What a great read! Absolutely loved the characters and storyline POVs. I really felt the pull of emotions tugging throughout the book. This one had plenty of twists and turns.
Highly recommend!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

After loving TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE earlier this year I jumped to read Carola Lovering’s upcoming novel CAN’T LOOK AWAY when I saw it go up on Netgalley.

CAN’T LOOK AWAY follows Molly, the MC, with a dual time line as she navigates her early twenties in NYC and raising a daughter in Flynn Cove, CT. Molly finds herself falling for the typical band member she met in a bar. Their relationship is a hot mess and results in Molly being followed and friended by a psycho ex. When her band boy moves into town 10 years later when Molly is finally settled and living life, shit hits the fan.

This one was just okay for me. It didn’t have the bang factor that TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE had. I found most of Molly and Jake’s back story to be predictable but still enjoyed reading it in the “wow this is messed up” way😂.

I would recommend this one for readers who enjoy friend group and relationship drama without the violence of thrillers.

TW: miscarriage, infidelity

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

“Can’t Look Away” by Carola Lovering tells the story of Molly, Sabrina, and Jake through their points of views in both present day and the past. All of this book takes place in the 2000s. This book deals with relationship issues, decisions made, and roads not traveled - with a bit of twisted revenge. After a few chapters, it was easy to keep the two timelines (and three characters) separate. I liked the ambiguous ending for one character. This is a very character driven book, and I must admit that my favorite character was Stella, Molly’s daughter. Ms. Lovering captured the enthusiasm, highs, lows, questioning and other characteristics of a youngster in ways that had me chuckling.

On again, off again. That’s the relationship between Molly and Jake, a rock star. Add a frenemy that you love to hate. This novel has good characterizations. I read it with eagerness to find out what happens next. Rather long which gives it 4.5 stars, rounded up to five.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press!

This book should be called “Can’t Put Down,” because that is how addictive it was to read. I was reading while on the treadmill, while cooking dinner and late into the night because I was so hooked. Lovering does an outstanding job of giving readers a domestic thriller with characters that are much more real than often found in the genre. That’s because she manages to add some romance to the mix in a way that takes the story to another level without being cloying. And for fans of thrillers, rest assured that this book will keep you guessing, but also rooting for the characters. Highly recommend this one.

This novel begins with a young woman in her early 20s, Molly Diamond, living in New York. She meets a handsome musician at a bar one night - Jake Danner and it’s love at first sight. Flash forward to present day, Molly is living in the suburbs in Connecticut, with her husband, Hunter and her young daughter.

A woman named Sabrina moves to town and befriends Molly. However, little does Molly know that Sabrina has ulterior motives and secrets of her own.

This is the author’s second venture into the thriller genre, her other book, Too Good to Be True, came out last year. Honestly, this book was good, I enjoyed it, but it’s not a thriller. I think there’s an element of mystery but it’s way more about young love, growing up, choosing things, the paths not taken, etc. I think there’s definitely family and relationship dynamics at play here and it’s pretty interesting to read. No one writes about young, passionate love better than Lovering - I re-read her first novel Tell Me Lies every few years.

Overall, I enjoyed it and the flashbacks to Molly’s past and what happened with her and Jake actually worked pretty well in this novel. I thought the ending was also pretty realistic and satisfying and I appreciate that it didn’t go off the rails as some domestic thrillers do. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

When twenty-three-year-old Molly Diamond meets Jake Danner, the lead singer of Danner Lane, she finds herself captivated. Within six months, they’ve moved in together but soon discover that the road to happily ever after is seldom straight and smooth. For Molly and Jake, it’s twisty, pitted, and bumpy; their relationship is turbulent and fraught, filled with misunderstandings, fights, and separations. Nevertheless, they continue to work at it, convinced that they belong together.

But others would separate them and conspire to break up the couple.

And when their lives all come together in an unexpected way, will they find the answers they seek?

=========

Told alternately by Molly, Sabrina, and Jake, the story switches between present and past, with the past slowly providing bits and pieces of the backstory. The evolving story is less of a thriller and more of a dissection of a romantic relationship; there are times that the telling of the tale feels a bit like high school teenager angst. There’s love and loss along with secrets and obsessions in a train wreck of a story about give and take, about expectations and commitment in relationships.

With well-drawn, nuanced, and believable characters, [most of whom are quite unlikeable], the unfolding story traces the vicissitudes of the relationship between Molly and Jake. More of a character study than a mystery, astute readers will figure out exactly what’s going on and who’s doing what to whom long before the big reveals take place in the story. Nevertheless, there are some unexpected twists along the way and readers may be surprised with the outcome of the narrative.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley
#CantLookAway #NetGalley

Fascinating book. I loved the characters. "Can't Look Away" is the story of Molly and Jake, who somehow managed to stay together until they no longer could. Fate or other forces put them back in each other's orbit and the result is unreal. I was blown away by the big reveal. I kept wondering why choices were made to move to the same town where Molly lived. This book has familiar tropes, but at the same time, it is quite different from anything I have ever read. I was sad to come to the end of the book. This is no fairytale, but I wanted the characters to be happy and to have the life they wanted. I would gladly revisit these characters. I hope to see more from this author. Her writing style kept my attention from beginning to end.

