Many people have experienced an unhealthy love or relationship at some point. Carola Lovering captures these moments and feelings and stuffs them into a new thrilling tale, Can't Look Away.

Molly Diamond is twenty-three and has big dreams for her future. Her dreams all get thrown out the window when she meets Jake Danner, a singer and songwriter. His song about her becomes his claim to fame.

Years later, Molly's dreams have gone out the window. She's settled into a small town, living with her daughter and a husband (not Jake). Her loneliness and other events force Molly to look into her past. What happened during that whirlwind love between Molly and Jake?

Can't Look Away is marketed as a thriller, but it hits more like a domestic drama with thriller vibes. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that! But I feel like knowing this information going into it will help increase a reader's enjoyment.

This novel is all about two points in time. At first, it seems like there's nothing in common between the two, except for maybe the main character. As the story unfolds, so do the secrets. Then it all starts to make a horrifying sort of sense.

I love the introspective take of Can't Look Away. The idea is to take accountability for one's past to move forward. I generally like this concept, and it is done pretty well here.
Overall I would say that Can't Look Away is a decent read. It's not my favorite, and I may not remember it in a decade, but I enjoyed the time I spent reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of Can't Look Away!

So here's the deal. I really liked this book at the beginning. I like the way that it was structured with multiple time lines and points-of-view. I think the characters were interesting and flawed. However, it started to drag for me and ultimately felt a bit anticlimactic. I think I was under the impression that this book was a thriller, but it really felt more like a dark and twisted romance.

**SPOILER** I think the thing that really bothered me is that Sabrina had absolutely no consequences for pushing Molly down the stairs... Like, they didn't even call the police? And even once Jake and Molly realized how Sabrina had been interfering in their lives, they didn't seem that bothered? I just feel like their reactions to the situation were so unrealistic to me that the ending just didn't work for me.

But back to the positives, I do think the book was well written. This is my first Carola Lovering, and I definitely feel open to more. I like the way that she told the story. I just wish it hadn't lost me in the end. Overall, three stars. I would recommend if you like the author or if it really piques your interest.

Touted as a thriller or suspense, I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t work well for me. It had no twists or unexpected surprises, so I would say it is probably more a domestic suspense mixed with a lot of romance, mostly romance, in fact. It is the story of Molly who falls in love at first sight with a band member named Jake. Their relationship just does not work for either of them, so Molly ends up in suburbia Connecticut, married to a man named Hunter and caring for a young daughter. The points of view are from a trio of characters, Molly, Jake and Sabrina. Sabrina is a woman who insinuates herself into Molly’s life and has secrets that she wants to use against her. Molly is in her 30’s in the present timeline and has not ever really let go of her first love Jake. She is out of sorts and feeling misplaced, so she is the perfect victim for Sabrina. The romantic parts of the book had me crying a little. The themes of giving up the past and forging on for a better future were present but not well-developed. The characters were flawed and somewhat realistic, but I was dismayed that almost a decade, Molly had not moved on and followed her dream to become a writer. The dual timeline was confusing at first, but easy to pick up on once I got used to going to the past and returning to the present. I thought that the story dragged at times and I just wanted the book to end so I could see if Molly ever put on her big girl pants and moved on. The lives of the characters change as they age and this was well depicted, but the characters themselves are static, stuck in a past that holds them captive. That part of the book, the part in which there is no going forward was somewhat depressing. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy romance, domestic drama and a slow, methodical path to an expected conclusion.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

“Can’t Look Away” is categorized as a “domestic thriller,” but this is not accurate. In truth, the novel is not a thriller at all, but is really a romance with some suspenseful aspects. The story is based on a romantic triangle between Jake Danner, a self-absorbed rock star, his crazy ex-girlfriend Sabrina, and his “muse” Molly who yearns to be a writer but who works as a yoga instructor instead. I don’t like romances, and this book didn’t change my mind. Not only does it read like a soap opera, but the story seemed dated. Why are two women so obsessed with a narcissistic man? And the psycho ex-girlfriend trope went out of fashion after sexist films like Fatal Attraction. 2.5 out of 5.0 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary advanced readers copy of the book.

I feel like this book is being marketed incorrectly and that’s probably hurting reviews. This is not a thriller. I would hardly characterize the plot as suspenseful. It’s a drama. There’s some intrigue. It’s mostly contemporary fiction/women’s fiction, with some romance. I kept waiting for a twist that never happened. It was a great depiction of a toxic love story and it was interesting at times, but it dragged for me. Not my favorite.

This story focuses on the lives of Molly, Jake, Sabrina and Hunter. Although the story takes place in 2022 there are also flashbacks to 2013 when the four main characters were in their twenties. The plot of this book is part romance and young love and part suspense. I really enjoyed Molly's character and it was fun to watch her grow throughout the book and to face romantic challenges. The suspenseful parts involve Sabrina and the twists she brings to her relationship with Jake, Molly and Jake's relationship and also Molly and Hunters marriage.

I felt that this book hovered between a three and four star rating. I wish the author had chosen to either focus on the romance and relationships or on suspenseful aspects. The way the book was written neither the romance nor the suspense felt fully met their potential. I also felt that the ending was lacking and there was so much build up for such a short resolution. I did end up giving the book four stars because I really enjoyed all of the main characters and I am still thinking about the book days later.

📣BOOK REVIEW 📣

Can’t Look Away
Carola Lovering

This book was really good! I flew through it! Thankfully it hasn’t been too hot out this week so I could sit by the pool and read!

The book was a love story with a bit of psychological thriller in it. Not too much of either, just enough to be entertaining!

I have read a lot of books that miss explaining story lines or just race through the explanation and this was NOT that book. Everything was explained and I finished the book without any questions (except the usual- “I wonder if the characters are happy now”😂).

Carola Lovering will be an auto-read for me now.

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.