Alright. This one….Girls in the Garden meets Paula Hawkins. It’s a very set-in-modern-day type of book which makes it very relatable to the easy-reading crowd. Cassie, a girl who has always had her eyes set on a life of leisure and her longtime best friend Billie slowly drift apart. Of course there are secrets, of course there’s a tragedy, of course there’s a villain…but what happens when each person exhibits a little bit of all of these? You get a pretty solid novel, that’s what!


What I liked:
1. Cassie is an influencer, and her husband is noooot into it. He thinks she’s attached to her phone, not present and it causes a lot of animosity in their marriage. I think this is very relatable for a lot of women, and a lot of new mothers.

2. Cassie and Billie are opposites in a lot of ways - and this book does a really nice job of showcasing how women can drift apart when one becomes a mother.

3. Cassie’s a huge bitch. I said it. But I feel like she’s the bitch we all know. Exclusive, trying to be somebody, always climbing the social ladder. Will drop you if you don’t serve her purpose.

4. Billie isn’t any better and homegirl HAS. SOME. TRAUMA. Makes for an interesting read.


What I didn’t love:

1. The whole “event” that took place is just…..its just wow. I liked where it was going but then how that night ended kind of made me hate the rest of the book because I didn’t see the point.

2. Remy was not important and his storyline was, in my opinion, a little juvenile. I thought something truly awful happened between the two but nope. Just different futures.

3. The ending was soft. I would have liked Cassie to push Billie off a bridge or something, you know?


Who should read this one: book club for basic girls (nothing wrong with it, no judging here), your cool aunt that needs a book to read by the pool, your sister that only reads paperbacks, and maybe someone you know like a barista that listens to a lot of true crime podcasts.

**Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I ABSOLUTELY loved this read..This is a good reflection of what happens to our childhood friendships when we grow old.
But what if that bond had shared secrets of a darker nature?
This is a spine chilling read where you question who is in the right and the wrong through the entirety of the read. Its not so black and white as it seems.
I will add in some trigger warnings for SA, childhood SA here but listing no spoilers.
I read this one all the way through, i could not put it down.

3.5 stars rounded up. Do not go into this book thinking it is going to be a thriller or a mystery. This book read like a TV soap drama, but in a good way. This book is about a toxic friendship held together by a thread due to trauma bonding. I enjoyed the dual POVs (despite Cassie being totally unlikable for me) and the flashbacks to the past. Billie was relatable, albeit messy and a bit unlikable herself. However, I at least found her worth rooting for. This novel would make a good beach or pool read. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I would pick up something else by this author.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy!

I am absolutely in love with Carola Lovering’s signature suspenseful and alternative perspectives. She truly knows how to delve into toxic relationships whether it concerns couples or friendships.

I couldn’t really get into this book. I really tried because I was excited for another title by this author. I will probably try reading it again at a later date!

While I definitely enjoyed this read, I felt like it was a little mis-classified as a mystery/ suspense. There wasn’t much in the way of “twists” or suspense, but the story line was still taut and had me racing through it to see how it concluded.

I thought the highlights were fantastic character development, an insightful exploration into friendships and how they evolve, and most notably, the impact of children and the decision to either have them or not/ how society views that decision.

Although I didn’t find Cassie’s character remotely “likable” I thought the description and portrayal of the influencer lifestyle and her surface level needs and focus on marrying wealth were very well written and painted a picture that was easy to visualize throughout. This was a great contrast to Billie’s character. I enjoyed how their flaws were clearly portrayed and how these flaws impacted the course of their relationships both with men and each other.

Holy cow what a read! Let me start by saying that I loved Tell Me Lies, but this one was even better. I could not put this one down. Loved how it started right away with the big issue and then the story unfolded to get to that point in both now and then storylines, told from both main characters points of views. Although not surprising what happened (in both storylines) I loved the build up as to how we get there.

I really loved Bye, Baby. I was hooked by the first few chapters and enjoyed reading Billie’s and Cassie’s point of views. I felt like there were a lot of relatable themes- social media, childhood friends and fake friends, expectations of society, and challenging relationships. I was rooting for Cassie and Billie to become friends again and rooting for the end to end certain ways. Great book and thought it ended really well

“Frenemies” is the best word to describe Cassie and Billie’s eroding friendship. Once inseparable while growing up, their lives have gone in different directions. Cassie has married a rich man and had a baby girl. She’s started her own store and is trying to build up an Instagram following as a lifestyle influencer. Although Billie has a glamorous career traveling all over the world to exotic locales, she misses her friendship with Cassie and tries desperately to salvage it.

Feeling hurt and rejected by Cassie causes Billie to go to crazy lengths to get her attention. Meanwhile the secret from the past that binds Cassie and Billie ‘s friendship threatens to surface to further complicate matters.

This is a crazy ride that takes toxic female friendships to new levels. Alternating timelines between past and present and chapters featuring Cassie as well as Billie’s voice, helps to establish mood and helps the reader understand their deep friendship-and the dark places it has devolved.

It’s a disturbing and twisty thriller that pushes credibility a bit but makes up for it in the execution.

I recommend this crazy thrill ride of a book!

