5🌟 - I loved it!

Expectations are everything, and I went in knowing Carola's style of writing. I think that set me up for success for loving this one! Character-driven with poignant commentary on female friendships, influencers, jealously, loss, and full of buried down secrets from the past.

I was eating this up when I was reading! I was so obsessed and sucked into the story that I NEEDED to know where it was going! I love the way she writes her characters, full of complexity and depth. Being dual timeline and POV made this story so much more dynamic and built the tension throughout the book. There was so much going on with the characters beyond the shocking plot, and that was masterfully done 👏.

I am a fan of Carola Lovering! I am caught up on her backlist, and truly have enjoyed all of her books! Here is my current list of her books!

1. Bye, Baby (5🌟)
2. Can't Look Away (4.5🌟)
3. Tell Me Lies (4.25🌟)
4. Too Good to Be True (4🌟)

This book was the epitome of rich people problems, not that it's a bad thing, it just wasn't want I wanted from this book. I really enjoyed that one of the main characters had a lot of trauma and it made her who she is, but the other character was absolutely insufferable. It is always difficult to enjoy a book when one of the POVs is great and the other makes you want to rip your hair out, which is exactly how this book made me feel.... and don't get me started on the MEN in this book! I did have an entertaining time, which I guess is the point of most fiction novels, but I wasn't blown away by any means. I know there is an audience out there for this book and that they would LOVE how messy and annoying the characters are but I am simply not one of those people.

Whew, holy twist and turns. Multiple POV's including two childhood best friends who have grown apart. This book shows motherhood and friendship and all the ups and downs. Once again, another great book by CL - I'll always be requesting the next one!! I have requested the audiobook of this one on Libby to reread and listen!

Bye Baby was a mildly satisfying read about motherhood and friendship. It wasn’t so much a thriller as a look into toxic friendship and obsession. It is marketed as a thriller/mystery, which did the book a disservice because it most definitely is not. This is definitely a character driven novel, which I enjoy, it just wasn’t what I was expecting.
I read this one very quickly, as Lovering’s books are very readable. I look forward to her next work.

Cassie was the worst friend ever but Billie also kinda sucked. I can’t believe Billie let the baby napping situation get so out of hand without just fessing up. Obviously, Cassie would’ve been upset but at the very least, no one would have faulted her for trying to help and the rest of the book would’ve been much less dramatic.

3.5⭐️
I’m glad that I saw a review before reading that said “don’t think of this one as a thriller!!”

I enjoyed it, but def less of a psychological thriller than I expected. It was a quick read and I was invested into the 2 main characters’ lives. I enjoyed the dual POV + the back and forth timeline.

While it was a quick read for me, I did think some parts seemed a tad redundant, and the ending was a little lackluster. There were a couple Qs I still had about some of the characters at the end.

Overall, the authors writing was engaging and addictive. I wished for a bit more at the end. I have enjoyed her thrillers in the past, and look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

A story of fraught female friendships, deceit and distrust, and trauma bonds - there were some pretty interesting psychological layers to Bye, Baby!

I definitely enjoyed the read, and there are definitely elements of suspense that propelled you along. I will say though that I have seen it billed as a thriller, and I do not feel like that is accurate at all 😬 Good book, but fair warning on that front so thriller hounds aren’t disappointed!

I think one of the things I appreciated most about this one is that it didn’t drag on or return to the same “what ifs” over and over — or at least not nearly as much as a lot of these types of stories. It moved along at a nice clip all throughout.

Wow!! Definitely kept me entertained. I read about 75% of this in one sitting. Loved the suspense in this. Very easy to follow and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I enjoyed this one more than I honestly thought I would! Bye, Baby is a slower burn, but it held my attention from start to finish. I don't know whether I would call it a thriller so much as a book of suspense that touched upon a number of relevant issues in today's culture. Looking forward to reading more by this author in the future!

I really loved this book. Carola Lovering describes the dynamics of a toxic relationship flawlessly making her books unputdownable

A fantastic domestic drama that kept me interested from beginning to end. The plot revolves around two childhood friends, Billie and Cassie, whose friendship has grown apart through the years.

The story is told through the alternating points of view of Billie and Cassie. They weave the tale of their complicated friendship through flashbacks to the past and the events around Cassie's 35th birthday. I enjoyed the short but descriptive chapters that gave so much insight into why these friends have ended up in the lives that they lead now.

