CAN’T LOOK away was a highly entertaining genre-mash up by Carola Lovering. Part-domestic suspense, part-romance, the story follows star-crossed young lovers Molly and Diamond and Jake Danner. Years later, Molly is living life in suburbia with her husband Hunter, a life far from the one she had envisioned.

I enjoyed watching secrets from Molly’s past emerge and I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the love that Molly and Jake shared. While this isn’t a typical domestic suspense book, there were many questions swirling in my brain about what had happened in the past. I appreciate that the author took the story in a different direction than I was initially expecting. This was my first book by Lovering and I’m excited to pick up her backlist books!

The audiobook was narrated by three distinct narrators, Caitlin Davies, Zachary Webber, and one of my favorites, Karissa Vacker. Each narrator brought the story to life in a new way and certainly enhanced my reading experience. Be sure to give CAN’T LOOK AWAY a listen while you’re out on a summer walk or soaking up the sun by the pool.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

*Maybe happiness is what you surrender to, not what you fight for."

Sometimes love shouldn't be so hard, maybe it shouldn't hurt so much, is one of the many themes to be found in the suspenseful romance drama Can't Look Away by, becoming an auto buy author for me, Carola Lovering.

This story begins in 2013 with Molly locking eyes with sexy lead singer Jake at a club and realizing her life will never be the same.

By chapter two it's 2022 and Molly is married to Hunter with an almost 6 year old daughter living in the suburbs. How did she get here? Where's Jake? Who's Hunter?

As the story goes back and forth in time and we see Molly and Jake's love unfold we see the pressures of rising stardom, self doubt, and why being in love isn't always for the young.

But do you even have a chance when outside forces, like a stalking ex girlfriend, schemes to take advantage of your insecurities?

Told from Molly and Jake's POVs, narrators Karissa Vacker and Zackary Webber give real performances of being in love, of scarifies and of selfishness. The joy, the anger and the sadness that love can bring is written and performed with raw honesty.

There is one more POV, that of the ex girlfriend, who is a bit crazy, and performed by, ecstatically chewing up the scenery, narrator Caitlin Davies. I can't say much about this character, including her name, because she uses a few names and one of them has a reveal that, though not startling, was definitely unsettling for me. I do wish she had more of a comeuppance but I can be petty about stalkers. But I am not petty about true love and with this bittersweet dramatic romance I Can't Look Away.

I received a free copy of this book & audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Omg what a beautifully narrated story! I kept forgetting it wasn’t a romance or contemporary fiction. The narrators did an amazing job of completely becoming their characters. I could visualize everything as they spoke and it was extremely enjoyable to listen to them tell their stories. I loved the storyline and how everything played out.

I wasn't sure about the book at the start. I was struggling to keep up with the flashbacks vs current and exactly WHO certain characters were at time because it wasn't clearly established. BUT once I got through the first probably 25% of the book I couldn't stop.

I felt like I could really imagine each of these characters storylines interacting and playing out. There were several surprises that I was not expecting. The flashback were defintely needed to help show the development of relationships and how that would impact how they played out in the current timeline.

-I loved Hunter's character. BUT I do wonder if he actually saw Jake making out with the other girl like he said he did. Part of me think he didn't see them making out but said he did because he wanted to be with Molly and knew if he said it was just a kiss and Jake pushed the woman off that she would still choose Jake.

-Cece/Caitlin/Sabrina was SO well written. The lengths she went to get what she wanted and then to have it all blow up in her face in the end was so satisfying.

-I was able to relate to Molly so much in her frustration with her younger relationships. I was so MAD at her, but also jealous of her, when she hooked up with Jake. How could she do that to Hunter, who stood up and has held her together since she let him? But also, those feelings would be so hard to repress... ahhh!

Thakn you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing my to has access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I really wish I knew that this was actually a domestic drama and NOT an actual thriller! No wonder I felt like the story dragged a bit.

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering was such a mesmerizing domestic suspense novel and I loved it! Did you say Joe Goldberg stalker vibes, say less! Sign me up!!!! Sabrina just may be Joe’s evil twin and I’m so here for it!! Go in blind and enjoy the ride!!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review!! I highly recommend this audiobook. The narrators truly do a superb job in making this story come to life!!

This is the 3rd book that I have read by this author. Too good to be true is one of my top books for this year but this one fell short for me. The characters weren’t very likeable and that made it harder for me to connect to them.

I also had an issue with the ending which is where I feel like it fell short to me.

I was not expecting to enjoy this psychological domestic thriller as much as I did!! A new to me author, this story is told with multiple POVs and a dual timeline as we learn more about Molly and her life in Flynn Cove, Connecticut, a wealthy suburban community. Molly is struggling to get pregnant with her second child and befriends Sabrina, another young woman who is seemingly also having infertility issues. In a horrible confrontation Molly discovers Sabrina isn't who she seems and has a long held vendetta against her that will have fatal consequences. Great on audio narrated by Caitlin Davies, Karissa Vacker and Zachary Weber. Much thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listening copy. This is definitely one you want to add to your tbr if you enjoy a good domestic thriller or books by Liane Moriarty.

This book was a wild ride. I loved the dual timelines so you could really get Jake and Molly’s story from before, while figuring out what was happening with Sabrina currently. I figured out all of the twists before they were revealed in the book, but it did not take away from the story at all. I loved every bit of this story and how it wrapped things up for all of the characters in the end.

Excellent domestic suspense! The multiple POVs and dual timeline made this binge-worthy. My only critique is that I find it unrealistic that a woman would purposely try to make her husband cross paths with his ex. If she was so jealous, why didn't she leave well enough alone?

