This book was a story of (maybe) best friends and secrets from their past. When Cassie's baby goes missing, her (ex)best friend Billie is the only one she wants around. The huge secret from their past binds them both together. However, through the years Billie and Cassie have grown apart. This is mostly due to Cassie being an IG influencer and simply not having time for Billie. So why does she so desperately want Billie now? What new secrets is Billie holding on to? Can things ever go back to the way they used to be? This book kept me interested and wanting to find out more throughout. It was told in alternating view points between Bille and Cassie. I would recommend it! However, I didn't love the ending!
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a very captivating book. I enjoyed the back story of Billie and Cassie and how their friendship ebbed and flowed over the years. I found myself kind of liking Cassie and then hating her all at the same time. It was somewhat nauseating to read about Billie’s childhood/adolescence- just made my heart break for her and to know that there are real people that live that same trauma everyday.

“Bye, Baby” is a story about an obsessive, toxic friendship between Billie and Cassie. It’s told in alternating flashbacks to when they met and a countdown to the abduction to give us an understanding how we got there. The toxicity of social media plays a big part in the obsession of Cassie by Billie.

Billie is a really sympathetic character. Despite some trauma she experienced as a teen, she is successful, smart and caring. Her Achilles heel is her obsession with Cassie and the life she sees her leading on social media and is increasingly excluded from. Cassie is a shallow, selfish person and it’s painful to see how she treats Billie and how Billie just accepts it.

I enjoyed both narrators. Karissa Vacker is a long time favorite of mine but I think I liked Helen Laser even more here.

This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy.

3.5 ⭐️

I have really mixed feelings about this one. It kept my attention, I wanted to pick it back up, and i enjoyed listening to it. BUT I hated all the characters, the storyline wasn't that believable, and I was just so utterly annoyed each woman's obsession with eachother.

Bye, Baby is an engrossing tale about a toxic friendship as the decades long relationship comes to a dramatic end.

Billie and Cassie are childhood best friends who practically do everything together until Cassie marries into the high life of the New York City elite. As their friendship falls apart, we understand why the two were bonded together and why this relationship is all but one-sided.

Lovering has a skill in writing equally unlikable, yet relatable characters that you can’t help but root for at different points in the book. The trauma bond between the two main characters was explored in many creative ways throughout and I thought while there was some suspense and tension, this book was far from a thriller.

I did like how the author handled complex issues as well as things like motherhood, obsession, even the psyche of a social media influencer. I just wish there was a bit more depth when it came to the tougher subject matter, like sexual assault, however.

Overall, Bye Baby was a quick read and the narration was captivating adding to the enthralling nature of the story,

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced listening copy. Bye, Baby is out March 5, 2024.

Wow, just wow. This book had me hooked in the first chapter! I definitely was not expecting the book to go the way it did. Loved the view of social media this book pointed out too. This was my first book by this author, and I can say I'll definitely be looking up other books by this author to read.

Cassie and Billie have a very long, complicated friendship with lots of history that cannot easily be forgotten. They drifted apart as adults but are brought back together when Cassie's baby girl, Ella, it kidnapped the night of Cassie's birthday party.

Cassie left her hometown, married into money (Grant Adler), had a baby girl, runs a successful store and takes pride in her status as an Instagram influencer. She seems not to care that she and Billie, once inseparable, have little to no communication.
Billie desperately misses her friendship with Cassie. She currently works as a travel consultant and is in a serious relationship with her police officer boyfriend, Alex.

After Ella's kidnapping, Cassie and Billie are two best friends, reunited. Their past secrets have put Cassie in a position to be terrified for her daughter's safety and Billie is the only person that brings her any comfort, because she is the only one who understands who true fear. But......one night and one mistake, brings all this newfound happiness to an end for Billie.

I enjoyed listening to this book! It was very well written and kept my attention. Would definitely recommend!

Did you have a chldhood best friend who was there for you during the toughest moments of your life? Someone who had your back no matter what?

“People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.”—Brian A. “Drew” Chalker

This character-driven story revolves around two besties, Cassie and Billie, who meet at a young age. As the story unfolds, we see how their friendship evolves. They're as different as night and day, however, they serve a purpose in each other's life. As adults, they want different things. Cassie settles down with a wealthy man and starts a family. Billie has no desire to be a mother, but is desperate to hold onto a friendship that has run its course.

The author's writing is so engaging that I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook, which was narrated by the talented Karissa Vacker. I must admit, her voice is so captivating that I would probably listen to her read an owner’s manual with the same level of interest! She has done a fantastic job of bringing this story to life.

This is an emotional story that is truly heartbreaking at times, and it's impossible not to become emotionally invested in Cassie and Billie’s journey. I can't wait to read more books from this author and get lost in another captivating story!

Thanks to the Macmillan Audio / St. Martin’s Press this complimentary ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.

#ByeBaby #CarolaLovering #MacmillanAudio #comingMarch2024 #justfinished #ARC #fiction #honestreview #bookreviewer #thrillerbookloverspromotions #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #ReadersOfTheLateArc #TalkWordyToMeTeam #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #booknerd #readaholic #bookstagrammer

Sweet moses. I CANNOT remember the last a book gave me such anxiety. Honestly, when a character in a thriller does something terrible I expect them to get caught and it's just how it is. But hell did I absolutely root for Billie so much that I wanted absolutely no harm to come to her.
The character development was done incredibly well. And mind you, this was a domestic suspense with a slow burn throughout. But I was hooked. And Cassie. Just the absolute worst human. The narrators did a fabulous job with these characters and I couldn't recommend this one more for anyone looking for a plot packed with drama and crippling anxiety.

