I enjoyed listening to this story. I did not want to put it down! The narrators did an excellent job and the author wrote an interesting story. I wouldn't classify this as a mystery or thriller, really. There wasn't as many "twists" as I thought there would be. I had a love/hate relationship with the main characters because of the author's ability to show us why they are who they are. I could relate to both at different times. Unhealthy relationships are a main theme in this book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Carola Lovering takes on toxic friendship! The premise here is great and she does a good job of distinguishing the voices of Billie and Cassie. I liked the backstory and their history, particularly learning Cassie’s villain origin story. The tension ramps up higher and higher but eventually the ending fell flat for me—I wanted more craziness, more toxicity! The mom stuff and namedropping in Cassie’s chapters was also a LOT (I get that this was sort of the point but I did find myself skimming).

I went into this book blindly and it wasn’t at all what I expected. I was expecting this to be a suspense/thriller book based on the title and synopsis but it was actually about a life-long friendship that becomes toxic over the years.

Cassie and Billie are two childhood friends who are forever bonded by their past. As they got older and their lives went in separate directions, they eventually drifted apart. Billie was still holding on to the love she has for Cassie, while Cassie had moved on from their friendship. When an event occurs, leaving Cassie ruined, the only person she wants by her side is Billie.

The author did a great job with building the characters and engrossing the readers in their lives. I really enjoyed this book and the way each character made me feel different emotions towards them.

This book is a very quick read. I finished it in less than 24 hours and would definitely recommend it to others. However, I would recommend not expecting what the synopsis describes the book to be. It comes out on March 5th for those who are interested

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. This was my first read by this author and I can say I enjoyed listening to it. Both narrators did an excellent job, although I didn’t care for either of the main characters. I found the story easy to follow even with dual narrators and timelines.

All and all, I’d say this read like a popcorn thriller but the ending fell flat for me. I would read more from this author in the future, I enjoyed her writing style.

One word, obsessed. I'm obsessed with the authours storytelling, I'm obsessed with the book, and I'm obsessed with the narrator and how she brought the book to life!

A tale of two best friends that have drifted apart because of life and circumstances. What happens one night will bring them back together, but for how long. I listened to the audio version, and I couldn't stop listening. She was fantastic!

Thank you, Carola Lovering, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley, for an audiobook version of this book in return for an honest review.

Despite the fact that I wanted to scream in frustration at the end of this book - this will still get a good rating from me.

Bye, Baby is a binge-worthy, multi-perspective, story about two friends. I wouldn't describe this as a thriller, but I was so gripped by wanting to see how this would all turn out that it was really hard to put down. The main storyline takes place over a few months with flashbacks going back a few years. Carola Lovering does a great job at writing characters you absolutely love to hate. One of these characters makes a terrible choice, and another is a terrible person. Although this book is so different from Tell Me Lies, I find similarities in the relationship dynamics between the two friends in this book. I also think an additional 'character' in this book is social media and some of the insights about exposure are really relevant.

This was a fun immersive story that will frustrate readers in the best way.

This was a good one! I like the dramatic side of that story and trying to find out where it was headed.

4.5 Stars!

Cassie and Billie were best friends in high school, but as they got older, Cassie drifted away and into another life. Billie and Cassie have a secret that bonds them for life and Billie can't let Cassie go. She obsessively follows Cassie's life on Instagram and makes every effort to stay connected to her.
When Billie discovers that she hasn't been invited to Cassie's birthday party, she does something that she knows will get Cassie's attention. Cassie invites Billie back into her life, but when the truth comes out - will they stay friends or will it sever the relationship for good?

This book was excellent! It was a story of obsession and took a deep dive into the dynamics of complex female friendships. I am a huge Carola Lovering fan and she's not disappointed me with this one!

I listened to the audio version and the narration was great too. Definitely an all-around winner!

thank you MacMillan for the review copy of Bye, Baby! I requested this based on some early reviews from some trusted book reviewer friends and it did deliver some solid suspense. I love stories that explore complicated, and messy, female friendship themes and Lovering does this so well in this layered story where pieces of the plot and puzzle are revealed in ways that kept me engaged, not sure who was the "bad guy" . The plot resonates with emotions as well, clearly anything to do with a kidnapping and motherhood is going to pull at emotions and the past timeline is filled with themes related to Alzheimer's and complicated decisions, actions, and challenges to what friendship is, can/should it persist into adulthood, and how the past can become present.

