3.75 stars

Bye, Baby certainly has some thriller and suspense elements going on in the story but it's also a tale of friendship and motherhood. The relationship between the best friends is really what stood out the most to me.

Billie and Cassie have been friends for over 20 years although lately they aren't as close as they once were. Cassie is married and has a baby while Billie is single and devoted to her career. At the beginning of the story you find out Billie has kidnapped Cassie's kid. So how did it get to this point? Well, you'll get the backstory, trust me.

The book has a good hook to reel you in as I was definitely curious about why Billie had Cassie's kid. The other thing driving my interest in the story is wanting to find out the details about why the friends had drifted apart. Was one person at fault or both? While the book doesn't earn high marks when it comes to specific things I want in the thriller genre, as regular fiction it works pretty well.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC from Carola Lovering. Publication Date: March 5th, 2024. This book is categorized as a Mystery Thriller and it is more a Women’s Fiction so be aware of that when you pick it up. This is a quick read and the author’s writing is beautiful, I will definitely pick up another book from her in the future.
The first half of the book went very fast but I believe the book could’ve been better if it were 100 pages shorter IMO. I have to say the plot is very original, I haven’t read anything similar in the past, I ended up giving this book 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I dont' always love books involving trauma with kids, but this one was more focused on the women/mothers and it was pretty compelling. Some great twists and turn and character development.

The book was fast paced and I did not want to put it down once I started reading. It was told through multi POV and multi timeline. I wouldn’t quiet say this book is a thriller, more of a book about friendship, but it still kept me intrigued nonetheless. My favorite Carola lovering read thus far!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

BYE, BABY ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5. Cassidy and Billie have been friends for decades. As 35 year old women both in NYC their lives now can’t be any different. Cassidy is married, wealthy and a mother. Billie is single, with a semi successful career in the travel industry. Over the years their lives have slowly drifted apart. But when Cassidy’s baby goes missing, she turns to Billie in her time of need. But why is the missing baby in Billie’s arms? I went into this book thinking it was going to be a psychological thriller, it was not that. This book is from 2 POV’s, with 2 timelines. It’s more a book about friendship, loyalties and secrets. As a 35 year old woman who oddly enough came to NYC the same year as the characters I felt a sense of nostalgia that made me like the book more. I enjoyed the book enough to finish but felt it was described as something completely different than what it was.

Man… some parts of this were heavy but I couldn’t put it down. I really loved the ending because I was stressed about Billie what would happen to her. I went back and forth on my feelings towards Billie and towards Cassie; at first I really liked Billie but then obviously thought she might be a little deranged lol and at first I couldn’t stand Cassie but then I felt bad for her… but I understand how both ended up who they were and why they act the way they do. I’d definitely recommend this book and I enjoyed the stress I felt waiting to find out the ending 😂

Thank you Netgallary for the ARC!!
Bye, Baby follows two main characters and their evolving friendship in multiple timelines. Both characters are equally unlikable… but you find yourself rooting for them both.
I was super invested in the story, rooting for both justice, happy endings, and for everyone to get what they want, even when all of these things oppose each other.
The writing was really great, the book was fast paced, and the multi timeline and multi POV was very engaging. A strong 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Bye, Baby!

I have heard a lot of great things about this book and I was not disappointed. It’s a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat (I read it in one sitting in about 3.5 hours!) desperate to find out what happens next! Bye, Baby has duel timelines, well paced twists and turns, and alternating narrators. It’s a very captivating story

Bye, Baby will be released and I look forward to hearing your thoughts too

hank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the electronic ARC of Bye, Baby, author Carola Lovering.

I would not necessarily categorize this book as a thriller but it definitely was suspenseful at times. I was engaged from the very beginning due to the author's excellent descriptive writing. I also enjoyed how the story unfolded with 2 POV's throughout the past and present. This is a story of two friends, Cassie and Billie, and their on and off friendship throughout tragedies and life changing events. I don't want to give a too detailed synopsis because I enjoyed going into this book not knowing what to expect.

I recommend this book and look forward to reading more from Carola Lovering

Bye Baby is a good book, with a horrible protagonist, and a storyline that makes the reader wonder if there can be an ending that feels satisfying. The book is centered around Billie and Cassie and how their relationship has changed over the years. Billie is the same person she’s always been who values the role Cassie played during a difficult time in her life. Cassie constantly laments her father's fall from grace which led to her family leading a middle-class life. The reader will quickly pick up on Cassie’s snobbery in the flashbacks, but it's something Billie overlooks because of their friendship. This becomes a problem for Billie as the two women get older because Cassie has found herself a trust fund brat that elevates her to the class and society she aspires to. She doesn't want to be reminded of her previous life by Billie when she can live in her superficial, shallow world of being an influencer and being concerned about having the latest designer wallpaper in her home. My heart hurt for Billie and everything she had been through in her life, and then not wanting to let a friendship die that she was better off moving on from. When Cassie’s daughter Ella disappears during a party Cassie’s priorities change and suddenly there’s a place for Billie in her world again, but Billie’s keeping a secret from Cassie that could end up severing their relationship forever. I kind of dreaded the ending, because no person should have to deal with their child disappearing, but I really wanted there to be consequences for Cassie for treating the only real friend in her life so badly, and no consequences for Billie for trying to keep a friendship alive that had meaning for her. If you like thorny storylines, this is definitely a book for you.

I devoured Bye, Baby - like I have with the other 3 novels by Carola Lovering. I was excited to read this one that dealt with female friendship.

Bye, Baby tells the story of Billie and Cassie, childhood best friends who have navigated different chapters of life together. As they’ve developed into grown women, their bond has shifted. Cassie married into old money, has become a mom, and flaunts her life on Instagram by the hour while distancing herself from Billie and what she represents. Billie is single and thriving in her career, desperately wishing for the closeness she and Cassie used to have.

