Overall, this was a fantastic story. While not exactly a thriller, it had very similar vibes as Lovering’s previous book Can’t Look Away. This digs into the nitty gritty of friendship, and how they can change as we grow. The way my allegiances changed so frequently throughout the book did an incredible job of proving how nuanced relationships can be and how complex we are as humans. I truly could not put this book down! I found the ending to be perfectly imperfect, giving a satisfying conclusion while also being realistic.

My only small issue is to do with the cultural references included. Billie and Cassie are written to be 35 years old, graduating high school in 2006. I am exactly the same age, so it was easy to know what was popular and relevant during different times in the book. I can only speak for myself, but Alanis Morissette, Prince, and Working Girl were popular well before I came of age. I feel like these references took me out of the story, because I could think of things that would have fit better.

Due to a recent eye surgery I had, I requested the copy of the audio to review instead of the ebook I originally received. Please see my full review of audio when completed. Thank you

🩶ARC Review🩶

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering
St. Martin's Press
Releases on 5 March 2024
3.5⭐️

First off, thank you, @netgalley and @stmartinspress , for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, for those who have read this, can we all agree that Cassie is the worst! I mean Billie is no angel, but I'd quicker be friends with her than Cassie.😆
This book definitely was definitely interesting. I was invested in the characters, plot, and storyline. The ending, I thought it was okay. I was expecting a bigger reaction, but the more mellow ending worked out in favor of the characters.

Synopsis ⬇️
On a brisk fall night in a New York apartment, 35-year-old Billie West hears terrified screams. It's her lifelong best friend Cassie Barnwell, one floor above, and she's just realized her infant daughter has gone missing. Billie is shaken as she looks down into her own arms to see the baby, remembering—with a jolt of fear—that she is responsible for the kidnapping that has instantly shattered Cassie’s world.

Once fiercely bonded by their secrets, Cassie and Billie have drifted apart in adulthood, no longer the inseparable pair they used to be in their small Hudson Valley hometown Cassie is married to a wealthy man, has recently become a mother, and is building a following as a lifestyle influencer. She is desperate to leave her past behind—including Billie, who is single and childless, and no longer fits into her world. But Billie knows the worst thing Cassie has ever done, and she will do whatever it takes to restore their friendship…

#netgalley #byebaby #carolalovering #bookstagram #bookreview #readersofinstagram #bookreviewsofinstagram #mysteryandthriller #stmartinspress
#macmillanpublishers

Wow!!! I can't believe that I left this book on my TBR as long as I did. This thrilling novel just pulled me in and Lovering did a great job with this multi-POV story. Billie and Cassie's friend was great but also toxic. You know from the first chapter what is going to happen, but in the end, I kept hoping that it would not happen that way. There are lots of twists, discoveries in female friendship, and highlights of the rich lifestyle. The second half of the story is very juicy in things happening after we get to know the two FMC's. This was such a good read!

This is my first novel by Carola Lovering and I enjoyed her writing style. It was not overly heavy in description, but the dialogue was real and captivating.

Most anyone can relate to the friendship of Billie and Cassie, especially if you grew up together and then grew apart. I felt for Billie's character throughout the entire story as she tried to navigate a world without her best friend among dealing with trauma. Without giving too much away, I think Lovering does a great job of making me dislike Cassie, but understand and see her motivations for everything (even if I don't agree with 99% of them); same goes for Billie.

While I don't think this novel should fit into the thriller genre, it does well to keep the reader engaged in what may happen, even if the resolution may feel a little flat.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will definitely check out Lovering's other works.

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

Bye, Baby
A Novel
by Carola Lovering

I’m so excited to read another domestic thriller from Carola Lovering - she is a master of writing unlikable characters, and BYRR, BABY is full of it. I thought the writing was propulsive, and I really wanted to know what happened happened so it kept me turning those pages. I found the read, exciting and thrilling. I really enjoyed this one.

Billie hears her lifelong friend Cassie screaming from the apartment above her. When Billie looks down, she realizes that she’s holding Cassie’s four month old baby in her arms – she remembers she took her.

