This was addicting and actually I thought it was super relatable. I thought the author depicted mid 30s female friendship well. Where you have the one friend with a baby, the other who doesn’t want children, and the distance that grows because of different lifestyles. I was immersed in Cassie and Billie’s friendship. I hated Cassie as a person, but loooved Billie and was rooting for her the whole time. Especially with Alex hehe but was Billie an idiot about not speaking up about “kidnapping” Cassie’s baby? Absolutely lol

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Title: Bye Baby
Author: Carola Lovering
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️'s

Carola Lovering's "Bye Baby" delves into the intricate layers of the toxic friendship between Cassie and Billie, childhood best friends whose bond is shattered by a pivotal event.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dual POVs and the skillful alternation between past and present, offering a profound exploration of Cassie and Billie's complex relationship. I love the author’s writing style creating strong bold characters that are mostly likable & most relatable. Add in the smooth flow of the storyline and it’s a winner for me!
While the ending was tied up nicely I found myself wishing for a bit more depth and nuance. Maybe this will pave the way for a sequel!!!

I highly recommend this novel to those readers that are intrigued by toxic friendships, suspense drama and a touch social media.

Overall this was a compelling read that held me captive from start to finish. Carola Lovering's storytelling prowess continues to impress, making her an automatic must-read author for me. Special thanks to #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress, and #CarolaLovering for the Advanced Copy. This book was a joy to experience, and all opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #carolalovering #StMartinsPress

𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨💫

ʙʏᴇ, ʙᴀʙʏ
ᴄᴀʀᴏʟᴀ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ
sᴛ. ᴍᴀʀᴛɪɴs ᴘʀᴇss
ᴘᴜʙ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ: ᴍᴀʀᴄʜ 𝟻, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
✩✩✩✩✩

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone has had a relaxing weekend with lots of reading time!

I’ve always enjoyed author @carolatlovering’s books but I absolutely LOVED her newest upcoming thriller 𝐵𝑦𝑒, 𝐵𝑎𝑏𝑦. This is easily my favorite book by her, the story was so captivating and I was handcuffed to the pages!

The plot consists of topics surrounding motherhood, toxic friendships, child/sexual abuse, social media influencer lifestyle, murder. The author did such a good job tying all these topics into a twisted, jaw dropping story. On top of an addictive plot, I loved unreliable main character Billie.

100% reccomend! This is more of a light thriller but it’s still super twisty. Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the early copy. Put this on your TBR, you do not want to miss this one- out March 2024. ✨SYNOPSIS in comments!
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#byebaby#carolalovering#netgalley
#stmartinspress#bookreview#booksta
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A popcorn thriller with characters you'll love to hate. This thriller plays on the dark side of the influencer world and will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

*I received an advance copy from NetGalley.

"Bye, Baby" is unlike any mystery/thriller I've read before. I feel like most of the thrillers I've read are set in a different location, not someone's home, and not filled with so many real-life elements. Billie and Cassie have a complicated relationship, one we learn more and more about as the book goes on. Throughout the whole book, my feelings kept yo-yo-ing back and forth about each of these main characters in different ways. The summary of the book that you'll find everywhere already spoils how the book starts out — Billie (accidentally?) temporarily kidnaps Cassie's child. I won't tell you how she gets there (or how things work out, of course), but man, do they have a weird relationship. Reflecting back on how I felt while reading "Bye, Baby," I think the overwhelming emotion that comes up is "uneasy." All in all, this book didn't blow my mind, but it sure was intriguing.

If you’re looking for a book that gives some in depth look into female relationships, then this book is for you. If you’re wanting an edge of your seat thriller- then not so much. That prologue started off so great. It was all downhill from there. It was written well, and I wasn’t bored- it just wasn’t the book I was expecting.

When I read Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering, I knew she would become an automatic buy author for me.
So you won't be surprised when I tell you that when I started Bye, Baby - I was entranced right from the start! This is a story comprised of friends, secrets, lies and an eventful night that changes lives.

Here's a bit of the synopsis:
Cassie and Billie, Billie and Cassie - their names just go together, they are that close! They have grown up together, but in high school, they face a traumatic event that slowly tore them apart. Now Cassie is married with a baby, a substantial social media following, and a clothing store. She is living in the moment and planning for her future. Billie is single and still thinks about the loss of her friendship with Cassie. So much so, Billie is bordering on obsession.

I love how this story is told from both ladies perspectives. Carola Lovering does a masterful job of moving through two timelines, two POV's, and keeping you engaged! There were times I could feel for both Cassie and Billie and there were times I felt both of them needed some therapeutic help!

This a well written book. I found myself not able to put my Kindle down and it really made me thing about friendships and betrayal and how I would react if I were in the character's shoes.

This book is set to release on March 5. 2024. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to preview Bye, Baby!

3.5★ There is just something about Carola Lovering’s writing style that hooks you in and makes you fly through the pages. While this one was more character/friendship study and less suspense, I was still equally engaged throughout. I love the exploration of toxic friendships and the role social media plays in shaping our lives. While the characters are not all likable, they *are* very well developed and I found myself invested in the outcome.

