This book got me going, but it slowly left the “I love this book” trajectory. It just feels like all of the secrets or twists in this book are for nothing. The past they keep bringing up basically becomes moot and the books ends up pretty much where it started.

While I was interested the entire time, I think I was interested in a better resolution.

BYE, BABY by Carola Lovering

When I read TELL ME LIES in 2019, I fell hard for Lovering’s storytelling. It’s gripping, anxiety-ridden, and compulsively readable.

Since that first read, I’ve read all of Lovering’s books. While they’re often classified as thrillers, I feel like they’re more aptly described as books about relationships with a mystery element. Bye, Baby is the first book where the mystery was kind of flat, in my opinion. I found the story engaging and it held my attention, but the mystery was kind of secondary and didn’t feel totally believable.

That being said, I think this book is an interesting take on what happens when friendships run their course and when something happens to draw a friendship-ending line in the sand. I also appreciated that the story is told in two perspectives — the friend who is desperate to get the friendship back and the friend who is ambivalent and kind of hopes the friendship quietly ends.

Overall, I enjoyed this one but it wasn’t my favorite Lovering book (Tell Me Lies still has a tight hold on that title, followed by Too Good to Be True and then Can’t Look Away). I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy her work and like quick, engaging stories that have some mystery while focusing on interpersonal struggles.

Have you read this one? What’d you think?!

I would call this one more a domestic drama, rather than a thriller. With that being said, I was 100% invested in this story. I didn't want it to end. Bye, Baby is well written and executed perfectly.
First and foremost, YAY to celebrating the woman who chooses not to be a mother. I think we frown upon this as a society, and people need to realize that having children isn't what defines us as women. With that being said, this was a great drama centering around friendship, fame, womanhood, and motherhood. Billie and Cassie have been best friends since they were children, but as time move forward, they grew distant, and Cassie doesn't want Billie around anymore, until her child is kidnapped.
A complex story about what we do for those we love, what we do to ourselves, and how damaging we can be when we feel left behind. I loved the jumping from the past to the present, and how carefully Billie and Cassie's story came together. I love how each character grew into their own self, and I just really enjoyed the pace and the back story. Billis broke my heart, and I have never wanted to hug a character so much.

If you're looking for a quick read, Bye, Baby isn't to be missed!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the copy to review!

Absolutely loved this book!! As I have every book by Carola. She is fantastic and delivery hit after hit!

I greatly enjoyed this thriller! I was a little confused when we got to the big event and I was only halfway through the book, but loved where it went in the second half and the themes it explored. It kept me turning pages and gave me a lot to think about. I really liked the characters.

Carola lovering is an auto buy author for me. Her writing style and prose always wrap me into the story regardless of the genre! I really enjoyed this book and the kaleidoscope perspective it gives the reader on friendship, female bonds, socioeconomics and its effects on self-identity and acceptance. That being said, this has been marketed as a thriller even though this is much more a contemporary fiction with a suspenseful backdrop. That doesn’t change the story for me or my feelings but it’s important note so others don’t read this and unfairly review it for expecting something else. Kudos to the author on being able to weave these characters in a way that their strengths AND flaws were palpable. One minute I found myself grieving for them, and the next wanting to throw my phone over how vapid these women could be. 4 stars!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and netgalley for this advanced readers copy.

I'm sure this is a fine story, but I can't continue on past about 8% in. I wish there was a trigger warning for the way age and fertility is talked about, as this can and will be triggering to some women. I also just don't like any of the characters. Cassie is a terrible friend and Billie is just flat out annoying.

Wow! This one had all the feels! Anger, jealousy, greed, betrayal, fear, love, hate, sadness, joy and loss. Is it wrong that I was rooting for the woman who took the baby? Probably.
This is the story of two girls who grow up and go through everything together until their lives diverge after a moment that shapes everything in their future and a secret they must keep at all costs. They both go through some hard things when they are young, and it shapes them in ways that dictate who they become as adults. This asks the question, should people remain friends no matter what?
I love the dual narration between both women. You can see both sides with the back and forth of perspectives. Definitely a thriller, but a lot more introspective than most. I gave it five stars because it kept me engaged and my heart pumping throughout! Great read!

