An insiders lens into the complexities of a female childhood friendship and the secrets and heartbreak that arise out of traumatic events. Alternating between both women’s viewpoints, you will question who is the villain. Do the choices we make in life make us victims or heroines?

I have read Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering as if it were a marathon, reading in every spare moment and far too late into the night. The emotions this novel dredges up are almost overwhelming at times. Carola Lovering describes characters that are so relatable and true to life, lovable even when they aren't likeable. She manages to put words to emotions that are almost beyond description. Bye, Baby explores the topics of friendship, marriage, and parenthood with understanding and maturity, honesty and complexity. Lovering also explores the difference between our public personas and our private lives, which become even more convoluted with social media. This novel has almost gutted me because it has described feelings I am not sure I could articulate with a brutal transparency I can only ever glimpse sometimes at 3:00 a.m. I read several books a week, and rarely does a book make a lasting impression. However, I will be thinking about Bye, Baby for a long time to come. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give this book a rating of a million.

This book had me frantically flipping pages from start to finish. Couldn’t put it down because I just was never sure where it was going and how it would end. The author did a superb job keeping the reader in suspense trying to figure out how it would all tie together at the end. While it wasn’t in a neat a tidy bow, it was a satisfying end to a very toxic relationship.

This is very relatable for me and it might be for you as well. This is about a friendship that shows the struggles of what happens when we start to change over time. Not all relations, even with our close friends, can be all rainbows & roses.

Billie, if you where out there somewhere, I would be searching for you. You are me in the mirror. Most of us keep our secrets on the inside but Cassie and Billie have a dark secret that they have with each other. You will start to question if "that" is what the dark secret is.

This was a wonderful read and not able to figure out until the end what their secrets was. You will get trapped in this book until you are finally done with it.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this advance reader.

First off, this is not a mystery/thriller. Not that the story isn’t without merit, just know that going into it.

Have you ever struggled with a friendship because it changed? Cassie and Billie have been joined at the hip, until the birth of a child changes everything. The dependency of Billie continued on Cassie and that is what the story revolves around. Cassie desperately wanted fame, fortune, and moving in the upmost circles. Billie, who was an introvert, looking in from the outside, was a woman with secrets that made her even more dependent.

This book is doesn't have a ton of suspense, but characters you’ll love-hate and a setup that’s irresistible.

Bye, Baby 🗽🍸🍷🍼
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Author: @carolatlovering
Pub Date: 3.5.2024
@stmartinspress

Cassie & Billie are your textbook best friends. Drunk nights eating Celeste pizza on the floor. The first person you want to call when anything happens in your life. Until, one big blow out and a major life change changes everything. Billie frequents Cassie’s IG story to watch her life from afar; underwhelmed by the mundane details Cassie feels the need to share with the world. Cassie & Billie’s relationship has slowly drifted apart. But, even more so now that Cassie is married with a baby. This alternating perspective novel may be one of Carola’s best yet. She has easily become one of my favorite psychological thriller authors. This is definitely one of those “can’t put down” novels. I devoured this. It felt like I was reading a really long text message from a best friend.

After spending the past couple months binging on Lovering’s past novels I was thrilled to get this one, and it certainly did not disappoint. Fast paced story of two close friends who have grown apart. Since the summer before 7th grade Cassie and Billie have been inseparable, until they became adults and Cassie starts pulling away from Billie for reasons unknown. Even though they share a painful secret they have both sworn to take to their grave, they both pledge to be there for each other and even be the other’s bridesmaid, when that time comes. While Cassie continues to ghost Billie for many major events in her life, Billie does the unthinkable in a moment of weakness and has no idea how to untangle herself from the mess she has created. No one writes about emotions and friendships better than Lovering.

This is most definitely not a mystery/thriller, despite the blurb and the unfortunate title. Not that the story isn’t without merit, just know that going into it. Best to just avoid the blurb as it gives too much away.

This is an exploration of obsession and a toxic friendship that defies understanding - until you realize the reasons behind it.

The first paragraph of the description of this fantastic book reads, "On a brisk fall night in a New York apartment, 35-year-old Billie West hears terrified screams. It's her lifelong best friend Cassie Barnwell, one floor above, and she's just realized her infant daughter has gone missing. Billie is shaken as she looks down into her own arms to see the baby, remembering—with a jolt of fear—that she is responsible for the kidnapping that has instantly shattered Cassie’s world."

That description sucked me and the book itself kept me sucked in from page 1! I read this book in about a day and a half because I just couldn't put it down. It's a fantastic examination of friendship and the ways our lives diverge as we grow older, with much suspense and jaw-dropping scenes throughout. Highly recommend!

In 48 hours, I finished this book.

