I love the multi POV in past and present timelines. I thought this was a thriller but felt more like womens fiction. This is about friendship and motherhood. The trials of life unravelling the friendship

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for an opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for review, based upon my opinion.

While the concept for this book was okay, I found the characters quite annoying. I did sympathize with Billie, but I found Cassie totally irritating and a lot of things they did made no sense. This book just wasn’t the one for me.

This was an interesting story that infused a friendship story with a bit of thriller/mystery energy. I loved the structure of alternating POVs and that it started with the climax before going back to explain how we got there. There were still enough questions left unanswered thought to keep you invested until the end. A great choice if you are looking for a more dramatic friendship story with a heavy dash of rich people/influencer problems.

Bye, Baby takes an interesting look at female friendships and how they grow and change as we mature. The story centers on Cassie and Billie, 2 women who become best friends while teenagers. There are 2 timelines: `1 is present day where both women live and work in NYC though their friendship has drifted as Cassie is married to a wealthy man and is a new mom and Billie is single and not as financially well off. We also go back in time to when they first met and see how their relationship progresses through the years. I was initially interested in these characters, particularly their back story, and this kept me turning the pages. How Lovering portrays female friendships, and the ways motherhood affects them, as well as incorporating childhood trauma and class differences all really worked for me. What did not work for me were some specific plot points that would be spoilery to describe. Ultimately, I found myself not really caring about the present-day women -- their thoughts and actions were unrealistic. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars.

At the risk of being the odd woman out, this one just didn’t do it for me, sadly!

I really enjoyed the writing - Carola Lovering is a very talented author, and she does a really amazing job of developing her characters and their back stories in a shorter book. The prose and pacing was great too - i was sucked in almost instantly and stayed sucked in the whole time, but in the end the plot overall is kind of forgettable. I finished the book feeling unsatisfied and kind of annoyed honestly. 🙈

This absolutely will not put me off from checking out more by Lovering, though! As I said, she’s very talented and it actually has convinced me to pick up her backlist book that’s been on my shelf for far too long!

I started reading this book without looking at the synopsis. And that was helpful because I didn’t have any false expectation for this to be considered a thriller. Although the author was able to create such good tension that it kept me invested even when I already knew many of the answers and picked up on the clues. The entire time I wondered if Billie would come clean, or if someone would find out the truth or if she would get away with the lie just like Cassie got away with murder literally.
Speaking of the devil, aka Cassie, talk about a total narcissistic, toxic person. Calling her a friend is a total disservice to true childhood friends everywhere. At times, it was hard to understand why Billie wanted to have Cassie in her life after proving to her over and over who she truly was. The signs were all there since they were younger. Toxic codependency much? And that poor baby will either wither or become another awful person having Cassie as a mom. Just saying. The only good part about Cassie’s story was when her grandma didn’t leave anything for her LOL. Because even when she supposedly defended Billie from Wade, she only did that out of spite for what he said to her.
It would’ve been nice if Billie had gotten closer to Cassie’s family and found in them her second family. I can totally see McKay doing to Cassie what she did to Billie. They both deserve each other.
All in all, it was a book that kept me reading and interested in how everything would be resolved. Or not.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bye, Baby follows two main characters who were childhood friends that have drifted apart in the recent years. The book is told from both character's point of view. The first, Billie, is still working through her emotions about previous relationship as she searches for a new partner. The second, Cassie, who is married with a newborn while also managing a brick-and-mortar store while being a micro-influencer. Both characters have a deep history, being best friends through childhood all the way through adulthood but they also share traumas as well. The plot really picks up when Billie 'accidentally' kidnaps Cassie's infant. (None of this is spoilers, it is all listed in the description of the book).

I really wanted to love this book, and although I did enjoy it, I felt like I spent the entire book waiting for the other shoe to drop. Which might be the whole point of the book to be honest. And, to be fair, is told to you up front, but in many mysteries set up like this, it often feels like "will they get away with it", but throughout this book I felt "when will she be discovered". I think this difference is the main reason it isn't a four/five star review for me. Throughout the book it felt like Billie will be discovered for kidnapping Cassie's infant, it was a matter of when, not will it ever happen. I also spent half the book cringing, not wanting to be a fly on the wall when Billie was discovered.

