This is the second book I've read by Carola Lovering and I will offically grab a copy of anything she comes out with without even knowing what it's about because her writing is that phenomenal. The depth of her characters make you truly miss them when the book is over. This wasn't as twisty as most psychological thrillers but it was so well written that I could not put it down and even sneakily read while I was working! I am sad this book is over but now I'm running to go read everything and anything else she's written!

📚 Book Review 📚 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering
Grab your copy March 5, 2024

One floor down, Billie hears the screams of her best friend Cassie…her baby is missing….the baby that Billie is holding. What has happened between these two life long friends for it to come to this?

This was a beautifully tragic story of friendship! I found myself never wanting the story to end because I was so engrossed into their lives and even now, I miss them! You will be glued to the pages, holding your breath and feeling sympathy for those you typically wouldn’t.

I can’t thank #NetGalley #carolovering #stmartinspress enough for the arc! I loved every minute I spent reading it! ❤️

Bye, Baby was the first book I've read of Carola Lovering, despite her being all over BookTok. I really enjoyed it and have since bought all of her books to read through!

Bye, Baby follows the story of Cassie and Billie--two former best friends. Cassie, a new mom, owner of a lush boutique, and wife of a wealthy man in NYC finds trouble when her daughter Ella, goes missing. Of course, we learn in the opening pages that the person who takes Ella is Billie, her former best friend. Billie, also a resident of NYC and a woman who works in upscale travel is different from Cassie in that she hasn't quite found herself and often doubts herself. What follows that opening scene of Billie taking Ella is a series of chapters told in alternating points of view, and sometimes going back in time, to learn both what led up to the moment Billie took Ella and what exactly happened to cause a falling out between Cassie and Billie.

I really enjoyed Carola Lovering's writing style, although at times I felt like there was almost too much being said. By the time I hit the 75% mark, I felt like I already really knew where the story was ending and there were no surprising twists like I expected. That said, I still loved the story of Cassie and Billie and found this to be a really interesting character study of both women. I am excited to read her other books and will absolutely recommend this one to others. I wouldn't necessarily classify this as thriller, although the writing style is absolutely propulsive.

absolutely incredible. heart warming, and just all consuming. this book gave me all the feels and I will be sharing it widely.

What could possess a woman to steal another woman's baby?

"Bye, Baby" by Carola Lovering starts with Billie-- a woman who says she doesn't want children-- describing the baby, listening to Cassie (the baby's mother and Billie's on again/off again friend) screaming that her baby is missing.

Billie and Cassie narrate in alternate chapters that describe either past or current events. As the story builds, the reader learns more about the principal characters and how their relationship changed when Cassie married a wealthy man.

I couldn't stop wondering how Billie could ever make this situation right. Would she end up in jail? Would she lose her unique job in the travel industry?

I was eager to read "Bye, Baby" when I saw that Carola Lovering was the author. Her "Can't Look Away" and "Too Good to Be True" were equally outstanding. The plots were extremely unusual and made for compelling reading.

Likewise, I enthusiastically recommend "Bye, Baby."

I received an Advance Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

This was a weirdly interesting book for me: it's about obsession and a toxic friendship that defies understanding - until you realize the reasons behind it.

It took a while to understand why Billie did what she did but I promise that the read is worth it.

Wow!!! This book had my brain spinning. I can’t even say I loved the characters because Cassie and Billie were both in the wrong, but man did it pull me in and think about things like, relationships that change, but is it because the relationship has change or the people have changed. Growing apart, growing up, realizing what you thought tied you together, may also be what’s eating you up inside. I don’t know if I’d call this a thriller, but it was a great fictional read with some suspense and really had me reevaluating my own relationship, past and present! It does talk about SA and childhood (teenage) trauma and the effects it can have on the character and how it shaped that persons relationships which can be triggering for some, but it does help to explain the characters growth. I do love the topic of motherhood in this book. Showing the obsession with being a mom, and normalizing the acceptance of those who choose not to be. The way Billie was judged and lost relationships for making a choice a lot of women make is still happening and I was glad to see she found acceptance finally for her personal decision. Also Cassie’s obsession with social media and being an influencer was obnoxious along with her (what appear to be fake) friends who were just as obsessed with her, but I know alot of people just like that, so it was realistic unfortunately. The end almost made me wonder if she learned her lesson from her time off from it, or if she will slip back into her old habits and obsessions! (Here’s me hoping this fictional character learns to balance her life) I know not everyone will like this book, but for me it was a solid 5 stars. It was one read I didn’t just breeze through because I was savoring every word anticipating how it would end!

