4 1/2 stars

I absolutely inhaled this book. I toggled back and forth between the ebook and audio version so that I was reading or listening to it all the time. The story has some obsessive behavior in the storyline and I definitely had an obsession about this book myself.

The book is told in different timelines by three different people's point of view. I would definitely classify it more as women's fiction with some great twists as opposed to mystery thriller. This story was definitely more about love and how it can build you up and then turn around and break you. It was beautiful, angsty, raw and real. Then there some other tweaks thrown into the storyline that just took it to the next level of creativity. This was completely in my wheelhouse. I loved it.

Our main character is Molly and the majority of this story is told from her perspective with some others thrown in as well to balance the storyline and give other pertinent information. Molly fell in love with a rising rockstar when she was young and living in New York. The relationship was tumultuous and gave her highs and lows. Now, years later, she's married with a daughter but still thinking about the one that got away. I'm not telling anything more. All I can say is this book is addictive. There were a few things I found far-fetched...but hey, it's fiction so I went with it.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I loved the narration. There was a different narrator for each person's point of view which makes it so much easier to follow. I thought the audio lent itself well to this storyline and style of writing. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Can't Look Away is my first from Carola Lovering but certainly will not be my last.

Molly, Jake, Serena: past, present. All three characters are intertwined in a dramatic tale. Serena first dated Jake but that didn't work out. He starts dating Molly right after and the rest.... you won't be able to look away from the pages to watch this unfold.

I had the pleasure of listening to this on audio and also reading an e arc! After I hit the 30% mark, it was hard to stop listening and figuring out where Lovering was going. She makes you feel certain things about her characters that dives you into captivating scenes.The audio was made even better with three different narrators for the point of view changes. If you like domestic dramas, this is the story for you!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and MacMillan audio for my e arc and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! Can't Look Away drops Tuesday, June 14!

3.5 rounded up. Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering is billed as a thriller, though I’d classify it as a literary drama with a tinge of mystery. The story follows two timelines and four people who have crossed paths in one or both timelines. As a reader, the main focus is on Molly’s and Jake’s relationship which has a ‘love at first sight’ energy, followed by ‘the one who got away’ energy. As the plot progresses, we learn more about their story - how they met, how they fell apart, and the secrets that were kept both in and around their relationship.

As a literary drama I found the story interesting and quick-paced; it helped make a long car ride enjoyable. As a mystery or thriller, it falls a little short. There is a puzzle to solve, but there aren’t suspenseful or gripping turns. Ultimately, the part that kept this from being a great book for me was the buttoned-up ending. Each character endured pretty awful things (often because of intentional harm caused by another character) and not much was reconciled. The pace was slow background for 75% of the book, medium-paced mystery unveiling for another 15%, then a mad dash to show how each character landed in the last 10%.

If you enjoy non-scary, creepy character books this one may be for you. It’s a “selectively recommend” book from my perspective because it’s well-written and aimed at someone who doesn’t read a lot of thrillers, but wants a bit of mystery or drama. If that is you, then this could be a good fit. I need jumpy and tense parts OR deep character development, so it was a solid “liked not loved” for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing this audio book in exchange for me review – as always, I appreciate it!

Content warnings: Infertility, Miscarriage, Stalking, Emotional Abuse

I listened to this story on audio and it was done so well! I'm not a huge audiobook person but I would definitely recommend listening to this one over reading it!

The story includes three different point of views : Molly Diamond - 33 year old married mother who lives in Flynn Cove, trying to discover her passion in life, Jake Danner - former music artist and Molly's first true love , and Sabrina - clever, up-to-no-good , secret keeping woman that is on a mission.

This book was so jam packed with drama, especially girl drama. It was highly entertaining and I'm glad I picked it up! The story itself was very predictable. It reminded me of the movie 'Obsessed' featuring Beyoncé , 'YOU' the TV series or even 'The Last Mrs. Parrish' but a little more tame and less savage.

I know a lot of people thought this was to be a thriller, so just be warned that its definitely more of a domestic drama.

Thank you so much MacMillan Audio for the advanced audiobook !

This book hit stores June 14th, 2022!

Another solid novel from Carola Lovering.
I do appreciate how true to life her characters and situations are. Almost to the point where I wouldn't call categorize this as a thriller (there were no murders) but more of a domestic suspense.

