After reading Loverings book Tell Me Lies (and admittedly binging the Hulu series), I was so excited to get an advanced copy of her newest book. She is, after all, the QUEEN of toxic relationship stories and Bye, Baby was no different. Unsurprisingly, it had me hooked from the very first page- like, actually hooked as in I read this book in one sitting. The premise of this story really intrigued me from the beginning and Lovering did such a great job letting us into the minds of both Billie and Cassie, who were both written so incredibly well. I loved the dwindling lifelong friendship storyline that made this plot relatable while adding an extra layer of drama. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll leave it with this is definitely worth reading.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC of Bye, Baby.

I liked this book. The story of friendship and how it ebbs and flows was interesting and reminded me of friendships in real life. They are complicated and so are women.

The book was a little too crass for me and I could have done without that.

By Baby is written by Carola Lovering about best friends from childhood Cassie and Billie.
The novel describes their relationships with their families, dramatic life changes, school friends (and foes.) and their romantic relationships and their grown up years. How being best friends when you’re young and you would do anything for each other, can change drastically when you become an adult and you may become jealous of you former best friends new life.
Ms. Lovering has written this with great insight and drama. The twists are dramatic occasionally, but if you enjoy chick flicks you will definitely enjoy this novel.
It has all the feels of a Lifetime movie. Which would be a great idea!

I was intrigued from the beginning, but throughout the book there was a lot of run around and it sort of got hard to follow along with the back and forth with times. I also felt like there was a lot of lingering around. The ending a little anti climactic for me too. And I felt like the "bye, baby" line wasn't as jaw dropping as I would have hoped. Otherwise, I would love to read more from this author. I feel like the concept is there, but maybe it was just the storyline I couldn't hook on too, or maybe I was too excited from the description and the story didnt uphold.

Ok this book was disturbing in a masterful way! I was really invested in the main characters path. I especially loved the Instagram plugging. Enjoyed!

I LOVED this book! It really made me think about the values of friendship. The characters were wonderfully raw and real. I would definitely recommend to a friend, maybe would even read it again.

Bye, Baby is an engrossing novel about two best friends who went their separate ways as young adults. But the decision to put the friendship on the back burner belonged only to one.

Cassie and Billie had been as thick as thieves since the 7th grade. Billie had a sick mother and a lunatic stepfather, while Cassie lived in a happy home. But when Cassie does an unspeakable act, Billie holds onto that secret. It bound their friendship even tighter. So when Cassie marries a wealthy man, has a baby, and decides she didn’t need Billie in her life anymore, Billie is heartbroken, angry and confused.

But what Billie does as revenge, or maybe to get Cassie back in her life, ends up being the very thing that fully destroys that chance.

This is a very character-driven book that is filled with jealousy, revenge and dark secrets. I loved it.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book. Loved this story! Friendship and jealousy never mix. Lots of twists and turns and a shocking ending. 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: March 5, 2024

Rating: 2 stars

This was my first book by Lovering and I felt mixed after finishing this book. Her writing was perfect in my opinion with just the right amount description versus dialogue. I also enjoyed that the chapters were relatively short making this book fall into "popcorn thriller" area.

I really struggled with the plot and characters. Both women (Cassie and Billie) had aspects that I found I could resonate with versus parts that I couldn't. This made it hard for me to stay invested in the book. The plot seemed all over the place! There were too many heavy topics thrown in (ie: sexual abuse, grief/loss, female friendship, motherhood, etc)

I think potential readers should also know that this isn't a mystery or a thriller. The book read more like a character study/women's fiction. Overall, amazing writing but the plot was all over the place.

There were a lot of layers to this book. The exploration of toxic friendships and trauma bonding was fascinating to me. I also enjoyed the look into the life of an influencer. I'm not sure if I would call it a thriller or mystery, but I love that the book focused on friendships and how a friendship breakup can be as devastating as a romantic one. I just wish Billie and Cassie had both gotten therapy!

This book was such a good, no great read for me! It’s an easy 5 stars although I felt like it was lacking something more however what exactly that more is, I’m unsure of. Regardless I couldn’t put this book down and even days later it’s still on my mind!

Billie and Cassie’s friendship spans nearly their entire life’s but that doesn’t make it true, good nor healthy. They have each grown apart but their shared secret keeps them from completely abandoning their (at times) toxic friendship. When Cassie’s perfect baby girl goes missing, it’s time for Billie to take her position as ‘best friend’ and help Cassie through it.

I found the book to be very well written and with it being my first from this author I’m excited to read more of her work! Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s press for the opportunity to read Bye, Baby.

LOVED THIS BOOK!! Billie and Cassidy have been best friends since childhood with a secret that bonds them together. Now they are adults, and Cassie is married and has a baby girl, but she has found a better friend in Mckay. Billie still longs for her friendship, and does something unthinkable. This story is so TENSE! I had real anxiety throughout it!!

Bye Baby is written in a present and past back forth format. It's got a minimum number of characters, and the chapters are short and manageable. I read it in record time, but I did feel somewhat panicky as I read. Which is a good thing! The ending is satisfying. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Bye, Baby.

