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!!

This one was marketed as a mystery/thriller, but it definitely was not. I did enjoy it, though I didn't love the main character, or really any of the characters, unfortunately. This one is a three star read for me.

Not having read this author before, I was hooked by the description. And when I started reading I was immediately sucked into the story, a tense women’s drama of two on-again-off-again longtime best friends whose lives have turned in different directions with very different values. I am not at all involved with “influencers” on social media sites, so I found the portrayal of Cassie’s incessant picture and video posting quite eye-opening. She and her shamelessly rich friends came across almost as caricatures, but that was likely the author’s intent. Overall it was well written and addictive. I enjoyed it as an escape read.

Bye Baby
by Carola Lovering
5 stars
Psychological Fiction
Dual POV

Billie and Cassie have been friends forever but drift apart after so many years. This starts with a baby being taken, then they jump back 50 days to explain what led up to it all. Also, they jump back to when both girls were younger and how their friendships went along the way—showing how they grew closer and then apart. It takes Billie a lot to realize Cassie isn't what she needs in her life and it's okay to move on and grow apart.
I loved this read it had me on the edge of my seat and wanting more. I love how they show you the toxic friendship and how friends grow apart and we don't need to keep everyone in our life. It's okay to grow. It also shows the struggle of a relationship not being perfect and how not everything in life will go your way.

Thank you, Net Galley and St Martins Press for this eARC for an honest review

This was well-written and hard to put down! I love the look into the life of an influencer, so I enjoyed that aspect to one of our central characters. I will say to go in prepared for more women's fiction than a thriller - I wish we weren't given the first chapter and left to wonder about the kidnapped baby as the story progressed. But I did enjoy this look into the dark side of women's friendships and the bonds you gain and lose over time. Both characters are very flawed, so I could see the issues they had with each other, which made the story very realistic.

I will definitely read other books by Carola Lovering. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The book is a fast read and enjoyable except that I had such a hard time with the choices of one of the main characters that at points I had to brace myself to keep going - a bit of second hand embarrassment/cringe. That didn't ruin anything for me and I like that ultimately the characters are complicated - there's not a good guy and a bad guy, there are just people making bad choices. And there are pieces of the complexity of female friendships really rang true. My only warning is that if I had recently had a baby, this book would have been a hard read. My kids are a bit older and that distanced helped.

Hmmm, I think I would round up to 4 stars on this one. I was enjoying the story and wanted to know how it ended, but I thought parts were dragging. I do like Carola Lovering's writing a whole lot.

Carolina Lovering’s latest novel Bye, Baby is part suspense, part women’s fiction about two women who have been friends since middle school. The story is told from alternating perspectives and flashing back and forth between now and events that happened in the past.

Cassie and Billie grow up in the same town and become friends around middle school. They are inseparable growing up, best friends and all that. Now, the women are adults and Cassie is a new mom with a growing business, married to a very wealthy man, and she posts all aspects of her life on Instagram. Billie has an amazing job of working for a boutique travel agency and jet sets off to places like Portugal and Cuba. She has an amazing job, is still single and with no kids.

The friendship between Billie and Cassie has mostly felt one sided with Billie always chasing Cassie and Cassie taking advantage of Billie. But still, Billie is so loyal to Cassie even though Cassie has become so superficial and obsessed with money, and appearances. Billie is still loyal to Cassie but Cassie has been pulling away from Billie for years in favor of her wealthy social circle. They are also bonded by a traumatic event that happened in the past.

We know from the prologue of the book that somehow Billie has possibly kidnapped Cassie’s baby Ella. We don’t know how why or how until half way through the book. With her baby missing, Cassie once again turns to Billie in her hour of need. Even though Cassie had done some cruel things to her, Billie is right there on her demand.

I really enjoyed this book and this is my forest from the author. I will be checking out more of Carolina Lovering’s novels.

Things I liked:
Alternating POVs so you get to learn about both women and the perspective.
Authors writing style.
Conclusive ending with no loose ends.

Things I disliked:
Many of the characters in Cassie’s circle. They are all insufferable for the most part.
A few parts that dragged on and could have been more concise.

Overall, I really enjoyed Bye, Baby and would recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of drama and a compelling story about friendship and loss.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the multiple timelines of before and after. This book hooked me in from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down.

Bye, Baby was not exactly what I thought it would be, but I still ended up really enjoying it! I was hooked from the first line and felt like this one was bingeworthy. I enjoyed the topics of friendships, relationships and social media influencers that were at the forefront of this one. I also loved the past and present timelines where we got to learn more about Cassie and Billie’s friendship and what ties them together. The ending wraps up things pretty neatly but I didn’t mind it! I was also kind of expecting more twists in this one but after reading it, I would say this is less of a thriller and more drama / suspense.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and rated it 4 stars! If you are looking for a character driven domestic suspense book that focuses on female friendships and social media influencers with past and present timelines, check out Bye, Baby (out now!).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

Bye, Baby is a solid 4 star read. I immediately fell in love with the characters and quickly latched on to them. I did find myself rolling my eyes at Cassie and the way she was on her social media accounts. I did find myself loving Billie more.
This was my first read from this author and I’m going to backtrack and pick up some of her previous books.

I loved reading about Cassie and Billie's relationships and learn about their upbringing. I loved their truly dark past.

Lovering writes unlikeable, insufferable, immature women so well and I'm not sure who I disliked more.

I've enjoyed this author's books before and this one was very good also. Not exactly edge of your seat thriller or a mystery, but more of a story of friendships. Some tense moments yes, but friendships that are strained.

This story is told in two parts. It's also before and after. Before the baby was found and after it was returned. Also in the years when Billie and Cassie were first such good friends and after they grew up and drifted apart. Not drifted so much as Cassie decided she didn't want any reminders of where she grew up. Of what she was before. Of her life before she found the rich life she always dreamed of. She decided she didn't need Billie anymore.

Billie and Cassie were best friends. They did everything together. Even when Billie was going through something that no female should ever have to go through Cassie was there. Cassie helped Billie. Helped her get away from things. She was her best friend. Until she wasn't. Until she decided Billie just wasn't good enough.

This story made me so mad in places. It brought tears to my eyes. I felt so bad for Billie and I did not like Cassie. Even when they were young and professed to be the best of friends I just didn't like Cassie. She is self centered and thinks only of herself. Of what she can have. Of how many followers she can get. Of how much money she can have. She marries a very rich man and does not want anything to do with her own sister or mom and dad. She's too good for anyone except her rich friends.

Billie is more down to earth but with some problems. She's been hurt and had such a hard life. Her mom is sick and only has a few years left. Her stepdad controls everything. Including where or if she goes to college. Billie gives her whole heart to Cassie. She would do anything for her.

The only characters I liked in this book were Billie, Jane, and Alex. Cassie and her friends I would never tolerate. Though they are much needed in this book and make it was it is in many ways. But it centers around Billie and Cassie. You'll know all about each one. All of their secrets and dreams. Their fears. Their faults. Their weaknesses. This is a story of friendships that can dissolve over time.

Thank you #NetGalley, #CarolaLovering, #StMartinsPress, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4.5/5 stars and a high recommendation.

I did audio and ebook for this book. It was truly the best decision! I loved the narrator and reading the book along totally made the experience so amazing. I love this author and I can't wait to read more books in the near future!

Bye, Baby was a suspenseful drama and captured the complexities and dark side of female friendships. The book follows two women who were best friends as teens and young adults who grew apart with time but were held together by a secret that both saved and ruined them.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the electronic copy.