4.5🌟

Thank you @booksparks and @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy and @netgalley for the ALC!

I was so excited to get a copy of @carolatlovering’s newest release after enjoying Too Good to Be True last year!

This is a slow-burn drama filled with twisted love, obsession, lies, manipulation, and unhinged behavior that will go to extreme lengths to get what they want.

Although this is classified as a thriller, don’t go in expecting that because it was so much more than that in my opinion! There was so much interesting development of the characters and the alternating POV and timelines built so much suspense to the story!

The core of the story is a love story, and I was so invested in the outcome of the main characters.

This is such a bingeable book, and the perfect summer read!

TW: miscarriage/infertility

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Carola Lovering, and Netgalley for this audio in exchange for an honest review. This book grabbed me right away. The narration was perfect. The plot was so good! 🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating from me!

This is a gripping audiobook! It asks the question- Do you ever get over your first love? It’s 2013 and Molly Diamond dreams of becoming a writer. One night at a concert she locks eyes with Jake Danner, the lead singer of Danner Lane and sparks fly. A tumultuous relationship ensues that rocks both of them to their core.
Nearly a decade later, Molly has given up writing and is living in small town, USA with her young daughter and her husband Hunter—when they meet Jake Danner and his new wife.
Old secrets and new feelings make them question everything they have built their lives on. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 31%.

I was expecting this book to be much more of a thriller than it actually is. One of my friends read it and confirmed that it was more like a soap opera than a thriller, and knowing that information, I had no interest in continuing after 31%.

I liked the narrators and that different people narrated different characters.

Unfortunately, this just did not grip me and I felt like I had to force myself to listen to it.

I think this is a book that people who like deep character studies or domestic drama will enjoy, but not someone looking for a thriller.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't really like this book. Don't get me wrong, it was engaging enough to listen to all the way through, but I just didn't care what happened. There were no thrills. Nothing had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next. There were no wild twists (I saw them all coming a mile away) and it felt flat and predictible. I didn't like Molly at all and I couldn't relate to her. She just seemed like a spoiled brat and I felt no empathy in her situation at all. I found that I wanted things to go wrong for her, just so she'd stop whining.

The characters were all awful, with the exception of Hunter. He was the only redeemable character in the bunch. Sabrina didn't even feel realistic to me. The situations that occur during the book are not really realistic either. It was just not what I was expecting. This was more of a drama than a thriller or mystery. I wasn't a fan. There will be people who like this book, but I wasn't one of them. The audio was good, however. I think that was what got me through the entire thing.

2.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. It was surprisingly well done! The characters all had a great depth to them! The narrator was spot on for this book!!

Obsession is the name of the game for Carola Lovering's newest book, Can't Look Away. Desperately in love with Jake Danner, a singer in a band, the two have an intense relationship. At some point in their relationship, they have a bad breakup, but Jake's love for Molly was so powerful that he wrote a song about her and that song has never stopped being played everywhere. But, the pair end things for good and don't see one another for nearly ten years.

In fact, Molly is now marries to Hunter and Jake is partnered with Sabrina. Molly and Sabrina become fast friends. Before I continue, I will mention that this book deals with the sensitive issue infertility. For Molly, she and Hunter have a beautiful little girl, and are struggling to get pregnant again. For Sabrina, she is longing to get pregnant with Jake's child. Perhaps it is this shared grief that bond both women together.

Now, this book is about obsession. Who is the one dealing with it? Is it Molly, who not only ended things with Jake, but has married and has a daughter. Or is it, Sabrina, and if she the one obsessed, then who is the object of said obsession? What a conundrum. In fact, page after page in this thrilling book by Carola Lovering, there are multiple layers explored when it comes to the unhealthy subject. So, someone Can't Look Away, and who would that be?

This brilliant book is written from three perspectives, and this brings about the past and present and how the relationships were formed. In dramatic fashion, secrets and lies abound, presenting the reader with a thoroughly intense story. As I listened to the audiobook, with three narrators, each taking on the role of Molly, Sabrina and Jake, this made the book truly impossible to put down.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy the following YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/N_Xtsv9urcU

The audio version of this book was amazing with multiple narrators to differentiate the characters. The story has a dual timeline and gives you the multiple points of view of the main characters Molly, Jake and Sabrina (Cece). There is a definite intensity to the story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It's both a love story and a thriller that you won't want to put down.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Loved this - great with all the narrotors. A sinister women's fiction story that I couldn't get through fast enough. Will totally recommend. 4.5 stars

This book keeps you on the edge. It grips you from the beginning and won’t let go. Molly- Jake- Cece( Sabrina) and the eternal triangle but with a twist.

3.5 Stars
2013: Molly Diamond meet Jake Danner, the lead singer of an up and coming band. They quickly fall for each other, fast and hard. Their whirlwind romance is thrown for a loop when Jake’s band skyrockets up the charts with their debut single “Molly’s Song.”

SiSi is dreaming of building a life with Jake, however she is facing a slight problem in her plan, Molly. Will she accept the defeat or will she try and scheme a way into Jake’s heart?

2022: Molly is married to a man named Hunter and they have a 5 year old daughter, Stella. Molly is struggling to make friends after moving to a Connecticut suburb, until she meets Sabrina. Molly knows immediately that Sabrina and her will be best friends, they just have too much in common to not….maybe even more in common than Molly knows.

