I have to admit that I wasn't really a big fan of Carola Lovering's debut Tell Me Lies but I am OBSESSED with Can't Look Away! Speaking of which, this book has a strong obsession vibe, and like everyone else and their mother has mentioned, it is not a thriller. It is a drama-filled soap opera of a book, and I loved every single minute of it. While the story is told mostly from Molly and Sabrina's (AKA Sisi) viewpoints, there is the occasional chapter from Jake as well. I loved that Lovering decided to intertwine past chapters with present chapters, and it was great to see how it all came together in the end. There is a trigger for fertility issues (as well as other things) in this one as well and I was literally bawling like a baby at the end, so I was really glad I was home alone.

I also can't say enough great things about the audiobook, which is narrated by Caitlin Davies, Karissa Vacker & Zachary Webber. Davies voices Sabrina, while Vacker voices Molly and obviously we have Webber as Jake. Each one of them was a star, and such a pleasure to listen to, and I felt like they were each a perfect fit for their character. I already knew I was a fan of Webber and Vacker, but it has been AGES since I listened to Davies, and Can't Look Away definitely reinforced how much I enjoy her as a narrator. Clearly, I am really pushing the audio here, but I am fairly certain I would have loved this book even if I had read it instead of listened to it. I think you just have to be prepared for something that is like watching a soap opera or a telenovela, and if you are into those things, you just might love it. I am actually into neither, but I was so into the story and what was going to happen that it didn't matter. I am here for the drama, and I am here for whatever Lovering writes next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I learned my lesson and no longer read the synopsis of a book before diving in because sometimes it just gives too much away, but the short and sweet of it is this is a romantic/domestic suspense that follows the evolution of Jake and Molly's love story over a decade. Despite its marketing, t's not a traditional thriller, so don't go into it with those expectations.

I enjoyed it overall as the story alternates narration between three points of view and the past and present, providing a full picture of the characters' emotions and motivations over the years. We get a look at young love and the one that got away, with plenty of drama, jealousy, and lies thrown in to add some tension.

If you like a bit of drama and manipulation, pick this one up. It's entertaining and will keep you turning pages.

Content warning: pregnancy loss

Thanks St. Martin's Press for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This romantic suspense is so good you will not want to put it down! I was immediately hooked. I truly don't think anyone does dual timelines and multiple POVs quite like @carolatlovering. I have only read one other by her (Too Good to Be True) and it was done flawlessly in that as well.

Reasons to read this book -
✨ Dual timelines/multiple POVs
✨ Lots of lies, drama, and mystery
✨ Even though this is more romantic suspense than thriller - the twists are so good & will keep you on your toes
✨ Music vibes
✨ The ending was perfection

Thank you so much to @stmartinspress & @netgalley for my #gifted copy! This one is out TODAY, so RUN (like super fast) to your local bookstore and snag a copy!

I went into this one expecting a thriller, based on the author's previous book (and my judgement of the cover). Can't Look Away was more of a women’s fiction novel with a little suspense. Actually, it read a lot like a Colleen Hoover novel, so if you like her you’ll love this!

I was very impressed with the way the author wrote these characters. Throughout the story, I couldn’t figure out which of the characters I liked and was rooting for. There’s an obvious love triangle (square?) situation, and I was constantly changing which man I wanted Molly to pick. Molly was complex and well-developed, and while she certainly made some questionable decisions, it was in a realistic and understandable way. I can’t say the same for Sabrina, but she was a really fun trainwreck to watch. Especially once her lies all caught up to her–I was cringing on her behalf.

In regards to Lovering’s other books, I liked this one more than Tell Me Lies but not as much as Too Good To Be True. I would definitely recommend it, though!

