Billie & Cassie became best friends when they were 11. Now they're in their 30's and have drifted apart. We begin on the day the baby was taken then head back 50 days before and then we're slowly coming forward to the present. And we also head back to where the toxic friendship began in 2000 and move forward to the present. I didn't find it as confusing as I just made it sound. We learn that jealously can lead to a spur of the moment decision that can change the course of what you thought you wanted.
You're just on the edge of your seat right along with Billie waiting to see when she'll get caught. They share a secret from the past, that while it is predictable I still enjoyed the suspense leading up to it being revealed.

Bye, Baby was an enjoyable read with complex character relationships, an interesting & dynamic narrative, and relevant subject matter. I really disliked Cassie's character, and appreciated the accurate way in which Carola Lovering portrayed her. Sometimes I forget that there really are people as shallow and vapid as Cassie, and her presence in the novel - as well as her relationships with those around her - was a harsh reminder of that reality. Billie, on the other hand, was an interesting look at the other end of the spectrum; someone who is preoccupied with the consumption of someone's social media content. Whereas Cassie obsessed with creating content and updating her followers about anything and everything, Billie is obsessed with spitefully keeping up to date with her 'best-friend'.

While I appreciated the dynamic between Billie and Cassie, and how their friendship evolved and dissolve overtime, I found the book to be a bit lacking in the suspense department. From the synopsis itself, the reader knows the primary plot point of the story; its just the lead-up and aftermath that are unknown. While this format of suspense novel is usually still enjoyable, the lead-up was contextually underwhelming, and the resolution was almost too smooth. I still enjoyed the book, but I feel like Bye, Baby could be a better book club book for its social and cultural relevance than it is a suspenseful mystery.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for providing me with an electronic advanced copy of Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third parties.

The novel begins on a l night in a New York apartment, where 35-year-old Billie West is responsible for the kidnapping of her best friend’s (former) Cassie Barnwell's infant daughter. It is told in alternating narratives and explores friendships and how they change over the years and how they may be shaped by past trauma. The story was good and held my interest. However I did not find the two main characters likeable at all.

the fact that I binged this in one night tells you everything you need to know about carola lovering’s novels - they’re so addicting! the fast-paced, heart-pounding scenarios are BACK 🫡

what I’ve noticed a lot about her books is that they’re often mis-marketed as thrillers due to one “thrilling” element (in this case, a child kidnapping), when really they’re more on the family drama side 🥲 I would definitely characterize this as a lit fic book with a side of mystery

knowing that, however, I really enjoyed this twisty cat and mouse story!! I loved how it showcased the toxicity of friendship rather than relationships this time around, specifically how a friendship breakup can be almost worse than a romantic breakup at times (I know I’ve been there 🥲🥲)

the characters were super unlikable and each had their moments where I wanted to scream - because I swear no one would ever do anything like this in real life… but from the way I was invested, I enjoyed the back and forth time skips and backstories of billie and cassie!!

thank you to netgalley and st martins press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay

This book hooked me and did not let go. I couldn’t put it down. The domestic thriller follows the decades-long friendship of Billie and Cassie from adolescence, when they are inseparable, to adulthood, where they have grown apart. But secrets from their past keep them eternally tied and crisis brings them back together.

This isn’t a traditional thriller because there is no real mystery. The “twist” is laid out in the prologue and the secret in their past is almost immediately obvious. However, the tension in building to those moments is riveting. Lovering has created characters so real and complex, you know these women. You have been these women.

I also appreciated the dual POV. A lesser author would have made Cassie a caricature, but in Lovering’s hands, she’s humanized even if she is also often insufferable.

Thank you St. Martins Press for a copy.
3.5⭐️
Bye, Baby is a drama more than thriller.
We follow two childhood friends, Billie and Cassie, who have grown apart. I like that if is Dual POV so we get both sides and it also switches timelines so we find out what lead up to this moment.
It starts off with Billie holding a baby girl and hearing the mom screaming from the apartment above her that someone took her baby.
It was an attention grabbing beginning that has readers wanting to know how it came to this.
I will say that I wish it was more of a thriller than it was. It is definitely more drama and suspense. But it was still a great story full of secrets, tension, and toxic friendships.

Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•
I went into this one completely blind and I really enjoyed this story. Bye, Baby is told in a dual POV and through a dual timeline. The two POV’s are two best friends - Billie and Cassie and the timelines are obviously the past when they met and their friendship growing up and through the present.
•
This is more of a slow burn that deals very much with motherhood, social media influences on peoples lives and the ups and downs of friendships (even toxic ones). I was so drawn to the dynamics of Cassie and Billie’s friendship, their past experiences and how they were navigating through life. When reading this you get such a glimpse into both characters past and how they grew up being who they were.
•
Lovering really spoke to me with everything she said about motherhood, with breast feeding, with the bond a mother has to her baby. I found myself shaking my head yes to so many of Cassie’s feelings (in regards to her child) throughout the story. I also really felt so drawn to the whole social media aspect as well, the addiction to the phone and how life can be portrayed so differently.
•
I think all of these different topics combined made this such an interesting and addicting read. I ended up devouring this one within a day and I really enjoyed it.
•
I listened to this one via audio while read ing my eARC and Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker did a phenomenal job at narrating the voices of Billie and Cassie. I loved the audio and will be recommending it to all of my audiobook friends.
•
Bye, Baby will be releasing on 3/5 - be sure to check this one out! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Carola Lovering, MacMillan Audio and St. Martins Press for the ALC and eARC in exchange for my honest review!

