Bye, Baby had all of my favorite things in a book: fast-paced, alternating POV, multiple timelines, and some messy drama.

The book tells the story of Billie and Cassie, two childhood best friends who have seemingly grown apart, and the events leading up to and following the kidnapping of Cassie’s daughter by her best friend. This domestic drama (I hesitate to call it a thriller) had me anxious to find out the story behind what happened and why Billie seemed to have taken Cassie’s baby. While the story was very predictable, I still enjoyed reading about the relationship between the two women, both in the past and present, and their relationships with other characters in the story. My only complaint was that I didn’t like how many pop culture references were included, as I think it may be confusing if someone were to pick this book up later in the future. Overall, a fun read!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not sure I would classify this as a thriller, but this story is truly messed up! Twisted friendships, lies, and deception! The friendship between Billie and Cassie is so difficult to define, and their experiences are life altering. The author did a great job of portraying the weaknesses of them both.

This review was posted on my Goodreads

Thank you Heather for this buddy read!

Brief Summary-
Cassie’s is an influencer and a new mother and a wife. She is desperate to leave her past behind. Billie is single and childless who also misses her friendship with Cassie and she is desperate to save their dwindling friendship. At Cassie’s birthday party her baby is stolen and returned at her doorsteps the next morning. Why would someone steal her baby and return it? And why was that someone be Billie?

Trigger Warnings-
🔹Sexual abuse of a minor
🔹Murder
🔹Kidnapping

My Thoughts-
Although this wasn’t a thriller or mystery…It was still a decent read. I think this was more of a story showing one- sided and toxic friendships. The pace was slow for about 80% of the book so it really dragged the plot. The last 20% of the book I really enjoyed.

I really enjoyed the alternating timelines from past to present. As the past story unfolds you get an understanding of Billie and Cassies history growing up together. The present story is shows us Billie stealing the baby from the party and the the aftermath. I enjoyed the POVS of Billie and Cassie. I think reading both of their perspective help move the story along. The chapters involving the past really carried the book.

I would recommend this book, as I think some would enjoy this read.

"Bye, Baby" by Carola Lovering is a gripping and emotionally charged psychological thriller that deserves every bit of its five-star rating. Lovering masterfully weaves together a haunting narrative that delves deep into the complexities of motherhood, identity, and the human psyche.

From the very first page, the tension is palpable, drawing readers into a world where nothing is as it seems. Lovering's skillful storytelling keeps you on the edge of your seat, eagerly turning pages to unravel the mystery of the missing child.

What sets "Bye, Baby" apart is its richly drawn characters, each with their own flaws, secrets, and vulnerabilities. As the layers of their lives are peeled back, the emotional stakes soar, leaving a profound impact on the reader.

Lovering's prose is both lyrical and suspenseful, painting vivid scenes that linger in the mind long after the book is finished. The pacing is pitch-perfect, building tension to a heart-pounding crescendo that will leave you breathless.

In short, "Bye, Baby" is a tour de force in the psychological thriller genre. Carola Lovering has crafted a gripping and unforgettable tale that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Wow, I love when a book sucks me in and doesn't leave me until I finish it. Bye, Baby follows the story of two best friends who grew up together and inevitably grew apart when they get older. One of them, Billie, cannot let go of the idea of losing Cassie, her best friend and keeps trying to get together, but she is too swept up in her own world so she just ignores her. One day, when Cassie's baby gets missing, her first thought is that she needs Billie, the only person in the world who understands her. Billie has a secret to keep but feels extremely happy that Cassie needs her again, resuming the closeness they grew up with.

This is not exactly a thriller because we know from the first page what happened, but it's still tense to know Billie's secret and see how is she going to deal with it. I also enjoyed the side story of Billie's relationship with Alex, the guy he's dating. I think they were very cute. Cassie is very annoying though, I almost skipped her POV but well, it's part of the narrative and ultimately maybe it was intended for her to be annoying.

I like the ending and I always enjoy Lovering's writing. Very worth the read.

This is the second book I’ve read now by this author and definitely won’t be my last!

This was really enjoyable especially as a mother. I mean getting your baby kidnapped from you is every mom’s nightmare but I connected with one of the main characters so much! She often brought up the challenges we face as moms and the friendships and relationships we lose when becoming a mom , my heart was so sad at this!

