The description of this novel hit me like a gut punch. Billie hears the terrified screams of her best friend on the floor above, only to realize she is the source of that terror. Billie has kidnapped her best friend’s daughter… WOW! I’m totally hooked from the first three pages!

The novel is told in two parts. Part one traces Billie and Cassie’s friendship from the beginning as well as the daily leadup to the kidnapping. Part two focuses on how their friendship slowly unraveled overtime and post-kidnapping.

As the novel progresses, it is very apparent that Cassie and Billie have an incredibly toxic friendship based on past trauma. Billie has become codependent upon Cassie to the point that she quite unhealthily stalks her Instagram and obsesses over every detail. Cassie has her own self-esteem issues and the need to “fit in” with her new wealthy friend group, leading her to further cut ties with Billie. Neither woman is willing to completely give up the other and this becomes more apparent after the kidnapping.

Part two was intense. As the reader, I was totally immersed in the story and almost literally biting my nails while waiting for the inevitable. This is a fast-paced read, worthy of a beach or rainy day.

Billie and Cassie were best friends as kids. Now they’re adults and live very different lives but Billie has never really gotten past the fact that they’ve drifted apart. Cassie is now an Instagram influencer and has a husband and baby and Billie has none of these things. Their friendship was toxic as children and as adults, jealousy has lead Billie to make a spur of the moment decision that changes everything in the course of her life. The story begins the day the event takes place and then goes back 50 days beforehand and then to the days after. You spend a chunk of the story just waiting for Billie to get caught, which amps up the stress factor. Then slowly bits and pieces of their relationship as kids are revealed and you see why their friendship was toxic and the secret that they share that drove them apart, and while that aspect was predictable, I still enjoyed the suspense leading up to the revelation. It’s a slow burn that’s worth the wait.
I was lucky enough to have been given both an eArc and an audiobook version and the audiobook was fab! The narrators are quickly becoming 2 of my favs as they do a great job of bringing the stories to life.
Overall this was a great popcorn thriller that I would recommend with trigger warnings of sexual abuse.
Thanks to St. Martins Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this eArc and the audiobook in exchange for my review.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this.

I have to say, this book did hold my interest. It was a book though that I really didn't like the main characters but yet I wanted to keep reading to see what happened. The ending was a bit of a let down but not unexpected. I will look into reading more if this author's books.

This book touches on so many things - friendship, motherhood, secrets, relationships, molestation, Alzheimer's, trauma, and lies to name a few. Some of these may be triggers for some.


I had the pleasure of having the audiobook and kindle version of this book. It made for a fully enjoyable reading experience.

Well written, gripping, hard to put down, thought provoking and riveting.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering is not my favorite of book by this author. It was ok but I found it a little boring and I felt like I was reading it for ever. My opinion is completely personal as I don’t enjoy characters that are “influencers.” Social media is inundated with influencers and I don’t want to read about them too (again, this is a personal opinion and does not reflect the author’s writing).

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for my digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

This ARC was sent to me by the publisher. I have never read anything by Carola Lovering and I like trying new authors so I accepted it. I enjoyed her writing style but the storyline fell short. It was entertaining and interesting but nothing that grab me and when it was over it just felt blah...

Thanks for this ARC and the opportunity of reading it early.

Carola Lovering's latest thriller, "Bye, Baby" delivers a gripping narrative that intertwines the lives of two old friends, Billie and Cassie, in a web of deception and shifting loyalties. As a fan of Lovering's previous works, I anticipated a rollercoaster ride of drama and suspense, and I wasn't disappointed. While the story didn't keep me on the edge of my seat like a typical thriller, it kept me engaged with its compelling mystery and well-developed characters.

Billie and Cassie are intricately portrayed, each with their own flaws and complexities. I found myself empathizing with Billie's struggles while despising Cassie's manipulative behavior. Despite my dislike for Cassie, I couldn't help but be drawn into her chapters, which added layers to the story's intrigue. Lovering skillfully weaves their backstories throughout the narrative, providing depth and context to their actions.

Overall, "Bye, Baby" is a masterfully executed domestic drama that delves into the complexities of female friendship, motherhood, and marriage. Lovering's clever use of flashbacks seamlessly integrates past and present, offering readers a deeper understanding of the characters' motivations. While neither woman may be particularly likable, their flawed humanity makes for a captivating read. If you're a fan of Lovering's previous novels, "Bye, Baby" is sure to satisfy your craving for drama and addictive storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I loved this book! It was a great drama that explored toxic friendships.