Told in two time periods through the eyes of Molly, Sabrina, and Jake. The first time period takes place in 2013-2014. Jake Danner is the member of a music trio consisting of Jake and two Lane brothers. They call their group Danner Lane. Jake meets Molly, an aspiring writer, at a concert and falls in love with her. Sabrina is not happy and does everything secretly to break them up. The second time period takes place in 2022 in the exclusive community of Flynn Cove. We find Molly and Hunter are married with a five-year old daughter named Stella. Sabrina is married to Jake (unbeknownst to Molly) and Sabrina shows up in a yoga class that Molly teaches. Sabrina is still looking for revenge.

The term “soap opera” leapt entering my mind. I enjoyed the beginning and the end of this novel The middle of the novel, for me, moved like a soap opera (slow moving plot that does not change). At one point, I almost put the book down. I felt it was so repetitive. And, for a good part of the middle section it seemed like the author kept dropping the f-bomb all the time. Overused. As the story resolves itself, I became interested again and she’d a few tears. I think the book could have used some more editing. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I love a book about a jilted lover! We get that along with the second chance romance vibe and all the best pieces for a good thriller.

Told in three unique perspectives from 2013 to present day, the story unfolds about Molly and her incredible romance with Jake, an up and coming musician and brings us back and forth through the timeline of life… Sabrina, a woman entering Molly’s life at present day, is the third mysterious voice we get and she leads us into the heart of the story.

This was a hell of a lot of fun. I enjoyed the disjointed timeline when I normally don’t. The cast of characters is fantastic. And the suspense?? I couldn’t put this one down.

Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This title is tagged as suspense and thriller, and while it definitely packs some surprises, it’s not the caliber of heart stopping, page turning suspense/thriller that her earlier book Too Good to Be True was. With that said, I actually liked Can’t Look Away better, perhaps because it wasn’t such a stressful read. It had more of a romance lean to it, and while you knew Sabrina was a little evil and crazy from the get go, it wasn’t scary. I thought I was predicting plot twists, but inevitably I was wrong (which was probably the author’s intent). A very engaging read.

When will I learn that when publishers suggest that a novel will be perfect for fans of writers like Gillian Flynn, ignore them! Can't Look Away was marketed in the Suspense/Mystery/Thriller genre, but it is really more of a romantic fiction/women's lit novel. It's a good story about Molly Diamond, a budding writer, and her first great love, Jake Danner, a singer. They meet at one of Jake's gigs, and it is love at first sight. The year is 2013, and Molly and Jake are both in their early 20s. Their love is all-encompassing, but when Jake's band hits it big, the relationship falls apart. Jake loves Molly, but he can't seem to manage both professional success and a romantic relationship. When he's on tour, he forgets all about her, doesn't call, doesn't communicate, and blows off plans.

The novel then skips forward 10 years in time. Molly is now teaching yoga, has a young child, and is happily married to a wonderful man named Hunter. Life is great, but Molly is lonely. That changes when a woman named Sabrina moves into town and comes to one of Molly's classes. Molly is ecstatic to finally have a best friend, but Sabrina has an agenda, and it is NOT to be a friend to Molly.

The novel is well written, and the characters of Molly, Jake, and Sabrina are very well developed. It's easy to love Molly, be wary of Sabrina, and to judge Jake. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't what I was expecting. If you're looking for a story about first love, I recommend Can't Look Away. If you're looking for a thriller, this is not it.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Holy moly! Get your hands on a copy of this book by @carolatlovering.

This was a five star read for me. I was expecting a thriller, but I got more of a romantic/suspense vibe. I was hooked from page one.

Molly and Jake meet while he is in an up and coming band. They fall In love - but that’s all I’m going to say. I don’t want to give ANYTHING away. There are four brilliant characters in this book (Hunter is my favorite). I can almost guarantee that you will love it!

#readingshouldbefun and this was five star fun for me!

This book is one of a kind and also hard to describe. It's part love story, part thriller. Jake and Molly are your typical "on again/off again" couple with lots of drama. Sisi is a sinister character that makes no sense but drives the plot. Thanks for the advance review copy.

