A cleverly crafted story which takes place over a thirty year period. The writing flows ever so smoothly and the characterizations are richly drawn. I loved this book. Its twists and turns keep you going. I’m very impressed with this author and will definitely look forward to more from her.

Thanks Net Galley for the chance to read and review.

Too Good To Be True is the story of Skye Starling, who has always been unlucky in love due to the OCD that she has suffered since adolescence. Skye's luck seems to change when she meets Burke Michaels, a man several years her senior, and they begin a whirlwind romance.

From the beginning, we know that Burke has ulterior motives for his relationship with Skye. The mystery is what are the reasons for his deception and how does his current wife, Heather, fit into his plan?

This was a quick read with several twists. Unfortunately, I was able to predict almost all of them so none were particularly shocking to me. Despite this, I was still very engaged throughout as I was curious to find out how everything played out in the end.

Definitely add this to your TBR list if you enjoy fast-paced psychological thrillers with deception and revenge themes.

“Too Good to Be True” was a shocker in the best way possible by new (to me) author, Carola Lovering.

Skye, to steal a cliché, has it all. She is beautiful, young, wealthy, and smart. But she cannot find love, mostly because she struggles with OCD,

Then Burke enters Skye’s life. Burke is older and more mature than the majority of men Skye has met. More important, he is willing to love Syke, OCD and all. But when he proposes marriage, is Skye destined to live with him happily ever after?

Of course, not. Because Burke is not necessarily who he seems to be. (Insert dramatic music).

The author writes at an engaging pace, which makes the book difficult to put down. Because the story is told in multiple points of view, you do not know whom to trust (or if you can trust anyone). For the most part, the author manages to evade predictability, yet when a surprising twist does happen, there is enough believability that makes you wish you had seen in coming. The resolution didn’t give me quite the satisfaction I had hoped, but I certainly did not regret the journey getting there.

Three and a half stars.

Thanks to Net Galley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this novel.

Compulsively readable, my whole day was shot once I started this. Soooo worth it.

I was instantly pulled into this story of deceit, betrayal and lies. But who is doing the lying and why? I absolutely had to find out and it was spectacular.

Do yourself two HUGE favors:

1. Read as little as possible about this book before diving into it.

2. Read it the minute it comes out.

Thank you to Carola Lovering, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the book
4 stars



Skye Starling is overjoyed when her boyfriend, Burke Michaels, proposes after a whirlwind courtship. Though Skye seems to have the world at her fingertips—she's smart, beautiful, and from a well-off family—she's also battled crippling OCD ever since her mother's death when she was eleven, and her romantic relationships have suffered as a result.

But now Burke—handsome, older, and more emotionally mature than any man she's met before—says he wants her. Forever. Except, Burke isn't who he claims to be. And interspersed letters to his therapist reveal the truth: he's happily married, and using Skye for his own, deceptive ends.

In a third perspective, set thirty years earlier, a scrappy seventeen-year-old named Heather is determined to end things with Burke, a local bad boy. Inspired by the sophisticated mother of her babysitting charges, Heather vows to leave her impoverished hometown behind and make a better life for herself in New York City. But can her adolescent love stay firmly in her past—or will he find his way into her future?

This is an extremely well-plotted novel. Told from multiple points of view at different times in the characters’ lives, this story pulls you in and keeps you turning pages.

The characters were all flawed, but their motivations were understandable, if often underhanded and wildly unethical. So even though this is a captivating tale, it’s not exactly fun or a light read, so you just have to be in the right mood for this.

I’m not going to tell you anything about the plot—the book jacket copy I read on Goodreads gives away far too much in my opinion.

Thanks to Goodreads for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES MARCH 2, 2021.

