I was incredibly excited to get an ARC of this book after having read Too Good to be True and LOVING IT and I will say this one did not disappoint! I also love that it was set in my home state.

Can't Look Away is a great stalkerish suspense. (Though I will say for some reason I thought this was a thriller, and I wouldn't categorize it as that but definitely suspenseful!)

Molly and Jake had a rollercoaster of a relationship. I got MAJOR Almost Famous Stillwater vibes from Danner Lane and I was loving it. I did NOT like Sabrina's character at ALL but you're not supposed to. The twist at the end I figured out but it didn't take away from my enjoyment. I read this book start to finish in a day because I needed to know how this triangle plus one was going to unfold.

I will definitely be picking up everything from Carola Lovering in the future!

Thank you Netgally and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love Carola Lovering's novels and this was no different. I was surprised at the conclusion, but won't give it away here. The characters were developed, as were the relationships, and I didn't put it down! Always looking forward to reading whatever Lovering writes next.

I’m not sure how to classify this book. It’s not a thriller and not quite a romance. There’s a bit of mystery and maybe some women’s fiction. It follows a dual timeline and multiple characters through their early twenties in Brooklyn to their early thirties in a coastal suburb of NYC. I found this to be engaging, and I read it quickly, but it didn’t have quite the striking ending I was expecting. It basically just fizzled out into a “why did I read all this to get here?” ending. Carola Lovering does a toxic love story like no one else though so if you love that story type, you’ll like this one.

Can't Look Away is the story of Molly Diamond, an aspiring writer, Jake Danner, lead singer for the Danner Lane band, and the mysterious Sabrina. Molly and Jake fall quite passionately in love but forces beyond their control conspire to drive them apart and Molly is left to figure out the rest of her life. While I believe this is listed as a thriller of the psychological persuasion, it really felt more like women's fiction with a touch of obsession.

I found this author's writing to be quite moving and I felt totally immersed in the story. I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this advance copy.

The story was pretty good but I wouldn’t call it a thriller. It moved so slow and didn’t hold my attention. It took me forever to read because I kept getting bored and moving on to something else.

I really enjoyed the author's first novel, but I didn't like this one at all. It felt very rushed and the ending was ridiculous.

Thank you to Carola Lovering, NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review,

This will be published on June 14th.

Holy cow I loved this book!!! I did not look at the description of what this was about but I was a fan of Carola Lovering's 2021 Too Good To Be True so I knew what I was in for but didn't know I was going to be this invested.

In similar fashion to Too Good To Be True, this was told from 3 point of views - Molly, Jake and Sabrina. And within those 3 point of views it goes from past to present.

Molly a young aspiring writer who falls for an upcoming musician Jake and they embark on (what I think) is an epic love story that last for approximately 2 years but 6 years later after they broken up, Jake emerges back into Molly's life through her new bestie Sabrina.

Sabrina is the most complex character that I read in a long while! She was the villian right off the back and I hated but loved her at the same time. She definitely kept me on my toes & wondering what she was doing to do next.

"Everything about him intoxicated me."

I absolutely love Molly and Jake together. They had such a connection and you could really get a sense of how much they loved one another. That first love that just never goes away, that is buried deep within you but then something sparks that memory. In the same vein, I also love Molly and Hunter. Hunter was the man that Molly needed & is such a strong good person.

I really connected with this book as I have fertility issues and thought Lovering did a great job with digging into the emotional toll fertility has on a couple without making it too graphic and triggering. And also with my love of music and going to concerts, that also kept me intrigued.

I really thought the 3 point views going between the past and present really worked for this. And I hope Lovering continues to do more 3 point of view storylines in her future books.

The reason why I did not rate it a solid 5 is that I wanted something else big to happen. Maybe Hunter somehow be involved in Sabrina's scheme (even though I was glad he wasn't)? Or had Molly get pregnant with Hunter's baby during the hookup?

I am pretty certain I will be thinking of this book for quite sometime and recommending it to my romantic thriller friends. Also on a book note, I think I really am into romantic thrillers.

4.75 though I may change it to 5

Wow. I LOVED this one! I was hooked from the first chapter & finished in under 24 hours!