The plot was extremely well conceived and unfolds at just the right pace. It was hard to put this book down, I kept thinking I would read just one more chapter and that would turn in to 5 or more. It is a very thought provoking story and left me wondering what I would do if put into the situations of these two women. This was my first Carola Lovering book but I am sure it will not be the last.

I am extremely grateful to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this captivating book for review. All of the opinions in this review are my own.

This book was entertaining and I kept turning the pages, but wow - every character is so unlikable I had a hard time feeling any sympathy for anyone. Maybe that's the point?

Obsessed. Carola Lovering knows how to write these angsty, sexy stories that I simply cannot put down. She's become an auto-buy novelist for me.

Bye, Baby was the first book by Carola Lovering that I have read and I enjoyed it. The book was told in dual POV and timelines. Cassie and Billie have been friends since they were young and are now in their mid thirties. Their relationship has gone through many changes since high school and they have drifted apart. The book opens with Cassie screaming because her baby has disappeared and Billie is in the apartment below her with the baby. How did they get to this point? These girls, especially Billy have gone through so much trauma and abuse in their lives. This book touches on some very touch subjects. I wouldn't say it's a thriller but there is a psychological aspect to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering for an honest review.

I have read this author before. This was not my favorite book. I didn’t like the characters even though I sympathized with them at first.

This was not my favorite Carola Lovering. I thought Part 1 was really strong; Part 2 had too much filler for my liking. Not a bad read- gets 3 stars from me.

I’ve had this on my shelf and was finally able to get to it. This was a pretty good book! It’s not exactly what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The author utilized a nonlinear timeline along with multiple points of view. This added a lot to the overall experience as it gave us more of an insight to the background of the main characters, along with their thoughts and emotions they encountered in both specific events and just life in general. Some of the relationships amongst the characters and how they interacted with and treated one another were just awful to see. It’s sad to say that there’s actually adults out there that are like this. There were also some parts were hard to read due to the nature of what was going on. With that said, there are some trigger warnings, including alcoholism, sexual and emotional abuse, severe anxiety, early onset dementia and rape. While I highly disliked one of the main character’s personality and how she treated people when she didn’t seem to have a need for them, the array of elements made the story come together.
Thank you Netgalley, Carola Lovering and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the idea for this story! The characters had a lot of great potential but I felt that they missed the mark for me in the aspect of being able to connect with them. The actions the characters took at times felt very out of the blue and were not easy to understand the motives behind. The plot even though it sounded intriguing at first glance it did read very much like a drama rather than the suspenseful thriller I was anticipation with a very slow start to the story and with the story progressing at a slower rate than I had hoped for a exciting suspenseful thriller. Overall this story had great potential and some enjoyable moments and relationship points but it did miss the mark for me. Definitely recommend if you enjoy slow paced domestic thrillers with a largely character driven plot.

It seems that the thrillers lately haven't been exactly...thrilling. This was the first book I read by this author, and I found it to be quick paced and engaging, with characters that you loved to hate, and I easily binged it in a few sittings. But I wouldn't call it a thriller at all, knowing what happens up front, but more of a friendship gone wrong story.

Billie and Cassie have been friends since childhood, when Cassie's family moved to blue collar Red Hook, NY in disgrace after being cut off from the family matriarch's money in Greenwich, CT. Eager to claw her way back to the status she once had, Cassie is a social climber at best, gold digger at worst, but fiercely loyal to Billie, coming to her aid in an unspeakable way when it mattered the most. Once she is firmly ensconced in the upper classes of NYC, enjoying her status as an influencer, boutique owner, and finance wife and new mother, Cassie tries to distance herself from her friendship with Billie, who is still enamored of Cassie and doesn't want to let their friendship go. The final straw is when Cassie lies about not having a birthday party, and coincidence brings Billie to her building the same night. When she hears the cries of Cassie's infant daughter on her balcony, being neglected in the chaos of the party, she acts on instinct and takes her to calm her down, but then realizes what she did amounts to kidnapping. This was more a story of how far you will go for a friend and realizing when it is time to let them go than any shockingly twisty thriller, but enjoyable in its own way.

This was a page turner, I couldn't put it down. So many twists and turns that will keep you guessing! Toxic female friendships, alternating POVs, secrets, loss, and more!

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.