I honestly could not put this book down for the first half! Such a great story told in 3 different perspectives. I felt like with the writing I could envision the characters. Skye seems to have everything going for her on the outside but is incredibly insecure about herself. Burke is a good man who lost his way. Heather has had her eye focused on wealth from the beginning. Like I said the first half really had me and then after the big reveal it was less interesting for me. I did not like how it ended. Overall this was a great captivating read and would recommend for someone looking for a different type of book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, it was amazing.,
It was written from the perspective of three different characters, Surprisingly not confusing. Characters were extremely well introduced and described
The story revolves around Burke and Heather and Skye. We learn about Heather's past during the first part of the novel, and then things turn as we learn about Burke and Skie's relationship. Then we learn that there is a connection between all three... The story is well-written, I wanted to keep reading... there was suspense, drama, excitement, tension
I did not want this story to end, or at the very least have a sequel
The relationship between the characters is unknown near the beginning but we become aware as the story unfolds. and as we read their journals. Slowly it all starts to make sense and the pieces start to come together, and then things take an unexpected turn, the story line does a complete, our brains are processing what really happened.
Well done, well written, I want another book like this

Fantastic psychological suspense thriller! I just glossed over the description before I decided to read it but it had enough elements (secrets, lies, obsession, family tragedy) to intrigue me. It was easily one of the best books I've read this year in this genre. I don't want to give anything away because a book like this is better when you go in blind, but you will be surprised. Expect the unexpected and enjoy.

I read this book in two days and was thoroughly engrossed. I am a fan of revenge books in this took you in a new direction, no blood and gore just good time revenge

I was given an ARC of this book for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for allowing me to do this.
I really enjoyed this book & was drawn into the characters from the start. Wow there were a lot of twists & turns in the story with a well thought out plot. So many emotions you feel on this journey for all those involved. You get a look into people that are very wealthy & those that are poor & fall into drugs & prison. You see a couple struggling to make it with their 3 kids but a wife that has her own agenda to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. You feel for the woman who struggles with OCD ever since her Mom passed away from cancer & it is a crippling disease that she has gone to therapy for from a young age through her adult life. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I will have to just say I highly recommend this book.

I really liked "Too good to be True" and had a hard time putting it down. Told from past and present viewpoints of Skye, Burke and Heather, we get to follow the tangled, twisty relationships and become emotionally invested in the characters. It seems like there is a new twists each chapter, and the story keeps you guessing until the end.
The end was not what I was expecting and was slightly disappointing, but overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

This was beyond creepy and too good to be true. The story goes between Skye's POV, which is the present and Burke's (journal entries and the past). Skye and Burke seem like the perfect couple, and he seems like the perfect guy until the reader gets to his journal entries. He is quite the messed up and lost soul! I thought this was going to be predictable but it was not and I have already read a similar-ish kind of story, The Perfect Husband, earlier in the year. Some parts were similar but this story differs because of the creepiness and cruelty level.

A must read and I finished this quickly when I got a few more chapters in. Highly recommended as a thriller. And believable.

Thanks to Netgalley, Carola Lovering and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 3/2/21

The Twist Got Me Good!

3.5 stars

Too Good to Be True is a psychological thriller about revenge, deception, and one very smart sociopath.

I am not going to write a summary, because I don’t want to give anything anyway.

Narrated by three characters, I never knew where this was going.

Too Good to Be True is a page-turner. It is fast-paced and has some very surprising twists and turns. There is one huge twist that I thought about potentially being an option early on, but I thought no, that’s just crazy-- but crazy it is! Even though I had thought about this possible twist, I was still taken aback and surprised when it was revealed. I got tricked, my friends!

The plot borrows a few notes from soap operas, including some cheesy names, i.e. Burke Michaels and Skye Starling, but I enjoy soaps!

At a certain point, after all of the revelations, the tone shifts and it becomes a bit of a different book that had my eyes rolling. I wanted a darker, more sinister ending versus a sappy one. This could have been accomplished in the epilogue, but even the darkest character turns a little soft at the end. Apparently, I prefer my thrillers to be dark and evil.

Despite my gripes, this book is SO MUCH FUN to read. I will be reading more by Carola Lovering in the future.

Thanks to all my GR friends for putting this book on my radar.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

An addictive, edge-of-your-seat thriller that you will find yourself HOOKED on the storyline! I loved the twisty, shock-filled chapters as the story unfolds. I enjoyed reding this story and following along the tangled lives of Skye, Burke and Heather, and it was interesting to read the story from alternate point of views as well as alternate timelines, both past and present. I love a good dark and twisted love story and this book did NOT disappoint!

This book has characters that you will find yourself experiencing many different emotions, often at the same time as well - loving, hating, despising, and others you will feel sorry for. At least that's how I felt when following along the point of views from the characters as their own individual story was told.

