In Can’t Look Away Molly meets Jake an up-and-coming lead singer. They are both in there mid twenties, still young and the cusp of finding who they are.
Molly and Jake have an insta-love that is intense and passionate. Although, it’s a difficult period of time as Jake’s band starts to get recognized. Jake finds himself immersed in his world of music while Moly tries her hand at writing.
As time wears on Molly feels the foundation of there love crumbling. She spends time with a new friend. Eventually, time carves different paths for the both of the.
Five years later, the past collides with the present and Molly and Jake are once again faced with unresolved feelings of love.
Can’t Look Away is constructed of multiple points of view alternating between the past and the present. Carola Lovering is a new to me author. Caitlin Moss recommended this book and based on her positive review I took a chance on this book. I requested both the ebook and audiobook on Netgalley.
Can’t Look Away explores first love with deception, secrets, and lies. Can’t Look Away is dubbed a thriller, yet I found it was focused mainly on the relationships between Molly, Hunter, Sabrina, and Jake. The drama meter was high and tad bit over-the-top in certain areas. The story came alive around the seventy percent mark. Early in the story I thought this was going to be a rockstar romance. Jake was a musician and his career played an intricate part of the story, but it wasn’t just about his music career. The story focused on family and friendship.

Narrators:
Caitlin Davies
Zachary Webber
Karissa Vacker
Three narrators perform Can’t Look Away. I’m only familiar with the voice of Zachary Webber. The two female narrators were pleasant to listen to although I couldn’t tell you which performed which characters.

I’m pleased to have the opportunity to listen to these amazing narrators perform this book for me. I’m growing more spoiled wanting to invest in both the audiobook and ebook. Having narrators read the story to me adds an extra layer to the story that I cherish.
I listened using the Netgalley app at 2X speed. This is an unabridged audiobook allowing readers the opportunity to follow along with the ebook.
These narrators enhanced my listening experience. Eventhough I imagined a different type of read I still found the story to be fulfilling.

Another suspenseful and incredibly quick read from Carola Lovering! She is a master of toxic and twisty relationships. The most impressive part of this one is her handle on shifting timelines and POVs. It never got confusing and I enjoyed reading all of the different perspectives.

CAN’T LOOK AWAY by Carola Lovering

If you like your thrillers dipped in romance, I have a book for you.

We’re first introduced to Molly. Molly used to be a writer but currently makes her living as a yoga instructor. One day Sabrina walks into her studio and the two become friends.

As the book progresses we learn there is more to Sabrina than it seems and the two women have much more in common than Molly could ever imagine.

I liked this one. It was extremely easy to read and ingest in big chunks. There were lots of twists and turns. And it kept my attention throughout.

In my opinion, it is heavy on the romance side and light on the thriller.

This would make a fantastic book for newbies to the thriller genre or fans of the romance genre looking to dip their toes in thriller waters.


⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio St Martins Press for this advanced copy!

This book had me hooked from the first chapter! I went into it thinking it was a thriller, but it turns out that it is more of a domestic/romantic suspense book, but still just as enjoyable! Just do not go into it expecting it to be a thriller, because it may lead to a bit of a disappointment in that case.

There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout. The themes of this book are centered around love, obsession, and secrets. It was a quick and enjoyable read that had me feeling as though I was watching a Lifetime movie unfold on the pages as I was reading.

We follow Molly, who lives in New York and works as a barista, but has a longing to become a writer one day. One day she locks eyes with a handsome, dreamy stranger-Jake Danner, who happens to be a lead singer for a band. The two quickly fall for one another.

Fast forward nine years later and Molly is living in Connecticut, married to Hunter, and has a five year old daughter. Her dream to become a writer has dwindled. Life may appear to be perfect for Molly, but she still finds herself dreaming of Jake. One day she meets one of her neighbors, Sabrina and her husband, who are new to the area. Sabrina and Molly quickly become close friends, but little does Molly know that Sabrina has some secrets she is keeping, which includes a secret agenda that will destroy Molly.

The drama pulled me in, but I will say that this one lacked the suspense, twists, and surprises for me. Despite this, I still found myself to be thoroughly engaged in this book. I enjoyed the ending, and the amount of drama. Overall, this was a fast paced and entertaining read.

