I loved this book! The story was so captivating and the characters were fleshed out so well. Carola has a way of writing female characters and dialogue that is so authentic. This definitely adds to the great pace of the story. I highly recommend!

I love Carola Loverling books, so I knew I'd enjoy this no matter what. As far as her others, Bye, Baby wasn't my favorite. It was a slow burn about a toxic friendship, definitely not thrilling or mysterious at all, really. But it's well done. Cassie is a social climber and a social media influencer who has backed away from her childhood friend, Billie, after having a baby- much to Billie's dismay. I saw Cassie in so many of the shallow people I chose not to follow on Instagram and i felt like she was portrayed so accurately. I really enjoyed the relationship with Billie and Alex and my heart absolutely broke for Billie's childhood. Though I wanted to shake her for her adult actions, I understood her trauma bond with Cassie and her misguided ways as a confused, hurt adult. I wish they'd both go into therapy.
The ending to this one is excellent, but it was a bit of a sludge to get there at points. I'll always recommend Loverling.

First of all, thank you to Martin Press Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Second of all, I’ve given the book 4.5 stars. It was an amazing tale of two friends who grow apart as they reach middle age. The story switches from the two main girl’s POV’s, as well as the past when context was needed. These two girls.. they’ve been through quite a lot together, and they hold secrets that each of them will take to their graves. So when one betrays the other, the betrayed takes it to the next level, stealing the child of her “best friend”.

I think the only reason I didn’t give it five stars was the fact that one of the reasons I was ecstatic to read this is the aspect of the kidnapping. It was advertised as a thriller, so I treated it as such, hoping to be kept on the edge of my seat, you know? But no, the story didn’t focus on the kidnapping, as the baby was returned a few hours after being taken. It focused on the friendship of the two girls, both the past and the present. I guess I was just missing the anticipation. If I’d known it was going to be more about the friendship than the thriller aspect, I would’ve settled down a little and put a box of Kleenex’s next to me just in case.

There were some deep themes throughout, so I would definitely take a mental check before deciding to pick this book up, especially if one is triggered by SA, or perhaps a toxic relationship. I know from experience the last thing one needs is an unwanted flashback. I thought the book handled it well, especially the SA. Justice was served.

So would I recommend this book? Yes, but not as a thriller. I would recommend if someone wanted a little thrill mixed with friendships and relationships. If this is more your style, then this is the book for you, and consider purchasing it when it comes out next March. (This is the review I posted on Goodreads)

Carola Lovering writes the BEST books!!! I don't hear a lot about her and that is just WRONG!!! She is an amazing writer! I am a reader who almost exclusively reads dark, disturbing-type psychological thrillers. Every once in a while, I take a brief break with lighter fare and that is how I discovered this author. I first read Too Good to Be True, loved it, and went back and read her others. Reading this one was a no-brainer for me, and it is actually my favorite. Billie and Cassie are childhood best friends who have grown into adult best friends. Inexplicably Cassie no longer wants anything to do with Billie and cuts off contact and moves on with a new crowd. Billie continues to try and reconnect to no avail. Cassie is an Instagram influencer, so Billie is able to follow along on Cassie's life without her in it until she sees something that leads her to kidnap Cassie's baby. Yes, that's what I said. Now, THAT incident is actually just a TINY part of this whole story. The story is not about Billie stealing Cassie's baby. That happens in the opening chapter and the rest of the book is about what leads up to that point. And it is a fascinating, unputdownable story of female friendship. Told from present-day Cassie and Billie's POV's and backstory from both we slowly learn how the friendship became so fractured. I could not stop reading. I absolutely loved Billie and felt so much for her. Cassie is a self-centered, rich-girl wannabe character, but I understood her also. The ending is just so perfect. I don't want to ruin anything for anyone else, so I will just leave it at a strong urging to READ THIS BOOK!!!! Carolina Lovering, please never stop writing!!!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Carolina Lovering and St. Martin's Press for this much appreciated ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my reviews to Amazon, Instagram, Barnes and Noble and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

A complicated and tumultuous lifelong friendship, spur of the moment life-altering decisions, and two very different life paths all converge in this amazing read by Carola Lovering.