This was my first book by Carola Lovering. After just finishing reading it, I have reserved all of her other books to read. This book was hard to put down from the first few chapters. I loved the alternating timeline chapters about the friendship of Billie and Cassie. I wouldn't classify this novel as a thriller, but more of a drama/tragic story of two best friends. Growing up, most girls have that one best friend who they trust with anything, and have core memories with. Reading this took me back to that time with my best friend. This book was very nostalgic for me and also very sad at the same time. The only issue I have is that it got a tad long-winded for the last half of the book, but that won't interfere with my rating or overall opinion. 4.5 stars. I highly recommend to any reader who loves a toxic friendship story with a lot of nostalgia.

Carola Lovering wrote one of my favorite books of all time (Tell Me Lies), so anytime she has a new book coming, I am ready to devour it. I really did like this one but felt like she was maybe trying to do too many things at once. There were lots of different themes and it got a little too much. I also would not say this was a thriller/mystery but maybe more suspenseful.
Cassie and Billie are life long friends with a terrible secret that binds them forever. This old secret combined with new problems is a recipe for disaster. There are a lot of "unlikable characters" in this one, but they are all deeply developed characters that Lovering does a good job in fleshing out. I loved the alternating timelines (even if some parts were hard to read). I felt like the ending gave me the closure I really needed too.

I settled on 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I received an ARC from Netgalley, so all of these opinions are my own.

Loved this riveting book about a longtime friendship gone wrong. One of the best thrillers I've read in some time. Carola Lovering has quickly become one of my favorite new suspense authors. She excels at character development and giving each character a unique and relatable voice. Here, even though both main BFF characters are arguably totally flawed, you can't help but identify with both of them. Who among us hasn't had an intense friendship from childhood grow colder as we get older? This book captures all those complex feelings with a delicious backstory involving murder, and a present-tense story involving a kidnapping. I really identified with Billie and even identified with her maddening friend Cassie, I zipped through this book in 24 hours and was sad when it was finished. I'd read anything by this talented author, who is now on my automatic must-read list. Can't wait for more by her.

I have read quite a few novels by this author and this was definately my favorite . I honestly think she could write a sequel, I find myself wondering about if they rekindle their friendship etc…. The author did a great job making you feel for the main character and some how she made you care what happened with a host of truly detestable people when it came to everyone else . I have already started recommending this book ! This author does a great job making conversations and interaction feel very real ……

Wow!! I’m not sure what I was expecting with this book but it was a bit of drama mixed with thriller. Kind of a slow burn but it fit the story soo good! I really enjoyed this story and couldn’t believe how it unraveled. Cassie’s character annoyed me most of the time and I still feel bad for Billie. The ending was sad but doesn’t leave you hanging it leaves you hopeful for new beginnings!

I LOVED this book! It had such a unique plot and really spoke to the way friendships change and how hard it can be to move on.

I'm not typically drawn to character-driven novels, but this story sucked me in. Billie, who's so manically and compulsively obsessed with her dwindling friendship with Cassie. And Cassie, who's so narcissistically focused on moving up in the world and putting her past behind her. At times, it's difficult to assess who, or even IF, there's a villain in this story.

I loved the way the story weaved together different timelines and character POV's to create a very profound story about loss, co-dependency and the difficult task of leaving a relationship that no longer serves you.

Five stars from me!

This book was difficult to put down. It really intrigued me and I’m so glad I picked it up! Billie and Cassie are very in depth characters and their friendship complex. I enjoyed going on the thrilling ride of this book. Lovering is quickly becoming one of my new favorites!

Lovering always writes such complicated and real characters and this book is another example of that. I would not consider this a thriller, but it is suspenseful. You know from the beginning that a baby has been taken. The first half is a build up and the second half is a fall out, but running through the whole book is the history of Billie and Cassie’s friendship and the secrets that both bind them and tear them apart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

I love books about frenemies and toxic relationships which Lovering is great at creating. This is a wild story and I did not think it would go as far as it did. Or that a seemingly normal person, with a good job and apartment and life could be so unhinged just to get the attention of a "friend." This dark tale of female relationships and social media markers is disturbing in many ways. Told from both women's perspectives, the reader can see why their relationship is so tumultuous. Especially when one person is constantly pulling away and leaving the other behind. When Billie was sweating, I was sweating. When she was upset about something Cassie says that is insensitive, I totally understood. And when Cassie wanted a fresh start and do her own thing without the past and Billie following her, I understood that as well. This books kept surprising me until the end.

Holy TW, Batman: SA, abortion, kidnapping of a child.

This book was wild and left me yearning for more. I felt like i kept waiting for more or for another shoe to drop, but overall, definitely an engaging read.

The lengths that friends with go to not only stay close to each other, but also to protect them.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC! Bye, Baby, is out soon!

I really don't know what to say about this one! First, be warned there's trauma and sexual abuse and it's very graphic and hard to read. I wanted to stop reading even though I was interested in the story line, because it was really hard to get through those parts, but they are a critical part of the story. Also, the author did an amazing job making me detest every single character- literally none of them had redeeming qualities except maybe Alex and Jane, ha!