Amazing story of a teenager who babysits for a rich family and takes along her very young brother for whom she is responsible, since her father split and her mother died. Unfortunately, a terrible thing happens, and the teenager turns to her boyfriend for comfort. They marry and have a family and are struggling for a better life. Then, the husband meets this woman at a resort. She is fresh and rich and he is taken with her. She doesn't know that he's married. You have to read this book. There's so much more.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out great, but around the 20% mark I figured out the twist. So the rest of the book was just boring and a chore to get through. I thought it was way longer than it needed to be. I think I’m in the minority though so if the description sounds good to you - read it!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGallery.

This book had me hooked from the beginning.  To do a review would give too much away, there are so many twists, turns, and switchbacks that I would hate to spoil it for anyone.   I could not put this book down.  

There are 3 points of view for this book and to watch it unfold - work of art and genius.

A man is viewed by two different relationships. Skye is a young woman thrilled to be engaged to her older boyfriend, Burke, even while she is battling OCD. Their life together is going to be perfect, despite only knowing each other for 6 months, Skye is due to inherit some money and they can live where they want and do what they want. Meanwhile, 30 years in the past, Heather is dealing with taking care of her little brother because her addict parents can't, and is deciding whether or not to stay with her boyfriend, Burke, who is a bit of a party boy.  A mentorship with an older woman she is babysitting for seems to be putting Heather on track to change her life, and that may mean Burke. And in between, there are diary entries from Burke, talking about his life with Heather and his affair with Skye. It soon becomes apparent that not only is he cheating, he is scheming as well. Who is Too Good to Be True?

A lot of twists and turns in this book will keep the reader guessing to the end. Ultimately, I wasn't quite fond of most of the characters, and found myself liking the person who was to be the villain in this piece.

The twists in this one were fun. I saw some coming and others surprised me. It was a fun read, but nothing extraordinary.

This story is a complex thriller and I won't try to describe it - you can read the summary in the book description. This is a page turner with a good plot and some quite disturbing twists and surprises.  All the characters have major flaws and I only liked Skye - the other characters were not likable for me, especially Heather.  The story was told from three points of view - Heather, Burke and Skye.  Some of the themes in this book are friendship, family, tragedy, revenge, bigotry, theft, mental illness, wealth, greed - quite a range!  I wasn't satisfied at the end - it was too hard to believe and I didn't like the way it wrapped it.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

3 1/2 stars

This is the first book I've read by the author and I enjoyed it.  What worked for this book was the multiple point of views and the multiple timelines. I enjoyed that aspect of it and I liked trying to figure out how the characters fit together. I was pleasantly surprised at how it came together toward the middle. The first half of the book keep me interested but somewhere along the way that changed for me. It started out reading like psychological suspense but then it sort of got cheesy in a way. I wanted more from the story; something more suspenseful than it turned out to be. The first half was so interesting and I loved the twist but the second half wasn't as fun to read. I say all of that to say that although this wasn't the best book I've ever read, I still liked it. I liked the twist, the characters, and how the author tied everything together.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I do not even know where to start with this review. This book was truly incredible, and I do not think my bumbling words will do it justice, but here I go.

Told in three unique perspectives, both current and thirty years in the past, we get a phenomenal demonstration of how well a mystery/thriller can be orchestrated. This explosive novel depicts the budding romance between Skye and Burke, the devastation at learning he is not at all who he says he is and the history of Heather, the girl who dated Burke in the past.

Told in alternating chapters, the story unfolds in such a great way that even when you think you know what is going on, you soon realize that you are wrong because nothing it what it seems. Even when you do finally find out the truth, there is still so much of the story yet to come. I was completely riveted while reading this masterful novel.

Skye is dealing with obsessive compulsive disorder stemming from the death of her mother when she was younger. This condition has kept her from making many real romantic relationships in her life. Until Burke comes along. She is older, beautiful and so kind to her, making her feel truly special. And they quickly fall in love and plan to marry. In a series of digital diary entries to his therapist, though, Burke clearly is not who Skye thinks he is. Instead, he is a married man using Skye and her expansive wealth for his own dastardly plans.

Meanwhile we get Heather’s perspective from the year 1990 when she is a teenager dreaming of a better life away from her good for nothing upbringing and her drug abusing boyfriend, Burke. She finds solace in the form of the mother of the children she babysits for, a woman who befriends the 17-year-old Heather and makes her understand her worth.

My heart broke for all three characters involved for reasons I cannot spoil for you. Just when I thought we had a clear villain, Carola Lovering made my head spin. And when I thought I had a character to root for, it was so elegantly ripped away from me in such a way that I was screaming out loud. To say my enjoyment of this book was immense is an understatement. This book was clearly crafted specifically to keep you guessing indefinitely and I absolutely loved it!

Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering is a 2021 St. Martin’s Press publication.

Wickedly good!

This is one of those books that falls into ‘the less you say, the less you know, the better’ category- so to that end-all I’m going to say is:

This is one clever little mind-trip- highly absorbing, and wildly entertaining. If you like getting sucked so completely into a story that you lose track of time, this might be one you want to consider.

There is no agenda- no messages- no sermons, just a good, original, well-plotted thriller with one amazing twist that completely took me by surprise!!