Billie West and Cassie Barnwell met one summer in a small town before entering seventh grade. The two became inseparable and bonded over a traumatic incident that they experienced together. However, as the years go by they have drifted apart. Cassie who married into a wealthy family, is an Instagram influencer and doting mother, and Billie who is single, childless, and frequently traveling, couldn't have less in common. That is until the night that Cassie's infant daughter goes missing...and Billie is responsible.

I honestly couldn't put this one down- I absolutely loved it! I legitimately couldn't figure out where the story was headed and loved the perfect way that it all unfolded. The characters were well-developed and I truly had a love/hate relationship with both Cassie and Billie. I found the complexities of their friendship really interesting and the alternating timelines between past and present, and dual perspectives really made me understand both Cassie and Billie's feelings, behaviors, and the (less than ideal choices) choices they made.

I will definitely be checking out more from Carola Lovering!!!

Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads Review: 7/18/23 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5690535775
IG Story: 7/14/23: https://www.instagram.com/the_books_we_love_/

This book kept my interest but I would categorize it more as a book about relationships, particularly ones from childhood that grow toxic, and a coming of age story. The story and characters were intriguing and I enjoyed the multiple POV's. Recommended for those who enjoy toxic friendship/revenge stories. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was interesting, don’t get me wrong, but it was anticlimactic at best. The ending had no twist, nothing. The whole premise of this book is a woman kidnaps her ex best friends baby, only to return her a few hours later. Now the ex bestie wants to be friends again… because she’s the only person she can trust. Then she just confesses and the besties like …. Ok cool. The end. There was no twist no reveal that would make this book a mystery or thriller. If this had had a twist, I probably would have rated this much higher. Boring.

Such a fun, fast, readable story! You don’t know whether to love or hate the characters, to feel sorry for them or just say WTF.

Billie is the most unlikeable character, and frankly the most stalkerish MC that I can remember. I can only assume that she is trauma bonded to Cassie, as that is the only non romantic case I could think of to explain her behavior in this book. She is constantly ignored, belittled and bullied by Cassie, on Cassie’s ride to the top of influencer fame and fortune. Heads up girl, that’s your gross husband bankrolling this life, not the Instagram stories of your avocado toast.

It’s always a good time when you just CANNOT guess what the ending is going to be, and maybe it ended the only way it could. Billie could confess all she wanted, what was Cassie going to do, take the chance that she would be exposed for Wade’s death? Not likely.

The only character I felt anything for was Alex, who had the misfortune to get wrapped up with Billie. But the fact he forgave her for being a psycho? Maybe he deserved it in the long run.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! The suspense build and the characters. The author did a great job with the characters. I HATED Cassie, McKay, and Wade. Alex and Jane were a breath of fresh air. I felt bad for Billie as she couldn’t recognize it was time to let go. This book will keep you interested for sure. Thank you NetGalley

This is my absolute favorite type of thriller!! Right from the beginning I was hooked. There is the one main character who is the overly jealous/obsessive type and then the other is the typical rich, appears happy but is actually miserable, one. They have been friends for years but after something awful happened when they were younger it has been a secret they both have carried with them. Told in dual POV and timelines I found myself quickly turning pages. Both characters are unlikeable, yet at different points I found myself feeling sympathetic to both. This is a book that would make a great Tv series.

A friendship that has soured with time and growing apart is featured in BYE, BABY by Carola Lovering. I was immediately sucked into this story, and I could not put it down! What I really liked about this story is that it studies this friendship currently and through time. We get to really savor the dynamics. Surprisingly, this novel is fairly low stakes, which might not work for some readers. I, however, savored the writing and characters in its achingly realistic portrayal of Billie and Cassie.

