Female friendship, Motherhood. Life’s changing circumstances. Billie and Cassie were supposed to be forever friends. Cassie marries a man with money, has a new upscale grouping of friends, and a child, and pulls away from Billie. Hurt, Billie does something stupid,something she regrets but doesn’t confess.

Told in alternating voices, viewpoints, we go back and forward in time to find out how this friendship became so toxic. A well done story about facing life’s challenges and finding one’s own way.

The audio book was terrific and I hardily recommend it.

Bye, Baby is a novel I was looking forward to reading and Carola Lovering did not disappoint. A solid 4.5 star read; Bye, Baby was an engaging and detailed story about a fractured friendship that I did not want to put down. The format alternating between the two characters, Billie and Cassie, worked flawlessly in building the history between them. Narrators Helen Laser and Karissa Vicker were superb at bringing these two flawed characters to life. Carola Loving is easily becoming a favorite author of mine and I highly recommended everyone read Bye, Baby.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, author Carol Lovering, and NetGalley for this Advanced Listening Copy.

Once inseparable childhood friends Billie and Cassie have grown apart. Cassie is well-off, married with a newborn, and rising to internet stardom as a fashion and lifestyle influencer. As Billie is unmarried and childless, and not part of the glamorous world Cassie has become so accustomed to, the friendship has turned one-sided, with Billie texting and calling, hopeful they can rekindle their friendship. Cassie, on the other hand, can barely be bothered to return a text.

When Cassie's 35th birthday rolls around, Billie is hurt and angry that she hasn't been invited to the bash... especially as she's in the same building and can hear the festivities one floor above her. But Billie's feelings quickly take a back seat to the terrified screams she hears from Cassie -- her baby is missing! When Billie looks down, she sees the baby in her arms. What has she done???

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This is getting some mixed reviews, but it really worked for me! That said, I did have the benefit of going into this without the expectation that it would be a fast-paced plot driven thriller. From what I'd been told, this was a slower burn character driven with subtle thriller vibes. I think it helped me to go into it with realistic expectations. I loved the exploration of friendship and the darker sides of humanity. I liked the past/present and dual-timeline format, and narrators Laser and Vacker make an exceptional team!! This audiobook performance is outstanding and definitely added to my overall enjoyment.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for my gifted ALC.

With hardly anything in common, Billie and Cassie are connected by a gripping bond from their past. The two have known each other for most of their lives but have drifted apart; each living a different lifestyle. One is fully immersed in her life as a wealthy wife and mom and the other is happy to remain single and childless. This toxic yet comforting friendship made for an entertaining read. I’ve read my fair share of thrillers and the inclusion of a kidnapping brought this to a new level!

Having read the author’s previous two books, I was expecting another devious thriller. While this storyline is captivating, it leans more towards a domestic suspense than the thrill ride I had hoped for. With that said, I loved the development of the characters and how the story unfolded.

I liked this book. In terms of the pace, I felt at times it was slow, and then other times it was rushed. I liked the development of the characters, and the alternating times as they grow together. Overall, it was an okay book.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering was a great read. I really enjoyed this thriller and loved all aspects of the book. I enjoyed the dual time lines to get the backstory on the main characters Billie and Cassie and loved that the author used dual POVs. I was hooked right away and could not stop listening. This was a really good thriller even though some of the events that took place were a little flat for me. Overall, this story came together and kept my attnetion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good listen (audiobook), but very predictable to me. The narrator was phenomenal though! Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange of an honest review.

Just okay. I found the twists to be anti climatic and predictable. I did like the audio voice actors. I found them to be entertaining despite the content of the story.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. When I tell you I screamed when I got it, I mean, I screamed. I love this author and this one is very different from her past books. This story follows two besties who have grown apart with time. But there is a big secret that keeps them from losing touch 100%. I couldn't put this one down and really enjoyed it.

4.25 ⭐️

Billie and Cassie have been best friends since they were eleven. Until they aren’t. On the night of Cassie's 35th birthday party, something awful happens: Cassie's daughter is kidnapped. By Bille. What happened to lead to this moment?

This is not a thriller but a contemporary fiction deep-dive into women who grow up as best friends. and then they grow apart. What binds them together? How do they change, or refuse to change? What kind of pain does all of this cause? I found myself feeling so sad for one character while not liking another one at all, but understanding both of them. It's a sad story, but I know I'll be thinking about it for quite a while.

Tell me Lies is one of my all time favorites so I couldn’t wait for this one to come out. Imagine my excitement when I was granted an advanced copy from the publisher!

This is another story of a toxic relationship, except this time between friends. Two teenagers that share a dark secret. Billie has a rough childhood and befriends the new girl in town. They spend all their time together and Cassie becomes Billie’s rock.

When Billie and Cassie go to College, Cassie moves on and this becomes too much for Billie to handle. Billie makes a bad decision out of desperation and her whole world crumbles for good… or does it?

This was a great read and I had a hard time putting it down. Carola Lovering you did it again!

