Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the eARC of Bye, Baby.

Bye, Baby was truly the ride of a lifetime. I went in expecting a thriller but instead got a story of a toxic friendship lasting decades and a scandal or two. This was told in POV and in present and past timeline and I really enjoyed all aspects of the story telling. Carola's writing always grabs me in and keeps me hooked until the end. Both main characters, Billie and Cassie, were hard to like. I thought they both were very realistic people but I probably wouldn't be friends with either of them to be honest!! The pacing of this book was fast and the main plot takes place at 50% and then you watch the fall out which I wasn't expecting. If you go in expecting more of a story of friendship and growing apart than a thriller I think you'll really like this one.

TW: sexual assault of a minor, kidnapping, murder just to name a few!

Billie and Cassie have been friends for more than two decades, but once best friends that knew everything about one another, they’ve grown up and grown apart. Now in their mid-thirties, Cassie is a thriving Instagram influencer with a clothing shop, handsome husband and adorable new baby. Billie is in the travel industry, helping the wealthy book their dream destination getaways, newly dating an NYC cop and childless. Despite their distance, Billie is determined to stay connected to Cassie, devouring her Instagram stories every chance she can get. And when Cassie’s daughter goes missing, Billie has the chance to reconnect with Cassie. But how does she tell Cassie she was the one that took her baby?

I really loved the premise of the book and the author’s style of writing, and was engaged in how the whole course of events would play out. I did struggle to like the characters, mostly Billie TBH. I felt like she made some really irrational decisions that frustrated me. I liked the author’s commentary on women and motherhood and society’s pressures to conform. While this wasn’t my favorite book by the author, I did enjoy the ride.

Thank you to Carola Lovering, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this fast paced book and did not want to put it down!!! This is a great story about friendship and how that changes over the years. I loved how the story flipped between the two main characters and also weaved the past and present to understand the full dynamic of their friendship. There are some very messed up things that happen throughout the book, but it makes the plot that much more interesting. This is a great read and you will not be disappointed!!!

My first 5 star read of 2024. I loved the writing style throughout this book- the use of alternating timeline was effective, and the pacing was excellent. Still unsure how I feel about the two main characters- sometimes I couldn’t stand them and sometimes I really rooted for them- Lovering does a great job at creating complex characters. Themes the book tackles that I found interesting include outgrowing friendships, the use of social media in today’s world, and wealth/class divides. If you’re looking for a good story that you can read quickly but also stay entertained the whole way through, this book fits the bill.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Some people stay friends from childhood. Others don’t. But a nascent friendship whose closeness is predominantly cemented by shared trauma cannot survive unless the parties evolve together. They far more often evolve separately and on plateaus whose timelines differ markedly. But this novel involves the latter, not the former. Instead, as the protagonists grow apart, one desiring distance, the other closeness, a friendship is grossly betrayed by an act irretrievably vile albeit regretted. One wonders at the speciousness of the characterizations. The conclusion seems intended to be an HEA, but instead is the worst outcome possible for healthy emotional people. You cannot pretend as they do that all is okay just because the vile act was regretted and then admitted to. Bring on the shudders.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering was a tense ride. The story follows two women who have been friends since they were teenagers. Although they’ve drifted apart, Billie is obsessed with getting back into Cassie’s life. After a fateful, impulsive choice one night, Billie is the one person Cassie reaches for…but what if Cassie finds out the truth about what Billie did that night?

This one drew me in right away but then took a long time to develop. There was a lot of back story and I almost gave up because it was going slow, but I stuck with it and the last 30% was good!

I’m not sure where to go with this review? I think i loved this book because it really had me empathizing with the “bad guy.” Both of the main characters sucked, but the snobby one (Cassidy) sucked the most. Some aspects were not my usual read; and others were. It definitely kept me coming back, and i would totally recommend to friends.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering is an interesting read. I'm not exactly sure how to describe this book. At first glance, there are quite a bit of psychological elements with some suspense. Then you realize it's a study on very dysfunctional, toxic relationships.

I mean just look at the description.

