I wanted to like this one but it really didn't do it for me. It was really hard to like either Billiie or Cassie. Their relationship was very toxic from the moment they met. I thought the telling from each point of view was interesting and the flashbacks were well placed. It's definitely a disturbing psychological novel.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

This one was not for me, but other may enjoy it.

I liked the writing in this book, and thought it was very good. It was the plot that I didn't care for.

My main issue was that this was marketed as a thriller, and it certainly was not. The way that it was set up with two POVs ruined the thriller aspect. Although one character was experiencing something horrific, it was ruined because we had the other character's POV and the reader knew everything was fine.

I enjoyed the first half of the book better. The second half was just waiting for something to happen that never did. I also feel like no one really learned their lesson in the end from any bad behavior.

𝗬𝗢𝗨’𝗟𝗟 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗜𝗙:
• You like toxic friendship dynamics 👯‍♀️
• You want a New York setting 🌃
• You enjoy social media influencers 👩‍💻
• You want lot’s of twists & turns 👀

📚Billie and Cassie have been best friends since the moment they met as children. Their upbringing and traumatic experiences bonded them like sisters. Fast forward to life in NYC in their 30’s and there’s a distance that keeps them at arm’s length. Is this a friendship that can stand the test of time, or has it run its course? One incident might decide it all….

💭Lovering is one of my favorite authors and her books are always page turners! I didn’t want this one to end! The story sheds such a relatable light on when a friendship changes and you grow apart. It can be confusing and devastating, especially when you have so much history. I really felt for Billie, even though she let things go a bit too far lol. I loved that it was written in two POVs and timelines, while touching on motherhood, past trauma, wealth, loyalty, rejection and illness. I wouldn’t say it was a true “thriller” but a suspenseful drama, either way add this one to your list, you won’t be disappointed! 👏🔥

A great book that explores the trials and tribulations of friendships, with a hint of mystery added throughout. What a great book!

Oh,…..baby. BYE, BABY is an exciting and suspenseful novel that I binge read in one day. This is a psychological thriller that grabs the reader and never turns loose. I loved everything about this book, especially the toxic friendship between Cassie, an online influencer, and her best friend for over 20 years, Billie. This book is chock full of secrets that are revealed slowly through the dual point of view of these two characters. Author Carola Lovering’s writing is no less that masterful as she weaves in backstory and inner thoughts to give complete character descriptions. I found myself, at different times, siding with each of these women, for both of them were right in a sense, and they both made understandable mistakes.

All the stars on this one! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A thriller with a focus on characters? Sign me up. This is my jam. The two MCs have fabulous arcs and though there are times their stories drag a bit, a fast pace and short chapters make up for it in the end.

Thank you to Carola Lovering, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

2.5 Stars

I am not sure how I feel about this book. To me, it really wasn't a thriller. The friendship between Cassie and Billie is toxic. The twist with Wade was easy to figure out.

I liked the writing. I liked the alternating perspectives. It just wasn't "thrilling" enough for me. I even found it quite boring if I am being honest.

For my psychological suspense readers you’re going to want to grab Carola Loverling’s Bye, Baby. An exploration of secure the bonds of youth that become uncomfortable as we grow older. It’s a story of privilege, the slow burn of jealousy, a curated life both mocked and craved. What would we do to get and keep the attention of someone when it’s gone?

This is the story of how 35 year old Billie West kidnaps her best friend, Cassie Barnwell’s, infant daughter. Somewhere between high school and their early thirties there’s been a shifting, a movement where Billie is no longer a priority to Cassie. While this is easily explained by Cassie getting married, having a baby, vastly different socioeconomic status, the underlying current feels like something different. Billie’s outsized reaction certainly gives a clue. Is it her unhealthy obsession, or is there something else going, perhaps both?

Told in alternate voices between Billie and Cassie Loverling expertly takes us between four POV’s: then and now for each Billie and Cassie. It’s incredible effective. I dual read/listed on ebook audio which is my absolute favorite way to read, giving me the best of both worlds! I never have to leave my stories behind. The audiobook is narrated by Helen Laser (Yellowface, The Second Chance Year) and Karissa Vacker (A Flicker In The Dark, Check & Mate). If you’re going to choose one format (and I have to choose favorites) go with audio on this one. The voice acting is so well done and adds the extra depth I’m always after in my audio experience. The nuances of this relationship is so well captured.

