▫️ REVIEW ▫️

Can’t Look Away ~ Carola Lovering

🙏🏼 Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this gifted eARC copy. It comes out June 14, 2022.

▫️READ IF:
* You play Zac Brown Band and Dan + Shay on repeat.
* You’ve been known to internet stalk an ex or the current flame of an ex.
* Small-town living seems a little too small some of the time.

▫️SYNOPSIS: Molly Diamond is the ultimate wing-woman, heading to a concert with her best friend Nina, when she’d rather be home. It’s in that Brooklyn bar where she locks eyes with lead singer, Jake Danner, and her life is forever changed. Their romance is a one-of-a kind love, weathering the ups and downs of fame, distance, and temptation - it’s the kind of love songs are written about, “Molly’s Song” to be exact.

Ten years later, Molly has settled into life in Flynn Cove with her husband, Hunter, and their daughter. She teaches yoga classes on the regular and has finally made what she believes to be a real friend in Sabrina. Most of the time, Jake is a distant memory but Molly soon realizes that first loves are hard to forget completely, especially when her daily life becomes filled with the reality of what she left behind.

▫️REVIEW: LOVED. THIS. BOOK! Was expecting a thriller but it definitely more of a mysterious romance - but the genre mix-up honestly didn’t matter because I was sucked in right away. This is my second Lovering book and I can now say with total confidence that she does pacing right! With each page, she gives you just enough romance and just enough deception to keep you turning. This had all the elements of a romance without being cheesy, along with some suspense to add a bit of darkness. Never mind the surprises at the end that I didn’t really see coming - all of this mixed together to make such an entertaining read! Went in blind, came out seeing the Lovering light! Save this one for your summer reading list, folks - it hits the shelves June 14, 2022!

Loved this book by Carola Lovering! Had the perfect mix of romance and mystery that kept me on my toes the entire book. My first read by this author, but will definitely not be my last!

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Not so much a thriller as a romance book mixed with a heavy dose of spiteful stalking. Is this my favorite book by the author? No. But I did want to see how it all got pulled together and the resolution. Sabrina was not likable at all and Jake and Molly were frustrating off and on.

It’s a quick read and worth giving a try.

I would classify this book as a romantic suspense or a drama with a tiny bit of mystery. By no means is it a thriller, which is what I initially expected based on the marketing. The story follows three main characters-Molly, Sabrina and Jake-in both the past (2015) and future (2022) as they navigate love, breakups, fame, friendships and family. It highlights the great lengths people will go to get what they want and how easily someone can deceive or manipulate you. While the story is pretty believable, not all the characters are super likable (Sabrina), and I wasn’t always sure which outcome I wanted most. Like her last book, I was sucked into Carola Lovering’s fast-paced. I felt very immersed into the story and while most of it was predictable, I was itching to know what will happen next. Definitely recommend reading this when it comes out in summer 2022!!

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

DNF. I reeeeally don’t like stalker books, and as soon as I realized that this was one, I was immediately out. I’m sure it’s great for it’s intended audience, and the cover is great.

Molly Diamond is a twenty-three year old barista that dreams of becoming a writer. One night at a concert she meet Jake Danner, the lead singer of the band playing that night. They instantly have a connection, a whirlwind romance ensues but things sometimes just don't work out. Many years later, Molly is now married to Hunter, she teaches Yoga, and has a young daughter named Stella. Molly feels out of place in her new community of Flynn Cove, Connecticut until she meets Sabrina. Sabrina and Molly become fast friends and they spend all of their time together. Molly discovers Sabrina has an ulterior motive for befriending her. Molly is faced to deal with the choices she made in her past.

I really enjoyed this book by Carola Lovering. I loved the past and present timelines and the different points of view. It is a love story with a bit of suspense added in. CAN’T LOOK AWAY is very entertaining and well worth reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

I did enjoy this book, but I wouldn't categorize it as a thriller. Maybe more drama romance. Ehh I don't know, but not a thriller.

I liked the characters and I felt part of the group while reading. Multiple point of views that flowed seamlessly. A story that keeps you captivated throughout and FINALLY an ending that I like.

This book revolves around 3 perspectives: Molly, Sabrina, and Jake. Back in the day, Molly and Jake shared a young love. While their love was prospering, Molly was pursuing writing and Jake was a lead singer in a famous band, Danner Lane.

Molly later in life has given up writing and moved to Flynn Cove with her daughter and husband, Hunter. In their small, judgemental town, Molly is struggling with loneliness and fertility issues. When Sabrina moves into town, Molly latches to her quickly as their friendship blossoms over commonalities.

Sabrina also shares a secret reason for moving to Flynn Cove which unravels quickly as Molly and she become closer.

I don't truly believe this book should be labeled as a mystery. It was more suspense with more romance in it than anything. I was expecting a huge twist to come but was sadly let down. While the writing was solid, I think the plot was shallow.