I got a little more than I was expecting from this one! I will definitely read this author again!

Too Good to Be True was a roller coaster of a read. 

Unbelievable character growth throughout the story. I enjoyed seeing them all flounder in some way and grow in others. Absolute suspenseful moments and a timeline that flings you back and forth and you are trying to piece together when the inevitable crash of events will take place. 

When you think something is too good to be true...should you dig deeper?

With a plot like this one it begs the question; is love enough?

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a review copy.

I could not put this book down.  It sucked me in from the first page it didn't let go.  Mostly.

It's a story about relationships - a babysitter and the family she's taking care of.  A woman with OCD and her boyfriend.  Two teenagers trying to carve out a future.

Exactly halfway through the book, as you're immersed in the momentum of these relationships, you get completely blindsided by a twist.  I mean, truck-ramming-into-the-side-of-your-car blindsided.  I did not see it coming at all.

Here's the problem, that's halfway through the book.  Usually the great reveal is at the end of the book.  So there was still another 50% to go.  There were more twists and turns as the book went on, but most of it was explaining and cleaning up the story around what happened midway through.

That aside, this one is worth reading.
Side note: much of it takes place in Westport, CT, where I grew up.  So I might have an extra bias around that.

#netgalley #toogoodtobetrue

This. This is the kind of book I wish would never end. It grabbed me by the face from the very first page and never let go. This is one of those books that seems to be... Too Good To Be True. (So sorry... I just had to do it!) Carola Lovering’s writing is truly mesmerizing and a joy to read. I was so sucked in by every. single. page. I’m typically the type who professes, “The twistier, the better!!!” And it’s true. But fabulous writing trumps all else. I read so many books with crazy twists that I always play mind games with myself imagining plot twists and looking for evidence and clues that I’m right. I found that here but it actually made me enjoy it even more. Like I was in on it with the author. Covering my mouth and giggling like a child. I refuse to give away any spoilers whatsoever so there really isn’t much I can tell you that you haven’t already read in the synopsis but I will say that Lovering writes her characters with so many facets and so much dimension. Even the ones I want to hate, I just can’t. I do know that Too Good To Be True is already on my list of favorite books of 2021 and I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon. You NEED to reach this book. 

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for allowing me the incredible privilege of reading this book in advance in exchange for my honest review.

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

A psychological thriller that alternately had me ‘furious’ and enthralled.  In other words, it’s a very good story capturing my attention.  The characters are pretty well developed and believable.

Excellent book very well written the plot was amazing and keep you guessing until the end, i loves the characters, easy to read.

I just really did not like this book.  The title was trite and didn't fit.  I didn't like any of the characters except for one.  It needs editing which is funny when you know one of the characters is a book editor.  Would not recommend.

Beautiful and wealthy, Skye Starling appears to be the perfect catch. As she approaches thirty, she is surrounded by friends who are either engaged, married, or are starting a family. Skye's battle with OCD, which she has had since her mother passed away when she was eleven, has always complicated any romantic relationship she pursues. When she meets Burke Michaels, a handsome older man, he seems to be too good to be true. A whirlwind romance quickly leads to an engagement much to the dismay of her family and friends. When something appears too good to be true it probably is...because Burke has a secret agenda and Skye is the perfect target.

Too Good to Be True is a twisty domestic thriller told through a mixture of journal entries and present day events. Skye Starling is a beautiful and wealthy young woman who desires a happily ever after but her compulsions push her to a life of isolation and shame. Burke Michaels appears to be the perfect catch but through a series of journal entries we quickly discover that he is already happily married with a family and has ulterior motives for romancing Skye. Through another series of journal entries we meet an adolescent, Heather, who's determined to make something of herself by get out of her small town and away from her troubled boyfriend Burke. As the plot thickens and twists the stories begin to merge into a twisted tale of love and revenge. Although I did figure out the "twist" pretty early on there were still a few surprises along the way. The novel was well written, entertaining, and hard to put down. This is a must read for fans of domestic thrillers who love surprises.

This was such a great book. This book will keep you up at night. I loved all the characters and how they were developed throughout the book.   The story takes you along and then you are suddenly slammed with a turn in the road. This book has delicious twists and turns that captivates you and makes you want more.  I love books that surprise me and this book did just that. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loved this! Gripping story, featuring sub stories which all link up fabulously !  Loved it all would def recommend!

Too Good To Be True by Carola Lovering is an amazing, keep you guessing, suspenseful story. Skye is a young, financially successful woman living her best life until she meets Burke. Skye's whole world turns upside down, for the best! She has finally met her Prince Charming. After a whirlwind romance, Burke proposes and the wedding planning begins. Everything in Skye's life is perfect, or is it? Skye begins to get mysterious emails from an ex-boyfriend. Skye's friends don't think Burke is everything he seems, but is that because he is so much older? The mystery begins to unwrap and keeps you guessing until the last chapter. 
Carola Lovering wrote this from Burke, Skye, and Heather's point of view. Some are written as journal entries and some as flashbacks from the past. Lovering clearly identifies each chapter and is very easy to follow long. Her writing is easy to read and she does an excellent job at keeping your attention throughout. 
I will be recommending this book to others and looking for others works by Lovering. Special thanks to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Carola Lovering for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 stars #NetGalley