This book actually is actually about loneliness and connection and how one often leads to another. I highly enjoyed this perfectly sketched story. I was attached to the characters and eager to read more. At the conclusion, I began to reread it. Amazing book.

Engaging story of the love lost, choices, we make, and the perils of obsession and not letting go, even when you really should. Molly made the right choices, Sisi didn't - and karma evened everyone out in the end. If you like a complex domestic reconciliation of past/present - definitely a good choice.

Carola Lovering's Can't Look Away is a pretty realistic treatment of the feelings one has for his or her first love, and whether there is only one such love in life.  The plot is somewhat realistic,  and the characters well described and well developed.   Even at the heart of their deepest measured stupidity,  the reader will still care about the fate of the characters in this book.  The novel was an easy read, drawing me in from the start and keeping me interested through to the end.  I would definitely recommend Can't Look Away. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I have read Carola Lovering's first two books, so I was excited to see this third one. Can't Look Away follows a story about 'what might've been,' centering around Molly and Jake, and then Sabrina, who Jake was with before Molly. There something about Lovering's writing that continues to suck me in. I will read anything she writes, and would simply go in blind. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy domestic dramas.

Whew, that was QUITE a ride. So Molly lives in the burbs with her daughter and husband (who it’s very clear that she loves). She doesn’t vibe much with most of the women in the area until the friendly Sabrina moves to town. Sabrina has a suspicious amount of things in common with Molly which you learn isn’t quite as ironic as you’re made to initially believe. It’s the Bermuda Triangle of love triangles.

3 stars
This is a story that could happen to any of us given the perfect storm of fate. A songwriter, a woman/child who inspires him to create a special moment and it becomes a huge hit...

and then "a new version of this hit song is on the radio, forcing the woman to confront her past and ask the ultimate questions: What happens when life turns out nothing like she thought it would, when she was young and dreaming big? Does growing up mean choosing with the head, rather than the heart? And do we ever truly get over our first love?

“When did Molly stop remembering this? Or is it inevitable to forget how luck you are, to eventually take the miraculous for granted when it’s no longer shiny and new?”
To me, the above quote perfectly describes (what I perceived as) the intended moral of this book.

Quick take without giving too much away:

Can’t Look Away is told from the perspective of our three main characters: Molly, Jake, and Sabrina.

Molly, a grad student who dreams of becoming a writer, first encounters Jake at a local dive bar where his band is playing. They lock eyes while he is on stage, and it is love at first sight. The way the author describes the quick and fiery bond between Molly and Jake allows you to really feel and connect with what they had. I feel as though we all may have had a love like this: full of lusty passion. Is that enough to make the relationship last?

As Jakes band sores into Rockstar status, topping all the charts, booking gigs with big name musicians, and going on tour, Molly find herself feeling alone and like their relationship is second to the band. Molly befriends a town newbie, Hunter, whom she can occupy time with (as friends, of course) while Jake is seemingly always preoccupied. Thus begins the rocky road of their relationship where we see many issues arise that leave you wondering where their loyalty to each other lies.

Little do Molly & Jake know that there is a calculated, driving force behind much of the scandals that create the rift between them (enter Sabrina).
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As the book shifts back and forth between characters and timelines, I do love seeing how each person grows. When Molly sees Jake in the future and is forced to confront the past and her feelings that she never allowed herself to confront before, I could relate to that from my own life experiences. Our first true love may always be one that we think about and perhaps that even shapes us into who we are-but that doesn’t mean it’s the person you’re meant to end up with. I love that Molly could recognize that while reflecting on how great her life is with Hunter and how, now that her past confronted her, she can move on in a more secure fashion than ever before.

Side note: I don’t think that I would categorize this book as a thriller. There was mild suspense, some mystery, revenge and of course romance. I found it to be predictable at times. I saw a mention of this being a little ‘hallmark movie-ish’ and I must agree. While I like it, I didn’t love it. But it is a book that I would recommend.