The part I really enjoyed about this book was the battle we see Cassie and Billie have with holding on to an old friendship. I know I personally have struggled with trying to maneuver friendships that feel as though they have faded. I regret the distance between them and as many people say losing a friend is often harder than a breakup. So I enjoyed seeing both sides of this fictional friendship, and how the two people involved could both have different but valid perspectives of it. I mean, don't get me wrong, this book showcases the two extremes that could occur and showcase a toxic relationship, but there is a bit of me that felt as though I understood at the same time.

I agree with a lot of the reviewers in that this book felt more like Women's Fiction rather than a mystery. I think having that mindset going into it I would have enjoyed it a bit more.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

BYE, BABY | Carola Lovering

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Format: 📱thank you St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy!
Read if you like: dual povs // influencer reads // messy friendships // UNDER THE INFLUENCE // SUCH A FUN AGE

I have a feeling that I am going to be in the minority for this one! 🙈

Don’t get me wrong I read this one so fast - mainly because I couldn’t get enough of these characters who are HIGHLY unlikeable and I was so curious about what would happen, but even because of that it still fell flat for me in a few ways.

I also want to say that I have read and loved all of Lovering’s books before this one! I did like this one, but it’s definitely not my favorite.

I liked -
✨ the multiple povs - I feel like it gave an insight into both Billie and Cassie’s characters
✨ the commentary on womens friendships and how things inevitably change over time and circumstances
✨ the pacing at times made this book very hard to put down

I didn’t love the characters. YES they are made to be unlikeable and they absolutely were, but even so they were kind of annoying to me? I wanted to shake them both. The entire baby being taken and how that happened was also annoying to me and it made it very hard for me to not think about only that the entire time. Whomp whomp. I think this is undoubtedly a me problem, so I think if you are the least bit intrigued you should give this a shot!

I'll be happy to provide a detailed review once St-Martins Press addresses the boycott and fixes the issue.

I was really invested in this book the whole time, but I felt like the ending kind of let me down. Billie and Cassie's friendship was really frustrating. I definitely was on Billie's side the whole time. Cassie is very self absorbed and selfish. I liked the back and forth of the book. We get present day and then we jump back to when their friendship began and we see how they got to where they currently are. Overall, it was a good read.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Never thought I would side with or be so invested in someone who kidnaps a baby but this book had me feeling sorry for the main character, Billie.

I think this story is relatable to those who have grown up with a best friend who you thought would be there forever and then one day they are just not in your life anymore. Where that friendship just falls away and you move on, but in this case one of them can't move on. All through the book I could not see the appeal of wanting Cassie in her life.

This was a great thriller and I appreciate the two views, now and then points of view. It gave so much insight as to why they were friends and so bonded to each other.

"Bye, Baby” by Carola Lovering
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: March 5, 2024
Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book. All opinions below are my own.

This is my second book by Carola Lovering and I just love her writing style! It’s captivating and leaves you flipping pages to find out what happens next.

This story is a dual timeline/dual POV story of two friends, Billie and Cassie, who became inseparable as teens and what life is like now as they have grown up and grown apart. When tragedy strikes Cassie she finds herself desperate for the one person who knows her inside and out, Billie. Though they haven’t spoken regularly for years Billie comes running to Cassie’s side—while this may not be the smartest decision Billie just can’t help herself when it comes to Cassie.

I found myself loving and understanding each girl while simultaneously hating them. This is because of Lovering’s fully fleshed out characters, which makes the story so much more enjoyable to read. My only complaint is that I would definitely not classify this as a mystery/thriller but rather a drama/slow burn.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A story of friendship, love, trauma and grief. This story leans more heavily contemporary fiction with a hint of thrill/mystery than true thriller/mystery but the story was beautiful.. I was fully invested in this friendship through all its ups and downs. The ending felt rushed and a little unrealistic compared to the rest of the story but overall I recommend picking this one up and giving it a go!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is a fast-paced, psychological thriller that leaves you in constant need of turning the best page up until the very end. Although I felt some parts were a little too intense and chaotic for me, it is an intense dramatic story that is quite the quick read!

Thank you to St. Martin’s for the advance copy of Bye, Baby.

Billie and Cassie were best friends who lived through some pretty tough moments together when they were teenagers. Unfortunately times and people change, and with that has come a distance in their relationship. Cassie is married to a trust fund guy and working her way through being a mom for the first time while also running her boutiques and becoming a pretty prominent influencer. Billie on the other hand is treading water without the desire to have children and not overly interested in finding a partner. While Cassie is totally fine in her life without Billie, Billie is not. She misses Cassie & is desperate to be a relevant part of Cassie’s present again even though there is an obvious disconnect and strain whenever they do see each other. On the night of Cassie’s birthday party - to which Billie was purposely left off of the guest list - Billie ends up at Cassie’s apartment building to feed her boss’s cat and while there hears Cassie’s daughter screaming relentlessly from the terrace above her. And so, she does the unthinkable and snatches Cassie’s little baby girl.

I have several Carola books on my TBR, and even own one or two others but this was the first I actually read and I was impressed. It’s such a wild plot that it’s hard to imagine how it can be done in a way that has me invested & believing in what’s going on, but it was done well.

I could not stand Cassie, not at any point in the story, and although there were moments where it was easier to feel some sympathy for her overall I was far more sympathetic to Billie. As a person who doesn’t let go of the past or relationships easily, Billie was a far easier person to connect with regardless of her flaws and (big) screw ups. I’d love to know if Carola intended for readers to connect with one main character over the other or if it was a social experiment to see who readers ended up feeling a stronger connection to. Both were flawed in very different ways, but also both in ways that so many people could be guilty of. They both contributed to creating a toxic friendship, whether unintentionally or not, and I enjoy when a thriller can make me think about things in my own life and kind of reflect. Because thrillers do tend to be a little far fetched to stay entertaining it’s not rare to get to relate so closely to characters. (I promise I have never stolen a child from my estranged friend…or anyone for that matter).

I enjoyed the flow of the plot and the timeline, we got plenty of backstory in a nonlinear format but without detracting from the current events that also tied together ‘how did we get to this point as a friendship?’

Overall super fun read, high suspense and easily read in a couple of sittings. Can’t wait to get into some of my Carola backlist!

Secret pasts, frenemies, catty women, and a missing baby. Carola Lovering’s new book Bye, Baby has all those things in her new book and more. The characters are unlikeable, but entertaining in this slow burn mystery. A fast, engaging read!

Thank you to #Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slow start book but picked up. Told from two points of view and two different time frames, this tale of childhood friendship drew me in.

First of all, I would consider this more domestic suspense as opposed to psychological thriller and I think that is good to know going in. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and to have a neck breaking twist that kept my jaw on the floor, but it never happened. I felt like this book started out strong: we have two childhood 'best friends', Cassie and Billie, who are more estranged as adults and have a toxic friendship. The first chapter opens where Billie is holding Cassie's baby, whom she has kidnapped, and Cassie is calling her in a panic. I was sucked in from the first page, but the story fizzled as it went along. Why did Billie steal her bestie's baby?? I needed to know.

As the story unfolded, Cassie and Billie's backstories came out, including their childhood friendship and an illusive 'event' that happens with them and makes a major impact on their relationship. There are some trigger/content warnings (sexual assault, kidnapping of an infant) to be aware of, as well. Cassie is now an influencer and the type that is annoyingly posting stories all day long about how perfect her life is and how great being a mom is, which grinded my gears and had me more sympathetic to Billie, but also made me confused because we are supposed to hate Billie because she freaking stole a baby! So I did like how the author was toying with my emotions.

Like I mentioned, it started strong, but ended too easily. There wasn't much accountability and you will need to suspend a lot of disbelief.

Thank you to @netgalley for the #gifted advanced digital copy. #partner

Bye, Baby is the story of two best friends.

Billie and Cassie met in childhood and were inseparable. But, as with many friendships they change and evolve. They eventually begin to live separate lives.

One is living the life of new motherhood and the other is jetting all over the world for her job.

I felt sympathy for both main characters at different times. Many other emotions were felt throughout the book. It's hard to describe this one without giving it away. Speaking of giving it away, I wish there had been no prologue. It wouldn't have changed the outcome, but might have added another level to the story. But, that's just me. I like to read books without knowing about them first.

There were many thought provoking moments. What would you do in this situation? type of thoughts.

This is the first book I've read by this author and would definitely read more.

Quick and easy read.

Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

Wow, This was definitely a page turner! I simply devoured this book.
There’s POVs from best friends Billie and Cassie that gives us a a look into their childhood. Then there’s present Billie and Cassie which is where the friendship is broken, there’s avoidance, obsession, kidnapping and regret. It’s such a well developed story. I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.