Pub date: June 14, 2022
In one sentence: Molly and Jake had an epic love story, but now he's with Sabrina, and she'll do anything to keep him.

This book is difficult to categorize - a little bit thriller/suspense, a little bit musical fiction, a little bit romance. Based on the cover, I was expecting a thriller, so that threw me off a bit. I liked Molly and Jake's story, but Sabrina felt like a caricature at times. The obsessive ex trope is so common nowadays, so it takes a lot to make it seem fresh. I also got confused with the constant shifting between past and present timelines - it felt like a movie with many quick cuts.

Overall, this book was an entertaining read, but I wish the author had focused the storyline more.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Just a tad bit of cray! Ok… a whole lot!🤪

Molly met Jake Danner when he was a rising rock star. Playing a gig in a local bar, Jake and Molly locked eyes and it was love at first guitar solo! But it shouldn’t be a big surprise that life with a rock star isn’t as magical as it sounds. Eventually, Molly moved on to a healthier relationship with Hunter.

Fast-forward several years, Molly, Hunter, and their daughter are living in a quiet, exclusive community when she meets the mysterious Sabrina. They quickly become besties. Sabrina however, may have an agenda…or two.😉. And Molly’s world is about to be rocked!

If you enjoy your thrillers with a heavy dose of over-the-top crazy, stalker-ish characters this is the perfect book for you. And Sabrina is the type of character we all love to hate!

Be prepared to clear your weekend calendar, because once you start, you won’t be putting this one down.

My first read by this author, and I plan on going back and reading her previous novel.

A buddy read with Susanne.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press

CAN'T LOOK AWAY
BY: CAROLA LOVERING

I just knew Carola Lovering's new novel called, "Can't Look Away," besides the one I just read would pull me out of my reading slump--and it absolutely did. I started this early in the morning and read compulsively throughout the day. I lost all sense of time this novel was just soooooo good! It may not sound compelling in the synopsis but it actually was quite addictive reading. My expectations from what I had read in the synopsis weren't high from the description given. My reading experience with this one far exceeded what I had read in the summary. I did trust this Author's ability to place me in capable hands and I knew intuitively that this would be a decent read, I just didn't expect to be blown away as I was. I had read and reviewed her previous book and enjoyed it and this one was even better. Or maybe they are both great but this one I was totally immersed in so that I found it difficult to set this one down. It was quite intense and I loved it.

Molly is at a concert with one of her best girlfriend's and she and the singer Jake lock eyes and begin a deep and intimate love that lasts for years. It reminded me of my youth and how it felt like with a few relationships that I had that I still look back on with fond memories and how powerfully I was drawn to a few serious relationships. I will never forget them. It reminded me of my oldest son's first love in High school and how sweet and how they spent all of their time together. There is no doubt that we carry these memories with us until we marry and have our own family.

Molly and Jake soon move in together and they are deeply bonded together. The novel actually keeps their relationship as the pivotal center relationship rather focused on them for most of the story even though it moves back and forth in time. Moving back and forth between either 2013 and 2014 and then it moves to present day in 2022 where she has married a man named Hunter whom she is married to with a precious five year old daughter.

The novel has a somewhat Fatal Attraction vibe going because Sabrina is Jake's former girlfriend who he didn't want to move in with prior to meeting Molly. He just didn't feel the same way about Sabrina as she felt about him. Sabrina in present day, 2022 orchestrates an intentional meeting with Molly in Molly's IVF doctor's waiting room commiserating about the frustrations of going through the heartache anybody feels when they have difficulty conceiving a child. Sabrina, lets just say is stalker like and pretends to be Molly's friend in a community where Molly's good friend's don't live.

To say anymore would spoil the story and the thrills and chills are some of what in this case knowing as little as possible going into this excellent novel is going to reward the reader with the biggest payoff. Just trust me that this is a multifaceted story that you will not be able to stop reading once you start. I am sorry that I have read it because I think it's definitely a favorite of 2021 for me and the rest of my reading commitments aren't calling me towards them. I bumped this one ahead of the list because I know how nuanced and talented Carola Lovering is. I realize that my review does not do this fantastic novel justice and I already regret reading this first instead of saving it to look forward too. Just know that I LOVED it! Highly, Highly recommended! It will remind you how unforgettable your first love was. It explores jealousy and obsession and how destructive it is. It will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to keep reading and turning the pages. You will neglect your responsibilities for the time being while immersed in this excellent storytelling. I did. Once you start this you will not want to stop until the final page is read. Then you will be sad that it's over because the book grabs you and never let's you go.

