This was my first book by Carola Lovering. I received an Advanced Reading Copy from NetGalley (book releases in March 2024). The description of the book seemed right up my alley so I requested it and was approved.

Y’all, I read it in 24 hours. The story is told in present and past tenses, from both Billie and Cassie’s perspectives. At times it was a little challenging trying to keep up with who was narrating which parts of the story and what timeline I was in. And I do think it would be difficult to keep up with this one as an audiobook.

The story of Billie and Cassie’s friendship is told over a period of 20+ years. Neither character is extremely likable, but the story of their friendship is relatable…well, most of it. Like many childhood friendships, theirs changes over time. It has its highs and lows. And while they share a very haunting secret, they also keep their fair share of secrets from one another.

Their bond is tested over the years as they find themselves literally obsessing over the other one’s attention (especially in Billie’s case)…but rarely at the same time. And somehow, in the midst of ultimate betrayals (yes, betrayals as in plural tense), there is still ultimate loyalty to one another.

The story definitely got a little weird at times. Who takes their best friend’s baby??!! But there were so many layers and pieces to the story, that it definitely kept me reading.

Oh, and there is also some side romance and heartbreak stuff in the story too. A little something for everyone.

Expertly crafted, this may well be the best organized book I’ve ever read?

Fantastic pacing, an actual great use of dual POV with flashback thrown in including info that was always relevant to the main plot. I never felt like I was reading anything just for the sake of words on a page. POVs swap at perfect intervals, flashbacks don’t feel like they are just dragging out the main story for suspense sake like many similar books do, and the cast is kept small, down to only characters with a significant effect on the plot. just *mwah* chefs kiss.

This is, by far, a character driven book. Which may be odd for what is being described at a “thriller” (though as others have said, it’s not quite a thriller, but it definitely evokes the same anxiety a thriller would), but our two main characters here are so well built that they truly were the stars of this novel. So clearly visualized, I had every bit of this cast perfectly clear in my mind the whole way through.

Often character driven books suffer in their plot, and although all things considered the plot was simple and straightforward, this was never a negative thing. you know what’s going to happen from the start, there’s just an air of excitement waiting to see exactly how it all goes down, and then the anxiety in the aftermath, waiting for the ball to drop and for the consequences to hit.

I could not put this one down. when I got halfway I realized I was doomed to a night of reading until 4am to see how it all turned out. Maybe my only disappointment was the end was quite quick. I’m usually the person begging for a book to be cut down, but I truly believe a chapter or 2 more here could have really smoothed out the ending in a bit more of a satisfying way.

A fantastic read all around, going into a book knowing absolutely nothing and coming out the other end a 5 star read it always going to be one of the best feelings.

I just can't get enough of Carola Lovering's writing style and her way with words. I feel so connected to her characters and I loved the themes of toxic friendships and obsessions in this.

Great book, I could not put it down! Had a pit in my stomach the whole time, similar to when I read Tell me Lies, but this time the focus was more on a toxic friendship. Still thinking about this book and want all my friends to read so we can discuss!

I liked this book! The title is what originally peeked my interest but as I began the book I was quickly hooked on the characters and what was going to happen next. Well written and good plot!

Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this book.

Overall, I would rate this novel a 3.5. I had planned to give it 4 stars, but the ending fell flat and just seemed anticlimactic to me. I just wouldn’t classify this book as a true thriller. However, I liked the overall theme of how “friend breakups” can be harder than romantic ones.

I devoured this book! From the first few pages, I could tell that I would be hooked. Similarly to Corola's first book, I finished this as quickly as my schedule would allow. A lot of the observations around motherhood, female friendship, and NYC social dynamics rang true. Not many books have shown an empathetic portrait of both a new mother and her intentionally child-free counterpart. Thrilling, addictive, and observant.

I’ve never read a book like this one before! I was truly anxious to know what happened. This was a quick read!

You know from the beginning who takes the baby. But learning the history behind these characters is interesting. The suspense isn’t based around ‘what’ happens, but ‘why’ it happens. So, this one may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
I really enjoyed it overall, and I liked the ending!

This is my first time receiving a book that hasn’t been published yet. A huge thank you to Net Galley!

This is the first book I’ve read by Carola Lovering and it won’t be the last. An interesting commentary on motherhood and toxic friendships. I was captivated from start to finish

I went into this expecting a thriller, and I was excited after reading the prologue, but it wasn’t what I would consider a thriller. The story was decent and I liked the jump between timelines. Cassie’s character, in my opinion, was unlikeable.. so I found myself routing for Billie even though she didn’t make the best choices. I would recommend this, but not as a thriller.