honestly this book isn't something i would consider a thriller. it really was just reading about a friendship between cassie and billie, both past and present.

cassie is an influencer who is obsessed with posting every single moment of her life. she recently had a baby and is trying to navigate parenthood and entrepreneurship. she's posting every moment of the day. she's trying to forget her past but billie reminds her of just that...

billie is obsessed with checking cassie's insta story. she misses her best friend and she is desperate to have her attention. she's constantly texting her and trying to insert herself back into her life, even though they are on completely different paths. she feels like she owes cassie everything for helping her when they were young. she's very trauma bonded to her and once you find out why it makes sense but god.. she needs therapy asap.

cassie from the START is a shitty friend and it honestly never gets better. she's self absorbed and manipulative. she treats billie like absolute shiiiit and then when it's convenient for her, she makes billie drop everything and be with her. it was honestly insufferable (i'm sure it's meant to be like that, so it's fine!).

& billie!! she knows cassie doesn't give a shit about her, yet she drops everything for cassie. even ditching her boyfriend on the day of their date, multiple times. it was so annoying. like i said, she needs therapy. the book talks about cassie needing therapy (she does) but it's never mentioned that billie might need it, but she 100% could use it (more than cassie) lol.

there were some "thrilling" moments when it came to the baby being kidnapped & stuff. but it wasn't THAT thrilling. just a novel about growth and friends with some f’d up stuff that happens


thank you so much to netgalley for this arc!!

Thank you to #netgalley , the #author, & the #publisher#read for allowing me the opportunity to #arc #read #byebaby by #carolalovering ! #5star book! This book will be #published on March 5, 2024. #fyp #fypシ #books #booktok #ebook #ilovereading #bookworm #highlyrecommended #mustread #youneedtoreadthis #sogood #highlyrecommended #thriller #mentalhealth #friendship #trauma #grief #loss #childhoodfriendship #adulthood

A toxic friendship. A missing baby. The lives of two women will never be the same.

Billie and Cassie were the closest of friends in their small town since they met when they were twelve, sharing fun times and helping one another through difficult ones. Now, twenty three years later, Cassie has married the very wealthy Grant, a hedge fund manager with plenty of family money, has started her own business featuring pricey curated fashions, and has a baby named Lily. Billie, on the other hand, with scars from previous relationships, is single and works as a luxury travel consultant. After all they have shared over the years, Billie is hurt and confused that Cassie has slowly been pulling away as she spends more time with women from her husband’s circle of rich friends, and is finding it hard to move on from the friendship. At a particularly low point, Billie makes a rash decision that plummets Cassie into an emotional tailspin, and which may end up costing Billie not only what little remains of their friendship but also her career, her new relationship and possibly her freedom.
Bye, Baby is part suspense novel and part exploration of toxic friendships, the pressures on young mothers, and the effects of social media. I suspect that most if not all women have, at some time in their life, been involved in a friendship where the power is not balanced….one takes, one gives. I know that I have been there, on both sides of the equation, and I found that the author has done an excellent job of showing the corrosion that this type of relationship has on the individuals involved. Although frustrated with Billie for not tossing Cassie to the curb early on, I liked her character very much (Cassie, not so much) and was eager to find out the secrets and tragedies of her background. This is less a whodunnit and instead is more of a can-she-get-away-with-it, Readers of authors like Mary Kubica, Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn will enjoy this well-paced story of suspense, as will of course readers of Ms Lovering’s other titles. I enjoyed the read, and thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for allowing me access to an early copy of Bye, Baby.

I really enjoyed this psychological mystery/thriller about a friendship spanning decades. The friendship between Billie and Cassie was totally warped and they shared a past secret that could wreck both of their lives. I could not STAND Cassie. But it felt like she was written that way to be over the top and obnoxious. I also liked the view of how the dependence on screens makes our lives worse and can cause a lot of issues and inflated sense of self worth. This was an intriguing story and the dual POV and dual timelines kept me coming back for more. I'd definitely recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Carla Lovering for my copy of this ARC which publishes 3/5/24.

Have you ever rooted for the criminal in a story? Well, I found myself rooting for Billie West, the baby thief?! Yes, I know, I couldn't understand it myself.

Bye, Baby was an enjoyable read that kept me interested, I'm not sure it is the mystery/ thriller it is labelled as, but more towards the woman's fiction or crime label.

In all honesty though, the e-arc was sent to me and it took a long time for me to decide to actually download it and read it. I am probably not the ideal reader of this book and should have stuck to my instincts on that and not picked it up.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review an e-arc of this book before publication date.

I love a good psychological thriller, but there are so many on the market, that a lot of them have become formulaic. I pick very carefully when I choose to read one.