I had so much hope for this. Actually, it kept me engaged until the end. The end just really didn't do it for me. I don't want to spoil anything. I feel like the author had too much going on in the backstories. Am I still glad I read it? Sure.

The narrators were fantastic. Always my favs.

Bye, Baby is a solid 4 star read. I immediately fell in love with the characters and quickly latched on to them. I did find myself rolling my eyes at Cassie and the way she was on her social media accounts. I did find myself loving Billie more.
This was my first read from this author and I’m going to backtrack and pick up some of her previous books.

I absolutely love Carola Lovering ever since reading Too Good To Be True and Bye, Baby totally delivered for me!

This story had so many elements I love - social media influencer, frenemies, catty women, and secret pasts. It also had some elements that I can even relate to which was fun, i.e. new motherhood! I loved the format of the story with the flashbacks, dual narrators, and the buildup to a momentous scene that was previewed in the prologue. I also loved that the buildup escalated about halfway through and that there was so much more to the story. Often, the opening scenes are tied to the very end, but the fact that it wasn't the case here made this unique and totally bingeable.

Billie and Cassie's friendship was complicated and felt authentic in so many ways. We all can relate to clinging to parts of our past, or alternatively, doing whatever we can to separate from them. I could also relate to desperately trying to keep a failed relationship alive, while all the signs point to it being in the rearview.

Having the dual narrators worked so well for this story. I empathized with Billy and felt her pain at being rejected by Cassie and her shiny new life. I also connected with Cassie and felt her terror at her baby being briefly kidnapped and feeling like she couldn't live in the present with her past still knocking on her door. Both characters were so human and raw and the audio enhanced that for me even more. I really enjoyed both narrators and thought they did a stellar job. The voices were well done, the theatrics were spot on, and they kept the pacing really moving forward.

Overall, I absolutely loved this novel. Lovering has quickly made herself an auto-read author for me and Bye, Baby is definitely one I highly recommend!

Thank you to MacMillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the copy.

This was a good book, but not my favorite. I couldn't make myself ever actually like Cassie, but all along I was honestly rooting for Billie. I didn't really like the end--it seemed like after everything, Cassie failed to learn an important lesson. Billie is a tortured and traumatized individual who makes some poor choices one night--we're given that information first thing. We're given plenty of backstory that helps the reader to understand the dynamic between Cassie and Billie. Theirs is a pretty toxic and one-sided friendship that, more often than not, left me a little frustrated. However, the book kept me wanting to keep going. I was excited to get more and more of Billie and Cassie's story, so I finished this one FAST!

I ended up enjoying the final chapter from Billie's POV and felt like she really got what she deserved after hearing so much of her story through the book. Cassie also got an ending I expected, but not exactly one that I liked--I wanted more both for and FROM her. I thought she'd come out of this story better on the other side of all that happened. Regardless, if someone asked me about this book, I'd tell them I liked it, but it wouldn't be on my short-list of books that I recommend to people without prompting (if that makes sense haha).

What happens when your childhood best friend starts to see you in a different light as an adult? Friendship drama, suspense and a missing baby make this an entertaining read!

This isn’t a thriller but more of a drama between former best friends. I enjoyed the dual POV and timelines. The influencer plot line was also fun.

The ending ties up pretty neatly; I wish there was more suspense and thrills. The audiobook narration is great!

Another domestic suspense hit from Carola Lovering! I really enjoyed this dual POV, alternate timeline story that focuses on two best friends and the way they grow apart after one of them has a baby. Set in New York city one of the friends becomes an momfluencer while the other is very much childfree by choice. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of authors like Liv Constantine. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: abortion

Bye, baby” has to be my favorite binge listen in a long time - fast paced, twisted, and dark with a solid ending. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this audiobook last night! I enjoy Lovering’s writing and character development. Cannot wait to see what she comes out this next!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was granted both an e copy and an audio copy. I went the audio route. I enjoyed the book but wasn't a favorite. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book early before release.

Wow, this was one of the best thrillers I've read so far this year. It was dynamic, fast paced, and kept me guessing the whole way through. I absolutely loved the characters and the dynamics between all of them. I absolutely love the way Carola Lovering really immerses you in the story and makes you feel apart of the friendships. I was so absorbed in this and thought it was brilliantly plotted. I was definitely surprised and satisfied with the ending as well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get my hand on this beauty!!!! That title is just perfection!! I felt so sorry for Billie but wanted to shake her at the same time!!!! I would’ve kick that “best friend” Cassie to the curb so fast! Lots and lots of drama!!!! I devoured this book in a day! The cover is what caught my eye first!!! The perfect amount of build up!

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering was a a good chic lit , however, it was not a psychological thriller which was the genre that drew me towards this book to begin with.
Cassie Barnwell and Billie West have been best friends since childhood but as adults they run in different social circles and don’t see each other as often as Billie would like.
Billie is hurt when she finds out she isn’t invited to a party Cassie is having but ends up sneaking in and stealing Cassie’s baby.
The chapters go back and forth between the past of Billies story and the present of Cassie living a tumultuous life since her baby has been taken.
I gave this book 3 stars.