Carola Lovering has been an auto-buy author for me for a while now and this one takes the spot as my favorite!

There is something about the way Lovering writes a thriller, especially how she gets deep down into the perspectives of each person. It's raw and real and you really feel a connection with each character even if they may be unreliable and the "villain". And it makes you ask, who is the villain here?

Bye, Baby is a thrilling story about the complexities of best friends who really are toxic to each other, and the unspoken trauma between them. I loved the back and forth POV's between Cassie & Billie in the present, and the early 2000's.

Everything meshed really well together and I read the entirety of this book in one sitting, yes it's that good!

This is a must read!

this is my second Carola Lovering book and it was nothing short of what i thought it’d be like! it gave drama and trauma. i really enjoyed the 2 different povs plus the bonus added timeline of how it was growing up together. i’m glad billie came to the realization that cassie only thought about herself her whole life and nothing cassie did was because she loved billie, but billie should’ve never taken the baby especially because she has no maternal instinct so why did she think she could help??? cassie was insufferable and was chasing something she isn’t her whole life. the baby being taken should’ve been a wake up call, but she went right back to what she was doing. i liked this book a lot!!

I was hooked from the beginning… definitely some unlikeable characters but I love stories about Rich people behaving badly! Narration was great too… I truly couldn’t put this one down. A tiny bit far fetched at times but aren’t all popcorn thrillers? I loved this one! 4.5 stars

This is a story told in two POV transpiring over two timelines of two friends, once like sisters but now estranged. Cassie is married with a baby and an IG influencer, thriving on her power from her many followers. Billie travels the world for her job to exotic locations, unmarried but dating, never ever wanting to be a mother. Childhood trauma binds them together yet as adults Cassie has ghosted Billie, who longs for the closeness they once had. But when Cassie’s baby goes missing, it is to Billie that she turns to, who laps up the immediate attention. Strange and haunting, this story will have you reading just to find out how it is all resolved. How well do you know your best friend? How far will you go for them when they need you? Cassie and Billie have an unusual relationship that I’m not even sure they understand. A solid read, this book was hard to read at times (spoiler - sexual abuse content), but a good read all the same. Many thanks to #netgalley, #byebaby, for the opportunity to read and review this book. 3.5 rounded to 4.

Cassie and Billie, once inseparable companions, have seen the bonds of their friendship slacken gradually in recent years, largely due to Cassie's evolving lifestyle. Cassie's marriage to a wealthy man and her pursuit of an influencer career have created a growing chasm between them, leaving Billie struggling to reconcile with the loss of their once-close connection.

The narrative begins with the poignant exclusion of Billie from Cassie's birthday celebration, a stark indicator of the fractured state of their relationship. In a desperate act, Billie resorts to the unthinkable, snatching Cassie's infant child. How did their friendship deteriorate to this extreme?

"Bye, Baby" delves into the intricate dynamics of their friendship's evolution. What factors led to their estrangement? Was it solely a buried secret from their adolescence that bound them together? With gripping storytelling, "Bye, Baby" captures the unraveling and reconfiguration of their bond, promising to captivate readers as they navigate the twists and turns of Cassie and Billie's friendship journey.

Billie and Cassie used to be the best of friends, after a terrible incident during their teenage years tied them together forever. Now, their lives are very different, and the two women are drifting apart. Cassie is an influencer, who owns a high end clothing store and is married to a wealthy man, who she's recently had a baby with. Billie is unmarried, doesn't want children, and is very focused on her job with a high end travel agency. Billie still wants to continue the friendship, and is confused about why Cassie seems to be pushing her away. We follow this crumbling friendship to the night where Billie stands, in an apartment below Cassie's, holding Cassie's baby, while listening to Cassie scream for her missing child. How did a friendship that was once so close, ever come to this?

I absolutely LOVED this book! If you go into this looking for a twisty thriller, you won't find that here. This is more of a domestic suspense, with a few twists thrown in. The majority of this book, however, is focused on toxic female friendship, and what happens when you can't walk away from someone you love, even when you know they are bad for you. Anyone who has ever been in a toxic friendship will feel incredibly seen by this book, and will resonate with the feelings this book brought up. The characters were so well written, and so easy to love, and hate. I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen, and how things would end. I really loved this book, and highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars!!!

This story grabbed me from the beginning and I did not want it to end!!!

Alternating point of view between Billie and Cassie, two girls that form a strong bond in middle school and think they will be best friends forever but life takes them in different directions. Billie can feel Cassie pulling away and acts out of character in attempt to keep her friend close. Some flashback scenes from their childhood included, very easy to follow though. Superb character development that has you cheering them on even when their flaws are on display.

Most stars come from how much I think about a book when I’m not even reading it at that time and this book stayed with him, couldn’t wait to keep reading but didn’t want it to end.

Definitely reading more by this author!

Thanks to the author, netgalley and St Martins press For my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately I was not a fan of this book. I disliked the characters, the plot was blah, and the climax happened 50% through the book. There was nothing in the last 50% of the book. I expected a plot twist or something to happen.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Carola Lovering, perfectly narrated by Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Billie and Cassie were inseparable since they met in middle school, bonded even more tightly since they shared a traumatic event in high school. But as they've gotten older, their paths have diverged. Billie still misses her best friend, but Cassie moved on without looking back. Cassie is now married to a wealthy man with a new baby, she's an instagram influencer, and has a store for wealthy shoppers. Then Billie makes a decision that will change everything.