From the first time Molly and Jake lock eyes, they can’t look away from one another. They fall fast and hard, but have a very tumultuous relationship. Jake clearly loves Molly but doesn’t prioritize her as his musical career takes off, basically ghosting her while he’s on tour. Their rocky relationship hits a wall when he falls off the radar and she realizes that no matter how much she loves him, she has to walk away. Years later, she is happily married with a five year old daughter, living in an upper class suburb, when she makes a new friend, Sabrina. Molly is blindsided when she and her husband, Hunter, show up to dinner and meet Sabrina’s husband, Jake. Basically shit hits the fan after that, but I don’t want to give anything away.

I loved Molly & Hunt’s relationship! He is such a stand up guy who just swoops in to take care of Molly, and together they build a very real and lasting relationship. Young Jake and Molly is so swoony, and grown up Jake is amazing! He has a LOT of growth in the years between, seems highly aware of his flaws, and loves Molly enough to truly put her happiness ahead of his own. It seems like Sabrina gets away with a lot, but honestly I love the way her part wraps up, too. Can’t Look Away is more romance with thriller/suspense woven in. I loved the dual timelines and multiple POVs. This one is a ride from the first chapter to the last, and you’ll stay right on the edge of your seat.

why my nose was in this book:
- i am a big fan of carola lovering's work and this was another stellar story with a unique plot that kept me on my toes
- i enjoyed the past and present parallel stories between the main characters
- i love a good twist! i saw the first one coming, but the second one shocked the socks off me

Can't Look Away will capture not only your attention buy your heart.

It is a story of first romance, of love, of obsession and even revenge.

It is part happiness, part sadness and part craziness. Loved it.

The story is told from the past and the present and it works very well.

It is the story of 4 people really : Molly, Jake Hunter and Sabrina.

Oh Sabrina. Revenge does not suit you well.

When the 4 meet up in the town of Flynn Cove there are secrets just waiting to explode.

The pages turned quickly and the lights stayed on as I raced to see what would happen.

Well worth the read. These characters will stay with me for a long time.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an intriguing read.

Can’t Look Away didn’t quite turn out to be the suspense filled novel I was expecting. I think I would categorize this more as a woman’s fiction read. That being said, I was quickly drawn into Molly’s story and pretty much finished this book in one sitting.

Oh, to be young and in love, especially with an up-and-coming rock star! Molly and Jake’s love burned fast and bright, like a shooting star. But we all know that shooting stars fizzle out as some point. Now years later, we find Molly married to someone else, with a little girl, living in a town she doesn’t feel she belongs in, at all. How did Molly end up here, and what happened to all those dreams she was pursuing?

Ms. Lovering does a great job of fleshing out these characters. Between past and present chapters, she rolls out the lives of Molly, Jake and Sabrina. Sabrina, well she was a little on the unhinged side, her actions being what I am assuming is supposed to be the suspense part of the story, but for me, really was just a woman obsessed with getting what she has always wanted.

I was impressed with how Ms. Lovering delves into both Molly and Jake’s characters, not only to familiarize the reader with them, but paint a picture of what their lives were like growing up, what their dreams are, and what their hopes, fear, insecurities and weaknesses are. Those last two are really what tore these two apart and set their lives on very different trajectories than where they initially started out. This is a little depressing, to be honest, but then Ms. Lovering finishes out the story showing the growth and healing that has occurred for both Molly and Jake. Sabrina on the other hand? Ehhh… not sure there’s any salvaging that girl.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review

A lackluster thriller. Frustrating characters. The book wasn't all bad but it was nothing special. Forgettable.

I loved this book! Definitely one of my favorites of the year! This was marketed as a thriller but I would say it's more romance suspense and I LOVED it! I could not wait to see what happened and there were twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I also really enjoyed the alternating POV of Molly and Jake that allowed so much backstory and character development that made me feel very connected to the characters. I truly was thinking about this book until the very last page and love how Lovering ended the whole story. Definitely a beach read, pool read, plane read, couch read you will devour in one sitting! Out 6/14!

