Obsessive friendship, trauma bonding, and years and years of therapy...... that's this book.

Holy shit.

Billie and Cassie are best friends. They are as close as sisters and bonded in ways that are inexplicable. Cassie is, to be polite, a 'gold digger'. and Billie remains single and childless. Billie has a jet-set life, organizing events and special occasions for people. Cassie lives her life on social media, with her own clothing life and and beautiful baby.

As the title may suggest.....something happens to the baby.

I mean.....Come on.

I just..... How much further can we go with the domestic thrillers? Is this what it's come to?

This might be my limit.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering was a great read!
Cassie and Billie, the main characters, were childhood best friends. Cassie, even from a young age, was drawn to status and money influenced by her grandmother’s wealth. Billie had a tough upbringing with her mom who suffered a dire medical diagnosis and a step-father who was a monster. Cassie was a rock for Billie when she experienced trauma and loneliness in her younger years. The girls were forever bonded by a huge secret they would keep forever. Carola’s writing made you want to keep reading all night to find out what happened next!
Unfortunately, these best friends grew apart. Cassie opting for the rich husband and very luxurious life, while Billie chose an more average life. Billie became almost obsessed with looking at Cassie’s life via her never ending insta posts.
Another big mystery hits when Cassies baby goes missing. Some themes in this novel explore the best friend relationship, sexual trauma, social class and loss. I want to that netgalley for giving me an ARC copy of this amazing book to read for my honest review. I will be recommending this one to friends !

This was told in perspectives of the two toxic best friends Billie and Cassie. Billie was desperate to liked, and riddled with trauma. The whole time I was reading her perspective, I just wanted to give her a big hug. Cassie on the other hand? I disliked her immediately. Cassie was fake, self centered, mean spirited, narcissistic, judgmental, and pretentious. I really wanted Billie to see her true colors, and I hated how Billie thought she owed Cassie her undying loyalty.

The story was also told in flashbacks mainly of Billie and how her and Cassie met, and how their relationship I felt was one sided. As the book went on you go through a lot of emotions of irritation, as well as understanding. Although I felt like this wasn’t so much a thriller, I truly could not put this one down, and I was here for all the catty, drama that unfolded.

I feel like I need therapy after reading this book. The characters were unlivable, the explicit scenes involving sexual assault and pedophilia were disturbing, I wish I had been given some trigger warnings ahead of reading this to be quite honest. Cassie was an awful person. Billie was creepy and deranged. I felt like during this book both of them would end up acknowledging their messed up ways, taking accountability for them, and becoming better people, but absolutely not, They were both more messed up by the end of the book than they were throughout. I finished the book in its entirety because I truly hoped by the end of it I could have my mind changed, but it just didn’t happen. I’m sorry but this book just wasn’t for me. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would enjoy this, but I am unfortunately not one of them. This is the only book I’ve read by the author Carola Lovering, and although I didn’t enjoy it, I would still give her another chance and try out a different book of hers.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own

This book was so good. It kept my heart racing wanting to know how it ended in more ways then just one. My heart hurt for sweet Billie and I just wanted to punch Cassie most of the time. If I didn’t highly enjoy the writing style and the author, I wouldn’t have been able to experience those feelings. I feel honored to be able to review this book and recommend it to others. I also look forward to other books from this author.

Can dark childhood secrets keep you friends forever? After growing apart into adulthood Cassie is now married to wealthy man and has everything she has every wanted and would like nothing more than to completely shed her past. Perhaps even her childhood friend, Billie who knows all her darkest secrets.
Even though their lives are completely different Billie wants nothing more than to have her best friend close to her again and will do anything to bring her and Cassie back together.

The back and forth of the alternating perspectives definitely keeps you on your toes and answers just a hint of your questions with every flash back. I couldn’t put this book down and was dying to know what would happen next through to the end! This was the first time I had read anything by Carola Lovering but her unpredictable ending has me wanting to grab another to see if it is just as good!

Would definitely recommend this book!