I enjoy books that are told from multiple points of view because you can really dig into what the character is thinking, feeling, or planning to do. The book starts off primarily from Molly's point of view and we learn about her struggles until she and Jake have a moment when their eyes meet at a bar where his band was playing. From there it was off to the races.

Later in the book, we have a new character, Sabrina. We know she is up to no good but we don't really know why. Until we do, then it is a "whoa" kind of moment. Sabrina is messed up is all I can say. At first, you think she deserves some pity or sympathy until the truth is revealed. The pieces really start to fall into place and we have a better understanding of the past and how it has impacted the present.

The book does flip back and forth in time so that we can grasp Molly's relationship with Jake, her relationship now with her husband, Hunter, and how even love can't save a relationship.

The characters are young in the "past", 23+ and that explains a lot of their immaturity. But circumstances and situations change them as people, and while they may be more grown up in the present, there are still some secrets that need to be shared and discussions to be had if everyone is going to truly move forward.

I did enjoy this book and there is so much I want to say but it would give away a lot of the "suspense" of the plot. I don't think this is a true suspense novel, maybe a romantic suspense story, but I think it might be more of a drama that you would see on Lifetime or a similar channel.

We give this book 4 paws up.

After reading some author comments, I was expecting this book to have similar themes to the movie Tully, about a woman becoming a mom and missing who she used to be. I think that was probably the author's hope for this book, but the thriller aspect took away from that.

What we have here is some depressing Blue Valentine-esque love story, with shallow characters that are really not worthy of obsession.

This book has multiple timelines, and multiple viewpoints, which will probably annoy a lot of people. A lot of the chapters were the exact same events, just through a different perspective, so it wasn't hard to see where things were going. And how annoying is Jake? His eyes are really that nice that you can ignore all his other qualities?

I am not above the romantic jealousy psycho stalker plotline, but this was really more of a sad relationship autopsy than a thriller and did not do its subject matter justice.

Molly is at a small bar concert the first time she sees Jake. Their eyes lock and there’s just something about him. He asks around and gets her number and their connection seems instantaneous. Molly is his muse and Jake’s her biggest cheerleader for her writing. But Molly isn’t the only girl Jake has swept off her feet, and one simply can’t seem to let it go- Sabrina. Ultimately, Sabrina ends up with Jake, but she can’t get over his time with Molly. So much so that she moves with Jake to the town where Molly has settled with her husband Hunter. Sparks will fly when everything is revealed. “Can’t Look Away” by Carola Lovering is a story of love, regret, and obsession.

First off, I love Molly. She seems like someone I would probably be friends with in real life. She’s usually balanced and smart, but she’s in love, so we’ll let some poor choices slide. She seems to genuinely love Jake, but there are so many moments when he doesn’t put her first. It comes as no surprise that she ends up marrying Hunter. Molly deserves someone who loves her and put her first- or at least someone who can remember to send a text checking in with her every now and then.

Sabrina was an interesting character because she always walked that line of being too much or not quite enough villain. Somehow I felt like it was hard to fully hate her because she was wronged first. Not that a sad backstory is an excuse, but simply, she’s not emotionally healthy and that makes me pity her a little.

In the end, I gave this book 4 stars. It was interesting and watching Jake and Molly fall in love was beautiful. The ending felt a little flat to me, especially the epilogue. If there was some last twist or something, I think that would have bumped it over the top.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book is available now!!

This is NOT a thriller!! I think this was severely mismarketed - I could maybe settle for domestic suspense, but even that feels like a push. There is an interesting love triangle in multiple timelines and perspectives.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Can’t Look Away is a uniquely gripping love story/thriller with so many twists and turns which continue to come at the reader until the very end of the story.

In 2013 a young graduate student who wants to be a writer named Molly Diamond goes to a rock concert in Brooklyn. While there, she locks eyes with the lead singer, Jake Danner and they fall madly in love. As the saying goes, the eyes are the widow to the soul, and they believe they are truly soul mates with Jake even writing a song about Molly which shoots him into stardom.

