⭐️ rating: 4
genre: lit fiction // drama // suspense
#️⃣ pages: 352
✍🏼 same author as TELL ME LIES and TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
🥳 pub day: 3/5/24
read if you like: THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR, NONE OF THIS IS TRUE, quick books, friend/family drama, dual POVs, domestic/friendship suspense, character driven plots, influencer plots

NO ONE does drama and relationships like Lovering. TELL ME LIES? are you kidding?! this takes the same spin but with a friendship—and i was here for it!! 👯‍♀️ she does suspense mixed with character development so well. this was one of my highly anticipated 2024 releases and i truly waited as long as i could go pick it up 🥲 it was GOOD! it’s different from her usual romantic suspense/semi-thriller vibes, as this is more of a drama mixed with suspense. it was so bingeworthy and starts with a bang. the best way to describe it is a kind of a cat-and-mouse friendship thriller with that one friend you know you’ve grown apart from but you can’t let them go because there is too much history—and secrets—there 👀🤐

this book follows two besties that have grown apart with time… but a very grim secret keeps them from fully losing touch. when one of the besties’ newborn goes missing, all hell breaks lose. who are the friends that are really there for you in times of crisis? who can you really trust?

i really enjoyed this book! the influencer plot was kind of hilarious, and my only wish is that the ending was a biiit more sinister and less tied up but evaluating it as a litfic, i can appreciate the tied up bow!

Bye, Baby has it all — a missing baby, a troubled friendship, and a secret that can never be told.

This domestic suspense showcases the dark side of female relationships. While it is a little slow at times in the beginning, the backstory of once inseparable friends Cassie and Billie provides critical context to the events unfolding in the present. Their relationship complexities, the role of social media, and a shared secret make the second half of Bye, Baby hard to put down, like a train wreck that you don't want to look away from.

Bye, Baby is perfect for fans of friendship drama, unlikeable but unforgettable characters, and secrets.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this! I found it to be a compelling read and felt invested in the story. The characters were all fairly unlikable but that doesn’t really bother me in a book. I still felt interested in seeing how the whole thing would play out. There were many questionable choices made and it was like a slow moving train wreck - just waiting to see how it would unfold. There were interesting points made about friendship and how people can grow apart which I think would make for a good book club discussion. Overall I’d recommend this one!

I really enjoyed this book! I was intrigued after reading The Push where she could go with this. I really felt for the characters but I loved how it came out in the end. It was unexpected and I love the twists!

A story about two narrators who were childhood friends until a tragedy happens. When Cassie's baby is abducted and it looks like Billie is the guilty one, This beginning scene grabs you from the beginning, puts you in a chokehold and doesn't let go until the very last page. I could not put it down!

REVIEW// Bye, Baby

I’ll start out by saying this is not a thriller but more like friendship drama. Billie and Cassie have been friends since they were teen but over the past few years, Cassie began backing away from Billie. Cassie is too busy with her marriage, baby, and being an influencer. Something happens during Cassie’s birthday party and that’s when she realizes that maybe she does need Billie in her life after all.

Every single character in this book is unlikeable and their lives are full of drama. The writing is good and the plot is straightforward, it just lacked any twists.


Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

• Bye, Baby will be out March 5, 2024 •

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I’d say this was more of a good 3.5 star read, but I’m rounding up! There were a lot of good elements to this book, and while not exactly a thriller, it really explored the dynamics of friendships and the factors that can affect and alter those relationships over time. I can’t necessarily say that I liked either of the main characters, but they did have multiple facets that definitely brought out their human elements. The ending didn’t quite work for me, and I wish the author would have wrapped up this story differently. Otherwise, I enjoyed this and kept reading to see how everything would tie together.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press, for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ultimately this is a story of friendship at its best and at its worst. I have a multitude of thoughts and feelings about this book. It covers a number of really heavy topics.

The story is told in a dual narrator format. Childhood best friends, Billie and Cassie have been through a lot together through the years. They carry secrets they don’t want anyone else to know about. Cassie has always wanted to escape her humble beginnings. She’s very focused on the superficial things in life. Status, beauty and money, and spends her days streaming her every move, as a social media influencer.

She no longer wants Billie in her life. But Billie can’t accept it. It becomes an obsession. I felt bad for her, and the decisions she made as a result of not being able to let go and move on in her life. There are a number of characters in the story that are quite unlikeable. The author does a great job in their development. And you could see a train wreck coming.