5 Stars!

In 2013 Molly and Jake Danner lock eyes during one of his performances with his band, Danner Lane. The two quickly begin a whirlwind romance. The pair are deeply in love, but faced with issues of trust and communication when Jake begins touring the world and gaining fame. Fast forward to 2022 and Molly is now married to Hunter and raising their 5 year old daughter. Molly's life looks picture perfect, but she's unfulfilled with her job, having trouble fitting in in ritzy Flynn Cove, and struggling to conceive a second child. When Molly meets Sabrina, who has just moved to town with her husband, the two become fast friends and Molly finally feels like she has someone to turn to in town. But Sabrina is here for a reason and soon her secrets, and connection to Molly, will become very clear.

I really liked this book! I love when chapters bounce back and forth between characters and time periods. It was great getting insights to the perspectives of Molly, Jake, and Sabrina and understanding how everyone ended up how they are in present day. I thought the pacing was great and I read through this book in two days because I could not put it down! That said, I would not consider this one a thriller. It was more of a domestic drama, with some suspenseful secrets waiting to be uncovered.

I will definitely be picking up more books from this author. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 Stars!

This is my first Carola Lovering but I can say it will not be my last. I was SO intrigued by this book from the beginning, and devoured it within one day.

In 2013, Molly is a barista who dreams of one day being a writer. She falls head over heels in love with Jake, a musician in an up-and-coming band, and they are inseparable. What Molly does not know, is that she has taken him away from Sisi, who is obsessively and passionately in love with Jake as well. Fast forward a decade, while living in the suburbs and married to Hunter, Molly befriends Sabrina, and happy she has finally found someone to connect with. Until a couples' dinner with Sabrina and her husband changes everything, and Molly is thrust into her past.

I absolutely love a twisty, suspenseful read, and I thoroughly enjoyed this. In the beginning, I was intrigued but not quite yet hooked on where this was going. When a twist happened about 1/3 of the way through, I could not put it down. Sabrina's secrets and kniving ways kept me wanting to read more. That, along with the intense love between Molly and Jake, and just wondering how everyone got to where they are. Full of secrets, lies, and suspense, in a writing style that was smooth and gripping, this is a novel that had me wanting to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Full review to be posted on my IG @manis.and.manuscripts on 6/13/22 in advance of pub day!

I really enjoyed Lovering’s third book. With alternating timelines between Molly and Jake we learn about their love story. Enter Sabrina, Molly’s new friend, and Jake’s wife. While Molly thinks she finally found a friend in Sabrina, she (a little too) slowly discovers Sabrina has other plans. This was a suspenseful read that was a little easy to guess but still left me needing to figure out how it unfolded.

I couldn't get into this one. I never got the big ah-ha moment that hooked me. I loved Too Good to Be True by Lovering but this one didn't really make the same splash. It felt like more of a romance than a thriller to me.

This book was an ABSOLUTE BANGER. I love a book with solid character development, consistent characters, a believable story, and no loose ends. I absolutely loved the dual timelines for helping move the story when I had questions, and I enjoyed the multiple perspectives. The actual plot was excellent and while I didn't see the first 2 twists coming (at all) I saw where we were going and was in suspense to see it take place! Carola Lovering is now on my auto-buy authors list because this was just excellent.

This was a fantastic book that I definitely recommend to others. The plot kept me engaged and I really connected with the characters.

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering is a well-written novel centered on the lives of young adults intersecting across a time span of 10 years.
It unfolds in 2 timelines—2013 and 2022—and is told from 3 persons’ POVs in alternating chapters. This arrangement is a strength of the book, as it gives depth to the characters, and provides perspective and back stories.
Molly is a likeable, naïve but determined, aspiring writer, Jake is an impulsive, glamorous lead singer in a rock band on the rise, and Sabrina is the devious rich girl, who can’t look away from Jake, and interferes with Molly and Jake’s romance. While I liked the dual timelines and POVs, I could not empathize or sympathize with any of the characters. They seemed like players in a soap opera or a Lifetime movie—lots of drama, angst, and head-scratching behavior.
Originally, this book was marketed as a thriller, but I notice that now the publisher’s blurb on Goodreads calls it a “sexy suspense novel.” It is closer to being accurate, but it contains little suspense, some mild sexual scenes, and lots of complicated interpersonal relationship drama.
While I was disappointed by the lack of mystery and suspense, I believe many readers may enjoy this book as a literary, character-driven, romance novel.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.