I binge read/listened to this one in a day. I couldn’t put it down! I recommend for weekend reading, something compulsively unputdownable. This is great to stick in your tote bag as you start to head out for sunny adventures!

Thank you so much to my friends at St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the early egalley and advanced listening copy via Netgalley.

Title: Bye Baby
Author: Carola Lovering
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Bye, Baby" by Carola Lovering

My Thoughts:

"Bye, Baby" was quite a read that once you start reading [and it was a long read], you will not want to put it down until the end. From the characters, friendships, and twists and turns, wow, what a read this one was that will give one a lot to think about long after the read.

How did Cassie and Billie, best friends from high school, turn their friendship into something so toxic? Well, all that is left to say is that this is what can happen when someone decides to poke in and try to destroy it all, and in the end...it happens. Was it the secret that broke them up, jealousy, or were they such opposites? Is this what happens when people grow up and change?

Be ready for a read that takes in a lot...from 'toxic relationships, messy friendships, motherhood, trauma, and toxic narcissism and much more' that you will just have to pick up this read to try to understand it all if you can.

I will stop here and say, pick up 'Bye, Baby,' and see how well this author gives it all to the reader. I didn't think this was a happy read; however, you know what you feel about this thriller. I was left shaking my head and saying what a friendship this one was. Okay, I will stop here.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Even though there is never a mystery as to who did what, this book is still intensely gripping and keeps you wanting to read. It is about friendship toxic friendship and true friendship and knowing the difference between them and when to let a friendship that has run its course go. The character of Billie in particular is so relatable. She just can't give up her friendship with Cassie even though it's clear that the friendship has run its course, and Cassie is and always was a gold-digging social climber who doesn't think Billie is good enough for her. Cassie, on the other hand, is a much harder character to like although her devotion to her daughter is admirable. Other characters in the book who are likable include Billie's boss, Jane, and Billie's boyfriend, Alex. They are examples of what true friendship and caring are like.

This was my first book by this author. The writing was great, there was a lot of depth, but the story just wasn’t for me. This book starts with the kidnapping, then gives us glimpses into the past to show what led up to this point. I felt there was no suspense this way. You already knew what happened, and honestly, the alternating points of view between Billie and Cassie just proved how unlikeable both characters were. They were toxic for one another and this book just proves that some relationships outlive their usefulness and it’s best for everyone involved to go their separate ways. Alex was the best thing about this book, and unfortunately he deserved so much better.

Billie West and Cassie Barnwell developed a friendship as young girls. They have always been bound together by a horrific accident that happened during high school. They grew apart during college as Cassie made other friends, and grew especially distant after she met her wealthy husband. Suddenly Billie did not fit into her world. Cassie tolerated their friendship, at best, but Billie had become a nuisance. She was more interested in hanging out with her rich friends. Now that she has a baby, their interests are even further apart.

Billie is hurt about being cast aside. She tries to insert herself into Cassie's life, but she is constantly either rebuffed or completely ignored. Cassie is also a big social media influencer and catalogs everything she does everyday in videos she shares on her social media. Billie is obsessed with keeping up with Cassie. You think Billie may have finally found balance in her life with a new love, but she still has to know what Cassie is doing every day. Billie will do anything to be included in her life. This is where it gets a little messy.

Obsession, toxic friendships, social media craze and haughty attitudes make this plot fairly interesting. The book goes back and forth from different points of view and goes from past to present. This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I did stay engaged in the story because I had to know where it was headed and where it was going to end. However, I was disappointed in the ending. I am not sure what I expected or wanted, but it did not end well, It was still an interesting book that will hold you hostage until you finish it. The characters were very unlikable to me. Cassie was spoiled and cared more about appearance than anything else. Her new friends were just snobs. Billie was just a little pathetic, but I also felt sorry for her. Her past was very sad. Cassie was the one who helped her through a very difficult time, but at some point she just needed to move on.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. What a roller coaster of a story and a roller coaster of a reading experience! There's a lot going on here - friendship growing pains of going away to college, finding love, establishing a career, getting married, having a baby and social media. But at the heart of the story is the friendship of Billie and Cassie. On the friendship level, I could relate to them. We all have at least one friend that has known us our whole lives - demons and all - and an unspoken devotion to what we've gone through together. But these girls had so much to navigate that at times I could understand why they did what they did and others, I scratched my head thinking there's no way grown adults act this way!

