Omg what a book! This is a page turner since page 1! You won’t want to stop reading this book and when you have to you will think about it all day! This is a must read!

Ready for a short & sweet review?! I did not love and I did not hate author Carola Lovering’s newest thriller 𝐶𝑎𝑛’𝑡 𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝐴𝑤𝑎𝑦. The synopsis calls this story a thriller; however it is not. This is a domestic drama with no suspense in my opinion.

Simply a three star read. Did the drama entertain me? Yes. Did I really connect and care about the characters? No. Will I read this author again? Yes because I’ve found her earlier books much more likeable.

If your into love triangles, friendship/ relationship dramas, college lifestyle drama- this might be your book.

SYNOPSIS: “Molly and Jake fall quickly and deeply in love, especially after he writes a hit song about her that puts his band on the map.

Nearly a decade later, Molly has given up writing and is living in Flynn Cove, Connecticut with her young daughter and her husband Hunter—who is decidedly not Jake Danner. Their life looks picture-perfect, but Molly is lonely; she feels out of place with the other women in their wealthy suburb, and is struggling to conceive their second child. When Sabrina, a newcomer in town, walks into the yoga studio where Molly teaches and confesses her own fertility struggles, Molly believes she's finally found a friend.

But Sabrina has her own reasons for moving to Flynn Cove and befriending Molly. And as Sabrina’s secrets are slowly unspooled, her connection to Molly becomes clearer––as do secrets of Molly's own, which she’s worked hard to keep buried.”
•

Life doesn't always work out how you think it will. And love isn't always enough.

I think it's good to say up front that I didn't find this to be a mystery or a thriller. I was almost disappointed with this book because of the top MPG tags but this is an introspective look at a relationship and I caught that early on so held my expectations there. You have Molly, our main MC. She was young and got swept up in a heavy relationship with a guy in a band. There are two time lines, so the other timeline is Molly many years later. The two POV are Jake, the young Molly's boyfriend, and Sabrina who is young Jake's ex-girlfriend. After teh many years, Sabrina and Molly meet and become friends and that's where the story kind of starts. It's a slow burn as it is slowly revealed what happened to the relationship and where everyone one is now. It was interesting and definitely held my interest but I didn't love any of the characters.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Love with all its complications: romantic page turner with a sinister twist💔

4.5🌟stars
Can't Look Away was a great story, with realistic flaws in almost every character. I could not stop reading because I was just waiting to see what new obstacles would fall in the path of Molly and Jake's intense romance and then threaten Molly's suburban family life.

The voice in this novel is a bit unusual. It seems to be told in the third person from several different character perspectives but then one character's chapters come out in the first person. The author alternates present with the past and sometimes describes an event and later goes back to set the scene. It was not at all confusing and the technique gave a good explanatory picture of how one of the characters manipulated events to foment mischief and distrust.

There's no excessive use of description here so the story keeps on at a good pace. All in, this was a treat to read!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering
Published: June 14, 2022
St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 314
Genre: Thriller
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Carola Lovering is the author of the novels Tell Me Lies, Too Good to Be True, and the forthcoming Can’t Look Away. She attended Colorado College, and her work has appeared in New York Magazine, W Magazine, National Geographic, Outside, and Yoga Journal, among other publications. Her novel, Tell Me Lies, is currently being adapted into a television series for Hulu. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and son.

“What a small, small world.”

Molly has a whirlwind romance with an up-and-coming musician that spans several years. They weather several bumps along the way, but they try to make it work. Until it doesn’t. Sabrina has loved Jake for years and is willing to stop at nothing to get him back. When she finally succeeds, she has to make sure it’s final. So she sets her sights on exposing what she thinks she knows and plops Jake right back in Molly’s life.

I enjoyed how this story was told. The alternating narrators and timelines was engaging. I enjoyed the build-up and the characters.

I found the way relationships were handled in this novel interesting. The toxicity, the gas lighting, and the manipulation were well represented. I also found the way young love was expressed was accurate and raw.

