I received this ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an honest review. This is an outstanding mystery with many surprising twists and turns . The chapters alternate between the different main characters as they tell their stories thru diary entries, notes to a psychologist and narratives. The story follows, Skye, a young, very lonely lady with OCD as she looks for love , a steady relationship and a future spouse to spend the rest of her life with. . Other main characters are Burke Michaels, who grew up poor and addicted to drugs and Heather who also grew up poor and using drugs . At 16 , Heather starts a babysitting job for a very wealthy family and she then sees how the other half lives and decides that’s the life she wants. The book was very well written and kept me in suspense the entire time.

Written from different POV's, Too Good to Be True is a story about love, revenge, and deception. I really enjoyed reading this! The different perspectives definitely added some layers and depth to the different characters. Thank you NetGalley for this early copy!

Too Good to Be True by Carols Lovering had me hooked from the very start. I loved the way the story was written and portrayed through the diary and the plot twists and turns had me saying “Oh My God” out loud. I would highly recommend this book to those who love a good thriller or mystery. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This book hooked me from the very start! I flew through and really enjoyed the story. I stayed up way too late because I didn’t want to put it down. The characters were well developed and I really liked Skye and felt for her. The writing from multiple viewpoints all involved really added to the story and the suspense, trying to figure out who was telling the truth. The ending left a little bit to be desired for me. I felt like it happened pretty quickly. But overall I would definitely recommend this book and read more from this author!

*Thanks to St. Martin's Press + NetGalley for the ARC!*

This story is a WILD FUCKING RIDE. My advice is to not even read the blurb, buckle up, and hold on tight. Definitely a book to be read in one sitting (preferably on a rainy day so you can snuggle up in your reading spot with a good drink and just DEVOUR this book!).

One thing to note - TRIGGER WARNING for sexual assault, ongoing discussion about OCD.

Here's a first round of spoilers for those who like to hear the blurb plus a little before they start reading: <spoiler>So as the story starts, we're getting the POV of Skye in the present, then a POV of a journal written by Burke where the entries begin a few months prior to present day, then set many years in the past, we're with Heather as she navigates trying to raise her little brother and the on and off thing with Burke (they're in high school at the time).

From the tone of Burke's journal entries, you know right away that his whole relationship with Skye is a scam, and even worse, that he's actually married to Heather and they have a whole family together. Because of an unnamed (until later) incident in Burke's past, their finances are in rough shape and they desperately need money. Skye's family have money, and so the plan is made to marry Skye to get some of her family money, since they won't miss it anyway!

Our third POV, 30 years in the past, is from Heather's point of view. We're seeing her living in a shitty small town, trying to get the hell out, when she meets Libby Fontaine, who needs a babysitter for her kids. She's got the life Heather's always wanted, and the two women even become close friends.

Eventually, Skye finds out about the scheme Burke's running (and about his entire second life!). But that isn't the whole story and maybe Burke isn't the scheming con man we think he is?...</spoiler>

And here, a second round of spoilers for AFTER you read the book: <spoiler>The twists were SO GOOD, and more than once I was actually surprised which happens less and less in this genre! I thought for sure that Heather was involved in some way since we were seeing her perspective from way back when, especially after her brother tragically dies. When we started seeing more of Heather's POV in the form of her journal entries, it gave a different perspective again to what was going on but then slowly morphed into her *clearly* being the ringleader. Smarter readers than I had already figured that out for sure, but I hadn't, so they got me there. Her actions got very Gone Girl there as she got more angry, and that character development was done SO well that you could see it building throughout.

Speaking of character development, I loved seeing Skye grow and change over the course of the story. I loved that she finally opened up to her stepmother, and that she decided to change careers, and that she made the decision that SHE wanted at the end, even though obviously others would've greatly preferred that Burke be prosecuted for his part in all of what happened.

One final sidebar note: was anyone else just waiting for them to reveal that one of Skye's best friends, Andie, was involved? I thought for sure the entire book that it would be revealed she played some part in it, but that wasn't the case! That was a good surprise, too.

That's the end of my second spoiler commentary!</spoiler>

Loved loved loved this book, Great plot and characters with a shocking ending I could not have predicted. Highly recommend

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

This book, man. I thought the book was going one way and it threw me for a loop. I really liked how the author went between the various view points to tell the full story. At the halfway through the point I had to stop and think it all over and I had to do it at the end of it as well. It was so well done and thoroughly enjoyable! Loved it!

OMG - could not put this book down! There are so many fantastic storylines that end up inter-connecting - I just loved this book! It is one that will stay with you because it’s just that good!

This book was well-written, original, and kept me interested, but I found it a bit too long. I feel like the climax happened around the 50% mark and everything after that was just tying up loose ends, so as you can imagine, that’s a lot of filler in the last half. I also guessed the twists pretty much immediately, so that might have taken the enjoyment away for me. Perhaps less clues would make the twist more shocking, as there seemed to be new clues in every chapter.

Overall, a pleasant domestic thriller that won’t keep you on the edge of your seat but is still entertaining.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

This was such a good psychological thriller! I really wish there was someway I could hug the main character though. She surely went through it all. I went into this blind and knew nothing about the book before I started and I really recommend that. It was so fun to read and kind of watch the story evolve without knowing what was going to happen at all! I really didn’t want to put this one down and became heavily invested in it. I will definitely read more from this author. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the electronic ARC. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Too Good to Be True in exchange for an honest review.