"On a brisk fall night in a New York apartment, 35-year-old Billie West hears terrified screams. It's her lifelong best friend Cassie Barnwell, one floor above, and she's just realized her infant daughter has gone missing. Billie is shaken as she looks down into her own arms to see the baby, remembering - with a jolt of fear - that she is responsible for the kidnapping that has instantly shattered Cassie's world."

As soon as I read that description, I needed all the juicy details on what brought Billie and Cassie to this point. What follows is the entire disintegration of a lifelong friendship. How did these two friends who would have done ANYTHING for each other get to this point?

Using alternating POVs and dual timelines, Lovering reminds us of the strong bonds we often make in adolescence. But sometimes those same compelling connections between friends can lead to desparate ends that rip them apart.

Read this if you like:
• Friendships formed through trauma
• Morally ambiguous MC
• Friendship fiction with suspense and drama
• Fast-paced, captivating reads

Available today! Many thanks to @stmartinspress for the digital ARC!

Bye, Baby starts with the protagonist, Billy, kidnapping her best friend's child. I would recommend the book for people who enjoy books with complicated female friendships.

Sense of Horrific Purpose

I was surprised at the premise of this novel and the brilliant details of the plot. Friendship between girls and women can be beautiful and sometimes life-altering.

Two best friends, Cassie and Billie, from different backgrounds become best friends as young girls. Cassie has a solid family while Billie’s mother has early onset Alzheimer’s disease and she is remarried to Wade, a man who takes her money and violates Billie. Their friendship falls apart; Cassie marries a rich man and Billie suffers from the loss of their friendship and her own demons.

There is a big secret in their past that both have hidden. The effects of this trauma and friendship is presented in alternating viewpoints, which is presented by each girl. I was surprised in every chapter as the Lovering built the plot, suspense and lifestyle choices.

The perspective of the plot culminates in the kidnapping of Cassie’s baby girl. Childhood trauma has brought Billie and Cassie to the lowest point. Their bond reaches a pinnacle of disaster. The author has created a cliff-hanger and kept me guessing to the very end. The caliber of the writing and plot design were worthy of every minute of my time.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Macmillan for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Bye Baby is a dark thrilling sexy masterpiece of a book. It isn't so much a thriller as it is more drama that focuses on friendship and motherhood. I didn't love any of the characters, but I think that was intended by the author. The relationships were dynamic, complicated and interesting. There was a lot to explore and a few mysteries that carefully unraveled. I devoured this book.

Thank you to the author, Carola Lovering, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. The book was released yesterday, March 5, 2024. Make sure to pick it up and support your local bookstore in the process.

Bye, Baby reminds me of single white female a bit.. childhood friends. secrets and a kidnapped baby . Cassie and Billie have a bizarre friendship. A little slow sometimes but i liked the story . Told between Cassie and Billie and also past and present. A dark take of the childhood best friends we have and how it changes when we get older and realize not all friendships are good.

So, I am 2 for 2 in books that have just not landed for me.

Sadly, I was really excited for this one and I found it rather boring.

I do appreciate the opportunity and thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

Craving an absorbing book that’ll keep you guessing? with a pinch of toxicity? Carola Lovering has you covered— Happy Pub Day BYE, BABY! ✨

GENRE: Drama/Suspense
MY RATING: 🌟🌟🌟💫 (3.5/5)
#gifted @stmartinspress / @macmillan.audio — tysm!

READ IF YOU LIKE:
▫️Past/present timelines 🕰️
▫️Character driven stories
▫️Dual POV
▫️Drama/suspense/mystery novels
▫️Slow burn 🔥
▫️Influencers
▫️NYC🗽

MY THOUGHTS:
No one blends drama, suspense, and toxic relationships better than Carola Lovering!!! ❤️‍🔥 She truly has perfected the craft of creating memorizing novels without being true thrillers. That’s a fine line to balance, so bravo to her! 🤩

Bye, Baby is full of juicy drama that kept going until the end! Told from the POV of two best friends, these two women were SO unlikable in the best way!! Aka I wanted to hate them but I kept coming back to feeling for their struggles, dark sides, and secrets 😩🫢

RATING EXPLAINED:
This was super bingeable! The pace was a little back & forth IMO— some parts were fast, some slow. 🤔 I did find some of the story repetitive after awhile... but by the end I felt like I needed more to the plot? Lol idk what the disconnect was butttt I can’t complain too much bc I was soooo easily entertained! Still recommend 🤗

Lovering is becoming an author I don’t want to pass on reading! This was my second book of hers. I think I prefer Can’t Look Away more over this one. I haven’t read Tells Me Lies but WOW did I drink that toxic sh!t up on Hulu when it came out 😂 can’t wait for season 2!!! 🎬

DETAILS:
▫️Published: 3/5/24
▫️Pages: 352
▫️Format: Audio
▫️Check TWs!