My main issue with this book is that it was marketed as a mystery/thriller. You miiiight be able to stretch this as a suspense novel sliiightly, but it is a domestic drama to the core. I was disappointed that this wasn’t a mystery/thriller and I’m sure I’m not the only one who was.

Regardless, this was a very quick and easy read. This is not something that’s going to keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next. There were really no twists, the “twists” that were intended, were rather predictable. However, if you’re looking for something super quick and easy to read and chalk full of drama, this is the book for you.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to it via NetGalley and thoroughly enjoyed the character development and plot. The back-and-forth through time and the multiple points of view kept me engaged and made my dog-walking fly by.

Can't Look Away
By Carola Lovering
Pub date: June 14, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! I listened to the audio version and it kept me engaged. I enjoyed how the story was written and flipped between the point of view of the good girl and the villian😉.
This book has drama, some thrill, a little romance and mystery, which makes for a great story. I will say though, this is not a highly suspenseful type of blow your mind thriller some might be expecting, but it still worked well for me.
I enjoyed the writing and most of the story, the thing that held it back just a little for me was the ending, which seems to be common for me lately. I saw the closest thing to a plot twist coming very early on, hoping that I was wrong and it would take a less obvious turn. Regardless, I still enjoyed the book!

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced audio book in exchange for this honest review!

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll start by saying that the three narrators of this audiobook were fantastic and really helped keep my attention and focus on this story. The book was well written and I enjoyed the plot a lot. I’m a sucker for a swoony musician male lead and that’s exactly what I got with Jake! The ending took me a bit by surprise but I enjoyed how everything wasn’t completely wrapped up in a neat package with a bow. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes love stories with some added drama, stalking, and jealousy.

I was able to listen to the audiobook version of this novel and I couldn’t stop listening. Any time I could listen to more I would. This story was captivating from the get go and left you constantly anticipating what came next.

Why do we always root for the bad guy?

Molly and Jake love hard and fast! Although with Jake being the lead singer in an up-and-coming band, he does everything a bit fast. Molly is more traditional; she aspires to be a writer and she's fallen hard for Jake.

I enjoyed this book so much! It's part suspense part romance with a dash of drama.

The three narrators were great. I always love when there is more than one. It plays so well in my head.

I initially started reading the physical copy and found it hard to get into, so I switched to the audiobook. SO happy I made the switch because I could NOT stop listening to this one! Lovering had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see where the story was going. I loved the multiple POV and flashbacks.

Unfortunately, my biggest issue with the book was the ending. It was anticlimactic and a bit frustrating :(

My rating is somewhere between a 3.5-4 because of the ending, so rounding up.

(shelving this one as a mystery/thriller, but it's definitely romantic suspense)

4 stars~

The narration: I enjoyed the style and interesting tone of the narration, as well as the aspect of having multiple narrators for different roles.

The book overall: I enjoyed it, it [mostly] kept my interest. I can't say it was one of my top favorite thrillers, as it was oftentimes repetitive. This is one of those books where you get upset FOR the characters, but also AT them. I found the beginning to be a bit tedious in that way, but once I gave it the chance and saw through till the end, I was pleased with the twists and turns of the plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audiobook copy for review :)

CAN’T LOOK away was a highly entertaining genre-mash up by Carola Lovering. Part-domestic suspense, part-romance, the story follows star-crossed young lovers Molly and Diamond and Jake Danner. Years later, Molly is living life in suburbia with her husband Hunter, a life far from the one she had envisioned.

I enjoyed watching secrets from Molly’s past emerge and I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the love that Molly and Jake shared. While this isn’t a typical domestic suspense book, there were many questions swirling in my brain about what had happened in the past. I appreciate that the author took the story in a different direction than I was initially expecting. This was my first book by Lovering and I’m excited to pick up her backlist books!

The audiobook was narrated by three distinct narrators, Caitlin Davies, Zachary Webber, and one of my favorites, Karissa Vacker. Each narrator brought the story to life in a new way and certainly enhanced my reading experience. Be sure to give CAN’T LOOK AWAY a listen while you’re out on a summer walk or soaking up the sun by the pool.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

*Maybe happiness is what you surrender to, not what you fight for."

Sometimes love shouldn't be so hard, maybe it shouldn't hurt so much, is one of the many themes to be found in the suspenseful romance drama Can't Look Away by, becoming an auto buy author for me, Carola Lovering.

This story begins in 2013 with Molly locking eyes with sexy lead singer Jake at a club and realizing her life will never be the same.

By chapter two it's 2022 and Molly is married to Hunter with an almost 6 year old daughter living in the suburbs. How did she get here? Where's Jake? Who's Hunter?

As the story goes back and forth in time and we see Molly and Jake's love unfold we see the pressures of rising stardom, self doubt, and why being in love isn't always for the young.

But do you even have a chance when outside forces, like a stalking ex girlfriend, schemes to take advantage of your insecurities?

Told from Molly and Jake's POVs, narrators Karissa Vacker and Zackary Webber give real performances of being in love, of scarifies and of selfishness. The joy, the anger and the sadness that love can bring is written and performed with raw honesty.

There is one more POV, that of the ex girlfriend, who is a bit crazy, and performed by, ecstatically chewing up the scenery, narrator Caitlin Davies. I can't say much about this character, including her name, because she uses a few names and one of them has a reveal that, though not startling, was definitely unsettling for me. I do wish she had more of a comeuppance but I can be petty about stalkers. But I am not petty about true love and with this bittersweet dramatic romance I Can't Look Away.

I received a free copy of this book & audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.