I am a huge fan of Too Good to be True but this one wasn’t for me. While it was a good book, I thought that it would be more suspenseful. Overall, very well written! Thank you net galley for the arc!

“...a sexy suspense novel about the kind of addictive, obsessive love that keeps you coming back––no matter how hard you try to look away.”

The book is written in dual timelines and from the perspective of the main character, Molly, and two other important characters, Jake and Sabrina. The past timeline helps with building the history of all three characters and how they relate to each other in the future timeline.

This book gave off slight “You” vibes when it came to Sabrina’s POV chapters! Her chapters definitely made me think of Joe Goldberg talking to Beck while he’s spying on her, so I read those chapters in my head as if Joe were narrating (LOL)!

Some aspects were predictable while others were uniquely well-written and suspenseful. The entirety of the novel comes across as more of a romantic drama than a suspense novel, but still an entertaining read. It was a bit cumbersome for me to stomach the obsessive-love type relationships the characters experience but this is typical of a lot of early-20s relationships.

The ending was sensible and there weren’t any loose ends! Overall, an enjoyable read!

Be forewarned, this book is not a thriller, it is a romance with some domestic drama. I have read a lot of reviews where people were expecting a thriller. If you go into this story knowing the genre, you will be very satisfied.

I loved every minute of this book!! The story starts out in 2013 when 23-year-old Molly Diamond locks eyes with the lead singer of a band, Jake Danner. They fall hard and fast for each other but being in a relationship with a Rockstar is difficult for Molly and she ends her relationship with Jake after he ghosts her during a European tour.

Fast forward and Molly is married to Hunter whom she befriended while she was dating Jake. They live a comfortable life in Flynn Cove with a 5-year-old daughter named Stella. Enter Sabrina, the new resident of Flynn Cove and someone Molly likes and relates to. They quickly become close friends. Molly does not realize Sabrina is obsessed with her and has an agenda. I particularly liked Sabrina’s chapters told in the first person.

This is a very entertaining story about obsessive love. It was so well written, and the character development on point. I loved how the chapters went from the past to present. I will be thinking about this book for a long time and will be recommending it to anyone looking for a romance with a touch of domestic suspense!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my e-ARC.

I read her last book Too Good To Be True and after going into this one blind I was surprised in a good way. I really enjoyed this one. The writing was enthralling I need to know what was going to happen. The DRAMA the drama was great, a woman scorned is great for drama. I do kind of wish that the antagonist got more handed to her at the end.

⚠️ miscarriage, infertility,

This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!

OOOOH this was good!

I went into this thinking it would be more of a thriller and it definitely is NOT! So now you know. This was labeled as a sexy suspense and after laughing at that sub-genre, I actually think I totally agree with it. This was romance, mystery, suspense, intrigue, emotional, maddening and a little bit desperate housewives all rolled into one. And. I. Was. Here. For. It!

I read this with two of my girlfriends and they felt similar to me - we couldn't put it down, we were intrigued the entire way through and overall really liked this latest from Lovering. I will say...the ending felt a smidge too tidy and perfect for me, but I also REALLY liked it too. I found the characters to be pretty relatable, while also wanting to yell at them and be like...but why must we make such poor decisions?!

The Sabrina angle also gave me major "You" vibes, which is funny because I did not at all like You, but really enjoyed this book. Overall - pick this up! If this is truly a sexy suspense novel, then sign me up for this sub-genre!

Thank you St.Martin's Press for the early review copy.

Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering #jaylammreviews

I hate to say it but this one didn’t work for me. After reading Lovering’s last novel, I was expecting a fast paced thriller. This was not that. This was mostly a romance with a dash of domestic suspense thrown in. I think if I knew that going in, maybe I would have enjoyed it more but I can’t say for sure.

I really disliked all the characters and became really frustrated with the choices made by the main character Molly.

Even tho this wasn’t for me, I will definitely read more by Lovering in the future. I enjoy her writing style!

This is out in June!

Can't Look Away is the newest novel by Carola Lovering. I enjoyed this story about love, loss, and obsessions. The main characters are Molly, Jake, and Sabrina. Lovering tells the story giving the reader chapters dedicated to each of them. and the stories span over several years. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy to review.

This was a good book. I enjoyed the alternating viewpoints and timelines that allowed me as the reader to see a fuller picture of the story as it all collided together. While it wasn’t as much of a thriller or suspense feel as I was expecting, it had a good overall story. It definitely felt like more of a romance to me with unresolved past issues.

Favorite Quotes

“Maybe happiness is what you surrender to, not what you fight for.”
“I chose you then. I choose you still. You’re my husband.”

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

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/cant-look-away/

Can’t Look Away, Carola Lovering’s third book, isn’t exactly a mystery or thriller. It crosses many genres, including romance, suspense, and a tearjerker with some mystery thrown in. But wow. What a book! Layered characters, evil exes, cute kids, bitchy women and handsome rock stars all rolled into one fabulous package.