I was hooked from the very first page of this book. It beautifully explores friendship, motherhood, and family. Billie and Cassie were the best of friends in their childhood. Their secrets bonded them even tighter. As they grow up, they grow apart. Also, they both grow further into 2 different personalities where Cassie plays the dominant hand. She has inserted herself into the high society by marrying rich and having friends in similar circles. She doesn't want to relive her childhood by being in touch with Billie. She has happily moved on. On the other hand, Billie still longs for Cassie's friendship even though she has made new friends. She responds to any call that Cassie makes.
The book revolves around these 2 with dual POVs and the timeline also alternates between the present and past. Presently, Cassie is working on building her company while being a new mother. Billie has not had a serious relationship since her fallout with Cassie, but has just met Alex and she thinks she likes her. The past explores how they met, how they got close, how they made other friends, and how their relationship evolved to what it is.
I would review this book as character driven fiction with a hint of thriller. I devoured it. Couldn't stop reading. Recommended!

I feel like I'm in the minority and did not like this book. I think I wasn't a huge fan because it marketed itself as a thriller but was more a story of the complexity of friendships.. I found both the characters pretty unlikeable and had a hard time understanding their decisions.

Bye, Baby is a drama-filled suspense thriller that takes a deep look into toxic female relationships. Billie and Cassie have been best friends their entire lives; however, over the past three years, Cassie has begun pulling away from Billie. While Billie fights for their friendship, Cassie is busy with her new marriage, her new friend group, and her new baby. After an unfortunate incident occurs during Cassie's birthday party, she starts to re-evaluate her life; however, where does Billie fit into this new re-evaluation?

To be honest, I didn't think this was much of a thriller. Everyone, including the reader, knows exactly what happened from the beginning. To me, this was much more of a drama/suspense book with a lot of awkward and uncomfortable scenes (passive-aggressive arguments, parents neglecting their children, toxic friendships, and detailed sexural assault scenes (*definite trigger warning*)). None of the characters were likable, and I honestly found myself rooting against all of the characters. Overall, I really did not enjoy this book.

Billie and Cassie are best friends forever. They are in high school with big dreams and plans until something happens to change their lives. Now, many years later Cassie is married to a super rich guy and living the Influencer life. Billie &Cassie have drifted apart and then this book turns into Single White Female. This isn’t a thriller per se, but it is a book about longtime friendships with a satisfying ending.

My hopes for this book weren’t the highest, because Tell Me Lies wasn’t my favorite, but I truly could not put this book down. I LOVED the Lisa Jewell name drop and multiple Taylor Swift references, overall I could not be more obsessed. I read this book months ago and am still thinking about it today, definitely one of my favorite reads of 2023.

This book was just not good. It’s list as a thriller but it’s definitely not that. The plot was completely lost

I would definitely say go in cold to this one as the blurb might tell you a little much. Also know while listed as a thriller, this is more a friendship drama about unlikable people. There was only one person I ended up liking by the end. But don’t let that scare you away. There is something there that made me want to read it. I wanted to know what was happening, who was genuine and what would be the ultimate result.

I spent a little time shaking my head and even yelling at the characters for their choices. I had a little bit of an idea where this one was going, but I did enjoy the read. This is really a good friendship gone awry story and I wanted to know why and how.

Thank you @stmartinspress & @netgalley for my digital copy. My thoughts are my own.

How far would you go for your best friend?

Growing up, Billie and Cassie were best friends. They supported each other through boyfriends and breakups…and, they kept each other’s secrets, no matter how dark and deadly they were.

As adults, Billie is working in the travel industry and she is still single. Cassie has married a wealthy man and established friendships in the upper crust of New York society. She is an influencer, and delights in sharing her beautiful life, including pictures of her perfect daughter, on social media. Cassie wants to put the past, including Billie, behind her.

But Billie can’t let go of Cassie. She watches every Instagram reel with sadness, until one night when she hears Cassie screaming that her baby has been kidnapped, and Billie looks down at the baby in her arms.

Told in alternating viewpoints with a dual timeline, this is a dark and emotional tale of friendship, trust, and betrayal. The plot-driven story moves at a good pace, as it builds in suspense and guarantees to keep the reader turning the pages.

