Not quite a thriller, but instead a study of a teenage friendship that has turned sour.

This is a study in parasocial relationships and effect of social media on real relationships as well. There was a pretty great story here, lots of dark twists and you can see how our characters arrived at the place they’re at as adults.

I thought the relationship between Cassie and Billie to be so well done and interesting. It was a strange co-dependent, extremely toxic friendship that you can’t help but eat up.

I removed a star since there’s that trope of a character digging themselves deeper and deeper for a stupid decision. The last 20% was so anxiety inducing for me that I couldn’t stand it. And then end just didn’t sit well with me.

Bye, Baby is a book of toxic friendship, murder, kidnapping, past childhood trauma, influencer life, and more.

I enjoyed Lovering’s writing style throughout the book. Following Billie and Cassie throughout the book in dual POV and alternating timelines was one of my favorite things! It gave so much depth into the story and why the characters were the way they were. I was hooked throughout the entire book because of the choice of writing style.

It was listed as mystery/thriller, but I personally don’t think it really rang true in that category. I would categorize this as a drama and LOTS of it!

If you are looking for a mystery/thriller this probably won’t be the best book. But if you are looking for a great story line with toxic friendship and DRAMA, this is definitely for you!

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this in return for an honest review!

Carola Lovering is one of my favorite authors so this book was very highly anticipated for me. It was not what I was expecting at all but it was so compelling- I binged it in a day. It was also very relatable - I’m sure we’ve all had complex, toxic relationships at one point or another in our lives at some level, and Lovering is the master at writing toxic relationships (I also loved Tell Me Lies and Can’t Look Away). I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy alternating timelines and POVs and character driven stories about female friendships.

Many thanks to both St Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for early access to this title in exchange for my honest opinion. This is not my first Lovering read and it definitely won’t be my last!
Bye Baby doesn’t come out for a week and a half but I spotted a copy at Barnes & Noble yesterday if you don’t want to want any longer!
And I will warn you, once you start this one it is IMPOSSIBLE to put it down. I started by listening to the audio (with one of my favorite narrators, Karissa Vacker, I knew it was going to be good!) - but then I arrived at a brewery for lunch which had a good playlist, so I switched to reading my eARC because I could not wait any longer to keep going in the book!
This book is more of a suspense read than a thriller, but its propulsive nature makes me feel fine calling it a thriller. It also has women’s fiction undertones - one of the main characters has a four and a half month old baby which plays a major role in the plot. If you’re the mother of a really young one, you may want to hold off on reading this one for a few more months if you aren’t good at separating what you read from your real life… Other than that, I don’t want to say too much because I think it is good to go into a thriller blind. I also did the magical thing where I figured out exactly where I had stopped reading when I switched back to the audiobook on the NetGalley app on the first try, which I don’t think has ever happened before!

Another book labeled as a thriller with absolutely zero thrilling aspects in it. Not even sure what the point of the book is because basically nothing happens. Cassie was totally the worst. On a positive note, it was an easy listen with good narrators.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I think I told myself no more Lovering books after her last one that I did not enjoy. Clearly I did not listen to my past self. This book was a slog. There were absolutely no mystery/thriller aspects. It is just a toxic female friendship that plays out very badly and very predictably. The book was at least 50-75 pages too long and the ending was so trite with everyone basically living happily ever after.

Bye, Baby tells the story of two former best friends, once inseparable but now at two very different stages of life. Billie is single and working for a luxury travel company, while Cassidy married wealthy and is obsessed with her life as a new mom and influencer. They were bonded together, but now that Cassidy thinks she’s above their old lives, Billie is left feeling alone. Told from both of their perspectives, this psychological thriller shows how far friends will go for one another.

Carola Lovering is the best at writing completely unlikable characters, the ones who have flaws you can spot from a mile away. Billie and Cassidy are those characters, both who made me cringe at points throughout the novel. I found the first part of this thriller fast paced, as I wanted to get to the “bad thing” that happens to put these two women more squarely back into each others lives. The second half, while decent, didn’t keep my attention as well. However, I had to see what would happen in the end and I did make it. There were some disappointing parts in the ending, but I won’t spoil that here!

I was waiting for the hat to drop here but then I got nothing…. Am I the only one who thinks that??

I was expecting a mystery/thriller type of book because the plot made me want to read this book as soon as it was sent to me. We have two best friends who after some time had a falling out, Billie and Cassie were attached to the hip, and when we go back and forth between their past and present, I went from finding Billie super suspect, to actually loving her and finding her relatable, unlike with Cassie, omg she is so damn toxic.

We get the mystery aspect from when they were younger, and the things they did, but does that relay to what is going on now??? I have no idea, none of it made sense to me. The only great thing about this book is that Billie gets the resolution and the happy ending that she deserves.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel. I absolutely loved this author’s previous novel- Tell Me Lies, and the Hulu tv series based on it. If you haven’t checked them out I highly
recommend them.

I wouldn’t call Bye, Baby a thriller but it does have some suspense. It’s the story of Billie and Cassie, childhood friends who are both living in New York City. This book deals with themes of female friendship and motherhood. I think I would’ve enjoyed this book more if I wasn’t going it expecting a thriller but it was still enjoyable & I like the authors writing style.

