The plot has several twists and turns. It is a story of long time friendships and the secrets close friends keep for each other. It is a mystery and a romance book all overlapping each other. I found this to be a slow read but one that is one you want to finish.

I couldn’t put this book down! As a woman in my mid thirties, the story of Billie and Cassie really resonated with me - from navigating complicated friendships, friends growing up and apart, and the need for women to feel like they have to defend their choice whether to bear children or not. This friendship that once felt so promising and all consuming was ultimately so toxic on both ends.

This was my first book by this author and while i enjoyed where the story was going, i felt it was extremely drawn out and almost had too many story lines and themes/tropes for any of them to be completely thought out. I really couldn’t relate to the characters enough. I felt like more light needed to be shed to Billie’s issues and Cassie was honestly just not a likable character. I also didn’t really feel like it was much of a thriller. Yes, the overall context was finding out who took Ella, but the reader knew the entire time which in my opinion removed the thriller aspect of the book.

Overall it wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t for me!

Bye, Baby (love the nod to Dirty Dancing because I too remember watching it on repeat with a best friend growing up) centers around two women, Billie and Cassie, who have been friends since childhood and bonded through trauma. This story, told from their alternating perspectives, gives us a glimpse of their strained present day friendship as well as the past that led them to where they are today. As adults their lives head in different directions and while Cassie tries to distance herself from her past self, Billie clings to it. This is an intriguing book that explores friendship, motherhood, the pressure to become a mother, as well as the role social media can play in relationships.
I was hooked right from the start, although I agree with some other reviewers, that reading the synopsis of the book made me think it was going to be more of a thriller. Overall I would recommend but don’t go into it expecting a thriller with a lot of twists.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Carola does it again! I highly recomend Bye, Baby. A great read that I quickly devoured. A toxic relationship that left me wanting more. The book nicely tied together the heavy subjects of toxic friendships, dark secrets, sexual abuse, influencers, NYC and Alzheimers.

Cassie and Billie are bffs from childhood. A secret ties them together for years, but Cassie moves on in NYC and became an influencer. She is a social climber, always looking for the next best thing. Billie cannot move forward, and the relationship is one-sided. The book switches between the point of view of both women. I found myself sympathizing with Billie and understood her point of view. Sadly, I could relate to Billie as I had friendships slip away. Yet, I was rooting for Cassie to move on and grow. Cassie had it all: NYC, friends, money, and an influencer status. The author's theme is toxic relationships, and I am here for it.

Whoa! This book gave me all the feels!

What an amazing story of friendship, motherhood and womanhood with a little bit of thriller mixed in. Cassie and Billie met when both were 11 years old and became friends instantly, regardless of coming from different backgrounds. As both women get older, they start drifting away from each other. Cassie marries a wealthy man, has a child and becomes an Instagram influencer – perfect life you would say, but is it?
Billie, on the other hand, is single but dating, has no children on her own (and doesn’t want any) and is obsessed with watching Cassie’s life on social media. Then tragedy strikes. Will that bring both women closer again or just the opposite?

I was hooked right from the first page. Different POVs and flashbacks to both women past gave insights to their childhood and what shaped them to be who they are as adults. The author did an amazing job with writing their story and as I was reading it I could feel all their emotions – the heartaches, pain of losing a loved one, betrayal, disappointment…you feel it all here. This book will stay with me for a very long time. It comes out on March 5th and I highly recommend adding it to your 2024 reading list.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering.
This narrative follows the friendship between Cassie and Billie as they experience setbacks and transformative experiences. Although I wouldn't really classify this book as a thriller, there were definitely some suspenseful moments. I was interested from the start because the author wrote so well in descriptions. The way the story developed from two points of view—past and present—was also interesting to me. I prefer to approach books with no prior knowledge, so I won't give away too much about the plot of this one.

I have just read Bye, Baby By Author Carola Lovering.

This is the first book that I have read by this Author, and have to admit it was just not my kind of book.

It took me longer than usual to read this, as it just did not keep my interest as a whole.

This thriller takes place in New York, and the two main characters Cassie and Billie have been friends since school age.

They are a couple of flawed ladies with lots of secrets and lies amongst them.

