I devoured Bye, Baby - like I have with the other 3 novels by Carola Lovering. I was excited to read this one that dealt with female friendship.

Bye, Baby tells the story of Billie and Cassie, childhood best friends who have navigated different chapters of life together. As they’ve developed into grown women, their bond has shifted. Cassie married into old money, has become a mom, and flaunts her life on Instagram by the hour while distancing herself from Billie and what she represents. Billie is single and thriving in her career, desperately wishing for the closeness she and Cassie used to have.

Cassie’s baby, Ella, goes missing during Cassie’s over-the-top and suddenly the one person she needs and wants in her life is Billie.

The dual POV and flashback telling of this story reveals their characters piece by piece, and unearths secrets between the two friends every step of the way.

Carola Lovering has a way of writing characters that are multilayered and compelling. She describes emotions and relationship dynamics that are often difficult for other authors to grasp.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this ARC and will immediately get anything written by Carola Lovering. Thank for the advanced copy — I’ll be recommending this book for a long time!

Super fast page turner! Not only does this book give alternating perspectives, it shifts between time frames as well. Billie and Cassie are lifelong friends who find themselves going their own ways. Is it just a natural course of maturing or did something happen to drive them apart? Does any of this explain why Billie betrays Cassie so deeply in the present day?

I loved Ms. Lovering’s exploration of friendship between 30 something women and all of its ups and downs, because unfortunately it is not always roses and sunshine. Friendships can be very difficult, and shared history is both a blessing and an anchor at times.

That said, I hated both of the main women, which is fine because the tension made it easy to cheer for both depending on the chapter. The ending also felt a bit rushed and too neatly closed once the secret was revealed to all parties.

All in all, I still had a great time reading this and look forward to her other books!

Thank you to Netgallery for giving me an early release copy of Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering. This book will be released on March Fifth of 2024.

Bye, Baby has an interesting summary but unfortunately I don’t have much good to say about this book. I liked the dual perspectives between our two main characters, it was nice to see what they were feeling around the time of certain events. The flash back sequences were also a nice little add in. The love interest for Billie I didn’t mind and while there is sexual scenes in Bye, Baby I appreciated that it wasn’t full on graphic sex. This book main characters along with others characters relationship/friendships do have toxic themes. I had gone into this thinking the amount of toxicity would make this unbearable to read but Carola Lovering writes in a way that is not overbearing nor hard to read.

While this book did hold my interest enough to keep reading there isn’t anything in particular that makes this book stand out to me. The book felt unnecessary long, a lot of drama and relationship issues between characters but all in all the thrilling scenes just weren’t enough for me. There is something else I wasn’t a fan of involved but I think talking about it might involve a spoiler.

This book is billed as a mystery/thriller, but it’s more women’s fiction. Cassie and Billie were best friends or a long time when they were children, and they shared a secret about Billie’s stepfather. Cassie becomes an influencer and basically cuts Billie out of her life. Billie is still rather obsessed with Cassie and doesn’t understand why Cassie did what she did. When Cassie’s baby disappears for a few hours during a party, Billie is the first person she wants to call, and they go back to spending all their time together. But Billie has a secret about the disappearance, and it’s only a matter of time until it comes out. When the baby disappears halfway through the book, it happens in an unbelievable manner, and I just about put the book down then. But I wanted to see how it was all resolved. The ending, however, was both far-fetched and unsatisfying. Many thanks for NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ms. Lovering for the ARC of this title.

A decent popcorn thriller with zero suspense. I did enjoy the nuances of a toxic woman friendship. A lot of the plot points were predictable and unnecessary. Trigger warning of predator, rape, and sa

It’s a fast read and enjoyable.

This book had me almost immediately hooked!! I had to know how this story was going to play out.

Many scenarios were going thru my head!

I can’t say I didn’t like this book bc I did enjoy it, but I found the ending to be a bit anti climatic

I’ll def be checking out Carola Lovering for her future books!

When I first read the description for this book, I was immediately intrigued by the storyline. I have been more drawn to thrillers lately and this novel was refreshing; anything but simple, women's fiction.