I found the synopsis to be very misleading as to what this story was about. The "kidnapping" is such a small part of this story. This reads less like a mystery/thriller and more like women's fiction in my opinion. Two women who have a very toxic relationship. They share a dark secret involving a step father. I could have gone without some of those detailed scenes. Overall this just was not my cup of tea for a story. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I didn’t love this one. In my mind this was going to be more of a thriller than it was. It had more drama and messed up friendship issues. It definitely felt like it dragged on as when Billie had the baby I thought the book was closed to being over only to realize it was only halfway done. I like the dual narration and the back and forth timeline.

Great piece of work! This is my first arc and wow it was a great read! As I got closer to the ending I really thought the ending was going to feel incomplete but I’m relieved it was not!!! I felt for Cassie but my favorite character that I rooted for the whole time was obviously Billie!!!!! <3

I enjoyed the exploration of friendship across decades. If you like rich people drama and toxic friendships be sure to give this domestic book a try. I would not categorize this as a true mystery thriller much more domestic fiction. The characters were well developed and I was invested in the story while reading. I just don't this his book will impact me in a few weeks. Thank you, NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 stars

Billie hears Cassie’s screams from the apartment above, someone has taken her baby. And in her moment of absolute fear, Cassie calls to her.
“I need Billie”
Finally, after all the unanswered texts, the screened phone calls, after constantly being pushed away, Billie’s best friend needs her, but when Billie looks down, the sleeping face of her best friend’s baby fills her vision.

This book is a lead up to baby Ella’s kidnapping, with flashbacks to Cassie and Billie’s childhood, and early adult years. With alternating POV chapters we get the full scope of Billie and Cassie’s friendship, seeing the push and pull from both parties.

When I first started the book, I had some issues with the writing style, but the story pulled me in right away. And when I am thoroughly enjoying a story, it is easy for me to over look writing quirks that are not my favourite.

While flawed, somewhat needy and, most importantly, a kidnapper, I felt for Billie. As her full story emerged it was easy to see why she relied on Cassie so much.
Cassie, was kind of awful, and seeing how her friendship with Billie started, how strong it was, it was sad to see how far their friendship declined.

This was a great read and I loved the chapter format. Despite being alternating POVs as well as multiple timelines it was easy to follow and each timeline was very clear.
This was a fast moving story about friendship, status ... and kidnapping

Rocky friendships, a kidnapping and secrets. After Cassie’s baby gets kidnapped and then later returned her world is turned upside down. She turns to her childhood best friend Billie for comfort, except she is responsible for the kidnapping.

Honestly, this book was just. I found Cassie to be insufferable and a snob, I really couldn’t stand the character and it was a dual POV between Cassie and Billie. And honestly Billie wasn’t all that better. Although she was tolerable. She was just obsessed with Cassie and catering to her every whim, which I found kind of obnoxious. This is also categorized as a thriller but it’s definitely not. At all. I found the whole book kind of lackluster.

This story had me captivated from start to finish. The turns of events, the lies and deceptions, I was on pins on needles waiting to see how this was going to play out in the end.

The scenes back and forth from past to present flow seamlessly. What intense, emotional backstory. This is a story of Billie and Cassie, lifelong friends who have been through thick and thin, how people and friendships change, and mistakes and how our choices affect us and others. It’s about insecurities, vulnerabilities, friendship, and forgiveness.
I truly enjoyed Alex and Jane. Fantastic supporting characters.

Bye, Baby is a riveting story that had me anxiously turning the pages.

Cassie and Billie were best friends, shared a deep secret from their past but now as adults, Cassie wants to push Billie far out of her life. Cassie has gotten everything she wanted, a rich husband, a successful business while being a lifestyle influencer with a large following, and a baby. At her fabulous birthday party, which Billie was not invited to, her baby goes missing. She is absolutely destroyed and instantly feels a visceral need to have Billie back in her life, but Billie isn’t necessarily who she should be trusting.

I listened to a lot of this one on audio and I found it super captivating and instantly engaging but then it didn’t go anywhere. I really enjoyed the backstory of the two women and their friendship, but Billie’s character was frustrating and her actions were not so believable and the middle and end of the book sort of didn’t deliver as I had hoped. I really enjoyed the two POVs and it worked really well on audio. Therefore, in the end a fun, quick read that kept me entertained but fell a bit flat.

3.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC to review

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Based off of the title I assumed this book had something to do with a baby but surprisingly the title is an insider between the main characters, Cassie and Billie. The story is told in both of their POV’s and in dual timelines. I felt like Cassie’s character didn’t have enough to her. She’s a spoiled, shallow brat who thinks the world owes her. However, I was fairly attached to Billie. Her flaws seemed real and deep. There were a few loose ends but I thought the book was quick and addictive. It is a story of how tragedy of the past can affect your future and how people change and even your best friend can become a stranger.

"Bye, Baby" by Carola Lovering is a compelling exploration of friendship, motherhood, and the choices we make. Through the intertwined stories of Cassie and Billie, Lovering delves into the complexities of female relationships and the impact of societal expectations. Their lives take different paths, with Cassie finding success as a lifestyle influencer and Billie navigating life on her own terms. But when tragedy strikes and Cassie’s world comes crashing down, old wounds resurface, forcing them to confront the secrets and insecurities that have long simmered beneath the surface. Whether you’re drawn to domestic dramas or stories of enduring friendship, “Bye, Baby” is a must-read that will leave you reflecting on the ties that bind us and the choices that shape our lives.

This was a fun read. It was full of drama. Suspenseful and Twisty. I thought the ending could have been a little more sinister and not so nicely tied up. Overall, I really liked this book. It's binge-worthy.

Book Releases: March 5, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC. And to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.