Bye Baby starts with a bang! The irresistible setup immediately grabbed my attention and kept me turning the pages to find out why and how… and just WHY?

The writing seamlessly transitioned between points of view and timelines and slowly unraveled the motivations and impulses of our main characters. I just could not stop turning the pages.

This book also explores the changing nature of childhood friendships, trauma bonding, motherhood and social media toxicity. While it’s labeled as a thriller, I would consider it more women’s fiction with elements of suspense.

Don’t miss this one.

My thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Wow! Can you say creep factor? Omg. This book had a little bit of everything! From secrets to lies and friendships aplenty. It’s always fun to take a look into an influencer’s influence. Such giant emotions and fabulous characters. Great read.
Thank you NetGalley and Carola Lovering for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have so many thoughts about this book after finishing it up in an early morning marathon reading session of the last 35% - but can't decide if I actually liked what I read or if I just wanted it to be over? In fairness, this was my first Carola Lovering book (I've seen the covers and am familiar with the authors name) and was excited to receive an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press.

The writing is fresh and fast-paced and the main characters, Billie and Cassie, are psychologically complex. We learn right off the bat that Cassie's baby is abducted – by her estranged former best friend, Billie...but why? Through the course of flashbacks and current day events that lead up to an unraveling, we learn all about their motivations. Both main characters are interesting, but neither are particularly likable which seems to be the author's intent. Cassie is especially intolerable.

Bye Baby is positioned as a mystery/thriller, and it reads much more like contemporary women's fiction. It explores a lot of really heavy topics - obsession, toxic friendships, rape, Alzheimer's Disease, death, social media addiction (and the influencers that fuel it).

Carola Lovering's Bye, Baby is categorized as Mystery & Thriller as well as Women's Lit. Although I agree with Women's Lit, the book falls short of being a true mystery or a thriller. The book's synopsis very adeptly gives the reader the what and the who: Billie West has kidnapped her best friend's baby. While one might go into the book thinking that this act is, in and of itself, the mystery or that there is something dark and sinister about to happen, that would be a simplification of what the story is truly about: the relationship between two women and how friendships evolve over time. The storyline will be eminently relatable, as the transition from childhood friendships to adult friendships, in the face of marriage, work, children, and simply life challenges, is one that most women will face throughout their lifetime. There is a continual ebb and flow around friendships as one friend marries while the other remains single, one has children as the other doesn't, as couples divorce. If there is a mystery, it is how do two women maintain a lifelong friendship? Are they even meant to? And at what stage does gracefully letting go happen? What happens when one friend has moved on but the other hasn't?

Bye Baby is an excellent book, read in one evening. The story itself was interesting and well written. But mostly, it was thought provoking. I dare any woman to read the book and not have some thoughts about their own friendships or their behavior as a friend.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering is a good and well crafted thrilling novel. There are many good twists and the relationships between the characters were entertaining. A great book with a solid story. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Bye, Baby looks at friendship, how it evolves and changes, as well as the lasting effects of childhood trauma and guilt. Told in alternative points of view, as well as alternating timelines, this was an great read. Both main characters made poor choices, but in the end you were rooting for them!

domestic thrillers exploring female friendships is one of my family genres and this books is a electrifying read .

Thank you netgalley for the eARrc

Carola Lovering never disappoints. I have loved everything this woman has wrote so it's no surprise that I loved this book. She writes in a way that hooks you right from the beginning. I can't wait to buy this to have a physical copy.

Wow. I just don't know what to say because I got chills while reading. The story was hauntingly good and suspense was right and left. The plot twist made my jaw drop and it was heartbreaking. I've to say, it was one of my favourite thriller read of the year!

The plot of this book peaked my interest and once I picked it up I was sucked in, The reader is instantly grabbed and never lets go. While there was a lot I really liked about this book there were some negatives.

I enjoyed the initial storyline of the kidnapping and how a lifelong friendship between Billie and Cassie was impacted, The focus on social media was very, very well done and a reminder to EVERYONE that what you see online is not real.

Unfortunately for me neither one of the main characters was very likable, I could not see how any genuine relationship was ever formed and at times I actually disliked both Billie and Cassie. Some of the scenarios seemed incredibly far fetched and the reader really needed to suspend disbelief,

Overall I would recommend this book as it was one that I could not put down and I never felt like I forgot the storyline between readings,

Trigger warning for this book is important.