The writing kept me invested in the story. It made me want to come back to read more, and even made me feel a bit anxious sometimes. A few things bothered me though. It often mentioned how Cassie is breastfeeding her baby, yet she’s drinking alcohol every day. That seemed really strange to me. I thought the amount of coarse language was excessive, and that became a distraction.

One of the things I really loved was how it highlighted the fact that what we see on social media is never a full picture of what goes on in any persons life.
Overall I’m left with mixed feelings for the story. If you enjoy women’s fiction, I think there’s things you will find interesting about this book.

3.75/5 ⭐️

CW | TW | Frequent profanity throughout. Sexual abuse, some sexual content.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me tor eceive this book for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this book was just okay for me. I found it hard to get into but I would not say I would not try and pick it up again. I will definately give it another try.

Bye, Baby immediately grabbed my attention. A kidnapping. Two estranged best friends. An “influencer” and a childless woman in her 30s. But how did we get here? The story alternates between Billie and Cassie’s POVs as well as between their past and present in this very addictive and propelling novel.

I immediately felt for Billie. At first it was intrigue at the crime she had just committed. And then it was sorrow and pain.

Billie is a very thoughtful and loyal friend to her best friend, Cassie. Billie had a very rough childhood. Her father was barely in the picture, off living with his other family. Her mother re-married to a sleazeball named Wade. Mix in a tight bond and a disheartening disease you get a very horrific situation for Billie. Cassie was the only person she told the specifics of what Wade was doing and it was Cassie who approached the possibility of standing up to him. But was it for her own benefit or Billie’s?

Cassie is very much the opposite of Billie. She is very self-centered. Her friends rotate based off the ones who benefit her at the time. She came from a family that used to have a lot of money. Her dad made some poor investment choices and lost a lot of it which is why she is so drawn to those that are wealthy. For example, she has very high requirements for a husband and she has dumped past boyfriends for their lack of “appropriate” clothing.

McKay, the popular girl in college whom Cassie is constantly trying to impress and fit within her close circle, is the cousin to Grant, Cassie’s husband. Unlike Billie, McKay is also a mother which creates a stronger bond between her and Cassie often times outcasting Billie. With all that being said, Cassie’s occupation of being an Instagram “influencer” (along with running her business that was footed by her husband) comes at no surprise - constantly checking the number of views and likes for every post.

The book is told in two parts. The first part dives into the majority of the set up and circle’s back to the cliffhanger of Billie‘s crime. The second part consists of Cassie’s breakdown and the detective work figuring out who committed the crime. Cassie and Billie become friends again and it’s a constant battle of wanting to find the criminal and not getting enough information to actually figure it out. Meanwhile Billie’s secret is eating her alive. The ending wrapped up in a pretty expected and not so shocking way. One more twist at the end would have made it more exciting and interesting but overall Bye, Baby is a very easy and addictive read.

This book starts push-pounding and unputdownable. There are some very graphic and triggering content in this novel. Why has Billie and Cassie drifted apart after such a close and inseparable bond? I wanted to figure it out...then, I didn't. I would say the last half dragged on: didn't have the emotional pull the first half did. Also, some plot points just wrapped up to neatly.

I really liked this one. I went in blind which really added to the experience in my opinion.

This one is dual POV and dual timeline. I don't want to say much about the plot besides it follows two best friends who have grown apart.

My only complaint is that some parts felt a little long. In reality not that much happens but I still found myself eager to keep reading and thinking about the characters. There is some relatable stuff around social media and mom culture.

Carola Lovering is an auto buy author for me. BYE, BABY was a fun, quick read about two lifelong friends, whose adult lives have gone in different directions. One of them holds onto the friendship, while the other put in little effort. I felt this! It was relatable in that friendships fracture and friendships can be a lot of work.

I enjoyed juxtaposition of Billie and Cassie. If they met as adults, I don’t think they would have much in common, but I felt sorry for Billie, who was keen to keep the friendship alive, even when it was painfully obvious that it was one sided efforts. I didn’t care for how Billie was portrayed as desperate, weak, with nothing going on in life. I thought she had a great career, and that should’ve been enough. Personally, I don’t think Cassie deserved her.

I loved this book! It might be my new favorite of Carola Lovering's. I picked it up on a whim way before the publishing date, and couldn't put it down. It follows two best friends in New York: Cassie, who went the route of getting married and having a baby, and Billie, who is still struggling to find her footing in her career. They have a toxic codependent relationship, and as you read the novel the truth behind their relationship slowly unravels.

