⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

🎧Song Pairing: Somebody That I Used To Know-Gotye (haven’t heard this song since it was overplayed like forever ago)

💭What I thought would happen:

GO AHEAD AND LAUGH! I thought this was about twins separated at birth. Like one is kidnapped but they each have a matching locket 😂I mean good story no?

📖What actually happens:

Billie longs for her friendship with Cassie the way it used to be when they were teens but they’ve been through too much and have changed significantly since then.

Cassie is shouting for her baby and asking for Billie…what Cassie doesn’t know is her once upon a time BFF has her baby girl.

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

A baby goes missing…as a momma of thee most perfect baby boy ever (kidding, he’s feral AF) I got major anxiety. As someone who has also lost a friend over time and differences I also felt very sad.

Binge-y AF! Seriously! Do not start this unless you intend to spend the day with it. This was my first by this author but I’ve heard nothing but epic things. Colour me a fan!

Read if you like:
🤍Past trauma
🤦🏼‍♀️Mean girl drama
✌🏻Multiple POVs & timelines
🩵Suspenseful quick reads

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's for this e-ARC. It will take me a longer to mull this one over than it took for me to devour it (2 days). Definitely a page turner but some motives of the characters are left a little muddled for me. This book has complicated friendships, motherhood woes, social media obsessions and plot twists abound. I love dark domestic books like this, but I still couldn't wrap my head around why certain characters actually did certain things.

This story is about two lifelong friends who have grown apart in recent years, yet share a secret that could come out. cassie now has a family while Billie is single and childless, she has trouble opening herself up to love because of her past. Cassie's life is all about status and money and Billie misses her friend and one day does something she can't take back or explain. This story was good and had a great pace to it. The backstory of the two friends was interesting and getting to know them was nice.

First let me preface my review to say this is not a thriller even though it is marketed as such. It is a domestic suspense/drama about friendship.

This book is full of toxic friendship and unlikable characters. This is no way that I could remain friends with Cassie with how she treats Billie but Billie is obsessed with Cassie! Cassie and Billie has so much history that leads to a bond like no other.

With the topics of friendship, motherhood, the challenges of adulthood in the today’s age and society and with my love-hate relationship with these characters, I had a full range of emotions. This was a very enjoyable book that is full of unfavorable choices that you will want to keep reading to find out how it all ends.

I loved the narrators, Karissa Vacker (one of my favorites) and Helen Laser, they really created an enjoyable listening experience.

****Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, Carola Lovering, and NetGalley for my gifted ALC in turn for an honest review.

Rating 3.5 stars rounding up to 4 stars on Goodreads.

Review will be posted on Instagram (thriller_book_sisters) closer to pub day.

I really loved it!
It is an intensive thriller that explores toxicity and love between two female friends who are bound by secrets from their past. There is friendship, relationships and motherhood and shows what the effects of childhood trauma has on each of these two women and how they each deal with it.
I would definitely recommend this book!

Carola Lovering seriously captured EVERY "influencer" on "insta" in the character of Cassie. I couldn't help but die laughing after reading this book and then looking at some influencers I follow on the gram, because they were literally the exact same. "Hey girlies, so many of you asked......" or "I'll link it in the caption below", 100% accurate!
I was gripped instantly from the start of the book, Billie has taken her best friend's baby.So you as the reader can't help but wonder, how did she end up in this position? How can she possibly justify her decision? Well.....you got to start at the very beginning ( Bet ya $10 you just sang "A very good place to start, when you read you begin with ABC, when you sing you begin with Do Rei Me )

Lovering throws us back to when Billie and Cassie first met and in alternating chapters betweenthen and the days leading up to the kidnapping to develop them as women and their "toxic" friendship. I really did struggle to like Cassie she was snobby, pretentious, caddy yet fiercely loyal to Billie and tucking her under her wing. Billie was a needy puppy who needed someone to love her. Enter Cassie. I did not love their relationship, it was very lopsided.
However, I was so captivated by the story and Lovering telling me their story. I enjoyed her style and how perfectly she captured an influencers life.
This book was totally addictive .
I agree with many other reviews I have seen, this was not a mystery nor a thriller in any way. I would say this was a women's fiction / deep look into women as friends. It really did have me think about my friendships and various aspects. What unites you? Will anything separate you? Who is that one friend you need when something bad happens? How strong is that friendship that you crave?

The ending was quite satisfying and says alot about Billie and Cassie. At no point was I shocked or thrilled...I was just engulfed in a deliciously poisonous tale of two women.....