I enjoyed how this story was revealed. There was a very “You” element, which was well executed. The way everything was eventually connected was interesting.

While there was always something happening under the surface, for a majority of the book, I would say this was a slow burn. Things picked up for the last several chapters, but it was a lot of cat and mouse games.

I enjoyed the plot and found the themes relevant and well done.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought the storyline was decent but sometimes the writing was trite. The story was a mix of a romance novel and thriller. But the ending did tie it up and explained some of the reasons of the characters’ behavior. Not a terrible read but wouldn’t recommend to a friend. Thanks to #netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think this book was solidly written but it is definitely NOT a thriller!! Yes, there's a lying, manipulative MC but to call this a thriller is a stretch. I felt like this definitely belonged more in women's fiction. Good book though, thankfully, but nothing to write home about.

In Can’t Look Away, Molly is at certain stage in her life when regrets begin to fester. Should she have stayed with her rock star boyfriend ten years ago? Should she have started her family with her husband Hunter earlier to avoid the fertility issues that she is having with conceiving their second child? I would sympathize more if Molly was older than her early thirties. Just wait until she hits her fifties.

After loving this author’s twisty plot in Too Good to Be True, maybe I expected too much from Can’t Look Away. This book is rather one-note with almost no twists. It is more of a domestic suspense than thriller. Lifetime movie fans may enjoy it, but I admit I didn’t. 3 stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for this ARC.

I adored Carola Lovering’s Too Good To Be True and signed up for Can’t Look Away without closely reading the blurb.

This is not a thriller but I see now that it is marketed as a “sexy suspense novel.” I would describe it as a “romantic suspense novel.”
I do not enjoy the romance genre but I found myself forgetting my resentments and really becoming sucked into the story. It is about past and present, dreams and desires, revenge and loss, and what really constitutes true love.

It is written in three POV: Molly, Sabrina, and Jake. It appears initially that Molly is the main character but it is not until a few chapters in that we learn that Sabrina is really the protagonist of the story. I related to her flawed character the most, as I could empathize with how emotional pain and loss can degrade a character into manipulative desperation. She provides the suspense of the story.

I also felt she had more depth than rock-star Jake and sweet Molly. They seemed like “Lifetime” characters, typical of what I know of romance novels. That stated, their relationship made me nostalgic for that intangible magic of young love.

Four stars. The story did captivate me and I wanted to know how it all worked out in the end.

This is the best psychological thriller/romance I have read in awhile. I loved the character development with Jake and Molly and because of his fame the relationship ends. Molly moves on years later and marries someone who is not Jake, but the memories and feelings for him are still there and she goes to yoga to forget things. Enter Sabrina, who becomes a friend and confidant but becomes obsessive.

The addition of Sabrina into the storyline is great and as a reader you slowly learn more about her background and motives. So many great twists and the big climax... O- M-G!!!! WOW!!!!

Highly recommended. I am getting this at the publishing date and I look forward to more from this author in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley, Carola Lovering and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 6/14/22

I really enjoyed this book- particularly good as an audiobook. Molly is a very relatable, layered protagonist who truly was shaped by the romance of her life-- with rock star Jake Danner... But life happens, and a lot of problems arise that are devised by another woman in Jake's life. The secrets, the lies and the deceptions make the plot thick and juicy, with Sabrina singularly focused on getting the guy and making sure he doesn't have any lingering feelings for Molly. This is a fun quick read that really made me think about relationships in our twenties and the ways our needs and love languages change as we mature. Everyone has a breakup story, but not everyone has the relationship made into a hit song, and the idea of that stirs too many feelings.
I would read another book by this author!

