I was kindly offered an advanced digital copy and it sounded right up my alley. I love best friends drama and I like the social influencer trope. For some reason I thought this was a thriller (until halfway through the book), then I checked it and found it linked as women’s fiction. I believe it has tendencies to be both.

The characters were really strong as well as the sound side characters. Even the ones you want to hate. I found it easy to follow, I love this kind of story. So yeah, full points from me.

I liked that Billie did not want to give in to the pressure of having to have children. I wouldn't say I like the pressure of society, that they assume everyone lives to be a mother. If you do, that’s awesome and I respect you. But I made my own choice by not wanting any. So I get Billie. I love that this topic is being raised. There is nothing wrong with having kids, same as with not wanting to have any.
I could also relate to the longing for your best friend's attention when you feel they slip away from you. Such a relatable book for me in many ways.

This was my first time reading a novel by Carola Lovering, and I have to say, I was really sucked in! The prologue captured me like no other.

I loved the nonlinear, multi-narrator timeline, with Billie and Cassie’s “now” POV, along with Billie’s “then” POV. I found a lot of aspects to be utterly intriguing, including Billie’s obsession with Cassie, Cassie’s addiction to social media/influencing, and the budding relationship between Billie and Alex, who just so happens to be a cop, assisting with the investigation.

There were a few aspects that I wish were different, including the length of the book (it felt very long at some parts), and the ending (it seemed a little too happily ever after for a thriller in my opinion).

However, don’t let that stop you from picking up this book! Now that I know I like her writing style, I’m eager to pick up her previous bestselling novel, Tell Me Lies!

carola is queen at taking something we’ve all been through & creating a bingeworthy story out of it. bye, baby propulsively dissects the nuances of drifting away from an imbalanced, yet intoxicating friendship. with each new book, i feel like i’m growing with carola.

I sat down and read this whole book straight through. I couldn’t stop reading about this friendship (though it can only be described as a toxic one). It reminded me of Firefly Lane, if it was set up as part psychological thriller and part women’s fiction. The commentary on motherhood and female friendships as we age was poignant and intriguing. The intersection of this and how social media and influencers can warp our perception and show us only the highlight reel definitely made me think. 4/5 stars.

HOLY WHIZZ! I loved this story SO much! I knew I needed to read it after LOVE LOVE LOVING Tell Me Lies. This was such an amazing read - it was fast, it captivated me and each page left me wanting more. It was Brilliant and I adored this one SO much! 5 Stars

Wow, this book was not what I expected but in the best way! Told through alternating people and times times, a story of a complex friendship and the ties that bind them. Loved this book and flew through it in a day!

Carola Lovering's best yet! If I had the time to binge it I would have! I loved the alternating POVs and timelines! A true suspense novel about toxic friendship done right. Highly recommend!

This is a tale of obsession and friendship. Billie and her best friend Cassie are tied to one another by history. Now that Cassie has a husband and a child Billie feels very left behind. Billie will do anything to hold onto Cassie, and their story, told in alternating points of view, create a suspenseful toxic friendship story that will keep you reading into late in the night. Well plotted, intriguing and unique, this is a domestic thriller that you will remember! If you love a twisty thriller, have a childhood friend that holds your secrets or just want a more unique a authentic look at contemporary motherhood, Bye, Baby is for you! #STMartins #ByeBaby #CarolaLovering

4.5 stars.

I loved this! Lovering does an amazing job writing characters you love to hate!! I felt so much hate for CASSIE, MCKAY and definitely Wade!

I felt so bad for Billie. I wanted her to just do better and realize that she deserved a better friend. I absolutely loved Alex! This is a book you will start and won’t be able to put down until you finished. I have stayed up way past my bedtime to get this done.

A thrilling novel with interesting characters. It's a great story about friendships, motherhood, marriage and so much more. I really enjoyed this one and am adding all other Carola Lovering books to my TBR list!

