Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Bye, Baby

I selected this as one of my Book of the Month selections.
"Bye, Baby" follows Billie and Cassie two women who were once the best of friends. They were nearly inseparable in high school, but in their adult years they started to lead very different lives and drifted apart. Cassie married a very wealthy man, has a budding presence online as a social media influencer, and has recently given birth to her beautiful daughter. In Cassie's eyes, Billie no longer fits into her world. Billie has made a modest name for herself, but she is still hurt that Cassie was so quick to cut her out of her life. One unfortunate night, Cassie's daughter goes missing, and Billie has to hide what really happened to the baby.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I do not think this book can fairly be classified as a "thriller/mystery", but I do think it is a great hard-hitting contemporary. The reader knows pretty much from the moment it happens what really happened to Cassie's baby, so there is no mystery. There is a plotline from the past that arguably could be deemed "mysterious", but it is more that the true story is drawn out over many chapters.
Billie's and Cassie's friendship I found so fascinating. I am enthralled by the idea that we are friends with people when we are young because of proximity, but as adults we learn how little we actually had in common with them. Billie's and Cassie's relationship is a little more toxic than the average person's (hopefully), but that is definitely part of why it read so interestingly.
I was very pleased with the resolution of this story. I think Billie's and Cassie's friendship came full circle, and I really loved seeing both of them move forward following the kidnapping.
Once I got into this story, I could not put it down. It felt so relatable, and I felt so connected to both Billie and Cassie for different reasons.
I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more from Carola Lovering in the future.

Content Warnings

tyreadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

» Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering «

★★★★ 4/5 stars

Pub Date: March 5, 2024

“A wise friend once told me, “You can’t f*ck up what’s meant for you.”

» synopsis

Billie & Cassie used to be inseparable, but now in their 30s, their lives have taken different paths & friendship has become strained. But when Cassie's infant daughter goes missing, she turns to Billie, her oldest friend, for help.

Told in dual POVs & timelines, Bye, Baby explores how friendship changes over time,

uncovering the dark secrets that bonded them together, & the events that pulled them apart in the present.

» Read if you like :

Dirty Dancing
cats named Willie Nelson
Character driven stories
90s/2000s nostalgia
NYC setting
Dual POV / Dual Timeline
Toxic friendship drama
Influencer trope
Themes surrounding motherhood

» my thoughts

Although this one is marketed as a thriller, I'd call it more of a domestic drama that explores complex (& sometimes toxic) female friendship. What it lacks in twists, it makes up for in nail-biting suspense!

The flashbacks were well placed & relevant, adding depth to the current timeline. I found it so easy to empathize with the characters, especially Billie - from having a “boys” name, to feeling a little left behind in life. Even if I didn’t always agree with her actions, I appreciated the character development.

I was so anxious while reading, I had no idea where this story was going. I couldn’t imagine how on earth there could be a satisfying resolution, but I was pleasantly surprised! It wrapped up nicely in a way that felt realistic.

I highly recommend the audiobook too! Helen Laser & Karissa Vacker did an excellent job narrating.

I like the writing style & I definitely want to read more by this author! If you’ve read any of Lovering’s other books, drop me a rec!

*I would suggest checking trigger warnings

Thank you to @netgalley, @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the opportunity to read + listen to this ARC ◡̈

Content Warnings

iamnita's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was so excited to get an ARC of a Carola Lovering book. I loved Can't Look Away. I buddy-read this with someone who also enjoyed that book. We schemed all the way through the first half expecting some giant twist that would make sense of the events in the book and significance of characters who played very minor roles. Given we both read thrillers regularly we expected a big reveal. And that's not what happened. There was no giant twist. I absolutely respect the messaging the book set out to share but the thriller aspect was not well enough developed.

Content Warnings

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

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