Publication Date: June 14, 2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Carola Lovering and St. Martin's Press for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Can'tLookAway #CarolaLovering #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. Molly, a 23 year old writing student, has a chance meeting with an up and coming singer. They hit it off and become that couple that is completely in love with each other. As Jake, her boyfriend, becomes more successful, Molly begins to see the relationship for what it’s worth. Jake’s number one in his life is becoming a successful singer. Molly makes a difficult decision to move on in life without him.
Fast forward, Molly is now living with her husband and little girl, teaching Yoga classes and completely happy with her life. Most of the women that live in her town are uptight and concerned with how much money you have. She then meets Sabrina. The only down to Earth friend she has found in this town. After hanging out a few times together, they decide to have a double date. When they meet at Sabrina’s house, Molly is so excited to finally have a friend to go and do things with. When Sabrina opens the door and reveals her husband, it is none other than Molly’s ex boyfriend. Emotions run high through the rest of the book while Molly tried to decide if she made the right decision so long ago.

Another 5/5 for Carola Lovering.

After reading Too Good To Be True (amazing - do yourself a favor and get lost in that book!), I immediately put myself on the list for this ARC. Thank you for giving me an early look into another incredible journey. This time, the story of Molly, Jake, Sabrina, and Hunter takes you through an incredible amount of ups and downs, and takes a look at fate, timing, personal choices, what-if’s… and more. Told in both now/then chapters, as well as alternating storylines, the read is armed with multiple vantage points. Love these characters, love their story. Thank you for bringing them to us!

I loved the first half of this book. And then it turned too uncomfortable for me. Maybe I don’t like books that involve cheating but o couldn’t root against the jealous, crazy woman because I agreed with her.

Pleasantly surprised by this book, although predictable in some aspects, the story was twisted and lives intertwined in a suspenseful manner that keeps the reader wanting more. I found myself wondering what happened to the characters at the end and wanted more closure. Overall a good read.

This was a puzzling read. It was overly dramatic and things dragged on for a bit before getting resolved too quickly and conveniently in the end. I did enjoy the tension of boundaries, unhealthy display of love, and volatility of the narrative. Overall, not the best but also not the worst.

What an awesome read this is! This book focuses on an incredibly likable character by the name of Molly's relationship with her musician boyfriend/ex boyfriend (Jake). The book is fast paced, fun and purely entertaining. Without giving too much of the story line away, it is a fantastic combination of a thriller, romance and beach read. I loved it. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Tell Me Lies was one of my favorite books of 2019 so to say I was excited for the opportunity to preview Can't Look Away is an understatement. I think Carola Lovering has a beautiful way of writing about the dynamics of people, especially those in romantic relationships.

Can't Look Away is the story of Molly + Jake. They meet at a concert in 2013 when 23 year old Molly locks eyes with Jake, the lead singer of an up and coming boy band, and the rest is history. They fall quickly in love, merge their lives, and Jake writes a #1 song, Molly's Song, that puts his band and their relationship on the map. Years later, Molly and her husband Hunter and daughter Stella are living in Flynn Cove, Connecticut. While their life is nice, Molly is lonely and misses her friends and the joys of living in the city. Sabrina, a newcomer in town, comes to a yoga class that Molly is teaching and Molly feels a connection right away. Sabrina is the first person Molly has met in Flynn Cove that seems down to earth and real and they closely become friends. Unfortunately, Sabrina's reasons for befriending Molly and moving to Flynn Cove are far from innocent and will force Molly to confront her past and secrets she's been keeping.

I did enjoy this book and specifically liked the way the author chose to move between different times (2013 vs 2022) and different points of view (Molly and Sabrina). I enjoyed the relationship between Molly and Jake, but I wanted more of the little details that make up a life. Where this book lacked for me was providing the in between detail, it felt like all big moments that moved really quickly without letting me get in the weeds of who these people are.

This book is being marketed as a mystery/thriller but I would classify it more as a domestic drama. There is a twist and some suspense, but it didn't read as a thriller to me and I did find a lot of the story to be predictable, but enjoyable.

Overall, I would recommend this book - it was fun, light, quick, and entertaining. The drama is heavy handed but so are relationships in your early 20's. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an Arc through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Expected Publication is 6/14/22. I plan to post a review of this book in my social feeds for my podcast @easy_ish and personal instagram @alissaavilov which reaches 1350 followers in early June. We will also discuss this book in our podcast episode coming out in June 2022.

