Cover Image: Can't Look Away

Can't Look Away

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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!!

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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

Was this review helpful?

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”

Was this review helpful?

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!

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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!

Was this review helpful?

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>

Was this review helpful?

I listened to the audiobook of this book and while it is advertised as a thriller type of book, I felt like I was more on the scene of a reality tv show. It tend to have more drama than thrill. The only thrill that I could pick up was with one character being obsessed with another because she stole her boyfriend back in the day. The narrative for the audiobook was cringey in parts as there was a young girl and man being narrated by a lady which I thought could have been better. They could have brought in a man and child instead of listening to a lady's octave go up and down amongst conversation.
Luckily the type of storyline is pretty much what I love to read, so I thought it was written well -- just categorized wrong. It's seems like a love story about a young girl falling in love with a band member at first, but has a lot of twists and turns that I felt really captivated my attention and kept me drawn into the plot. I felt like I probably would have enjoyed this book a bit better had I read the physical copy. All in all, I thought it was a great book!

Was this review helpful?

I went into this one expecting a thriller, based on the author's previous book (and my judgement of the cover). Can't Look Away was more of a women’s fiction novel with a little suspense. Actually, it read a lot like a Colleen Hoover novel, so if you like her you’ll love this!

I was very impressed with the way the author wrote these characters. Throughout the story, I couldn’t figure out which of the characters I liked and was rooting for. There’s an obvious love triangle (square?) situation, and I was constantly changing which man I wanted Molly to pick. Molly was complex and well-developed, and while she certainly made some questionable decisions, it was in a realistic and understandable way. I can’t say the same for Sabrina, but she was a really fun trainwreck to watch. Especially once her lies all caught up to her–I was cringing on her behalf.

In regards to Lovering’s other books, I liked this one more than Tell Me Lies but not as much as Too Good To Be True. I would definitely recommend it, though!

Audio Review: Unsurprisingly, I loved the audiobook. Can’t Look Away was narrated by Caitlin Davies, Karissa Vacker, and Zachary Webber. Zachary narrated November 9, and I’ve listened to many productions by Karissa Vacker and a couple by Caitlin Davies. Each felt like a good fit for their characters, and I love a full cast because it makes it so easy to keep the separate perspectives straight.

Was this review helpful?