This is a very suspenseful thriller that follows two women’s friendship from childhood to young adults but later they found themselves drifting apart .
We learn of the complexities and secrets of that friendship that they kept.
But then something horrific happened that brought them back together.
If you want to read a good thriller pick this up
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinpress

i have to say that i was expecting a darker reason for the kidnapping but when it came to it for me it showed me that this book wasn’t really about the baby gone missing but about the very messy friendship these two women had.

as a woman i’ve had plenty of close friendships that have fallen apart for many different reasons so reading this story felt really validating in terms of why we choose to leave a friendship, no matter how hard it’s for us, how painful and traumatic it can be, to find a better way to live our lives, because at the end of the day it’s us that matter the most, how we feel, who we are, what we represent, and if our friends don’t fit in the life we’re making for ourselves then as painful as it can be sometimes the best option is to leave, to walk away and grow up apart from each other.

rating: 3.5 stars

thank you to netgalley for proving an arc in exchange of an honest review.

I don't know if its the book or me, but I didn't like this book. Not one bit. I just felt like it was going around and around and around.

Bye, Baby is a thriller with secrets galore! You may even find yourself even rooting for the alleged villain and anxious that they will get caught. How many times does that ever happen? You see, everyone who does something terrible is not always someone terrible… even if they kidnap their best friend’s baby!

Billie and Cassie spent every day together since childhood. They know everything there is to know about each other as well as those buried secrets that are never talked about. Deep dark secrets. Billie grew up with a mother and stepfather, not the happiest of childhoods, and had little money. She hated her stepfather. Cassie grew up with a well-off grandmother and based all her decisions on who or what could move her up the social ladder. Now, Bille helps run an elite travel agency and Cassie has married a handsome wealthy man, has a newborn baby and a job as an influencer on social media and an upcoming clothes company which keeps her very busy.

So busy, that for the first time in their lives, Billie and Cassie are not as close as they used to be. At least that’s how Billie feels. Cassie seems to have moved on from their friendship with a brand-new set of upper-class friends, all married with children and enjoys the new lifestyle she has created. The relationship has shifted. Billie feels it, Cassie ignores it. Billie tries to fight for their friendship, but in the end is hurt by Cassie’s lack of attention.

Cassie feels that Billie, who has not been in a relationship in a very long time, should start to look for someone and settle down and start her own family, something Billie is not sure she ever wants to do. But why can’t they just continue to be best friends?

As Billie feels this horrible sense of the loss, she finds out Cassie is having a birthday bash in which she wasn’t even invited to. And then something in Billie snaps and she finds herself doing something totally out of character. She takes Cassie’s baby.

As the story opens, we find Billie looking down at a baby and Cassie screaming her name from somewhere. And this is where the ride of your life will begin. The good, the bad and the horrible.

Told in past and present chapters we slowly learn about Billie and Cassie. We also discover their dark secrets. Ones that could easily destroy both of them. But this means nothing compared to how Billie has just ruined her life.

How did Billie get to this point? Why has Cassie abandoned her? What on earth does she do now that she has committed this terrible crime?

Bye, Baby is an intense story about friendship, jealousy, loss and forgiveness, but more importantly, choices we make in life. Sometimes you must say bye to the past, in order to have a future.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #CarolaLovering #Bye,Baby for the advanced copy.

At the heart of the narrative are Cassie and Billie, friends since childhood with a bond that's hard to comprehend. Now adults, their lives have diverged sharply. Cassie, who could easily be described as a gold digger, has ascended socially and financially. She's a new mom and a social media influencer, a role that seems to have edged Billie out of her life. Still single and without kids, Billie struggles to accept this rejection and clings to the friendship despite it being glaringly one-sided.

Initially, Billie's actions can be frustrating, but as the story unfolds, her deep-seated trauma and the reasons for her attachment to Cassie become clear. It made me wish the author had delved deeper into the psychological aspects of Billie's behavior—like including sessions with a therapist or more exploration into trauma bonding, which would have enriched the story.

The plot includes a dramatic climax that finally reveals past events that shaped their relationship, casting new light on Billie's actions.

I have been invited to read two novels by Carola Lovering now, and she just keeps getting better! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

This dual timeline read kept me wondering what secrets were to be revealed as we followed Billie and Cassie through their very different lives in New York City. I enjoyed the pacing and writing, and would definitely recommend!