Molly is the central character in this story. We slowly learn how she went from being the love of musician, Jake Danner's, life to a suburban mother married to a man names Hunter. Molly's old flame Jake and his crazy wife CeCe show up in their suburban world quite unexpectedly.
This book was great and really focused on love, what we do for love, how it changes us and what boarders on the line of obsession and romantic. I related so much to Molly and her relationship turmoil, but the story kept a great engaging pace at the same time. Carola is definitely a go to author for me!

Can’t Look Away is another soap opera disguised as a thriller. There is really no mystery here. Sabrina is trying to hurt Molly because Molly had the love of Jake. So she worked as hard as she could to get between them. There is one reveal that is not really a reveal so much as extremely obvious from the beginning.
I liked that there were different narrators for each POV the story is told from.

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering

First of all, this is not a thriller like the cover makes it look like. It’s a domestic drama and romance type of story. There is a creepy and obsessive ex girlfriend character which explains the thriller vibe on the cover.

I think I liked this book, but am a bit unsure. I loved it at first, it’s very addicting and I was so invested in finding out what happens to these characters. But by the end I didn’t like them. I hated the lying and secrets and they seemed like toxic people. But the writing was very well done and I’m sure it will be a popular one!

Thanks to @netgalley, @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for both the audiobook and ebook! This one is out on June 14th.

What summer book releases are you looking forward to?

#cantlookaway #books #ebooks #audiobooks #bookishthoughts #kindle #bookreview #bookthoughts #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillanaudio #books #canadianbookstagrammer #bookstagramI’m

Review I briefly looked at some of the reviews already posted, not my usual, but it seems like a lot of other readers had my same opinion. THIS IS NOT A THRILLER.

So the top tagline, " 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" or "Sexy and Tense An especially sophisticated and complex thriller" is possibly the best part of fiction associated with this book.
Do editors/publishers need to have a little pow wow about what a thriller is? I have been noticing this in a lot of books I have read recently, books are being mislabeled under the thriller genre when in reality they are more like just regular women's fiction. Is there some kind of stigma being "Women's Fiction" as opposed to thriller? I am guessing so. Ladies, who cares. Write what you want and embrace the genre your books should actually be in.

Okay off my soap box. So as a thriller reader, this book was by no means fitting of a thriller (Not action packed, not fast paced, no surprise, anxiety etc) so setting that aside it was more like a slow burning story of obsessive love.
Molly and Jake begin their whirlwind romance in their early 20s, she an aspiring writer, he an up and coming musician. He is captivated and "Can't Look Away" from Molly, they begin a relationship but he has an obsessive ex. The book progresses as Molly in the present time is married to Hunter and has a young daughter Stella (who is annoyingly obsessed with all things Frozen!--I still have Let it Go stuck in my mind!! Ah!) Molly and Hunter live in a preppy country club neighborhood where Molly doesn't really fit in until Sabrina moves into the area and is a little obsessed with Molly. The book then alternates between the past (Jake and Molly's relationship) and the present.
The time in the past was incredibly frustrating and not "sexy" in fact it was a showcase for what an arrogant jerk Jake was. He treated Molly like a piece of toilet paper, unless "he was ready" to be in the relationship. Otherwise he just ignored her and only focused on his career, his feelings and what he wanted. She was a doormat. I felt bad for her. I really did not like any part of Jake, past or present.
The Sabrina/Cece character also is for some reason obsessed with Jake, even after he made it perfectly clear he was not in love with her, yet she still kept her crazy obsession with him.
The time spent in the past also was just a drunken craze, I would finish a chapter and felt like I Had a hangover just from reading about how much they drank....it got old....quick....


None of these relationship were sexy, they were just shallow physical relationships because if any of the characters stepped away from the situation and looked at the emotions and treatment towards one another they would have seen each other for what they were.

Hunter was the only good character!

Still don't understand why people like Jake......

If you are a fan of fangirl/obsessed exes you will probably like this book, but if you are looking for a "thriller" fast paced mystery, skip this one.

I can tell the author is good with her words and a good story teller. I will most certainly read other books by her. I think this book was just mismarked.

Thank you Netgally for this advanced copy. I was not influenced for this review. (less)

Can’t Look Away is an exciting read. I found Molly likeable and easy to root for. Hunter is a dream that felt comforting in tough times. The pace of this novel is rhythmic and perfect – especially the audio. Narration is spot on and adds to the experience. The choices Molly makes are challenging yet understandable given the circumstances she’s faces. I was invested in all the main characters – past and present POVs. I classify this is as a romantic, domestic suspense.