This one kept my attention for sure! It wasn’t the thriller I was expecting but it was a good, twisty, drama.

I loved Too Good to Be True when I read it last year, so naturally I snagged Carola Lovering’s newest novel when it was “read now” on NetGalley and requested the audiobook version as well. I read the first half and listened to the audiobook for the second half.

Molly is a wannabe writer and yogi who ends up in a whirlwind romance with an up-and-coming musician, Jake, lead singer of Danner Lane, after locking eyes in a New York City bar one fateful night. Eventually, Molly is faced with the decision of a lifetime - she must decide between the rockstar’s erratic lifestyle or the comfort and stability of a close friend who confesses his love for her and is ready to start a family. Years later, her decision comes back to haunt her and her family in the form of a jealous, stalker ex-girlfriend, Sabrina, who sets the stage for an unanticipated reunion between all involved parties in an attempt to dig up the past and the secrets buried there. What will Molly do when faced with her past decisions and when her secrets start to air out? Would she make the same choice all over again?

This story is told between Molly, Jake, and Sabrina’s perspectives, both “then” (2013ish) and “now” (2022).

Carola does domestic/romantic suspense with stalker ex tropes the best!! I thought I had the whole plot figured out but the twists just kept coming! Brb, going to add “Tell Me Lies” - Carola’s first novel - to my tbr! She is an auto-read author for me now, for sure.

I enjoyed the narrators a lot. They were very entertaining, which was mostly why I switched to audio for the entire second half of the book. I sometimes struggle with audiobooks where there are multiple POVs, especially ones that shift between males and females, but the quality and sufficient quantity of narrators in this one was great.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for an e-galley and advance listener’s copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest book by Carola Lovering, beautifully narrated by Caitlin Davies; Karissa Vacker; Zachary Webber. 4 stars!

In 2013, Molly is young, living in Brooklyn, working as a barista and trying to write. When she goes to a show and locks eyes with the lead singer of the band, Molly and Jake begin. He writes a song about her that becomes popular and the band's greatest hit. In present day, Molly is married to Hunter, they have a young daughter and are living in Hunter's hometown in Connecticut. Molly feels adrift from her life and the women in town. She works as a yoga instructor and is desperately trying to get pregnant again. When she meets Sabrina at the fertility clinic, she finally feels like she met a kindred soul. But does Sabrina feel the same?

This is being promoted as a mystery/thriller which may leave readers a bit confused. To me, it's a really good domestic drama, heavy on the characters, which is a good thing in my book as well. I really felt a pull towards the characters and their thoughts and feelings were easily relatable. It's a story of first love, obsession and growing up. I ended up mostly listening to the audio book because of the great job the narrators did, and I was always finding a minute to listen. Another good read by Carola Lovering!

An enjoyable story told through the points of view.

Not very thrilling for a thriller, but still kept me interested and reading until the end

I always love a good thriller with twists and turns to keep you on your toes!

Molly Diamond is an aspiring writer when she meets Jake Danner of Danner Lane, and up and coming band. Their connection is instant, hurtling them into a whirlwind romance. But years later, Molly is married to Hunter with a beautiful daughter when Jake comes back into her life in her new town with his new wife, who has secrets of her own. What unfolds is a story of lies and deceit that's been bubbling up for years.

Molly is an interesting protagonist. She clearly hasn't gotten to where she wanted in her writing career, but on the outside her life looks perfect. Hunter is the ideal husband and she loves her daughter Stella. It's obvious that she wants something more, though she isn't sure how to get it. When she meets Sabrina, she feels like she finally has a friend, but when she finds out Sabrina is married to Jake everything seems to fall apart. The story is woven between the past and present, breaking down Jake and Molly's failed relationship and how they both ended up where they are. I love duel timelines and the insight they can provide into the characters' backgrounds, and it was really effective throughout this book.

What I really loved about this book was that I never really had a handle on where things were going. Even when it seemed obvious, the plot never went that way leaving me surprised. The plot points seemed predictable, but there was always a small twist making it exciting. We never get too deep in the weeds with the characters, but it didn't affect the overall story for me.

There was also this creep factor with Sabrina. It really made me think about how people can come into your life so innocently. You might never know someone's true intentions, and that in itself is scary.