Cassie’s baby, Ella, goes missing during Cassie’s over-the-top and suddenly the one person she needs and wants in her life is Billie.

The dual POV and flashback telling of this story reveals their characters piece by piece, and unearths secrets between the two friends every step of the way.

Carola Lovering has a way of writing characters that are multilayered and compelling. She describes emotions and relationship dynamics that are often difficult for other authors to grasp.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this ARC and will immediately get anything written by Carola Lovering. Thank for the advanced copy — I’ll be recommending this book for a long time!

Super fast page turner! Not only does this book give alternating perspectives, it shifts between time frames as well. Billie and Cassie are lifelong friends who find themselves going their own ways. Is it just a natural course of maturing or did something happen to drive them apart? Does any of this explain why Billie betrays Cassie so deeply in the present day?

I loved Ms. Lovering’s exploration of friendship between 30 something women and all of its ups and downs, because unfortunately it is not always roses and sunshine. Friendships can be very difficult, and shared history is both a blessing and an anchor at times.

That said, I hated both of the main women, which is fine because the tension made it easy to cheer for both depending on the chapter. The ending also felt a bit rushed and too neatly closed once the secret was revealed to all parties.

All in all, I still had a great time reading this and look forward to her other books!

Thank you to Netgallery for giving me an early release copy of Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering. This book will be released on March Fifth of 2024.

Bye, Baby has an interesting summary but unfortunately I don’t have much good to say about this book. I liked the dual perspectives between our two main characters, it was nice to see what they were feeling around the time of certain events. The flash back sequences were also a nice little add in. The love interest for Billie I didn’t mind and while there is sexual scenes in Bye, Baby I appreciated that it wasn’t full on graphic sex. This book main characters along with others characters relationship/friendships do have toxic themes. I had gone into this thinking the amount of toxicity would make this unbearable to read but Carola Lovering writes in a way that is not overbearing nor hard to read.

While this book did hold my interest enough to keep reading there isn’t anything in particular that makes this book stand out to me. The book felt unnecessary long, a lot of drama and relationship issues between characters but all in all the thrilling scenes just weren’t enough for me. There is something else I wasn’t a fan of involved but I think talking about it might involve a spoiler.

This book is billed as a mystery/thriller, but it’s more women’s fiction. Cassie and Billie were best friends or a long time when they were children, and they shared a secret about Billie’s stepfather. Cassie becomes an influencer and basically cuts Billie out of her life. Billie is still rather obsessed with Cassie and doesn’t understand why Cassie did what she did. When Cassie’s baby disappears for a few hours during a party, Billie is the first person she wants to call, and they go back to spending all their time together. But Billie has a secret about the disappearance, and it’s only a matter of time until it comes out. When the baby disappears halfway through the book, it happens in an unbelievable manner, and I just about put the book down then. But I wanted to see how it was all resolved. The ending, however, was both far-fetched and unsatisfying. Many thanks for NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ms. Lovering for the ARC of this title.

A decent popcorn thriller with zero suspense. I did enjoy the nuances of a toxic woman friendship. A lot of the plot points were predictable and unnecessary. Trigger warning of predator, rape, and sa

It’s a fast read and enjoyable.

This book had me almost immediately hooked!! I had to know how this story was going to play out.

Many scenarios were going thru my head!

I can’t say I didn’t like this book bc I did enjoy it, but I found the ending to be a bit anti climatic

I’ll def be checking out Carola Lovering for her future books!

When I first read the description for this book, I was immediately intrigued by the storyline. I have been more drawn to thrillers lately and this novel was refreshing; anything but simple, women's fiction.

You are introduced to Billie and Cassie, who have an extremely complicated relationship that unfolds through differing perspectives and flashbacks from Billie's perspective of their past. As the description states, Billie kidnaps Cassie's baby but the question is why? This book very aptly draws on how women's friendships can change over time, for various reasons, and how your life can seemingly, suddenly, be very different from what you imagined. New York wealth, motherhood, friendship, romance, and secrets... Is everyone capable of mending relationships? Maybe the better question is: does everyone deserve forgiveness or are there unforgivable things in life?

This description stated this book was suspenseful, and I wouldn't use that word to describe it. However, it was very well written and I found myself not wanting to stop reading. When I read a book, I base my reviews on several factors: overall writing, character development, believability of the events, and whether or not I would recommend this book to others. This is a book that I definitely recommend; just don't go into thinking it will be suspenseful if you are an avid thriller fan.

The storyline had promise but hit the unbelievable stage several times, and honestly I didn't resonate with any character or find the two main characters particularly likeable. This was a tough one for me to invest time in to complete.

Deeply rooted trauma and toxic friendships have never been so entertaining as in this twisted and surprising tale. This story went in directions I didn’t expect and kept me in turns engaged and appalled all throughout. Even the kidnapping was handled in an unusual way- and what a feat to inspire the reader to feel more empathy for the perpetrator than the mother. I appreciated this fresh take on the genre and couldn’t put this story down.

Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Carola Lovering, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was not what I was expecting it to be. I think the journey of finding your place in a friendship is an interesting idea, but the codependency and the holding on to each other just to keep your secrets close to be a bit disturbing. I know there are friends out there that have this type of relationship, but I hope they can find friends that they can build a healthier relationship with. I was just disappointed from the description to the actual storyline. I would struggle to say that this story is suspenseful. There is sadly very little suspense. Everything for the most part is very out in the open. Especially with having the story be told from Cassie and Billie’s perspectives. Overall, this is a book that I personally could take or leave.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.