Thank you Carola Lovering, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of Bye, Baby.

Billie has lost her best friend. Even though they were each other’s number one for over two decades, the only updates she gets on Cassie’s life these days are through her instagram. Her sadness over this loss turns to anger the night of Cassie’s thirty-fifth birthday. Billie goes to feed her boss’s cat and hears Cassie’s birthday party raging in the apartment above her. A birthday party that Billie was not invited to. Her rage boils over, and when she hears Cassie’s baby screaming from her terrace, she loses it. Before she knows it, she has taken the baby. And now she must figure out how to make it right.

I would rate Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering 4 out of 5 stars. I loved the way she masterfully switched between Billie’s and Cassie’s perspectives, as well as her use of flashbacks to slowly feed us important backstories. The relationship dynamics between Billie and Cassie were so fun to read, and I also really enjoyed the romance between Billie and Alex. There were a few points at which the story started to get slightly unbelievable, but other than that I felt this was an amazing read. I would absolutely love a sequel to learn more about what happens with Billie’s job and her relationship with Alex.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good mystery in which relationships take center stage. The book dives into the complexities of lifelong friendships, so check it out if that’s something you like. I would offer trigger warnings for sexual abuse, rape, abuse by parental figures, kidnapping, loss of loved ones, and murder. Otherwise, if you like good mysteries, then check out this book when it releases on March 5, 2024.

Name of Book: Bye, Baby
Author: Carola Lovering
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Drama
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
My Rating: 3.4 Stars!
Pages: 352

This story is told from the POV of Cassie and Billie and moves across several timelines – sometimes days, others times months or years.

Cassie Barnwell and Billie West are now almost thirty-five and have been friends for twenty-three years; they both grew up in Hudson Valley.
Billie isn’t married but Cassie has married into wealth, she is a new mom as well as an Instagram “influencer”,
Cassie husband Grant Adler is having a huge birthday party for Cassie but Billie is not invited.
(It is because they have nothing in common or something else?)

Story starts the night of the party with Billie soothing a crying baby when she hears Cassie scream from her upscale apartment which is actually in the same building where Billie is staying this evening.
Cassie calls Billie via her phone but Billie lets it go to VM –and hears ~ “Billie, I need Billie. Who would take Ella”?
Billie looks down into her own arms and continues to comfort baby Ella,

The beginning of this story had me hooked!

Story kept me curious and more curious as I read the various time periods ~ in each case it becomes clearer that these two are a complicated mess.
Both Billie and Cassie need to be needed. .
They were close for nearly twenty years but things weren’t the same once Cassie married.
Cassie loves the wealth and her thousands of Insta followers. In fact, she needs both to make her happy.

I felt sorry for Billie and was saddened by her background: her mother’s early stages of Alzheimer's and her abuse by her horrible step-father.

They both are falling apart; their need to be needed is satisfied only one way which is with one another.


This story was a crazy ride but since I have a low tolerance for excessive f-bombs, I found the language getting in the way for me to really enjoy this story. Although I am sure it is a natural way for these characters to talk.

The ending was interesting and hopefully a beginning.

I have no doubt that this story is going to make book club discussions very interesting.

This is my third Carola Lovering. I read “Too Good to Be True” and really liked "Too Good to Be True".
. Although this story was good - it just wasn’t great! I definitely will read another Lovering story as she certain is an interesting writer.

Since this is an early galley there wasn’t the ‘Author’s Notes’ which is something I enjoy reading as I love knowing inspiration and/or motivation for writing the story.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 5, 2024.

Thank you SMP and Netgalley for the ARC of " Bye Baby". I loved the book and television rendition of " Tell Me Lies" and this book I can already imagine as a series as well. Lovering has a way of drawing you in with her characters and getting you deeply invested. As a mother of a toddler, it is always hard to read about kidnappings but I couldn't put the book down!