It's been awhile since I read this novel but I remember it didn't hold up to the author's previous novel, Too Good to Be True, for me. I didn't like either of the main characters and I wasn't surprised by the plot twist.

I loved Lovering's first book, TELL ME LIES, and enjoyed her second book, TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. Lovering is certainly an author whose new releases I want to read and so when CAN'T LOOK AWAY became available as an ARC, I jumped at the chance to read it early.

This book explores obsessive love, love at first sight, true love, enduring love, and many other types of love. It's not a "thriller" in my opinion, but rather has a mystery element to it. Still, most of this book is focused on human relationships, the concept of obsessive love, and the belief that someone is your soulmate even when that notion is unrequited. Lovering's books have all been labeled as thrillers, but I think they're more fittingly domestic suspense or domestic dramas. I say this because I think people who go into her books expecting a true thriller will be disappointed. Lovering garners pretty split reviews on her books, but I enjoy her work. She posits interesting premises and explores the human experience through the lens of flawed characters who are trying to figure things out.

I loved Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering! It was such an interesting, compelling novel. I was immensely intrigued by the plot. I would call it a domestic drama with an intrinsic element of suspense, more than a thriller, but it was fascinating, surprisingly sweet, and thought-provoking.

Can’t Look Away is the story of obsessive love, and the lengths people will go to to secure it. It’s also a story about the difference between true love and love by choice; a love that grows slowly over time and through friendship. It’s the story of Molly, aspiring writer, and Jake, up-and-coming rockstar and their rather tormented, on-again/off-again enduring, overwhelming love, and the girl who was determined to have him for herself. It’s slightly creepy and disturbing, but also utterly engrossing.

This was a remarkably moving story with quite a bit of depth and insightfulness, despite the more chilling nature of the story. In my opinion, the author got the ending just right and I was wholly satisfied with the conclusion. I definitely recommend this story and look forward to reading more by this author.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

It's almost like this book was marketed incorrectly. To me, it felt neither like a thriller, nor a mystery. Because we got the perspectives from Sabrina and Molly, there wasn't a moment where I felt that I didn't know what was going on. Even the ending, which I'm sure was supposed to be a punch to the gut surprise, just didn't hit very hard at all. This book felt much more like a drama then any sort of thriller. It gave me the feeling I got when my mom would have 'Desperate Housewives' on the TV growing up. It was just a bunch of catty drama and I"m glad I've never met women like either of these two main characters.

Now, the story itself wasn't horrible, but it was just so damn annoying reading from either of these characters perspectives. They were both terrible at communication and had so many secrets. I don't particularly enjoy books about catty women competing with each other over a man, and I almost DNF'd it a dozen times. I pushed through because it was a fast read but the ending, in my opinion, was not worth it.

2013

Molly Diamond has a dream of becoming a writer while working as a Barista. One night she goes to a concert and locks eyes with the handsome and charismatic lead singer, Jake Danner. It's love at first sight! It’s all consuming! It burns bright! They intend to spend their lives together! Jack writes at song about Molly and it becomes the biggest hit of his (and his band’s) career.

Almost a decade later

Molly is happily married to Hunter and has a five-year-old daughter, Stella. They have moved from the city to Flynn Cove, Connecticut. Molly is working as a Yoga instructor and is content with her life. Then one day her song comes on the radio, “Molly’s Song” and it is quite the blast from the past. As she listens to Jack being interviewed, she can't help but take a walk down memory lane.

Sabrina is new to the neighborhood and she and Molly become fast friends after meeting at the Yoga Studio where Molly teaches. Molly is happy, she hasn't made too many friends as an adult and she and Sabrina get along so well. They both live near each other and share similar struggles. Little does Molly know; Sabrina has secrets....

Sabrina has moved to Flynn Cove, Connecticut with an agenda. As her agenda beings to unfold so does the plot of this book. The more we learn, the more dramatic this book becomes!

Told in 2013 and nearly a decade later, this book looks at dreams, romance, choices, consequences, and second chances. I enjoyed the books and its drama. It read like a nighttime soap opera to me. There is drama galore. There are questionable actions and decisions made by characters. This will make it or break it for some readers, IMO. I found myself thinking about the decisions and actions made in this book upon finishing it. Some were morally and ethically wrong and one character did something in front of others, that I was shocked did not face any legal consequences or chargers.

