4.5 stars****

Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering is a suspenseful, twisted love story; it is a must read! I've got to admit I've read way too many thrillers/suspense novels on couples and revenge, etc, and the plots tend to become the same thing over and over again.

The story centers around Skye Starling, a beautiful, rich girl who has OCD, and her new boyfriend, Burke Michaels. Burke is married to Heather but in desperation of money to support his family, he gets involved with Skye and plots to scam her money.

The story alternates between different narratives of Skye, Burke, and Heather. Some perspectives are also told from a diary POV, and switches from past and present narratives. There's a lot going on in the plot of this book, so you need to really focus, but the author's use of the different perspectives really gets the flow of the story moving.

Early on in the story, I figured there would be a huge plot twist -- and it was not hard to figure out what it would be. What I wasn't expecting was to be hit with several other plot twists I wasn't expecting. It's been a while since I read a suspense novel that really intrigued me and caught me off guard. Applause to author Carola Lovering! Love this book! Must read.

There is a fine line between love and trust and although there is no doubt that Skye loves Burke, I was left to.wonder if she could ever fully trust him given his willingness to participate in the Big Plan and his prior criminal history. He and Heather together thrived in darkness and capitalized on Skye crippling OCD. It begs the question; whom.was worse? Heather certainly seemed more of the mastermind given her deviance and multiple ways in which she participated but Burke did commit to seeing it through marraige. A real plot twister.

This book was pretty fun. I definitely loved the three character perspective & it had some good twist and turns throughout. I thought Skye was a great character and it was nice to see the plot play out.

I enjoyed this book! It had some unexpected moments and I couldn't predict how it would end. I would recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book, and stayed up halfway through the night to finish it. The story is told from the POVs of Skye, her partner Burke, and Burke's wife Heather, varying between real-time and 30 years ago, and some from journal entries. This is not hard to follow at all, though I did figure out the connection between the storylines in the different timeframes almost immediately.

This was a twisty read- the first bit twist comes about halfway through the book and totally caught me off guard. There were a couple others that I saw coming but it all made for a very engaging read. It was fascinating to see what greed and revenge can make a person do and I found the characters to be totally believable, though not all likable.

The ending was really satisfying, though perhaps a bit unrealistic (maybe not, though- depends on how much you believe in redemption. You be the judge).

I would absolutely recommend this twisty and engaging book to readers of the mystery and domestic suspense genres. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the author of Tell Me Lies, comes a new and twisty story of lies, revenge, and love.

Three points of view here, Heather, Burke, and Skye. Three people who could not be more different and yet are joined by a bond that only two of them know about.

Heather had a hard life and blames Skye’s mother for that and the death of her little brother years ago. But Heather can hold a grudge! Even her husband, Burke, isn’t sure about her. But she has a plan and for better or worse she drags Burke in.

Skye is trying to live her life on her own terms. With unlimited funds, you would think that would be a piece of cake. It is not. And when she meets Burke, well sparks fly.

But is any of it real? And how far is Heather willing to go in order to exact revenge on a dead woman?

Twisty and full of flawed characters just trying to get by in life. The ending was very satisfying.

NetGalley/ March 2nd, 2021 by St. Martin’s Press

FABULOUS BOOK!!!! Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!! This was a great domestic thriller that kept me reading (instead of playing with my grandchildren!!). I didn’t figure out very much ahead of time, and I was guessing through most of the book. The author did a great job of tying everything together, and the epilogue finished some loose ends. I highly recommend this one!

Carola Lovering goes from unrequited love in Tell Me Lies to obsessive (although not romantic) attachment in Too Good To Be True. The plot unfolds in layers-culminating in a stunning "what would you do?" moment that is the heart of the story. It would be easy to define the characters in Too Good To Be True as either "totally bad" or "completely good," but that would be foolish. Even the most benevolent among them has an entirely human reaction to an unimaginable dilemma, while the worst (legally and morally) shows the most compassion and forgiveness. What Too Good To Be True does best is show how even the most flawed among us has the potential to do great things and become a better person. Make no mistake, the novel does have flaws-it takes a real stretch of the imagination to believe Burke gets as far as he does with his "get rich quick" scheme. In an era when you can find anything you want about a person with a few clicks of a button, it seems unlikely Skye's father would not have taken the time to do at least a cursory background check on the man who wants to marry his daughter. But Miss Lovering makes up for this by not wrapping up the story in a tidy bow and giving everyone a "happily ever after." Too Good To Be True is a perfect story about imperfect people finding their way in the world. It's a "lovely" gem of a novel.