Molly, a young 23-year-old aspiring writer, is living in Brooklyn, when she sees Jake Danner of “Danner Lane” perform for the first time. Their eyes meet and they fall head over heels in love. Though Jake is just getting out of a relationship, they move quickly, sharing an apartment after six months together. When the popularity of the band explodes, so does their relationship, though their timeline together spans years.

The book jumps back and forth between timelines and voices; Molly as a 23-year-old girlfriend of a rock star and Molly later in life, as a young mother living in a small Connecticut town married to another man. Also, Sabrina, the ex-girlfriend of a rock star and now, a young mother living in Flynn Cove. Life in this little town, a wealthy enclave of young families, should be idyllic and is until Molly’s secrets are slowly uncovered.

The mystery revolves around Sabrina, a newcomer to town, and Molly’s new friend. What the reader learns almost immediately is that Sabrina has known Molly for a long time and is not a fan. But how does she know her? Sabrina’s ramblings in the book, those of a creepy stalker, bring that suspense into Can’t Look Away that the reader is craving. This is definitely a page turner, and I looked forward to Sabrina’s chilling voice in direct contrast to Molly’s angst.

Carola Lovering is a new author for me. Some things I loved about this book were how twisty it was, but I also enjoyed Molly’s unpredictability. She doesn’t make the decisions you think she will make, and I liked that unreliable narrator piece. This was entertaining and kept you addicted to the last page. While the story is told in dual timelines (2013 and 2022), it is not confusing as it is in some books. There is so much emotion from both characters that really draws the reader in.

The conclusion of Can’t Look Away is truly brilliant. I really wasn’t sure that it would have a happy ending because of Molly’s unpredictability and Sabrina’s plans for her, but Lovering was able to tie everything together.

Another compelling and impossible to put down story by Carola Lovering. I could not get enough of the dynamics between Molly, Sabrina, and Jake. The mixture of romance and thriller gave this a fresh feel. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy looking forward to more greats stories.

Obsession and love. How do you draw the line? This was 'okay', kind of over the top and a bit too far fetched for me to believe.

Carola Lovering is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me! I didn’t know if CAN’T LOOK AWAY was going to be able to top how much I loved her last novel, TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. However, I think this one is my new favorite of her’s! Her plot lines are always unique and fast paced with a sprinkle of romance and this one is no different. I highly recommend this to everyone, but warning: make sure you have time to binge it in just a couple sittings, because you won’t be able to put this one down 😉 4.5 stars from me! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Can't look away by Carola Lovering doesn't disappoint. Told in dual timelines the book focus' on Molly in 2013 and today(2022). In 2013, Molly meets Jake, a lead singer in an up and coming band named Danner Lane. They fall in love but Molly can't keep up with the musician lifestyle. In 2022, Molly is living with her husband Hunter and her daughter in the suburbs. Molly becomes friends with Sabrina, thinking they have has a lot in common but little does Molly know Sabrina isn't exactly who she appears to be.
This book is a quick read but I wouldn't categorize it as a thriller, it's more of a domestic suspense. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from the author. Thank you to Carola Lovering, St Martin's Press and Net Galley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fans of Too Good To Be True will be blown away yet again with lovering’s latest novel. This multiple POV story follows Molly, Jake, and Sabrina across a 9 year span that truly keeps you wanting more page after page. It was a quick and enjoyable read that jumped between the past and present, but was easy to keep up with. I was truly invested in each character and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

The ending was absolutely perfect! I didn’t find it to be rushed and was left feeling like there were no loose ends.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: June 14, 2022

TW: lots of focus on pregnancy loss and fertility struggles, eating disorders, stalking

This dual timeline read takes us between 2013 and today…slowly revealing how these two timelines merge in this anxiety-inducing domestic drama with one super crazy ex-girlfriend. This was a quick and easy read and Sabrina’s chapters in the first person were quite chilling! My issue is that this is marketed as a mystery/thriller and despite the mayhem that was caused over the years, there were no consequences and everyone’s storyline wrapped up with a HEA.

I love love this author. Such a good book, I think people are gonna really love this one. Keep me wanting more the whole way through. Thank you!

I LOVED Tell Me Lies and Too Good To Be True so I was thrilled to get an ARC of this book. Unfortunately, Can’t Look Away did not meet my high expectations. I read the whole book waiting for a suspenseful event and was disappointed that there was nothing unexpected. I think the book should be marketed as a relationship drama because that more accurately depicts the story line. I still enjoyed the actual writing but the overall story missed the mark for me.

Thank you to Carola Lovering, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What do you get when you mix a love story with a psychological thriller? A great book! The story takes place in 2013 and 2022. Molly is living in New York, trying to be a writer, and locks eyes with a handsome musician. There is immediate chemistry. Jake and Molly move in together and seemingly have a perfect relationship.Fast forward to 2022 and Molly has a husband and a little girl. It has been years since she’s seen Jake. Jake and his new wife move to Molly’s neighborhood and there are many secrets and twists and turns. It’s a quick read and I will be recommending it to all my “book” friends! #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #Can’tLookAway @CarolaLovering

This is the story of obsessive love of all kinds, this is the story of a romantic triangle that becomes a square. While there is some suspense, it is less of a thriller than a story of coming to terms with what you want in life. Was a good read