I devoured this book. I thought it was well-written; sometimes, when a story is told from different perspectives in different years, that gets really confusing to a reader and I think the author did a great job with that. The characters seemed real - the drama was not something that seemed too crazy to believe. I cared about what happened, and who ended up together. My only issue is that I wouldn't market this as a "suspense" novel. I read a lot of suspense novels, and I feel like that label is stretching it just a bit. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book!

A love triangle with a frenemy thrown into the mix. Although it’s billed as a thriller, this story is really more of a romance novel that certainly could be made into a Lifetime or Hallmark movie.

What I liked: the multiple points of view and shifting time lines.
What I didn’t like: Molly’s incessant self-talk whining about what she should or shouldn’t do. Blah, blah, blah.

Thank you to St. Martin’s press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

OBSESSED! Literally, so much obsession in this book which included my own! I could not put this down. It actually seemed like a really long book, which I was happy about, but still totally flew through it.

What a delicious and deceitful book, perfectly written. The elements of love, scandal and um, stalking were outstanding together.

Absolute 5 STARS!

Okay, I'm ready for Carola Lovering's next book, pleaseeee!

I absolutely couldn't look away from Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering. The book was amazing- taking me on a rich, immersive journey with 4 incredibly special characters. Even Sabrina, the "unlikeable" character had me rooting almost the entire time. The pacing was perfect, the character development absolutely divine. I was very sad to come to the end, but completely satisfied, when I got to the last page.
Side note: The fictional town of Flynn Cove, CT is very similar to where I live and after reading an author interview, it turns out I live very close to her in real life, lol). Highly recommend!!!

Well, this was one big, delicious trainwreck of a book and just like the title says, I couldn't look away! A super-fun read that is more domestic-drama suspense than thriller, I was eagerly turning pages to see what the next self-destructive move each of these characters were going to play. The story is told from several different POV's and does require suspension of belief as there are a number of coincidences and events that had to line up just right in order to work, but just go with it! You won't be disappointed! My second from this author and it will definitely not be the last! Ms. Lovering is the new queen of obsessive-whackos-in-love stories! And oh yeah, I ugly cried at the end!! Well done!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Carola Lovering and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

I could not put this book down. Jake is in a band and meets Molly and it's basically love at first sight - flash forward a few years and Molly is now married to Hunter. Then another girl, Sabrina, comes into the picture. This book wasn't necessarily a thriller but it had enough in the plot to keep you guessing of what was going to happen next. It also had the element in the book that I love, of "the one who got away" and two people who can't be together for various reasons. I highly recommend this book. I also really liked it being told from the various points of view.

The summary of this book talks of an obsessive love...I'd say that description was dead-on. At every turn, I wondered just how much more psycho could a character be. It was so good it was hard to look away! While a few bits were predictable, the story as a whole was one big thrill ride. I recommend!

Molly is a young woman lucky enough to fall in love twice. The second time she marries and moves to a wealthy community where she doesn’t really seem to fit in. She makes friends with someone who does not have Molly’s best interests at heart and to top it off, her first love moves to town. A psychological thriller that moves quickly and has unexpected twists. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in the format of an e-book in exchange for an honest review.

What a twisty puzzle of a mystery! Molly and Jake, an up-and-coming rock star, fall in love. But there's a jealous ex-girlfriend who will do just about anything to get Jake back. That's where this crazy ride begins.

I had no idea how this book would end. I just had to keep reading. If you enjoyed Lovering's previous novel, "Too Good to Be True," I think you'll find "Can't Look Away" just as exciting. The characters seem real (although I'd be afraid to know some of them!)

I've raced through both of these books because I just couldn't imagine how the stories would end and I felt compelled to find out.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an advance reader copy. I'm looking forward to Carola Lovering's next book!

Love, loss, and obsession...all great elements for the perfect novel. All the feels after finishing this one and I am left wanting more.

We meet Molly and Jake in 2013 when they lock eyes in a grungy bar and fall instantly in love. She is a grad student trying to write her first novel and he is a budding rock star. Their relationship has its ups and downs but its obviously love because he writes a song about her.

Fast forward to 2022 and Molly is living in the suburbs with her husband (not Jake)and young daughter. She is struggling with infertility as well as whether she fits into this wealthy community. Sabrina is beautiful, rich, and newly married and is very eager to become Molly's friend. They hit it off over a shared love of yoga and infertility and quickly become entrenched in each other's lives.

Told from the perspectives of Molly, Jake, and Sabrina and alternating from past to present. We learn about the love, loss and obsession that leads us to present day and how their lives intersect in the most unexpected ways. Can't give away too much more than that other than to say, read this book!

5 stars! Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This character driven novel, Can’t Look Away, starts as a romance and becomes a suspense thriller as well. . Molly meets the love of her life Jake while he’s performing in a club, and the next few years center around their relationship, its many ups and downs, along with the lives of her other 20 something year old friends. At first I judged the characters and their actions too harshly until I remembered young love and life filled with angst and possibility during your tumultuous 20s. The story builds slowly which makes the twists even more satisfying until it all comes together in a firecracker ending. The characters are real with all their complexities and nuances which makes the novel more richly layered. My only complaint is the title. Can’t Look Away seems to have no direct bearing on the book and surely there were better choices.