In a departure from her usual thriller style, Lovering's latest novel comes across more as women's fiction. The story gripped me from the start as Cassie suffers the trauma of her baby's abduction, shockingly witnessed by her estranged friend Billie, who turns out to be the kidnapper. This gripping premise captivates with questions about motives and the underlying reasons driving Billie's actions.

The narrative skillfully weaves between past and present, unveiling the evolution of their friendship and exploring their current lives. Billie, leading a glamorous yet lonely lifestyle, fixates on Cassie, while Cassie's newfound fame as a social media influencer strains their bond. Tensions escalate, leading to a confrontation that forces them to confront their shared history and personal struggles. Despite some frustrations with certain characters, the book remains engaging, offering a profound exploration of female friendships in the bustling backdrop of New York,

WOW this book was SO good!! This story follows the friendship between Billie and Cassie, bouncing between past and present. We see their friendship from the start at 12 yrs old and how it grows through the years to present day (mid-30’s). I think everyone has a friendship with someone that has changed in some ways - whether it be from growing apart, relationships, other friendships etc. I found that this made it very relatable. I was SUPER invested and couldn’t put it down. I do think it’s worth mentioning that this isn’t quite a thriller BUT 1000% worth the read!! This is my first book by this author and I look forward to checking out her other work.

THANK YOU to the author, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Grab your copy of Bye, Baby on 3/5/2024 :)

This book’s synopsis is definitely what pulled me in. How and why did a woman kidnap her friend’s baby?! How could she listen to her friend’s wails, knowing she’s the one responsible for the pain? The kidnapping part was great, but it’s actually not a large part of the book - it’s the thing that makes you want to read the book. When you do start to read, you get this fantastic story of two friends.

Our characters are written quite well. Cassie is complex and slightly needy. She’s a gorgeous influencer who is (obviously) very insecure. She spent twenty years working her way back into high society, and now has a clothing store that her husband sees as a hobby. She also has a new baby, a phenomenal home, and plenty of followers who want to know her every move.

Billie is the opposite of Cassie. She is a luxury travel agent, she’s single and childless (and prefers it that way) and she doesn’t care for Cassie’s new lifestyle and friends. These two women have been in each other’s lives for over twenty years, but they slowly drifted apart as their priorities shifted. There is one thing that will always bind them together, and as the book begins, we find them tentatively seeing if they can still be friendly despite their differences.

This whole story was great, right from the beginning. It does belong in the mystery/thriller genre, but I would also place this in women’s fiction. By and large this book is about a friendship, and how that relationship has evolved over the years. How did they go from inseparable high school students to women who could hurt each other so badly? You’ll find out, and it’s really good. I couldn’t decide between four or five stars on this one, so I’m going with 4.5, because these aren’t characters that I’ll forget anytime soon!

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Carola Lovering and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on March 5, 2024.)

This story immediately hooked me and I liked following the friendship of Billie and Cassie. The backstory and the dark secret they kept together was a good twist but the ending for me was a bust. I don’t like when things end in a nice neat bow like this and I think there should have been once last dark twist. That would have made all the difference for me. I liked the alternating points of view. Elements of this thriller worked for me but overall it missed the mark largely due to the ending.

Goodreads has this as a thriller but it is certainly not a thriller. A small bit of suspense but overall I’d call this a drama. Both characters were very much people you know in real life that you don’t really like all that much lol. I enjoyed the story but I do wish we got to know the results of billie’s genetic testing to see if she had the Alzheimer’s gene?? If it was in there I totally missed it but I was curious to know and that could have explained away her action as to why she took the baby.

This one was just okay for me. It did not immediately hook me but I am glad I picked it up. I would like to pick it up again at another time to see if I like it more.

This was friendship focused and I enjoyed it! So much drama so much betrayal and so much backstory!!

It started off with a bang which was exciting and hooked you immediately. The friendship between Billie and Cassie was OFF. I wanted it to get darker though 😂

But we all have or have been in friendships that is very much codependent or a little off. I loved learning the backstory between these two and why things were the way they were now!

Billie creeped me out but I also felt for her too. I thought she was surprisingly likable. Cassie wasn’t nearly as likable to me. She was very full of herself and was very 2 faced. The influencer plot was interesting 😂 Kind of funny and odd but with our current culture, makes sense! I think that was written well and accurately.

I wanted the ending to be darker, I feel like it wrapped up a little too nicely where I was wanting more of a darker ending after reading all of this. Overall I enjoyed it!