This is my first book by Lovering, and it did not disappoint. I loved that it was a two person POV book, and also had flashbacks so that you could understand the whole picture. There were some point where the flashbacks got a little confusing as to remembering the time period they were in.

It is a story about friendship, and how things can change as we grow older, and sometimes those friendships grow apart.

The story follows Cassie and Billie, who were once best friends and always together, to becoming adults and rarely getting an answered text. They had been very close for years, but when something happens while they were teenagers, they formed a closer trauma bond. As they got older, and Cassie found her husband, that bond wasn't enough to keep their friendship close, until one night when Cassie turns to needing Billie rather than anyone else she has in her life.

Bye, Baby puts you through a lot of emotions, and has you really feeling for the characters, especially Billie.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Carola Lovering for the copy of this audio for an honest review.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering
Pub date: March 5, 2024
Narrated by: Karissa Vacker & Helen Laser
Duration: 11H 24M

Billie is 35 years old, fairly comfortable in her profession and not so comfortably single. Her once best friend Cassie is living the dream; married to a wealthy man, a new baby and a whole new set of perfect shiny friends. Billie feels put on the back burner and somehow, just not fitting in to Cassie’s new life – instead, she obsessively watches Cassie’s Instagram to see what she’s up to and who she’s hanging out with. This leads to nowhere good for Billie until one night after just one more slight from Cassie, she finds herself with Cassie’s baby.

Told by both women in the past and the present, it offers a perfectly blended narrative; giving the reader a good idea of how the women got to where they are. The trauma of friendship that ends or becomes toxic is perfectly illustrated in gritty detail along with the painful drama of gossip and mean girl behavior.

While there’s a lot of gossip and drama in Bye, Baby, it’s not without a more serious focus on sexual abuse, dementia, grief and loss. I think these issues were handled beautifully by the author while still shining a light on their grim reality. My own husband has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in May and it means something to see it represented accurately. Another focus is the influencer life – the onscreen perfection and then the gritty reality. Again, I think there’s a lot more depth than I can cover in my review without giving a lot of the plot away but I’d urge any fan of Carola Lovering or the above genres to read this one!

Narration: Karissa Vacker and Helen Laser hit this one out of the park. Both complimenting the other and moving this story forward beautifully. Well done, ladies, and bravo!

My thanks to both @MacMillan.Audio and @StMartinsPress for these gifted copies to review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Billie and Cassie have been friends since they met in high school..They were always there for each other in the good and bad times. Billie had a tough life at home and when her mom develops early Alzheimers things get much more difficult at home with Billie and her deadbeat stepfather. On a night when Billie needs Cassie more than ever, she steps up and together the girls will keep a secret for the rest of their lives. As the girls continue to move on Cassie gets married to a wealthy socialite and has a baby. Cassie's life is much more different than it was back in her high school days and as she continues to make friends with the elite crowd the more and more Billie is pushed out of Cassie's life. Then one night Billie hears the gut wrenching screams coming from Cassie's apartment and the only person Cassie wants to see during this horrible ordeal is Billie.....Enjoy!!!

Just how much CAN your oldest friendship sustain? Carola Lovering has the reader trying to figure this out and so much more. Who is the villian? Who are you pulling for? Can you handle it if they both turn out to be the same answer? This was a wild adventure through teen turned adult friendships. This book was full of relationships I hope never to have but was a book that I was glad I did.

#netgalley #byebaby

I could not put this book down. If you’ve read (and devoured) Tell Me Lies, gear up for the toxic friendship version. Two friends grow apart and become very different women in their mid thirties in NYC - their paths are defined by those around them, and their circles have also taken wildly different forms from the time they became friends as young teens. Lovering explores a number of issues including sexual abuse, motherhood, classism, Alzheimer’s disease, and more, which felt heavy at times but drove the severity of the narrative forward. This book will be on my mind for a long time…

I feel like this was greatly paced and kept you guessing and engaged almost the entire book but the ending fell flat for me. I cannot pinpoint what exactly, but i felt like it ended so abruptly and she got off "too easy" and just continued on with her life even though i understand why it ended that way. However i did enjoy everything else about this book and gave it 4 stars for me!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration: *chefs kiss* loved that the narrators got into the characters throughout the book

While we wait for season 2 of Tell Me Lies, get into your next obsession with this fun read. The rating was based on both the story and the narrators. If you are looking for a fun, quick read and loved Tell Me Lies - then I recommend it.

