Member Reviews

4.5 rounded up
Grabbed me right away snd I couldn't put it down. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

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Carola Lovering did an amazing job portraying the changes in a person's character made by the person's environment, home life, and relationships. In this novel, Billie and Cassie experience just that as their relationship as inseparable friends start to drift as they grow up and the difference in their values change. Cassie is the friend who went down the popular route and becomes obsessed with how she looks in the eyes of others whereas Billie is obsessed with her friendship with Cassie. The pages practically turned themselves as readers are left to slowly put the puzzle pieces together as chapters alternate from the present to the past.

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I always love a good dual timeline! I will admit I was really frustrated with both main characters off and on the entire book and there wasn't one that I was truly rooting for. However, it was a fast read and I had to know what happened! Plus...a thriller with a satisfying end. Sign me up.

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Thank you for the ARC!
This book had me hooked from the beginning ! Definitely a good story and kept me engaged. I recommend this book!

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“A missing baby. A fraught friendship. A secret that can never be told.”

Bye, Baby, told from dual points of view and alternating timelines, tells the story about a legitimately jacked up “friendship”.

Listen. Women just be bitches sometimes🥴

I don’t know if I found this book thrilling at all, but it definitely held my interest with all the toxicity between two women who were once besties growing up.

As adults though, they’ve turned into something else entirely.

You have one friend, Cassie, who’s so self-absorbed and pretentious, ya just wana slap her face right off🥴😂
And then you have the other one, Billie, who clearly has obsession issues along with some ugly trauma from her past.

Regardless, we’d all be better off if we steered clear of both of these women.

It was fun to read though!

Thanks to NetGalley and SMP for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 3.5.2024.

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Two friends. Billie and Cassie. Best friends since childhood and bonded by secrets. Some bad. Once as close as sisters, now they have their own adult lives and they have drifted apart.

Cassie is the wife of a wealthy man and has started a successful business and has a large social media following. She is busy and has a new baby and would love to forget about Billie and all they share.

Billie is still single with no children and she is almost obsessive over Cassie’s life.

When one night screams fill the air as Cassie finds her baby missing. While Billie looks down in her arms and finds said baby.

This one is told in alternating voices, which I enjoy. Always suspenseful and on trend, this author always brings the thrills.

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press, March 05, 2024

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I highly enjoyed this one! It was engaging from page 1, and kept me turning pages to find out what was going on. There was toxicity and plenty of tea. The ending was a tad bit of a let down, but overall I enjoyed the ride and will pick up anything Carola writes.

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This was so addictive! I was so invested in the friendship between Billie & Cassie…especially considering Cassie was as insufferable as someone could possibly be. The flashbacks to get the full story of their friendship was my favorite part of the book. I would have liked more from the ending.

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The relationship between these two ladies is truly toxic. Yet when the hardships of life come crashing down, they are right there to support each other. That has to count for something, right? Unless they are the cause of the suffering.
I automatically bonded with Billie. Life hasn’t been kind to her, which made me feel sorry for her. It didn’t seem to matter to me that she had some questionable behaviors. Sometimes bordering on the very creepy side. However, with her background, one can understand why she behaves the way she does.
Cassie, not a fan of Cassie. Although I believed she had one great quality, being a mother. There are sections of this story where even her mothering technique is questionable. The odd part about Cassie is as soon as you decide you can’t stand her, the author makes you question that decision. Cassie is manipulative, shallow, and she seems to have an ugly soul. Once again, somehow you start to like her. In the long run the reader will have to figure that out themselves.
I enjoyed this story. It’s an easy read.

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I was so intrigued by the cover and the premise of Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering that I had to read it immediately! This novel proved to be a compulsive read for me–I had such a hard time putting it away that I took it everywhere with me.

Bye, Baby uniquely addresses the harmful toxicity that can exist within female friendships and how social media excellerates that toxicity. It also addresses other issues such as childhood trauma, sexual abuse, and choosing to remain childless as an adult woman.

The novel centers around two women who were once best friends. Their friendship has changed over time, especially as one of them has moved up in society and become a mother. It is told in alternating perspectives, so the reader is able to see into the mind and motivations of both women.

Cassie is a social media influencer married to a wealthy man who has recently become a doting mother to a four month old girl. She is desperate to leave her past behind and has grown distant towards her former bestie, Billie West.

Billie, on the other hand, is a single professional who longs for the same relationship she once shared with Cassie. She spends an unhealthy amount of time watching Cassie share her day to day on Instagram while wishing she was a part of her life. She doesn’t fit into the high-class mommy world Cassie has created for herself.

Bye, Baby begins with a dramatic incident when Billie hears terrified screams coming from the apartment above her. She screams are coming from Cassie who has just discoverd that her infant daughter is missing. Billie is shaken to her core as she looks down and sees the missing infant in her own arms.

The remainder of the book is a discovering of the reason why Billie has Cassie’s baby and the aftermath of that event.

There are a lot of issues addressed in this book, but I thought it was done in a realistic(ish) way. People have lots of issues–that’s just life.

While what Billie did in the story was definitely WRONG, I somehow related to her and her struggles more. Cassie was unlikeable on so many levels.

The resolution of Billie and Cassie’s relationship seemed fair, but I do wish the author would have had a different resolution for Cassie in regards to her activity on social media. It seemed as if she was making a commentary on influencer culture that didn’t quite pan out.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book–it was an addicting read that kept me hooked and made me think.

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This is labeled as a thriller but I wouldn’t call it that at all. It’s more of an exploration of long term relationships. Definitely a quick read.

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How long do you hold on to a one sided friendship?