Many thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy of this book.

*Note to the publisher: Links to reviews on retail sites will be provided on the Pub. Date.

This was a really fun thriller, with a twisty romance thrown in. All of the main characters were super interesting and the way the timeline was set up was perfect for maximum suspense. At times you weren't sure who to root for, but I was happy with how things turned out

This book is marketed as a thriller, but it is really about a love triangle and the lengths one will go to in order to get what they want, and exact revenge.

A musician named Jake Danner seems to be attractive to many women (although, from his character, one wonders why). When he dumps his girlfriend Sisi and moves on to Molly, Sisi decides to infiltrate herself into his life to win him back. She goes to enormous, deceptive and pathological extents to make this happen.

The story moves quickly and somewhat predictably. The characters weren't fleshed out enough for me to care enough about any of them.

I absolutely LOVED this book!! I'm a huge fan of Carola Lovering's first two books, Tell Me Lies and Too Good To Be True, and book #3 was just as amazing! The theme of toxic love that is present in Can't Look Away, as well as in her previous novels, is so unique and captivating. Lovering has such a talent for creating characters that make you as the reader feel the emotions they're going through so deeply, as if they're your own. The multiple POVs and alternating timelines blended together seamlessly and never felt confusing or choppy. Everyone mark your calendars for June 14, 2022 because I promise you're going to want to get your hands on this book as soon as it comes out!

"Can't Look Away" was a decent story, but failed to live up to its potential. It starts off really well -- Sabrina's obsession with Molly, the instant connection between Molly and Jake when they first meet, the knowledge that their relationship ultimately not work out (as the Molly of 2022 is happily married to someone else (Hunter)), and how Molly inspires Jake to write better songs (he is the lead singer of the band Danner Lane with two best friends, the Lane brothers), while Jake imbues Molly with the confidence to pursue her dream of writing a novel (she is pursuing a Masters in Fine Arts in a creative writing program, but does not believe she can write a novel that people will want to read). The ending is quite good and the author has included some significant surprises. I particularly liked how the author had Sabrina's scheme unravel and the depth of her obsession and meddling revealed. However, there is a large stretch of the book where most of the characters are unlikable and it feels like the author is trying too hard to make the plot work and keep the story moving as the story alternates between past and present, and the reader learns the history of Molly and Jake, Sabrina and Jake, and the plotting by Sabrina involving Molly.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

What a great read! Absolutely loved the characters and storyline POVs. I really felt the pull of emotions tugging throughout the book. This one had plenty of twists and turns.
Highly recommend!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

After loving TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE earlier this year I jumped to read Carola Lovering’s upcoming novel CAN’T LOOK AWAY when I saw it go up on Netgalley.

CAN’T LOOK AWAY follows Molly, the MC, with a dual time line as she navigates her early twenties in NYC and raising a daughter in Flynn Cove, CT. Molly finds herself falling for the typical band member she met in a bar. Their relationship is a hot mess and results in Molly being followed and friended by a psycho ex. When her band boy moves into town 10 years later when Molly is finally settled and living life, shit hits the fan.

This one was just okay for me. It didn’t have the bang factor that TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE had. I found most of Molly and Jake’s back story to be predictable but still enjoyed reading it in the “wow this is messed up” way😂.

I would recommend this one for readers who enjoy friend group and relationship drama without the violence of thrillers.

TW: miscarriage, infidelity

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

“Can’t Look Away” by Carola Lovering tells the story of Molly, Sabrina, and Jake through their points of views in both present day and the past. All of this book takes place in the 2000s. This book deals with relationship issues, decisions made, and roads not traveled - with a bit of twisted revenge. After a few chapters, it was easy to keep the two timelines (and three characters) separate. I liked the ambiguous ending for one character. This is a very character driven book, and I must admit that my favorite character was Stella, Molly’s daughter. Ms. Lovering captured the enthusiasm, highs, lows, questioning and other characteristics of a youngster in ways that had me chuckling.