This one is about two childhood friends whose relationship has turned sideways over the years. The “terrible thing” happens in the first couple of pages of the book. The timeline then switches to 30 days before the “terrible thing” and progresses to the present. There are also a few flashbacks to a more distant past. It sounds more confusing than it is. It works.

The author makes skillful use of subtle nuances. The reader is never sure of the direction the story will take.

The two main characters, Billie and Cassie are interesting. By design, Cassie is not particularly likeable, very shallow, neurotic and entitled. Billie evokes a lot of empathy, for reasons that are revealed bit by bit. At some point, the empathy turns to pity.
Their relationship is very complicated.

The story is fast-paced, easy to read and entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
I absolutely LOVED Lovering’s Tell Me Lies, so I was so excited to receive an ARC of her newest book, and boy it did not disappoint! This was a quick, bingeable, and fun read. Lovering is back with another twisted domestic suspense with plenty of drama🙌🏻 Unlike in Tell Me Lies where there was romantic suspense, this one takes a bit of a twist with friendship drama and suspense. Best friends who have grown distant over time, only to be tied to each other through a deep dark secret🤫 the ultimate question is…who can you really trust? I loved the pacing, the character development, the alternating POVs and timelines, the drama, suspense. and the amount of pure chaos…Lovering succeeded, yet again, in making this a bingeable & addictive read. Make sure to clear out your schedule before picking this one up…because once you do you will not want to put it down!🙌🏻

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦Domestic suspense
✦Plenty of drama books
✦Characters you love to hate
✦Quick, bingeable, and addictive reads



𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5

Bye, Baby follows two best friends, Cassie and Billie. When they were younger, they were inseparable. However, as they get older, the two very different girls grow apart. Cassie is a new mom, an influencer, with a WASPy husband. Billie has a great job, is starting to see someone, and never wants kids. They’re different, but Billie can’t let go of their friendship, even when Cassie treats her like absolute shit. These two are the definition of a trauma bond. Cassie’s character was so unlikeable, and I truly felt pity toward Billie. Even when Billie does the “unthinkable”, I still wouldn’t consider it “even” to what Cassie did when they were younger. The story did hold my attention from beginning to end, but I was incredibly frustrated many times. It wasn’t a bad book by any means, but prepare to want to shake Billie 🤣

BYE, BABY by Carole Lovering
A spellbinding thriller about an intense friendship that veers into extreme dysfunction. This story focuses on Billie and Cassie, friends since middle school, who drift apart as years pass. But secrets, jealousy and differing life paths force a reckoning between them. A shocking and heartbreaking story I couldn’t put down.#netgalley

Bye, Baby grabbed me in the first chapter and was a page turner to the very last. The book poses some thought-provoking questions for anyone who leaves home to seek their fortunes elsewhere:
• Can you ever really leave your past behind?
• Should you forget where you came from?
• Does reinventing yourself require you to abandon your family and “former” friends?

Central to the story are childhood friends Billie and Cassie. They grow up in a small town, attend college in Boston and then live together in NYC, sharing everything and celebrating their special bond. But eventually their fortunes diverge.

It is easy to see, as a reader, the moments when a bad decision or path is taken. Or when openness and honesty might be the best corrective action. But then we are reminded, through a series of flashbacks, that everyone has a unique upbringing, colored by family, friends, and circumstances. This background is critical to understanding who we are and the choices we make. So…can anyone truly judge what others do, in the moment, when faced with specific opportunities, challenges or obstacles?

Still…for all of the focus on background stories and context for the paths chosen by Cassie and Billie, I was somewhat disappointed by the conclusion of the book. The ending is the most realistic, but I was rooting for some come-uppance for certain characters. Read for yourself and see what you think!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the Advance Readers Copy.

I’m still processing...

2/15 I still don't know if I liked this book. I read the whole thing. I was hooked. I couldn't stand both characters and yet sympathized with both. I saw the ending coming and was hoping for a little bit more of a mind f*ck, but it is what it is. I'm still wrapping my head around the story.

Can we stay friends with those we grew up with? They were around for the trauma that shaped us, and yet are they the continued support we need? Or a constant link to the past? Never letting us move on. Bye, Baby is a domestic thriller with two unlikeable, unreliable characters. I suggest you read it. I feel like people will love it or hate it and I have a feeling that is exactly what the author intended.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was intrigued by the description of this book. I was excited for a new hriller!
Unfortunately, this one fell flat for and missed the "thriller" mark.
I didn't care for the insane amount of needless detail throughout the story. It was unnecessary.
This book revolved around a very toxic friendship. There is jealousy, deception, and narcissism. It also definitely shows us how social media can overtake some people's lives.
Overall, unfortunately, I had a hard time getting through this one.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Carola Lovering, and NetGallery for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book sucked me in immediately! You start off right into the kidnapping of Cassie’s baby. I enjoyed switching between different timelines and point of views. I will say there were a few points in the story when it felt like it was dragging on. It does go into details about toxic female friendships. I would check trigger warnings before jumping into this book. Overall I enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC.