Yeah no, again, not for me. I just don't love my books to give me heart palpitations and this one was definitely a weird sweaty palm story. And pretty messed up at times.

This was such a great mystery! Can't wait to see what the author comes out with next. Had me on the edge of my seat.

Okay, this book?!? Loved it!! It got me right from the beginning enduring me to the characters. I loved the pace of the story which had me flipping the pages unable to put it down. I loved the dual timelines flashing back and forth. It provided such a full picture of the story - which was so compelling. I thought it had the perfect amount of twists, drama and true to life experiences. It did an amazing job of calling out how complicated relationships can be and how they grow and changed. I cannot say enough about it - love love love it!!

UGHHHH i loved this. No one writes toxic relationships and friendships like Carola Lovering does. This book was fairly long but it kept me hooked throughout, the anxiety building and knowing the other shoe was going to drop at some point. I loved the development of the two main characters, both so flawed and complicated. You love and hate them both throughout the book, sometimes at the same time. That’s the mark of a perfectly written complex character for me.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for allowing me access to this book!

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
Wow, this book was really good. I read the entire book in one day because I just could not stop! The opening chapter goes right into the drama and then the book starts with Part One- the past. I was totally invested in the lives of Billie and Cassie and the friendship they had. Part Two starts off where the opening chapter left off, with the Now, and I was just as invested! I dont want to give away any spoilers but just know that you have to read this if you haven't yet!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲
• Childhood besties
• Twisty Thrillers
• Multiple POVs
• Dual Timelines
• Friendship fallout
• Social media influencer

A thrilling novel penned by a master of her craft! I was on the edge of my seaaaat and completely captivated page by page! A thrilling and compelling novel that sent shockwaves to the senses!

Looking for a great summer thriller? Look no further than Bye, Baby. A female-forward psychological mystery that’s a true page turner.

"Bye, Baby" is tagged as a thriller, but I think that's a little misleading. There's not a big mystery to figure out. That being said, this book is a very tense domestic drama that will keep you reading just to see how all the different dramas play out. It is told in dual voices and multiple timelines which I personally love in a book. The main characters do not have a ton of redeeming qualities, but you will find yourself routing for them anyway, The ending tied up a bit too neatly for me. Overall, great writing, story development and characters.

Thank you to St. Martin Press and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book for my honest review.

I'll start by saying I thought the overall story was interesting, and how Carola rolled the backstory of Cassie and Billie into the main plot to show the build and demise of their friendship over the course of many years. I thought the premise of Billie being the one to kidnap her best friend's child was a bit unique, and I curious to see where she was going to go with the plot. While I did enjoy the story, I was honestly bouncing between mad at the main characters and annoyed with them. This story is a portrayal of a toxic friendship to a tee and shows how two people can become so codependent on one another, without even realizing it.

When the book was done, I had really hoped to feel a sense of relief or as if their story had been wrapped up in some way. Instead, I felt fed up with the characters and had a feeling, if this was real life, their toxic friendship would continue.

A good book but be forewarned you may find yourself annoyed with the characters.
Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5/5 stars

This book was more than I expected it to be. Some of the plot points were a bit far fetched, but overall I enjoyed this book. I would have liked to have some follow up after the e events to know whether or not one particular couple made it.

Great read - a thriller that is hard to put down as well as a great story of complex female friendships and the ways social media invades our relationships.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This really is a phenomenal domestic thriller and I am kicking myself for not getting to it sooner. It kept me at the edge of my seat, Lovering's every word like a knife perfectly weilded.

I enjoyed this thriller. It wasn’t necessarily fast paced but I couldn’t put it down. I read the whole book in a day - I was so curious to find out the two character’s back stories and how it would relate to the current events. The two timelines worked really well for this story!

This book has some content triggers, so I had dnf. But I know many people love the story. In hindsight, I will be more careful choosing books that involve children in real life traumatic situations :)

This was such a unique story that dealt with the challenges with relationships, and the repercussions from a snap decision.

Billie and Cassie met when they were young, and very quickly became best friends. Young female relationships seem like they will last forever, and the two make plans to be each other’s maid of honors, roommates in college, etc. They have each other’s back, and they show that through a tragic event in high school.

Once they transition into adult life, they start to drift with different priorities. Cassie gets married, has a baby, and suddenly all her friends are in the same boat. When it gets to the point where Cassie doesn’t invite Billie to her birthday party, Billie makes a decision that changes their relationship forever.

I really enjoyed this book!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars

okayyy where to begin, phew I love a good best friend drama but this one was kind of to the next level... It's separated into 2 parts and SUCH a fast read which I LOVED!! More of a domestic thriller than anything else and some points while listening I was *CRINGING* inside due to the main character trying to keep up with the lies.....

All I have to say is if my best friend cut me off after we experienced something traumatic, the question is that someone I'd want in my life and is it time to grow separately as hard as that might seem. So many times I was yelling at the main characters to GET A GRIP and SEE A THERAPIST!!

Overall, a good mystery read but expect to cringe after reading certain parts from the actions the other gave... phew I'd read another of Carola Lovering's books again though!

Thank you NetGalley & Publishers for the opportunity to ARC read this (even if I’m a tad late getting to it…) !

Can I just start off by saying that this book shocked me at how good and interesting it was! I loved the time jumps with time stamps, and loved that we got so much back story on our main characters in such a short amount of time.

I also felt that the characters were described very realistically, and felt REAL.

I did expect a bit of a larger twist, it felt like a big build up for one, but I still had so much fun none the less!

4.25⭐️

EVERY FRIENDSHIP HAS ITS SHADOW.

A fast-paced thriller that will give you the ick for sure. I think I am afraid of Billie? I could not relate to her at all, her decision-making qualities are horrible and I didn't love her outcome. Her bestie Cassie was definitely more relatable even though she is supposed to be the so-called villain but at least she had more normal insecurities and didn't STEAL A BABY.

I really enjoyed the friendship arc, it's sooo common to see what you thought were lifelong friendships kind of fizzle out. It was easy to see when that fizzle started, and obviously the moment it would be forever irreparable. An addictive read I didn't want to put down!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy of BYE, BABY in exchange for an honest review!

It is a quite entertaining book with complex characters. The relationship between Cassie and Billie has a brutal development, and once we know the ups and downs of this friendship we understand each one's decisions.

The nostalgia that Billie experiences and her apprehension regarding Cassie in contrast to the detachment and desire to forget about the latter plus the lack of communication, is the infallible formula for them to hurt each other, themselves and other people. that they care.

I'm not so sure I believe how the crimes were paid for with *moral credits*. It's not that I wanted to see any of them in jail, but they got away with it. Although yes, it cost them what mattered most to them at one point in their lives: the relationship between them.

The way in which situations of abuse and conflict are described seemed realistic to me in the sense that it was not morbid, it was not sensationalist... It was painful without becoming melodramatic.

The storytelling is very good, it was my first novel by the author and I want to continue reading it.

I loved this story and right up to the end I was on the edge of my seat! This was my kind of book with multiple storylines and quick chapters. There was so much going on and I loved every second of it. If you like a twisty thriller with toxic friendships, this one is for you.
I look forward to her next read! Many thanks to the author, St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.