The latest from author, Rachel Hawkins, and I think this miiight just be my new favorite of hers! If stories about rich families with messed up dynamics particularly when it comes to inheritance and “what is rightfully theirs”, than this may be a book for you.

The eeriness of the story is set early on with the kidnapping and return of three year old, Ruby McTavish, in a small North Carolina town near the Appalachians. Ruby is the heiress to the great McTavish family fortune and lived quite a life until her death. In the present, Camden is summoned back to his childhood home to deal with the family he cut off all relations with and who despise him back. He brings along his wife, Jules, for support and their visit is the catalyst to unveiling long hidden secrets about different individuals and the family as a whole.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the different POVs and formats included. Not only do we get dual perspectives from both Camden and Jules, but we also get newspaper articles/ clippings from decades ago as well as more recently, and finally there are letters written by Ruby prior to her death that explain much of her past actions and why she did certain things. All of these different narratives and format did create a cohesive and engaging story that had me continually curious and wanting more. It helped that this also read SUPER quickly and was very easy to binge.

The atmosphere was also done well because the setting of the mansion created a sense of mystery where you just knew something was off. Learning about the different dynamics and drama of the McTavish family was fascinating and I like how the author used certain characters to contrast against each other to show who genuinely had good morals vs. those who did not.

There were many twists and while some were not a huge shock, I did find that others were more well done where it caught me off guard!

Overall, I thought this was a pretty solid thriller and if you love ones that you can read in a single sitting, you will want to check this out when it releases in January 2024!

This book had a bit of a Gone Girl meets The Push vibe. Some portions of the back story seemed rushed, as well as the tidying up of loose ends at the conclusion, but overall it kept me on the edge of my seat. I read the entire thing in less than 24 hours so it was definitely a page turner, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a psychological female thriller. My biggest gripe though was that there wasn't one character I truly liked. Regardless, big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

There are many layers to the story of Cassie and Billie... two friends bonded over family trauma, a dedication to Dirty Dancing and a desire to escape their home town. However there is an unexpected rift growing between that one of them does not want to acknowledge or accept. The cover and plot points spoke to me and I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Bye, Baby. The friendship dynamic felt raw and real and though it was not an "edge of your seat" thriller, the rotating POVs were pivotal in telling the story. Not everyone wants to be a mother, not everyone deserves to be.

We can all relate to the central question in this book - Have you ever struggled with a friendship because it changed?

Cassie Barnwell and Billie West have been inseparable, joined at the hip, until the birth of a child changes everything. Well, that's what we're lead to believe, anyways.

Firstly, Billie. I’ve been there. I’ve felt the pain. I was sucked right into this premise. Like Billie, I didn’t have children and struggled with the societal pressure linked to female destiny - motherhood. I also struggled to maintain friendships that eventually fizzled out because my friends’ priorities had now changed. Such a relatable plot.

Secondly, Cassie. I’ve been there, too. I’ve been focused on building my career and have let friendships dwindle. Not because I wasn’t interested in the effort and time it takes to nurture it, but simply because I didn’t have the time or maybe, make the time. I was busy making a living. Again, relatable to Cassie’s drive to maintain her career.

However, I’ve never shared a dark secret with anyone, so that’s where my story differs from these girls’ story. BUT this is where my interest picked up! Who doesn’t love a good secret? After sharing a past, one of them is desperate to leave it behind and one of them doesn’t. What lengths will Billie go to keep Cassie in her life? Does it have anything to do with Cassie’s baby in her arms? Has something else provided the fuel for Billie’s outlandish behaviour? Is the missing baby really the problem here?

The dueling perspectives were a must in a story such as this one. Lovering played me along and kept me engaged, wondering what really happened that night. I got sucked into the trauma that bound them and kept turning pages to see how incidents in their past affected who they became as adults. I really appreciated Lovering’s exploration of choices and how a single choice can have unforeseen ripple effects. We truly are only one decision away from a completely different life.

I did struggle with a few things:
I wonder if others thought the traits of some were exaggerated to create an effect, leaving a trail of implausibility?
Do others think it felt like a kitchen sink full of themes?
How about more focus needed on Billie’s issues?

Avail yourself of triggers.

Stuffed with lies, jealousy and obsession, this story, highlighting toxic friendships needs to be on your reading list!

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Bye, Baby follows the alternating perspectives of lifelong friends Billie and Cassie. The story begins with Billie having abducted Cassie’s infant. With little glimpses into their shared past and present days lives, we find out what things brought these two together and what drove them apart.