3.6, really.
I'm vaguely annoyed about something the author gave away way too early, especially given my certainty that this was unintentional. Bonus points for not lording every little unknown detail over me though.

I was a huge fan of tell me lies, and while I missed out on reading the second book by this author I really enjoyed Can't Look Away. I did find the part where I thought they had sex in the car to be a tad confusing because then it kept being said that they only kissed? I love the dual timelines even though all of the characters with the exception of Hunter irritated me in both timelines. Lovering is a very talented writer and I liked the unique story line that was offereed as well as the funny comments made by Serena even though she was crazy!

Twenty-three-year old Molly Diamond attends a concert in Brooklyn and locks eyes with the lead singer Jake Danner...both feeling an instant connection. They fall in love and begin a whirlwind romance. Jake writes a hit song about Molly that makes his band famous but begins to put a strain on their relationship. A decade later, Molly is living in Flynn Cove, Connecticut with her young daughter and her husband Hunter. When she meets newcomer, Sabrina, they quickly become friends but Sabrina has another agenda. Sabrina already knows everything about Molly and she's ready to expose Molly's secrets and force her confront her past.

Can't Look Away is and domestic thriller which explores the relationships between Molly, Jake, Hunter, and Sabrina. The novel transitions between the past and present exposing the truths and lies that occurred during those relationships. It explores how the decisions each person makes affect both their paths in life as well as those around them. Although this is technically a domestic thriller; the novel focuses more on the characters relationships and different versions of "love" than offering a sense of danger or suspense. I was able to piece together the plot twists pretty early on so the surprise ending was a bit disappointing and the plot didn't keep me engaged as much as I hoped. That being said, this was still an interesting novel and I do enjoy the authors writing style and I look forward to reading future novels.

Carola Lovering did it again! I was thrilled with Tell Me Lies and have been eagerly awaiting a new one. Well, I got what I wanted and a whole lot more.

We have Molly, you know, THE Molly. Jake Danner's Molly. The muse. They aren't together anymore but her heart still belongs to Jake.

Then we have Sabrina. Sigh. Crazy Sabrina. Sad, pathetic Sabrina. Good lord Sabrina. If you put as much energy into literally ANYTHING else as you do into hating Molly, imagine what you could do.

Sabrina somehow ends up living in Flynn Cove, with her new husband, and oddly enough, Molly. Interesting....

That's all I'm going to say because I don't want to ruin anything (although it's fairly easy to figure out) but what really got me was that it wasn't a full blown thriller. It was like 2 stories in 1. One about a crazy obsessed nutjob who holds a grudge for far too long and another about the what ifs and first loves. It was a nice balance between the two yet it didn't feel overly thriller-esque but it also was not super sappy and lovey.

Great book and an easy read!

Wow, Carola Lovering knocks another one out of the park with her newest thriller!

Molly, living the single life in New York, meets Jake, a lead singer of a new and upcoming band and feels an instant connection. Things progress fast and they fall in love intensely. Flash forward many years later, Molly is living in a small coastal town with her daughter and husband, Hunter (not Jake.) What happened with Jake? Struggling to conceive another child, Molly meets a new friend Sabrina. Can Molly trust Sabrina or will her secrets come to haunt her?

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fast paced psychological thriller.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 6/14/22.

Oof, I hate categorizing a book as "women's fiction" (for what I hope are obvious reasons) but this book is so hard to place into a different genre. A bit romance, a bit thriller (cue Stalker Joe from You), but mostly, a drama about how people come to terms with the life they've chosen and the life they could've had.

I'm a sucker for stories in which the possibility of loving two people at once is explored (look at you Colleen Hoover, with Maybe Someday). And in Can't Look Away, that's a prevalent theme.

It may be too strong to say that Molly, our protagonist, is unhappy but she's definitely unsatisfied. Struggling with getting pregnant with a second child, surrounded by people she can't relate with, and feeling unfulfilled with her job, Molly isn't in the best place, even if she does have a husband (Hunter) and daughter she adores. Add into that unresolved feelings about an epic love she had with a literal rockstar (Jake) ten years earlier and things clearly get messy.

I enjoyed the writing and thought Lovering did a good job making each character feel relatable despite their obvious flaws. Throughout the novel, I both loved and hated each character at some point (except Hunter, long live our love for Hunter). There were some issues I had with the execution though. Three perspectives are given that go back and forth between the past and present. Because of this, there were many times I felt like I was repeating the same events/reflections over and over again. I also didn't love how infertility and parenthood were treated here. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say at the very end, I was banging my head against my Kindle. It wasn't pretty.

