Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering

In 2013, twenty-three-year old Molly Diamond is a barista, dreaming of becoming a writer. One night at a concert in East Williamsburg, she locks eyes with the lead singer, Jake Danner, and can’t look away. Molly and Jake fall quickly and deeply in love, especially after he writes a hit song about her that puts his band on the map.

This book wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I was expecting a mystery/thriller, and this wasn’t that. This was more of a romantic/drama with plot twists.

Molly wants to be a writer but that is put on the back burner when she spots Jake, a lead singer with a popular band, and they fall in love. Jake is consumed with the band, not always giving Molly the time she deserves. When she finds out she is pregnant, Hunter, a good friend she has been spending time with tells her he loves her and wants to marry her.
Molly teaches yoga and Hunter adores her child. Sabrina joins the yoga class and becomes a fast friend. Sabrina is not what she pretends to be. Molly and Sabrina both have secrets, and the secrets may change their lives.
I really liked this book although sometimes the going back in time from present day seemed confusing. The book looks at what love really means and how much do you give of yourself to foster a relationship. I loved Hunter’s devotion to Molly, their child, and their marriage.

This is marketed as a thriller and a mystery but in my opinion it is more of a romantic suspense novel. There were not a lot of twists or big reveals I didn’t see coming but I thought it was a compelling and heart-felt story. If you go into it with that mindset, I think you will enjoy it a lot more.

Molly was such an interesting, nuanced, and flawed character. My heart broke for her and the love story between her and Jake completely shattered me emotionally. My heart hurt after reading this book.

Some aspects of this book kind of reminded me of ONE TRUE LOVES - that heartbreaking feeling of the love you never got over and the war between a love with passion and one with stability and support. The musical and band aspect of this book really reminded me of THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST and a bit of DAISY JONES & THE SIX.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Definitely not what I was expecting but a good read overall! The swapping of perspectives and timelines was done really well, and the characters were all very interesting. The narrators did a great job as well.

Molly met Jake while attending NYU for her MFA. Jake is in a band. He and Molly hit it off, the problem is his ex CiCi, who is obsessed with him.
I enjoyed this book. I would classify it as more a relationship drama over a mystery/thriller. There were some slight surprises, as there were a few twists that I wasn’t expecting. An easy and enjoyable read. I would recommend.

Molly's history as the muse for 'Molly's Song', a huge alternative hit in the early 2000s, comes rearing back, threatening to interfere with her suburban mom life. Part thriller, part second chance romance, you won't be able to put this one down!

The writing in this book is great-- Molly's parts read like an Emily Giffin novel, Sabrina's like Liv Constantine novel. It's a very interesting blend that's done extremely well. The narrators for the audiobook are also phenomenal, each playing their character perfectly.

Highly, highly recommended for anyone who like a good read, creepy characters, or second chance romance!

Molly can't help but fall in love with Jake. He's a charming rock star, how could you not fall in love with him? Jake falls in love with Molly, he even writes some songs about her. But sometimes love isn't enough. Fast forward to 2022 Molly is living in Flynn Cove with her amazing husband, Hunter and their beautiful daughter. Of course Molly still thinks about Jake from time to time. Molly ends up becoming friends with the new girl in town. That's when things change course and the past collides with the present.

The book has three POVs. Molly, Sabrina and Jake. I can't even begin to explain how insane Sabrina is. That girl drove me nuts. I liked Molly, some of the time I just shook my head at her. I really liked Jake and Hunter.

I don't think this book was a thriller at all. The "twists" I knew were coming from a mile away. Even so, I wanted to know how the story was going to end. I liked the dual timelines, going back and forth helped complete the story. You got just enough info to want to continue to the next chapter/part. I really like how the author wrapped up the story. The ending was great. I really enjoyed the audio of this book! The different narrators helped make the characters feel like their own people. I think they did a great job!

I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for my digital and audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the book I needed to get me out of my slump!! I absolutely devoured this! It had everything I needed in a thriller! I went in completely blind, after loving Carola Lovering’s previous books and it worked out so well for me! I think I’ve found my favorite books have dual timelines and multiple narrators! It added so much to the story and I love getting all the viewpoints and backstory! The narrator did a great job of switching characters voices and really capturing the personalities!

