I enjoyed this thriller. It wasn’t necessarily fast paced but I couldn’t put it down. I read the whole book in a day - I was so curious to find out the two character’s back stories and how it would relate to the current events. The two timelines worked really well for this story!

This book has some content triggers, so I had dnf. But I know many people love the story. In hindsight, I will be more careful choosing books that involve children in real life traumatic situations :)

This was such a unique story that dealt with the challenges with relationships, and the repercussions from a snap decision.

Billie and Cassie met when they were young, and very quickly became best friends. Young female relationships seem like they will last forever, and the two make plans to be each other’s maid of honors, roommates in college, etc. They have each other’s back, and they show that through a tragic event in high school.

Once they transition into adult life, they start to drift with different priorities. Cassie gets married, has a baby, and suddenly all her friends are in the same boat. When it gets to the point where Cassie doesn’t invite Billie to her birthday party, Billie makes a decision that changes their relationship forever.

I really enjoyed this book!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars

okayyy where to begin, phew I love a good best friend drama but this one was kind of to the next level... It's separated into 2 parts and SUCH a fast read which I LOVED!! More of a domestic thriller than anything else and some points while listening I was *CRINGING* inside due to the main character trying to keep up with the lies.....

All I have to say is if my best friend cut me off after we experienced something traumatic, the question is that someone I'd want in my life and is it time to grow separately as hard as that might seem. So many times I was yelling at the main characters to GET A GRIP and SEE A THERAPIST!!

Overall, a good mystery read but expect to cringe after reading certain parts from the actions the other gave... phew I'd read another of Carola Lovering's books again though!

Thank you NetGalley & Publishers for the opportunity to ARC read this (even if I’m a tad late getting to it…) !

Can I just start off by saying that this book shocked me at how good and interesting it was! I loved the time jumps with time stamps, and loved that we got so much back story on our main characters in such a short amount of time.

I also felt that the characters were described very realistically, and felt REAL.

I did expect a bit of a larger twist, it felt like a big build up for one, but I still had so much fun none the less!

4.25⭐️

EVERY FRIENDSHIP HAS ITS SHADOW.

A fast-paced thriller that will give you the ick for sure. I think I am afraid of Billie? I could not relate to her at all, her decision-making qualities are horrible and I didn't love her outcome. Her bestie Cassie was definitely more relatable even though she is supposed to be the so-called villain but at least she had more normal insecurities and didn't STEAL A BABY.

I really enjoyed the friendship arc, it's sooo common to see what you thought were lifelong friendships kind of fizzle out. It was easy to see when that fizzle started, and obviously the moment it would be forever irreparable. An addictive read I didn't want to put down!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy of BYE, BABY in exchange for an honest review!

It is a quite entertaining book with complex characters. The relationship between Cassie and Billie has a brutal development, and once we know the ups and downs of this friendship we understand each one's decisions.

The nostalgia that Billie experiences and her apprehension regarding Cassie in contrast to the detachment and desire to forget about the latter plus the lack of communication, is the infallible formula for them to hurt each other, themselves and other people. that they care.

I'm not so sure I believe how the crimes were paid for with *moral credits*. It's not that I wanted to see any of them in jail, but they got away with it. Although yes, it cost them what mattered most to them at one point in their lives: the relationship between them.

The way in which situations of abuse and conflict are described seemed realistic to me in the sense that it was not morbid, it was not sensationalist... It was painful without becoming melodramatic.

The storytelling is very good, it was my first novel by the author and I want to continue reading it.

I loved this story and right up to the end I was on the edge of my seat! This was my kind of book with multiple storylines and quick chapters. There was so much going on and I loved every second of it. If you like a twisty thriller with toxic friendships, this one is for you.
I look forward to her next read! Many thanks to the author, St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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Bye, Baby
By Carola Lovering
Rating and Review 3 ⭐️

Bye, Baby is the first book I have read by Carola Lovering and, though it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, I definitely wouldn’t mind reading some more of her work! Definitely less mystery, more tale of toxic female friendships and motherhood, it takes a hard look at how our past traumas can affect our current life choices and actions.
Billie and Cassie, former best friends who have drifted apart, are now adults living in NYC. Cassie, who married into money and became an influencer, has just become a new mother, while Billie is single and childless by choice. One night Billie makes a terrible mistake that ends with Cassie’s baby daughter missing.
I just found the the whole story to be sad really. I felt sad for Billie at first for feeling alone and feeling left out from the life of her former best friend. I felt sad for Cassie and the influencer lifestyle she is leading, there in the same house with her daughter but not really there. Sad about the abuse and trauma from Billie and Cassie’s past, and sad about Cassie’s missing daughter.
I also felt sad about the toxic ways women treat each other, as in real life, sometimes it is easier to cut women out rather than accept their differences, like being childless by choice, or because they remind us of something in ourselves that we dislike.
Despite this, Bye, Baby had me thinking a little and I enjoyed it. Just keep in mind it is more a drama/character study and less thriller or mystery! 3⭐️

I want to thank St Martin’s Press and #NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.


Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

This thriller had me captivated right from the beginning. I enjoyed the present day and past narrative of the friendship between Cassie and Billie. I enjoyed their back stories and thought it did a great job at explaining their complicated relationship. I did find the 'lack of evidence' at the crime scene unbelievable. No one now days doesn't have a home security camera, let alone someone living in a 7 million dollar penthouse. I also didn't understand why there needed to be a conflict between Grant and Jane. It felt like an unnecessary part of the story. Overall, this was an intriguing story and I enjoyed it.

Bye, Baby switches between teen years and current day of childhood best friends, Billie and Cassie. In present day, Cassie is a married budding "influencer" with a seemingly perfect life. As her new life flourishes, she begins to leave Billie in the past. That is until Cassie's 35th birthday party when her infant daughter is stolen off her balcony. Cassie immediately turns to Billie for support, not knowing that Billie is really the one who took Cassie's baby. This was a quick read, and maybe as someone who's pregnant, it just felt too upsetting for me to read in parts because isn't every mothers biggest fear their baby being stolen? I think many would enjoy this, but it was just an average read for me.

I loved this thriller! I really appreciated the social commentary on female friendship and motherhood. I was very invested in the dual timelines and I really enjoyed seeing the characters grow into the (messy) adults they became. I definitely would recommend this! 4.5 stars rounded to 5 just because it was a little slow at a few parts.

Read this for book club and loved it! I thought the friendship was a little weird and the obsession kind of freaked out; however, I really loved the storyline.

This was a twisted story of deception. Cassie’s baby is missing. She doesn’t know that it was her friend Billie who stole her. Cassie and Billie have been friends since they were very young. There’s a big history between them that goes back to years ago. The deception going on between the two of them is deepening.

Man, this one started out SO WELL! This was a tale of friendship, mystery, jealousy, and how our pasts influence our futures. The buildup to the climax was amazing, but I was expecting more out of the resolution. I would still highly recommend this one (especially because I LOVED Tell Me Lies!)

Thank you to the author Carola Lovering, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of BYE, BABY. All views are mine.

McKay snorts. "That's a load of crock. Everyone wants kids." Loc. 1547

"[...B]eing childless by choice makes you a terrible person." "A leper, basically. A woman with no real place in society." Loc.1754

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The story form is pretty wild, with two alternating perspectives each experience two alternating timelines, but Lovering manages this element well. I didn't find myself getting lost in all the transitions; had no trouble following the narrative.

2. The 2 fmcs in the "past" sections have good, natural speaking voices. Narrative voices need a bit more distinction.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. There's so much– what would you even call it? Pro-bio-mom? pregnancy-forward? Procreation celebration?– anyway, an obvious favoring of the traditional bio family unit.

2. "That's a load of crock. Everyone wants kids." Loc. 1547 First, the expression is "a load of" something or "a crock of" something, not "a load of crock." Second, "Everyone wants kids," pretty well sums up one of the universal beliefs behind this book.

3. This book is extremely hard on women who don't have children. “And in our culture, being childless by choice makes you a terrible person.” “A leper, basically. A woman with no real place in society.” Loc.1754 Neither one of these statements is true. They are very extreme. And yet neither participant in the scene refutes the fallacies. Then, the two women say this: “And you never know. Maybe you’ll change your mind.” “Maybe.” Loc.1757 As though what women without children need to change their minds is more pressure and trickery.

4. Once the graphic, on-page descriptions of child SA started (and were slated to continue, according to another Goodreads reviewer) I had to throw it in with this book. Such content is triggering for me. This book definitely need content warnings in the front matter.

Rating: DNF @ 40%
Finished: Mar 07 '24
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley

I keep forgetting to write about this book.
It was a nice, if basic thriller that I liked, but remember nothing about

Billie and Cassie are childhood best friends who have drifted apart after Cassie marries rich and begins her journey into motherhood and social media influencing. Told from several time points, readers discover there is more to the story than one friend no longer fitting into the other's Pinterest perfect life. Even though Bye Baby is more of a deep dive into a decades long relationship than a thriller, the fascinating characters and suspenseful events held my interest long after I'd finished. I really enjoyed that the characters held firm to their traits and didn't change on a whim to make for an easy plot. Bye Baby was an enthralling read and I'll be keeping an eye out for Carola Lovering's future works.

Note: I received a free Ebook copy of Bye Baby from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

📝 Billie & Cassie were once the best of friends but they've really grown apart & are now barely friends. Since Cassie is extremely distant from Billie, Billie turns to social media to keep up with Cassie's life. When Billie comes across Cassie's baby girl crying alone, she decides that taking her is the best option. In absolute distress, Cassie turns to Billie to give her the support she needs through this time. This brings them closer together just like Billie always wanted but only continues for so long before everything falls apart.

💭 I was stuck between a 2.5 & a 3 for this rating. I went into this expecting a thriller but it didn't give that feeling at all once I started reading. It felt more like a drama surrounding friendship. I was looking for more suspense & mystery but it fell short for me in those areas. The storyline itself is interesting & seeing the dynamic between the two main characters. However, there were parts that felt a bit dragged on. I felt like I was waiting for something big to happen & it never did. Aside from that, I did like that it was a very character driven story & the authors writing style was easy to follow.

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!