I still think Lovering can do no wrong. She’s so good at creating different voices for her characters. While an ultimately predictable story it was such a good story and shocking at moments

Carola Lovering is a new favorite author of mine. I first read her toxic relationship "primer" Tell Me Lies a few years ago, and just last month devoured her next novel Too Good to be True. After loving her first two books, I had high expectations for her latest release, Can't Look Away, a novel spanning a decade in the lives of three characters who are inextricably linked due to their pasts. This book turned out to be quite enjoyable, albeit a bit predictable and contrived, and will appeal to fans of domestic dramas.

Can't Look Away follows the start and end of Molly and Jake's relationship. Jake is the frontman of an up and coming band - Danner Lane - and Molly is the girl he falls in love with, his "muse." When the two eventually have a falling out in their early 20s, they go their separate ways, not knowing that their paths will cross again ten years down the line thanks to an unassuming third party - Sabrina. Just what is Sabrina's connection to Molly and Jake's past and what secrets is she hiding?

As are all of Lovering's books, Can't Look Away is well-written, absorbing, and oh so toxic. Lovering knows how to craft a good story and keeps her readers turning the pages. Admittedly, however, Can't Look Away is her weakest novel, as it is lacking that extra something special that her first two books possessed. Not to say that this story is bad, just that it is one you might have heard before if you read a lot of domestic dramas/thrillers. This story isn't wholly unique or original, thus making it likely to be forgotten once you have spent enough time away from its pages.

I listened to an audiobook production of this novel, which admittedly I did struggle with a bit! This is surprising to me since I typically don't take much issue with audiobooks, but in this case, Molly's narrator's voice was too pleasant and Sabrina's wasn't pleasant enough. Molly's narrator needed more punch to emphasis the story, whereas Sabrina's overaccentuated everything making her sound truly villainous. I wish that they could have traded off styles just a little bit to give each other a more balanced approach.

This was an interesting domestic suspense novel with a love story at its heart. Molly is a 30-something wife and mother who (mostly) loves her life. She loves her husband. She loves her daughter. The wealthy, snobby Connecticut town they live in, not so much. She doesn't quite fit in - and this isn't the life she thought she'd be living when she was a young 20-something who dreamed of being a writer and was in a passionate relationship with the front man of a popular band. They were deeply in love, but they both had baggage and their relationship ultimately failed. Then suddenly, years later, he's back in her life. And Molly has a stalker, but doesn't realize it.
Told from three points of view, this book also flips back and forth in time. The audiobook has three narrators, which helps the listener keep track of who's viewpoint is the current one, and Lovering makes it pretty easy to keep up with where we are in time. Sometimes I think maybe I'm getting a bit old to be able to relate to some of the issues that come up in books about 20- and 30-year-olds (some priorities are hard to understand) - but the love of a couple, love of children and family, and the importance of friends is something that always resonates, and that's all here.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

I did not connect with the audiobook version of this story. I think I need to take a stab at it in physical form. I restarted it several times and each time the narrator just lost me.

This is being marketed as a mystery/thriller, and It’s more a domestic drama with maybe the slightest hint of suspense.
That being said, I still enjoyed this for the most part .There are no twists and nothing surprised me and yet I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
Overall, it’s a quick and entertaining DRAMA that doesn’t require too much brain power, but nevertheless hooks with its back and forth timeline and interesting characters.

Molly is lonely...until Sabrina moves into town. The two women seem to have so much in common and Molly has finally found a true friend. At least she believes she has...

Can't Look Away is a solid story with hints of suspense, although a little soap opera-ish. I am looking forward to reading more from Carola Lovering.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for allowing me an advanced audio copy of this book for my review.

Okay y’all. This year I’ve been finding so many books marketed as a thriller but that label is misleading. This author also wrote Too Good To Be True which I read in May and thought 💭 this isn’t really a thriller 💭 same with Can’t Look Away! It’s more of a domestic or romantic suspense.

We’ve got Jake, Molly, and Sabrina and we try to figure out the relationship between the 3 of them in past and present timelines. I felt like all three characters were well developed. I was fully invested in the story and the outcome for all three of them. The “twists” weren’t really shocking, more like logical conclusions. But that being said knowing it was going to be more drama than thriller it didn’t lessen my enjoyment.

Overall, I would definitely recommend for those who liked Too Good To Be True, domestic dramas, love triangles, and romantic suspense. Just know it’s not giving THRILLER vibes 🙅🏻‍♀️

Also just want to say I love the moment when the title is used in the book!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was intense! like wow! the entire book i was just thinking "omfg, what? no!" lol would love to reread this, will recommend!