Meet Billie and Cassie, besties since childhood… until a traumatic event alters their friendship forever.

Years later, Cassie has married a wealthy man and is a new mother, she has wealthy friends, her own high end business and a social media presence with a high follower count. Billie is doing well in her career, has new friends and a new boyfriend. But she still considers Cassie her best friend, even though Cassie ignores her. Until the night Billie finds that she has “accidentally” kidnapped Cassie’s baby.

This is a story about friendship and ambition and the after effects of childhood trauma. Cassie and Billie both drove me crazy with the choices they made and the author really made Cassie out to be unlikeable. But, I was satisfied with the ending as it wasn’t what I would have expected.

Hands down the best book I have read so far this year. This is a novel about the challenges of childhood friendships throughout time — and also a stolen baby.
The characters so complex. I kept catching myself considering if Cassie was actually good, right after deciding I hated her. I was rooting for Billie, until I wasn’t. And then I was again. Their relationship is defined by codependency while simultaneously growing apart, and I think it made an interesting narrative. I think the ending was my favorite ending out of any book so far. I find that this author’s endings give me the same feeling of unsatisfied resolution, and I kinda love it.

I couldn’t put this book down. Every free moment I had was spent with this book for 3 days.

Bye, Baby delves deep into the intricacies of female friendship, exploring themes of loyalty, growth, and the consequences of change. The alternating perspectives between Billie and Cassie gives a multi-dimensional view of their relationship, making the narrative dynamic and engaging. The prologue's gripping prologue of Cassie's missing baby sets the stage for a story filled with suspense and emotional depth. We know that Billie takes the baby but what led her to her actions is discovered a little later. It was difficult for me to empathize with Cassie’s character because of her blatant meanness towards Billie. The exploration of social media's influence on relationships adds a contemporary layer to the narrative. Cassie’s obsession to share her life to the world is so relatable, as is Billie’s stalker-like behavior by following Cassie’s every move online. While the pacing may be slower at times, the insightful commentary on friendship and demise of a toxic one make this book a compelling read. Overall, "Bye, Baby" seems to be a thought-provoking exploration of friendship dynamics, with relatable characters and relevant themes that resonated with me.

This is the first book I have read by Carola Lovering. It was very enjoyable and an easy read. This was a very fast passed read. Cassie and Billie were friends since they were kids and through college until Cassie started to change and move on. Billie doesn't understand why Cassie is pulling away and keeps trying to stay in contact. It really became a one sided friendship but Billie wouldn't give up. The story actually starts when Cassie's baby goes missing and Billie can hear her screaming that her baby is missing when she looks down into her arms and see's she is actually holding Cassie's baby. The chapters go back and fourth in Cassie's and Billie's first person point of view. This had you on the edge of your seat to see what happens. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

2.5/5
I wouldn't classify Bye, Baby as a mystery/thriller. I think doing so is a disservice to getting the right audience to read the book. It doesn't really have the speed or suspense of a thriller and the reader knows the "mystery" in the book pretty early on. This book reminded me a lot of The Push by Ashley Audrain. A psychological drama with a lot of triggers. I didn't enjoy reading the book as there was a lot of toxic relationships and none of the characters were likable to me. Not the book for me, but both those looking for a more women's literature focused on female relationships and overcoming terrible situations might really enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of Bye Baby by Carola Lovering. I enjoyed this book but it was definitely not a thriller. It was really about friendship, loyalty, motherhood, and social status. The book had me engrossed and I didn't want to put it down. It was good right from the beginning up until the end. It was fast paced. I would definitely recommend this book to others. A 4 star rating.