3.5 stars, rounded down. Had not read this author before, but the description of this title, "Bye Baby" sounded interesting - centering on two frenemies & a missing child. It was just okay for me - not really a thriller, more of a domestic drama, and very character-driven. Lots of social issues in this one - maybe a few too many? Overall, an average type read, didn't hate it tho. My sincere thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the complimentary DRC - thoughts & review my own.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I really loved it! An influencer, a kidnapping, best friends and love stories all tied into one amazing story. Sometimes I don't like dual time-lines because it can be confusing but the way this author did it flowed seamlessly and really made sense for the story. I love a twisty story especially this time of year. I had no idea how this book was going to end which I obsoletely loved. This book never got boring, there were no slow spots or boring characters. 5+ stars! I look forward to reading more from this author.

I’d never read a Carola Lovering book before and this one did not disappoint. I hadn’t read much about the book before I dove in, and I assumed the heart of the story would be about a missing baby. However, it’s much more the story of a childhood (trauma-bonded) friendship between two women, and how it evolves and fragments as the women embark on their adult lives. Carola Lovering does an amazing job of taking you inside the heads of the two main characters, Billie and Cassie. Billie works for a luxury travel company and Cassie is an influencer-slash-luxury-Soho-boutique owner, whose business (and NYC momfluencer lifestyle) is financed by her wealthy husband, Grant. Cassie has decided to let the friendship die, but Billie doesn’t realize this and her attempts to win back Cassie are SO cringe-worthy and really well done on Lovering’s part. The breaking point, as you may have expected, has to do with Cassie’s missing baby. The story opens with this moment and we’re taken back through Cassie and Billie’s live to understand how they got to this point…and where they go from here. You just may end up surprised at who you’re rooting for...

Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy!

Release date: March 5, 2023 🗓️

Cassie and Billie were best friends since childhood. Billie is unmarried, doesn’t want kids. Cassie married a rich man, owns a boutique funded by her husband and an Instagram influencer where she posts everything. Cassie has turned into a snub and excludes Billie. Billie is obsessed with being Cassie’s friend. When Cassie’s baby goes missing, Cassie turns to Billie for comfort and friendship.
The story told from POVs of Cassie and Billie. Cassie was superficial, self centered and only thought of herself and her image. Billie dealt with a lot in her life and was desperate to be Cassie’s friend,
The book isn’t a mystery or thriller. It dealt with toxic friendships, Alzheimer’s, rape/sexual abuse, pressure of wanting kids, motherhood, obsession with social media. The positive of the story was realizing that material possessions and social media followers or image doesn’t bring happiness. The negative of the story was I don’t care for the characters and was bored.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press

I wasn’t so sure about this book when I first started it, but wow! I give it 5 stars. Billie and Cassie go through life as best friends until Cassie becomes best friends with McKay when Cassie starts dating McKay’s rich cousin. Cassie starts leaving Billie out and Billie almost seems to become obsessed with Callie. Callie is living the life of luxury, she now has everything she’s ever wanted, a rich husband, a beautiful daughter, Ella, a mansion, rich snobby friends and a huge following on Instagram. Her husband throws her a birthday party and she doesn’t invite Billie. The most unthinkable thing happens and well…you’ll just have to read the book to find out!

I absolutely loved this book from the first few lines i read. i was immediately hooked by the story and the friendship. the end left me wanting more… which is good!

Cassie Barnwood and Billie West shared an unbreakable childhood friendship, steadfastly supporting one another through thick and thin, inseparable—until they weren't. Cassie was determined to leave their little one horse town and make it into the circles of the wealthy socialites. She managed this by leaving behind her friend Billie, who she now saw as an embarrassment and liability to her new reputation built on "marrying well".,moving to Gramercy Park and having a child.

Billie, although living a life of travel and accomplishment, still wanted her friend. She would do anything to be back in her orbit. What finally brings the two back together is when Billie takes Cassies's infant who was left unattended and crying during a party (to which Billie was not invited). Billie sneaks in and takes and comforts the child. A hysterical Cassie is inconsolable,. The only person she wants is Billie, much to the consternation of her husband and new friends. Finally Billie has what she wants. Cassie needs her again.