My only criticism is that this book seems to be marketed more as a thriller with the inclusion of the “missing baby” teaser, however, this is not at all a thriller and going in with that expectation may lead to disappointment. It is more of a slow burn domestic suspense that is more character driven than plot driven. All in all thought, this is still one heck of an entertaining read, as her books always are, and I cannot wait for her next one.

‼️There are views on motherhood that may be triggering to some. DM for info.

Read if you like:
•literary suspense
•domestic drama
•character driven stories
•dual timeline and pov
•bingy reads

Thank you {partners} St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copies.

**4.5 stars!**

I finished this book within the span of a couple hours last night! Learning about the twisted, toxic friendship between our two main characters was like watching a train wreck: I wanted to look away but I couldn't. Both characters were incredibly fleshed out, and I found myself waffling over who to "support" as the plot built up to its climax. The only thing I wish I got more of was, well....the story! The ending seemed to wrap itself up neatly and I found myself slightly disappointed that the conflict resolved just like that. I will definitely be looking forward to more works from this author, though!!

This was a slow building, drama filled with semi-satisfying events kind of book. We get to experience the past and present friendship/lives of the two main characters (Billie and Cassie). Billie tugged on my heart strings one minute…the next I wanted to bang my head against a wall. She was exhausting!

Overall, there were surprises from start to finish. Each character had so much going on (dare I say they were complex) and co-mingled with offset perceptions of each other.

I’d recommend and would re-read with audio narration.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted ARC…as all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book as I have with all of Carola's other ones. This book shows the test of friendship when other are pushed to the limits.

This book is billed as a thriller, but I absolutely wouldn't call it that. It's not even a mystery. There's nothing mysterious to be found in this book. Instead, we get two women who are connected through their childhood friendship and childhood trauma. They've grown into different people and grown apart. The story switches between their perspectives and each chapter begins by telling you which of the two women's POV it is. Unfortunately, even with the audiobook reader trying to switch voices to differentiate them, these two both sounded the same. They're whiny, self-absorbed, and, frankly, they're kind of boring stereotypes: one is a gold-digger trying to get back to the wealth her family once had and the other is the unfortunate result of unprocessed childhood trauma in varying forms.

Notable trigger warning: on-page sexual assault of a minor.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I was bored most of this book. Nothing super exciting happened. I liked the dual POVs but that’s about it.

Bye, Baby was addictive, engrossing, and profound. I liked so many things about it: the well-drawn characters, the angst of childhood and motherhood, friendship, growing up, letting go… I immediately picked up another book by this author and am currently engrossed in it. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This was a great treat!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC of Bye, Baby! This book about toxic friendships mixed with motherhood elements gripped me from the beginning. I couldn’t decide if I was rooting for the repair or demise of their friendship throughout this story.

There are definitely some disturbing elements sprinkled throughout the book, but overall I was thoroughly entertained. I also can appreciate that the story wrapped up in a nice bow as well. Definitely one to check out!

Cassie and Billie have been friends since they were in grade school. Told in alternating past/present chapters, we hear of the abuse heaped on Billie by her stepfather and how Cassie helped her in that situation, something they will not speak of with anyone else.

Cassie wants a guy with a trust fund and is willing to be friends with friends like that in order to attract the right kind of guy, but it pushes Billie aside, against her wishes, after all, Cassie belongs to her alone.

Billie's life is very different now that she is on the outer fringes of Cassie's life and a situation arises where she does something that will remain unsaid here. The rest of the story is how they both dealt with the aftermath of that action, along with Alex, a love interest for Billie, who is also part of the aftermath.

A good story and worth reading. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I was really into this book as soon as I started it. This is my first book by Carola Lovering and I really enjoyed it. This book is told in the point of view of 2 long time friends who were drawn together by a secret. As life happens they drift apart. A child goes missing and the identity of abductor is kept a secret from the child's family. This book gets you thinking and I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more of Carola's books!

This is the kind of book I need a little time to think about. At times I was all in and attached to the story but other times I was bored. The multiple perspectives was great because it added a level of suspense but I did not enjoy all the flashbacks to the character’s childhood. A lot of the information seemed to interrupt the flow of the book. Regardless, I love Billie and I’m happy Jane and Alex have stuck around for her.

Another great book from Carola Lovering! Not necessarily a thriller in my opinion, but rather a suspenseful read full of juicy secrets and a few good reveals.

The only reason this book is a like (and not a love) is because some of the subject matter was not enjoyable for me personally. Definitely check TW!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this for the right reader who is looking for an entertaining story that dives into themes of toxic friendships, motherhood, and the “perfect” image a person creates of their life online.

I needed this!! I was on the verge of a reading slump and then was approved from NetGalley for this ARC. This is not a mystery/thriller like it’s marketed. If you read Tell Me Lies then this is similar in genre to that. You’ll read about the toxic relationships mainly between friends Cass and Billie as well as other dark relationships the girls are harboring.