I usually enjoy Lovering’s books but this was not my favorite. It reads much more of a domestic drama than a thriller. I did find that Cassie’s perspective on being a new mom was spot on and that the author did a good job describing changes in friendships after kids.

Thanks to Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This was a very good novel about a toxic friendship. I liked how it went all the way back to how Cassie and Billie first became friends and the chapters alternated between their present day relationship and its progression through the years. It was interesting to see both their viewpoints and both characters were well developed. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up I'm a fan of Carola Lovering as she writes about toxic love gone wrong, unreliable narrators, and broken timelines.

Bye, Baby starts with an interesting premise. Billie is in an empty apartment in New York and here's woman screaming in the apartment above. She can make out that the woman is screaming to people in the apartment that her baby is missing. She demands someone call her best friend, Billie, because Billie will understand.

Billy is also holding the woman's baby. The woman is Cassie, Billie's best friend since junior high.

Or is she?

This book had dual timelines and POVs. Bouncing from when Billie and Cassie first met, to the months leading up to the kidnapping. In the more present day timelines, it's clear that Billie and Cassie's friendship is fractured, and they are tethered by something that happened in the past.

While I enjoyed reading this book, it was missing some depth in the characters. I;m also over social media influencers as main characters, but it's 2023 and this is the world we live in.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for my honest review.

This is marketed as a thriller but it is a story about friendship and past secrets. I enjoyed the writing style, dual POVs, past and present time lines. While I enjoyed it, something was missing for me. I think the book needed an epilogue, Cassie and Billie passing each other on the street 10 years later. Or Cassie discovering something about Grant and deciding to stay or leave. The ending was a little anti climactic but I’d still recommend.

This was my first Carola Lovering book and I loved it! Thank you netgalley for my advanced copy. I was instantly hooked with this story! This story was about two childhood friends, Billie and Cassie who have gone through A LOT in their friendship. I really enjoyed the different POV and timelines. We were able to really learn about both characters and gain some depth to the overall why of the story. I don’t necessarily feel like the story had much of a thriller plot to it, but it definitely was fast paced and had some mystery.

I loved the influencer side of the book as well - gave me quite the chuckle a lot of the time. The end I felt really tied a bow on the overall story and I loved the growth of Billie to finish it off because girl had been through it. Lol

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

I was not able to finish the book and therefore do not feel that I can give an unbiased review about the book, its plot, characters, or the author's work. I might revisit this book at a later time and finish it then, but not right now.

Thank you, netgalley, for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first book by Carola Lovering, and it will not be my last. I did go into this thinking it would be thriller/mystery and it was more of a twisty, toxic friendship. It was a great read centered around friendship and motherhood, and I couldn't put it down. It was such a great read! I truly enjoyed the characters and storyline.

4/5 Stars

this book was definitely interesting and unique. it’s a bit confusing going through it, especially because the story starts in the middle, works backwards, and then going through until the end. however i really did enjoy the story itself and the conclusion.
grant was a tool, billie was a really bad friend needs EXTENSIVE therapy, ella deserves better, cassie was a bad friend and also needs therapy, alex deserves better but im glad he’s there to hold billie accountable i guess?

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat as to what was going to happen next. The dual POV was easy to follow and added to the book overall. However, I do feel maybe the book was a little dragged out and could have ended sooner. With that being said, I still really did enjoy it and would recommend it to others.

Cassie and Billie have been best friends since middle school. They’ve been through everything together. Now they’re in their mid thirties and have drifted apart. Cassie is living the influencer life as a new mom with a wealthy husband, while Billie is traveling the world without any desire for kids. Billie wishes she could connect with Cassie again, but Cassie continually pushes her away. Then one night, Cassie’s baby disappears and they rekindle their friendship.

This book was SO GOOD! I was so invested in each of these characters despite not really liking any of them. Cassie was truly horrid -so vapid and self obsessed. Billie was too hung up on Cassie and refused to let go. The character development was great-I genuinely believed in each of their actions based on their motivations. I couldn’t put this down.

Lovering has a knack for writing about flawed, mostly unlikeable characters while still keeping it engaging. I can’t say I was rooting for anyone, but I definitely wanted to find out what would happen.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
Two friends have drifted apart and gone down different paths. There are a lot of twists in this book that kept me interested and reading it all in a short time. I have not read any books from this author but I plan on reading the rest of her books.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering is a fast paced story about two women, Cassie and Billie, who grew up as best friends. What happens when one friend “outgrows” the other and leaves her behind? But when Cassie’s baby is missing, all she wants is her friend Billie to comfort her. It’s twisted to the point where I wasn’t sure who I was rooting for even in the end as we learn more about their past and what led up to the present events. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC of Bye Baby. Cassie and Billie are lifelong friends who share a secret trauma. Cassie marries into wealth and would like to leave Billie in the past. Billie keeps trying, eager for any little crumb Cassie doles out. And then when Cassie’s baby goes missing, she turns to Billie for help. This was a great story. I really felt for Billie and understood her desperation for love and acceptance. Great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC copy of "Bye, Baby." I will admit this book was more of a story of friendship rather than a mystery/thriller as advertised. I wasn't a fan as I felt like the book was going to get better if I kept reading but was let down as I am more of a fan of the thrillers and mysteries. The book was written great, just the story wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE by this author so I was excited for her upcoming release. The plot sounds so interesting, especially with the alternating POVs. Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. I felt like I was waiting for something to happen the entire time, and it never did. It was underwhelming and the ending didn't deliver either. Someone who enjoys slower-paced thrillers would be good for this one.

I haven't decided if I'll post this review to my Bookstagram as my rating is not high, I'll decide closer to pub day.
Thank you, NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this Advanced Reader Copy, in exchange for my honest review.

Bye, Baby is the story of two lifelong friends, Cassie & Billie.
New mom, Cassie, is an Instagram influencer. Her life is a beautiful picture of her high end boutique and all the beautiful things that money has to offer.
Billie, is a single- professional in the city, hanging on to a friendship that has clearly run its course to everyone but her.

The story begins with Cassie’s daughter being “kidnapped” and it revealing that Billie is the one to have done it.
The story jumps back & forth between their childhood and an event that bonded then and the current event that seemingly brings them back together.

I have to say that I really enjoyed the writing style. I did get sucked in and finished the book rather quickly after a slow start. The story jumps back & forth between their childhood and an event that bonded then and the current event that seemingly brings them back together, I liked getting the back story.

I would say that the book is being labeled as a mystery-thriller but I would that it is more of a women’s fiction/psychological thriller, as that mystery is immediately laid out.
I will say that the characters are not particularly likeable but you develop more of a love-hate relationship with them.

I did wish for a little more of an ending but overall, not a bad book.
Rated 3.5 rounded up to 4.

This was different than I expected. It was more about their friendship the girls than a mystery thriller it is billed as but still a good read overall
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me reothe book

Overall it was an ok read and flowed easily. The story follows the friendship of Billie and Cassie throughout their childhood till adulthood. The friendship is mostly one sided and Billie is latching on with everything she has. We don't find out why Billie cares so much till the end of the book when one tragic event bonds them. I just wish Billies character was a bit tougher. She never defends herself when she is being taken advantage of.

I came into the book thinking that it was going to be a mystery/thriller but it turned out to be more about friendships and past secrets.

I really liked the switching of the POVs between Billie and Cassie. The character development is great and I loved the influencer angle.

This was a great read and I would recommend to lovers of the genre!