So, although not a mystery/thriller like I expected, Can't Look Away was an entertaining read, even if I didn't enjoy how some topics were handled.

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering is a great read. This book gives you romance, long lost loves, reconnection and mystery all rolled into one. Molly and Jake fell head over heels in love when they met, their romance was quick and tumultuous and ends abruptly after 3 years. Hunter steps in and rescues Molly and they end up falling in love. Meanwhile Sabrina holds a deep dark secret and as she befriends Molly it slowly starts to rear its ugly head.

Definitely a twisty story that keeps you interested and gives you some added suspense. Definitely recommend this one!!

🌟Book Review🌟

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the #AdvancedReviewCopy

RELEASE DATE: June 2022

It's 2013 and while at a concert, Molly locks eyes with the dreamy, lead singer, and guitarist of the new, up and coming band.

Jake is on stage; she's in the audience, the space is full and eyes are on him, but his are only on her.

They instantly fall, deeply, and wholeheartedly in love. Who says love at first sight isn't real?

Fast forward a decade, we learn that Molly is (happily?) Married with a daughter but Jake is not her husband.

As the story flips from past to present filling in the gaps, we learn many things.

1) People are not always who they say they are
2) Obsession can be deadly
3) The difficult choices we make, can sometimes, turn out to be the best ones yet, even after years of regret.

I really liked this one, BUT do not go into this expecting a thriller. It is categorized as such  but it's more of a twisted, love story/drama.

If you go into this knowing that, you'll be less disappointed.

There were parts of this story I absolutely loved and others I didn't, but mainly due to the character's choices, and to me, that's what makes a book rich, and real. So when I say I didn't love some parts, it actually made me like the book more as a whole.

We are not perfect. We all make mistakes. But I often find that as readers we are disappointed when our characters mess up. I personally like a semi-flawed character who struggles with making the right decisions at times. It makes it more real and I can connect better. This book is full of those characters. You'll find yourself thinking: "He didn't, did he?" And, "She possibly can't!" I was hooked from the start and invested in the character's complicated lives from the get go. I gave this one 4 stars and not 5 only because I had figured out the plot twists, especially the big one at the end, early on. I kept hoping I'd be wrong, but I wasn't. So the suspense was lost to me. But other than guessing the twists, this was a solid, well constructed and cleverly executed love story.

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
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#can'tlookaway
#newreleases
#comingsoon
#women'sfiction
#lovestory
#arcreview
#advancereview
#netgalley
#suspense

I really enjoyed Carola Lovering’s Tell Me Lies and Too Good To Be True, so I was happy to read this ARC of Can’t Look Away from #netgalley and #stmartinspress. Molly Diamond meets Jake Danner after she sees him perform his music with his band. He locks eyes with her in the crowd and then he finds a way to track down her number to ask her out. Their physical chemistry is undeniable, but their relationship has many issues. Jake’s dedication to his music and his band keeps him from making Molly the main priority in his life. The story takes us through the different stages of their relationship and reveals how someone is quite determined to keep them apart The story is told in alternating points of view of the main characters..It’s a quick, easy read and I finished it in two days. Toward the end of the book, a tragic event occurs and the character responsible for causing it is never held accountable. It bothered me that the character was never arrested for what was done. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book.

Molly Diamond once had a life most women would dream of having, dating the lead singer in a rock band, having him write a song about her... it's all dream-worthy. But it's so far from the life she has now. Now she is a little older, married to a nice guy who does not sing in a band, and spends her days teaching yoga and fulfilling her mom duties. It is not the life she pictured for herself, but it's what she has, but she is not so she it's a life she wants.

Her marriage has it's struggles, there are fights and moments they can't stand one another, but then there are moments when she remembers why she married him. It's a series of ups and downs they somewhat manage to survive... but now they are about to face their biggest hurdle yet, one they may or may not come out on the good side of!

Can't Look Away is an engaging read about a woman who finds herself living a life she is not so sure she wants anymore. It's not the life she dreamed of having, the one that resembles a little more of what she had in the past. As she tries to come to terms with everything happening in her marriage, her struggles with fertility, a woman comes into her life that she thinks might be the perfect friend to lean on during this time. But little does she know said woman has ulterior motives, ones that can completely derail what little stability Molly's life has left.

This dramatic and thrilling read promises to keep you captivated from the first page until the last. There is a lot going on between the pages of this one, with it's engaging story line and well drawn characters that have quite the story to tell, you won't be able to pry your eyes from the pages! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.