Addictive, Heartbreaking, and Fast-paced

Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering is a suspenseful domestic drama that I couldn't put down. This novel is in multiple POVs and timelines. The protagonist Molly, a yoga instructor and writer, can't look away when she lays eyes on Jake, the lead singer of Danner Lane. They begin dating after he breaks up with the antagonist Sabrina. Rich and obsessive, she starts stalking Molly. 10 years in the future, Molly has a family, but not with Jake and is struggling with infertility. I appreciated this representation immensely. The real mystery is what happened between Molly and Jake, and why is Sabrina still consumed with following Molly? I was expecting the novel to be more thrilling, but it was more of a compelling drama. Even though the bulk of the plot was predictable, I couldn't put it down. It was a quick read with a build up that made it impossible not to finish in one sitting. However, I was not a fan of Molly's character. I couldn't connect with her or her choices, and don't even get me started on how she treats her husband Henry when Jake comes back into the picture. There is character development all around especially for Molly, Sabrina, and Jake. I found the end to be emotional and satisfying. The writing itself was intense and descriptive. Once I started I couldn't stop until I confirmed my suspicions. I recommend this one if you want a fast paced drama with a touch of romance that leaves you at the edge of your seat.

I wanted so badly to love this book. Carola Lovering has two other novels—Tell Me Lies & Too Good to Be True. Tell Me Lies was a major disappointment, but Too Good to Be True was a top book of 2021 for me. This one fell somewhere in the middle. I didn’t love it, and I didn’t hate it, but I was a little bored by it.

One of my favorite book features is a story told in multiple POVs, which this one had. My opinion, though…if you are telling a story from a person’s perspective, I feel like it should be told in first person. Of the three POVs, only one was in first person. It made it a little confusing to read at times.

We have three main characters (you could argue four)—Molly, Jake, Sabrina, and Hunter. The story is told from the POVs of Molly, Jake, & Sabrina. You know going in that Sabrina is “out for blood,” attempting to avenge the wrong she felt Molly has done. All three of our main characters were incredibly flawed. Hunter seemed to be the saving grace of the story line. He was just what the story needed. I just wanted to hug him, though, and tell him he deserves better!

Unfortunately, it didn’t read as suspenseful. It read more as a domestic drama. The “suspense” was very obvious from very early in the book. You don’t know the details of how it’s all going to play out, but I did find it very easy to predict. I also found the ending wrapped up a little too neatly for these characters who had been so incredibly flawed through the whole book.

Overall, I felt a little letdown by it. It wasn’t bad, by any stretch of the imagination. I just wanted to be wowed like I was with Too Good to Be True, which sucked me in from page one and didn’t let go until the last page.

Huge amount of thanks to NetGalley and st. Martin’s press for an advanced copy of this book.
Molly is your typical college student. She dreams of being a writer and works as a barista. At a concert she meets Jake and her life changes forever. They fall for each other quick and hard. Jake becomes famous and one of his biggest hits is a song he wrote for Molly.
Flash forward to a decade later, and Molly is married with a daughter, but she isn’t married to Jake. As we find out the reasons why they fell apart, we’re also introduced to Molly’s new friend Sabrina, who isn’t what she seems. Sabrina has secrets and so does Molly, which makes Molly confront the painful past.
I really like Carola Lovering! This is currently my favorite of her books and I look forward to reading more. Publication day is June 14!

This was a fun read and a crazy domestic drama. Molly Diamond is a 30 year mother, wife, yoga teacher, and former writer. She is married to her husband, Hunter.

Molly lives in a Connecticut suburb and hears a song her ex-boyfriend wrote about her playing on the radio. This is around the time she meets a new friend, Sabrina. They start a new, but close friendship. Sabrina invites Molly over for dinner and that is when things get VERY WEIRD. Sabrina’s been hiding secrets.

Fast-paced, suspenseful, and unputdownable. You’ll be on a wild ride.

In 2013, Molly and Jake meet and fall in love. Molly is an aspiring writer and Jake is the front man of an up and coming band.
Fast forward to 2022, Molly is married to Hunter and they live a perfect life in Connecticut with their beautiful daughter. Molly has a hard time making friends with the women in their neighborhood until she meets Sabrina, a newlywed with some secrets.
This is less a thriller and more just domestic drama, but I was very much sucked into the story. I loved the dual timeline, and learning about Molly’s past and how it connects to her present.
Overall, this was a solid story and I was pleased with the conclusion. I will definitely read more of Carola Lovering’s writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the e-ARC!