💔 Bye, Baby - Carola Lovering

3 ⭐️ - Oh man, I wanted to love this more. Really, I did. Maybe it’s me? It was engaging. I was interested. I just didn’t love it. This is a suspense, rich people drama and not really the thriller I was hoping for.

On a fall night in NYC, Billie West hears terrifying screams. Only to find out it’s coming from her childhood bestie’s apartment. Cassie Barnwell has just found out that her infant daughter has gone missing. Here unfolds the story of Cassie and Billie’s friendship from childhood into adulthood and how changes in life, love, and circumstance can change us whether we like it or not.

This had some good aspects. Changing point of views and short chapters are always winners for me. I was definitely invested in the changes and growth of Cassie and Billie together and separately. I was engaged and wanted to know the outcome. The ending and outcome just fell so flat after such a slow burn. I wanted more and I wanted it to end differently. I did this one on audio, which I definitely recommend because if Karissa Vacker. If you’re into slow burn snd rich people drama, this one’s for you!

Thank you Netgalley, St Martin Press, and Macmillan audio for the early reader and listener copies! This one’s out now!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC version of this novel.

This story is about best friends that meet at a young age but seem to have grown apart for different reasons.

Cassie and Billie share a dark secret that they both promise to take to the grave, but this secret slowly causes Cassie to try to separate herself from Billie. Billie then decides to act out in a surprising way but is glad once Cassie starts hanging around her again.

While I was reading this story, I had to pause after part one because I was scared of where the story was going. The build up had me thinking something else bad was going to happen but I’m glad when I pushed through those initial thoughts. This story had me feeling for both characters and realizing that they both are messed up in their own kind of way.

This is a riveting exploration of the complexities within female friendships, especially those tainted by underlying toxicity and the pursuit of personal identity. Through the lens of a shocking incident where Billie kidnaps her friend Cassie's baby, the story unfolds, revealing a tangled web of past secrets and traumas. Lovering masterfully uses alternating perspectives and timelines, adding depth to the characters' motivations and the repercussions of their actions. Although some plot elements feel overemphasized for drama, the story remains compelling, offering a relatable yet intense look at the dynamics of changing friendships. This book is a must-read for anyone fascinated by stories that delve into the nuanced and often murky waters of long-term relationships.

Overall, it was a really good story. I like the characters and the kidnapping but returning the baby plot. I liked watching the slow decline of someone who thought she was above all. I even liked watching a character open themselves up to love after trauma. What I didn't like? The ending. It was pretty boring, and I was hoping for a lot more.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I can’t stop thinking about this book! It gave me a bit of None of This is True vibes, so if you liked that book you might also enjoy this one. I will say this is not a psychological thriller and I am not even quite sure what genre it falls into. I loved the flashbacks to Cassie and Billie’s friendship and their childhood together.

Watching the trainwreck and heartache of their current relationship was what kept me hooked. I also feel like it beautifully touches on things that adult women learn to navigate after marriage and kids. The ending was a tad bit of a let down, which kept me from giving it 5 stars. Definitely would recommend the audio version!

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Listened at 3x speed with no issues. Easy to distinguish various characters.

Social media's hold on Cassie was a struggle for me to listen to; I just don't care about "influencers" enough, but it does a good job of driving the vapid nature that Cassie's been cultivating since she was young. The flashbacks served a good purpose to juxtapose the current plot, yet still show how some elements of Cassie and Billie's personalities have always been solidly in place.

The story is a good critique when looking at what gives people happiness vs what fills up their soul and the constantly changing nature of relationships vs the struggle with self. There were some good thinking points along the way, yet somehow the story still seems to be sort of a surface level view of everyone--maybe because of the focus on social media or pretending to be someone you're not?

Didn't get much satisfaction from the conclusion, but still a quick, easy listening experience.

Overall: 3 stars (I liked it)

I'll tell my students about: language, alcohol, sex, parental death, violence/murder, trauma, sexual assault/rape, stalking

**Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC for this book. It is an up and down book for me. At times I really enjoyed it and at other times I was cringing or so upset with the main character choices! Overall fine read. The audio version was great. The voices were well done.

I thought this was going to be more of a thriller than it was, but that was my fault because the synopsis does say it focuses on relationships of the characters.

I thought the characters were depicted well; I felt like I had a great sense of who they were, how they thought, and how they might act.

The main conflict was illustrated as a complicated and “gray area” situation and I could genuinely see why each character felt the way they did and their struggles with that.

The relationship between Billie and Cassie was reflected as messy throughout the dual POV and their push/pull dynamic felt familiar.

Overall a great listen!

A woman kidnaps her friend’s baby and chaos ensues. The alternating time periods reveal the two women’s tenuous relationship from childhood and the reasons behind the ups and downs of their relationship. This was an interesting character study and the author was good at revealing details throughout to make this enjoyable and surprising. The narrator did a great job and the audiobook held my attention and was entertaining.