A fantastic read that you need to keep your eye out for when it is released, you definitely don't want to miss this book!

This is a tale of cultural sensitivities, hypocrisies, and identities, entwined with social norms, expectations, and taboos, sanctioned by wealth and privilege..
This is the story of wealthy boys living a life of privilege and entitlement against the backdrop of cultural restrictions, and religious contradictions and how this affects how they cope with personal trauma.
The author writes with obvious expertise on the subject matter, and takes us on a realistic and emotional journey into the unspeakable world of tragedy and violence...Read it

Whew. WHAT A BOOK! I loved it. And you will too. Too Good To Be True by Carola Lovering was an amazing thriller/suspense.

Skye Starling is overjoyed when her boyfriend, Burke Michaels, proposes after a whirlwind courtship. Though Skye seems to have the world at her fingertips—she’s smart, beautiful, and from a well-off family—she’s also battled crippling OCD ever since her mother’s death when she was eleven, and her romantic relationships have suffered as a result.

But now Burke—handsome, older, and more emotionally mature than any man she’s met before—says he wants her. Forever. Except, Burke isn’t who he claims to be. And interspersed letters to his therapist reveal the truth: he’s happily married, and using Skye for his own, deceptive ends.

In a third perspective, set thirty years earlier, a scrappy seventeen-year-old named Heather is determined to end things with Burke, a local bad boy. Inspired by the sophisticated mother of her babysitting charges, Heather vows to leave her impoverished hometown behind and make a better life for herself in New York City. But can her adolescent love stay firmly in her past—or will he find his way into her future?

On a collision course she doesn’t see coming, Skye throws herself into wedding planning, as Burke’s scheme grows ever more twisted. Meanwhile, three decades in the past, Heather’s longed-for transformation finally seems within reach. But of course, even the best laid plans can go astray. And just when you think you know where this story is going, you’ll discover that there’s more than one way to spin the truth.

The bad news is that this won’t be out until 2021. The good news is that you can pre-order right now!

Skye Starling hasn't had the best luck with relationships. Her OCD and rituals associated with her OCD keep her from opening up and sometimes actually scare men off. When she meets Burke Michaels, her luck with men seems to have changed. Burke is older, but he's more mature, attentive, and isn't bothered in the least by her OCD. What Skye doesn't know is that Burke's intentions are not true. His diary entries show a different story. He's actually a married man with three children and has a plan to bilk Skye out of money after he marries her.

The book alternates from past to present in the views of Skye, Burke, and Heather (Burke's wife). Not all is what is seems!

I enjoyed this book, but I was a bit disappointed with the ending. Without giving details away, some of it wasn't satisfying to the reader and some of it didn't seem completely realistic. I did like the story and the twists that came out. I would be interested in checking out more from this author.

I loved this book. I love this author. I look forward to her next novel.. I was so excited to get to read an adcanced copy. Thank you so much!!!!

Story has 3 POV ~ Skye, Bryce, and Heather.
Skye Starling is 29 and seems to have everything; she is beautiful, smart, from a wealthy family but has not been in a serious relationship. She suffers from OCD which she describes as having just the compulsive part and not the obsessive. Her mother died when she was young and they had this thing about counting to eight. So Skye counts one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-eight-seven-six-five-four-thre—two-one every time she leaves a room.
While on vacation she meets a very handsome older guy Burke and they hit it off.
Burke Michaels is 47, unemployed, broke, married, and has college age children but since he lost his job is feeling worthless. He sets out to have a fling. (Hmm it is me but sure is hard to feel sorry for this sleazy guy. He knows that Skye has money and decides marring her is the answer to his and his wife’s financial problems.
Heather – Her story takes place 30 years earlier when she and Burke were high school darlings. Both good looking and in with the “fast crowd” Burke more so than Heather as she does have the responsibility of taking care of her little brother ~ mom died from drug use and Dad is following down that path. Heather needs financial help and gets a job as a babysitting wealthy Libby Fontaine’s two young children. Libby cares about Heather and pays her a very nice salary; this seems ~ too good to be true.
However, a tragedy happens and Burke does come to Heather’s rescue.

Oops! I am telling you too much, it gets better ~ if you like psychological thrillers with twists you just don’t see coming ~ you need to read THIS!!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes only. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 2, 2021