👯‍♀️Review - Bye, Baby 💔
3.5/5 ⭐️ Kindle - Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC
Release date: March 5, 2025

I am calling this a psychological drama (not quite a thriller) that follows former best friends, Billie and Cassie. Billie and Cassie are childhood best friends but their adult lives have taken them in very different directions. Billie wants nothing more than to be best fiends with Cassie again and will do anything to achieve that.

I enjoyed this very character driven book but the beginning was a little slow and I didn’t connect well with the characters, especially Cassie. Listen, both Billie and Cassie are toxic but Billie’s trauma at least explains that behavior, Cassie on the other hand is just mean and annoying.

Bye, Baby relies on flashbacks and dual POVs to tell the story and provide details of the characters’ past. I loved the flash book scenes. This book focuses on the themes of obsession, privilege, motherhood, and friendship. A solid read if you enjoy dramas/thrillers.

First, I would say this book being categorized as a thriller is incorrect.

I loved the dual timeline and dual POV to get the full picture of the relationships. However, these characters were insufferable which made the book incredible slow at times. With that being said, the story somehow keeps your attention to the very end.

This quite the story! It's told through both women's perspectives, and you slowly learn their about their traumatic pasts. Billie actually has a pretty great life, she just can't get over the fact that Cassie no longer wants to be friends. I wanted to shake some sense into Billie more than once! But it's easy to understand how she feels, and I was actually pretty sympathetic toward her (apart from the kidnapping, lol). You do have to suspend reality a bit to understand why the other characters (including her boss and boyfriend) react to Billie's actions the way they do, but overall I really enjoyed this book!

A story about the ups and downs of a lifelong friendship, and the traumas that bind for life.

I enjoyed the dual timelines and dual POV that helped paint the picture of Billie and Cassies’ friendship, but things were just too toxic. I can appreciate that they had a shared secret, but is that enough to keep them connected when their friendship so clearly had run its course? They often voiced how they hated and judged one another, so it didn’t seem believable that they would drop their lives in a heartbeat to be there for each other. Not to say those friendships don’t exist in the world, but I didn’t believe it in this situation. Cassie’s baby is stollen and her first instinct is to call Billie? Why?

Also,it’s my fault for not better pre-researching, but the way this was written, I would have assumed it was a thriller. I was invested from the beginning and waited, and waited, and waited for the big “twist” or reveal and it never happened. Why? Because it’s not a thriller. The writing and narrating build making it feel like there’s a big climax coming, but then… nothing? Not really a critique or a fault of the book, but also, maybe it is? The writing is so suspenseful, but the genre is simply contemporary fiction.

With that being said, I was captivated and finished very quickly. The writing was fast-paced and the narration was strong. A good read touching on the evolution of friendship, surviving trauma, motherhood, relationships, family struggles and more.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC available March 5, 2024.

Many thanks to my friends at @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.

Suspenseful and easy to get lost within.

🤨 If you walk off with your best friend’s baby, is it really kidnapping?

That’s not a spoiler. It’s the attention grabbing first scene in Lovering’s newest drama infused domestic suspense.

Bye, Baby is a character driven novel that explores the gritty details of a friendship turned toxic.

With dual narrators and timelines, the complexities of the relationship are examined in thought provoking detail. From loyalty to obsession. From devotion to superficiality. There’s much to glean from this exposition, and I think that many will find it relatable in some capacity.

Neither character is particularly likeable. Early on, I found myself frustrated with Billie. But at some point, the frustration melted away, and I began to feel empathy for her situation, even understanding her impulses and motivations. Cassie, though…I found no redeeming qualities in her. But that amplified the intricacy of the situation all the more.

The short chapters brimming with drama made this a quick read. And the deeper themes regarding the impact of living with a sick parent (and eventual grief) alongside the trauma of sexual abuse created a thoughtful commentary.

This was an addictive plot with a stark reminder: not everything is worth holding on to.

🎧 With dual narration by Karissa Vacker (a fav!) and Helen Laser, both characters are distinctly brought to life. The separate narration amplifies the best and worst within the friendship and harnesses the tension within the unraveling.