Best go into this one with as little information as possible for maximum enjoyment! I always enjoy Lovering's books and this one was no exception. Told in different timelines and from both Billie's and Cassie's POV, we learn about their relationship, their shared trauma, and they way they changed as they grew older. I felt for Billie - she had experienced so much trauma in her life and was desperate to have her friend back, but Cassie was a different person and Billie no longer fit her image. A page turner for sure, with themes of friendship, loyalty, trauma, motherhood, social media, and even second chances. The audiobook narration was wonderful as well.

BYE, BABY
Carola Lovering

Something in the way she twists has me turning,
Something in the way she writes has me hanging onto her every word.

Cassie and Billie have been friends for what feels like a lifetime. They met when they were twelve, young and impressionable. They bonded over unspeakable traumas, kept each other’s secrets, and created a world where only the two of them existed.

But time has passed, and things have changed. Recently their friendship has been strained.

Cassie has a lot of what Billie aspires to have, does what she aspires to do, is what she aspires to be. Cassie has the best apartment money can buy with million-dollar views. She is not only happily married but also has just given birth to a beautiful baby girl-Ella. She has a strong group of followers on Instagram that follow her beautiful life and every move she makes, including and importantly-Billie.

One day, when feeling particularly down about their friendship Billie makes a decision that will change their friendship and their lives forever.

This is my second experience with Lovering. The first (Can’t Look Away) was good, this one was great. I cannot wait for the next. I listened to the audiobook for this book and loved it. It is narrated by Karissa Vacker and Helen Laser, and both did an exceptional job at animating the characters, keeping a good pace and keeping me on the edge of my seat.

The writing in this novel is darker and edgier than what I have read before from Lovering. I enjoyed the storyline, and the suspense was perfect. I loved that our two main characters shared secrets, but not their lives. I thought this created an interesting and realistic dynamic between Billie and Cassie.

Have you read Carola Lovering before? If not, I recommend you start here.

Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copies!

BYE, BABY…⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is a great story of a twisted lifelong friendship between two women. It was very good and hard to put down. The ending was really great too.

I really enjoy reading Carola Lovering's books. She writes such captivating stories. I really liked getting to explore the friendship dynamic in this book especially since we got to see how it developed from the past to current. It shows the power of friendship and how big of an impact it can have on your life's decisions. I liked the element of the influencer life too that was put into the story as well. Social media is becoming such a big part of day to day life and again the impact that it can have on our mental health as the creator and the consumer of the media. My only negative that I find is that there is a lot of build up and tension and then the ending doesn't always reflect that and comes to a less than explosive ending, which I wish this one had. Other than that thought I really enjoyed my time reading this book.

I flew through 𝗕𝘆𝗲, 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘆. It definitely wasn’t a thriller like I had anticipated. I would say it was more of a drama, but it had me hooked, flipping through the pages so quick because I wanted to know how it all ended. Did I like the ending? I’m not sure honestly. I didn’t hate it either, and would say it’s still worth the read, especially if you like drama and toxic friendships. 𝗕𝘆𝗲, 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘆 will be published 3/5. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for my eARC!

Great book! Definitely different than some thing I’ve read before and I would recommend if someone is looking for a change, definitely kept me on the edge of my seat

A twisted tale of friendship over the years told in alternating past and present time lines, Billie and Cassie became friends as kids despite their different circumstances and now, as adults, they still struggle with their relationship. Billie does take Cassie's child- you know this- but the lead up to the event and the after is the crux of the novel. You, like me, might not like either woman (they both have their issues) but as a pair, they work. Know that there are some triggering issues, Not a thriller but more a drama- and it's a fast read. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. Lovering has done it again,

This book was not for me. Both of the main characters were unlikable which I’m not a fan of. Also, there were no twists. You find out on page one what happens and then the entire book is just wondering if everyone else will find out. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book, but it was not for me.

This is really not a mystery and certainly not a thriller, so I recommend managing your expectations accordingly. It’s really more of a character study of a toxic friendship and various life experiences. The title was referenced several times throughout the book, implying it connected to the earlier days of their friendship, but it never really felt explained.

The ending was frustrating, I’m not going to lie. It felt like we went through the character development and build up of the plot and then all the air was let out of the balloon and it just…ended. The book ended and I still had questions. Overall, I’m pretty disappointed in this and wouldn’t recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an early copy

BYE, BABY was such a good book for the first 50%. After, it hit a snag in pacing and storytelling. While I think this book would be a good read for those that love thrillers, the final half of the book impacted my enjoyment.

The first part of this book was incredible. I was immediately hooked. I really enjoy a character driven book, and it felt like the perfect mix of that and thriller. It kept my attention and I loved that both Cassie and Billie kinda were terrible and the complex relationship they had. I love a good unlikeable female character or two and I love finding out HOW they get to that point. The first part of this novel does this flawlessly, if not a bit predictably.

However, I think my big issue was the narrative structure of the book, and that is why the second part of the book slowed way down for me and why I lost interest. Told in alternating perspectives and alternating timelines, once it hit the 50% mark and we’re “caught up” the story turned and got dull for me. It also made it feel even more predictable.

I will say that this might not be the case for everyone. It changes the story and its direction, which people might really enjoy! Unfortunately for me, it just made the pacing slower.

Overall, for me, this felt like a solid read. I think if you like character thrillers, deep secrets, complex female relationships, and unlikeable female characters, this is the book for you.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

this was a crazy book from beginning to end.
I loved the dual time lines of past and present, as well as how the book was told by Cassie and Billie.
It held my attention and was a fast paced story. I was so curious on how it ended.

Cassie and Billie were best friends since they were kids. Cassie had a privileged life but Billie did not. Then something happened that broke the friendship but Billie is anxious to repair it. Cassie’s baby is kidnapped and Billie finds herself with the baby in her arms. Where does it go from here?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.