I LOVE Carola Lovering. I will truly read anything she writes and I’m just obsessed with her books. Nothing will ever top Tell Me Lies for me but I have always enjoyed each book she’s written.

Bye, Baby was another great read full of mystery, intrigue, pain and hope. There were two POVs and multiple timelines, so you really need to pay attention to what’s going on otherwise you’ll miss key moments happening in the present timeline.

I do feel like there’s one very small thing that never got resolved. Technically it did but I just assumed more would come from it?? So that’s a me issue but I wanted a bit more. I don’t love when endings of thrillers are tied up with a nice little bow, and this story was absolutely closed up so we didn’t have any more questions.

Read if you like:
🤔 thrillers where you don’t have to guess whodunit
🤞🏼 complicated friendships
🤳 social media
🎁 perfectly wrapped up endings

TW: there’s some pretty intense on-page rape scenes. Proceed with caution

A missing baby. A fraught friendship. A secret that can never be told.

On a brisk fall night in a New York apartment, 35-year-old Billie West hears terrified screams. It’s her lifelong best friend Cassie Barnwell, one floor above, and she’s just realized her infant daughter has gone missing. Billie is shaken as she looks down into her own arms to see the baby, remembering—with a jolt of fear—that she is responsible for the kidnapping that has instantly shattered Cassie’s world.

We all have friends we’ve grown apart from. What if you have a friend who just won’t let go? Billie and Cassie were best friends growing up until Cassie began pulling away and moving towards a different (rich) lifestyle. I found her to be very unlikeable, and left wondering why Billie just couldn’t move on.

Then you learn about their secret.

Billie tries so hard to keep her place in Cassie’s life. Then Billie finds herself in an impossible situation that left me wide eyed wondering how she was going to find her way out. Two friends who are toxic to each other - would make for a great book club discussion!

My first Carola Lovering novel and the prologue completely sucked me in! The toxic relationship between Billie and Cassie had me craving for more and more. Looking forward to reading all of her other books. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Carola Lovering delivers a fresh, fast-paced story on women's friendships and the ways that they, and the women themselves, can change, often in the most unexpected ways. She asks the question, What do we owe to ourselves and each other, and when is that debt paid? Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this eARC.

I devoured this book. I have read all of her books. Carola sucks you in from the beginning with her descriptions of characters that you feel as if they are your own friends. Billie and Cassie have a deep friendship that stems from childhood trauma. Cassie is always looking for the next best thing, and Billie is happy doing whatever Cassie wants. Their friendship is fractured way before Ella goes missing. Carola does an amazing transitioning between past and present keeping the reader engaged an interested. She touches on the reality of new motherhood and the stress of keeping old friendships that are in different stages of life. Billie did a terrible thing, but you feel for her and want her to end up winning at the end. I have been looking forward to reading this book since last year and it did not disappoint.

📕Cassie… I don’t know if I would want to be friends with her after her “transformation” even if she did what she did. She sounded shallow. She was a wanna be influencer using husband’s money and connections. She should have been more but she wanted to be an arm candy. There are things people do for survival but did she need to “survive”?
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📗Billie… girl, I understand. When you found a friend who understands you and does anything for you, you held onto to her for your dear life. But maybe remove that pink sunnies because your “friend” only talked to you when she needed you. She paid attention to you only when she thought past might come out of her cracks
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📘I’m mad at both women. I’m mad at them for trying so hard to fit in. Normalize being an outsider. Normalize owning your personality. Normalize having friends and connections with all walks of life. Or go have a party at your Gramercy apartment and be shallow

Unputdownable domestic thriller about what happens when two best friends follow different life paths. Billie and Cassie are childhood best friends who have grown apart since the birth of Cassie's daughter. One of them doesn't want to keep the friendship going, but the other can't accept it. Toxic friendships, romance, kidnapping, this book has it all and I loved the way the drama unfolded. I look forward to checking out more books by this author!

3.5 🌟 rounded up. It seemed like a lot of build up but not much to come of it. Realizing the beginning scene happens halfway thru the book was weird because I didn’t know how much else could happen.