This was the first book I have read by Carola Lovering. This was well written, gripping, hard to put down, thought provoking and riveting. Make sure you check trigger warnings because this book has some tough subjects. I think most woman can relate to this story and one of the characters. I found this to be a really good read and didn't want to put it down. I would definitely recommend this book!


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press or allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

This one started so good, I was so intrigued by these two characters and their shared history. A dual POV and timeline revealing pieces of their friendship as they go from teenagers to adults.

Neither Cassie nor Billie were likeable characters. Cassie, an influencer who uses her life as content and comes across as very materialistic and self-absorbed. Billie, a travel guide who gets to travel the world scoping out locations and deals, but she has an unhealthy obsession with Cassie rooted in a trauma bond they share.

Cassie is desperate to leave her past, including Billie, behind her and Billie will do anything to keep that from happening. I was all in for their drama.

I was invested in a majority of the book but it lost steam toward the end and felt pretty anticlimactic as the ending was anything but thrilling. While I was underwhelmed by the wrap up I did enjoy a majority of the read.

The first chapter of this book sets up a mystery. When it's finally solved and I realized the story was still going, I looked at my phone to realize I still had much of the novel remaining. That can be an irritating discovery, but I did enjoy the writing of this book so I didn't totally mind spending a little more time with the characters. I do want to mention that there are some very graphic sexual assault scenes here-- the "bad guy" is really, really bad (overly so, a little mustache-twirly in my opinion) and while I'm not particularly sensitive to that kind of thing, it did feel like a bit too much.

Billie and Cassie were best friends since they met the summer they turned 12. While their young lives were full of turmoil and heartbreak, the girls were always there for each other. Now in their 30s, Cassie had all but shut Billie out of her new glamorous life, and Billie reaches her breaking point and commits an act she can’t undo.

Mamas- beware. I didn’t read the triggers going into this one and it’s heavy! This thriller is a heavily character driven novel between the two women and it’s told in alternating POV and timeline, which enhanced the story greatly. I didn’t particularly like either Billie or Cassie, but they were explored wonderfully and I feel as though I know them personally. Their friendship was tumultuous, and this story highlights how social media can really destroy relationships. While the subject matter of this story gave me the icks, I couldn’t stop listening to it. I was completely engrossed in the story from start to finish.

Influencer Cassie's baby is missing... And her lifelong best friend, Billie, has her in her arms. A story of toxicity- in friendships, social media, and marriages.

i love a dual POV and messy relationships in a book, and this one delivered. The dual POV was unique because it also jumped back and forth in time with the characters. The suspense was strong and I loved and hated the FMCs the entire time. The story really highlighted that things are not always so black-and-white.

What a twisted tale! I raced through this book to see where it would take me next. Even though it was fiction, I was very much reminded of a recent Lifetime movie that was based on a true event. Both the movie and this book kept me up way too late! I will definitely be looking for more books by Carola Lovering. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

Billie West has been friends with Cassie Barnwell Adler for a long time. Billie is on the outside looking in on Cassie's life through Instagram. But Cassie has no time for Billie despite their years of friendship. Billie and Cassie meet up for drinks which turns into dinner party invite. Billie is sort of pleased with this but cautious. When Cassie's daughter Ella is taken suddenly she needs Billie again. Who took Ella and why? Can Billie and Cassie remain friends? Find out in Bye, Baby.

I'd like to thank St. Martins Press for ARC in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.

Carola Lovering’s writing has a way of getting under your skin. You just need to read one chapter more because you are sure you’ll find the answer out then, but she baits you along until the very end in every book. BYE, BABY is no different - a smooth, steady pace that builds and builds until it hits a crescendo - a book you can’t put down.

I love that Billie and Cassie tell the story so we hear both sides of their friendship. Their friendship goes through quite the arc, and Lovering really shows how it affects both of them and the people in their lives.

Thanks, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley, for the gifted arc!

Content Warnings: sexual assault, kidnapping, toxic relationship, gaslighting, classism, familial death

First, I was excited for this book! The premise caught my attention for sure and while it was a good read, it unfortunately didn't capture my attention as much as I had hoped. Once the kidnapper was revealed I kept expecting another twist since there was still so much of the book left. I definitely wouldn't consider this a thriller at all, but more of a book about friendships and how toxic they can be.