Told in two time lines and two POVs, we learn the truths of what bonds these women as well as what tears them apart. Bye, Baby is an exploration of friendships - those forged in fire, of mere convenience, familial, toxic. Really this is the need to be loved and to be safe. Can we truly expect all of this from other person? Should we?

There are so many threads to pull on here, This is a great bookclub book where you can expect the discourse to become quite lively!

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of Bye, Baby in exchange for an honest review.

A solid 3 ⭐️ book. Maybe it’s because I’m not a mother and have no desire for children. The whole book felt like over exaggerated feelings.

Did I like it though? Overall, yes. It took about 20% for the story to pick up, but I was excited to pick it up and read when the opportunity presented itself.

A fast paced book with good characters and good story line. I think the story line was a little unreal in this time of age. I also think the problem could of been fox right from the start.

Billie and Cassie have been best friends since high school, but they find themselves - Cassie, especially - struggling to keep their friendship going into adulthood. When near tragedy strikes Cassie, she reaches back out to Billie, to her comfort zone, and Billie is right there to help pick up the pieces... even though she might have been the one to break them in the first place.

"There's an old stubborn loyalty I can't fight, a love that lingers in my soul, that's woven into the fabric of my systemic rhythms. Like knowing how to swallow, how to cry, how to breathe. How do you forget something like that? How do you push a love like that out of your physical body?"

A few things to unpack here...

Cassie is an awful character. Straight up awful. Also, she's an influencer, and I think that trend has been a bit overdone; however, it works here and helped me to dislike her even more.

Billie was a likeable character, and I was rooting for her, even though some aspects of her storyline have been overdone as well.

I wouldn't say this was a thriller; it was more of an expose into the friendships of women. Not just any friendship, but those friendships that are woven deep into your soul, bound by shared moments, memories, and tragedies. I enjoyed this aspect of the story the most - seeing their friendship grow in the past and how exactly it fizzled out.

Like I mentioned, a lot of the plot has been done time and time again, but somehow it works here. I do feel like it was drawn out, but I really connected with the concept of this tumultuous friendship and how to know when to cut ties.

Quick side note: I wouldn't read the synopsis before going into this one. I feel like it gives everything away.

My reviews are always safe - no spoilers here! 🤐

PS: I want this to be made into a TV show & I want the same producers from Tell Me Lies to do it. Please & thank you.

I had seen this one being talked about everywhere and the synopsis sounded interesting so I decided to give it a go. It was quite the ride. It was an interesting exploration on friendship, our past/present and what influences each, social media, and choices we make.

I liked the use of flashbacks to tell about the friendship between Billie and Cassie. The beauty of this book was that, throughout the whole thing, it's hard to tell whether most things are genuine or not -- appearance, friendships, love, etc.

This was a great psychological thriller and my first Lovering, but surely not my last.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc. All opinions are my own.

Friendships change, that’s no secret. As we get older though, that’s when we begin to notice how much they have changed since those early years when they are first built on confidence and trust and the secrets kept in between. Carola Lovering’s upcoming novel, BYE, BABY, takes a darker look at adult friendships focusing on two women forever bonded by the past that lurks in the present.

When Billie West first met Cassie Barnwell when they were preteens, she was in awe of her. Cassie was cool and confident and offered solace to Billie during a time she needed it most. Now twenty-three years later, Billie and Cassie are in their mid-thirties and no longer the inseparable best friends they used to be. Cassie has all but abandoned Billie as she no longer fits into her lifestyle as a wealthy and popular influencer and new mother to infant daughter, Ella. In comparison, Billie is not at all interested in motherhood but still wants to maintain a relationship with Cassie despite how she’s been pulling away. So, why in one evening does Billie take Ella and what secrets from the past is Cassie trying to bury?

BYE, BABY is an enticing, well-written read that delivers as a psychological thriller examining friendships and the ties that bind, along with the idea of motherhood and what we want out of life. As a fan of Lovering’s Too Good to Be True, BYE, BABY gives a similar inkling that there is more than what is initially perceived. The anticipation and the gradual build up had me turning the page, wanting to find out the truth and the fallout right after.