I liked this novel's exploration of how the power of our first love often haunts us, especially when life doesn't work out as we expect it to. But I felt the suspense-thriller elements in this story were weak, contrived, and not especially gripping.

At the start of the novel, our main character, Molly, is a young writer in an MFA program who goes out with friends to see a local band and locks eyes with the lead singer. This is a fantasy start to a relationship for many of us; in fact another book I read recently, The Idea of You, explores this same fantasy in a very different -- and much steamier -- way.

This book, though billing itself as "a sexy suspense novel," has few sexy moments in it. The story jumps back and forth in time, revealing Molly's and Jake's early struggles as a couple and Molly's efforts to get her first book published, then showing Molly a decade later, married to a nice guy who isn't Jake, with whom she is raising a daughter and struggling to IVF her way to having a second child, her writing dream apparently abandoned. When Jake comes back into her life, Molly's dilemma is relatable, especially because we don't know why she and Jake didn't stay together. The back and forth in time is designed to lead the reader backward and forward to the moment when Molly and Jake break up and when Molly meets her future husband.

In the present time, Jake's crazy ex-girlfriend is still obsessed with him, which, OK, that's believable, but the crazy ex's obsession with Molly, who isn't even still with Jake and hasn't been for many years, is mysterious as anything but a plot contrivance.

Netgalley and the publisher provided me with a free audiobook version of this novel , which has three narrators and is performed well, in exchange for my honest review

In 2013, Molly is a barrista, student, and aspiring writer in NYC. On one fateful night, she locks eyes with handsome singer, Jake Danner. From this night on, they are inseparable. Molly can't picture her life without him. But little does Molly know that before her, there was another woman in Jake's life who felt the exact same way. And she's not so keen on letting him go.

In 2022, Molly is living in Flynn Cove, Connecticut with her husband, Hunter and their daughter. She seems to have the perfect life, but she's struggling to fit in with the other women in town. When newcomer Sabrina moves to town, Molly feels an instant connection. But once Sabrina reveals more about her life, Molly begins to see that Sabrina has her own reasons to move to Flynn Cove and befriend Molly.

Told in alternating narration between Molly, Jake, and Sabrina, and weaving in the present day with the past, secrets get revealed and past choices get questioned and revisited. It begs the question, does one every really get over their first love?

I went into reading this expecting a thriller, and it seemed like it at the beginning. But it turned more into a romance and domestic story, and it was a slow burn. The ending didn't really have a shocking or surprising twist. I did enjoy the book and it was well-written, just not quite what I was expecting. I appreciate the opportunity to read this text and provide an honest review.

Molly is enjoying her life in Flynn Cove. She has a supportive husband, Hunter, and a daughter named Stella. She also works as a yoga teacher. She had dreams of becoming a writer, but that dream seemed to have fizzled out when her relationship with Jake Danner, member of the successful band Danner Lane, ended. A new friendship, however, threatens to bring Molly’s past to the present when she discovers her new friend, Sabrina, is married to Jake. Is this new friendship serendipitous, or are there other motives involved?

Can’t Look Away started with such promise–it had a mystery and suspense to it and I couldn’t wait to see how things would turn out–but it was ultimately anticlimactic to me. I was left wanting more at the end. I really liked the style. The reader gets to hear from multiple narrators, and events from both the present and the past are covered. I also liked how effectively the tidbits from both timelines worked together to tell the story.

The audiobook was a bit of a bust. The voices used by the narrators for the dialogue of others (the women voicing the men and the man voicing the women) I found to be rather unenjoyable, so much so that I read much more of Can’t Look Away than I listened to. I did like that a male narrator was used for Jake’s chapters, but that was about all.

Thank you to Macmillan audio for a copy of this audiobook. I enjoyed the narrator and would listen to more books by them.

Unfortunately this is not a book that is one that will stick with me past finishing the book. It was a good mystery, but I didn't find the thriller tag to be very accurate.
It is a great read if you want something to suck you in and keep you engaged but not one that will leave you with great quotes or great takeaways.

The characters were frustrating at times throughout the book. It did get nicely tied up and I enjoyed the ending of the book. The manipulation felt a bit like a soap opera on the pages and I was here for it while I was reading.

The author did mention Frozen an excessive amount. Its like the little girls whole personality was Frozen, but that was just a nitpicky point of mine.

Overall pick this up if you want some drama and are okay with it not being super fast paced but one you'll want to keep reading

3.5 stars rounded up.