2 Stars

One Liner: Duh!

2013: Molly, a 23-year-old MFA student, and Jake Danner, the lead singer and guitarist of the Danner Lane band, meet and fall in love. Their relationship is intense, draining, and explosive, with the two of them wanting forever.
A Decade Later: Molly is married to Hunter and has a six-year-old daughter Stella. She and Hunter are trying for another child through embryo transplantation. Molly is lonely and unable to fit into the wealthy lifestyle of Flynn Cove.
She meets Sabrina, who seems to be just like her. The two hit off instantly and become good friends. As Sabrina spins her web, Molly can’t help but feel torn between her past and present. Sabrina won’t stop until she gets what she wants.
Can Molly deal with the aftermath? What will her past cost her?

My Observations:
• First 33% - Not sure if I was too tired or bored to not care about the characters
• Next 33% - Hmm… can the plot move ahead, please
• Last 33% - At least, it’s over
The story comes in installments of past and present from Molly and Jake's limited third-person POVs and Sabrina’s first-person POV.
There’s a lot of story (info dump) despite the segregation of the plot into different segments. Sabrina’s present chapters were interesting of all.
Sadly, none of the characters made me feel anything for them. Not even dislike. I didn’t care for any of them for the majority of the book. Stella was the bright spot whenever she appeared.
There’s so much drama, but it felt so distanced that I was bored rather than feeling sad for either character. The writing is too much YA-ish, but I enjoyed some YA books way better than one.
And no! This is NOT a thriller. It is a drama. I didn’t find anything remotely ‘thrilling’ in the book. The twists can’t even be called twists, IMO.
It’s kind of ironic that the book has scenes about multiple edits required to polish and fine-tune a manuscript. If only…
I can’t say who the right audiences for the book are, but it’s not me. I was bored more than half the time. (I'm repeating myself. Can't help it).
The pacing is super slow. I finished it in 3 days only because I started to speed-read from the first day. No way I would spend more than 3 days on a 320-page book that claims to be a thriller.

To sum up, Can’t Look Away is a drama that reads a lot like a YA book with NA characters. However, read other reviews before you decide.

Thank you, NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Carola Lovering for an E-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading this one but I was thinking I was getting myself into an intense thriller. It definitely wasn't a thriller in my opinion but almost a love story with elements of suspense and some twists like you would find in your "normal thriller". I enjoyed the plot of this story and following through the past and the current with the different characters. The author did a great job telling the characters stories and I felt like I knew them. Ultimately, I wanted a little more thrill from this one but this would be a great start for someone who wants to read more suspenseful novels! This one is available on 6/14/22!

3.5 stars- rounded up to 4 for GR

I guess we should get the big note out of the way right away and say that this book was not a thriller and I was confused as to why it was marketed as such? It was a good read that had its fun, surprising and intriguing moments but this was best described in my opinion as women fiction. The main characters were all pretty selfish in their own ways and it was hard to find any of them relatable and they pivoted in their emotions/realizations super quickly. I finished the book because I think that overall the writing and pacing were good, and because it was labeled a thriller I was expecting a twist I guess that never came.

Review - Can’t Look Away
By - Carola Lovering
5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and then some!

Can’t Look Away was a fabulous read! I could not put it down. I was hooked from the very beginning. This was my first book by Carola Lovering & I must say I loved her style of writing. The alternating chapters from each main character’s perspective was intriguing… making you want to quickly find out what was next. The characters were also well developed & relatable. I loved them all! Molly, & Jake’s story is one of young first love that spirals out of control. A roller coaster of emotion & heartbreak. Add in Sabrina the conniving obsessed “ex” & hang on tight! Lots of twists, turns, & OMG’s! A well done psychological love story drama.
Can’t Look Away is one of my favorite books of 2022. I cannot wait to read other books by this author. Thank you #NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press & Carola Lovering for this ARC. My review is strictly voluntary.