Have you ever watched a movie and fallen asleep in the middle, woken up towards the end, and been easily able to jump back in without feeling like you missed anything? If so, that's what reading this book was like. A very interesting concept, decent characters, but just so much build up and wasted space in the middle. The ending was fine. It wrapped things up nicely. If you want to pick this one up, I would recommend getting the actual book instead of audiobook. The narration was not the best I've encountered, and her version of playing the sinister character was to just over enunciate everything so "didn't" becomes "di-den-T", which really bugged me. Overall, 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Not the worst book ever, but I wouldn't give it to a friend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this story, even though I am used to multiple POV's this felt somehow different. I did not find myself connecting with any of the characters and I was just not able to feel anything for them. I do understand where the book was going/coming from. But unfortunately this was a big miss for me.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!

What if your new friend isn't who she seems?

CAN'T LOOK AWAY is mostly a domestic drama, with a slight undertone of suspense.

In 2013, Molly wants to become a writer and is in love with the lead singer in a band, Jake. Jumping ahead to 2022, Molly's working as a yoga teacher, has a young child, and is married to a different man. One day while teaching, she meets Sabrina, a woman new to town who Molly almost instantly takes a liking to. The reader largely follows Molly, in both 2013 and 2022, but includes short chapters from Sabrina and Jake's perspectives as well.

I definitely found myself wanting to quickly flip pages to find out how the story would come together. At the same time, I think this book is on the long side. And I couldn't help but wish it were a bit more suspenseful - it felt more like a Colleen Hoover novel than A NOVEL OBSESSION.

Do note that this story includes miscarriage and embryo transfer not resulting in pregnancy.

The audiobook has three narrators, each of whom sounded like their character. You may recognize Karissa Vacker from The Golden Couple, A Flicker in the Dark, or The Banker's Wife, and Zachary Webber from Abby Jimenez's last three novels. I think this was my first listen to Caitlin Davies, but she's a well-seasoned pro who delivering a convincing rendition of Sabrina.

This one had me going in circles. Molly Diamond had the life in her 20's, fresh out of college and the girlfriend of a rock star, she was working as a barista and writing a novel and had a hit song written about her. Her love life was rocky because of insecurities and when she finally gave up and left Jake Danner she married her best friend Hunter and they moved to his home town. Years later, while raising their 5 year old and trying to conceive another child and still working as a yoga instructor, she meets a woman, Sabrina, and befriends her. There is something about her and when she shows up at her doctor's office also with fertility problems it is kismet and the friendship is set. That is, until they all gather at Sabrina's home for a dinner party and meet her husband and it turns out to be Jake. What happens when your old life meets your new life and your stalker tries to ruin you? This one was like a soap opera. It is told by taking us through the past and present and even resolving at the end. I did finally decide by the end I enjoyed it, only because of the ending.

Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering

Molly meets Jake, lead singer of an up and coming band, one night at a show and their connection is instant and powerful. They fall in love quickly, and they think they're end game, but life (and other "things") has its own plans.

Fast forward to present day, Jake and Molly are no longer together. She's married to Hunter and has an almost 6 year old daughter. They live in a swanky Connecticut town where she feels like she doesn't belong. That is until Sabrina moves to town, and they become fast friends.
All goes well for a while. Then things start to spiral out of control when Molly's past and present collide.

The timelines switch from past to present to tell the story. The story was also told from 3 different perspectives (Jake, Molly, Sabrina), each with a different narrator. Sabrina's chapters, especially in audiobook format, kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next. Her character is unhinged, and the narrator's voice perfectly portrayed that vibe.

A lot of the plots twists can be guessed, but the story was still entertaining. The ending was bittersweet for Molly, but I think it all ended up as it should've.
The epilogue on the other hand? I don't want to give too much away, but it was not at all what that person deserved.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dramatic, slightly suspenseful reads. The audiobook would be perfect for a long drive.

TW: Childloss/miscarriage and infertility.

I received this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook Review

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering
@CarolaTLovering
Pub Date: June 14, 2022
Narration:
Karissa Vacker @KarissaVacker
Caitlin Davies @CaitlinDaviesNY-
Zachary Webber @Webberesque
Duration: 12H 0M

Last Sunday, I was feeling a bit under the weather and it was the perfect opportunity to binge listen to Carola Lovering’s new novel Can’t Look Away. Romantic suspense at its best and talk about obsession and drama! It was cat nip to my little kitty soul and it definitely staved off the #SundayScaries!