Bye, Baby • Carola Lovering ⭐️ - 3 stars
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This book caught my eye right away! Unfortunately I found it to be a let down. Before you start Bye, Baby definitely check out the trigger warnings as I thought there were quite a few that would make it difficult for readers to get through it.

Reflecting on the book I can relate a little to both characters. Cassidy with the mom aspect (and nothing else- thank god) and Billie in the sense of holding on to a friendship that had run its course.
For some weird reason when I was around 50% through I thought the book should have been over. I don’t know what it was, not all the questions had been answered at that point but enough had been answered that I would have been fine if the book ended there.

Honestly I don’t know what to think of this book. I go back and forth on my rating, either it should be 2.5 stars or 3 stars.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review

I wish I could pin point what exactly it is that I enjoy about Carola Lovering's books. All the books I've read of hers have been a 4 star for me. I guess I'll say its her writing style and the way she grabs my attention. There wasn't a crazy twist to this book, or anything really shocking. Just a story of two friends and their toxic relationship (oh and a baby that one of them stole). She has the types of books that I look forward to picking up, and could finish in one sitting. Add Bye, Baby as another book of hers I enjoyed!!

The story follows Billie and Cassie, two friends who grew up together in the charming town of Hudson Valley. They were inseparable.
However, their friendship suffered a blow after a traumatic event in their teenage years, causing them to drift apart gradually.
The narrative is told from the points of view of the two main characters. Both girls share big secrets that deal with trauma and while Cassie moves on in a big way, Billie is left in a valley of despair and desperation. Can these two find themselves and this mystery, I enjoyed reading this book for the first time from this author, Carola Lovering. Thank you,

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Although the characters were pretty unlikeable it was kind of like a train wreck - I couldn’t look away. I wasn’t really able to predict where this was going at any point in time, which is exactly what I look for in books like this. I am so happy I was able to read this and will definitely be recommending to friends.

This story and these characters were an unhinged duo that I could not stop reading.

The “mean girl/catty friend” trope is not one of my favorites, but I thought it was done in an interesting way here. There’s themes of friendship and loyalty as we age, motherhood, and expectations of women. There were times where the characters’ actions had me cringing, crying out “noooo!”, and on the edge of my seat wondering what could possibly happen next. The alternating POV really amped up the drama, and I liked getting both sides to certain situations. There’s a few twists along the way; some I saw coming and others that totally surprised me. The story also went deeper (and a little darker) than I was anticipating, but I liked how that depth expanded the story and made the characters’ backstories that much more complex.

This is one you’ll have a hard time putting down.

Wow! By far my favorite Carola Lovering book and one of my favorite reads of the year. Both characters were so well fleshed out and felt like I personally knew them. I've seen quite a few reviews claim this isn't a thriller and I would disagree. This is psychological thriller writing at it's finest - slowly peeling back the layers to understand why anyone took baby Ella and why Cassie and Billie's friendship is so strange. I started this at 10pm and stayed up all night to finish it.

In Bye, Baby, Carola Lovering has managed to take two now-ubiquitous stock characters—the self-obsessed semi-influencer and her left-behind childhood best friend—and turn their estrangement into a compelling thriller. Neither Cassie (the influencer) nor Billie (her erstwhile friend) are entirely sympathetic (or unsympathetic) characters; reading the story through their alternating viewpoints, I found myself siding with both at different times. They’ve grown apart, but the memories of their once-strong friendship, as well as a shared secret from their past, summon feelings of obligation to maintain their previous bond.

The mystery and thriller elements of the plot are resolved in a relatively straightforward manner, and I thought the Big Secret that Cassie and Billie were trying to protect was telegraphed fairly early in the book. Bye, Baby was not really the psychological thriller I expected when I started, but I found it engrossing and suspenseful in its own way, as I wondered how Cassie and Billie would reckon with the new shape of their relationship.