Cassie has married into money, and has a young baby. She is an Instagram influencer, and is quite frankly addicted to posting her life online for everyone to view.

Just not a book really for me. The characters were not ones you could warm up too, and just really a luke warm storyline in my opinion

I am sure there will however be a good audience for this novel.

2.5 Stars

Thank You to NetGalley, Author Carola Lovering, and St. Martin's Press for my advance copy to read and review.
#netgalley
#stmartinspress

HOLY MOLY, this will be on the Best Suspense/Thriller Novel List of the YEAR! Fast-paced and so well-crafted. The pages fly by - each with captivating secrets of how Cassie and Billie’s friendship has evolved over the years. The character-driven story is detailed and the perfect amount of thoroughness to keep you guessing. I found myself surprised throughout the book - just when I thought I fully understood something, another element came into play. The settings of NYC were well crafted. This domestic drama/thriller/suspense novel is going to be hard to beat this year. You don’t want to miss this one!

Special thanks to St Martin’s & NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I went in thinking it would be a mystery/thriller, which it was not. You knew from the very beginning what happened. What came next was an unfolding of the present and past of a complicated friendship held together by a secret they share in the past. I found both main characters were unlikable, but in different ways —Billie was clingy and stuck in the past and Cassie was self-absorbed and unkind. The author did a good job of creating a story about the complicated friendship between them, but something was lacking for me.

I appreciate NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Carola Lovering for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a hard one for me. I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I did have this sense of unease throughout the entire book, but beyond that it didn't feel like a thriller. However the biggest issue for me is that I didn't like either of the main characters. Cassie was an annoying influencer and Billie was stuck in the past. They had grown up together and grown apart, but Billie was still trying to cling on to a dead relationship. They have a trauma bond, so it makes sense why Billie is having such a hard time letting go. Cassie was just so intentionally unlikeable, but I mean Billie stole her baby. Like went in to her apartment and took said baby. I'm sorry what?! So the fact that at the end nothing happens to Billie just didn't work for me, especially with her cop boyfriend that figures out everything. The buildup was better than the ending so for that I give it 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and SMP for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is an interesting one. The plot has several twists and turns. It is a story of long time friendships and the secrets close friends keep for each other. It is a mystery and a romance book all overlapping each other. I found this to be a slow read but one that is one you want to finish. I loved the title and found it to be perfect for the story. Cassie and Billie have been friends for years and the author clearly defines the friendships from each point of view. Cassie marries and has a family and Billie does not. Their worlds collide when Cassie’s baby is kidnapped. This is an emotional rollercoaster on all sides and the characters are well developed. I could relate to each character on some level. I like that. I found the story to be more on the changes in relationships as people grow apart. Sometimes friendships stand the test of time and sometimes they do not. Will this one? You will need to read the book for yourself. I think you will enjoy it.

I wish to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, NetGalley, and Carola Lovering in exchange for an honest review. Bye, Baby tells the story of Billie and Cassie through both of their POVs & from dual timelines (the past & right now), When we meet these characters, we see that they are truly two different people. Due to this, this story does an amazing job uncovering the complexities of long term friendships and the challenges they can face. While these two are the main characters, there’s a variety of fun side characters that really add to the story (I want to be best friends with Jane)! I was very satisfied with the ending but I’m not sure everyone will feel that way? This story kept me engaged and engrossed as I flipped through the pages & you can pick up your copy on March 5th!

Ok, I just LOVE Carola Lovering books. I do. They are always fast paced for me and I read them when I need out of a book slump. Every character she writes is so relatable even if they are super unrelatable (weird- I know).

This book was highly triggering for me with the kidnapping but not in a way that I couldn’t read this book. I felt anxious for the days I was reading this book and finally decided I had to sit down and finish it to get it off my mind!

Carola has a way of ending these stories perfectly, though. So I’m glad I am done with this book.

Thank you for this advanced copy!

First off thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Carola Lovering for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book failed me big time. I was so excited to delve into this book from the start after reading the blurb. This was a big let down for me because I was expecting a mystery/thriller book based on the title and description and that was not what I got. Instead I got a story about woman's friendship and bonds and being a mother. The book failed to hook me in the usual way that I look for in a book, however the other reviews and blurb implored me to keep going and not give up on it. In the end I was very disappointed having wished for more twists and turns to make it a true thriller.

