I can’t stop thinking about this book. It perfectly captures the cost of toxic female friendships… a common phenomenon that’s really not talked about enough.

I empathized with Billie so much, even after she made a horrifying mistake. The multiple POV and timeline was a great way of showcasing the depth of her friendship with Cassie and why she can’t let go of the past.

Cassie on the other hand was … not my favorite, but I’m glad we got to hear her side too. Otherwise, she would’ve been way too one-dimensional.

Overall, this is 4.5 stars for me — would recommend to most of my friends with the caveat that it’s not really a thriller like it’s being marketed.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the early copy!

Loved this one. Another great read from Lovering mixing thriller with family drama. One you won’t be able to put down. I really enjoyed it and will make sure to recommend it.

what a twisted friendship between cassie and billie. some romance and figuring friendships after a certain age. loved the mystery and what happened when they were young. good story.

Trigger warnings: Sexual abuse
Thank you Netgallery for providing the book in exchange of an honest review. The story alternates between POV and timelines recounting the story of Cassie and Billie frienship or should I say toxic friendship. Our story start with a misssing baby, and it keeps you on the edge wondering why? Carola's characters are written so good, I disliked them so much specially Cassie, but they felt real and raw and at the end I could even emphatize with Billie. This is the first time I've read a book like this or by this author and I couldn't stop reading I wanted to finish it so quick. This story contains drama, gossip and secrets. Now, my reasoning for the 4 star review is that this is marketed as a thriller/ suspense book and a missing baby that's what drew me in, but that's not even the main theme of the book. The other reason is that I was a bit dissapointed with the last 2 chapters. In general its a great read.

I really liked this book. It was a great story kept me wanting more to see what happens. I loved the characters and the story line. And it was a great story and I would read it again in the future and get a copy to keep myself

The premise of this book wasn't terrible, and I actually did enjoy the characters, however the drama and "crime" part of the novel just weren't suspenseful enough for me to keep me captivated. I felt obligated to finish just to see how the friendship would end.

When I first started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down. The characters were all so unlikable with tons of pointless drama in their lives, but both of those things made it binge worthy. I enjoyed the book because I haven’t read anything with a similar plot. However, I am only giving it 3 stars because the plot lost momentum and fizzled out at about 65%. I also got bored of how much of this book revolves around the influencer/social media aspect.

Although I found “Bye, Baby” to be a fairly quick and intriguing read, and I have no qualms with the writing style or overriding theme throughout, overall, I didn’t find it particularly suspenseful. I also had a very difficult time finding anything likeable or redeemable about the two main characters, who were so self-involved, that I struggled to muster up enough sympathy for either one. By the story’s end, I couldn’t help but wonder, “what was the point?” Because I didn’t need this book to remind me just how shallow and egocentric people can be. Still, it does an excellent job of driving home this point via a fictionalized story of a toxic friendship that goes completely awry.

This book Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering was beautiful and well written, to me it was an easy read and fast paced, the chapters are small and have a lot of suspense in them, I loved that it has two different point of view, it tells you each side of the story of two main characters, this book was very enjoyable though I must say i did not like Cassie, I won’t say much but to me she is very annoying and thinks she’s better than anyone else, on the other character Billie, she was likable and some people can relate to her, overall I cannot wait to read more from Carola Lovering, this was my first book and loved it and am excited to read more from her, thank you!

I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this advanced copy.

I have mixed feelings and lots of thoughts on this book. I didn’t love it but I didn’t dislike it completely. I liked how the author presented a very real depiction of some female friendships. The two main characters seemed like they belonged in high school. It was painful to read some of their decisions as adults. Lots of eye rolling from my part.
However, I think as a woman I can see myself going through the motions like Cassie and Billie. If we could all just stop and think about the consequences and not acting upon every feeling we have a lot of damage to our friendships could have been avoided. I guess that’s how we grow is humans.
Although I’m only giving this novel three stars, I would still recommend it. Even though I didn’t love it, it still made me think about how much we can become dependent on our friends for a variety of reasons and in turn the friendship can become toxic.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!!

Carola Lovering….. I don’t know how you do it with every…single….book! You create these characters, you write them so well that the reader feels everything the character feels. I wanted to hate Cassie, but I loved Cassie. I wanted to hate Billie, but felt so deeply connected to her. I truly hope this book turns into a series as well!!