The story follows two friends Cassie and Billie who have been connected since a young age. As they’ve become adults their life has shifted and so have their priorities including maintaining the friendship - at least on one side. Cassie’s new life as an affluent wife, entrepreneur, and social media personality has left little room for her childhood friend Billie. Until the unthinkable happens.

This book hit on so many relatable topics. Friendships that are lost as we age. The role social media has in our life; how encompassing it is and how dangerous it can be. How easily a mistake can become life changing.

It was hard to know who was antagonist in this book as I felt for and related to both of them at different times.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It caught me from the first page and made for an easy read. I’m excited to read more novels by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

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I was a bit nervous going into this one because Carola's hit "Tell me Lies" was just not for me. That being said, I am really glad I gave this one a try. It is hard to give this book the review it deserves without unintentionally spoiling the book. I will say that I do not find this book to be a true "thriller," but it was still engrossing and worth the read.

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Cassie and Billie are two lifelong best friends who have grown apart as they have grown older. On the night of Cassie's 35th birthday, Billie hears cries coming from Cassie's birthday party, one floor above her. Billie discovers that Cassie's infant daughter is crying, and no one is caring for the child while the party is going on. Billie takes the baby back downstairs to comfort her. Before Billie realizes what she has done, she hears Cassie's terrified screams as she tries to find her missing daughter. What follows is the story of how this inseparable pair, once fiercely bonded by dark secrets, has drifted apart in adulthood. Cassie married a wealthy man, had a baby, and is building a following on social media as a lifestyle influencer. Billie, on the other hand, is single, childless, and a world traveler. While Billie desperately wants to reconnect with her former best friend, Cassie desperately wants to leave her past—and Billie—behind.

Told from alternating perspectives and timelines, "Bye, Baby" explores the complexities of female friendships and the aftereffects of split-second decisions. I was completely engrossed in Billie and Cassie's stories and could not put this book down, finishing the entire thing in one day. While this book has many suspenseful moments, it is much more than just a thriller or a domestic suspense novel. This book is incredibly thought-provoking. I empathized with Billie in so many unexpected ways, and I think that many women will relate to this story. Overall, a very compelling read that I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I at first was very excited to read this book. I felt that things dragged on a bit with all the flipping back and forth between Billie and Cassie and their friendship story. All in all,it was not bad, just not exactly what I was expecting.
Thank you Netgally for providing me with a copy for my honest review.

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It was a fine, quick read, but it was missing that little something special. The characters were okay, but not truly memorable. I'm still interested in this author's works, though, because this one was a solid effort. Glad I got to read it.

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3.5 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This novel focused on the changing trajectory of a toxic friendship between two women. I found it engaging but was missing a bit of depth I would have appreciated.

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Oh, me, oh my! I could NOT PUT THIS ONE DOWN! BYE, BABY by Carola Lovering should be considered up there on the lists of the top domestic thrillers on the shelves today! If I could give more than 5 stars I would, without doubt or any reservations.
Billie West, luxury travel agent and Cassie Adler, social influencer, have been friends forever but now that their lives have taken decidedly different paths, they have drifted apart. Well, really, Cassie married into money and has a newborn and for the last three years she has been pushing Billie away as she doesn’t seem to fit into her new socioeconomic circle in life. But Billie just can’t seem to write her off and continues to reach out. Then, during a lavish thirty-fifth birthday party, one Billie was NOT invited to, the unthinkable happens and Cassie’s infant is abducted. As Cassie’s ‘better’ friends gather round to offer support, she wants only one person. She wants Billie, the one person who knows her deepest darkest secret. Has Karma come back to bite Cassie for a long ago decision?
While Billie basks in the renewed friendship, she is holding secrets of her own. She is also struggling with a new relationship, which suddenly takes a backseat when Cassie is dangling friendship in front of her once again.
This one had me hooked from the beginning and I was dangling on that line so long that I finished it in one sitting. I really enjoy the author’s writing style. I could feel myself walking through the windy streets, standing on the terrace at that party (of course with the most expensive champagne), and nervously anticipating when all of the secrets would be revealed. I loved this one and look forward to more from this author. Put this one on you TBR, clear your schedule, sit back and enjoy!
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and I am leaving them voluntarily.

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Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review. Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering will be released on March 5th, 2024.

This was a fun book. I was hooked from the very first sentence, so eager to find out how the story was going to unravel. It is a story that focuses on friendship, the ones you form when you are young, and how people grow apart and change. Billy and Cassie, our main characters, met when they were young and became inseparable. They remain this way until Cassie becomes engaged and they begin to drift apart as Cassie settles into life surrounded by wealthy people. This is all I feel comfortable telling you about the book, it is definitely more fun to go in blind! I was constantly trying to figure out the motives of the characters.

Bye, Baby could definitely be a one-sitting read! I found myself nearly unable to put the book down when it was time for bed.

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I was excited to get an advance of this book from NetGalley since I was a fan of "Tell Me Lies" by the same author. "Bye, Baby" - a great title with multiple meanings as you will see when you read the book - was very entertaining and I love the author's writing style. This book was about the friendship of Billie and Cassie, dating back to their childhood through present day. Cassie is now married into a wealthy family, has a beautiful baby girl, and is an Instagram influencer - and isn't interested in friendship with Billie any more. Billie, on the other hand, stalks Cassie on Instagram to watch her life from the sidelines and misses their friendship terribly. As we learn more about Billie's past, I came to care for her so much. An action Billie takes in the first pages doesn't make sense and even when it is further fleshed out in the middle of the book, Billie's actions didn't make a whole lot of sense with what we know about her. But mostly I enjoyed this book and was definitely glad I read it. I was happy with the satisfying ending.

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