I was immediately sucked in with the first few pages. With the story beginning with Billie having gotten herself into a wildly sticky situation, I had to know how she was going to get out of it. I was so engrossed in these characters: Cassie’s glossy glamorous, lifestyle that she loves to post about, and Billie, with her hard fought for stable life…even though she feels wistful about her former friendship.

This was my favorite yet by Carola Lovering.

Can your childhood friendship carry over into adulthood? Billie and Cassie have been friends since they were eleven years old, they have experienced much heartache and joy. Now as thirty- five year old adults their friendship is just cordial, until Billie does something that brings her back to her best friend. Told from Billie and Cassie's perspective, we get an insight into their bond. Really enjoyed the in depth characters history. Was torn between the two women but understood why Billie did what she did.
Thanks Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced reading copy.

4.5 stars
Sooo close to a 5 star read for me. I’ll round up for the star rating. The VERY graphic molestation scenes were a big NO thank you for me. I would have hated the villain without such vivid, explicit details. Also, a central character from the beginning of the book basically fell off the pages in an unnatural way. It was as if the one person the MC went through all the trauma for just became unimportant without explanation. If I give any more details this will become a spoiler post.

With that said, Lovering is a brilliant author that holds the reader’s interest while creating unique, believable characters. What’s funny is I could completely understand both Cassie and Billie’s view on things and somehow felt each was right as I was reading their perspective. That takes writing talent, to which Lovering has. I read Can’t Look Away last year and also loved that book.

I first want to thank St. Martin’s Press for allowing me access to read this book. It was an intriguing yet very frustrating read. The book is split between 2 points of view both Billie and Cassie. The two leads grew up together in a typical American small town and a trauma ties them together. It is a toxic relationship but no true pay off at the end of the book. Friends do drift apart but it was odd that Cassie just decided to break away from Billie without telling her her true feelings. It felt at times exhausting reading Billie’s journey of pleasing Cassie when the feelings were never returned. It was also just odd to me that people still feel extremely pressured to having children There was no trigger warning so please be aware if you are a survivor of sexual assault. Trigger warnings include sexual assault, kidnapping of a baby, abortion

Thank you St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for this arc. I loved it and can't stop thinking about it. Cassie and Billie grew up together and were super close as kids sharing their hopes and dreams and family problems. However, Cassie had a rich grandmother and was drawn to that lifestyle. They both move to NYC after college and live together for a few years, then Cassie meets a rich WASP similar to her grandmother. At this point, Cassie jumps on that bandwagon and distances herself from Billie. When Cassie's baby goes missing, she needs Billie and reaches out to her. This book shows the dynamics between friendships at different times in our lives and growing part versus growing together. Cassie was as a tough character to like and there abuse father stuff was hard to read, but overall the book was a very good.

Trigger warnings: kidnapping baby, abuse father figure.

This one was disappointing. Ultimately pretty forgettable, anxiety-inducing without much payoff, and not at all the mystery/thriller I'd been led to believe. I don't think it's a bad book, but this story wasn't what I was looking for. I will say that it was a three star read for most of it, but the way it ratcheted up my anxiety in the last 20%....I just finished it feeling tense and bad.


If friendships gone awry, hidden secrets, and dealing with consequences of impulsive bad decisions sound good to you, you might be the right audience for this book

Absolutely incredible thriller! This book hooked me from the very beginning and I just had to finish it asap. I loved the alternating POV, the characters and the way the author switched from previous to current day. Such a twisted thriller, but seriously so so good. I loved hearing about Cassie's rise to the exclusive old moneyed lifestyle and reading about all of the perks that brings. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Let's start with the title - it's perfection and I rarely have strong thoughts either way about a title! And it doesn't mean exactly what you think which I LOVED! There were so many layers to this story but an overarching exploration of the relationships of our past and what our responsibilities to them are as we grow and change. Themes of friendship, trust, secrets and growth along with navigating relationships as we evolve. A definite page turner it kept me engaged until the last page. The only negative for me was the handling of a character being childfree by choice, it was so dramatic and given that so many women make that choice it felt out of place. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in advance.

You can count on Lovering for the drama! A missing baby, a fraught friendship--what more could you want? I don't know if it was a "thriller" or a mystery like I expected, it was more of a story of a toxic relationship. I felt like it would have been better served with a more fleshed out plot, it felt a little superficial.