I really enjoyed this one! I loved the development of characters and the self destruction of Sabrina. I felt she was balanced out with the tortured love story taking place. I would have loved an epilogue of some sort from Hunter instead of Sabrina, as we knew her point of view and unreliability. This book kept me captured and I didn’t see the twist of the ending coming until about 75 percent in, which is pretty great!

Here lies the start of summer beach read season. If you want to relive the melodrama of The Hills while sipping margaritas by the pool, here you go. Surprisingly, dating up and coming rock star, Jake Danner, isn’t that glamorous for Molly Diamond. They spend a lot of their time fighting and making up in Brooklyn - typical 20 year old behavior. So. Much. Drama. Then you add in Sabrina, the jilted ex plotting her way back into Jake’s arms. I think her arc was where the suspense should have been, it wasn’t. Sabrina needed a good therapist and a hobby. I did skim over some pages because I could see where the story was headed and I just wanted to get there. So, yeah, I wouldn’t call this a thriller. I wouldn’t call this suspense. It’s night-time tv drama adjacent which makes for a good beach read.

I thought Too Good to Be True was excellent and a surprising page turner so I was excited to read the author’s next book. Can’t Look Away was different and not quite as much of a mystery, but still a good story with compelling characters. I was always a little ahead of the plot reveals but still liked the book a lot.

I am sad to say, this story really did disappoint. Everything from the title to the description scream suspense/thriller. However the story was everything but.

Thank Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC
for an honest review.

I felt this book may suffer from being hyped as a thriller - when it's not. A good storyline, interesting characters and a good plot. I just kept waiting for the thriller to kick in!! Love all her books - this just wasn't my favorite!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Ok- I have seen some mixed reviews for this book, but I’m telling you, miscategorization is to blame.

It’s definitely NOT a Thriller. It’s a Drama with a hint of Mystery. People are being let down because they were expecting a Thriller.
If you go into it with the correct expectation, I think it will be a different experience.

I absolutely loved this book. This author is wildly talented- the architecture of this story and characters is just exceptional. Her writing is emotive and transportive. I was so thoroughly immersed in this story.
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It’s about a young couple in New York that falls madly in love. She is a MFA student, with dreams of writing a novel. He is a musician at the threshold of fame. They become each others’ creative inspirations… but there are outside forces at play that threaten to tear them apart….
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When I was reading this, I kept thinking it was kind of like a combination of the movie Sweet Home Alabama and the book You.

This would have been a 5 star for me, except I feel like the climax needed a little more umph. But, overall, I loved this book so much!

This was a fun and fast moving story. An easy read, but enjoyable. The character development was well done and relatable. Like the way the story wrapped up.

I love Carola Lovering. I have read all of her books now. This one was amazing as most of her books are but this one shook me. Let me try not to give anything away. This one is about obsession and how that type of love can shake you. Molly is in a town where she feels lonely and then she meets Sabrina and feels like she found a friend, but not really because Sabrina is obsessed with her. Ugh this book was just so good. It gave me the creeps but I couldn't put it down.

I love Carola Lovering books, this one was no exception! I was definitely avoiding real life every chance I could get, just so I could read this one..definitely a fan for life!

I have loved all of Carola Lovering’s books and this was no exception.

This is the story of the one that got away and getting a second chance but you are happily married - should you take the chance? You still have chemistry and passion.

It’s also the story of a wealthy woman with an obsession.

It’s different and provocative and amazing. Carola Lovering’s characters are so relatable and her writing is just so authentic.

I didn't enjoy Can't Look Away but not as much as I expected to. I was under the impression that this is a thriller. I was just expecting a different story than what I read. This is more like a YA coming of age drama/romance about life's complexities. The build up was a little slow but I did enjoy the multiple points of view. The character's back stories were really nicely structured and the character development was there, but it just isn't my preferred genre.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced digital copy.

In “ Can’t Look Away” by Carole Lovering, Molly lives in Flynn Cove, CT with her husband Hunter and a young daughter and teaches yoga classes. To most it seems like she has it all but they don’t know that she is struggling to conceive and after every IVF treatment her heart breaks all over again. She has trouble connecting with other mothers in their wealthy community that are continually pushing her to join a country club that Molly cannot afford. During one of her yoga sessions she meets Sabrina who tells her she is a newcomer in town and then sees her again during her next appointment at the infertility doctor. The two women bond and soon firm a fast friendship. Sabrina knew who Molly was when she walked into her studio and has watched her for years.
Years ago Molly lived with Jake, a rock star on his way to the top and his first big song was one written and named for her, “ Molly’s Song”.
When a new version of the song begins making radio playlists again, Molly is confronted with memories she has long buried.
What if you ran into your first love again and found out the reasons you left were wrong? How do you know if you made the right choices? When do you let go of the dreams and love of the past?
While I enjoy this authors writing style, this is not a thriller or even suspense. I loved her previous book and the was so angry at one of the characters I was ready to throw the book! I did not have the same type of strong reactions to the characters in this one. I found Sabrinas’ actions totally unrealistic. She was an interesting character, reprehensible and pitiable at the same time. An entertaining, escapist read.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartins for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. This is due for release June 14,2022.