Can't Look Away

Can’t look away , is a great book about those loves of your twenties. Those are the loves which you never get over. These loves shape the way you will handle every relationship of your life. We are hurt and we hurt when in those young relationships. I know that I will never get over my twenty love

ARC provided by NETGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall rating - 4.5/5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
{trigger warnings- miscarriage}
"Can't Look Away" is a beautiful and sentimental journey through first love and the hold it has on us throughout life, and staying true to the title - I just couldn't look away from this book!
I found all of the characters (yes, even Sabrina) endearing and I empathized with every perspective they each provided. I think most of us have found ourselves in at least a few of these mindsets throughout our lives. The only thing I had a slight issue with was the first, third-person switches but wasn't too bothered by it overall.
I just loved the general sentiment of this book. While the bonds of first love may reach across time and grab hold of our hearts, we only need to be brave enough to take off the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia and appreciate these new phases of life just as they are. "Can't Look Away" is a beautiful reminder of the duality of growing up; being thankful for youth and first loves, the memories and growth made during that time, and also accepting that sometimes we outgrow these people and need to let them go in order to be our best selves.

Wow! Part romance, part suspense, all encompassing awesome story! I didn't want to put this one down and when I had to, I couldn't stop thinking about it! Wondering which way the story would twist and what would be revealed throughout the story and with a few surprises thrown in. Molly and Jake's story is one I won't forget any time soon. Highly recommend!

I couldn’t stop thinking about this book and had to finish it as quickly as I could. It get a little hard to categorize. Was it romance? Mystery? Family drama? It felt like a little of all of them. Overall, the story is about Molly and Jake, their love story and what happens after it doesn’t work out. The personal growth of the characters was phenomenal! I really enjoyed reading this!

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.

A captivating psychological thriller about lost love and a love that becomes dangerously obsessive . The character's emotions run deep and you will start caring about what happens to some and love to hate others. There was a love triangle between Molly, Jake and Sabrina that starts innocently enough until an obsession turns ugly. I enjoyed the back story of each character and how they became who they were in the present. I also enjoyed the tension that built up between Molly and Sabrina until the explosive ending. This was a great read not to be missed.

This was a really engaging read, centered primarily on Molly, who had a whirlwind romance with the lead singer of a famous band and is now settled into the suburbs with her husband and young child. Then you get Sabrina, now married to Molly's once love and determined to take Molly down and secure him for herself.

This is a story of love in all of its faces- true love, first love, obsession, and boundaries. The author provided a great look into the heads of each character so you could really empathize with their plight, even when you didn't agree with their decisions. I did struggle with Sabrina most of all- I don't even understand why she would want to bring Molly and Jake back together with as insecure as she felt.

The book was fast paced the entire way through, and jumped back and forth from 2013 until 2022- it kept me engaged the entire time, as you saw things happening in real time and in the aftermath. Small nit, but I don't know why the author set the timeline in 2022 (though I know that is when the book is released), as it feels risky to write a book in the future without knowing if any major event might happen that would feel weird to leave out. I think it could have been set in 2012 and 2021 and been the same story.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this story (as I have with Lovering's other books) and felt connected to these characters and to the story itself . It was a love story without being a romance, with a good dose of psychological thriller, and I was satisfied with how it all turned out. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So thrilled to be able to get an early read of this from one of my favorite authors. I loved this book so much. A true love story mixed with psychological suspense. Think of a mix of Colleen Hoover romance and the YOU series.

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering was a novel that I had a hard time putting down. Molly, Jake and Sisi’s world interconnect for decades, There’s love, hate, revenge, misunderstandings and plenty of “gaslighting” that make for a powerful page turner you won’t want to miss. The story takes place in NYC, and then later in a small town In Connecticut, where their lives interchange yet again. A secret is exposed that will change everyone’s life and, and have you tearing up the pages to get to the end. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
Thank You to the Author Carola Lovering, St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for allowing me to read this great novel for my honest review.

Absolutely loved this book! Lovering has managed to tell a love story, intermixed with psychological thriller! The characters were relatable and well developed. Telling a story in alternating time lines can often times be confusing - Lovering is a master! Loved the seamless transition in time span! I can’t wait to read more from this author and appreciate the advanced copy! Would also love a sequel to where these characters are in 10 years time!!!

WOW!! What a page Turner! I loved the suspense build ip. Sabrina….good grief what a prize! Great book!!

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.

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.

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

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!

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

This was super interesting to read - it even creeped me out sometimes as I read so there’s also that: the characters were very interesting and also very layered so that was fun. 5 out of 5 stars!

I absolutely couldn't look away from Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering. The book was amazing- taking me on a rich, immersive journey with 4 incredibly special characters. Even Sabrina, the "unlikeable" character had me rooting almost the entire time. The pacing was perfect, the character development absolutely divine. I was very sad to come to the end, but completely satisfied, when I got to the last page.
Side note: The fictional town of Flynn Cove, CT is very similar to where I live and after reading an author interview, it turns out I live very close to her in real life, lol). Highly recommend!!!

Well, this was one big, delicious trainwreck of a book and just like the title says, I couldn't look away! A super-fun read that is more domestic-drama suspense than thriller, I was eagerly turning pages to see what the next self-destructive move each of these characters were going to play. The story is told from several different POV's and does require suspension of belief as there are a number of coincidences and events that had to line up just right in order to work, but just go with it! You won't be disappointed! My second from this author and it will definitely not be the last! Ms. Lovering is the new queen of obsessive-whackos-in-love stories! And oh yeah, I ugly cried at the end!! Well done!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Carola Lovering and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

I could not put this book down. Jake is in a band and meets Molly and it's basically love at first sight - flash forward a few years and Molly is now married to Hunter. Then another girl, Sabrina, comes into the picture. This book wasn't necessarily a thriller but it had enough in the plot to keep you guessing of what was going to happen next. It also had the element in the book that I love, of "the one who got away" and two people who can't be together for various reasons. I highly recommend this book. I also really liked it being told from the various points of view.

What a twisty puzzle of a mystery! Molly and Jake, an up-and-coming rock star, fall in love. But there's a jealous ex-girlfriend who will do just about anything to get Jake back. That's where this crazy ride begins.

I had no idea how this book would end. I just had to keep reading. If you enjoyed Lovering's previous novel, "Too Good to Be True," I think you'll find "Can't Look Away" just as exciting. The characters seem real (although I'd be afraid to know some of them!)

I've raced through both of these books because I just couldn't imagine how the stories would end and I felt compelled to find out.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an advance reader copy. I'm looking forward to Carola Lovering's next book!

Love, loss, and obsession...all great elements for the perfect novel. All the feels after finishing this one and I am left wanting more.

We meet Molly and Jake in 2013 when they lock eyes in a grungy bar and fall instantly in love. She is a grad student trying to write her first novel and he is a budding rock star. Their relationship has its ups and downs but its obviously love because he writes a song about her.

Fast forward to 2022 and Molly is living in the suburbs with her husband (not Jake)and young daughter. She is struggling with infertility as well as whether she fits into this wealthy community. Sabrina is beautiful, rich, and newly married and is very eager to become Molly's friend. They hit it off over a shared love of yoga and infertility and quickly become entrenched in each other's lives.

Told from the perspectives of Molly, Jake, and Sabrina and alternating from past to present. We learn about the love, loss and obsession that leads us to present day and how their lives intersect in the most unexpected ways. Can't give away too much more than that other than to say, read this book!

5 stars! Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The summary of this book talks of an obsessive love...I'd say that description was dead-on. At every turn, I wondered just how much more psycho could a character be. It was so good it was hard to look away! While a few bits were predictable, the story as a whole was one big thrill ride. I recommend!

Excellent character driven novel. For those who like labels on their fiction, I would label this one Women's Fiction, Domestic Suspence. Whatever. I loved it. Loved each of the characters and appreciate how the author brought them to life and so deftly showed the good and the not so good of each of them. Highly recommended.

I really loved this book. It’s hard to categorize. Part thriller, part romance, part women’s literature.

I just thought it was a lovely commentary on who we are when we are young and how we change as we age. And how love can mean a lot of different things. We can hold so many people in our hearts in different capacities.

Honestly the thriller elements are okay, but the character development and relationships are what will stick with me.

4 stars.

Thanks to st.martin’s press for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

In a multiple point of view, multiple time line novel, we meet Molly a 23 y.o. who working as a barista and is simultaneously working on her MFA. She dreams about becoming a successful writer. What she is not expecting in her future is to fall in love with the lead singer of the up and coming band, Danner Lane. Their love affair is intense, exciting, and not without problems. Shoot forward, and we meet Molly again, married to Hunter and living in the suburban town of Flynn Cove with with their 5 year old daughter , Stella. Molly is not in love with the other women of Flynn Cove, as they tend to be more interested in the country club and the latest fashion than genuine friendship. This all changes when Sabrina walks into her yoga studio. She is down to earth, doesn't care what others think and they share similar issues with fertility, which bonds them together. Molly is in for a huge surprise when she goes to Sabrina's house for dinner and her past is brought roaring into the present when meets her husband, a true blast from her past. Now Molly has to figure out how to hold on to the life she has built, when her life is turned onto its head.

Carola Lovering has written an amazing story in Can't Look Away. I couldn't look away from the page, or stop turning the pages to see what happened next. My husband kept calling me to dinner and I found myself saying over and over -- I am almost done! Just a minute, I have to finish this. I was sad when it was over, as I truly loved the books and all of the characters that Lovering created in this story. Even the characters you love to hate. While varying timelines and different points of view can become confusing, this books was easy to follow and I liked getting to be in different characters heads. This book is romance, fiction, and a little bit thriller.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this book so much that I talked about the plot to my mom. She's not a reader but I told her how thought provoking it was and we discussed how or what we would do if we were Hunter or Molly.

This book was filled with suspense and although you want to dislike one of the main characters toward the end, your heart sort of goes out to them.

I would definitely recommend this as a love story with a healthy amount of suspense. It's well written and a pretty quick read.

What happens to Molly between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2? And why?

You will be so determined to find out that if you are anything like me you'll absorb this book non-stop until you know.

Perfect blend of thriller and bit of romance.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It was my pleasure to write an honest review!

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. I also appreciated Carola's thought into navigating infertility---a topic I wish to see more of in fiction. I couldn't stop reading this book and was sad to leave the world of Flynn Cove (even though I wouldn't fit in there, ha!) which speaks to the talent of this writer.