I could not put it down. I read it while I made my coffee, changed diapers, made lunch, threw a load of laundry in, and went about a million daily activities. It was that good and had me on the edge of my seat.

I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as a thriller since we find out pretty early on what was going on, and there were no end surprises. But it still kept me fully captivated to find out what was going to happen. Lovering does an incredible job weaving a story and developing characters that are flawed and imperfect, but that you still find yourself rooting for.

Definitely a book I’d recommend, and will be on the edge of my seat waiting for whatever book Lovering writes next!

Billie and Cassie are lifelong friends who have recently started to drift apart. They are bonded by a secret that occurred when they were in high school in their small hometown of Hudson Valley. Billie is having a hard time letting go of the friendship while Cassie seems ready to leave her past behind her now that she has found a rich husband, given birth to a perfect daughter, and is well on her way to becoming a successful influencer. On the eve of Cassie’s 35th birthday, Billie finds out that Cassie is having a birthday bash that Billie was not invited to. In a moment of weakness and insecurity, Billie makes a decision that will send Cassie’s life into a tailspin.

Sigh, I just love Carola Lovering. I flew through this book! Something about her writing is captivating to me. This book is extremely character driven so if you want to read a story where you get to know the main characters inside and out, this is the book for you. The story is told in alternating perspectives and timelines which allows you a better look into Billie and Cassie’s thought processes. I felt like I knew Billie and Cassie so well by the end of this book and I found myself relating to both of them at times. I really connected to Billie and the struggles that she went through with her mom along with several other things that we have in common. I was rooting for her the whole book even though she makes her fair share of mistakes. Also, I have to mention that the author included 3 of my favorite things in the book: Taylor Swift, Tatcha, and Fresca. I was so excited each time these were brought up! I cannot wait to see what Carola comes up with next and I will continue to be a lifelong reader :)

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bye, Baby was such an interesting read. I told myself I would read this closer to the release date, but I read a few chapters and was hooked. I finished this book in less than 24 hours, the story was realistic, and I was on the edge of my seat wanting to read what led Billie to do what she did. This story is told in a dual pov, switching between the main characters Cassie and Billie. It also alternates in past and present timelines giving us insights into how Cassie and Billie's friendship started and how it got to where it is in the present.

This is about friendship, gossip, drama, and the lengths characters go to keep people in their lives and feel like they belong. The characters make mistakes and decisions that are not good, but I came out of this book empathizing with Billie and her actions. The author did a good job weaving everything together, and the writing was great. I was distracted by the past timeline, it was helpful in knowing how the friendships came together, but I think there was so much going on that I focused a lot on the present. I liked the end because it showed that some friendships aren't meant to be, and some people are toxic to be around.

Overall this was a compelling story about unraveling secrets, drama, and the history of a friendship. It wasn't really a thriller, but it was still an interesting and suspenseful book. Thank you, St. Martins Press for this arc for an honest review. I will be posting my review on my blog and social media closer to the release date.

I received an ARC of this novel, and I really enjoyed it. It was suspenseful and the characters were nuanced, if not always likeable. The book was fast paced and I sped through it in two days. I loved the different timelines as they really gave depth to the complicated friendship between Cassie and Billie. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Thank you St Martin’s Press for a ARC of Lovering’s new book coming out in 2024.

Cassie and Billie have been friends forever. One night Cassie’s baby goes missing only to discover Billie has her. What could have made Billie do it?

I struggled with this one. Not much of a suspense or thriller, its more a story of broken friendship. The beginning grabbed my interest when a baby has gone missng, but shortly after you know who did it and and then why. But lacked all the suspense and mystery between.

Carola Lovering?! Yes, give us more! Another compelling read! I feel like I have a love/hate relationship with your characters. Exploring the toxic friendship, along with the suspense will have you flipping through this one quickly! Excellent. #autobuyauthor

Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to it's 'back cover blurb' which inaccurately described this as a thriller. We knew from the beginning who did what and motives were easy to deduce early on. I couldn't relate, sympathize, or empathize with any of the characters as none were likeable or engaging.

I was surprised by my reaction because I've read Lovering before and enjoyed it. This blip on her previous good writing trend won't stop me from reading her future books, I'll just hope she gets back on track with her next endeavor.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Very well written and the author dida great job plotting each step of the book. Yes I would buy this book to read if I haven't already received it from Net Gallery. I am sure the audio would be fun to hear because of all the emotional drama.

I just finished and this was a page turner. The dual POV and different timelines were structured well. The story of two friends who grew up and grew apart. While I did feel it was somewhat predictable, it didn’t take away from the story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

Kept me interested but very predictable. Didn’t understand motives of characters especially Billie. Love this author