I really enjoyed this book but not for the reasons I usually do. Can’t Look Away is a combination of some of my favorite book genres. It’s a lot of Romance and Suspense and the tiniest bit a Domestic thriller.

Ultimately, it is a story about the complexity (and toxicity) of relationships in your 20s and how we change with age and life experience. The multiple POVs and alternating timelines both past and present manage to be seamless and there are some twists that I saw coming and some that I didn’t. This is a book with a lesson to not let your past impact your present and learn to overcome your life circumstances. Most of the characters in Can’t Look Away are handling situations based on the trauma of their childhood and how they grew up. Once they come to terms with the impact trauma has had on their lives, much of the plot is resolved.

I think this is a must read for 2022! This is one of those books you feel differently about depending on where you are in life and what you’ve experienced.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Carola Lovering and NetGalley for the Uncorrected Digital Galley ARC which did not impact my review in any way.

‘Can’t Look Away’ by Carola Lovering was such a pleasant surprise! A little bit of mystery with little bit of romance and heartbreak makes this book hard to put down. Each character had such a good story and development that I didn’t know which one to root for. This novel follows three central characters - Molly, Jake and Sabrina - through breakups, makeups and friendships. We found out quickly that not everything is as it seems, though, and some people don’t have the best intentions in small town Flynn Cove. Make sure to pick up a copy of this book to find out more! Happy reading!

Loved this! Love the writing and descriptions and loved the story! Although I would not say this is a thriller/mystery/suspense — it’s more of a romantic drama because you pretty much know what’s going on the whole time thanks to the three POV.

Loved her first book and this didn't disappoint. It devoured in a day. Great plot would definitely recommend. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

There’s something about reading a book about a crazy psycho stalker that just draws me in instantly & keeps me hooked. Not really sure if that’s a good or bad thing, or if that says something about me? 🥴 BUT anyway! I thought I had this one figured out & it was so much more than I had anticipated.

I went into this one having 1 mindset & finishing the book with a completely different one. I thought it was going to be a wild ride psych thriller, and while it was wild, there were so many other layers to this story. I loved reading about Molly & Jake’s relationship and her present life. Sometimes the alternating POVs & timelines were a little confusing, but it didn’t take me long to get it figured out. I guessed a few things that went on throughout the story, but there were definitely some jaw dropping moments. I really enjoyed this one a lot & can’t wait to see what else Carola Lovering comes out with next. 4.5 ⭐️s (rounded to 5)

A HUGE thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, & Carola Lovering for this advanced copy. Check out Can’t Look Away on its pub date 6/14/22!

Can’t Look Away was nothing like I expected. It combined elements of a domestic drama with contemporary romance and women’s fiction. It was a true coming of age story spiced up with some suspense that made it hard to put down.

Although there were some unlikeable characters (I’m looking at you Sabrina) I found myself hoping she found the love within herself to have a happy ending.

All in all, it was an ok read for me but I wanted more. Maybe it’s just that I couldn’t relate to the characters and what they were going through in life. My advice would be to check out the trigger warnings (miscarriage, infertility) prior to reading & know the genre of story you are getting.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the eARC I’m exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It beautifully combines elements of romance, intrigue (I do think “suspense” is a little overstated for this book), friendship and betrayal, and thoughtful evaluation of the choices we make in life, for better or worse. The different time lines and points of view of various characters was well done, and it was a book I kept wanting to get back to so I could read more. Highly recommended! Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

I love Too Good To Be True by the same author, so I was really excited to read this one. I sped through it! It was so well-written and the character development was fantastic. One of my favorite books I've read this year!

Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan Publishing for an e-arc of this novel, which is due to be published in June 2022.

It was classified as a suspense novel, but I found it to be more of a contemporary romance with just a little mystery, which is not my usual read (sorry I prefer my mystery/suspense with a little romance). It was a good read with interesting characters.

I found some of the time jumps a little bit confusing, but all in all it was a good read. If you like more contemporary romance with a little suspense, this is probably the book for you.

I loved this book from the very first page. As an established fan of Carola Lovering, I found her new novel even better than the others. She creates such realistic characters and complex scenes, you’ll be hooked until the very end!

Yup
I really enjoyed Too Good To Be True by @carolatlovering so I was really excited to get her latest book from #NetGalley.