I didn’t know what to expect from this one before reading it because lately I’m trying not to read synopsis’s before reading a book because it gives it a nice element of surprise. This book surprised me, but in a good way. It’s pegged as a thriller, but it’s more of a romance meets thriller, but not so much what I would consider a thriller because it only has the element of suspense. The book is set in Connecticut, my home state, and I felt like the drama going on in the book would have been more suited for a setting like Hollywood based on the characters (boy in a famous band and an overly rich girl living off her family wealth) - I felt like I was watching Selling Sunset with the dramatics of Sabrina - it didn’t feel very Connecticut. But that is all pretty minor and, in a way, I appreciate the author giving my boring home state some excitement! I think this one is definitely worth the read. I liked each of the characters and their stories were good. You had your nice guys (Molly, Hunter, and the adorable little Stella), your character you wanted to like, but we’re kind of on the fence about (Jake), and your villain (Sabrina). I listened to the audio version and it was good, the only downside was that the narrator’s voice of Jake and Hunter sounded the same and had the exact same tone, so I was confused sometimes as to who she was talking to if I got interrupted at work when I was listening. By the end, I couldn’t wait to see how it all unfolded and was surprised in the end!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @Macmillan.audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

3.75-4 stars

Content warnings for a lot of discussion about fertility issues, IVF, miscarriages, etc.; they’re central to the plot, not just passing references.

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting from the writer’s new book; it had the typical domestic thriller/suspense elements, which was fine, and I enjoyed the layers of the story about creativity, expression, music, etc. However, as I felt about the last book I read from this author, the ending felt a bit too picture-perfect to be believable. I’m all for feminism and empowered female characters and not mindlessly hating on other women for making mistakes…but when you spend years of your life aggressively stalking, manipulating, and trying to get revenge on someone for a perceived wrong, you don’t all of a sudden forgive them, wish them well, and move on because something bad happened to them. I don’t know…it just didn’t feel totally realistic. Either way, I did largely enjoy the book, and I’m sure I’ll check out whatever the writer puts into the world next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book early! I loved this book! However, it is marketed as a thriller and it is definitely not a thriller. This is a domestic drama about 2 women whose paths cross in multiple ways. This book also has one of my favorite tropes ever-- first love 2nd chance. The first half or more of this book I was thinking it could be a 5 star, but then the ending fizzled for me and I expected more.
This book is about Molly and Sabrina. We get alternating chapters from the 2 of them as well as past and present timelines. In present day, Molly is happily married to a man named Hunter and has a young daughter named Stella. Life is pretty good, but she is going through heartbreaking infertility trying to have a 2nd baby. She meets Sabrina and the 2 hit it off as friends. In the past, Molly was in an OTP type relationship with Jake Danner, the front man for a very popular band. Their love is intense and all consuming and seems to be forever, but of course, things go awry.
Sabrina's chapters are told in 2nd person as she watches Molly move throughout her life. We don't know her intentions or why she's following Molly, but she is. Sounds sinister right? However, it never really amounts to what I thought the build up was going for. Saying any more than that will be spoilers so just know that this is a great book IF you go in with the expectation that its a domestic drama.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Present day, Sabrina is married to Jake. She actually dated him before Molly so when he ended up with her and made the hit song, etc. Sabrina was super jealous. Furthermore, she knows that Molly's kid is actually Jake's. Sabrina got him back after Molly left him for suspicions of cheating, drinking too much, etc. but she still wants to expose Molly's secrets. She does in the end, but Hunter knew the whole time so its really only Jake that finds out and he still loves Molly so much he's happy about it. Molly and Jake briefly kiss and rekindle the flame, but she realizes his appeal is for the time they had together, not actually the man. In the end, secrets are exposed but I really wanted Sabrina to try to kill her or something crazy. She did push her down the stairs but it was heat of the moment instead of a sinister plot.

I want to first thank Netgally and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

I want to start by saying this book is like stepping into a Lifetime Movie Network movie. It’s marketed as a thriller but it doesn’t quite hit the mark for me.

With that being said it was still enjoyable. In this book you have Molly, Jake, and Sabrina who are stuck in a weird love triangle. Sadly I don’t really like any of the characters but I also think that might be the point.

They all have their flaws, or they are a little crazy but I think it helps the book a little. Sometimes when you don’t know who the true bad guy is it help the fact that it’s not really a thriller.