Wow, what a whirlwind of emotions. "Cant Look Away" was unique in that it really took the time to develop the intricacies within the relationships of main characters. Learning about Molly's friendships, her family background, and her relationship with Jake felt like a web of timelines and events that somehow also seamlessly transitioned into the "present" timeline. The plot dealt with some tricky themes, as well, including toxic friendship dynamics, the balance between goal orientation and relationships, as well as themes of fidelity. Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The pacing was well spaced and by the end of it, I really did feel connected with Molly and Jake, as well as the events that they had gone through. My only slight critique would be that I felt like everything fit a bit "too well" at the end, the shift in tone in our main antagonist was also a bit too unrealistic for me, considering all the things she had done up to that point.
Otherwise, again, this was a very solid read and had a great blend of mystery within the romance, too!

On again, off again. That’s the relationship between Molly and Jake, a rock star. Add a frenemy that you love to hate. This novel has good characterizations. I read it with eagerness to find out what happens next. Rather long which gives it 4.5 stars, rounded up to five.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press!

This book should be called “Can’t Put Down,” because that is how addictive it was to read. I was reading while on the treadmill, while cooking dinner and late into the night because I was so hooked. Lovering does an outstanding job of giving readers a domestic thriller with characters that are much more real than often found in the genre. That’s because she manages to add some romance to the mix in a way that takes the story to another level without being cloying. And for fans of thrillers, rest assured that this book will keep you guessing, but also rooting for the characters. Highly recommend this one.

This novel begins with a young woman in her early 20s, Molly Diamond, living in New York. She meets a handsome musician at a bar one night - Jake Danner and it’s love at first sight. Flash forward to present day, Molly is living in the suburbs in Connecticut, with her husband, Hunter and her young daughter.

A woman named Sabrina moves to town and befriends Molly. However, little does Molly know that Sabrina has ulterior motives and secrets of her own.

This is the author’s second venture into the thriller genre, her other book, Too Good to Be True, came out last year. Honestly, this book was good, I enjoyed it, but it’s not a thriller. I think there’s an element of mystery but it’s way more about young love, growing up, choosing things, the paths not taken, etc. I think there’s definitely family and relationship dynamics at play here and it’s pretty interesting to read. No one writes about young, passionate love better than Lovering - I re-read her first novel Tell Me Lies every few years.

Overall, I enjoyed it and the flashbacks to Molly’s past and what happened with her and Jake actually worked pretty well in this novel. I thought the ending was also pretty realistic and satisfying and I appreciate that it didn’t go off the rails as some domestic thrillers do. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

When twenty-three-year-old Molly Diamond meets Jake Danner, the lead singer of Danner Lane, she finds herself captivated. Within six months, they’ve moved in together but soon discover that the road to happily ever after is seldom straight and smooth. For Molly and Jake, it’s twisty, pitted, and bumpy; their relationship is turbulent and fraught, filled with misunderstandings, fights, and separations. Nevertheless, they continue to work at it, convinced that they belong together.

But others would separate them and conspire to break up the couple.

And when their lives all come together in an unexpected way, will they find the answers they seek?

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Told alternately by Molly, Sabrina, and Jake, the story switches between present and past, with the past slowly providing bits and pieces of the backstory. The evolving story is less of a thriller and more of a dissection of a romantic relationship; there are times that the telling of the tale feels a bit like high school teenager angst. There’s love and loss along with secrets and obsessions in a train wreck of a story about give and take, about expectations and commitment in relationships.

With well-drawn, nuanced, and believable characters, [most of whom are quite unlikeable], the unfolding story traces the vicissitudes of the relationship between Molly and Jake. More of a character study than a mystery, astute readers will figure out exactly what’s going on and who’s doing what to whom long before the big reveals take place in the story. Nevertheless, there are some unexpected twists along the way and readers may be surprised with the outcome of the narrative.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley
#CantLookAway #NetGalley