"Bye, Baby" by Carola Lovering is a rollercoaster of emotions that left me breathless. The way Lovering intertwines the lives of her characters is nothing short of masterful. Each chapter revealed new layers of complexity, making predicting what would happen next impossible. The themes of love, loss, and the lengths we go to protect our secrets are beautifully explored. I was particularly struck by the raw and honest portrayal of the character's inner struggles. This novel is a poignant reminder of the fragility of trust and the enduring power of love. Highly recommend! Thanks to Carola Lovering, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

"Bye, Baby" by Carola Lovering offers a gripping exploration of friendship, betrayal, and the haunting shadows of the past. As lifelong best friends Billie and Cassie confront the aftermath of a chilling abduction, their once unbreakable bond is tested by secrets and guilt. With alternating perspectives and a suspenseful narrative, Lovering delves into the complexities of womanhood, motherhood, and the enduring power of forgiveness. This riveting tale leaves readers pondering the depths of loyalty and the resilience of the human spirit.

"Bye Baby" by Carola Lovering is a mesmerizing and unsettling thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. The story follows a young mother, Amanda, who returns to her small hometown after her baby goes missing, only to discover that she's not the only one searching for her child. As the investigation unfolds, Lovering expertly weaves together a complex web of secrets, lies, and betrayal, expertly ratcheting up the tension and suspense. With its unique blend of psychological insight and pulse-pounding plot twists, "Bye Baby" is a must-read for fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Unfortunately, this one was a DNF for me. While I appreciate the concept, it simply wasn't holding my attention.

{Book Review} Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering

Always a fan of thrillers with either domestic or friendship dynamics, BYE, BABY by Carola Lovering sounded intriguing the minute I read the summary. Thank you @stmartinspress for the review copy!

Billie and Cassie have been friends since 8th grade and when we meet them in present day, Billie knows Cassie has been pulling back and not super interested in her friendship for years. Cassie has indeed been pulling back and acting like Billie is an inconvenience.

We get both women’s POVs and I found them fascinating. I couldn’t put the book down and I loved reading both of their perspectives even if I definitely had my opinion of who I thought was the wronged party in the friendship.

Their friendship was complicated to say the least but honest to goodness so fascinating and such a great book to discuss in a book club setting. The first part of the book builds up to Billie finding herself holding Cassie’s baby who has gone missing. The second half shows the aftermath of what happens next.

This book was addicting and had me filled with a lot of anxiety as to how this was all going to turn out. I liked the ending and even if I thought it felt a little…anti-climactic, I mean that in the best way.

I would highly recommend this book if you want an unputdownable story that will really have you thinking deep thoughts about friendship and the dynamics surrounding a person’s character vs the grace you give to someone you love.

This book was entertaining and I did finish it. This is saying good things since lately several books have left me returning them early or never picking them back up. The story had a lot of different side stories going which I enjoyed. It was also wrapped up nicely at the end. The major plot piece left me scratching my head a bit, but the author worked into the story nicely. Thanks to the publisher and net galley for the advanced read.

A tale of two lifelong friends, filled with secrets, lies, and a toxic relationship that traps you and doesn't let go.

Billie and Cassie have been through a lot together. As kids they were inseparable, but as they start transitioning into adulthood, the dynamic of their friendship shifts and becomes a toxic, co-dependent relationship that leads to betrayal, jealousy, and tragedy.

This book is marketed as a thriller and it is not, but regardless I enjoyed it for what it was - a domestic/friendship drama. I found myself coming back to the audiobook to see what direction their relationship would head to next. Told in alternating views, I enjoyed getting to know each character individually. This is a very character-driven plot and having alternating POV's puts things into perspective nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC of this book.

Talk about a toxic friendship! Billie and Cassie are friends from childhood but have slowly drifted apart. Billie is single and works in travel and Cassie is married with a baby and is also an influencer with a huge following. The plot revolves around Cassie's baby going missing and the events before and after this event. I went in thinking the plot would be more mystery/thriller but it was actually more of just contemporary fiction. I'm not sure if that's why my expectations weren't met but unfortunately it did fall short for me. Read this if you like books about complicated relationships + and dash of mystery with some twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I loved that this was handled with care for both mothers and non-mothers. I was surprised to feel sympathy for the character who took the baby. I really liked the spotlight on influencer culture as well. I love Carola Lovering’s books and look forward to her next one!

This book is well written. The author brings the characters to life. Lots of twists and turns. This is the kind of book that makes readers buy all the author's other books.

This was a good read. Where it goes back and forth between the past and present. The story of Cassie and Billie’s friendship is complicated and they have so much history and secrets. They’re relationship has been strained until Cassie’s baby is kidnapped and she needs Billie.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this eArc of Bye, Baby. I absolutely loved “Too Good To Be True” and knew immediately that I had to pick this one up. Also, side note, I went into this one completely blind. (**cough, cough this is not a thriller).

Why is it that I love reading the “toxic friendship” trope so much? Seriously, what does that say about me? All jokes aside, I thought this one was done very well. I felt like I just couldn’t stop reading the hot mess express!

Lovering has this ability to write relatable characters/plots while the story still being absolutely bonkers. You know that phrase, “I can’t make this sh*t up”, well both books I’ve read by Carola Lovering have that same jaw dropping effect.

I just jived with this book so hard! What a rollercoaster ride! Highly recommend!

Really enjoyed this story of a long friendship that goes wrong. The incites to their pasts was interesting and how the relationship was co dependent , til one moves away from the other and hard feelings flare up.

