bring the story to life on each page. It is a fast paced, action filled story that is hard to put down. I enjoyed how the author used details to pull me into the story. The characters are strong, relateable, and supoortive of each other. This is a story about realizing you may not be over your first love and everything that goes along with it. This is a story that you don't want to miss. I highly recommend this book. Find out what happens when life just doesn't turn out the way we want.

It’s the year 2013 and Molly Diamond is a twenty-three year old barista and aspiring novelist. One night at concert, she locks eyes with the lead singer, Jake Danner…and cant look away. Molly & Jake fall quickly and deeply in love. Molly is the inspiration of a hit song that puts Jake’s band: Danner Lane on the map.

Nearly a decade later, Molly has given up her writing and is living in Connecticut with her young daughter and husband, Hunter. Their life is picture perfect, but Molly is beyond lonely. She feels like she sticks out like a sore thumb among other women in their wealthy suburb. She is also struggling to conceive their second child, and has no one to turn to.

When Sabrina, a newcomer to Flynn Cove walks into Molly’s yoga studio, they become fast friends. Their infertility struggles bond them - and Molly believes she has FINALLY found a true friend.

Sabrina has her own reasons for moving to Flynn Cove and befriending Molly. As Sabrina’s secrets slowly unravel, her past connection to Molly becomes crystal clear - so do secrets of Molly’s own which she has worked hard to keep under wraps.

Meanwhile, a new version of Jake’s hit song about Molly is hot on the radio waves - forcing Molly is confront her past and ask the ultimate question: what happens when your life turns on nothing like thought it would?

______

I thought the beginning go this book was GREAT and I loved the ‘YOU’ female stalker vibes - but then as this book progressed, it became too repetitive and way too much of a slow burn. The martial issues in this book were beyond unrealistic and for me that made it hard to give this book more than 3 stars. This book also was more of a romantic suspense than a thriller. While all issues get resolved, and ending is tied up in a pretty no plot holes bow…this book was just meh.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Can't Look Away was a great title for this book because I literally didn't want to stop reading it or look away from it for even a minute. Given the opportunity, I think I would've read this in a day. Unfortunately, life gets in the way. I will say that I feel this book was marketed to be a thriller/mystery, but it definitely wasn't that to me. For me, this book was more of a drama, and I was swept up in the lives of the characters. I loved the different points of view and different timelines, and I never found them confusing. I also loved the music/art aspect, and I wish Danner Lane was a real band so I could hear their music. The end of the story came together in a super satisfying, dramatic way. I would recommend this book to anyone, just because I enjoyed it so much. However, there are trigger warnings so make sure to check before reading if you're concerned.

Obsession is the name of the game for Carola Lovering's newest book, Can't Look Away. Desperately in love with Jake Danner, a singer in a band, the two have an intense relationship. At some point in their relationship, they have a bad breakup, but Jake's love for Molly was so powerful that he wrote a song about her and that song has never stopped being played everywhere. But, the pair end things for good and don't see one another for nearly ten years.

In fact, Molly is now marries to Hunter and Jake is partnered with Sabrina. Molly and Sabrina become fast friends. Before I continue, I will mention that this book deals with the sensitive issue infertility. For Molly, she and Hunter have a beautiful little girl, and are struggling to get pregnant again. For Sabrina, she is longing to get pregnant with Jake's child. Perhaps it is this shared grief that bond both women together.

Now, this book is about obsession. Who is the one dealing with it? Is it Molly, who not only ended things with Jake, but has married and has a daughter. Or is it, Sabrina, and if she the one obsessed, then who is the object of said obsession? What a conundrum. In fact, page after page in this thrilling book by Carola Lovering, there are multiple layers explored when it comes to the unhealthy subject. So, someone Can't Look Away, and who would that be?

This brilliant book is written from three perspectives, and this brings about the past and present and how the relationships were formed. In dramatic fashion, secrets and lies abound, presenting the reader with a thoroughly intense story. As I listened to the audiobook, with three narrators, each taking on the role of Molly, Sabrina and Jake, this made the book truly impossible to put down.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy the following YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/N_Xtsv9urcU