Molly and Jake hit it off and soon they are head over heels in love but they’re young and there’s just a few things getting in the way! One of those things is Jake’s music career which takes him on the road A LOT and it doesn’t help that he’s a bit self-absorbed with not only his music but himself. Then there’s his ex, CC who just can’t seem to let Jake go and blames Jake leaving her completely on Molly. It doesn’t help that he wrote a song about Molly - two if you want to get technical – January Girl was about Molly, too.

Molly is a good soul; a struggling writer who’s not without her own issues but she loves Jake with all her heart. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for Jake and that includes protecting him from himself. Moving on and happily married, she is blindsided when a blast from her past reenters her life and all hell breaks loose!

I loved the way this one was told! Alternating timelines and alternating POV between Molly, Jake and Sabrina. The varying POV give a unique and multifaceted perspective, one I could appreciate because this story needed to be heard from different angles!

This is such a quickly paced book and I was so happy with the way things wrapped up. I’ll always be a fan of this author!

Narration: This is narrated by Karissa Vacker, Caitlin Davies, and Zachary Webber and what a fabulous production it is! Each of them absolutely brilliant and a pleasure to listen! It was like listening to a movie play out in my head! Bravo!

My thanks to @Macmillan.Audio for this gifted ALC!

I really enjoyed this one!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for my advanced copies of Can't Look Away!

I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

Can't Look Away was a very entertaining read. The author kept me engaged from beginning to end.

The audio version of this book was absolutely fantastic. I appreciated that each POV was narrated by a different voice.

I enjoyed this book just as much as Carola Lovering's previous book : Too Good to be True.

Overall- Highly recommend. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I had to go back and check that this book was in fact listed as mystery/thriller. It is... but it's definitely not. This is much more relationship drama than anything else. I have a feeling there will be a lot of disappointed readers who expect a thriller and get this. Hopefully it will be reclassified before its release date.

That said, it was a decent listen though it won't make it to my favorites list. While the author tried to throw in some plot twists, these can mostly be seen from a mile away so no shocking surprises. This book really is about complicated relationships and obsession. Just how complicated these relationships are is revealed slowly throughout the book, from multiple viewpoints, in the present and through flashbacks to the past. I never became fully invested in the characters and ultimately didn't care much who ultimately ended up with whom.

I have heard good things about the author's previous book, Too Good to be True, and plan to give that one a try though. No book is a great fit for every reader and I may have been a bit put off by the misleading genre designation here.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

First off, let me start by saying that this is not a mystery or thriller. There is nothing shocking, twisty, or suspenseful about this book whatsoever - it’s really a relationship drama, in the vein of “women’s fiction” authors Elin Hilderbrand or Jennifer Weiner. That being said, I was still interested in the plot and finding out what happens next, although all of the characters annoyed or frustrated me at one point or another.

The book centers around Molly Diamond, a young New Yorker, who meets Jake Danner, the front man of an up-and-coming band, one night at a bar in New York City. It’s basically love at first sight, and they fall hard for each other. The story rotates between their blooming and increasingly serious relationship around 2014, and the present day in 2022, when Molly is married to a man who is not Jake and has a young daughter named Stella. The plot tries to show you what happened between now and then, why Jake and Molly are no longer together despite their love being this world and stopping, life altering love.

A major side plot revolves around Jake’s ex, Sabrina or Cece, who dated Jake right before he met Molly, and is still desperately in love with him when Molly and Jake are first dating all the way up to when she meets Molly again in 2022. She is the classic foil to Molly, always trying to throw a wrench in hers and Jake’s relationship from when their relationship starts all the way to the present day.

The relationship between Molly and Jake was really well fleshed out. Both Molly and Jake are complex characters with full histories, personalities, and motivations, and once you find out the reasons as to why their relationship didn’t work out, everything makes a lot of sense. Their fights felt realistic and devastating, and you can totally see both perspectives as to why they have a great love on paper, but one that wouldn’t really work in real life. That in it itself is enough conflict to keep the story going, but this whole thing with Sabrina/Cece felt like a totally weird distraction. Sabrina is plotting to end or damage Molly and Jake’s relationship from the very beginning, and she feels like a very flat antagonist, is really quite naïve in going to the lengths that she does to destroy this relationship instead of investing the time and effort into herself and moving on to create a better life.