Lovering's latest is billed as a thriller, but I'd deem this more women's fiction, as it focuses mainly on a friendship between two women. Billie and Cassie became fast friends in childhood, forming a tight bond that lasted into adulthood. But lately they've drifted apart, especially with Cassie's marriage--one that propelled her into a wealthier part of society. She's now a mom, too, and a fairly well-known influencer. Billie can't help but feel resentful of Cassie and her seemingly perfect life, most of which she only knows about via Instagram stories. However, Billie upends this perfection when she "accidentally" steals Cassie's baby daughter during a party, terrifying Cassie.

BYE, BABY is a close examination of friendship and delves into a lot of issues: classism, Alzheimer's, social media, and more. A lot to cover, it seems, and yet I kept waiting for more to happen, wondering when that huge reveal or twist would happen. While the book does (slowly) build up to the story of what truly bonded Cassie and Billie in their teen years, there are no huge surprises here. Instead, we learn why each woman is the way they are. Billie, at first not particularly likable, grows more sympathetic as you learn about her childhood, while perfect Cassie becomes less likable as you see her ongoing quest for wealth and social media followers. She lives her entire life online, Billie seems to be saying, yet she cannot even take care of her daughter? Doesn't she deserve this? The book would be more interesting if it really delved deep into this topic, or any one of its many topics, but it stays surface level, lightly covering Cassie and Billie's toxic friendship and never going much deeper. It ended, and I still found myself wanting and waiting for more.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy of BYE, BABY by Carola Lovering. This one is out now.

This story alternates between recent weeks and their shared history, tracing Billie and Cassie's friendship from their small hometown during seventh grade. Secrets, trauma, and life choices shape their relationship, leading to a poignant exploration of how friendships evolve over time.
If you’re drawn to suspenseful dramas with well-developed characters then look no further. I definitely recommend adding this one to your TBR, I highly recommend it!

Is it a mystery? No.
Is it a thriller? Also no.
Is it a suspenseful, suck you in, can’t stop reading at 1 AM book…..YES!
Add to your TBR is it’s not already there. 😉

Literally at 50ish%… I was like what 👏🏻 is 👏🏻 going👏🏻 to 👏🏻 happen!?!

We get two points of view, two timelines, and two very different characters. Billie & Cassie have been besties since childhood but adult life,(and also the highlight reel of social media), has changed things. This toxic drama filled friendship is hanging on by a thread. One is desperately trying to hold on and the other wants nothing to do with her past. Like all relationships, they have to choose to grow together or walk away.

👉🏻Read if you like:
•Childhood Friends •Friendship Drama •Secrets •Influencers •Dual Timelines •Suspense •NYC Setting •Trauma Bonding

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this #gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was something else. It took me so long to read it and that’s because it gave me so much anxiety that I had to stop and take breaks. I don’t know why it gave me anxiety, it’s not a highly intense book but I think I just cared for the MC Billie and wanted her to be ok.

I had a lot of feelings about the friendship between Billie and Cassie, and the relationships they each had with other people. Cassie got on my nerves so bad, the judgement & entitlement from her and her friends really killed me. I am a mother and I could never imagine treating my childless friends like this. It made me angry reading some of her actions/thoughts. I did enjoy the multiple POV's & the past and present timelines, it added to the tension and gave more insight into their bond and how they got to where they are today. I really enjoyed this book and will recommend it to everyone.

Bye, Baby is another Carola Lovering thriller that hooked me from the beginning. I wasn’t sure what to expect really, but what happens is definitely more than unexpected! Carola creates such unlovable characters that I still end up wanting to read more about and flipping pages as fast as I can to see what happens next. I wouldn’t say this was an outright thriller, more of a mystery with a side of obsession and toxic friendships.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

This multi POV dual timeline psychological thriller centers around a long-standing friendship that has changed with time. It starts with a reveal, but you won’t totally understand it until the story unravels. Sadly, I think so many of us will see people we know in Cassie and Billie, just not this extreme. But Lovering has captured the sadness and resistance to accepting a withering friendship.
Two very flawed characters who are hard to like but perfect for this story. They exemplify the extreme but capture the essence of that messy friendship that so many of us have experienced. And while at times all the characters seemed petty and immature, the storyline had me glued to the book!!