This author is new to me, but I am slowly becoming a thriller junkie so once I read this book synopsis - I knew I was in. 

This book is told in 3 points of view - Molly, Jake, and Sabrina.  We hear them in the past and the present and this author kept me glued to my headphones (I listened to the audible) for hours on end. 

Molly and Jake have a moment when they lay eyes on each other for the first time and they "can't look away" from each other - they are all consumed with each other.  For many years, they were together - definitely not all happy years.  Jake, an up-and-coming rock star had found himself in a few compromising positions which caused Molly to not always trust him.  

Fast forward and their paths cross again.  Is it a coincidence or has someone purposely brought these two back together?

This book reminded me a bit of You by Caroline Kepnes, there is definitely some "stalking" and obsession going on.  There is plenty of romance to go along with the thriller and twists and turns.  I recommend this to any thriller fan!

My first book by this author and it was a hit for me! A psychological drama, with some romance and a little mystery mixed in. The character development was really good and the twists and turns were flawlessly executed! I enjoyed the audiobook, and it was easy to pick up with these characters lives and I found it to be suspenseful and well written! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

Call me crazy but I actually enjoyed this neighborhood drama.

Jake and Molly were an item once.

In 2013, Molly was a 23-year-old young woman aspiring to be a writer. She had good friends and is enjoying a night out with them when she meets Jake.

Jake Danner is the lead singer of a band that is getting recognized and he is hoping for his big break.

Molly and Jake's paths cross during one of his concerts and after locking eyes, they share a moment of connection. Afterward, Jake asks a friend of hers for her phone number. The rest is history or so it should be. Despite their great chemistry and love for each other, their relationship is not to be.

In 2022, Molly is married to Hunter and has a five-year-old daughter, Stella. Molly wants another child but she is dealing with infertility issues when she meets a young woman, Sabrina who seems to understand what Molly is going through. A blooming friendship ensues. One night, Molly and Hunter are invited over to have dinner. Unbeknown to Molly, Sabrina's husband is none other than Jake.

With so many unresolved issues, Molly and Jake seem to be pulled into one another's lives. Together they wondered what forces took them apart. Learning the truth might hurt more than they think.

I didn't particularly like Jake. He was selfish and had grey areas in regards to faithfulness. I did love Hunter all the way. Molly was nice and I understood her motivations. The same can't be said of Sabrina's.

Can't Look Away entertained me. The narrators Caitlin Davies, Karissa Vacker, and Zachary Webber did a good job becoming Molly, Jake, and Sabrina. Between the past and present chapters and the 3 POVs, they kept things straight for me.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this author's previous work, Too Good To Be True, so this one I went in with high hopes.

It was relatively easy to follow. I was happy about that because I didn't need anything crazy or difficult to listen to.

I enjoyed the first 50% and the narrators were doing a fantastic job! They killed it the whole way through. I loved the three different POV's.

My issue was in the ending. I kept waiting for this big reveal or twist and was like "okay... okay... OKAAYYYY..." and then nothing happened. I was like wait, that's it? That's the ending? Really?

So yeah, the expectation that there would be this huge jaw-dropping moment never happened. Not the worst thing but I wish it had more to it.

Will still give this author a chance in the future! Just wasn't my favorite.

This book was good but not great. I enjoyed it though. I just felt like it was too predictable and I wanted to be surprised

Man Cici is fucking devious and super fucked up! This was a really good book and I enjoyed it a lot. I can't imagine how hard and awkward coming face-to-face with a past lover that you never got over later in life. I really loved that the author didn't take the 'easy' way out and have Molly throw her wonderful life away for a long-lost love. Instead, the author showed that Molly had grown and matured and learned to process her past and her feelings, she did the hard work of staying and repairing her marriage. I will definitely be reading more of her books!

I listened to this one on audio and really really enjoyed it. I’m not sure i agree with the category of thriller, but it definitely has a domestic suspense feel. There are 4 main characters in this story in somewhat of a “love triangle”. It was extremely predictable but the narration kept me thoroughly entertained. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a good audio book!

I was thrilled to receive the audiobook CAN’T LOOK AWAY by Carola Lovering, author of Tell Me Lies (Soon to be a drama series on HULU) and Too Good to Be True.

Love this story and the way the author writes. It kept me interested and at times on the edge of my seat. The characters were well developed, some you love, some you hate, and plenty of twists and turns.

The narrators did a great job. Their voices are pleasant and easy to distinguish.

Do we ever get over our first love? This would make a good movie too!

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves psychological thrillers that involve writers, singers, deceptions, and manipulations.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the Advance Copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.