This was definitely a thrill of a ride and had some jaw dropping moments , I’d totally recommend this if in the mood for a quick paced thriller mystery ! 🖤

I enjoyed this one! It's for sure a filler read if you so happen to be in a slump. I think here my problem was Billie being a "JUST DO THE RIGHT THING" character and they wouldn't so it just turned me off from the book. But, besides that I loved the twists and turns and just hoped for everyone to be happy at the end.

A caddy girl, who dreams of riches, leaves her best fried behind when she lands the lifestyle of her dreams. This story alternates jumping between the past and the present as we learn of Bille and Cassie's friendship. Through glimpses into their life, we understand "why" they've grown apart only to be brought back together over an incident with Cassie's new baby.

This suspenseful story reads as rich people behaving badly, and the consequences of poor decisions. Lovering also tells the story of two friends, both fierce and smart capable women, who make different choices about motherhood. Lovering also touches on grief, loneliness and lifestyle choices.

This novel is angsty, riveting, page-turner. Lovering's novel continue to be some of my favorite reads, and look forward to future works.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press

I got 14% into this story and unfortunately hated every character. Cassidy was obnoxious and Billie was whiny. I didn't care what happened between them nor what led to the kidnapping.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and MacMillan audio for the gifted audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Multiple POV, past and present timelines, missing child, rough pasts

I liked it but I wish it was darker. I expected more thrills. It reads as if it will be an intense thriller but ends up being a light read. It kept my attention, and I wanted to know what happened next. The story is good but not what I expected.

Two friends, Cassie and Billie, grew up together. Cassie had dreams of capture the wealthy lifestyle denied her after her father spent their family money. Billie was merely trying to get out of her house where her stepfather was unkind and abused her. Years later, they are in NYC and have drifted apart - Cassie has married an incredibly rich man and Billie is still struggling. Cassie has outgrown Billie and Billie continues to long for Cassie's presence in her life. They come back together after Cassie's baby is kidnapped.

Interesting and complex relationships.

This book!! Aaahhh!! So good! It’s about 2 female “best friends” who live completely separate lives but have a sort of tortured past that keeps them connected. Billie and Cassie have known each other since middle school and were extremely close until Cassie began dating a very wealthy man. I loved both women, in their own ways! This had so many twists and it had my mind spiraling! Absolutely loved it! It comes out in March so be on the lookout! #CarolaLovering #NetGalley #ByeBaby #GreatRead #fivestars #booknerd #bestfriends #HighlyRecommend

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press for granting access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

I decided to request Bye, Baby because it was on Goodread's list of most anticipated books for this year (2024). The plot also sounded interesting to me.

I found myself having very conflicting thoughts about this book. I loved it (it was unputdownable), but I also hated it somehow!? I am going to attempt to review this book without giving away too many spoilers.

I am not going to lie. I hated all the characters in this book. I am not sure why but I felt more connected to Billie than Cassie (maybe because I am not wealthy), however even if did sympathize with her, I still believe that she had no right to take the baby. And as much as I thought the women were annoying and self-centered, I thought some of the male characters in this book were a**holes. The interesting thing is that usually when I don't like any characters in a book, I don't finish that book. However, this book was very addicting and I just *had to* find out how the book ended. It is my opinion that this book is basically the equivalent of trashy reality TV but in written form. It is purely a guilty pleasure. I was thinking when I read the plot of this book, it would be a five-star read for me. However, because I didn't like the characters, and I also was put off by some of the plot (check your trigger warnings!), this brought down my star rating. However, because I found this book addicting enough to finish in one day, I am not rating it one star.

In my opinion, this book gets 5 stars for the addicting plot, but the characters only get like two stars. I also don't think the reason for the kidnapping was very well executed. That part didn't make sense to me. As stated, I was not comfortable with certain subplots, so that also brought this book rating down for me. I think if I had known about the subplots I may not have requested this book. However, I just skipped through these parts. The ending was also depressing to me (but that might be because I love to read happy-go-lucky romance novels).

Somehow, even if I didn't like the characters or parts of the plot, I still did not hate this book. And I believe that shows what a good writer Carola Lovering is. I would definitely read another book by her in the future, because of how addicting this book was, however, I would like to know more about the plotlines before doing so. The fact that I couldn't put this down and finished it one day still says something.

All and all I would probably rate this book somewhere between 3-4 stars.

I am curious...does anyone have similar opinions about this book?

