Thank you St. Martin's Press for the gifted copy.

Wow. I liked this book a lot more than I was expecting! At first, I thought this was going to be a mystery/thriller, but I read several reviews that said it wasn't, so I went in with different expectations. I am normally not a fan of character driven books, so I was hesitant, but I was blown away at how attached I got to both of the main characters, their friendship, and the story that unfolds as I read.

Billie and Cassie are childhood friends, although their lives are very different in the present. Billie is single, and Cassie is married with a new baby. Cassie has other friends, and Billie is a bit of a loner, and doesn't really fit in Cassie's world. When Cassie's baby goes missing in the middle of a party, Billie is the person she wants there. But Billie is hiding something...

The chapters also flash back to the past, to fill us in on Billie's past and why her and Cassie have such a strong connection even though they're very different people. This really adds a layer to the plot that I wasn't expecting, but I think it is necessary to the story.

Bye, Baby is filled with lies, secrets, and toxic friendships/characters/relationships. It sucked me in from the first chapter and I flew through it faster than I expected.

This was an intriguing book that explores teen friendships that are built on trauma bonds and poses the question if that's enough tot sustain and adult friendship when one is no longer experiencing the trauma. I enjoyed this book and looked forward to picking it up and reading it. The dual POV was done well. There's also another timeline that was very engaging. My only complaint is that the entire thing is written in italics---I prefer when the past timeline is regular font, and just noted by a date at the top. This isn't really a thriller though. There's no sense of danger or a life threat. It's more of a women's fiction with a small criminal element but the crime is not the focus just an incident that pushes the MCs back together.

This was billed as a mystery/thriller, but it absolutely is not. There are a couple reveals, but other than that, it read more like a character study on the relationship between Billie and Cassie. To that end, I was still invested and found it interesting. The writing between chapters wasn’t distinctive enough for me to know offhand whose POV it was, but the characters themselves were fleshed out and felt real. I enjoyed the plot, and appreciated the ending.

I have tried in print and audio several times each and neither format is working for me. Too much of an ick factor for me to spend more time with these characters and I have no desire to see where the story goes. DNF at 17%.

I went into this thinking it was a mystery/thriller. So, up until the very last page, I was waiting for a twist. Well, that didn't exactly happen. And I am still not sure if I am happy with the ending. But, it says something if a book still has me thinking about it hours after I finish it. Overall, the story kept me thoroughly engaged. It is well written and totally current/topical. The two points of view of the main characters are such interesting psychological juxtapositions. As flawed as she is, I was rooting for Billie. And not so much for Cassie. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC. I will definitely read this author's other books.

This book was very intense! It was hard to put down. I love how well developed this book was! Will be reading more by Carola Lovering, for sure!

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!