BYE, BABY opens with an ambitious and startling scene, and never lets up from there. On a chilly fall night, Billie West hears the terrified screams of her lifelong best friend, Cassie Barnwell just one floor above her as she realizes her infant daughter has gone missing. The culprit? Billie, who has gotten so fed up with the one-sided friendship that she has kidnapped Cassie’s daughter to teach her a lesson. The novel then backtracks into multiple timelines — Billie and Cassie’s teen years as they build an inseparable friendship and the weeks before the kidnapping as Billie and Cassie’s lives diverge. Billie, single and childless while Cassie is a newlywed and new mother who is building a following online as an influencer.

OKAY — Carola Lovering’s novels always scratch the itch when I’m craving a book that’s not quite a thriller, but still has an air of suspense. This hits the sweet spot between suspense and contemporary fiction.

At its core, BYE, BABY is an exploration of obsession and toxic friendships. Without giving too much away, we learn why Billie and Cassie are inextricably tied together for life. Lovering often uses alternating timelines, and I adore the way they peel back the truth layer-by-layer.

There’s something special about a friendship book — I love not only those that focus on the strengths of lifelong relationships, but those that delve into the ways those bonds can be fractured. I always lament that there aren’t more of them in this world, and BYE, BABY is one that I’ll certainly be recommending!

Lovering has a knack for infusing her work with the perfect level of rich people problems, and I loved the way she wrote about NYC and influencer culture.

This book made me feel so many emotions. I loved the friendship that Billie and Cassie had when they were young, with each of them having each other's backs as they went through tough things. And then the adult versions of themselves, not so much. I got so frustrated with both of them, sabotaging their deep friendship. How could they do that to each other?

I won't go any further into the story because I don't want to give anything away but..... seriously? I had to keep going to see what was going to happen next. And I'm glad I did, but oh what a ride to get there.

Like other books of Ms. Lovering's that I have read, this one had me on the edge of me seat, feeling it all, and racing to the end. Bye, Baby is an exciting and riveting thriller that I highly recommend.

BYE, BABY is the newest from Carola Lovering that I've been dying to check out after all the mixed reviews. I'm a little torn on my feelings on this one. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I gone in not expecting a thriller because the whole time we, the reader, know what happened and we are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I did like how Lovering displayed the toxic friendship between Billie and Cassie. They're childhood friends who are trying to force their lives together as adults even though they've both changed so much and I think a lot of women can relate to that. I did find the main character Billie to be frustrating with her naivety and her overall devotion to Cassie regardless of how Cassie is acting. I was also very irked by how she treated her new friend Jane. I found the plot to be a little too slow in the middle and wished there were more chapters from the past as I found that timeline more interesting. Overall, this is a middle of the road read for me and definitely won't be a book that sticks with me.

When it becomes more than clear to Billie that her childhood best friend, Cassie, has moved on from their friendship, she is overcome with sadness and jealousy and does a really stupid thing.
You know what she’s done right from the start of the book, but what you don’t understand is how this character, whom you grow to empathize with, will ever get away with it.
This is closer to three and a half stars, but the story is definitely compelling and the ending satisfying enough.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this #arc of #byebaby in exchange for an honest review.

Long time friends, Billie & Cassie have quite the past. And now that Cassie has a wealthy husband and a newborn, she doesn’t seem to have time for Billie. Billie pushes to keep their friendship going, but Cassie just doesn’t seem interested. Things get even more complicated when Cassie’s baby is kidnapped and the one who took her baby was none other than Billie. All of a sudden, Cassie needs Billie and Billie will do absolutely anything now to restore what they once had. Can Billie keep this secret from Cassie and assume everything will just be okay? As Cassie and Billie tell their side of the story, the truth of their history is explored that begins to show just how simple choices have affected their relationship through their lives.

This one had a lot of potential for me, but I just didn’t love it. I think a lot of it was Cassie and how over bearing character that she was. I also think there was just too much involved with Billie. I felt it was too packed with side plates that it took away from the main one, instead of building it up. I also felt that I was waiting for a twist and since we knew the twist, I didn’t feel much suspense at all. I’d certainly give this author another go and already have a few commendations.

This was a good read. Written with different views and different narratives. It takes some turns that are unexpected.
Friendships that outgrow each other for one but obsessive for the other.
Secrets and Lies are the foundation of this one.


Received a digital copy from NetGalley for review.

OK usually when I receive an advanced reader, copy of a book (which I did in this case thanks, NetGalley , and publisher, my views all all my own) I read it very slowly and take a lot of notes. But just like all of the author’s books, I devoured this book so quickly, I could barely put it down to take a breath, let alone a note. Bye,Baby by Carola Lovering is a thrilling tale of womanhood and woman friendships, something Lovering has shown she has excelled at writing in her other books. Our two main characters Billy and Cassie were lifelong best friends until around three years ago when Cassidy got married, got rich and had a baby. Since then Billy, felt really insecure with her entire relationship, causing her to latch on even stronger to Cassie, who is also a momstagrammer with an upper and boutique funded largely by her husband, Grant. The action in the story kicks off immediately as we are greeted with Cassie screaming because her baby is gone and Billy having the realization that she’s the one who took her from there we flashback into alternating perspectives in both the past and present reviewing all the dark skeletons in their friendship closet as well as the events that led up to baby Ella being taken.

Lovering is so incredibly skilled at writing unlikeable characters who you still want to root for and relatable female friendships and friendship problems. I highly recommend this and all of her work.