Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Carola Lovering, perfectly narrated by Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Billie and Cassie were inseparable since they met in middle school, bonded even more tightly since they shared a traumatic event in high school. But as they've gotten older, their paths have diverged. Billie still misses her best friend, but Cassie moved on without looking back. Cassie is now married to a wealthy man with a new baby, she's an instagram influencer, and has a store for wealthy shoppers. Then Billie makes a decision that will change everything.

Best go into this one with as little information as possible for maximum enjoyment! I always enjoy Lovering's books and this one was no exception. Told in different timelines and from both Billie's and Cassie's POV, we learn about their relationship, their shared trauma, and they way they changed as they grew older. I felt for Billie - she had experienced so much trauma in her life and was desperate to have her friend back, but Cassie was a different person and Billie no longer fit her image. A page turner for sure, with themes of friendship, loyalty, trauma, motherhood, social media, and even second chances. The audiobook narration was wonderful as well.

BYE, BABY
Carola Lovering

Something in the way she twists has me turning,
Something in the way she writes has me hanging onto her every word.

Cassie and Billie have been friends for what feels like a lifetime. They met when they were twelve, young and impressionable. They bonded over unspeakable traumas, kept each other’s secrets, and created a world where only the two of them existed.

But time has passed, and things have changed. Recently their friendship has been strained.

Cassie has a lot of what Billie aspires to have, does what she aspires to do, is what she aspires to be. Cassie has the best apartment money can buy with million-dollar views. She is not only happily married but also has just given birth to a beautiful baby girl-Ella. She has a strong group of followers on Instagram that follow her beautiful life and every move she makes, including and importantly-Billie.

One day, when feeling particularly down about their friendship Billie makes a decision that will change their friendship and their lives forever.

This is my second experience with Lovering. The first (Can’t Look Away) was good, this one was great. I cannot wait for the next. I listened to the audiobook for this book and loved it. It is narrated by Karissa Vacker and Helen Laser, and both did an exceptional job at animating the characters, keeping a good pace and keeping me on the edge of my seat.

The writing in this novel is darker and edgier than what I have read before from Lovering. I enjoyed the storyline, and the suspense was perfect. I loved that our two main characters shared secrets, but not their lives. I thought this created an interesting and realistic dynamic between Billie and Cassie.

Have you read Carola Lovering before? If not, I recommend you start here.

Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copies!

BYE, BABY…⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is a great story of a twisted lifelong friendship between two women. It was very good and hard to put down. The ending was really great too.

I really enjoy reading Carola Lovering's books. She writes such captivating stories. I really liked getting to explore the friendship dynamic in this book especially since we got to see how it developed from the past to current. It shows the power of friendship and how big of an impact it can have on your life's decisions. I liked the element of the influencer life too that was put into the story as well. Social media is becoming such a big part of day to day life and again the impact that it can have on our mental health as the creator and the consumer of the media. My only negative that I find is that there is a lot of build up and tension and then the ending doesn't always reflect that and comes to a less than explosive ending, which I wish this one had. Other than that thought I really enjoyed my time reading this book.

I flew through 𝗕𝘆𝗲, 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘆. It definitely wasn’t a thriller like I had anticipated. I would say it was more of a drama, but it had me hooked, flipping through the pages so quick because I wanted to know how it all ended. Did I like the ending? I’m not sure honestly. I didn’t hate it either, and would say it’s still worth the read, especially if you like drama and toxic friendships. 𝗕𝘆𝗲, 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘆 will be published 3/5. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for my eARC!

Great book! Definitely different than some thing I’ve read before and I would recommend if someone is looking for a change, definitely kept me on the edge of my seat

A twisted tale of friendship over the years told in alternating past and present time lines, Billie and Cassie became friends as kids despite their different circumstances and now, as adults, they still struggle with their relationship. Billie does take Cassie's child- you know this- but the lead up to the event and the after is the crux of the novel. You, like me, might not like either woman (they both have their issues) but as a pair, they work. Know that there are some triggering issues, Not a thriller but more a drama- and it's a fast read. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. Lovering has done it again,

This book was not for me. Both of the main characters were unlikable which I’m not a fan of. Also, there were no twists. You find out on page one what happens and then the entire book is just wondering if everyone else will find out. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book, but it was not for me.

This is really not a mystery and certainly not a thriller, so I recommend managing your expectations accordingly. It’s really more of a character study of a toxic friendship and various life experiences. The title was referenced several times throughout the book, implying it connected to the earlier days of their friendship, but it never really felt explained.

The ending was frustrating, I’m not going to lie. It felt like we went through the character development and build up of the plot and then all the air was let out of the balloon and it just…ended. The book ended and I still had questions. Overall, I’m pretty disappointed in this and wouldn’t recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an early copy

BYE, BABY was such a good book for the first 50%. After, it hit a snag in pacing and storytelling. While I think this book would be a good read for those that love thrillers, the final half of the book impacted my enjoyment.

The first part of this book was incredible. I was immediately hooked. I really enjoy a character driven book, and it felt like the perfect mix of that and thriller. It kept my attention and I loved that both Cassie and Billie kinda were terrible and the complex relationship they had. I love a good unlikeable female character or two and I love finding out HOW they get to that point. The first part of this novel does this flawlessly, if not a bit predictably.

However, I think my big issue was the narrative structure of the book, and that is why the second part of the book slowed way down for me and why I lost interest. Told in alternating perspectives and alternating timelines, once it hit the 50% mark and we’re “caught up” the story turned and got dull for me. It also made it feel even more predictable.

