Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read Carola Lovering's other two books and flew threw them, so I was excited to be approved for this Netgalley!

The story centers around Molly, a twenty something writer in NYC and her boyfriend, Jake, a front man of a band who becomes pretty popular. It alternates between two timelines of them dating (and eventually breaking up) and then Molly moving to the Connecticut suburbs with her husband Hunter and daughter. Molly befriends a woman named Sabrina who is super friendly and unlike the other snooty women in their rich town. Soon Molly realizes exactly who Sabrina is and why she moved to town.

I enjoyed the dual timelines and the alternating POVs of Sabrina and Molly. The dates did get a little confusing and this book took me little longer to get through than her other two, but still enjoyable. It might have just been me not being in the mood to read it as quickly though! I enjoy the conniving obsessed characters that she dreams up and look forward to her next book.

This didn’t feel like that much of a thriller to me, at least not until towards the end, but still very much enjoyed this book! This had me wanting to find out the truth of what happened and what was going to happen next. Following the story of Molly, Jake, and Sabrina and how their lives intertwine from their early twenties to early thirties, I like that the story plays out through multiple POVs and multiple timelines, especially because some of the chapters felt a bit long. (Nothing against the book, all just a personal preference for short chapters).

’m not sure why I’m ambivalent about this novel. Maybe because I didn’t love the characters or identify with them.

When Molly is 23, she has a great romance with Jake Danner, who becomes a successful musician whose band lands a popular song on the radio. Though Molly and Jake withstand some of the challenges of having one of them on the road much of the time, like so many young loves, it doesn’t survive. But Molly does well for herself, falling in love with a successful man and having one child. Though Hunter makes money by regular people’s standards, since they’ve moved to Flynn Cove, they are on the lower end of the economic spectrum, particularly since trying to get pregnant a second time has involved a lot of expensive medical science.

Also, Molly doesn’t fit in with the wealthy women in the area. Teaching yoga used to be meaningful, but it was never her life goal, and now it’s become just something to do. When a woman named Sabrina walks in the studio, they become friends. Though Sabrina is wealthy and beautiful, she also seems down to earth. The key word in that sentence is “seems.”

It’s so hard for me to understand Sabrina’s motivations. Yes, she experienced trauma and loss, but so does everyone who survives any part of life. I could say more, but then I’d be giving too much away.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES JUNE 14, 2022.

Carola Lovering is quickly becoming an automatic read author for me. Can’t Look Away is about the long-ago love affair between Molly and Jake. Their connection becomes strained as Jake’s singing career takes off (despite the hit song he writes about her). Years later their worlds collide again when Molly, now a yoga instructor and suburban mother, meets a new friend in town. It turns out Sabrina is Jake’s wife and their meeting is not as coincidental as it would first seem. This book was identified as a thriller but I would say it is more of a domestic drama. There were twists and turns I did not see coming and couldn’t wait to see how the story would wrap up. I really loved the exploration of the power of young love and the reckoning of how our dreams change as we grow. This is a great read.

Thank you to Carola Lovering, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, however I would not categorize it as a mystery or thriller. It was more of a domestic drama with POV's of Molly (past and present), Jake (past) and Sabrina (present).

Molly had an amazing love affair in her early 20's with Jake, the front man for a band that was just starting to take off. When they see each other across the room, they can't look away. The relationship has it's ups and downs, and is one neither of them will ever forget. Nor will Sabrina.

Now Molly is married to Hunter, living a mundane life in the suburbs. She's never really fit in to their affluent community, so when she meets Sabrina, they strike up a friendship built on not fitting in to Flynn Cove. There are definitely a lot of secrets being kept, so it's all about the drama of these relationships. Nothing sinister happens. Just a lot of drama, gossip, secrets revealed, and relationships tested. Overall, a dark romance with deep characters.

I normally love this author, but this one didn’t do it for me. There was nothing wrong with the structure or plot twists, although a bit contrived. I just didn’t like the Brooklyn singles & music scene setting.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-arc
DNF at 46%, This isn't really a thriller, it's more of a fucked up romance

This story was told in 2013 and present day 2022. Molly lives in an affluent community but has a difficult time making new friends. She had many friends almost 10 years ago in Brooklyn and an up-and-coming singer named Jake, who was Molly's boyfriend. Jump to present day. Molly is married, but not to Jake; she also has a young daughter. She meets Sabrina and thinks that, at last, she has found a good friend, as they are both going to a fertility clinic, and Sabrina joins Molly's yoga class. Everything is not as it seems, though, as Sabrina has her own plans and agenda, which she has been plotting for years.
This book was interesting, but I did hope for more mystery and a bit less romance.
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I got the chance to read and review Carola Lovering's latest, Can't Look Away, I could not refuse. I absolutely loved both Tell Me Lies and Too Good To Be True. 5 stars all around for those two!