Cassie and Billie are bonded by secrets that occurred during their teenage years. As they hit adulthood they drifted apart. Cassie is married to a wealthy man, and Billie travels the world for her job. While they don’t really fit together anymore, it’s not what Billie wants, and she wants to go back to how close they used to be.

This was an interesting story of friendship. Cassie and Billie were childhood friends, but they grew apart because they wanted different things out of life. Despite Cassie being pretty insufferable, I kind of knew where she was coming from. Yes, she used people to get ahead, she deep down had a fear of being without and struggling. I also related to what it is like to have a baby and drift apart from friends that don’t have babies. So, while I don’t condone her behavior, I guess I did understand her fears. Now Billie, I also understand her character. She acted out of desperation to lose her friend. To Billie, Cassie was her everything, but sadly the same wasn’t true for Cassie. Billie’s back story was absolutely gut wrenching and part of it hit so close to home for me that I struggled with it, but it is such a great story.

This is one of those stories full of unlikeable characters, but you can understand why they’re unlikeable.

Thank you so much to St. Martins Press @stmartinspress and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Bye, Baby ~ Carola Lovering

Best friends Cassie and Billie have drifted apart in adulthood as husbands, babies, and new friends come into the mix. An impulsive decision surreptitiously brings the friends together again while threatening to end them all at the same time.

After Tell Me Lies, I will quite literally read whatever Lovering writes, even if it appeared on the back of a cereal box. This was significantly more multi-dimensional than I thought it was going to be and I appreciated the depth and complexity that developed like peeling back the layers of an onion. Couldn’t put it down! Hits the shelves March 6th, but you can read Lovering’s backlist while you wait!

2stars⚝

Billie and Cassie have been best friends since they were kids. But ever since Cassie's daughter, Ella, was born, they've grown apart. Everything changes on the night of Cassie's thirty-fifth birthday party when Ella goes missing from Cassie's apartment. In a desperate plea for help, Cassie reaches out to Billie. Despite their estrangement, Billie is determined to mend their friendship and assist Cassie, even though revealing the truth about what happened to Ella could risk their bond forever.

"Bye, Baby" ended up leaning more towards women's fiction rather than being the mystery thriller I was hoping for. Billie being the more likable character somewhat and Cassie just being terrible. Their relationship touches on relatable aspects like friendship breakups. I think it could have been trimmed down as the last 100 pages weren't necessary.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for a ARC.

Definitely addictive storyline. I enjoyed the past and present and format of the audio and kindle version. I wanted to see what would happen and how it would all came together. Great story to start 2024!!

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for my e arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

I hated Cassie in the beginning. She is insufferable. She is so stuck on her image and she's just over all annoying. Plus the way she treats Billie is horrible. I don't know why Billie keeps trying with her.
Then something really toxic happens and they rebond.
I love Billie's complicated new relationship with Alex.

Thank you, St Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of Bye, Baby.

While interesting, this wasn’t the gripping story I thought it would be. The character development was a bit lacking. The plot was predictable. Enjoyed the story but nothing to really write home about.

What happens when you grow apart from your best friend? The one person who holds all of your secrets but moves on from you? Do you just let it be or do anything and everything in your power to hold onto that friendship and her?

Billie and Cassie had been best friends since they were very young, but circumstances and life led them to drift apart. Billie seems to be content with her life but thrives on Cassie's every move, while Cassie has seemingly moved on from that friendship and has married and become a mother.

Cassie feels indebted to Billie because of a secret that they both kept from many years before - not because of a true bond.

But when Cassie, now in her 30s, experiences a traumatic event, the only person she can even think of who would comfort her is none other than Billie. And this is just what Billie needs and wants.

However, Cassie doesn't realize that Billie holds an even bigger secret, a secret that can ruin and break their bond forever.

I don't think this book was a mystery or a thriller but it was a good book that kept me entertained. I do believe that there were too many storylines and themes that just made the book even longer when it would have been perfectly fine without all of the extra content.