Oofta - what a fun and exciting read. I highly recommend you go into this read as blind as you can. There are so many fun surprises waiting for you in the pages of this novel and the only right way to find them out is to read for yourself.

Too Good to Be True is about love, marriage, revenge, grief, power and greed. It takes you through the world of addiction to the high life on Martha's Vineyard, interweaving the past, present and future in creative and insightful ways. You hear this story through the eyes of the three main characters, opening your world to different insights, thoughts, feelings, regrets and hopes. Just when you think you know the direction of this cast, you're quickly thrown through another loop, always on your toes.

A fabulous read and once I highly recommend for your TBR bookshelf.

This is a smart, addictive book that I finished in hours! So many WTF moments and shocking twists. I loved that I never knew what to expect. I loved the dark secrets and the flawed characters.
Look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced ebook copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of Too Good To Be True.

It’s hard to summarize the book without giving much away. I will say that the author did a masterful job of weaving together several narratives to form the story. One in present time, one in past flashbacks, and one in past journal entries. They all worked together seamlessly to make a full and rich story. It was a mystery/women’s fiction that I just couldn’t put down!

There was so much potential here for an edge-of-your-seat guessing game. There was potential for a high-stakes thriller. For me as a reader, however, it just did not come together. I think the concept was clever and I think it hit some strong emotional notes, but overall I ended up frustrated by the execution and pacing.

A lot of early reviews for this are positive so I have been checking my head and wondering if I have a fever. I think it just comes down to personal preferences (as all books do!) and this just did not work for me as a reader. I thought it too long and there was a lot of explanation where I wanted action. This is being marketed as a psychological thriller. There are elements of a psychological puzzle here, but I would say none of this really fits as a "thriller" here. There were no thrills.

Again, this all comes down to personal preference. Where some find a book fully engaging, others might find the same book slow and frustrating. Unfortunately I was the latter here.

Carola Lovering does it again!

Generally speaking this was a really great read. I loved the different storylines as a way to give each of the characters a unique perspective.

I didn't see the twist coming, and I love when that happens because I am good at predicting these things.

The only reason I didn't give this a 5 star was because of the ending. I was left scratching my head a little. It just wasn't how I anticipated the book culminating to.

I loved Carola Lovering's first book, and I will still absolutely recommend this to others!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I was absolutely convinced this was going to end such a different way for the first half of the book. The use of multiple perspectives and using flashbacks to when Heather was younger made the story move quickly and kept me engaged the whole time. This was a perfect, what I like to call, “women’s thriller”.

I was slightly disappointed with the ending. Although I did not see it working out like that, I wished there would have been more between Heather and Skye.

Overall I thought the book was very well written and kept my attention the whole time.

Finally a thriller that’s developed with really thought out characters and a twisty plot. I absolutely loved the first half of the book, and thought I had figured it out, but not quite! It’s best to go in not knowing too much about the plot, except you’re in for a wild ride.

this is a fast-paced page turner.
Can't give much of the plot away without spoilers but it's a roller coaster of a ride.

Skye Starling is a wealthy and intelligent woman. Her mother died when she was young, and the trauma caused her to develop some life ruling compulsive behaviors. She was teased as a child because of them, and self-confidence does not come easy to Skye.
So it is very surprising to Skye when she meets an older man Burke Michaels, and the attraction is instantaneous. He comes from a different world than Skye, but he is kind, makes her laugh, and doesn't ridicule her compulsions. When Burke proposes, Skye says yes, certain that the two of them will live happily ever after.
Told from Skye, Burke, and Heather's perspectives, we soon learn that there is more to this story. To say much more would mean I would be entering shark-infested spoiler territory! What I will say is I was 100% #teamskye. She is an amazing character who overcomes and deals with a lot and never loses her kind and compassionate nature. Her mother's death, a toxic and abusive former boyfriend, and her OCD have all left Skye vulnerable, and Burke's lies might destroy her.
I am not going to talk about Heather since that would be giving too much away, but I was #notteamBurke and #notteamHeather for reasons that will become apparent when you read Too Good to Be True. I am looking forward to some lovely and potentially heated discussions after this book publishes.

Burke and Heather have been together since they were teens and now they are middle aged with almost grown children. They are struggling with money and have a hard time moving on from a hard past. Skye Starling is in her late 20s, struggling with OCD, rich and wondering if she’ll ever find love. Skye meets Burke in a seemingly random way and they fall in love, move in together and get married, then things quickly fall apart. Is Burke the manipulative, scheming jerk that he seems to be? Is Heather the innocent mother just trying to make a better life for her kids? The answers are all twisted up inside this great story.
Some spoilers ahead: it’s hard not to feel sorry for Heather. She had a hard life with so many things happening to her that she really did not deserve. Can you really blame her for the lengths she went to? Her life was hell and just when it seemed that happiness was on the horizon, it was all snatched away.
Burke made some really bad decisions and while I wouldn’t say he’s a monster, he’s definitely not innocent, but rather a man driven by desperation.
Skye was the only one innocent in all of it. Thrust into a situation from events that took place when she was only a baby, she was manipulated and taken advantage of. I was very surprised by her choices at the end of this book, and I would have loved to have known how it all turned out.
All in all, this was a great read. Different from the same old story lines of most psychological thrillers these days and definitely worth the read!