This one started so good, I was so intrigued by these two characters and their shared history. A dual POV and timeline revealing pieces of their friendship as they go from teenagers to adults.

Neither Cassie nor Billie were likeable characters. Cassie, an influencer who uses her life as content and comes across as very materialistic and self-absorbed. Billie, a travel guide who gets to travel the world scoping out locations and deals, but she has an unhealthy obsession with Cassie rooted in a trauma bond they share.

Cassie is desperate to leave her past, including Billie, behind her and Billie will do anything to keep that from happening. I was all in for their drama.

I was invested in a majority of the book but it lost steam toward the end and felt pretty anticlimactic as the ending was anything but thrilling. While I was underwhelmed by the wrap up I did enjoy a majority of the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

Billie and Cassie have been best friends since jr high and have been through everything together including college, moving to New York, the tragic mental decline of Billie's mother and long buried secrets that will tie them together forever. Recently though there has been a shift in their friendship as Cassie's new foray into motherhood and an upper crust social media influencer has left her no time for her oldest friend who no longer fits into her world. One evening during an extravagant birthday party Cassie's precious baby is kidnapped rocking her world... Billie is shocked to discover she's the one who took the baby.

This is definitely more of a character driven story then a traditional mystery/thriller as much of the story is known from the beginning but is still enjoyable. There is an interesting dynamic being explored as friendships age out and paths diverge with a huge focus on single woman vs married mother and if those friendships can last. Billie has had many life traumas that have left her clinging to the only person she has ever really had, but it is to the point of obsession. The story is told from the POV of both Cassie and Billie as they reveal the events of the kidnapping, the aftermath and their history. There is not a lot of action in the story and some of the big secrets are no surprise but it still managed to keep my attention. I feel like there were too many side themes and none were flushed out enough to give the characters' relationships more depth. I was also not a huge fan of the ending and could not figure out why some of the characters who find out about the kidnapping did not report her. I have enjoyed other works by Lovering and look forward to more.

I had the audio version read by Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker who both do an excellent job and are easy to listen to and I will look for more of their work.

The first chapter of this book sets up a mystery. When it's finally solved and I realized the story was still going, I looked at my phone to realize I still had 3 hours of the novel remaining. That can be an irritating discovery, but I did enjoy the writing of this book so I didn't totally mind spending a little more time with the characters. I do want to mention that there are some very graphic sexual assault scenes here-- the "bad guy" is really, really bad (overly so, a little mustache-twirly in my opinion) and while I'm not particularly sensitive to that kind of thing, it did feel like a bit too much.

Influencer Cassie's baby is missing... And her lifelong best friend, Billie, has her in her arms. A story of toxicity- in friendships, social media, and marriages.

i love a dual POV and messy relationships in a book, and this one delivered. The dual POV was unique because it also jumped back and forth in time with the characters. The suspense was strong and I loved and hated the FMCs the entire time. The story really highlighted that things are not always so black-and-white.

I really enjoyed that the audiobook had different readers for the two main characters!

Thanks NetGalley and MacMillan for the advanced copy!

Right from the start, I was deeply engrossed in a story that had been hyped up, though certain elements didn't quite match my expectations. The narrative unfolded around the intricate relationship between two best friends, and I found myself more aligned with one side of this dynamic, struggling to find a way to express my connection to the unfolding events.

As the plot progressed, a profound and lasting sadness enveloped me, and the desire to alter the narrative intensified. The resolution, while offering closure, left me with a bittersweet mix of emotions that mirrored my one-sided connection to the characters.

Throughout this emotional journey, I felt a deep empathy, sharing in the fears and anxieties of the character I resonated with. This book, from my singular perspective, became a reflective exploration of friendship complexities and the inevitable passage of time.

I loved this book! It is told from dual points of view, both past and present…which kept me captivated throughout the whole book. Carola did an amazing job of writing, as I found myself sympathizing with both the main characters at some point throughout the book, even though there were some very questionable decisions made on each of their parts. There are some very serious topics included in this books such as dementia, sexual abuse, grief and loss…all of which I thought were written appropriately. While this book doesn’t leave you feeling warm and cozy at the end of it, it is definitely worth a read.

Both narrators did a wonderful job of bringing the book to life and drawing the listening reader into the web of toxic relationships, lies and secrets.

I am giving this one 4 stars because of the amount of language it has in it. I could have done without all of the F bombs. Overall the storyline was good. I thought it would go way differently. At first I thought one of the characters was crazy, but then I started to feel sorry for her and what she went through. I wouldn’t go buy this one since I have read it now, but it kept my interest. This was an audiobook ARC and I am glad I got the chance to read it. The narrators were on point too.

Loved it! I thought the narration. Was excellent. Totally intriguing storyline. I will recommend this book to others.

To say this is a thriller is quite a stretch, however, I very much enjoyed the story. The characters were well developed and interesting, and I devoured this audiobook in no time. The narration was spot on, and I never felt bored or like any of the story lacked intrigue. I enjoyed the dual timelines, and appreciated the complexity of friendship portrayed in this story.

ARC Review

I enjoyed reading the relationship between Billie and Cassie. This was a well written novel with well flawed characters. The alternating POV and the THEN and NOW were a good way in helping show the importance of the friendship the two women had. The big secret that binds them together wasn’t a shock. And I do wish there was a little more suspense or deception but over all it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you for the ACR copy.