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book

When Cassie and Billie were teenagers, they were each other’s person. Now, as women in their thirties, Cassie is a micro influencer with a baby and a wealthy husband while Billie is happily childfree and traveling the world for her job and their friendship is hanging on by a thread, mostly for Billie. But when Cassie receives a strange message about something that happened in their teenage years and her infant daughter goes missing from her home, she realizes she needs Billie. However, Billie has a secret of her own. I love books that look deep into complicated female friendships and this one did it so well. I absolutely got frustrated with both Billie and Cassie in different ways, but with dual POVs plus flashbacks of their teenage years, I started to understand their behavior a little bit better. It’s not a thriller so much as a domestic suspense with social commentary on motherhood, friendship and trauma, but I didn’t mind that at all. I did think the ending was a little abrupt, but it did make sense for the story. One thing I really loved was how the book really emphasized that it is 100% okay for women to not want to be mothers. I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves reading about complicated women and friendships.
CW: sexual harassment, sexual abuse, murder, child abduction, death of a parent, Alzheimer’s disease

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bye, Baby is a character-driven psychological novel (I would not classify it as a mystery or a thriller) that focuses on the friendship between Billie and Cassie, a friendship that began in the 7th grade but that decades later has become a toxic one centered on obsession. I found the characters of Billie and Cassie to be very interesting and enjoyed delving into the complexity of their relationship and learning bit by bit — in a suspenseful way — the underlying reasons it had become so toxic. However, as much as I enjoyed reading this novel, the ending was disappointing to me — and thus the bit of a lower rating. It just seemed to end too abruptly, especially after all of the angst that had preceded it. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the novel overall, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Bye, Baby is an interesting story of trauma-bonded friends as they connect in High School and evolve into adulthood on separate paths. Cassie is a married mother with a rich husband and huge online following. Billie is a single woman who misses her best friend and the connection they used to share. When Cassie’s daughter is kidnapped, Billie is the first call she makes.

I thought it was unique how the story plays out over the course of the novel. Told between POVs from Billie and Cassie and with flashback chapters that give the reader insight into the way the friendship develops over time. Even though the first “hook” in the novel happens early (and is even in the synopsis), I didn’t connect with this at first. It definitely picks up, but the final resolution felt a little dragged out for me.

I will say both characters are a bit unlikable in their own ways. I am sure Carola Lovering fully intended to shape these women in such a way that right and wrong, the past and the present blurs throughout the story. For this reason, I think this would make for an interesting book club pick because there’s so much to discuss after you put this down. If you’re looking for a heart-stopping thriller, this isn’t it, but it is a really interesting look at friendship that you will want to discuss with your bestie.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have only read good reviews on this book and man are they true!! You won’t regret having this in your yearly read this year it’s a must!

I really enjoyed this book - I even got a little teary at times which is very unusual for me (maybe it's just hormones, but I'm going to credit the book). I thought it was going to be more of a mystery than it really was. There were a few reveals at various times, but most were relatively predictable as you got closer. Still, this didn't ruin the experience for me. I was also very pleased with the ending. I was worried that not every character was going to get a happily ever after, but things ended in a place that felt very satisfying.

“𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎. 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝙱𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎.“

This quick and immersive read from Carola Lovering is somewhat of a departure from the domestic suspense reads that I am used to. From the very beginning, we already know the who, the what, & the why. Or, do we?

“𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚎 𝚒𝚜𝚗‘𝚝 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.“

When we first meet Billie and Cassie, they are childhood best friends who seem to have lost their way in their once inseparable relationship. Relatable and captivating, this story explores the ups and downs of a lifelong friendship & the utter devastation that occurs when that friendship is no longer reciprocated by one half of the whole.

“𝙸 𝚜𝚑𝚛𝚞𝚐, 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍. 𝙰𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸‘𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘.“

But, at the heart this tale, there is so much more. Trauma, guilt, love, & life changing choices. What brings us together as friends? And, what can ultimately tear us apart?

“𝚂𝚑𝚎‘𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎.“