Fast forward to the present and Molly is a yoga teacher and a loving mother and wife (not to Jake) in a small town in Connecticut. She and her husband have been trying for years to get pregnant again and are in the midst of what could possibly be the last IVF treatment because they are running out of money. She has not written in years and the women in Flynn Cove where they live are not really her type of friends, with most being country club gossiping snobs. To say she is just a little depressed would be an understatement.

Suddenly Jake Danner pops onto her radar with a new rendition of his hit Molly’s Song. She hasn’t thought about him in years and begins to relive the memories of the two of them together and although they never really fell out of love, what led them to go their separate ways and the heartbreak which came with the parting.

Her only salvation right now is a new friend she has made named Sabrina. She has just moved into the town with her husband, and she is going through IVF as well. But Sabrina has more than just friendship on her mind when it comes to Molly. She blames Molly for ruining her life and wants to make sure everyone Molly knows realizes what Molly did. And then she introduces Molly to her husband….

Can’t Look Away has so much heart and love with so many shocking twists and turns you will be riveted. You will love the relationships and friendships; you will be sad at the heartbreaks, and you will especially root for what could/should have been and the strength it will take to make everything right.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #CarolaLovering #Can’tLookAway for the advanced copy.

I love love loved this book. We love how seamlessly Carola Lovering marries genres- domestic drama, suspense and a bit of romance. The energy and chemistry between the characters through the pages. This book is a journey through naive young love and lust. We liked the format, a lot of the story and the character's history is told through flashbacks which gave us great detail to their relationship. The ending was a bit of a whirlwind but we liked the buildup. It was all a super satisfying story about love and betrayal. Lovering is an auto buy author for me!

This domestic thriller centers around Molly, aspiring writer and Jake, lead singer in an up-and-coming band. Jake spots Molly in the crowd at one of his shows and the rest is history—except we meet Molly 10 years later and she’s married to someone else, a mom and trying to fit in with the suburban Connecticut crowd.

I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and timeline-hopping that author Carola Lovering used to build suspense and advance her plot. I personally found it an engaging way to get insight into the past and it also helped me understand how Molly & Jake’s experiences and upbringing shaped their behavior and decisions.

There were a few early twists, but over time the storyline felt ultra-predictable to me. It’s a quick, perfect for a beach escape read, but ultimately it did not wow me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anchor and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy and the opportunity to provide my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tortured. Love. OOF.

We get a multiple pov and timeline and we get love at first sight, love so wild it's not enough.

To say that Molly and Jake had a strong love would be an understatement. However, a love so monumental it would hurdle the obstacles, that's the question isn't it?

Have you ever loved someone so hard, so much and so deep but it still didn't feel like enough? The ones left in shadows feel this a million times over when there is obsession.

The narrators did such a fantastic job bringing Molly, Jake and Sabrina to life! I've said it a bunch but a good narrator can REALLY add to the reading experience. Definitely worth listening to.

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, Carola Lovering and NetGalley for the gifted copies!

This book was mesmerizing! I'm not sure I've ever read anything as fast as I did this book. The story was dual timeline, multiple perspective and I am blown away thinking of how hard it had to be for the author to construct this book.

I really had no idea where this story was going for a long, long time. This story was like a puzzle that you had to construct one piece at a time. The future of the characters is almost strangled by their past. Molly and Jake were together for a long time and have a deeply seated love for each other, but his band's success and then slow decline brings heartache to the relationship. There is another person that is instrumental in the despair they go through. The other main characters in the book are crucial to the story, but I'm not about to give anything away. I was BLOWN AWAY!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

I really loved the author’s last book, Too Good to be True so I was extremely excited to read her latest, Can’t Look Away. It did not disappoint! I will say, I thought it would be more of a thriller but in my opinion it was more of a character study. There were some twists, but not really a thriller. That said, I still really enjoyed this book! I was very invested in the characters and kept turning the page to find what was going to happen. It was written very well and the author did such a good job with writing and explaining her characters. I loved this book and look forward to the author’s next book!