I wouldn't say it was a thriller or mystery though. Will be suggesting it to friends who typically read thrillers and want to check out something different!

4 Stars!

it kind of dragged on, the story was interesting for the first half but it felt like a much longer book than it was

Reading Bye, Baby was like hearing the most salacious, juicy gossip about people you went to school with who you couldn't stand. The book was a page turner for sure but the main characters are both pretty despicable. Rather than a thriller, this is the story of the rise and fall of a friendship through the years.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this arc.

Wow!! What did I just read?! I couldn’t put this book down!! The characters were well developed and I found myself staying up way past my bedtime to finish it. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this incredible book! I will definitely be sharing it with all of my fellow book lovers!

3.5 stars
Cassie’s baby goes missing from her home, during her birthday party. Her former best friend, Billie, has taken the child. We learn very early what happened but we don’t know *why* it happened. The story is told in alternating POVs and timelines to fill in the past, present, and future for Cassie and Billie. The first half sets up the past up until that fateful moment. The second half of the book unravels with the fallout for everyone after the baby is returned and the hunt for answers begins. No one in this story is likable (except maybe Billie’s boyfriends, past & present) but I appreciate that we don’t need to relate to characters or like them to enjoy their stories. The format was unique but it also leant itself to being fairly repetitive, though I’m not sure how it could have been otherwise and still worked as well.

This book was interesting. There was enough drama to keep me turning the pages, but the desperation of the friendship was a turn off for me. Why are you so obsessed with someone who treats you so poorly? You're not a teenager anymore, you're in your 30's. Time to move on!

A quick read with despicable characters. Lots of friend/girl/mom drama, people tied together by secrets and torn apart by actions. It was a juicy drama. There was some influencer lifestyle stuff in there too that is always interesting to me. I have read several by this author and can't wait for her next ones.

I really enjoyed this- it was very different compared to most of the thrillers, and I loved the bestie dynamic. The childfree one deff made it out on top and the other one was a total bitch.

4.5 stars. That was really really good!! I love me some unlikeable characters and social media darlings are one of my favorite people to not like. This is a very complex story of friendship and how it inevitably changes over time. People can and do change, but they also show their true colors. You just have to be willing to see it, adjust, and move on if needed. Not doing so leads to what happens within these pages.

I struggled with this author’s last book, but decided to give this one a shot. This felt way more like domestic suspense, but definitely not true thriller territory. Instead of some of her normal romantic interests thrown in her books, we get the best friends relationship, and how that evolves over time. Thrown in a missing baby, and characters you cannot connect with because of unlikeable qualities. This one was a total miss for me just like her last book.

I didn’t initially request this book because it didn’t seem much like something I would be interested in, as it seemed a little sad, but it quickly gained attention on book social media and I decided I’d give it a shot. It was something I couldn’t put down!

I will start by saying I have very conflicting thoughts about this book. I love the alternating POVs, those are always well received by me, especially in thrillers, despite this not necessarily being a thriller. Although it wasn’t, it still read like one in the sense that you find yourself continuing on and on to reveal just how toxic this relationship between these two women is and what exactly caused it.
The biggest downside for me was the characters. I found myself increasingly frustrated with them both, begging them internally to just go to therapy. We do get to see why things are the way they are, which helps in a way.
Another issue I had was that it seemed as if the author tried to fit too many differing themes into the story, which I felt didn’t lend enough significance to each one in turn. It can be hard to empathize and fully understand when things are watered down.
Despite those things, I read this book crazy fast. I really just needed to get to the bottom of things and figure everything out. The book was very well written in that sense.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 3/5/24

Thank you #netgalley for this ARC. I believe Bye, Baby started off very strong and captured me quickly. However, the middle dragged far too long. Billie trying needed to stand on her own two feet & stop running after Cassie. I feel Billie should’ve grown during her distant time away from Cassie. I also felt the story was a bit predictable.

I really loved this book. It is about the complicated nature of female friendships, about trust and deceit, and, at its core, about love. It was well-paced, interesting, and emotional. Cassie and Billie are well-rounded characters, nuanced enough that you both love and hate them at times. 4.5 stars rounded up!