REVIEW: Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering

Title: Can't Look Away

Author: Carola Lovering

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Published Date: June 14, 2022

Genre: Thriller

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

REVIEW

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review. Going into this, I was expecting some sort of sinister plot or a stalking story where the main character is in constant danger. I quickly realized that's not the sort of book this was going to be. 

SYNOPSIS

"In 2013, twenty-three-year old Molly Diamond is a barista, dreaming of becoming a writer. One night at a concert in East Williamsburg, she locks eyes with the lead singer, Jake Danner, and can’t look away. Molly and Jake fall quickly and deeply in love, especially after he writes a hit song about her that puts his band on the map.

Nearly a decade later, Molly has given up writing and is living in Flynn Cove, Connecticut with her young daughter and her husband Hunter—who is decidedly not Jake Danner. Their life looks picture-perfect, but Molly is lonely; she feels out of place with the other women in their wealthy suburb, and is struggling to conceive their second child. When Sabrina, a newcomer in town, walks into the yoga studio where Molly teaches and confesses her own fertility struggles, Molly believes she's finally found a friend.

But Sabrina has her own reasons for moving to Flynn Cove and befriending Molly. And as Sabrina’s secrets are slowly unspooled, her connection to Molly becomes clearer––as do secrets of Molly's own, which she’s worked hard to keep buried.

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

MY THOUGHTS

It's almost like this book was marketed incorrectly. To me, it felt neither like a thriller, nor a mystery. Because we got the perspectives from Sabrina and Molly, there wasn't a moment where I felt that I didn't know what was going on. Even the ending, which I'm sure was supposed to be a punch to the gut surprise, just didn't hit very hard at all. This book felt much more like a drama then any sort of thriller. It gave me the feeling I got when my mom would have 'Desperate Housewives' on the TV growing up. It was just a bunch of catty drama and I"m glad I've never met women like either of these two main characters.

Now, the story itself would not have been as horrible if it wasn't so damn annoying reading from either of these characters perspectives. They were both terrible at communication and had so many secrets. I don't particularly enjoy books about catty women competing with each other over a man, and I almost DNF'd it a dozen times. I pushed through because it was a fast read but the ending, in my opinion, was not worth it.

Sure, under all the drama it was a stalking story. But to me it felt so unsuccessful at bringing any sort of suspense to the plot. I never felt any danger and Sabrina felt like such a bland "villain". And the man they were competing for seemed like the worst boyfriend/husband in the history of men. I don't understand how either of these women, who were both successful in their own right, got so obsessed that they pushed their own career dreams to the side. They had no personality other than "I'm in love with Jake Danner". Overall, I did not enjoy this book, and although I was hoping the ending would be worth it, it was definitely not.