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Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! I liked this book and do not regret reading it lol. Wasn't much of a mystery but more of a wonder what will happen next since the reader already knows what happened. The characters were okay but they just felt so disconnected, one sided and shallow.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I always enjoy Carola Lovering’s novels for their flow. Kept my interest, but was missing *that thing* to put it over the top to 5/5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC of “Bye, Baby” by Carola Lovering. I am rating this book 2 out of 5 stars.

“Bye, Baby” centers around two longtime friends who have drifted apart, but find themselves drawn together again when one friend kidnaps the other’s baby. What I enjoyed about this book was the alternating POVs and timelines as a way to delve deeper into each character’s history and their friendship together. I appreciate the attempt at discussing traumatic and life-altering events the characters experienced as teenagers and the ways in which this affects the characters throughout their lives…However, I think this could have been done in a much more meaningful and specific way - as it felt confusing and scattered at times. In theory, this book has a great premise, but I felt it was severely lackluster.

First, I found it difficult to like either main character in the book (Billie and Cassie) which left me feeling like I did not have any investment in the story. Next, while the main character Cassie is a social media influencer, I felt there was an unnecessary amount of specific brand names mentioned, as well as dialogue from Cassie’s Instagram Stories, rather than attending to the storyline itself. I found this distracting and left me skimming to get back to the actual plot. Lastly, much of the storyline takes place in the first 30-50% of the book and I was left following along with no direction or intention of why until the end.

This book is marketed as a suspense/thriller, but I would definitely not place this book in that genre. It read to me more as a general fiction/women’s fiction novel. Overall, I think that this book could perhaps become significantly better through the editing process, however, I did not enjoy this one.

We don’t talk enough about how friendships change. This is one of the key elements of Bye, Baby. Billie and Cassie have been friends for over 20 years and their lives have transformed during this period. They grew up together, went through some deeply challenging moments, and after college the pair of them moved to New York together.

Now that they’re in their 30s, Cassie is a mom and one night her infant goes missing. And we quickly learn that Billie has the baby in her arms. The story reveals itself in the days leading up to and after the baby’s disappearance, while also helping us learn more about Cassie and Billie’s history and friendship through alternating chapters from each woman’s point of view.

While touted as a thriller, I would say this book is more suspenseful or dramatic. It manages to cover a lot of themes and topics including influencer culture, childhood trauma, decisions around motherhood, and of course, friendship. There’s bits I could have done without, and would have loved to see more character development with some of the more vapid characters. But I was captivated by the story and curious to see how it would all turn out.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Whoa! This book is a power house from Carola Lovering. No one does depth of character like here. Told in alternating timelines and character point of views, the reader is given a front row seat to a friendship that has always been on the brink of collapsing. When a fateful night threatens to destroy their relationship, Billie finds she is lost without the whirlwind known as bff Cassie in her life. Years later another bad choice brings them together, and tears them apart. Dark and delicious with secrets that will break your heart and make you mad. Loved this book!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering. This book was extremely well written about the love of family and friends. Two young girls who were best friends growing up and the dramatic changes as adults. It’s about all kinds of love. So many twists and turns as Carola weaves her story. The twist and turns are not only throughout the book but right up to the end. I found this book to be unputdownable! Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
Irene G

Billie and Cassie are lifelong friends who share a dark secret. Cassie is married and has a new baby while Billie has a successful job she loves, but she feels that Cassie is moving on from their friendship while Billie is still hanging on to it and will do anything to keep Cassie’s friendship. This was good book that kept me interested to the end. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my arc.

I was all set for unhinged creepiness or a massive comeuppance that never materialized. I had strong feelings about Cassie, but it seemed like I was being steered to root for her. A book that makes you keep reading even when you dislike a character is always good writing in my opinion. I just got frustrated bc no one got what they deserved. Or maybe that is just life?

This was by far my favorite of Lovering's books- a memorable tale of a toxic friendship, layered with some thriller plot aspects and incredibly deft character development, I could not put it down and finished the novel in a day. I would one thousand percent recommend this to anyone looking for an intense, fulfilling read next year! Five stars for sure!

This is one of the first books in a while that has grabbed me and made me want to keep reading. It has so many things in it. Best friends growing and changing, a crime, subterfuge, lies, betrayals, new friendships, old friendships, money, and so much more. This book takes so many elements from different genres and mixes them together perfectly! I just wanted to keep reading until it was over. Then I was sad when it was over. The characters were well developed and felt genuine. If you enjoy a realistic feeling book that spans different genres then this is the book for you.

Old friends - old secrets. A well written story line that pulled all the ugly threads together. Thanks for the chance to read and review this book.

I love this book! It was so good — fun characters and a new, never done before plot. The suspense had me reading quickly but at the same time I wanted to savor it.

This was an interesting book for me in that after I finished it I kept asking myself if I liked it or not. The main character was rather frustrating with the choices she made and her mother was even worse. It will get you thinking about what you would do if faced with certain situations. Be warned though, this book definitely isn’t for those who are sensitive to sexual child abuse.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC edition of Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering.
The novel was a well written story of two friends whose shared history keeps them tethered together. I love how the author included social media and its power in to the book.
A intriguing read that I couldn’t put down.

Bye Baby is a riveting story that mesmerizes from the introduction and draws and draws and doesn't release until the unexpected but longed for ending. I couldn't put it down. Carola Lovering is an exciting storyteller that demands attention.

I always enjoy Lovering’s books, and this was no different, even if it felt a little flat at times. I can relate to Cassie and Billie’s friendship dynamic and I think the build up is well written and explained. I could’ve used a bit more suspense or even a twist at the end, but it also ended well. Overall a solid book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley St Martins Press and Carola Lovering for this digital ARC of Bye, Baby in return for my honest review. I have never read any of Lovering’s novels - this was my first.

Billie and Cassie are friends from their middle school days. Cassie shows up out of nowhere and was thrown to the middle class wolves (so to speak) and everyone knows she doesn’t belong there. These two girls go through a lot together with Cassie leading the way and Billie obediently following her. As they grow older they shift and grow apart into very different attitudes and social classes.

They have secrets that bind them together. And their pasts and childhoods set them up for a lot of mental and emotional strain and trauma.

One night Ella, Cassie’s daughter goes missing from a party and Cassie suddenly wants Billie and no one else. This fast paced novel would make a great book club read. I have so many things I want to discuss here - but that leads to spoilers and I don’t want to spoil anything.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were well developed and the story was engaging. I recommend that others try this book as well. Well done!

I've read several of Carola Lovering's books and this one really stood out to me. Cassie and Billie had such a close friendship with a secret that bound them together forever. In time, Cassie had moved on and I often think this happens in friendships. I'm not sure I would label this a thriller. I was sad by the end and it made me feel all kinds of emotions. BYE, BABY is not a story I will soon forget.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my ARC.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to pub date.

I loved this! I always love a novel about friends with dark secrets, and this one delivered! Takes on the genre in a fresh way.