Thank you NetGally and Carola Lovering for this advanced copy audiobook. I was not influenced or paid for this review for my thoughts. Make sure to check this out when it publishes March 5 2024

This book is fine...
Pros- I loved the narration, the story is told from dual POV of Cassie and Billie and two different women narrators the chapters, I hearing these voices, it made the characters feel more believable. Overall, it is an easy listen and I was eager to get the resolution to see what would happen. This isn't a spoiler- Billie takes Cassie's baby one night- kind of on accident, the book is told in alternating timelines of what lead up to this and how their friendship evolved overtime. I'm not sure if I'm right but it feels like there is more of Billie than Cassie and we as the readers understand her a bit more- she feels hurt and left out by Cassie, wandering how they've drifted apart. Cassie is a self obsessed micro social media influencer, and never really grows as a character, which I like since this is realistic.

Cons- nothing happens. The plot line is all given in the summary of the book, there is one "twist" that felt so in your face obvious that I'm not sure it's even meant to be a twist, perhaps it's more of a show of how close the friends once were. I'm not sure I every fully understood Cassie's character and how she and Mkay become friends. T

If you go into this thinking of it as a story on friendship between women and the dynamics there instead of thinking of it as a suspense/thriller you're set! I would have enjoyed it more under that presumption instead of thinking I was getting into a thriller- overall I did like it but had the wrong idea of what it was going to be.

An apt depiction of the waxing and waning of a long-standing friendship. Billie and Cassie have differing views of what it means to be a friend in thick and thin and whereas one has moved on, the other still clings to what was. The story was told in both real time and flashbacks and this added to the depth of the story. I think many women will be able to relate to the changes in a friendship that has lasted decades, albeit not in these exact circumstances. The narrator did a great job and I especially appreciated the ending.

I’ve been seeing rave reviews for this one and now I know why! I found the drama in Cassie and Billie’s relationship surprisingly addicting. I really felt for Billie throughout the entire story and thought the author did a great job developing the main characters. The narration was perfectly done. If you like domestic suspense, you should definitely get your hands on this one as soon as it comes out!

4.5/5

Thank you NetGalley for the complimentary eaudio of Bye, Baby. This review is my personal opinion of the title.

Cassie and Billie were childhood friends that have a secret about which keeps them bound together regardless how far away Cassie wants to drift away from her. After Cassie has a baby, her and Billie drift apart and it’s apparent that Billie does not like the distance, but it appears that Cassie doesn’t mind the distance due to their differences. While they move on, Billie hears a baby crying and realizes that it is Cassie’s baby she is holding in her arms. All the while, Cassie realizes her baby has been kidnapped. The secret that binds these two keeps is the only reason Cassie keeps in contact with her, because she doesn’t seem to fit in Cassie’s world any longer. Billie is childless and single which is the opposite of Cassie and those Cassie hangs out with nowadays.

Language alert ‼️ It was unnecessary to have so much foul language in this title. For me, it took away from the story and really lowered my thoughts on the book. The storyline was good and well thought out. Quite a bit of suspense, roller-coaster friendships, family drama/secrets all created a decent novel minus the language.

The narrator did a great job with the voices throughout this title too.

Wow! Just when I thought I was over thrillers I get this book! I was sucked in from the beginning and needed to know what was going to happen around every turn. I saw myself in Cassie and Billie and was broken hearted for both of them several times. This is the story of shared trauma, childhood best friends, and the toxic turn any friendship can take. The narration is excellent and the multiple perspectives and shifting timelines was masterfully done! I will recommend this over and over again!

Bye Baby

So I wanted to start by saying that I really enjoyed Carolas books and was so happy to receive a copy of Bye Baby both eARC and ALC.

I ended up listening to the audio and while I was very intrigued from the beginning the ending left me like thats it?

I was excited to get the dual POV and multiple timelines. I think it added a lot to the story and learning about Cassie and Billies relationship made the story so interesting. Carola did a wonderful job of going into detail of their friendship without making it feel too detailed or boring.

I think the plot point was good but it just fell kind of flat towards the end. One plot happens and then that basically it.

Needless to say this wasn’t my favorite. But her writing is amazing and made a great story but I needed more from it to give it a better star rating.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced audiobook!
Synopsis: Billie and Cassie were inseparable as children and through their teens. Once adults, they drifted apart and couldn’t have had more different lifestyles. Billie is single and childless, while Cassie is married to the perfect husband with the perfect baby. Billie desperately wants to restore the friendship but Cassie wants to leave the past in the past. Everything changes on the night of Cassie’s birthday, when Billie hears a baby crying.
My thoughts: Toxic friendships, unlikeable characters, and motherhood suspense are some of my favorite sub-tropes so “Bye, Baby” was high on my priority list for 2024! The narration was excellent and I would recommend it as an audiobook! While it’s not super “thrillery,” what it lacks in twists, it makes up for in drama. As a mother, I could empathize with Cassie but goodness, was she was aggravating 😅 Some of the content was really disturbing so please check if you have any triggers or feel free to DM me to discuss! Overall, I enjoyed this story and will definitely be adding more from this author to my TBR!

