"Obsession has always interested me. The best artists, the most brilliant innovators, they've all been driven by it. It straddles the line between passion and insanity; it instigates creativity and genius despite the darkness in which it lingers. To be obsessed with someone or something is to adopt a single-minded drive that reduces the rest of the world to sheer insignificance."

Molly is 23 years old and living in New York City. She has tightknit group of supportive girlfriends and when one of them asks her to be their wing-woman for the night by hitting up a seedy bar that her crush is at Molly can't say no. She has no idea that this night will change her life forever.

The band playing that night is Danner Lane led by the very sexy and very charismatic, Jake Danner. When his eyes find hers during their warm up they never leave her for the rest of the night. Kismet? Serendipity? Call it what you will but these two people don't just want to be together. They NEED to be together.

Everything is perfect. They are perfect. Danner Lane is getting more and more successful pulling Jake away on tour more often than Molly would like. Jake being irresponsible as he is often forgets to call her when he's away. Weeks go by while Molly sits worrying and wondering if he's okay. When Molly receives an email from an unknown source she is devastated when it's a picture of Jake and another woman together. This plants the seed of uncertainty in Molly's heart in which she can't seem to overcome no matter what Jake's excuses are.

Flash forward to the present.

Molly is happily married to a wonderful man and they have a beautiful five year old daughter, Stella. They live in a small but ritzy Connecticut town where she teaches yoga at her yoga studio. One day she meets Sabrina at one of her classes and they really hit it off. She's ecstatic, feeling like she's finally made a true friend but it appears that Sabrina has a motive all her own and that motive is less than genuine.

This book, along with all of Lovering's books, have very mixed reviews. I have friends that downright hated this, some that were lukewarm about it, and others - like myself - that absolutely loved it. I'm not surprised that I loved it as I have loved her two previous books as well.

No one writes about love, longing, dysfunction, and obsession quite like Lovering does. Her books make me feel ALL of the feels. I'm a person that is all too familiar with these types of relationships so perhaps that's why I have such an affinity for her work. I can simply relate to the female characters she creates and I, too, used to get weak-kneed over the charming yet selfish suiters that these women inevitably choose. I hate to say it's life experiences that make me love her books but I do think it's a factor I can't ignore.

I cared about all of the characters here. All of them. Even Sabrina, the one with hidden motives, because I could also see and understand where she was coming from too. It all gets a little bit blurry, just like in real life, when you can empathize with someone even though you don't necessarily agree with the choices their making.

I'm emotionally spent after reading this. I devoured this book word for word and page by page and I dreaded having to put it down. I can't wait to see how Lovering plans to break my heart next. ALL. THE. STARS.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my complimentary copy.

I enjoyed the many twists and revelations in this book, but the best part for me was the character development. This book should appeal to a large audience of readers. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I knew from the beginning Sabrina wasn’t someone who could be trusted. The way this book was written, I couldn’t put it down. This book kept me guessing til the very end.

Carola Lovering gets better with each book. This one had Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes to it but with a little dark side. Perfect summer read!

What in the Lifetime movie of the week kind of book kind of Bushwick is this?

Struggling musicians that don't really work and yet - can live in fairly ok apartments in 2013? "MFA" students who maybe wait table or teach a yoga class or two and can go out endlessly with their friends..... I don't know. I'm a full grown adult and know people in successful bands who still worked full time jobs so...let's get real.

That being said - There were some other issues with this stupid story - the fairly obvious 'baby daddy' storyline that was going to happen. Sabrina/Sisi. How ...naive Molly was. How just... awful Jake was as a person, a boyfriend, a husband, a bandmate, a human.

Hard pass. HARD PASS on everything.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Ugh. I wished I would have liked this one. I just am at a loss for words at this time. Maybe I’ll post a full review on Goodreads later.

Told in third person from the points of view of Molly and Jake and from Sabrina in first addressed to Molly, this story contains a dual timeline. The current time details Molly’s life in Flynn Cove, Connecticut with her husband, Hunter and daughter Stella as she navigates the local mom groups and infertility issues, while the former timeline describes what happened when Molly met Jake she was in college pursuing creative writing in 2013 New York City where he was in a band with his BFFs from his hometown.