I really enjoyed this book! It's told from the different points of view of the three main characters, with some of the events taking place in the distant past. Although I was slightly confused at the beginning--a hazard of sometimes reading in short spurts--the narratives were all interesting and soon enough the three threads came together beautifully with lots of amazing twists. It was so skillfully done, with everything tying together perfectly in the end. Highly recommended! Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC of this book.

Wow! What a great book! To Good To Be True by Carola Lovering, will keep you turning the pages. I found all the characters in this book to be fully developed and especially loved Skye. While she experienced tragedy at a young age, the resulting condition from that trauma, unfortunately affected many areas in her life. Burke was the knight in tarnished armor, and had his own interesting life story. The most complex character was Heather, who, in many ways, captures one’s sympathy. The story takes you along and then you are suddenly slammed with a turn in the road. This book, written by a very skilled author, has characters so fully developed you really get to know each and every one of them. I love a good suspense and this story delivered exactly that. If you want to dive into a book that captivates you, keeps you turning the pages AND then find out that things are just not what you thought they were—then you will love this book. (I was given this book from NetGalley for my honest opinion, but I can honestly say that I would have gladly paid to read this book—it really is that good!)

Wildly imaginative! Wonderful characters. Interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. Simply a GREAT read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

This was a good read.

The main characters developed well, with plenty of twist and turns,

Who to believe, who to trust?

Skye Starling knows that money cannot buy happiness. If it could, she would be able to find true love. However, her illness prevents her from truly being herself around another person allowing them to see her debilitating OCD. Everything changes when she meets Burke Michaels. They are so perfect together, and he accepts her, even cherishes her, the way she is! This is a dream come true... or is it? Just after their wonderful Italian honeymoon, she discovers that this man might actually be “too good to be true”.

This is truly a book that you cannot put down. Narrated by the three main characters, the plot unfolds enticingly slowly, taking twists and turns that are totally unexpected! Full of surprises with each chapter, these realistic characters take the reader through a winding maze up until the very end. This has to be read to be appreciated! All I can say is, “Wow! What a ride!”

Good twists, interesting characters, interesting plot. A bit difficult to follow in the beginning until you get the characters straight. Ending a little too sappy for my taste.

Skye, Burke, and Heather are all involved with each other, although one of them doesn't know it. Skye seems to have it all-- except for a boyfriend. Is it surprising that she jumps in with both feet shortly after meeting Burke? Heather usually works quite hard, but she has a difficult life and wants more. Burke: who exactly is he? At times he seems like a great guy. Other times he seems like a total creep.

It's a recipe for someone getting hurt, and badly.

Too Good To Be True is an excellent mystery with loads of twists and turns. The characters are well-developed and the story is extremely evocative. The book was hard to put down because I kept asking myself what will happen next and how can this possibly resolve.

Carola Lovering, also the author of Tell Me Lies, was new to me. I enjoyed Too Good To Be True very much and would recommend it.

Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering is a great book, but one that took a while to get into. I loved the different perspectives and the back and forth in time narrative. Of course, there is always more than meets the eye in most situations, and this book truly exemplifies that. Well written, interesting, and flawed characters, and nicely wrapped up at the end. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

5 Stars!

Brilliant! A must-read! Carola Lovering's Too Good To Be True is a highly original revenge thriller that's fast paced and beautifully written, with plot twists I never saw coming. The antagonists are diabolical, and the protagonist (with the terrific name Skye Starling), is someone I rooted for to the last page. I couldn't put this book down.

Don't miss this one! Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review.

Brilliant debut novel about jumping into a relationship “too soon” based on nothing but emotions lacking a factual examination of your love interest. While most of us have heard of men, and women, seducing others with ostensible perfection in order to leave them destitute, this writer posits a married couple deliberately and cruelly doing the same in a conspiracy. Carefully written from 3 points of view, plus the point of view of a duplicate created character[s], the story is both cautionary tale and romance, with much painful history mixed in. It lingers in the mind, making one question just how well we know the people in our lives and whether those people can be trusted not to harm us. Definitely a good read. #toogoodtobetrue #NetGalley

Wow is this one twisty read! Skye and Burke have a whirlwind courtship and are happily in love, but things are not as they seem. There are many secrets and many twists revealed in this book, and I truly was not sure what would happen next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it! Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

My first book by Carola Lovering did not disappoint. The multiple personalities and timelines keep things interesting without being confusing (which I often find happens with novels of this structure). The characters are complex and interesting and you're constantly deciding who you believe, who you feel sorry for, and who is going to reveal something next.