This book will be released on March 5th, 2024.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

For starters I never considered not finishing this book. I was interested in the characters (even if a lot of them weren’t likeable) and the overall story. BUT I wouldn’t really consider this a mystery or thriller. There is a little bit of mystery, but it’s resolved to the reader very quickly and I kept waiting for another twist. This to me was a story of dealing with trauma and the complex relationships between childhood friends as their lives change. I think going into it expecting mystery/thriller threw me off as I kept trying to figure out how the obvious outcome was going to get twisted, and then the obvious outcome is the outcome. I enjoyed the writing style and would definitely pick up another book by Carola Lovering.

Carola Lovering hit this book out of the ballpark! I loved the writing and the characters, it really was interesting to read this storyline. I thought the drama and suspense made up a great part of it and it really made the book interesting.

This is my first book by Carola Lovering and it was an enjoyable read. The book is about two lifelong friends Billie and Cassie and the secrets friends keep that can drive them apart. Billie is a single woman with no children trying to make the best of her life. Cassie is a young wealthy mother gaining strength as an influencer. Billie is obsessed with Cassie. She can't go a few hours without checking into Cassie's Instagram feed to see her lovely life. The story is told from their two perspectives. It is a character based story that centers around an event in their lives they are trying to overcome. Billie does something shocking but will their friendship survive?
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the advance readers copy.

Friends forever and then no more.

What happened?

We follow Billie and Cassie from their teenage years to adulthood.

Cassie is an Instagram star married to a wealthy man, and Billie flies around the world planning vacations for clients.

They haven't spoken for a while, but Billie misses her childhood friend.

The opening chapter has Billie with Cassie's baby - she had kidnapped the baby. Why? That definitely kept me reading.

I wanted to find out the reason why and what the kidnapping was for and what the non-revealed secret was that popped up from Cassie’s past.

But, BYE, BABY was not the thriller I was expecting but got good around 50% as things are revealed.

It was more about the lives of the characters and petty disagreements.

I enjoyed Ms. Lovering's other books and was disappointed in this book until half way, but it was worth the wait.

My original rating was a 3/5, but have raised it to 4/5 after all the revelations and the great ending.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Obsession and wanting to be someone you aren't are the main focal points of this book. This is not quite a thriller but it still has great merit. I recommend this for people who want a creepy friend vibe story.

The bonds of friendship bind Billie and Cassie together, and have since high school. Over the years they've shared everything, even childhood trauma and a potentially life altering split second decision. This has only drawn them closer and increased their loyalty to one another... or has it?

Cassie, always reaching to achieve the old money and status it brings, drifts away from her lifelong friend Billie. Marrying into money (lots of it!) and becoming an influencer, entrepreneur, and mom has changed her and allowed her to bury her past.

Billie, with a history of toxic relationships and emotional trauma, is so incredibly hurt by Cassie's retreat. One split second decision changes everything. And things become worse when it's covered up like secrets of the past. Will the love and loyalty of their past save their relationship or tear them apart for good?

ARC copy provided courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

This book contains violence and sexual abuse/harassment. The sexual abuse is between a guardian (non-blood related) and a teenager (18). The abuse depicted is fairly graphic. There are also scenes that describe emotional abuse, loss of a parent, blood, some sex, and kidnapping of a baby.

I'm beginning to think thrillers maybe just aren't for me. Or maybe I'm just really not vibing with these authors. This is another book where I just really don't like most of the characters.

The book starts with Billie having just "kidnapped" Cassie's baby. The book then moves on to tell the tale from the beginning with Billie and Cassie both narrating. There are also passages from the past that are interspersed throughout that inform Cassie's and Billie's friendship from the past.

Y'all, this book is so messy to me. Let's start by saying this: Cassie is almost never a good friend to Billie. She consistently alienates her from other people much like an abusive partner. Cassie is always vapid, and every action she takes is in her own self-interest. She takes no time to understand Billie's emotions or desires. When Billie is honest about not wanting to have kids, Cassie is not only not supportive but essentially cuts Billie out of her life because she has a baby and rich friends. Billie experiences real trauma in her life, and while Cassie does step up, she never seems to actually help Billie process.

As adults, Cassie is happy to just push Billie out of the picture. Billie isn't rich, doesn't come from old money, and isn't a mom. I get that part of the book is to show that friendships run courses and what toxic friendships look like, but I just didn't find that Cassie had a single redeeming quality. Not that Billie was a saint, but I just hated the dichotomy. It reminds me of 90s movies where the hot jock (Cassie) elevates the nerd girl (Billie) by taking her ponytail down and removing her glasses. I just didn't like it.

This book was an easy, quick read, but the characters weren't great, and I just didn't love the main plot.

Visit my blog for a full review with spoilers.