I would definitely recommend this one. The audiobook version was great- only Sabrina's narration was somewhat irksome. Loved the voices of Jake and Molly.

I was very excited through the first half of this book with the obsessive characters and intriguing storyline. However, the ending fell flat for me because I was expecting a major twist. Instead it ended exactly how I expected. I liked it, but I was hoping more for a thriller.

This book is so much drama and I👏🏾 am 👏🏾here 👏🏾for👏🏾 it!👏🏾 😂

TW ⚠️ Miscarriage

I went into this book completely blind (no pun intended) thinking it was a scary thriller with this crazy eyeball cover. This book is part romance, part domestic suspense, part love triangle, part crazy ex-girlfriend and a whole bunch of drama.

Aspiring writer Molly Diamond and up and coming rock star Jake Danner fall in love in Brooklyn, NY. Jake's obsessive ex-girlfriend Sabrina, however just can't let go of him. We watch Molly and Jake's relationship flourish and flounder as he reaches the heights of rockstar fame. All the while we hear Sabrina's creepy POV while she stalks them and tries to break them up - She succeeds in part, but not w/o a little rockstar ego from Jake.

Fast-forward years later and Molly has moved to Connecticut, is married to Hunter and they have a little girl. You would think this would make Sabrina happy but NOPE. She decides to move to the same small town in Connecticut as Molly and befriend her. Sabrina has some secrets that is about to blow up all of their worlds and leave a whole lot of casualties in her wake.

I both read and listened to Can't Look Away. I enjoyed all the forbidden passion, cringe worthy narration and drama of every word, especially Sabrina's POV. Her creepy goodness was just enough to keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next and she did not disappoint!

This book is told in multiple POVs by Molly, Sabrina and Jake and you can feel the angst and desperation in their voices like a tangible thing. I highly recommend taking this book to the beach, laying back on your lounge chair and escaping for an afternoon into it.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for giving me this ALC

Marketed as: thriller, suspense and mystery. It was none of those. It was just drama, drama and more drama. Figured out the ending as it was unfolding. Nothing really happened throughout the whole story. Reminded me of the book: “The Wife Between Us”

Can't Look Away is the first book I've read by Carola Lovering. I listened to the audiobook for this one and really enjoyed the three different narrators. I prefer when a book is narrated using multiple people versus one person attempting to do multiple voices. Molly and Jake have a tumultuous history of being in an on-and-off relationship. Eventually, Molly moves on to a new relationship with Hunter. Years later Molly and Jake reunite unexpectedly and secrets are revealed. Read and enjoy!

This one fell flat for me after TGTBT. Once the big reveal of who Sabrina/CC is, everything else is drawn out. The book feels too long.

The male narrator’s voice was….not great. It seemed fake.


I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

2.5 stars, nothing spectacular here.

Thanks to some trusted GR reviewer friends, I had adjusted my expectations for this one and went in knowing it was a domestic drama, not a thriller. Yet still, I didn't find much to connect with here. I didn't like any of the characters and the plot was kind of been there, done that.

We have three points of view, all of them are selfish in their own ways, and some of them are crazy stalkers. It's a straightforward story overall though, the characters only think about themselves and what they want. It annoyed me to no end that Molly, an intelligent woman with a master's degree, is basically hanging around wanting these men to take care of her and encourage her rather than being strong and pursuing her writing ambitions herself. All of the characters acted like love and being in love with particular people was the ultimate thing in life and without it they were empty shells worth nothing. I just wanted to shake all of them and tell them that they are grown adults and they should act like it and stop wallowing in teenage angst well past the teen years.

I'm not sure this author is for me, I don't get into the sappy melodrama and soap opera-style drama. I listened to part of this as an audiobook and did like the full cast narration. It kept me more invested than reading it on the page.

The narrators did a great job making the story come alive. A hugely entertaining novel. Tense and well-paced plot.

From the author of Tell Me Lies and Too Good to Be True comes Carola Lovering's Can't Look Away, 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.

I really enjoyed this book. It was exactly what I like - drama, a handful of characters (not too many) and a great story. I read the book in a day and can't wait for the author's next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my complimentary copy.

I listened to the audiobook of this thriller. We are following three pov’s throughout the story. Back and forth from past to present timelines. Molly is living in the suburbs with her husband, Hunter and daughter when her past shows up in her little town. We get Jake and Sabrina, Sabrina had been a bit of a stalker on Molly’s life, the story takes off from here. The narration is what makes this story great! I think this a terrific summer beach read!

CAN’T LOOK AWAY is my first Carola Lovering novel. I obtained this as an audiobook advanced reader’s copy from the publisher, MacMillan Audio, via Netgalley, which also happened to by my first advanced copy audiobook!

I found the narration to be well done by all three narrators; however the audio quality for certain characters sounded tinny and made the coherency of the story difficult to hear/understand at faster reading speeds (maybe this is not the case for others).

The story is told in shifting timelines, varying from 2013 to present, in the POVs of Molly, Sabrina and Jake.

The plot is more character-driven story, with each main character navigating and withholding their own secrets. The reader is left to put together the pieces as to what the motivations certain characters have for what they are doing. I enjoyed the way Lovering wrote her characters - making them all realistic and well-rounded. This made it easier to understand their thought process and decision-making, despite it sometimes being misguided.

I did not find this novel to be an overly thriller-type novel, so I think to a certain extent this novel may not be marketed to the correct audience. I can see why some have listed it as more of a romantic suspense though, as old romantic ties have a heavy hold to the plot line.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own. Upon publishing of this novel, I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada.</i>