I hated Cassie in the beginning. She is insufferable. She is so stuck on her image and she's just over all annoying. Plus the way she treats Billie is horrible. I don't know why Billie keeps trying with her.
Then something really toxic happens and they rebond.
I love Billie's complicated new relationship with Alex.

Thank you, St Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of Bye, Baby.

While interesting, this wasn’t the gripping story I thought it would be. The character development was a bit lacking. The plot was predictable. Enjoyed the story but nothing to really write home about.

What happens when you grow apart from your best friend? The one person who holds all of your secrets but moves on from you? Do you just let it be or do anything and everything in your power to hold onto that friendship and her?

Billie and Cassie had been best friends since they were very young, but circumstances and life led them to drift apart. Billie seems to be content with her life but thrives on Cassie's every move, while Cassie has seemingly moved on from that friendship and has married and become a mother.

Cassie feels indebted to Billie because of a secret that they both kept from many years before - not because of a true bond.

But when Cassie, now in her 30s, experiences a traumatic event, the only person she can even think of who would comfort her is none other than Billie. And this is just what Billie needs and wants.

However, Cassie doesn't realize that Billie holds an even bigger secret, a secret that can ruin and break their bond forever.

I don't think this book was a mystery or a thriller but it was a good book that kept me entertained. I do believe that there were too many storylines and themes that just made the book even longer when it would have been perfectly fine without all of the extra content.

Thanks to St. Martins Press, NetGalley, and author Carola Lovering for this ARC to honestly review.

3.5 stars. Billie and Cassie have been best friends forever, but recently Cassie has been pulling away. Billie is dying to win her back, but her desperation just seems to push Cassie even further into her new sphere of superficial wealthy friends. When tragedy strikes, Cassie clings to Billie, who's hiding a secret that could destroy their friendship forever.

This is a very "Carola Lovering" book. If you've read any of her other novels, you'll know exactly what I mean — toxic female friendships, unlikable characters, gray morality all around, slow-burning suspense. Check. Billie and Cassie are both pretty terrible? Which is fine, because the plot sort of hinges on their demented co-dependent relationship.

I was drawn into the story quickly, but started to tire of the same points being re-hashed without a lot of plot development. I think this one is perfect for readers who enjoy a sustained suspense vibe, but for me it didn't quite hit the spot — I prefer twistier thrillers overall.

Thank you to Carola Lovering, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

Absolutely loved this. I raced through it. I wanted to know what was going to happen and these two were toxic. Like they both had issues but i still really rooted for the main character. Her friend tho. Hella unlikable but it was purposeful so it didn’t change my liking of the book. And while she was an unlikable character, she had redeemable qualities. I understood her at many points. Being a mom and her husband and wanting certain things and being blinded by others. The ending wrapped up really well and in a way that i was happy with.

4.5 stars

A toxic female friendship between two morally grey characters-- sounds right up my alley! I always enjoy reading Lovering's books because they female relationships are equal parts relatable and totally twisted, and Bye, Baby was no exception. I particularly enjoyed the shifting between past and present timelines, as it added richness to both Billie's and Cassie's characters. Sometimes I don’t care for the influencer storyline, but Lovering did a good job with it where it didn't feel too over the top. If you've enjoyed Lovering's previous books, you'll surely enjoy this one too!

It's not really a psychological thriller like I thought I was getting into. It's kind of a story about friendship and life choices. It was good but I was bored after awhile with all the drama. The dual time kept the book interesting. I wasn't really a fan of either Billie or Cassie more so Cassie. She just gave off the all about me vibe.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Felt like the book could have been shorter, a bit drawn out at times. Liked it but didn’t love it. Audio book was well narrated.

Bye, Baby is a dark exploration of childhood friendships, obsession, and the aftermath of lost connections.

Billie and Cassie were thick as thieves growing up, but after they graduated college, their lives headed in separate directions, and even though Billie still wanted to maintain their relationship, Cassie started pulling away. But after what they went through together as teens, Billie can't understand how Cassie could cut herself away from Billie so easily. The more Billie tries to keep their relationship alive, the farther Cassie pulls away, until one night, circumstances converge and Billie ends up holding Cassie's baby in her arms while Cassie's screams fill the air when she finds her baby missing.

Told in alternating perspectives, Bye, Baby is a slow burn look at the way toxic friendships can slowly tear us apart. I feel like this shouldn't have been billed as a thriller or mystery, so make sure you go into it with the mindset of reading a friendship drama, and you won't be disappointed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for the free book in exchange for my honest review.

I was very surprised by how much I loved this story! This is my first novel by this author and it will not be my last. I absolutely devoured this and highly recommend it!!!

Billy and Cassie are best friends since the summer before 7th grade. They have grown up together in dysfunctional homes and ventured out into the world post college as roommates in NYC. Billy finds a passion for travel and has issues in relationships. Cassie is a gold digger looking for a man that can support her in the style she wants to be accustomed to. Despite each woman desiring different paths, they maintain their friendship, that is until Cassie marries her super wealthy catch and starts becoming one of the 'family'. Feeling discarded, Billy makes an irrational decision one night that ends up terminating their relationship for good.

Told in alternating perspectives and also alternating timelines, this is a fantastic, suspenseful story that delves into women's choices, their relationships, and how childhood trauma is not easily shaken.

Highly recommend!!

Warning this is a hard book to put down, you need to know how each of the events are going to turn out, and yes there there are answers forthcoming, and maybe not how you want or expected.
This page turner starts out with two junior high girls, Billie and Cassie, and the soon become fast friends, until!
This is a fast pace read, told from both girls/women's point of view, and you will soon be pulled into their lives.
Highly recommend this, if you like thrillers, this is the one! We are there for the outcome and consequences!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

(Thanks be to Netgalley for the advanced copy).

