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Carola Lovering
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Too Good to Be True: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Carola Lovering (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 3,234 ratings
See all formats and editions

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 eleven, 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 seventeen-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.

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  1. Print length
    345 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    St. Martin's Press
  5. Publication date
    March 2, 2021
  6. File size
    5548 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

Too Good to Be True Carola Lovering
Too Good to Be True Carola Lovering
Too Good to Be True Carola Lovering
Too Good to Be True Carola Lovering

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Too Good To Be True:

One of the "Best Suspense Books That'll Keep You Turning Pages" —The Skimm
One of the "27 Books To Read In 2021" —Betches
One of the "36 of the Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers of 2021" —Goodreads

"Lovering, a master of manipulation to rival her own characters, does a skillful job of gradually unspooling her intricate tapestry of psychological intrigue while deftly juggling her multiple narratives."
—Kirkus (starred review)

"This firecracker of a novel will leave readers wondering what they would accept for love and how the most perfect of lives may be a facade. A must for book clubs."
—Booklist (starred review)

"A head-spinningly devious plot [with] a plethora of twists...psychological thriller fans will keep turning the pages to see what happens next."
—Publishers Weekly

"Twists, lies, & cons oh my...No spoilers but you’ll be guessing the ending until the last twisty page."
—The Skimm

"Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, Lovering will throw another curve ball at you."
—Betches

"Covering dual timelines and told from three differing perspectives, this exceptional psychological thriller is full of twists that will have you wondering which characters to trust and who to root for."
—BookRiot

"If you like your romances twisted, you have found your new favorite author."
—CrimeReads

"Too Good to be True is a layered tale of tense domestic suspense full of duplicitous plot twists."
—Lansing State Journal

"I raced through Too Good To Be True, desperate to see what new twist was coming next. Gripping, tantalizing, and perfectly paced, Carola Lovering somehow makes duplicity sexy––and even understandable. Get ready for a wild, seductive ride."
—Sara Shepard, New York Times bestselling author

"A twisty tale of love, greed, betrayal and revenge. Addictive and unputdownable."
—Michele Campbell, internationally bestselling author of A Stranger on the Beach

"Thoroughly engrossing and beautifully crafted, Too Good To Be True mesmerizingly merges seemingly unrelated lives and expertly weaves together past and present storylines. Deliciously fraught with plot twists that keep readers compulsively turning pages, this is the type of book nightlights were invented for."
—Erica Katz, author of The Boys’ Club

"A cat and mouse thriller with masterful twists. Will leave you guessing until the last page." — Liv Constantine, international bestselling author

About the Author

CAROLA LOVERING is the author of the novels Tell Me Lies, Too Good to Be True, and Can’t Look Away. She is a graduate of Colorado College, and her work has appeared in New York Magazine, W Magazine, National Geographic, Outside, and Yoga Journal, among other publications. Her novel, Tell Me Lies, is currently being adapted into a television series for Hulu that will air later this year. She lives in Connecticut with her family.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B087QSCKXF
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press (March 2, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 2, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5548 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 345 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 3,234 ratings

About the author

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Carola Lovering

Carola Lovering

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Carola Lovering is the author of the novels Tell Me Lies, Too Good to Be True, Can’t Look Away, and Bye, Baby. She attended Colorado College, and her work has appeared in Vogue, The Cut, W Magazine, Marie Claire, National Geographic, and Yoga Journal, among other publications. Her novel, Tell Me Lies, has been adapted into a television series for Hulu. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two young children.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
3,234 global ratings
Compelling!
4 Stars
Compelling!
This is my first experience with Lovering's writing and overall, I really enjoyed it! Drawn in by the original premise of three perspectives and not knowing where the truth really lies in this love triangle, I was only more excited to read it when I learned that it was one of the Book of the Month Club's choices for March!And after reading it, I can definitely see why this was selected - I think that this will definitely serve as a great conversation-starter amongst its readers! Skye, a late-twenties book editor is about the only one of her friends that doesn't have a romance in her life. She blames much of this on her OCD - she has suffered compulsions since she was 12. When older Burke meets her, everything becomes rapidly idyllic for her. But Burke has a past - and more secrets that Skye could ever suspect. Meanwhile, starting in the late 1980s, Heather's story is revealed.It's a compelling read - and though some of the plot's turns aren't hard to see coming (Heather's role and relationships in particular), it's a satisfying read. While the characters aren't always likable and some of the financial industry details don't always feel accurate (especially in regards to taxes); I still enjoyed reading this. It did feel a little drawn out - and at times a bit repetitive - but it's certainly entertaining. I am curious to check out her debut novel now.
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Top reviews from the United States

