Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering, 4 Stars

Too Good to Be True. Just like a lot of things in life. Lately there hasn’t been all that much of too good to be true. But a lot of, how much worse can it possibly get? I’m not talking about my personal life, totally happy and content there. I mean, at this point, I barely remember what life was like pre-covid. If we ever go back to normal, it’s going to feel like freaking Disney World!

But there is just so much sadness and anger and anomacity out there right now. Between teachers and school districts, parents and teachers, politicians an constituents and between families, neighbors, friends and anyone who has differing opinions from anyone else. Come on y’all. Can’t we just all get along?

The hate right now and the inability to be respectful of other people’s opinions is driving me absolutely crazy. So, if you need me, I’ll be over here with my nose stuck in a book.

[As I write this, we are all locked in remote learning, one month from the election. I hope the world that receives this review in February has changed for the better! Too much to ask?]

From the Publisher:

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. Inspired by the sophisticated mother of her babysitting charges, Heather vows to leave her impoverished hometown behind 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. Meanwhile, three decades in the past, Heather’s longed-for transformation finally seems within reach. 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 Review:

Skye Starling is the most amazing type of heroine. Sure, she’s rich and beautiful, but also totally relatable. And while she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she’s also been through hell. So really, the reader, we’re rooting for her from page one.

Now Burke, on the other hand. I totally from the very beginning got a seriously Dirty John vibe from him. You know, the true crime series on USA based on the real-life story of John Meehan? I digress, but he gives off that super sexy older man, but I’m seriously hiding something vibe.

Then we also meet Heather, whose story is taking place a long time ago. And of course, it will meet up with the other story, but let it run it’s course. But Heather seriously thinks the world owes her something and who knows why?

Too Good to Be True started out like any thriller, but then, like any amazing thriller, the twists started coming. And fast. And while I can’t say much without giving details away, just know that this book is not too good to be true. See what I did there?

I’d recommend Too Good to Be True to fans of Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendrick’s collaborations, and Lisa Jewell fans. You won’t be disappointed! Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out March 2, 2021. Get your copy!