This is the story of Molly and Jake. And Sabrina. We flash from past to present, person to person. Who is really the "villain" here? I honestly...couldn't look away...from the car crash of relationships. With the exception of Hunter, all of these people are just awful in their own ways (some way more than others) and they all had it coming to them in the end. But, yet, I couldn't put this book down...and that says something.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Excellent read! All the feels about first love, bad, good, ugly. Well written, hard to put down. Very emotional and easy to connect to almost every character. Definitely makes you think about life, and all the past loves in your life.

First, I hope that readers will go in to this book with an open mind. While the cover has the feel of a thriller, the story is really a domestic drama. That being said, I loved this story! Lovering has a knack for setting up a story and subtly building tension and drama in an engaging manner. There is a twist in this one that I did not predict, and had me racing back to see where I may have missed clues along the way.

Synopsis: The story follows Molly in two alternating time periods, in her early 20s and early 30s. It encompasses the wild and crazy tale of her meeting her love with a growing rock star as well as her current life living in a quiet town with her current husband. There’s some drama woven in that escalates into the climactic final scenes where some underlying secrets are exposed.

I started off very hesitant that I would enjoy this book but quickly got hooked, though more from the romance stand point. Although I didn’t really feel connected to Molly, I did enjoy reading into what led her life to change so dramatically between the two timelines. I really enjoyed the reckless love that existed between her and Jake though I felt some of the characters were very cliched (the “country club judgy rich white woman”, her “smarter than beyond her years” daughter, and the “best husband ever”).

Honestly, I could have done without the entire suspense aspect of this book and had it kept as a good romance novel. My biggest critique is that picking up this book based on the cover (because honestly I NEVER read any synapse or summaries), you will be very disappointed going into this thinking it’s a thriller. In my opinion, it’s a romantic suspense at best.

Big thanks to netgalley and stmartinspress for this digital ARC.

Book releases June 14 2022

Summary:
4 stars
Overall, and enjoyable and quick read. It was fun, with a touch of suspense, though I would be disappointed going into it assuming it’s a thriller. I absolutely loved how the story tied up and found myself pretty invested in finishing. I would recommend this to others if you enjoy a good family or romantic suspense.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and provide my honest feedback on this arc.

This is the second book I've read by this author, and although I liked the other better, it was mainly because it was more thriller. This book seemed more like family drama, women's fiction with a little suspense tied in. I was wholly invested with the characters though and felt like I was a part of their world. The book felt like it was a little too long but I stayed invested and didn't lose interest, so that's saying something. Overall I would recommend for others. Trigger warnings below, please skip if want to avoid any possible spoilers.

Trigger warnings: miscarriages, fertility issues,

I adored this book. It navigates first loves, friendships, betrayals. following your dreams, and then reconciling the difference when life didn’t turn out the way you expected. The characters where engaging and relatable. This story kept me engaged all the way through and I was genuinely sad when it ended. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

This was just okay for me. I was expecting a thriller and it is more of a woman's fiction/domestic/romance type. It was a quick read and I would try this author again.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I’m a bit torn! I went into this expecting a suspenseful story and while I definitely don’t think that’s the case for this book, I still really enjoyed reading young Molly and Jake’s love story and I even became quite invested in them. Basically, this is a good drama—not a thriller.

Can't Look Away was hard to put down, but I wouldn't categorize it as a thriller. It's definitely more of a romance with a touch of domestic suspense, but I really enjoyed reading it! This story about young love and an obsessed stalker unfolds through multiple viewpoints and timelines. In the earlier timeline, Molly Diamond is a student, pursuing an MBA in creative writing, when she meets and falls in love with the musician, Jake Danner. In the current timeline, Molly is married and living with her husband, Hunter, and their daughter in a wealthy Connecticut suburb. Molly doesn't connect with the women in her town, until she meets Sabrina at the yoga studio. The two become close friends and start spending every day together, until Molly wonders if something is just a little bit off with her new friend. Who exactly is Sabrina and does she have a secret she's keeping from Molly? Read Can't Look Away to find out! Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the librarian preview copy.

I liked the story overall in that I wanted to know what happened and to see it all come together but I found myself struggling with the writing. It fell flat in really conveying any feeling from the characters … I did give it a fair shot and finished though!

If you don’t like endings that tie up perfectly, this may not be for you but I do like perfect/happy endings so that part was good for me.

4.25. I was so excited to get this book so a huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this author's previous book, Too Good to Be True, so Can't Look Away was on my list of upcoming books I was anxious to read. This book has it all, young love, rock star, and a whole bunch of "WTH?" The chapters are laid out by 3 characters all telling their side of each event that happens so it was really fun to see what happened and then read how each character interpreted what just happened. At times I felt sympathy for each of them, but I was also mad at each of them too at different times. Such a great twisty turny novel that I couldn't put down. Another big hit for Lovering.

I tried reading this one, but I could not finish it. The writing style wasn’t for me and I just could not get into it. Other people may like this one though