This was more of a domestic revenge drama than the “thriller” or “sexy suspense” it was described to be. There’s not really a mystery. Sabrina pretty much reveals who she is, what she’s doing and why pretty early in the story. It was just a matter of it playing out. I didn’t find any of the reveals surprising. They were rather straight-forward and/or predictable. The writing and characters kept me following along even though this is not my typical genre read. It reminded me a bit of Big Little Lies without the murder and ensemble. Recommended to fans of domestic drama involving musicians.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy provided for an honest review.

I loved Carola Lovering’s book, Tell Me Lies so I was so excited to get a copy of Can’t Look Away! It kept my attention from start to finish and left me looking forward to whatever the author writes next.

Here’s what you need to know:

In 2013, twenty-three-year old Molly Diamond is a barista, dreaming of becoming a writer. One night at a concert in East Williamsburg, she locks eyes with the lead singer, Jake Danner, and can’t look away. 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.

Meanwhile, a new version of Jake’s hit song is on the radio, forcing Molly to confront her past and ask the ultimate questions: What happens when life turns out nothing like we thought it would, when we were young and dreaming big? Does growing up mean choosing with your head, rather than your heart? And do we ever truly get over our first love?

I enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the pace and I think it’s going to be a big hit when it comes out in June!

This one was so crazy! I love a good stalker/obsession story and mixing it with a complicated love story made it even better. The combination between love story and thriller was balanced really well. The characters were complex; I both loved and hated them, but it made them more relatable. I feel like I shoulda saw the all the mini twists coming but I was so sucked in I didn’t. I devoured this book in a day and definitely recommend it for when you need a quick read!

Can't Look Away is the first book I've read by this author. I think I was expecting something a bit different, but it was enjoyable, hence the 4 stars.

The characters were interesting, but many of their choices were very juvenile. Even though they were adults, the behavior was more that of high school or college kids. The constant worry about what's he thinking, who is he dating / sleeping with / texting, or how can I get back at him, get his attention, etc.

As I said the story was enjoyable, but as a tale of obsessive behavior and excess, it would have been better had the characters been a little more mature.

If you get into obsessiveness combined with mystery, go for it. You will probably enjoy it!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

This book was like the chocolate bar just waiting to be devoured on my shelf of TBR's. Pure unadulterated emotional manipulation and toxic behavior. I don't even care that this book was predictable- because I CAN'T LOOK AWAY... ok sorry, I had to... I'd say this book is for fans of reality tv shows. Pure toxic emotional diarrhea and I mean that in the best POSSIBLE WAY here! The fact that Sabrina, one of our two main characters knows what she's doing and the fact that she is very self aware AND emotionally manipulative makes her character even more sinister in my eyes. Events start to reach a fever pitch the more they alternate back and forth between past timelines and present, finally converging into a flurry of constant drama & craziness as if the reader is witnessing a train wreck and is powerless to stop it! I agree with most other readers however, that this book should not be listed as a thriller but rather a domestic suspense. Still doesn't detract from the fact that I couldn't stop compulsively reading this! I know this book may not be everyone's cup of tea BUT IT WAS DEFINETLY MINE! Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for my advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Jake dated Sisi before he met Molly. Then Molly came along and it was electric. Fast forward six years Molly is married to Hunter and lives in the suburbs. Sabrina who is new to town befriends Molly without Molly knowing they share history.

If you can make it through the first half of the book, the second half is much better. Very slow moving but it does get better. There are some twists and turns but not until later.

Set in the past and present day and told from both Molly's and Sabrina's point of view.

What I expected to happen didn't happen so that was disappointing. No real watch your back scene. I finished reading and was unsatisfied. I wanted that big scene. Okay so there is one but lacks the gasp factor.

Sabrina annoyed me from the start. The rest of the characters were okay but almost predictable at times.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

I'll come back to spruce this up before the book hits shelves.
I was a bit skeptical that this would live up to To Good to Be True at the outset, but I was proven wrong.
It was the same book in a lot of core ways, but very different, and I liked the ground they were both built from.
It's a "thriller" in that there's enough lying and intrigue to keep you turning pages, but this was really a story about broken people finding hope and happiness over the years.
I will say I wish the book hadn't revolved as much around the IVF stuff; it truly bores me to tears. It also comes up a lot in the domestic thriller sphere, and I guess I get why... I just would press fast forward on all of it if books came with that feature. I'd love to stumble into a book about a happy couple and their beloved pets for a change.