I also enjoyed how it showed growth and dreams. Everyone has them. How life changes and how you look at things when you are young and then some time later, looking back, with age, experience, and wisdom, you can look at things differently.

This is a polarizing book that readers will either enjoy or find fault with. I enjoyed it. I had both the audiobook and e-book version. I enjoyed listening to the audio and the narrators. Their narration really worked for me, and I wonder if I only read the book instead of reading and listening to it, would I have enjoyed it as much? For me, I believe the narrators elevated the book for me.

Readers are privy to everything going on in this book. There are some twists, but readers will see them coming. There is nothing to figure out. This is a sit-back-and-enjoy-the-ride type of book For me this was dramatic, fun, entertaining and I had a hard time putting this down.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Enter a conniving woman to upset things to get what she wants. Her boyfriend broke up with her because he felt she wanted to move too fast. He then met a woman and fell in love. Well, the conniving woman wasn't having any of that!

Seemed more a YA romance book to me than a thriller.
Was ok predictable early on. A few twists but nothing was holding me right into this book to love it unfortunately.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Communication really is the key. How often have we heard this adage? And how often have we taken it for granted?
Can’t look away was a gripping story that I wasn’t able to put down. Through the busy workdays I always found time to get at least 5% read every day. The story turns oh so quickly and as a reader you’re gripped to the story early on. It’s a tale told fork multiple perspectives and two timelines that eventually converge to the current.
I learnt so much from this book, it was sort of a refresh for some other points. Communication being at the top, the book also focuses on toxic relationships which I’ve always loved the author to portray. Her last book Too Good To Be True was my first BOTM pick and it’ll always have a special place in my heart as those were the starting days for me on this platform as a bookstagrammer. As enthralling and unique as that story was, I devoured this one one more quickly and might choose this as my first choice! One more point that I want to bring up that this book covers is obsessive love. Being hooked to series such as YOU, as a viewer or reader it definitively is interesting to see that a person who looks normal might actually be capable of certain actions. But doesn’t it being goosebumps that somewhere someone might really be a victim of these scenes and books such as these allow us to look at the tell tale signs to watch out for.
The story is as follows:
Molly Diamond is a 23 year old barista in 2013. She meets Jake Danner, lead singer of an upcoming band in a concert one day and their fairytale romance starts. Fast forward a decade, Molly is happily married to Hunter and has a beautiful daughter named Stella. What are her chances of running into Jake there and his wife Sabrina. Sabrina has a pot full of secrets and her POV’s are the most captivating. It really does feel like a YOU vibe while reading those.

Can't Look Away, Carola Lovering's latest novel, is a deep dive into obsession, lies and how far we will go to protect what we perceive is ours. In 2022 Molly is a wife and mom, teaching yoga in the Connecticut Suburbs. Years before she was the muse and girlfriend of one of the hottest up-and-coming musicians, Jake Danner, while working as a barista and writing her debut novel. Now, living in the suburbs, Molly is finding it hard to relate to the wealthy women in town. When Sabrina, a newcomer to Flynn Cove, joins one of Molly's yoga classes the two hit it off and become fast friends. However, all is not what it seems as Sabrina has her own reasons for coming to Flynn Cover and finding Molly. Then, Molly hears a new version of a song she inspired Jake to write and has to grapple with the past that is on a collision course and will force everyone to answer tough questions. Lovering is a masterful storyteller and has a gift for creating characters that are relatable, sometimes unlikeable but somehow you're still rooting for them. Music is a strong theme in the book and adds a fun backdrop. This is not a psychological thriller so much as a domestic suspense or drama novel but still one not to be missed!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Told through 3 points of view (Molly, Jake and Sabrina) over a period of 9 years, Can’t Look Away is a must read love story with twists and turns that make you want to keep reading.

Although it was somewhat predictable at times, Can’t Look Away is an enjoyable book that I will definitely recommend.

I realize this is considered a thriller, but to me this felt more romance! I very much enjoyed it. I looked forward to reading it and couldn't put it down. It was a fast read. My heart really went out to Molly & Jake. It was predictable but I didn't care, The ending tied it all very well. I enjoyed Carola Lovering's writing and this book!