I wanted to love this book. The writing style, mystery and friendship was there. The storyline just fell flat to me after the first half. I wanted more mystery.

This was my first Carola Lovering book and I truly enjoyed it. It seemed a bit slow at times, and the friendship between Billie and Cassie was a bit overdramatic (I mean, at some point you just say I'm done with this friendship). Overall a good book that kept me wanting to read more. I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.
Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook!

This was my third Carola Lovering novel and probably my favorite so far. I’m not sure why it’s categorized as a thriller. I’d put it under mystery/suspense…or just women’s fiction. Either way, I liked the story, which is about the ups, downs and all arounds of friendship — the sweet, the toxic and everything in between.

This is a character driven story, though the plot propels things forward at times. It’s told through dual timelines and perspectives.

A few random positives:
- 9 times out of 10, when an author weaves social media into a story, it’s inaccurate and cringeworthy. Lovering got this part right.
- I love the fact that she referenced real places in CT and NY throughout the book.

Additional thoughts:
- As a married woman with no children, I found it odd the author made such a to-do over Billie not wanting kids. I’m not sure why this had to define Billie and her romantic relationships.
- This book should include a trigger warning for sexual abuse.

All in all this was a great read. I was pulled in from the very beginning, entertained throughout and satisfied with the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you thank you net galley for letting me read Bye Baby for an honest review!

I have to say the story was an easy read and very easy to follow. The characters were well developed. There are two different time lines that are easy to follow as well and beneficial to strengthen the storyline. It is a unique story with a familiar theme (baby-napping) It’s predictable a bit in a way, but a very satisfying read. I wouldn’t say it’s a thriller in the way that most books I read are thrillers…but there are some thrilling parts (nothing entirely jaw dropping) The author has a gift of writing and I look forward to see how well this book does on its publishing date

I had a hard time getting into this one. The story sounded interesting enough, but I did not find any of the main characters very likeable, and thus I wasn't super interested in their stories. The writing was good, but I just found the overall story lacking in substance. Some might like it for the relationship between the two main characters, but it just wasn't enough to hook me.

2 What in the? Stars.

What did I even just read?

╰┈➤ 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓵𝓾𝓻𝓫


Told in alternating POV's and flipping from the past to the present. Billie and Cassie have been the best of friends since childhood up until they go off to college. They are bound together by a secret, but is that enough to keep the friendship alive?

Cassie started life in a very well to do family, but due to circumstances, her family loses it all and she has to live a much different life. She is now on a mission to find and marry a rich man.

She becomes very obsessed with this plan and starts to pull away from Billie as she meets new, well off, and 'proper pedigree' friends at College.

Now in their thirties, their friendship has become strained. But when Cassie’s infant daughter goes missing, she turns to Billie, her oldest friend, for help.

╰┈➤ 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓒𝓪𝓷 𝓔𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽

👣 Toxic Female Friendships
👣 Dual Timelines
👣 Dual POV
👣 Domestic Drama

╰┈➤ 𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼

Honestly, I still don't even know what I read or why? To be fair, I did think this was going to be a thriller but it most definitely is not. It's really about a toxic friendship and how it evolved over the years. Nothing really exciting here. As I kept on reading I just kept expecting something to happen, for someone to jump out and scream boo- but no.

Billie was alright in my book, two stars for her.

Thank you Meagan for the buddy read, for bitching about this book with me and for helping me realize that there was absolutely no point to it. I appreciate you forever and ever boo! 😘💖🌷


Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Carola Lovering for this ARC in exchange for an honest review 💐

Not particularly a thriller as authorized, but psychological fiction would be a good categorization. You can feel Billie's tension as she tries her best to get through the poor decisions she has made without destroying everything she loves. Less exciting is the lack of personal growth from Cassie- once a gold digger always a gold digger. Lovering did a fantastic job creating two very different characters and highlighting the growing rift between them, held together only with threads of the past.
Told in alternating points of view from Billie and Cassie, we also get to see the traumatic past that bonded them. The narrator was excellent and differentiated characters and kept the story moving.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

This is the second book I’ve read now by this author and definitely won’t be my last!

This was really enjoyable especially as a mother. I mean getting your baby kidnapped from you is every mom’s nightmare but I connected with one of the main characters so much! She often brought up the challenges we face as moms and the friendships and relationships we lose when becoming a mom , my heart was so sad at this!

This was definitely a thrill of a ride and had some jaw dropping moments , I’d totally recommend this if in the mood for a quick paced thriller mystery !

and of course Karissa Vacker knocked this out of the park with the audio 🖤

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and MacMillan audio for the gifted audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Multiple POV, past and present timelines, missing child, rough pasts

I liked it but I wish it was darker. I expected more thrills. It reads as if it will be an intense thriller but ends up being a light read. It kept my attention, and I wanted to know what happened next. The story is good but not what I expected.

Loved this one!!! Billie and Cassie are the best of friends until Cassie starts hanging out with a new group of friends. When they were young, Cassie did something to protect Billie but could get her in trouble. They will take this secret to their grave. Billie begins to get jealous of Cassie's new life and commits a crime of her own. Will Billie turn her in? Or keep it a secret to protect her own past?