Carola Lovering does it again! If you enjoy romantic thrillers, you need to pick up Can't Look Away. I went in not knowing anything and suggest you do the same. All you need to know is Molly used to date Jake, now she's married to Hunter, but Jake's influence on her has never really left. Add in rich mom drama and a new friend in town and you have an absolute page turner, perfect for a day at the pool!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The author is new to me, although I had purchased an earlier book of hers on sale (Tell Me Lies). I'm not sure when I will get to it seeing how I really didn't enjoy this book.

I think one of the primary issues is how the book is being marketed as other reviewers have noted. This book is definitely NOT a thriller/ mystery. Coming off the heels of another book about obsession, this book was just so unevenly received. There were moments I enjoyed but about 35% in, my predominant thought was *boredom* I was close to dnf. It got a little better around 50-65% but like a roller coaster, I fell in and out of like with the entire concept, between the dueling time frames and narration. Nobody was that likeable or horrible, except maybe for Sabrina, even though her motivation had a sad origin. I felt like I was watching the music video for Monica and Brandy's hit song, That Boy is Mine. Except the boy in question was an immature aspiring, somewhat successful rock star and singer songwriter Jake Danners.

Maybe it was purposeful that a few of the side characters were more interesting, like Molly's friend Nina. By the time of Molly's daughter Stella's 6th birthday party I just wanted to finish the book. The revelation that was *suddenly* obvious was so eyeroll inducing. Look I do watch daytime soaps and even this was OTT ridiculous. I wasn't interested in fertility struggles and any whiff of cheating turns my stomach.
The obsession Sabrina had with Molly suddenly dissipates after she got what she wanted? As I said the plot was so uneven and as others said. Like a bad Lifetime movie. The writing just wasn't compelling enough and I just had to finish this book to move on to something by one of my favorite authors.

2.45/5☆

Thank you for the ARC.

I definitely read this quickly but the last quarter really lost me. I found myself hating every character that I didn't really feel emotionally invested in the ending.

This is a romantic suspense, maybe not so much thriller?!? Maybe even go as far as saying it's a domestic drama?!?! I really enjoyed it from the very beginning. Easily a 5-star read for me and it helped get me back into reading this month. Really enjoyed the ending and was very happy with this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Carola Lovering for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I love Carola Lovering's writing style and how she hooks you in right away. I couldn't put it down and I really enjoyed the short chapters, the multiple POV'S and different timelines. I wouldn't describe this necessarily as a thriller, but more as a romantic suspense/drama and while I did feel like it was a little predictable at times, there was a few twists and surprises that I didn't see coming which I loved. This gave me "You" vibes and I'm 100% here for it! Solid 4 stars for me and will definitely be recommending it and purchasing on release day!

Pro tip: don’t go into this as a thriller. This isssssss domestic drama thriller romance suspense?

This was messy, dramatic, and there’s thrilling moments for sure but overall this was an exciting genre bending moment.

Mannnnnnnn I do love these messy domestic drama thriller romance suspense books!

This has alternating POV and alternating timelines but as we work our way from last to present, it’s actually not hard to follow along. Also, there were def some twists along the way that kept me interesting.

Yay! I really enjoyed this one! A LOT!

Tysm for the ARC!

Molly falls in love with Jake, the leader singer of a band. They have quite the romance but it does not last. Fast forward years later and Molly has moved on, has a young daughter and a loving husband, Hunter. They live in quite an upscale community and Molly feels like she just doesn’t fit in. One day she meets newbie Sabrina and they instantly click. But not everything is as it seems with her new friend.

This was a solid, bingeable read. I read this within 48 hours. I enjoyed the then and now as well as multiple POVs. I wouldn’t classify this one as a thriller though. It’s more of a domestic suspense in my opinion, focuses more on the drama with some underlying suspense.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Review to be posted on my Instagram shortly.