Finally, Molly is sort of the golden girl in this whole book, with people falling in love with her at first sight left and right, and everything essentially working out in her favor. What is so freaking special about Molly?! I do understand why Sabrina dislikes her so much, because everything seems to always come up roses for Miss Molly.

Overall, the story felt more like a meditation on why some “great loves” aren’t built to last, and how to move on from a perhaps toxic true love that you think will dominate your life. But none of the characters were all that likable, and I didn’t really find myself rooting for anyone to succeed. Also, I went in expecting some thing much more suspenseful, twisty, and shocking, but what you end up getting is a pretty run-of-the-mill relationship or domestic drama. Although the author’s previous book was much more in the vein of mystery and thriller, this one should have been marketed a bit differently.

Thank you to the publisher for the audio ARC via NetGalley!

Looks like the less than happy reviews are mostly coming from readers who were expecting a thriller. Marketing really needs to use caution when latching on to a genre description because it's a bit of a disaster when it fails to live up to the expectation. Maybe calling this a domestic suspense/women's fiction would be more accurate.

I liked this, but I am coming from a place of connecting instantly with a character in love with a musician because I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I understand the artistic explorations in college and attempted pursuits in life. Also that 20-something kind of love which can be all encompassing, the author really gets that. I found Molly and Jake to both be believable characters. I was caught up in their romance and their emotional magnetic pull toward each other. Everything that happened to them felt realistic with Jake becoming famous and the tole that touring can take on a relationship.

Now on to the reason this isn't a thriller - it's pretty obvious for most of the book what is going on with Sabrina. There are no major surprises in this book, I think I had almost everything figured out and found myself saying, of course he/she did, when there was a reveal. But it was still good reading for me. While I didn't like Sabrina, I understood her character and sometimes it's fun to have someone to cheer against in a book. She's got an agenda and she isn't going to stop. I like a pathological character!

I like more than one narrator on a book with various characters and that's what made this easier to follow alternating timelines and character POVs. The narrators all did a great job of keeping me focused in on who was "talking" in each chapter.

A fast-paced read about crazy, can't-look-away connections and having to choose between your head and your heart sometimes. I enjoyed it and will be recommending this one.

Many thanks to #Netgalley and #MacmillanAudio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I was really drawn into these characters and felt that the story had surprising depth.
One of the narrators was pretty terrible. She really shouldn't be reading books at all. I hung in there for the other reader and the compelling plot.
Great book.

2.5 stars

After enjoying Lovering's _Too Good to Be True_, I was really anticipating this new one. This more recent experience left a lot to be desired, unfortunately.

Molly, the main character, is somehow both a writer and the world's least observant person...except for her ex-partner, Jake. Because these two are so ridiculous and then are surrounded by other outrageous characters, this situation somehow evolves. If there is a mystery component to this novel (more on this in a minute), it's here: how some of these characters can ask so few questions about the people in their lives and fail to pay attention to obviously disturbing 'coincidences.'

The story is told in the present and past by Molly, Jake, and Sabrina, the latter of whom is Jake's current wife and Molly's current "friend." In the past, Molly and Jake were together. Their relationship IS NOT GOOD. Think of one of those yikes relationships from your 20s. This is that for them. Unlike healthy folks who recognize those "learning experiences" for what they were, there is still - in many ways inexplicably - an incredible draw between them when they bizarrely reconnect six years later. MOVE ON. Sabrina is a whole other problem. She's been around for a really long time, but somehow there are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DETAILS that no one really bothers to figure out about her...for like a decade. I'm not going to say that folks deserve bad things to happen to them. Sometimes, though, the characters are so clueless (despite some practical signs that suggest they shouldn't be) that it's hard to find sympathy when their situations fall apart.

This is getting tagged as mystery/thriller, and the cover image reinforces this vibe, but for me, this is a not stellar example of the worst of women's fiction: romanticizing of bad former relationships, obsession/possession on the part of a jealous woman, conniving women, and way more that I won't spoil. There's a highlight reel of bad behavior and unhealthy ideas, and strangely, there's little mystery or thrill because unlike the characters, the readers can figure out what's what almost immediately.

While this is not the follow-up novel I anticipated from this author, I'm going to take a page out of some of these characters' books and sort of eternal sunshine this one from my brain in hopes that the next one is a little more like this one's predecessor. Oof. It hurts to write, but this was a challenge.