Billie and Cassie were friends as kids. Cassie always had her eye on the prize: a rich husband. Billie took a backseat in the friendship and almost became Cassie's whipping girl. Now, as adults, Cassie is a social media influencer/business owner with a rich husband and new baby. She no longer "needs" Billie like she used to for affirmation. Billie is successful in her own right working with Jane at Jane's exclusive travel agency, but she can't help but be spurned when she's unceremoniously dropped as a friend by Cassie. How can she get back in Cassie's orbit again?

I haven't read Carola Lovering before. I HAVE watched the Hulu series based on her book Tell Me Lies. I *think* the author writes about toxic relationships instead of murder, which I just learned is a sweet spot for me. I can't wait to check out her backlist!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars.

I don't know if I would classify this as a thriller as there is nothing "to figure out", it's more of a suspense, but it is a very compulsive read. Every time I put it down I wanted to pick it back up and see how it played out and ended. I LOVED the multiple POV'S and timelines. Billie and Cassie each had their own voice that if you didn't look at the chapter headers you would still know who's pov and which timeline you were in. This only lost a little bit from me cause I would have liked a little bit more drama at the end, although I do like how everything wrapped up.


Thank you to Netgalley, Carola Lovering & St. Martin’s Press for an arc of Bye Baby in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.
The queen of toxic relationships is back! This time with a toxic one sided obsessed friendship. This book really absorbed you into the story even if it is a far fetched idea. This book will stress you out, enrage you in places and pull you into the drama.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 92 of 2023. I really enjoy @carolatlovering’s books, and this one was no exception. This was a book about friendship, love, and babies, but with a darker twist. I got caught up in the writing and the dual timelines. I found it a really hard book to put down. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 read in my books. (Please note that there are definitely disturbing elements to this book, which may be triggering for some people.)

A fascinating domestic thriller with an ominous setting of a disappearance of a child is Carola Lovering’s latest thriller. It is a compelling novel showing the dark sides of human relationships that I would recommend to all those loving a good mystery.

This book was good, but nothing I’ve read by this author has topped Too Good To Be True. This book alternated between the points of view of Cassie who is essentially a status hungry wannabe influencer and Billie her childhood best friend. It also flashes back to fill in the backstory for their relationship.

We know something has happened to fracture their friendship several years before and the relationship has become very one sided as Billie longs for her best friend who has moved on without her. We also know from the flashbacks that some difficult things happened to Billie while growing up. I can certainly appreciate the idea that friendships evolve and one person can be more invested in than the other, but I mainly felt sad for Billie not recognizing it was time to let Cassie go.

The reveal for the cause of the fracture in their relationship didn’t feel satisfying enough for me. It was already very clear that Cassie was selfish and a gold digger so her behavior wasn’t really a surprise,

I think looking at this book as a character study about friendships makes it more successful that thinking of it as a psychological thriller. As much as enjoyed the book, I thinking I was hoping for something that packed a bigger punch.

Woah, I loved this story. It had me on the edge of my seat. I knew that Cassie would find out, but I was curious how and when. I really liked the dynamics between the characters and really displayed how people change and grow within their friendships over the years. I haven't read any other books by the author but I now plan to go back and do so !

I think that calling this a thriller is a disservice - it’s a fun “why” done it but I didn’t find it especially thrilling.

This was an awesome thriller with captivating twists and turns!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review

The first book I've read by this author, it came highly recommended by a trusted blogger friend so I was eager to read it.

Billie West and Cassie Barnwell were best friends for years, but they've drifted apart. Cassie is a social media influencer, is married to a wealthy man and has an infant daughter. Billie is mainly single, childless, though she has an enviable job with a luxury travel company.

Cassie's world is set to implode when her baby disappears from her penthouse apartment.

Told through alternating chapters from both women's perspectives, past and present counting down to the incident. There's a lot of history to unpack, it took me a while to get into it, though I got really involved later on.

It's a suspenseful New York friendship / character drama, with very well developed characters. I was reminded of Liane Moriarty and Ashley Audrain.

Excellent character writing, an unpredictable plot and some very original angles. I was shouting 'No! No! No!' at my kindle a few times, gasping out loud and shaking my head. I was also moved to tears in a few places.

It's a very good book, and I recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press