Like her past book, Can’t Look Away rotates between characters who become more unreliable as the story builds. We meet aspiring writer Molly, living in New York, who ends up falling for gorgeous musician Jake. We also meet Sabrina, seemingly cunning and self absorbed, who dated Jake prior to Molly. It’s clear Sabrina is obsessed, both with Jake and Molly. But what are her secrets and intentions? And what about Molly’s secrets?!

Overall I didn’t like this one as much as Can’t Look Away. I liked Molly and parts of the love story but there were too many holes in Sabrina’s storyline and the big reveal fell a bit flat for me.


3.5 stars

Molly Diamond met Jake Danner, a gorgeous musician in 2013 when she was 23. Molly was an aspiring writer hoping to publish her first novel. Jake's band was becoming more and more popular - their songs were hitting the charts and they began to tour. Molly and Jake's love for each other was instant, but they had many ups and downs over the course of their relationship. Fast forward to present day. Molly is married to not-Jake, has an adorable daughter, and lives in the affluent suburb of Flynn Cove, CT. These days, Molly is trying her best to fit in with the snobby women in their neighborhood and trying NOT to think about Jake. Sabrina, a new and friendly face, comes to town and immediately hits it off with Molly. What Molly doesn't know is that Sabrina has an agenda. She's been studying up on Molly and her arrival to Flynn Cove is definitely not a coincidence.

Can't Look Away had some of those Real Housewives vibes - money, jealousy, drama, catty women. It leaves you asking just how far one would go to keep the person they love the most, and where exactly is that line between love and obsession? This was a quick read for me and I couldn't put it down - I had to know how it would end (and for the record, I thought the ending was great)!

It feels like there are a lot of books about musicians and writers, so even though I love romances about long lost loves, where the chemistry remains through years of separation, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this novel as much as I did. It’s probably the first book (or at least the first in a long time) that has come close to comparing to The Light We Lost, which remains one of my absolute favorites.
Can’t Look Away isn’t without fault— the author asks a lot of us to not only accept that Jake would see Molly in the crowd at a concert and then have the inclination and ability to track down her number and ask her out, but also that Hunter noticed her, of all the many people at a concert, and felt a similar, instant connection. There are many of these coincidences peppered throughout, but the relationships are so well crafted and Lovering’s writing is so good, they’re rather easy to forgive.
I really liked that it’s written with the tone and tension of a thriller, but ultimately it’s a romance filled with deeply complex characters, and things don’t devolve into a homicidal melee. Love ring doesn’t need to fall back on shock value because the relationships and situations she presents, and the manner in which she weaves in their histories, are all so compelling.

YESSSSSSSSS.

Carola Lovering's debut novel, 'Tell Me Lies,' is one of my all-time favorite books about young (twisted) love. Her second, 'Too Good To Be True,' was a letdown - I feel like the plot ran away with the characters. All that to say, I wasn't sure what to expect with her third - but lucky for us, 'Can't Look Away' is excellent. I would have devoured it in a single sitting had I not asked my partner to hide my Kindle for a few hours so I could prolong the excitement of another great read by Lovering.

If 'Tell Me Lies' is character-driven and 'Too Good To Be True' is (too) plot-driven, 'Can't Look Away' is that excellent, elusive combination of both. Throughout the story, I found the characters' choices - even at their most shortsighted and extreme and conniving - to be believable because of their backstories and beliefs. Without giving anything away, I loved the ending.

I will say that, like her other novels, nearly all of the characters are white, well-educated, and well-off - but there was some exploration of financial privilege this time around. If you like stories about what could have been, about love darkening into obsession, about revenge in the digital age, about love triangles where you don't know who to root for (in particular, if you liked 'The Light We Lost' by Jill Santopolo, this is for you!) - you'll want to read this. Thank you, Carola Lovering, for another great book that brought me back as vividly to what it's like to be 22 as Taylor Swift's Red re-release today!

ARC provided by NETGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
It must be my age (I'm a grandmother), but I didn't like this book ... I think I'm the only reader who couldn't get into the story.
It's more of a romance than a mystery, telling the story of a attractive and famous musician and the two women in his life. Both women were in their 20's when they met and fell hopelessly in love with him. Fast forward to 2022 and we meet all 3 again, older but not necessarily wiser. Unfortunately, I couldn't care less about them. Also, I found the constant naming of brands irritating, it felt like advertising. It was just not for me, sorry!