First of thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

This is the story of a missing baby and a fraught friendship.

This story is marketed as a thriller about a kidnapped baby but honestly that seemed to be on the back burner and the majority of the story was about relationships and friendships. I really wanted more of a thrilling time with this book and that’s not what I got.

So, this is not exactly thriller or mystery material, but tense friendship drama comes in spades.

I really liked it, and the dual narrator audiobook performances are 👌🏻. I recommend this!

Themes: 👯‍♀️💔👩‍🍼👀

My thoughts: 😀🫣🫢🤫🤔👏

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First read with this author but won't be the last. Fast paced with interesting characters, even the dislikable ones. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC releasing March 5th, 2024.

This novel centers around the Billie and Cassie in alternating timelines and perspectives. Best friends as teens, it is evident that the two women shared some sort of falling out at some point, as they are no longer close as adults. The story unfolds telling us why, and leading to how Billie winds up stealing Cassie's baby from a party one night, and the aftermath.

The plot and beginning of this story had me hooked. I was so intrigued at the relationship between Billie and Cassie and what could have pushed them apart. This feeling continued for me up until what would be considered 'the twist,' and I found myself extremely underwhelmed. The reason, the outcome, it was very meh for me. This did bring my rating down a bit because I was hoping for a little more, however, I did still really appreciate the complex relationship between the women in this story. Billie and Cassie were two very different people with separate traumas and lifestyles, but were obviously loyal and loved each other in their own ways as shown by their actions. Was this enough for them in the end to mend a friendship? You'll have to read to find out and I do think it is worth it to do so, just perhaps not for the thriller aspect of it.
I listened to this as an audio and thought both narrators were fantastic.

3.25/5⭐

Bye, Baby" is a story that unfolds in the heart of New York City. With a chilling event setting the stage, lifelong friends Billie and Cassie navigate the complex aftermath of a kidnapping that shatters Cassie’s world. Lovering's storytelling, told through alternating perspectives, explores the intricate web of evolving friendships, the haunting echoes of childhood trauma, and the profound impact of women's choices on the tapestry of lifelong relationships.

I went through waves of really enjoying this book but then I found myself annoyed. One of the main characters is very snotty and unlikeable and at times the story can be unrealistic. Overall I liked the thoughts it provoked in me regarding friendships and how those relationships can change based on where we are in our lives.

Thank you to the author, publisher, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read/listen to this ARC.

4.25 stars!

This was my first book by author Carola Lovering and I really enjoyed it! I would recommend this as a good book club pick because once I started it, I could not put it down, and there were many themes to discuss, including friendship, mental health, motherhood, and classism. As other reviewers mentioned, it's not really a thriller per se, though it was fast-paced, but I would classify it more as a psychological drama.

This novel alternates timelines and POVs between two longstanding female friends who are now in their mid-thirties: Billie, from a working class family who experienced a lot of trauma while growing up, and Cassie, from an affluent family who fell on hard times and lost much of their wealth. They become best friends as adolescents, and the flashbacks in the book follow them from the time they meet through college, when they both end up at schools in Boston. After college, they move to NYC together. While they initially remain close, Cassie, who is on a mission to "marry up" and return to her affluent roots, begins to pull away from Billie in lieu of a more prestigious social circle.

In present time, Cassie is married to Grant, who comes from old money, and they have an infant, Ella. Cassie has made a name for herself as a fashion influencer on social media, and Billie is left watching and missing her bff. The novel starts with the impulsive and reckless decision that Billie makes to kidnap Ella, and explores the repercussions of that choice. Despite Billie's horrible decision, Lovering does a good job of humanizing her and making the reader feel sympathetic toward her. After all, who can't relate to feelings of exclusion and the pain that comes from losing close friendships?

I alternated between the ebook and audiobook versions. I enjoyed the fact that the audiobook had two narrators, one for each of the main characters. Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this book in exchange for my opinion!

Bye, Baby~BFF’s, secrets, infatuation. Sometimes in life people forget that people grow up and move on. Even when you have a shared secret. That secret that sets the blueprint of your life. Insecurity is probably the driving force that makes Billie do most of the destructive things she has done in her life.

I don’t know that I would call this a mystery or thriller, more just DRAMA.

Thank you NetGalley for another amazing advance audiobook!!