I absolutely hated Cassie and how Billie held onto her for so long - but I loved the trauma bond that kept them together. It made sense why Cassie pushed her away as well, it just made me hate her more. But any author that can do that and make me hate someone that much - excellent!

Definitely an easy read - I loved the dysfunctional friendship - that is what kept me interested! The story overall was a good one and the flashback portions were my favorite to read. I just wanted more drama in the end 🎭

I thought it was intriguing, and I genuinely enjoyed the twists, plus I really do think this is worth reading if you enjoy thrillers or suspenseful novels tinged with women fiction.

This book intrigued me from the beginning based on the two main characters pasts but the present day storyline fell flat for me

Classic Carola Lovering. Was overjoyed to get my hands on this and it lived up to my expectations. Toxic female friendships that somehow felt all too relatable, plus influencers was a winning combination.

This was my first book of this author's and I was really impressed. I was hooked immediately and was constantly battling if Billie was going to tell Cassie the truth. I thought the way that it played out in the end was really well done. I thought it was plausible and was really happy with how it ended. I read the whole thing today and just loved it! 5 stars for me!

For reasons that I can't explain, I simply could not put this book down. It's listed in the category of mystery and thriller, but deals more with toxic female friendships. The POV alternates between two friends, Billie and Cassie. It also alternates between the present and the past. The past gives us a glimpse into their childhood and a secret that binds them together. Present day Billie is basically obsessed with Cassie. Cassie married into money and is trying to separate herself from Billie and her past. Plus she has new friends to impress. Bye, Baby had me intrigued from the prologue. I needed to find out what happened and why. This one is definitely a page turner and I would recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story pulled me in from the beginning. Loved the history behind Billy and Cassie’s relationship. This was a page turner for me that I couldn’t put down. After it was over I was still thinking about this story and characters!

Bye, Baby seemed to be a thriller but it reads more like a suspense/mystery. I hated all the characters but they did make an interesting story.

I was hooked immediately on page 1 which is why this author a favorite of mine. The story takes place in NYC about two best friends who are from the same small town. Cassie starts to outgrow Billie but they are connected forever because of an incident from high school. The chapters are told from the different points of view of Cassie and Billie which is probably why the characters are so well developed. This is one of those stories that stay with you long after you're finished. I'm so grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity for an early copy.

One thing about Carola Lovering's books, you are guaranteed to have a character that's unlikeable, some toxic relationships, and a story that is a complete mindf*ck. This book had all three.

Told in dual POV, with flashbacks thrown in, the story follows two friends, Billie and Cassie. I found myself going back and forth between the characters trying to decide which side to be on. As the story progressed, I found myself not liking how superficial and shallow Cassie was, and how much of a doormat Billie was. You come to understand the reasoning behind Billie's behavior towards Cassie, but I just wanted her to stand up for herself and call Cassie out on her BS.

Overall I would give the book a 3.5 -- it did hold my interest for a bit and I had anxiety trying to figure out how everything was going to unfold. However, towards the end I felt like it dragged a bit and was a lot of the same dialogue surrounding Cassie's trauma. I would suggest ignoring the blurb, as it does give some clues away. Just go in blind, knowing drama will ensue.

Thanks to NetGalley and SMP for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Billie and Cassie met in the 7th grade and became best friends, claiming their friendship would last forever. This friendship grew stronger through many years, but 23 years later, they were estranged. Cassie was married, had a baby and was moving on with her life. Billie was single and clinging to her memory of their past. Cassie’s daughter was kidnapped for a few hours and she turned to Billie in her grief and fears, renewing their previous bond. Some things aren’t destined to last forever.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press

Bye, Baby melted my heart. I absolutely loved this story. The narration is rich, enhancing an incredible plot. Billie and Cassie have been through it! I loved getting the backstory on their relationship and the events that framed their future. The character development and pace are on point. There is so much to love about this story of female relationships.


I highly recommend you read or listen to this book. Both are unmissable experiences.

This book is a great read - different than I expected, but in a great way. Really unpacks the complex dynamics of a (toxic) friendship. Beautifully written!