Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering tells the story of Billie and Cassie, two lifelong best friends. As they grow older the two women seem to be growing apart until the unthinkable brings them back together.

I loved this book! I could not put it down. The characters were so well developed and interesting. The plot was twisty and turny and did not quit. I was riveted until the very end. A must read!

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

“But each seemingly inconsequential interaction has amounted to something valuable, forty-eight thousand followers who define me, who’ve granted me a kind of power I could never fathom abandoning.”

I try to highlight passages that stick out to me, especially when I’m reading on my kindle. This one is the only one I’d highlighted in this book, but it perfectly captures the personality of Cassie, one of two main characters in Carola Loverling’s Bye, Baby, out in early 2024. Cassie is a slave to the influencer machine and a character I loved to hate. She’s a narcissist and a new mom.

Billie is her best friend and polar opposite. They have a toxic friendship that takes center stage in the story.

Cassie and Billie are bonded together by a traumatic event from their childhoods but have grown apart since their post-university years when they shared a small apartment in NYC and life took them in different directions. Cassie, always wanting more than her middle-class upbringing, married into generational wealth, and Billie focused on her career. Once Cassie welcomes her daughter Ella, she finds she has less and less in common with Billie and the pair grow further apart. Billie makes attempts to keep their friendship alive, but Cassie is more interested in her own brand and wealthy friends until a terrifying event bonds them again.

I loved this book. It starts as a slow burn, and in Part Two, a raging fire. The first half is a lot of character building. I won’t say it’s slow, but it’s very character driven. Second half has a lot more plot.

These characters are juicy. Especially Cassie. We all know her - we all follow her - we all hate her. And Billie has so many endearing qualities, but is equally complex.

The story explores toxic relationships, messy friendship, motherhood, unaddressed trauma, toxic narcissism and more. I LOVED it. 5/5 ⭐️

Another in a long line of books I’ve read that have terrible selfish people doing terrible selfish things.Cassie is terrible… as are her husband and friends.
Billie makes no sense to me. Why is she obsessed with Cassie. Who kinda always treated her and everyone around her like dirt.Billie has a great job, good true friends and a new man in her life. I don’t know why Billies decision about not wanting children is a part of this story.
This book did not work for me. Thanks net galley for the chance to read and review this book.

I’ve read all of Carol Lovering’s books and this is by far my favorite. An incredibly well done story on women who’s v long term friendship has become toxic and takes a turn for the worst. With flashbacks of why they can’t let go and details about different paths in life I absolutely loved this take on chosen family and what happens when things aren’t working out. It was moving and relatable while also being shocking and twisty. HIGHLY recommend this read when it comes out. Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review

I enjoyed this book. I really love the multiple POV’s and the suspense of the story. This also shows what it’s like to have a best friend break up!

Cassie and Billie were childhood best friends. Cassie is so worried about appearances and privilege. She walks all over Cassie as she is obsessively trying achieve a higher status for herself no matter who she hurts. Billie stands by her side, seeking approval from Cassie as their friendship takes a a few dysfunctional turns. Lovering had me on the edge of seat from the beginning of the story to see if their friendship can survive. The story does flip flop in time but its easy to follow I really enjoyed seeing where this story would go, Thank you #NetGalley and #Stmartinspress for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from the first chapter and looked forward to reading this book at the end of each workday this week. Despite the vibe the book gives off, this is less of a mystery/triller and more like a slow moving train wreck while simultaneously peeling back the layers of an onion that each reveal the complexity of a friendship. The book was such a page turner and I loved every moment of it.

One negative I noted was that there were several typos that were a bit distracting so hopefully these get fixed before publication.

Carola Lovering sure is good at writing super unlikeable characters. I never thought I would emphasize more deeply with the woman who stole her friend's baby and I'm not saying Cassie deserved it but I'm not not saying it....

Billie & Cassie are childhood best friends, but there has always been a clear power dynamic at play. Billie is raised by a single mom who is struggling with early onset dementia that starts when Billie is just a teenager. Cassie comes from a wealthy family who lost all their money, but she's perpetually on the hunt to climb up the social ladder. Her desire to be wealthy and be part of that elite crowd comes before all else, and Billie is an insanely loyal friend through it all.

Fast forward a few decades and both women are living very different lives in NYC. Cassie found her dream husband (by her own standards, which is a fat bank account), has a new baby and is running her own boutique/instagram influencer business. Billie is single and works for an elite travel company, traveling the world and planning luxury trips for others. Their paths have diverged, not through any lack of trying on Billie's part. The way Cassie treated Billie throughout this book made me physically uncomfortable it was so needlessly thoughtless. Billie is desperate to maintain the friendship and is so gratified when Cassie finally turns to her in the aftermath of the kidnapping. But can their revived friendship survive the truth that Billie is the one who took Ella?

An engrossing domestic thriller that will definitely have you feeling some type of way about both of these women. I was really satisfied with the ending as well!

This book had me hooked from start to finish! I became so invested in the characters that I started to feel like it was my deep dark secret that was about to be discovered. I’m sure that many readers will be into this one! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book a lot. This book was a story of friendship and betrayal. I loved how we got two different point of views from each character, Billie and Cassie. I think this book did a great job of capturing how friendships change overtime and sometimes that can be hard to cope with and hard to process.

I loved Billie’s character. Yes, she made a terrible choice that lead to horrible outcomes. In the big picture Billie was the good loyal friend. Cassie was superficial. She acted like a social climber. She was too good for her friend once she came into money.

All in all I almost rated this book five stars because I think it captured adult friendship in a realistic and relatable way. I bumped it down to 4 stars because I do feel like there were some plot holes- like security footage?? How was there no evidence of the baby being snatched? It just didn’t always add up.