Thanks to St. Martins Press, NetGalley, and author Carola Lovering for this ARC to honestly review.

3.5 stars. Billie and Cassie have been best friends forever, but recently Cassie has been pulling away. Billie is dying to win her back, but her desperation just seems to push Cassie even further into her new sphere of superficial wealthy friends. When tragedy strikes, Cassie clings to Billie, who's hiding a secret that could destroy their friendship forever.

This is a very "Carola Lovering" book. If you've read any of her other novels, you'll know exactly what I mean — toxic female friendships, unlikable characters, gray morality all around, slow-burning suspense. Check. Billie and Cassie are both pretty terrible? Which is fine, because the plot sort of hinges on their demented co-dependent relationship.

I was drawn into the story quickly, but started to tire of the same points being re-hashed without a lot of plot development. I think this one is perfect for readers who enjoy a sustained suspense vibe, but for me it didn't quite hit the spot — I prefer twistier thrillers overall.

Thank you to Carola Lovering, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

Absolutely loved this. I raced through it. I wanted to know what was going to happen and these two were toxic. Like they both had issues but i still really rooted for the main character. Her friend tho. Hella unlikable but it was purposeful so it didn’t change my liking of the book. And while she was an unlikable character, she had redeemable qualities. I understood her at many points. Being a mom and her husband and wanting certain things and being blinded by others. The ending wrapped up really well and in a way that i was happy with.

4.5 stars

A toxic female friendship between two morally grey characters-- sounds right up my alley! I always enjoy reading Lovering's books because they female relationships are equal parts relatable and totally twisted, and Bye, Baby was no exception. I particularly enjoyed the shifting between past and present timelines, as it added richness to both Billie's and Cassie's characters. Sometimes I don’t care for the influencer storyline, but Lovering did a good job with it where it didn't feel too over the top. If you've enjoyed Lovering's previous books, you'll surely enjoy this one too!

It's not really a psychological thriller like I thought I was getting into. It's kind of a story about friendship and life choices. It was good but I was bored after awhile with all the drama. The dual time kept the book interesting. I wasn't really a fan of either Billie or Cassie more so Cassie. She just gave off the all about me vibe.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Felt like the book could have been shorter, a bit drawn out at times. Liked it but didn’t love it. Audio book was well narrated.

Bye, Baby is a dark exploration of childhood friendships, obsession, and the aftermath of lost connections.

Billie and Cassie were thick as thieves growing up, but after they graduated college, their lives headed in separate directions, and even though Billie still wanted to maintain their relationship, Cassie started pulling away. But after what they went through together as teens, Billie can't understand how Cassie could cut herself away from Billie so easily. The more Billie tries to keep their relationship alive, the farther Cassie pulls away, until one night, circumstances converge and Billie ends up holding Cassie's baby in her arms while Cassie's screams fill the air when she finds her baby missing.

Told in alternating perspectives, Bye, Baby is a slow burn look at the way toxic friendships can slowly tear us apart. I feel like this shouldn't have been billed as a thriller or mystery, so make sure you go into it with the mindset of reading a friendship drama, and you won't be disappointed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for the free book in exchange for my honest review.

I was very surprised by how much I loved this story! This is my first novel by this author and it will not be my last. I absolutely devoured this and highly recommend it!!!

Billy and Cassie are best friends since the summer before 7th grade. They have grown up together in dysfunctional homes and ventured out into the world post college as roommates in NYC. Billy finds a passion for travel and has issues in relationships. Cassie is a gold digger looking for a man that can support her in the style she wants to be accustomed to. Despite each woman desiring different paths, they maintain their friendship, that is until Cassie marries her super wealthy catch and starts becoming one of the 'family'. Feeling discarded, Billy makes an irrational decision one night that ends up terminating their relationship for good.

Told in alternating perspectives and also alternating timelines, this is a fantastic, suspenseful story that delves into women's choices, their relationships, and how childhood trauma is not easily shaken.

Highly recommend!!