You are introduced to Billie and Cassie, who have an extremely complicated relationship that unfolds through differing perspectives and flashbacks from Billie's perspective of their past. As the description states, Billie kidnaps Cassie's baby but the question is why? This book very aptly draws on how women's friendships can change over time, for various reasons, and how your life can seemingly, suddenly, be very different from what you imagined. New York wealth, motherhood, friendship, romance, and secrets... Is everyone capable of mending relationships? Maybe the better question is: does everyone deserve forgiveness or are there unforgivable things in life?

This description stated this book was suspenseful, and I wouldn't use that word to describe it. However, it was very well written and I found myself not wanting to stop reading. When I read a book, I base my reviews on several factors: overall writing, character development, believability of the events, and whether or not I would recommend this book to others. This is a book that I definitely recommend; just don't go into thinking it will be suspenseful if you are an avid thriller fan.

The storyline had promise but hit the unbelievable stage several times, and honestly I didn't resonate with any character or find the two main characters particularly likeable. This was a tough one for me to invest time in to complete.

Deeply rooted trauma and toxic friendships have never been so entertaining as in this twisted and surprising tale. This story went in directions I didn’t expect and kept me in turns engaged and appalled all throughout. Even the kidnapping was handled in an unusual way- and what a feat to inspire the reader to feel more empathy for the perpetrator than the mother. I appreciated this fresh take on the genre and couldn’t put this story down.

Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Carola Lovering, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was not what I was expecting it to be. I think the journey of finding your place in a friendship is an interesting idea, but the codependency and the holding on to each other just to keep your secrets close to be a bit disturbing. I know there are friends out there that have this type of relationship, but I hope they can find friends that they can build a healthier relationship with. I was just disappointed from the description to the actual storyline. I would struggle to say that this story is suspenseful. There is sadly very little suspense. Everything for the most part is very out in the open. Especially with having the story be told from Cassie and Billie’s perspectives. Overall, this is a book that I personally could take or leave.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I absolutely loved this book! Carola Lovering has a way of developing her characters and making them extremely relatable.
The story is told in 2 POV- Cassie & Billie, they used to be the best of friends, but as they've grown older, they drifted apart. Billie has a traumatic childhood and can't understand why Cassie has pulled away all these years.
Cassie is an Instagram influencer, who has a seemingly perfect life, with a new husband and baby!
The story opens up from Billie POV, holding Cassie's missing baby, WHY?!

Lovering does an amazing job taking you on a journey of love, friendship, deceit, and trauma.

While I did enjoy my time with this book, many aspects of it fell flat for me, The plot for sure, the characters, and the dynamic between characters. The most interesting part to me was the social media influencer/follower relationship between Cassie and Billie, considering their friendship was rocky at the beginning of the book, I wish it would've leaned more into that and what it can be like for people who are posting their days online everyday, and those who watch and idolize those who do.

This was my first Carola Lovering book and although I didn't, I would be more than willing to read another book by her! I really enjoyed the writing style, just not the book for me this time. 2.8 stars/5

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced e copy of this book.

I was given this book by NetGalley to read prior to publication for my honest review.

I struggled to get through this book, neither of the main characters were likeable. So I didn't know who to root for, I wanted them both to go away. It follows along with old middle/high school friends Billie and Cassie. Cassie is a social media influencer and Billie is more reserved without many friends. The dynamics between their relationship changes due to this and we get flashbacks into their younger years. Most of the present is Billie trying to win Cassie's friendship back and obsessing over her and Cassie trying to move on with new friends.

It was a slow drag to the finish line for me. I would be willing to give Carola Lovering another chance and will keep an eye out for her future books.

I enjoyed this book, I liked the idea behind it & it is written well. Without giving spoilers, it really emphasizes shades of gray. The characters are complex & believable. The story flowed well and having multiple perspectives was a bonus.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of this book.

"The truth sits between us, heavy; the elephant in the room. All the texts I've sent her, most of them unanswered. The voicemails I've left. My blatant effort. Her blatant disdain. Or perhaps it's her indifference. I'm not sure which is worse."