Bye, Baby grabbed me from the start. It's a book of shifting timelines that are clearly marked at the start of every chapter so it's easy to keep track of who is narrating and when. No spoilers, but the book begins with a baby taken from its home and the rest of the book tells the story of how and why, leading to the resolution and chaos that results.

It is well written and deeply suspenseful, to the point that at some points I wanted to skip to the end, but I'm glad I didn't.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC

I went on a spree a few months ago and read all of Carola Lovering's books and wOw are they good! I was really excited about reading Bye, Baby but it exceeded my expectations and is such an amazing book!

It's ostensibly a thriller about a baby being kidnapped but what it really is about is the dissolution of a best friendship and as a woman who's been through that it's definitely *really difficult* and Carola Lovering writes about the pain that comes from that loss and then explores how twisted that loss can make someone become.

Of course, in Bye, Baby it's cranked up for the drama which quite frankly I adored, and think we could use more of in our domestic thrillers!

I highly recommend this book -- it is absolutely amazing -- not just as a thriller but as a look at female friendships and how their loss can be utterly devastating.

Billie has one job - Feed Jane's cat. She can't think about the fact that she wasn't invited to her best friend Cassie's 35th birthday party. She can't think about the fact that Jane lives right next to Cassie and all she'll hear is the fun she's missing out on. Billie thinks she will go in do her job and then go meet up with Alex, her new love interest which she's desperately trying not to ruin. What she doesn't think about is the distraction she'll hear out on the balcony coming from Cassie's apartment..

Two, once upon a time, best friends growing a part; One grieving the loss of the friendship trying to hold on tight and one gravitating towards friends that live luxurious lives and having no time for an "old" friend.

5/5! Could not put down!!

"Bye, Baby" by Carola Lovering was an excellent book about trauma and how differently people cope. This book definitely dives into the psychology of why Cassie and Billie have one or do certain things, but I would not consider it a psychological thriller as the blurb hints as you know the big mystery from the beginning then get some back story into the girls' past together.

Throughout the story, Cassie seems to take on Billie's trauma, making Billie almost reliant on Cassie. Then Cassie finds her dream man (not necessarily for the right reasons) and abruptly distances herself from Billie. After this, we see Billie cling to every bit of Cassie possible, which some people near their age can probably relate to. We also see how Cassie seems to "have to" be a mom and ends up loving it, like she was made to do it, where Billie does not have those instincts and feels bad about it throughout most of the story (also because of her past).

Overall, I believe this book was well-written and touched on quite a few important topics in a way that is relatable for women around the same age as Billie and Cassie.

Yes!! This is what I’ve been waiting for! A bit ok that I literally can’t stop reading. I tore through this book in abut 2 days. The story is told in 2 views
Pints I’m 2 different timelines. I loved the story, the writing style and the characters. One of the best books I’ve read all year.

“Bye, Baby” is almost addictive. It was literally impossible for me to put down. The main characters, Billie and Cassie, have a long relationship, but it seems to be reaching a conclusion. People grow up and change. It’s hard to imagine two characters more different than these two. But that hasn’t always been the case. The author lets each character tell parts of their story…and the ending is completely unexpected. I couldn’t recommend this book any more highly.

Bye, Baby
Carola Lovering
Pub Date March 5 2024
St. Martins press
Thriller
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is a very engrossing book about two best friends who went their separate ways. This is a very character driven book driven by jealousy, revenge and dark secrets. I really liked this book and feel many will be able to relate to it,
5 stars

Two girls who meet in High School in a small Hudson Valley town. One lives with her divorced mother and new boyfriend. The other has moved from the Hamptons as her Dad has lost all the family money. When the mother of one of the girls develops Alzheimer's and the stepfather starts abusing the daughter, the other girl steps in to save her. One goes to Harvard, the other to Northeastern. They see less of each other and one of them gets married and has a child. When that child is kidnapped, the woman reaches out to her friend again. What she doesn't know is that her friend is the one who has kidnapped the child. A good page-turner with a few twists.

So, as a mother, I don't know why but thrillers about being a mother and the things that can very well happen always intrigue me as there isn't anything I wouldn't do for my children. I saw this title and knew I had to read it. While I wouldn't classify this as a thriller, it definitely kept my attention. Knowing Billie was willing to do anything to have her friend back, even down to stealing her infant was just wild to me. I don't think it should be classified as a thriller as she immediately returns her and she's just scared she's going to get caught. I enjoyed this read and like I said, it definitely kept my attention.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martins Press for allowing me a ARC of Carola Lovering’s new book in exchange for an honest review. We explore the past and present of two lifelong best friends and what leads up to their toxic friendship. We first meet Billie, the hard to love with a struggled past who has made the decision to not want to have kids. Then we have Cassie, an up and coming influencer who showcases her glamorous life, rich loving husband and perfect child through her Instagram followers. These two friends seem nothing alike, but are forever bonded by a horrible accident that they must keep a secret.
This story is told in a dual pov that leads up to mothers worst nightmare as her newborn being kidnapped and the drama/ terror that happens after. I really felt for this book as the main theme surrounds around friendships and the ups and downs that life either pulls us apart or can keep us close. I also found it refreshing as a 30 year old that the author really dug into what it’s like on being on opposite ends of either wanting to become a mother or be childless. This also encompasses how growing up we sometime out grow our friends or seem to miss out huge life events because we are not at the same stage in life as them. I’ve definitely felt this many times in my life and it really spoke to me. My only compliant was I was hoping for more a thriller / mystery aspect as it portrayed. There were parts in the middle that seemed to lag, but understand it how the Carola was trying to build up to climax and suspense but it fell a little short for me. I’ve always enjoyed this Author’s books, and excited for her next one! This comes out