Bravo!!! Another best seller!!

The first half of the book captivated me with its tale of two women with a violent past, hidden secrets, and a missing baby. However, the story took a turn as their friendship deteriorated and one character withdrew from the other. With social media as a backdrop, the characters' development and their understanding of the real value of friendship took center stage. I relished the chance to cheer on the transformation of one of the characters from a superficial, self-centered person to a more thoughtful one. Nonetheless, I felt let down by the ending; I yearned for something more dramatic, akin to the surprise twist in Tell Me Lies. Despite this, overall, it was an enjoyable read, especially as it discussed themes close to my heart such as motherhood, friendship, and self-discovery.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering was a page turner. The story went back and forth between the past and the present with Cassie and Billie’s lives. The book starts out with Billie hearing Cassie scream for her missing baby, only to look down and discover she is holding the baby. Then we find out how they got there. Creative story, interesting characters, quick enjoyable read!

Ever have that one friend from childhood you try to avoid? Billie does not know why Cassie avoids her and she is left out of Cassie’s bright new world. One night Billie finds herself kidnapping Cassie’s child. After the baby is secretly returned, Cassie relies on Billie to help her through the trauma. Enter in the handsome (of course) detective and we are drawn into the tale of trauma, friends and secrets!

Such a good book! Enjoyed the characters and the intrigue!

When I picked up "Bye. Baby," I thought I was getting a thriller, but it was much more of a book about a toxic friendship. About two childhood best friends, Bill and Cassie, the story pick-ups with them as adults. Cassie has gotten married, become a mom, and basically pushed Bill to the side. Bill's only connection to Cassie is her instagram page, which Cassie posts everything on. Cassie treats Bill terribly and you can't help feel for her. From page one I found the story quite intriguing and relatable. I mean who hasn't lost contact with a childhood friend as they have gotten older?

The story takes a turn when something awful happens to Cassie, and she wants Bill back in her life. I was never bored with the story, and could not wait to see what happened. This book was a refreshing change to a lot of the others I have been reading. It is out March 5th, so pre-order now if it sounds good to you! Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Carola Lovering for this ARC!! I have read all of Carola’s books and was so excited to see a new one would be released next year. Even more excited I was chosen to read and review it early!

The story follows Billie and Cassie in two different time lines, both points of view. The start of their friendship and present time. They are very different people, but their dynamic works. Needing to know why is what kept me reading. They met at a young age and now they are in their mid 30’s, Billie is single with a great career she loves, Cassie is a new mother, social media influencer, luxury boutique owner, and wife to a rich husband. Their friendship is changing and a traumatic event occurs that will change the course of their relationship, but how?

I read this book in three sittings, wanting to read more but had time limitations. I truly enjoyed this book and the ending left me wanting more.

Bye, Baby is a fascinating look into the complexity of female friendships. While this is suspenseful, there is no particularly thrilling or mysterious plot lines. Two friends who share a dark and complex history together are faced with the reality of the difficulty in maintaining friendships into adulthood. These characters will frustrate you while also endear themselves to you. Billie and Cassie are both relatable in their own ways but they are complicated and both messed up in their own ways. Complex female friendships are one of my favorite topics to explore in literature because the bonds between women can be so strong and encompassing; it is fascinating to see the effects of these friendships turning sour. There is also interesting dialogue revolving around women who choose to be childless finding it difficult to find a place away from the pressure of a society that expects women to want to be mothers.

I tried multiple times to start this book but it wasn’t what I thought it was! I will try to give it another chance at a later time but for now, it’s not for me!

Bye. Baby by Carola Lovering was very hard to put down and had me shaking my head at Billie's decisions throughout the book. Hurt and confused by the way her friendship with Cassie changed since they were younger, she gets obsessive about Cassie's life and doesn't move on the way she should. As more is revealed about their past and events that lead up to a big change, it makes more sense and is surprising Billie doesn't recognize it. Her obsession with Cassie comes to a head when Billie makes an extremely poor decision and her chance at actual happiness is put at risk.

I enjoyed this book so much I read two others by Carola Lovering.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was hooked immediately after the prologue and couldn’t stop reading. Carla Lovering writes toxic relationships you can’t look away from. This explores a toxic friendship between two childhood friends who live very different lives in the present and flashbacks for the past. Both are so hateable, yet so relatable - it’s great!