I couldn't finish this book. The writing was trite, the characters one-dimensional, and the plot line was, at the same time, overly convoluted and too simplistic.

First let me say that I was a huge fan of Carola Lovering's debut novel <b> Tell Me Lies </b> to this day I cannot get over Lovering's ability to write about toxic relationships and heartbreak.

The theme of heart break and toxic relationships continues in Lovering's sophomore novel <b> Too Good To Be True </b>. In it we meet 29 year old Skye who suffers from OCD and was never able to find love, just a series of one night stands, that is until one summer day she meets Burke, ten years her senior who doesn't judge her for her compulsive tendencies and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. For the first time Skye is truly happy and she owes it all to Burke who in less than a year proposes. Everyone in Skye's life thinks things are going too fast they all think this is too good to be true.... is it?

Honestly, I enjoyed reading this book- it is the perfect beach read, light with a bit of tension to keep you invested. Granted I saw the twist coming from a mile off and I rolled my eyes a bit. I also felt the ending was unrealistic and the lengths the antagonist went through seemed like a whole lot but... I guess there are sick people out there...

Overall a nice likkle read.

Amazing!! I got just two hours of sleep last night... this book simply wouldn't let me go. The characters were great from start to finish! The storytelling - done though journal entries and regular chapters - was brilliant.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reading copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Carola Lovering has beautifully written a piece that involves so many topics that are relatable in different areas. I personally loved how one of the main characters had to learn and retrace the onset of OCD; this is something that I was able to identify and felt as I was reminiscing my childhood. It was explained in a way that was very respectful and made the reader understand how a person suffering OCD is judged and emotionally impaired.

I enjoy how Carola opened each chapter with the point of view of the three main characters. As the reader, we usually have one point of view or are the omniscient (3rd person). Carola's structure was the perfect format in order to throw us that curve ball that completely blew my mind!

Another topic touched in the book is how loyalty to marriage, especially a toxic marriage can bring serious consequences. By the end of the book, you feel disgust by the degree of selfishness and greediness of one character that you felt pity towards.

Though the love story might not be guaranteed, a second chance is at hand. Though we think evil got away, I feel she will be consumed by her own toxicity and endless cycle of manipulation.

This is a wonderful book to explore. Characters were developed and brought to life in a very real (believable) manner. I highly recommend "Too Good to Be True" by Carola Lovering.

I received this book "To Good to Be True" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. This book was good from beginning to end. I thought the characters were great and the story was amazing. I didn't want to put this down. Lots of twists and turns. Great book! I will be reading more from this author.

Enjoyable read, good characters, a well thought out plot that kept me engaged throughout. I did not care for the ending.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the first book from Carols Lovering and it probably won’t be the last. Too Good To Be True is a suspense novel told by the view point of Burke, Skye, and Heather. The book had me on the edge of my set wondering what was going on. I found the story and it characters to be very well written. However, I did find the ending to be some what unsatisfying.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martins press for the ARC.

This was a fast paced read. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and felt this helped the story move forward quickly. I do feel, however, that the ending was lacking.

While I enjoyed reading Carola Lovering’s ‘Too Good To Be True’ in record time, I felt that the ending negated the entire story that was creatively crafted and was truly fun to read and ultimately left me feeling empty and frustrated that the story came together far too easily and pat. Everybody got what they wanted with no repercussions.

Throughout Part One of the novel, I compared the writing, pacing, and build up to be on par with my enjoyment of Gillian Flynn’s ‘Gone Girl,’ Paula Hawkins’ ‘Girl on the Train,’ and B.A. Paris’ ‘Break Down.’ I honestly enjoyed learning the story from three different perspectives and in three different timelines. This part of the novel was fresh and innovative. I cared for each of the characters as they revealed themselves and their flaws. However, as Part Two began, the story exposed a variety of flips and suddenly the book lost its freshness, ingenuity, and originality. I did enjoy the strength of the girls’ friendship circle and the family support Skye has and found that real and hopeful. I found Heather’s isolation contrived and Burke’s complicity far-fetched. As I was finishing the last chapter, I *wished* that there would have been just one more entry…this time from ‘Paul’ and his plans to con Heather. That would have made the ending so much more satisfying.

Overall, this was a fun, quick weekend read, perfect for the beach. But don’t expect too much or anything surprising.

Full Disclosure: I was given a free PDF Advanced Reader’s Copy of ‘Too Good To Be True’ via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

I received a copy of TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

FIVE stars and here’s why:

CAROLA LOVERING kept me reading all day – I couldn’t put it down! It was very intense and the fast pace writing kept me turning page after page and before I knew it, I blew all my to-do list and finished the book! The three points of view was completely well written so that you really got a good sense of each character, and the author really has character development done in spades. If you love suspense stories that will keep you riveted the entire time, excellent writing, and characters that won’t leave you alone, , then this book is for you. I read it in one sitting just to find what happened next. Highly recommend!

I really, REALLY enjoyed this book. I ate it up in just a few sittings. I loved the backstory of Heather and Burke, especially how Heather's life tied back to Skye. The characters, whether you loved them or hated them, we SO well developed. I really felt compassion towards Heather, even though she purposely set out to make someone hurt the way she had been hurt in the past. I fell in love with Skye, and understood how Burke did as well.... I don't want to give anything away, but I absolutely adored this rollercoaster of a book. I will be recommending this one, as it is hands down one of the best books I have read in a long, long time.