Two childhood friends revisit their tumultuous and life-altering relationship and how the decisions they've made have irrevocably shaped one another's lives.

Lovering seems to have this writing format: lure people in, slow down pace, create an implausible conflict, switch her novel on its head for part two, slow down pace, wrap everything up in a nice little bow.

I don't hate this style of writing, but I don't love it either. For my domestic thrillers I prefer some more intrigue and sleuthing and really I've found that Lovering's novels don't seem to provide much of a twist.

With that all being said, she knows how to tell a story and create multi-faceted characters that you end up growing attached to. At the end of the day, this was a perfectly fine domestic thriller (though maybe lacking on the thrills) with an extra message that I definitely enjoyed (eg child-free life is a perfectly acceptable choice).

🌟🌟🌟🌟✨ (4.5/5)

Ww“You can’t f@&k up what’s meant for you.”

This is my first book by this author, I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of her work. The audio narration was excellent.

The whole premise is actually pretty silly. A baby is stolen and returned pretty quickly. One stupid decision spirals into way more than it ever needed to be.

Billie & Cassie were besties growing up. They have a secret that binds them together, which you find out around the midway point of the book. Billie is a bit obsessed with Cassie and longs for the friendship they used to have. Cassie is a social media influencer who is rolling in the cash thanks to her wealthy husband bankrolling her every whim.

Billie is a bit “off” but Cassie is so annoyingly pretentious and self-serving. She doesn’t seem to live in the real world. Their relationship is toxic, so unhealthy.

As much as the characters were unlikable at times, they are people I could totally hang out with. It’s a bit complex. So you’ll have to read it for yourself.

This is a story about the love between 2 best friends, a love that dies, but doesn’t disappear.

Picked this book up and hated to put it down.Carola Lovering never fails to write stories that are so involving with female characters that draw you into their lives their friendships.A true page turner with so many twists and turns you will race through the pages.#netgalley #st.martins

Cassie and Billie are childhood friends but have drifted apart. Billie sits in the apartment below Cassie's, listening to the sounds of Cassie's extravagant birthday party she was excluded from. Suddenly, Cassie screams as she realizes that her baby has been abducted. Billie has the baby one floor below.
The story of how things got to this point is told through alternating viewpoints (Cassie and Billie) and time points. Bye, Baby accurately captures the complex and sometimes toxic nature of female friendships. The story moves quickly and is engaging despite not having a lot of surprises or twists. My only complaints are that Cassie was a truly vile person and Billie seemed to constantly get the short end of the stick. The ending was realistic but made me really sad. Overall I enjoyed this one and would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

There is something about Carola Lovering’s (Too Good to Be True, Can’t Look Away, Tell Me Lies) stories and writing that draws me in, but then I’m there, it never hits quite the way I want it. With that being said, I don’t not enjoy reading the stories, I think sometimes they feel too convoluted for me.

The publisher blurb for Bye, Baby reads:

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.

With this blurb in mind, I thought there would be more mystery involved, but what it ended up being was a deep reflection on friendships - how they change, drift apart, and sometimes are forced back together. Billie and Cassie’s friendship made me uneasy, which led to tension throughout the entire novel.

Unfortunately, in the end, the tension was never fully released. It was like being an awkward third party to a bad relationship and wishing you would’ve excluded yourself a lot sooner.

I loved Lovering’s last novel, Can’t Look Away, so I was super interested in giving this one a shot.

The book opens with Billie listening to a commotion upstairs, where her friend Cassie has discovered her child is missing. During the chaos, she eventually says that Billie is the person she needs to see. It is then when Billie realizes that she is holding Cassie’s missing baby.

From there, the story goes backwards, giving the reader some background into Cassie and Billie’s relationship over the last few months, with bits of their shared history from school interspersed as well. At about halfway through the book comes the night of the kidnapping and the aftermath to both Billie and Cassie.

This book is marketed as a thriller, but to me, it’s more of a character study. Sure, there is the suspense of wondering if Cassie will find out what has happened, and their shared past has little plot reveals that take the reader by surprise, but it’s the development of the friendship and the disintegration of it that is impactful. Interestingly, I didn’t care for either of the two main characters. Billie is needy and obsessive and kind of annoying, and Cassie is a shallow gold digger who cares more about appearances than anything else. But still, the story hooked me and kept me reading to a satisfying end.

I really like Lovering’s ability to create a dramatic story and to devote time to her characters and have them move the plot along. This was a really good read!

I feel like I've read this storyline over and over again. It was good and fast passed, but kind of a mish-mosh of plots from other books

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me on my toes the whole time. I’ve already recommended it to my fellow book-loving coworkers!

Cassie & Billie were inseparable as kids- the best of friends through good times and trauma. Then, as they navigate their twenties, Cassie finds a new group of high society friends through her old money rich fiancée and leaves Billie in the dust. Growing simultaneously frustrated with and jealous of her old friend, Billie follows Cassie's new life on Instagram until a frightening incident forces Cassie to call Billie for help. Beginning with a missing infant and told through the girl's alternating perspectives, this one was a pretty quick read for fans of friend drama, growing pains and dark secrets.

I love this author but truly struggled with this one. For a story that starts with a missing infant, it drags so much after that. Neither of these main characters are even vaguely likable or sympathetic, which I guess is intentional to a certain extent, but Cassie is such a phony gold digger it's irritating to be inside her head and Billie is creepy in her obsession with Cassie. They're both downright cringey. You can't help but be embarrassed for both of them constantly. I wanted to shake them both and tell them to get a grip. Truly the only characters I liked in this book were Alex and Jane.

As I said, I love this author. 'Can't Look Away' is one of my go-to recommendations. This particular one didn't do it for me, but I'll still be super excited to see more from this author.