I will say that this might not be the case for everyone. It changes the story and its direction, which people might really enjoy! Unfortunately for me, it just made the pacing slower.

Overall, for me, this felt like a solid read. I think if you like character thrillers, deep secrets, complex female relationships, and unlikeable female characters, this is the book for you.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

this was a crazy book from beginning to end.
I loved the dual time lines of past and present, as well as how the book was told by Cassie and Billie.
It held my attention and was a fast paced story. I was so curious on how it ended.

Cassie and Billie were best friends since they were kids. Cassie had a privileged life but Billie did not. Then something happened that broke the friendship but Billie is anxious to repair it. Cassie’s baby is kidnapped and Billie finds herself with the baby in her arms. Where does it go from here?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Billie and Cassie used to be inseparable friends. However, Billie feels like Cassie has pushed her away in recent years, especially since she has a baby. On a moment of impulse, she grabs Cassie’s baby who is crying. Although, she returns her, events unfold.

I was expecting this to be a thriller or more suspenseful at least, but it was more about Billie and Cassie’s relationship. I didn’t find either one particularly likeable as voices, so that also hindered my enjoyment. I thought there might be a good suspenseful twist at the end, but there was not. If you are looking for a thriller, this probably won’t satisfy that craving. If you are looking for more the unfolding of a friendship, you will enjoy this.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving this one a 3.5.
Throughout the beginning and middle of the book I had high hopes, but the ending definitely let down. I felt like the twist was very subtle and just didn't give me a strong feeling. I also felt like it did drag on for a bit longer than necessary, but I also loved the minute details and descriptions to make the scenes come more to life. I loved the character development of every single character - even the lesser, not so important ones! Will I recommend this one to friends in the future? Sure!
A big thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC in return for my honest review.

You would think a stolen baby would be the major plot point of this story, but it's only the next step in an uber-toxic friendship forged and twisted as children. Covering a dual timeline we get to see how Cassie and Billie's friendship began and where it all went wrong. I liked Billie a lot more than Cassie, although both were not making the best decisions during the story.
I wouldn't call this a thriller, more just a general drama between once-great friends. Of which the dynamics kept me flipping pages to see how it was all going to play out, especially after Cassie's baby went missing, and Billie realized exactly what she had done. I like the way it all played out, and how it all ended. I would definitely read other books by this author

One night, Cassie checks in on her baby only to learn she is missing. Her lifelong best friend, Billie, looks down at the baby in her arms and realizes with a jolt she is responsible for the kidnapping. The two are bonded by a traumatic incident in high school, but now that they are over it is clear Cassie is trying to move away from Billie and enjoy her new life as a wife, mother, and influencer.

This book started off so strong! The alternating POV and timelines is one of my favorite formats for this genre. The escalation of the story, but at about 55% the book started to slow down and feel drawn out.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review

I wouldn’t say this one was a thriller. It was a little slower paced but it was needed for the backstory. This was very captivating and I finished it quickly. It kept my interest. The ending was a little odd and rushed. I would have liked for it to play out differently. Overall I did enjoy this book and would absolutely read more by this author.

I've absolutely loved some this author's previous books but this was not my favorite. I kept waiting for something surprising . . . some twist. But it didn't come. The ending was also thoroughly disappointing. The one thing I did like was the message behind the book but, unfortunately, that wasn't enough to save the book for me. The narrators were . . . fine. Hope you have better luck.

Bye, Baby comes out next week on March 5, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

I'm not a baby person. I used to assume I'd become one, eventually, like most of the girls-turned-women I've known in my life, their voices rising in pitch at the sight of a chubby baby arm, the creased rolls of a tiny wrist cuff. I kept waiting for it to happen. But it hasn't. I am thirty-five years old, and I've never felt that particular tug.

I don't know how Carola Lovering repeatedly gets me to enjoy her domestic thrillers when that's typically one of my least-loved genres... but I am here for it. Something about her characters and the deep, dark thoughts they have feel so real and relatable and believable and yet are terrifying - which I think is the perfect recipe for domestic thrillers, or in this case more of a domestic drama. Even though I wouldn't do the things this main character does, I can't help but see where she's coming from and be rooting for her despite her poor decisions. I loved the exploration of all the topics in this book including trauma, grief, motherhood, and (sometimes toxic) female friendships. Content warnings for sexual assault/rape, caring for a family member with dementia, discussions of a past abortion, and the kidnapping of a child.

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 because I couldn’t put it down.

I wouldn’t call this a thriller by any means, but it definitely grips you like one! It starts with a bit of a mystery, but you figure out the whys and hows at almost exactly halfway through and then the last half of the book is dealing with the fallout from what happened. I started the book liking Billie (not so much Cassie) and slowly I just got more and more annoyed with both of them; Cassie for being so superficial and obnoxiously paranoid and Billie for just continuing to make stupid choice after stupid choice. BUT, again, I couldn’t put it down nonetheless (I mean I was literally up until like 2:30am because I needed to finish this book and know how it ended lol). Loved how Lovering kept going between past and present to give more context to their (very toxic) friendship, as it really provided a lot of reasoning as to why they are who they are and how they became that way.

I liked “Tell Me Lies” (Lovering really loves her toxic relationships, clearly) — though the Hulu show is sooo much better — so I was excited to read this one! Look forward to her next book! Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.