Cheryl
5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT read
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
Carola Lovering does it again ! What a GREAT story! I loved all the surprises. At the end everyone actually got what they wanted
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Luna
4.0 out of 5 stars Not too good to be true
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2023
Verified Purchase
So this was a quick read. I did enjoy it. LIVED for the drama and it was a nice change of pace from my fantasy and romance usuals.

However I did guess the connection and while I thought it might ruin the book for me it didn't.
& here's why:

The multiple points of views and timelines had you going from being on one side to another and it constantly changed until the very end. Just when you felt like you were on one persons side and the other person was at fault, more information spilled out and has you changing your mind very quickly. This book makes you rethink your opinions constantly.
I'm here for it. But I didn’t love the ending.
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Rachael Allumbaugh
5.0 out of 5 stars So good
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
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I absolutely loved this book. It was too good to put down finished it in a few days.
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Clementine
3.0 out of 5 stars Second half becomes monotonous
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
The first half to the story kept me turning the pages. Our main character Skye Starling meets her dream guy Burke Michaels but it seems like he might be up to something shady and "too good to be true".
There was one “twist” that I guessed pretty early on and I think most readers who are used to this genre will guess it.
The second half of the story became a little monotonous. The same exact story is essentially told over and over by 3 different people. I kept reading and waiting for more twists or for the really exciting part of the book to start, but it never came.
This was an easy read but compared to other books in this genre, it wasn't that complex. 3 stars out of 5.
8 people found this helpful
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Laurel-Rain Snow
4.0 out of 5 stars A TWISTED TALE OF LOVE & DECEIT...
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
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 eleven, 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 seventeen-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.

My Thoughts:

A story that twists and turns repeatedly throughout, Too Good To Be True spotlights bits and pieces via alternating narrators and letters written by two of the characters to their therapist.

Not only the present is revealed, but a story that began thirty years before, which yields just enough about the characters to keep us guessing. And then we are also gifted with the motives that were carefully hidden and finally out in the open.

I was hooked from the beginning but had issues with several of the characters. My favorite was Skye, as she had vulnerabilities that made me want to protect her. As for the others, I was not sorry to see them finally pay some consequences, but in my opinion, they did not pay enough. A 4.5 star read that kept me engaged throughout.
8 people found this helpful
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Tora
5.0 out of 5 stars an attention grabber
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024
Verified Purchase
I definitely had a hard time putting this book down. I read it quite quickly and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Lisa
4.0 out of 5 stars decent read
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
Good enough to keep me interested and entertained - but definitely no masterpiece. ***Spoiler Alert*** Heather is the definition of a narcissist and a sociopath…it’s a little disappointing, actually, that she doesn’t end up getting what she deserves. Quite dissatisfying that she gets away with so much and people continue to think she is a good (and sane) person (maybe that was supposed to be irony that the author was aiming for, but it didn’t sit well with me). That’s my biggest complaint with the story…thought it could’ve been a little bit better in that regard.
4 people found this helpful
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Kathleen Delia
5.0 out of 5 stars Book
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
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Very good read. Would buy again.
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Top reviews from other countries

Aruna
5.0 out of 5 stars hooked
Reviewed in India on June 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
Very good story and brilliantly told. Love the characters and the portrayal of love. I can’t blame anyone for their actions, it’s all justifiable somehow.
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Kelly Bulai
3.0 out of 5 stars A little too detailed towards to the end...to the point I lost interest
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book...until I got to the plot twist...at which point it loses its excitement and gets very detailed, unnecessarily so (could have been c70pages less).
I did enjoy the insight the author gave into OCD and the way she delved into the background. I also enjoyed the non-binary view of love illustrated throughout.
One person found this helpful
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Robert Hoogeveen
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in Canada on June 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
I looked the writing style and story. For me the ending was a little cliche and could have been better otherwise a good read.
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