"Bye, Baby" is a thrilling rollercoaster that'll make you grip the pages like a lifeline! Carola Lovering's narrative prowess shines through as she delves into the complexities of friendship, tangled secrets, and the gripping suspense of a missing infant.

From the very first scream echoing through a New York apartment, you're catapulted into the lives of Billie and Cassie, lifelong friends with a past shrouded in unspeakable incidents. As the narrative weaves between their perspectives, you'll find yourself torn between empathy and suspicion, wondering about the truths hidden behind their fractured bond. Having the chapters split between Billie's and Cassie's points of view was a fun way to unravel the story.

Billie West, single and childless, finds herself in a chilling predicament when she realizes she's inadvertently involved in the disappearance of Cassie's baby. The tension escalates as secrets resurface, friendships strain and the weight of past trauma haunts their present.

Lovering paints a vivid picture of evolving relationships, showcasing the ever-shifting dynamics between Billie and Cassie. With Cassie’s influencer lifestyle and Billie's desperate attempts to salvage their friendship, the stakes couldn't be higher. Having the characters be so different helps the story along in a compelling way as we learn what brought these two together in the first place.

The characters leap off the page with their depth and nuances, from Grant Adler, Cassie's husband, to McCay, the new confidante in Cassie's life. And let's not forget Remi, Billie's ex, adding an extra layer of complexity to the narrative.

Lovering masterfully entwines suspense with relatable themes, exploring how women's choices reverberate through their relationships. The story's gripping twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat, trying to unravel the web of secrets until the very last page.

Narrated by the talented Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker, the audiobook experience is spellbinding, drawing you deeper into the heart-pounding suspense of "Bye, Baby." ***Major kudos*** to the narrators who brought to life the characters' voices. Many of the chapters feel like episodes that suck you into the story.

Prepare for a thrilling ride filled with shocks, surprises, and a nuanced exploration of friendships tainted by buried secrets. Just when you think you've figured it out, Lovering pulls the rug out from under you. So buckle up, grab this book, and get ready for a heart-pounding, page-turning journey!

BIG THANKS to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Bye, Baby tells the store of a toxic friendship between Billie and Cassie. They grew up together but have since grown apart, as Cassie’s budding family, new friends, and influencer lifestyle keeps her occupied. However, they share a traumatic event in the past that keeps them together, especially when things go wrong for Cassie.

I’m not sure I would categorize this as a mystery/thriller, but it was full of suspense and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. I really like the dual timelines and POVs. While I mostly sided with Billie, there were times I truly disliked her character and leaned more towards Cassie.

I liked the backstory about Billie and the relationship with her mom and her mom’s illness, and wish more time had been spent on that.

I both read and listened to the audiobook, and thought the audiobook narrators were fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love this. I thought the narrator did a great job. I liked the characters and the storyline. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I haven’t been an audiobook girly until recently, and I wasn’t sure if I would like this one or not at first.

I think when it comes to audiobooks, it’s always hard to adjust to a new narrator, and I found it hard to adjust from my previous audiobook to this one, however, once I go into it, it was absolutely enthralling!

I couldn’t stop listening to this one. The story was good, the narration was great, and I could practically imagine everything that was happening as it unfolded. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers, psychological reads, or books with lots of secrets, drama, and some mystery in them.

This is my first 5 star read/listen of 2024!

This book was not exactly what I expected. It’s a psychological thriller, the story of Billie, and her childhood best friend, Cassie, told in alternating POVs between the two. Cassie was always there for Billie as she dealt with her mother's early Alzheimer's diagnosis and sexual advances by her skeezy stepfather. Cassie retreated as they became adults and Billie became obsessed with keeping them close. Neither character is portrayed as particularly loveable.

I both read and listened to Bye, Baby and I recommend either format, but I lean toward the audio. Narration by Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker really drew me into the story. 4⭐️


Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.