Can't look Away is my first book by Carola Lovering and I really enjoyed this one. It was part romance, part mystery and held my interest throughout the book.

In a multiple point of view, multiple time line novel, we meet Molly who working as a barista and is simultaneously working on her MFA. She dreams about becoming a successful writer. What she is not expecting in her future is to fall in love with the lead singer of the up and coming band, Danner Lane. Their love affair is intense, exciting, and not without problems. Shoot forward, and we meet Molly again, married to Hunter and living in the suburban town of Flynn Cove with with their 5 year old daughter , Stella. Molly is not in love with the other women of Flynn Cove, as they tend to be more interested in the country club and the latest fashion than genuine friendship. This all changes when Sabrina walks into her yoga studio. She is down to earth, doesn't care what others think and they share similar issues with fertility, which bonds them together. Molly is in for a huge surprise when she goes to Sabrina's house for dinner and her past is brought roaring into the present when meets her husband, a true blast from her past. Now Molly has to figure out how to hold on to the life she has built, when her life is turned onto its head.

I really loved this book. It’s hard to categorize. Part thriller, part romance, part women’s literature.

I just thought it was a lovely commentary on who we are when we are young and how we change as we age. And how love can mean a lot of different things. We can hold so many people in our hearts in different capacities.

Honestly the thriller elements are okay, but the character development and relationships are what will stick with me

After reading Lovering’s Too Good To Be True, I knew that it wouldn’t be the last. Can’t Look Away has everything you would want in a psychological thriller. Lovering does such a fantastic job at character development & also the imagery she uses in her writing that gets her readers hooked. A few of my favorite things upfront about this novel was the setting (New York) and all of the restaurants, bars, & coffee shops that I could look up while reading. I love when an author incorporates real places into their novel. This novel starts takes place between 2013-2022 in NYC & Flynn Cove. It’s 2013 & Molly, an introvert, aspiring writer, is dragged out to drinks at a bar with Nina, swooning over The Lane Brothers when she suddenly makes eye contact with one of the band members. Jake, one of the members of The Lane Brothers, tracks down Jeb, the owner of the bar to get Molly’s number. On their first “meet up” Molly discovers that Jake is currently going through a break up. Red flag! Fast forward 9 years we learn that Jake was so invested in his musical career that Molly is married to her now husband Hunter, with a 5 year old daughter Stella, living in a very affluent community of Country Club desperate housewives in Flynn Cove where she doesn’t quite fit in. Molly passes time by teaching yoga where she meets a new girl to her class, Sabrina who she for once actually connects with. However, little does she know, she has a lot more in common with her than she thinks.

❤️Book Review❤️

Ok friends!! Get your Goodreads app open, get your Amazon account open, and hit the save button here, because you do not want to miss this gem of a romantic thriller when it comes out next June!! Hit Want to Read and preorder this baby because it is absolutely amazing!!

One night when she was drug to the bar with her friend, Molly Diamond locks eyes with the lead singer, Jake Danner, and they fallquickly in love. Jake brings out Molly’s inner writer and she starts work on her first novel. The two have a whirlwind romance and Jake writes a number one hit song about Molly. Fast forward ten years later and Molly and her husband, Hunter, (gasp…where’s Jake??) are struggling to have their second child. Molly loves and adores her husband and daughter Stella, but absolutely loathes their small ritzy social climbing town they live in. When Sabrina moves to town and shares she same feelings about these horrible people and similar fertility issues they become fast friends. How Molly’s past and present come together is a ride you don’t want to miss!

I am a complete sucker for books when the author pins the first love against someone’s current love and books with alternating timelines and perspectives. You give me a book with those things and chances are I am going to love it! This books gave me allllll those things and soooo much more. I found myself opening NetGalley at stoplights, while brushing my teeth, cooking, and many other random times during the day because I needed to know what in the world was going to happen with Molly! I was very invested in her and I needed to know more of her story. I absolutely devoured The Paper Palace this summer and this books has very similar attributes, but a little bit more light hearted. There are still intense subjects, but not as intense or deep. I will remember these characters for a long, long time and I will be wondering how they are from time to time because they all just felt so real to me. I loved Too Good To Be True, but think this one is even better! I can’t wait for you all to read this book! It’s amazing and you will burn through the pages. Save the date for June 14, 2022.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I would definitely be recommending this book to readers on my Instagram bookstagram account.