Bye, baby is about two girls, Cassie and Billie, who were best friends in high school and college, inseparable, until one day the friendship turns one-sided. Cassie marries wealthy and her main focus is being a mom, owning a fashion store, and being an Instagram influencer. Billie is just a reminder of where she came from. Billie doesn't really care about those things and wonders what happened to her best friend. Despite those differences, Billie is still hanging on to her friend, but Cassie wants nothing to do with her until one night something that's every mother's worst nightmare happens.

Carola Lovering delivered with this book. I highly recommend it. Releases March 5th!

4.5✨

#netgalley #carolalovering #byebaby #bookreview

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the advance reading copy of this book .

I haven't previously read anything written by this author. It was an easy read. However, I did not particularly like the main characters in the book.. Nor was I a big fan of the dual points of view and timeline.

To me, this was a popcorn thriller. I don't know if I would read another book by this author or not.

Carols Lovering can write anything and I will read it! She has proven herself to me and will always be an auto buy author for me! I have read all of her books so far and I think this is now my favorite! I loved the toxic friendship and obsession between the two main characters, Billie and Cassie. They are lifelong friends who have been through so many difficult times, some that they have chosen to never talk about again. But as they grow older and Cassie gets married and has a child, the relationship becomes strained and they grow apart. Billie is desperate to maintain their strong bond, but Cassie is trying to move on with her other friends that are also mothers and wealthy. Until the worst thing Cassie could imagine happens and all she wants is her best friend, Billie.

As a mother, I absolutely empathized with Cassie, because having your child taken is the worst possible thing that could happen, but I also loathed her. She is an influencer and a gold digger. And Billie is messy. Her love life, her sketchy decision making.. it’s hard to watch, or read, but also you can’t look away! It is such an intoxicating story that I had to see how it would unravel. You’re on the edge of your seat waiting for the shoe to fall! For me, it’s rare to love a book so much, that I really couldn’t stand the characters!

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering is set to be one of the top books of 2024 and I can see why. Now in their thirties, Billie and Cassie have been best friends since they were little. They both live in the city and come from the same town, but aside from that, their lives have taken completely different paths. Cassie found fame as an internet influencer and is married to a wealthy man with an infant daughter. Billie hasn’t had the same success and finds herself struggling as Cassie tries to put more distance between them. In an act of desperation, Billie takes Cassie’s baby, but only for a short time. Bye, Baby is addictive, suspenseful and filled with complicated friendship dynamics. While I’m not sure I really liked any of the characters, I was hooked from the first page. Bye, Baby should not be missed!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second book by Carola Lovering and I really enjoyed it. Lovering did a great job covering the lifelong friendship of Cassie and Billie. I think she really hit the nail on the head with what it is like when you grow out of a friendship.

The beginning moved a bit slow for me, but all of the information in it was necessary to the plot of the story. If you enjoyed “Tell Me Lies,” I feel you will really like this book. I actually enjoyed it more. This is a domestic drama that covers many topics, some may be triggering, so be sure to check the content warnings before reading. This releases March 5th, so predorder today!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest review.

This really isn’t a mystery — in the very first pages you find out that Billie, once the teenaged bestie of Cassie (bonded together by a long ago awful secret), has crashed her former and now very successful best friend’s 35th birthday and kidnapped her 4 month old daughter. To return her 3 hours later. The story then alternates between POVs to let us know why this happened and reveal what bonded and then unbounded them. More like dark women’s fiction about a toxic friendship.

I was unsure who to like or dislike and I definitely was not engaged in rooting for the relationship to be healed after the kidnapping occurred, although author Lovering gives great depth to her characters through the flashbacks. A better understanding was helped by narrators Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker, whose voices let me interpret the differences between the characters (who seemed flat when I was reading the book). The story was not my cup of tea at the moment, but it could be interesting to readers who like to dissect longtime friendships gone bad 3.5 stars.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Alex has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Not beyond Cassie’s wild dream of losing Ella in wildflowers.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a free advanced ebook and audio copies in exchange for an honest review!