Read this if you enjoy stories that explore the dark side of women’s friendship stories.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Bye, Baby is a weird story. At times it feels like a story I’ve read a million times. There’s not much about it that makes it stand out from similar books. The writing is fine but not super impressive. And the plot is missing things that would make it cohesive.


*spoiler alert*


The thing that really gets me is that through everything nobody questions the fact that this these parents got drunk and left their four month old baby on the balcony alone long enough that someone was able to hear the baby wailing, climb up a fire escape, take said baby, and climb down the fire escape into another apartment before anyone realized the baby was gone. This isn’t a baby in a bedroom and a forgotten monitor. This is a baby screaming outside by herself while a bunch of wasted people party. And it’s never addressed as an issue. By anyone. Including the police. Yikes.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. It is the perfect combination in a psychological thriller--friends who have known each other since childhood and share a dark secret, one an ambitious social influencer who never stops recording her life and the other who is afflicted with jealousy, a murder in the past, and a stolen baby. There plenty of twists and turns, and the ending is totally satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advance copy.

Loved this book right away.
It started out with Netflix's "You" vibes (not the book, the show, trust me) which had me hooked.
I'd say half way through I was confused because it felt like the story had ended, with few loose ends to tie up, so it was a longer second half, but still an easy read.
I wouldn't necessarily consider it a thriller, and it gave rom-com toward the end.. I was hoping for a twist that never came.
But, overall, a great read and I would definitely recommend.

Similar to other novels by Lovering, Bye Baby is more of a friendship drama than a thriller, although the cover and description seem very thrillery. There's some suspense to the drama, though, and I know by now not to expect thrillers from this author even though they seem to be marketed as such.

Despite the genre, I was hooked. This author has a particular skill for weaving the most toxic of friendships! It's an interesting look at how friendships evolve over time, sometimes unevenly. I found both main characters to be rather unlikeable, but I was fascinated by their toxic interactions and certainly wanted to see how things would play out for Billie.

I did feel like the book was over halfway through. Usually books like this climax around the 80% mark, with some wrap up and explanations and then it's done. With this book, though, all the questions posed by the summary were answered by the 50% mark. The ending felt way too drawn out for me--I was expecting a final reveal, but nothing else came.

I knew when the advance copy of Carola Lovering's Bye, Baby arrived that I was about to read another exceptional novel by this gifted author. I could hardly wait to open the book. Lovering did not disappoint.

Bye, Baby brings us on the deep, dark psychological journey of childhood best friends, Billie and Cassie, whose codependent relationship is tested by time and circumstance. As teenagers, the friends are deeply scarred by shared trauma that alters their paths to adulthood. In their thirties, their friendship is tested again, and that test brings us to the heart of the story. Here, our ability to empathize with these women likely determines our enjoyment of the book. Even when we question their choices, Lovering does an outstanding job of showing readers how to understand Billie and Cassie. Whether or not we like them or agree with them misses the point of the novel. It's our job as readers to see the world through the eyes of the characters.

Bye, Baby is largely set in Manhattan, where Lovering's skillful use of setting and dialogue to shape her characters is nothing short of masterful. The dialogue sounds so real one can actually see and hear the characters speak inside our imagination. Lovering's writing is that good.

As readers, we all know how important a satisfying ending is to a story, no matter the genre. I have to say that I *loved* the ending to Bye, Baby. It's perfect. Carola Lovering gives us every reason to look for her next novel. Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing an advance copy of this book to read and review. This review will be posted to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

I went into this reading without much expectation: I had not read Carola Lovering's work before, and I didn't really read the blurb. But I did expect it to be a thriller, since it is labeled as such. This was definitely not a thriller. BUT it is a fantastic read! More about the friendship between two women who have been best friends since childhood. That's an interesting phrase though: best friends. I wouldn't call the friendship and the things that bound them good. There's a lot of brokenness, loneliness, and hurt between them. And as adults, the friendship becomes even more toxic, resulting in some really poor decisions. I enjoy Lovering's writing. There is a lot going on in this novel...perhaps a little too much, as she only touches on most of the themes that pop up. But it works well, and the novel as a whole was so well written. Lovering is most definitely staying on my to read list!

Many, many thanks to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this novel!