This was my first book by this author and I’m still not sure how I feel about it, to be honest. I thought there was going to be some kind of psychological component from the description of the book, but either way, I couldn’t put it down and finished it in just under 4 1/2 hours. I enjoyed hating Cassidy and mourning the loss for Billie, and yet, she’s not blameless for what happened. I’m not sure how to feel about the ending, but at least it all wrapped up!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the copy of Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering. This book is categorized as “Women’s Fiction” but it was a really suspenseful read, so thriller lovers won’t be bored!
I loved Lovering’s writing style and it got me invested in the book right away. I don’t think any of the characters were likable, but they were interesting, especially if you like books about influencers and social media. The story will keep you in suspense wondering why Billie and Cassie are no longer friends and why Billie is desperate to hold on to the childhood friendship while Cassie is trying to get out of it. I didn't really love the ending because it was kind of an anticlimax but in general I really enjoyed this book. 4.5stars rounded up to 5.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering. Not all books have happy endings. The book is very well written with the topics the book deals with.

Carola Lovering is one of my favorite authors, so I was super excited to read this novel. It starts off with the kidnapping of a baby and Cassie yelling for Billie. It then takes you back in time to the start and the story of Cassie and Billie’s friendship. I loved how the novel went back and forth between the past and the current, as well as telling both Cassie and Billie’s points of view. Billie and Cassie are not as close as they once were, yet Cassie will do anything to get Billie back. I was rooting for Billie the whole time.

This book really put me through a chokehold! It's sort of a thriller, but more so focused on the relationship between our two main characters through the past and up to present time. It's told from multiple POV's and is relevant with current social media culture. I especially enjoyed the topic of being childfree by choice which I feel is becoming more & more the norm.

A toxic friendship was the basis of this book and how the relationship ended up that way told in alternating time frames of the past and present. We are slowly told how Billie and Cassie’s friendship turned toxic.I was surprised at how far some people will go to keep a friend that treats them so badly. A fast read that kept me entertained. I sympathized with one main character and absolutely hated the other main character. The friend issues these two woman had are very relatable until a horrible turn of events changes everything.

This book differantied from other Carola Lovering books. It was a thriller in some sense but it was more woman's fiction. It is more a tale of two women who were best friends as teenagers but slowly drifted apart as they grew and their lives went into different directions. it is heartbreaking for Billie as she is the one trying to hold onto the friendship with Cassie the best she can. Unforuately, Cassie pulling away from her causes her own lift to get torn apart in an instant.

The book was good but I would not market it as a thriller, the wrong readership will be the ones picking it up and it may not appeal to them

More of a woman’s fiction meditation on friendship and motherhood than a nailbiting thriller, I still enjoyed it.

I loved it! It sucked me in right from the beginning, and I stayed up until 5am to finish. In true Carola Lovering fashion, the story is told from the two alternating points of view of lifelong best friends, Billie and Cassie. The chapters switch between present day and childhood/early life. Neither one is particularly like able in the beginning, but as the story develops, I found myself rooting for each of them in different ways.

It’s not a thriller in the typical sense, but it’s one you won’t quickly forget. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to review Bye, Baby.

Bye, Baby is marketed as a thriller but I would label it as women's fiction that explores the complexities of female friendship with some suspense. The book's pitch sells it as a mystery surrounding a kidnapping, but there is never really a mystery of who or why, and instead it is a deep dive on influencer culture and toxic friendships. The "who" is revealed on the back of the book and again on the first page, and the "why" is revealed with 150 pages remaining. The pacing was very uneven, as the last 150 pages were spent waiting for the characters to catch up with information the reader already knew.

My primary issue with this book was the fact that there was on-page sexual assault, and reviewers were not provided with content warnings, nor did the description of the book indicate that the book would delve into heavy topics beyond a kidnapping. I do not think it was necessary to the story for the SA to be on page, especially not multiple instances of it. It could have been handled with more discretion and sensitivity to readers, especially given the fact that the abuser was a parental figure to the victim. I am disappointed that when this ARC was distributed content warnings were not included, as I would have elected not to read this title had I know the explicit nature of SA that would be on page.