I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.
.
Billie West and Cassie Barnwell have been friends since they met the summer before seventh grade. They grew up in a small town that they both want out of, for different reasons. The story of their friendship covers twenty-three years and secrets, lies, and love. The story Bye, Baby goes back and forth, in Billie and Cassie's voices and in time getting to the place where the story starts, Cassie's baby is missing and Billie is holding the missing baby.

The story of Bye, Baby explores the complexities of life and female friendship.

This one is a page turner. Two friends who stayed friends after high school until a misjudgement tears them apart. Great read and the ending was a good ending. No questioning just closure!

Gave this a whirl and I couldn't get into it so putting it back on the metaphorical shelf. Carola Lovering really understands how to build suspense and she's great at writing frenemies, but I thought the two main female characters were self-absorbed and insipid.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Really enjoyed! Definitely a unique thriller with some interesting characters and I felt like I never knew what was going to happen next - my heart was racing at times!

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

After reading Too Good To Be True, I made a note to keep my eye out for Carola Lovering books. So when I was offered Bye, Baby, I didn’t hesitate to accept the Netgalley widget.

However, apparently I hesitated to read it since it’s been in my Netgalley queue for some time.

So I started it and I have to say I did like it, but I was also like ”
WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY” some of the time!

Toxic friendship books can be hit and miss for me and this….. well, I’m not really sure how to classify it.

We’ve all had friendships that were crazy intense- and this was how this book started off being- these ladies had a crazy intense friendship and something happened that bonded them further; but then they started drifting apart and it was NOT a mutual drifting.

A few things you should know about me so my reaction to this book makes sense:

If you are repeatedly lying to me, girl bye!
Using your baby as an excuse all the time is not cool.
I will cut my own nose off to spite my face some times.
So I got Billie’s obsession with Cassie, but I didn’t truly get it. Girl, YOU have a pretty fantastic life (traveling all the time)

And Cassie- well at times she was so one dimensional, it wasn’t funny.

Kinda unsure if there was supposed to feel like a social commentary on women having kids vs not having kids vibe- but that seemed to be a point in the story that was hammered on a decent bit.

I am NOT anti-child nor a believer in just because you are a woman, you should be a mom. I am a believer in that you can think/expect to be a mom and then one day decide you don’t want to for whatever reason. And vice-versa, you can be all UGH about other people’s kids and want a ton of your own.

There were so many places in the book that I was literally all “No, don’t do that. For the love of everything, DO not be this unhinged.” It would be like a train wreck- I wanted to look away and yet, I had to know what would happen next.

What I liked:

The cover! I loved that.

How the story was laid out- I like flashbacks and those really helped to explain how the friendship got so crazy in current time.

The brief and shining time frame that I thought this book might turn into a thriller-ish type book.

Bottom line: If books about toxic friendships are your jam, then this book will work for you. It floated somewhere between 2.5 stars and 3 for me!



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

Carola Lovering’s Bye, Baby is a deliciously dark exploration of obsession, motherhood, and the messiness of modern relationships, all served with a twist of suspense. This novel hits you with the kind of emotional intensity that makes you question whether you’d trust anyone—even the people you love most.

The story revolves around the lives of two women, Heather and Sarah, whose paths cross in the most unexpected of ways. Heather is grappling with a past that refuses to stay buried, while Sarah is navigating the chaotic waters of motherhood and the unraveling of her marriage. The tension between them slowly builds, and as secrets unravel, the line between victim and villain blurs.

Lovering’s writing is sharp, compelling, and cleverly structured, weaving in alternating perspectives that reveal more than just the surface drama. The alternating viewpoints keep the suspense bubbling under the surface, creating an almost irresistible urge to keep reading. The pacing is tight, and the plot twists—oh, the twists!—are both satisfying and unsettling in all the right ways.

Heather and Sarah’s characters are both flawed in fascinating ways, with motivations that are complex and sometimes contradictory. It’s not so much about rooting for them as it is about understanding them, even when you want to shake them for their bad choices. The emotional depth in Bye, Baby is impressive, and the tension between the characters feels real, like watching a train wreck in slow motion (in a good way, of course).

While the ending may leave some readers craving just a bit more resolution, it’s still an addictive, thought-provoking thriller. If you like your psychological drama with a side of chilling unpredictability, Bye, Baby will hit the spot. Just maybe don’t start reading it right before bed—trust me, you’ll be up all night.

Bye, Baby is a whodunit, yet we know exactly from the beginning. The “how we got to this point” was much better than everything that happened once the truth was out there.

This is my first read from Carola Lovering. Its told in alternating perspectives, Bye, Baby confronts the myriad ways friendships change and evolve over time, the lingering echoes of childhood trauma, and the impact of women’s choices on their lifelong relationships.

Many thanks to Netgalley for introducing my to a new author. This book captures the complicated nature of women's relationships and choices.

I thought this book would be more of a suspense or thriller book so I was a bit disappointed to find out it was more of a domestic drama. The storyline was okay, but I didn’t find it great.

I thought this was engaging and suspenseful. The format with alternating POV with two female main characters kept things fresh and interesting. maybe could have been 50 ish pages shorter but i still enjoyed start to finish.

Not the right vibe.

I enjoyed the characters but just wasn’t as suspenseful as hoped. Extremely predictable but as always, Lovering knows how to right a character that sticks with you.

These characters were perfectly dislikable and I loved how this was an over the top horror story of a long term friendship falling out. I found the ending to be a little predictable. However that did not take away from the fact that this was just a fun, enjoyable, and quick read

I'll read anything that Carola Lovering writes and this one was amazing. I really enjoyed the writing style and the story.

An exploration into female friendships. Also shows that sometimes its better to leave childhood friendships behind. I thought that it was a good story about how you don't always know when to let go.

*Bye, Baby* is an engrossing and emotionally charged domestic suspense novel that hooks you from the start. Lovering masterfully weaves themes of motherhood, secrets, and betrayal into a gripping story with well-drawn, complex characters. The twists are perfectly timed, and the tension keeps building until the very end. If you enjoy thought-provoking thrillers with plenty of heart, this one is a must-read. Highly recommended for fans of *Big Little Lies* or *The Last Mrs. Parrish.*

I absolutely binged this book, read the entire thing in three sittings. Suspenseful, dark, even humorous at times, I loved every moment of it and cannot WAIT to read more of Carola Lovering's backlog!

Sometimes I just love messy books with messy characters. After being a fan of Tell Me Lies, I think that's the author's strength. The characters are toxic and they make decisions that you just want to shake them over. The plot moved at a good pace, I never felt like it was dragging. My only complaint was that I wanted more after the last page and would've been interested in seeing where the two main characters go from that point on.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this title and thank the publisher for providing me with an eARC, however as so much time has passed since this works publication date and my lack of urgency with this piece, I am unfortunately going to move on. I hope to one day read this work at a later time and if I do, I will adjust my review. Thank you again for the opportunity.

This was my first Lovering book and I can say that I really enjoyed the writing style and general plot. While this didn't necessarily stand out amongst the large amount of thrillers I read, it was a fun ride while reading. At the core of this book is a friendship unraveling that felt relatable and poignant in some moments. The unhinged baby stealing was just an added bonus to the already tense undercurrent.

After coming across Tell Me Lies at the library, Carola has become one of my go to authors.
the suspense and writing style with very good character development keep me coming back reading her books.
I hope every year a new book is released!
Highly recommend!