Too Good To Be True by Carola Lovering Book Review
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Blurb
One love story. Two marriages. Three versions of the truth.
Too Good to Be True is an obsessive, addictive love story for fans of Lisa Jewell and The Wife Upstairs, from Carola Lovering, the beloved author of Tell Me Lies.
Skye Starling is overjoyed when her boyfriend, Burke Michaels, proposes after a whirlwind courtship. Though Skye seems to have the world at her fingertips – she’s smart, beautiful, and from a well-off family – she’s also battled crippling OCD ever since her mother’s death when she was 11, and her romantic relationships have suffered as a result.
But now Burke – handsome, older, and more emotionally mature than any man she’s met before – says he wants her. Forever. Except, Burke isn’t who he claims to be. And interspersed letters to his therapist reveal the truth: he’s happily married, and using Skye for his own, deceptive ends.
In a third perspective, set thirty years earlier, a scrappy 17-year-old named Heather is determined to end things with Burke, a local bad boy, and make a better life for herself in New York City. But can her adolescent love stay firmly in her past – or will he find his way into her future?
On a collision course she doesn’t see coming, Skye throws herself into wedding planning, as Burke’s scheme grows ever more twisted. But of course, even the best laid plans can go astray. And just when you think you know where this story is going, you’ll discover that there’s more than one way to spin the truth.
Sensitive Content
This is a thriller book but there was some sensitive content in this book that I observed while reading.
- Alcoholism
- Child Death
- Death of a Family Member
- Drug Addiction/Use
- Emotional Abuse
- Financial Anxiety
- Incarceration
- Profanity
- Sexual Assualt
Ratings
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There are possible **SPOILERS** beyond this point!
Overall Rating
4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I thoroughly enjoyed being deceived by this book! I don’t read loads of thrillers so Too Good To Be True was a welcome change to my usual reads! This story mainly follows Skye, who has recently been proposed to by Burke. It would be wonderful except, Burke is already married to someone else! Skye finds out about Burke in the worst way possible and she could never prepare for the truths she unveils while she tries to make sense of her predicament.
This book does have a strong subplot of romance though is it filtered through many lenses, so to speak. I found that my love of dark romance really had me rooting for the romance more than I probably should have lol But I stand behind the love story 100%. With that being said, the characters in this book were so well formed that I was in turmoil over some of the choices made and how strongly I felt for these people. To say that I was hooked is an understatement! I was intrigued by this story being told from Skye’s, Burke’s, and Heather’s point of view and it did not disappoint. These characters were vivid and real. I argued with myself and the facts presented to try and figure out the true villain of this story and I still struggle. Some of these characters were just untrustworthy and unlikeable and that varied throughout the book. Though, I liked how many of the same scenes were presented from different perspectives and my opinions would be totally different. Too Good To Be True made me argue with myself so much!
The villain of this story was terrifying in a mundane way that made my flesh crawl. I can’t stand them! I’m happy with the ending because it felt really realistic though I seriously was out for blood as justice. I would definitely recommend this story to you if you like a little bit of twisted romance to your thriller stories!
Spice Rating
There are some fade-to-black scenes in this book. No rating though!
Genre
Domestic Thriller
Favorite Quotes
“the irony in unbearable things is that they actually are bearable. They force you to endure what you cannot comprehend enduring.”
“Childhood loss leaves its mark… it’s a force that swallows you whole. And that feeling of powerlessness—that you’re a puppet and somebody else has got the strings—it never fully leaves you.”
“Maybe they’re back together. They’re both so dumb, they probably deserve each other.”
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of connection and the path to the feeling of worthiness.”
“resentment is a wasted emotion… holding on to anger is like swallowing poison and hoping the other person will die.”
“I was suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude for her, for whatever insane, appalling circumstances had brought her into my life. I told her I loved her without a thought. When she pulled me in close and whispered it back, I felt a weight slide off my shoulders.”
Intrigued?
Check out Too Good To Be True on Amazon here.