So much wrong with this story, and I truly tried to like it, but fell short. Hard to review without giving away the storyline. Suffice it to say, my sense of right and wrong was strained by this book. All seemed to be right by the end, even that seemed wrong. Giving it a good rating, because it is my opinion only and some will love this, just not me.

I initially was going to give this one 4 stars, but I decided on 4.5 (rounded up to 5). Reasons for my roundup: the characters were well-developed; I couldn't put this down and wanted to see how it would end; and it invoked several emotions in me, which kept me thinking about the book.

Bye, Baby details a toxic relationship between two female friends from start to finish. Billie and Cassie were the best of friends since middle school, but Cassie's loyalties shifted through college. Cassie became completely focused on social status and dollar signs. Billie, whose nature is more down-to-Earth, could never let go of the memories of her friendship with Cassie. Billie and Cassie share a huge secret of something that happened in their younger days. As they've gotten older, their friendship has barely been holding together, and the secret is really the glue that has kept them bound. I could totally relate to Billie because I've been that person who has put more into a friendship and ultimately wound up hurt in the end. Billie was also just more relatable in general because she's an overall good person.... a good person who makes a huge mistake by doing something really regrettable. This mistake could ruin many things in Billie's life, which leaves her with the decision to either keep it quiet and live with the guilt or confess and ruin everything. I had lots of feelings while reading this book - right from the beginning and through the end. I really enjoy how Carola Lovering tells a story and develops her characters.

I couldn't put it down! Carola Lovering pulls on the heart strings, perfectly painting the struggle of longtime frendships and navigating the different seasons of life.
Cassie's lifelong search of a "better life" has finally been successful, but childhood best friend, Billie, doesn't fit into Cassie's carefully curated new life. Billie is thirsty for any attention from her former best friend and settles for any scraps thrown her way. Secrets from their childhood have bonded them, so when an emergency arises Cassie knows Billie is who she needs...but is Billie the solution or the cause of the problem?

This was (unsurprisingly!) a fast read for me. I'm a huge fan of Carola Lovering. The biggest draw about Bye, Baby, for me, was the female friendship--the conflict and tension between Billie and Cassie. We've all had that friend who pulls away from us--or who we pull away from. It was so interesting seeing this from each perspective. I loved that by the halfway point, I could almost justify what Billie does. I will say, I wish the ending had a little more punch, and I wanted to see Cassie come more full circle. Also, I'm not sure I'd call this a thriller, but I enjoyed it enough, and it was suspenseful enough, I didn't really care! Can't wait for her next.

It is settled. Carola Lovering is my new favorite author, having read every one of her books and loving them all. Bye, Baby, her newest release, is her best one yet, toeing the line between love and hate, dark and light, friends and enemies. This deeply absorbing, emotionally evocative novel is a tribute to teenage friendship and how it molds and shapes us, while also exploring how those relationships which once felt so sound and unbreakable have a way of changing shape as we ourselves grow and change.

Billie West and Cassie Barnwell were best friends. Were. But now Cassie Barnwell is Cassidy Adler, wife to a trust fund baby with a new baby of her own, and an emerging influencer and fashion curator to boot. Billie obsessively watches Cassie from the screen of her phone, effectively shut out of Cassie's new and sparkling life now that she is rich and famous.

Billie wonders what happened to the Cassie that she grew up with - they were once inseparable, but now feel like strangers. Billie would do anything to get back into Cassie's life ... including kidnapping her baby. That's right. Billie kidnaps Cassie's daughter in a moment of panic and desperation, and now she has to live with the consequences. But consequences sometimes come back to us in unexpected and unconventional ways, as Billie is soon to discover.

Bye, Baby is a knockout. Lovering is incredibly gifted when it comes to writing people. She gets them and all of their intimately dark and selfish motivations and machinations. She is so talented at exposing flawed people for who they are while also making them feel wholly human and sympathetic. No other author's books make me feel and think so much, while also keeping me thoroughly entertained through every single page. If you know Lovering and love Lovering, don't miss Bye, Baby.

Omg! This book kept me entertained on my flight.

This story about Cassie and Billie was wild! I love how the author mixed in the dual timelines of present and past. This definitely gave the reader more insight into this story.
Billie was obsessed with Cassie and Cassie was obsessed with herself. I knew what was going to happen (based on the description), but the way the author weaved this story together was a masterpiece! This book doesn't come out until March 2024, but I would pre-order thus asap.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC.

Rating-3.5
Cassie and Billie meet as preteens and become inseparable. They are long time best friends until Cassie finds an opportunity to begin a new life, the one she's always dreamed of, and leaves Billie behind holding on to the past. Their lives and friendship drifts further apart until one night Cassie's daughter goes missing. Billie gets the opportunity she's been waiting for to get close to her best friend again.

This book had two speeds for me. In the beginning and middle it was engaging. The main drama of the baby being taken and the fall out after held my attention. However, after the midway point it started to lose a little steam for me. I feel as if the story didn't have to go on as long as it did. That being said, I was getting a bit exasperated by Billie's unwavering loyalty to Cassie. She reminded me a lot of a high school girl vying for the mean girls attention, but she's well into her 30's.

This book is worth a read. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

A story about friendship and self realization. I was hooked from the beginning. Billie reminded me a lot of myself. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.