The story starts off with a crime having been committed. A small baby has been kidnapped from a spoiled influencer, unknowingly by her friend.

The next half of the book is dual flashbacks,from the distant past and from the days leading up to the kidnapping. The Last half of the book is the time after the kidnapping and left over distant past.

While this novel is not quite a mystery or a thriller, it is super suspenseful with all the juicy revelations and it is also a very compulsive read. Situations are not always cut and dry, culpability and justice can be interpreted in different ways. 4.5⭐ rounded up because of how satisfying and enjoyable this was to read. Loved the ending😊

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book .

Bye, Baby is about two women, Billie and Cassie. Chapters alternate between the two in current time and in the past.

Originally I thought this book would be a suspenseful thriller centered around a missing baby. I was anxiously awaiting the event to take place and it dragged. I would say this is not much of a thriller. The "suspenseful" part was very short and you knew what had occurred quickly. I wanted that missing baby thriller trying to figure out what happened and I didnt get that.

Bye, Baby was much more about the relationship between Billie and Cassie.

The novel is well written. I just was a bit disappointed to not have the suspense I was looking for!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of Bye, Baby!

Bye, Baby is marketed as a thriller, but it's much more of a character-driven drama. Billie is the more likable character, and Cassie is just awful. There are parts of their relationship that I think everyone can relate to (friendship breakups), but the book is just.. boring. Nothing happens, and then something happens, but that something is described on the back of the book! And then more of nothing. Lovering can write, but she didn't really construct a plot with this one. Tbh I just skimmed the majority of this book.

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an ARC of Bye, Baby in exchange for my honest opinion.

Set in multiple timelines with multiple point of views, Bye Baby is an intense drama with suspense, friendship, dark secrets, and love.

Billie and Cassie are childhood best friends that could not be more different. The kind of friendship where you don’t see one without the other tagging along. You follow them along their childhood into adulthood. Though as an adult, Cassie seems to have outgrown her friendship with Billie. Choosing a more luxurious and materialistic life. While Billie can’t seem to let go of what they had.

One night, Cassie’s 4 month old daughter goes missing. Missing during a birthday party for Cassie in which Billie wasn’t invited. Though after the incident, the only person she wants by her side is Billie.

Great story that was able to hold all of attention from the beginning until the end.

Gahhhh....excellent book!

Carola Lovering writes dialogue so freaking well, it's just like me and my friends talking to one another. She nails it every single time. And her characterizations were spot on, I felt deeply for everyone in this book.

Fantastically done, as always!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy, it is my pleasure to write an honest review.

I’m having a hard time coming up with a proper review for this book. I really enjoyed the writing- as Carola Lovering is a new author for me, and the storyline was somewhat relatable (in the friendship aspect). However, I’m not sure where to begin without giving this whole book away.

In “Bye, Baby”, we have the main characters of Cassie and Billie. Growing up Cassie and Billie were best friends and had each other’s backs no matter what. Although, through flashbacks and the alternating POV’s between the two women, we can see that Billie was always the more loyal, loving friend. While Cassie was always the superficial, self-centered friend that only worried about herself and put her needs before anyone else. To say that I wasn’t a fan of Cassie is putting it mildly. I found her quite detestable, and my heart broke for Billie throughout this whole book.

Billie didn’t have the best life growing up. Billie’s only family was her mother, who unfortunately developed early onset dementia and wed the neighborhood drunk. Billie always wanted someone on her side, to stick with her, and she thought she had that person in Cassie- but of course Cassie moved on to bigger and better things.

Yes, Billie made a horrible decision in this book. But even so, I still felt for her because her feelings were so hurt and she was so devastated. Did Cassie deserve what happened to her? Maybe.
Anyways, this was a very interesting book about friendships, feeling left out, loneliness, and even grieving (because that does happen when our friends exclude us).
I was going to go with three stars, but bumped it up to four because the more I thought about this book, the more I liked it and resonated with Billie’s character.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own. Publication date: March 5, 2024.
Genre~ Women’s Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

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.