This book does a good job of giving you enough information to figure things out, while at the same time second guessing yourself.

Over all this is a 3 star book for me. I would still recommend it but only for someone that wants an easy light read.

Other things that annoyed me is the voice of the narrator trying to sound like a child, and some of the dialogue felt a little immature. But those are personal not picky things.

I’ve loved her last couple of books and this was no different. I like the multiple perspectives, the time jumping and the story line. Her books keep you guessing with believable twists. I would recommend

Can't look away starts out as a typical romance between a musician and a fan. Molly sees Jake up on stage one night and their eyes meet, then in typical romance fashion, they fall madly in love and move in together after only a few months. But, that's where the typical romance ends.

We also have the voice of Sabrina, Jake's ex-girlfriend and she's obviously not over Jake.

Jump to 10 years later and Molly is living in a Connecticut suburb with her husband Hunter and their 5 year old daughter, Sabrina is also in this same town and out to make Molly's live hell, after she befriends her, of course.

Can't Look Away is a good summer listen and I would have to say the narrator does a great job because I really can't stand Sabrina!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

This novel was bananas In the best possible way! I’ll definitely be reading more Carola Lovering in the future.
Molly and Jake have the kind of all-consuming first love that you dream about. The kind where he writes a song for her and it goes to #1 on all the charts and rockets Jake’s band to stardom. But Jake also has a crazy ex with a capitol ‘C’, SiSi, who will stop at nothing to destroy Jake and Molly’s love. She seemingly succeeds.
Fast-forward 5 years and Molly is married to Hunter and raising their daughter, Stella. But what happened with Jake? And why is Sabrina still trying to ruin Molly? A fast-paced thriller that will make you reminisce about your 20s and maybe your own first love.

*Special thanks to.NetGalley and the publisher for an audio version of this novel. I especially love when the characters are voiced by different actors!*

Enjoyment: 5
Total rating: 4.71

Jake and Molly fell in love at first sight. But their love story ends in heartache for both parties.

Years later, they both move on, and Molly is now happily married to Hunter living in a small town. They are having problems conceiving their second child, and Molly doesn't feel like anyone understands the pain of her struggles. But then, newcomer Sabrina moves into town, and after two casual encounters - at Molly's work and at the doctor's clinic - they become fast friends. But Soon, both of their lives will collide as their past comes back to haunt them.

I am a huge fan of Lovering's plotting. Her characters are compelling, relatable and are believable. They make real decisions a non-fictional person would make and I find that very refreshing. I also love how her love/intrigue triangles make sense.

She teases us by slowly releasing information, much like that pixel puzzle. Slowly you start seeing it more clearly, until you have the whole picture. It makes for a satisfying reading experience. Without spoiling anything as it is my personal taste, I absolutely adore her endings. So satisfying!

I both read and listened to the book. The audio production was fantastic, Caitlin Davies, Karissa Vacker and Zachary Webber brought the story to life with amazing chemistry, well paced narration, and a superb performance. I feel that it captured the essence of the book perfectly.

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing a copy of Can't Look Away.

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a psychological thriller, and even though it wasn't, I was not disappointed! I loved the multiple POV (along with the excellent narrators) and dual timelines that kept the plot moving and suspenseful. It's a great listen if you like romantic dramas with a side of obsession and deceit.

If you’re looking for a twisted romance look no further!!!

I expected this book to be more of a thriller, but it’s definitely not! This is a story told in multiple POV as well as dual timelines about our 3 main characters. Throughout the book we’re following the characters and trying to figure out how their storylines are related.

This is my first audiobook and I really enjoyed it!! I found it easy to follow and I was invested in seeing how these relationships were going to be revealed (since it is dual timeline, as the reader we figure out the relationships before the characters do!)

I can't help but feel anything, but duped by the genre description from the publisher. I DNF'd at about 16.3% in and kept waiting for the smallest smidge of mystery or thriller to start appearing because this is around the point that it does. Sadly, it didn't. This is NOT a mystery/thriller. I would say this is more of a women's fiction drama and it would probably be perfect for a Lifetime movie.

I'll say the narrator performance did keep me going so bravo with that. Great combination of narrators.

HUGE trigger warning for infertility and miscarriage. Infertility was a huge topic in just the first 16% so I'm assuming it would be carried throughout.

I have the author's most recent release from 2021 sitting on a shelf and I'm still looking forward to picking it up, but I can't recommend this one.