Bye, Baby is told in alternating viewpoints and timelines. This style works and makes this easy to follow throughout the book. I enjoyed Lovering's descriptions and characterization as well as the time she took to craft the problems that the pair of characters suffered through during the story.

Overall I would rate this book a 3 mainly for the fact that it is misleading when it comes to the description. It does not stand up to what is promised by the blurb and genre tags. If you are looking for a true thriller, look elsewhere, this isn't the book for you.

Just finished reading an ARC of this absolutely addicting book! So suspenseful and relatable, I seriously couldn’t put it down 👏🏼👏🏼

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC! Bye, Baby by @carolatlovering will be released on March 5th, 2024 📚

Bye Baby by Carola Lovering
Publication Date of March 5,2024 by St Martin’s Press
I had the opportunity to read this one early in exchange for a honest review.
I don’t think I’d ever read any books by this author but I’m pretty sure I’ll be looking up her other books in the near future.
This book focuses on a friendship that started at a young age and lasted well into adulthood. Billie and Cassie had somewhat of a toxic relationship for friends. The book is labeled as a thriller but honestly I don’t think that is accurate description. I was pulled in pretty quickly and while I was waiting on the shoe to drop the book just really dragged on but it was a good read just not a wow I’m anxious to read more. So that’s my take on the book. I guess you’ll have to read it yourself to form your own opinion.
Thanks again NetGalley. I give this one about 3.5 stars ⭐️

3.5 stars out of 5 - thanks to the publisher and author for the ARC! The blurb and the start gives away a lot about the story.

This is the tale of two childhood friends whose aspirations and goals have always been different, and as they grow older, it is apparent that this friendship is very one sided. Bonded by childhood trauma, these two have a secret that they will both carry to their grave. As they have grown older, they both have different views of what their adulthoods look like, and became even more apparent as Cassie gets engaged. Billie fought for a friendship that was not worth it, and her and Cassie were both selfish and delusional in their own ways. I did not really like Billie or Cassie, and it was sad how much Billie depended on her friendship with Cassie. It was more frustrating than anything because you just want her to give up trying to be back in Cassie's life.

This book is labeled as a mystery/thriller, but it is more of a slow burn and not much of a mystery. It was a fascinating story in some parts, but at some point, there were too many side characters who did not contribute much to the plot.

While I'm not sure I would label this book a thriller, it still managed to pull me in and keep me reading. Billie and Cassie have a toxic friendship that started when they were just 12 years old. They are now both in their mid-30's and have drifted apart. Their lives are so different. Cassie is married with a baby, living a life of luxury that she posts on social media for all to see. Billie on the other hand is still struggling to get by in her life, in her job, and in her relationships. One night Billie steals Cassie's baby. Why? What exactly happened between these 2 best friends to cause such a rift?

I really enjoyed the way this story unfolds. It starts off going back a couple months from when Billie stole the baby from the POV of both Billie and Cassie. We also see how their friendship develops overtime through Billie's flashback chapters. It's hard to really like either of the girls, but you definitely feel sorry for them both.

If you like gripping domestic suspense thrillers with a lot of character development, this is a winner.

4.5 stars

Wow, I just couldn’t get enough of this book. This is the first book I’ve read by Carola Lovering and I will definitely be reading the books she’s already published prior to

. Billie and Cassie’s relationship evolves throughout this book. From early on in life, and into their 30’s. The timeline goes back and forth from present to past. And we get a view into just how their relationship changes over time. Billie just needs to feel wanted by someone and looks for it within Cassie, but Cassie is too busy worrying about herself and her image. As this relationship deteriorates, I began to dislike Cassie a little more each day, and really feel for Billie.

This book provoked a slew of emotions for me. I really connected with Billie and wanted all the good things for her.

If you like a book with a great twist and good vs bad, I think this may be the one for you. The writing was great and I loved the story. I didn’t want to put it down once I started it! I switched back and forth between the book and the audio. The narrators did a great job and the girl who did Cassie did a great job of personifying her personality.

***Thank you Netgalley and St.Martin’s Press for an ARC copy in return for an honest review ***