Having loved Carola Lovering’s debut, Tell Me Lies, I was over the top excited to receive a copy of Too Good to Be True. Admittedly, I am huuuuge fan of toxic relationships (probably shouldn’t boast that so much) - at least in books, that is! Upon diving into THTBT, I immediately learned there was some sort of triangle and the relationships were all as toxic as they come. Color me hooked! While this one is definitely different from Tell Me Lies, it has the same binge-worthy quality where you can’t stop turning the pages and your jaw will drop. I ultimately enjoyed this one a great deal and continue to look forward to reading what Lovering writes in the future!

#Too Good To Be True #Net Galley

"Too Good To Be True" but is it? When a young, rich, beautiful lady with a slight mental disorder finds her true love, she can't believe it. Caught up in a whirlwind romance Skye Starling is on top of the world until she returns from her perfect honeymoon. Then the bottom of her world falls out. She is devastated.

This book is a perfect de3scription of character development. First, you meet Skye; then Burk, her older yet perfect boyfriend/husband; then Heather, Burke's wife and Skye's long lost babysitter, who still holds a grudge against Skye's family.

However, everyone gets what they want (not deserve) in the end. I enjoyed this book, but would have preferred a different ending.

Skye cannot help keeping looking at her left hand. After a whirlwind relationship, a proposal was the last thing that she expected. She suffers from OCD and has much self-doubt, especially after the tragic death of her mother. But she is smart, beautiful, and well off.

The man at the center of her life is Burke Micheals. He is an older man but handsome, loving, and intellectual. Something Skye had never experience before. But there are truths that are being withheld. And he has something planned for Skye.

Too Good to Be True is a story told from present to past and in alternating voices of Skye, Burke, and Heather. As the story unfolds we meet Skye in the present as she meets Burke at a resort in Montauk. We learn about Burke's point of view through journal entries, something he learned at couple’s counseling years ago. And then introduce Heather, Burkes first love whom we meet in the past. The narration travels back and forth through multiple perspectives seamlessly and at about the halfway point, we are privy to Heather’s most intimate thoughts. This is a twist that hooks the reader with the past, present, and future all crashing together.

The best aspect of the novel is the rich character development. The back and forth build layers providing the context of each character's behavior. Journal entries jump back and forth and provide great suspense while creating a dramatic storyline. And who is being reliable? it’s definitely a great ride with a crash ending.


Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Carola Lovering for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

“Too Good To Be True” is Carola Lovering’s latest novel and it is one of the most intense novels I have read in a while. The story is told from three different points of view and when you think you have figured out this twisted tale of love and revenge you will be shockingly surprised. Ms. Lovering has created a novel that any reader will have a hard time putting it down. I was given an advanced copy of this book, and all of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Overall, an interesting, dark and yet, hopeful novel about choices. Skye is a sweet character who searches for love, but her OCD is an obstacle. Burke, too, is searching but doesn't quite know for what until he meets Skye. These two do find each other, but dark forces are also at play. This author does a great job with dialogue, character interactions keep the plot moving forward.

Run. Go read this right now. What a great book. Couldn’t put this one down. So glad I got the chance to read this one

Too Good to Be True is an excellent, multilayered novel! I haven't read a thriller/suspense THIS good for a long time and am thrilled to have read an early copy of this one! I can't wait to discuss it further with other readers in 2021!

Full review to come closer to release.

We all know if it seems too good to be true, it usually is. Someone needed to remind protagonist Skye Starling of that old adage. Skye is a 29-year-old woman with a severe case of OCD, which in her case manifests as compulsions like knocking on everything wooden in her apartment. Because of this, she's been truly unlucky in love until she meets Burke. Burke is 46 and professes to love Skye despite her OCD. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Skye, Burke is married to Heather and father to three children. Burke and Heather have conspired to have him meet, romance, and propose to Skye in order to bilk her of millions. It's a pretty straight-forward story of bad man meets nice girl until about halfway through when author Carola Lovering takes a sharp right turn!

Too Good to be True reminded me a lot of Gone Girl, which I loved. The story is told through the viewpoints of lovestruck but lovely Skye, Burke by way of a diary of letters to his marriage counselor, and Heather, who we meet thirty years earlier when she was a teen working as a nanny in a rundown town called Langs Valley and dating Burke. The characters are all beautifully developed, and the mystery is masterfully crafted. Skye is a lovely human being. Burke is a loser who wants to be a better man. And Heather is one of those women, who if she only worked as hard at bettering herself as she does at destroying others, could have a wonderful life. Sadly, she's just a bitch.

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of Too Good to be True and recommend it highly to all lovers of mysteries and suspense. It's sure to be on all the best seller lists when it is published in March 2021, so add it to your TBR pile.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick enjoyable read. The characters were all realistic, even if the circumstances were unbelievable. It was not difficult to guess any of the twists but the story kept me reading anyways. I got attached to Skye and Burke and would love to read more about them. I wish some of the events were more deeply explained. Some felt glossed over, which kept me from engaging completely. I did find the usage of the term “Irish-exit” to be jarring. I will continue to look from books from this author. Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read #TooGoodtoBeTrue