Billie and Cassie were the best of friends in high school. They've bonded over trauma and an unthinkable moment in their shared history. Now that they're older, in their 30's, they couldn't be more different. Billie is unmarried and career-driven while Cassie has finally found her golden goose- her rich husband who comes from family money and her baby girl. They have grown apart as their lives go down completely different roads. Billie is a bit obsessed with her old friend. Not that Cassie isn't asking for obsession, she's become an "influencer" sharing the most minute details of her life on social media and lapping up the attention from adoring strangers.

Billie can't understand why Cassie has all but cast her aside as a friend. They share a twisted past with a deep secret that keeps them from fully moving on from each other. Billie is so hurt that Cassie never calls anymore, but she can keep tabs on Cassie from her social media. Cassie has everything she needs and ever wanted-finally. On the night of Cassie's birthday, her daughter is abducted, and she becomes paranoid and fearful.

This is a story of desperation, obsession, toxic relationships, the influencer life and it has it's TW warnings. It will generate good discussion among book clubs. There were frustrating moments and neither main character is particularly likeable. It's a good read but not quite a thriller. 3 stars. Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley!

★ ★ ★ ★ //5
𝐁𝐘𝐄, 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘
by Carola Lovering

Pub Date: March 05, 2024

THOUGHTS:
I had never read anything by Carola, this was my first read by her. I enjoyed this book. I loved the multiple pov and the timelines that change. Some of my favorite things! We follow good friends Cassie & Billie. Their friendship is an old childhood friendship. I loved seeing the dynamic between the two as they are older navigating some challenges through the book that bring these two back together, it shows how things change through all the years. I thought the author gave us well developed characters and a good plot. I felt like a little more than half through it it could have been ended and I would have been just as happy but regardless I enjoyed this read, just felt a little unnecessarily long.

If you love :
- best friend tropes
- multiple POV
- influencer characters
- multiple timelines

Thank you to netgalley, st martins press, and carola lovering for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

Incredibly easy to read, couldn’t put it down. The dynamic between Billie and Cassie was intense and believable with both women having dark sides that made their relationship take the turn it did.

Best friends with some intense secrets between each of them make this suspenseful novel good!
Cassie and Billie are kids growing up in the same town, and same school. They are glued together.
They would do absolutely anything for each other!
Life continues until they have a falling out as adults and Billie is heartbroken. Cassie has her Harvard friends, but Billie is trying to understand why now she is not included in things with her bestie.
But..... when Cassie's infant suddenly is kidnapped at Cassie's party, Cassie realizes she needs Billie now! She feels better when Billie comes.
Billie will understand, won't she?
The secrets continue........

I definitely enjoyed the psychological suspense that grew within these pages and would recommend this book especially as a beach read.
Thank you to #NetGalley and to #St.Martin's Press for this ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.

This did not seem like much of a thriller so I think I was expecting a different story? Once I started and realized it was more suspenseful and less thriller I enjoyed it more. I really disliked one of the main characters but it made sense for her character! Overall just okay for me.

3.75. Bye, Baby was a tense and emotional novel about what ultimately was a toxic friendship between two women, Billie and Cassie. Important content warnings include rape and sexual assault, Alzheimer’s, body shaming, kidnapping, and PTSD. Billie and Cassie had been friends since they were twelve, and the book swaps through the timelines of their younger years building up and the present, where they are no longer close and we learn where things broke down in bits and pieces. They both have different outlooks on life, but have experienced both shared and separate traumas. They’ve also treated each other poorly at various stages and IMO were toxic for each other. As a reader, I went back and forth saying “who did worse things in their friendship overall”? And ultimately, I cannot come to a solid answer. It was a fast paced and really well thought out story. I loved all of the very real references to NYC, Long Island, and Westchester. Many books based in NY tend to exaggerate what it’s really like. Critically I think the awful thing Billie does was a stretch, maybe there could have been some other big focal point. The title felt a bit lazy to me, and didn’t really hold incredible meaning. It also may have dragged a bit towards the end. But overall there were many important lessons about friendship and the consequences of your actions. I hope to read other books from this author in the future. Thank you @netgalley for granting me a copy!

I really enjoyed Tell Me Lies and Too Good To Be True so I was excited to read this new one. I felt the story started off strong and I was itching to see where things went. It’s a dual POV with time jumps which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, I had to dnf this one around 56%. The main characters were insufferable and it felt like the story was ruined by the prologue. You also find out the second twist/secret around the half way mark and it just felt pointless to keep reading. Would there have been another twist, if I kept reading? Probably but I couldn’t bring myself to continue on. You may still enjoy this one if you’re a fan of Carola’s other work but it just wasn’t for me.