Billie and Cassie are intriguing and complex characters. It is interesting to see the flashbacks to the genesis and progression of their friendship juxtaposition to their present adult selves. How Billie and Cassie get to where they are is a mystery that drew me in while also making me think about their choices. Cassie, especially as I learned about her background, gave me an idea of who she is and I actually like how Lovering makes her motives or reasoning behind her decisions subtle and that it could even be open to interpretation.

The characters, the themes, and the story as a whole had me thinking about social media, getting older, and our attachment to the past, whether we want to distance ourselves from it or hold on to it for better or worse.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wonderful story, I loved it to pieces, you’ll love it. Beautiful characters and terrific plot. YOU’LL SURELY LOVE IT.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for a ARC.

Bye, Baby is a story of a toxic friendship between two people who have known each other since childhood. Cassie aspired to marry old money and has achieved this and is an influencer on Instagram “influencing” people to buy $500 shirts and showing them what she does ALL day. She was a great reminder as to why I don’t use Instagram. The other, Billie, really has no personality and she’s obsessed with Cassie and that’s really all there is to her. This book was lacking substance for me. There was no character development, and there was plenty of room for it. This is not a mystery or thriller at all, I’m not sure why it’s falsely advertised this way but you find out the “mystery” in the first couple minutes reading the book. The book basically repeats itself multiple times and then it ends exactly the way you think it will.

There also needs to be a trigger warning with the book for child sexual abuse.

I love Carola Lovering's writing. Her stories do not always work for me, but this one really did. I felt so invested in the Billie and Cassie's friendship, and I felt such sadness with the distance Cassie created between them. While Billie's actions are not acceptable, they are somewhat (almost) understandable. This dramatic story is entertaining and a quick read. I finished it in one sitting!

I loved this book! Thank you for approving my request to read the ARC! Billie was my favorite character and I hate how she was created by Cassie.

I was so excited to get an early copy of Bye Baby as Lovering is one of my most favorite authors.
So thanks to all involved.

Bye Baby was not at all what I expected and is more domestic suspense driven than thriller.

Cassie and Billie have been friends forever. This is mostly the story of their toxic friendship. Both characters are very Unlikeable. Sometimes I love to hate characters but here I just kinda hated them both. I flip flopped back and forth over who I liked better and sided with. No winner. 😂

Overall I did race through this one and the writing is great. I will always continue to read this author and it was a good read. Not my favorite of hers but different. These days different is a good thing!

3.5 ⭐️

First, I would like to thank NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Carola Lovering for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was phenomenal. From the very first page I was hooked by the characters, descriptions, and why the 2 main characters had such a toxic friendship.

Told in alternating perspectives between the two friends, with an alternate timeline examining the past, we learn about Cassie - It Girl, married to a rich guy and has it all, and Billie - single, doesn’t want kids, and at a very different spot in her life. What links them is their childhood friendship spanning to adulthood and a devastating secret.

I couldn’t put this book down, and although a big part was revealed about halfway through I was still on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen to Billie.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers!

This was an enjoyable read. Not so much a thriller as I expected, but I enjoyed the complexity of the relationship between Billie and Cassie. The author did a great job writing this type of friendship. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Bye, Baby is a study on toxic female friendships and self-esteem (or lack thereof). Emotionally evoking, but not in a developmental or personal growth way, more like annoying. Unlikeable, unsympathetic characters are stuck in a hamster wheel of narcissism and self-centeredness. Told in dual POVs with continuous flashbacks, it is easy to follow. In part because the character arcs are decidedly one note, they never grow beyond their teen selves, and they need a lot of growth.
Billie, the more bearable protagonist, is cloddish and self-destructive in her personal life, a relatable quality, but she never seems to learn from her mistakes. Cassie is insufferable and, despite being a new mother, another relatable circumstance, cannot see beyond her next social media post. There is lots to chew on here, but it does not materialize The issue that brings these two back together does not provide the expected tension or emotion. The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying despite the neat delivery. Disappointing.