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sstewart89's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Dementia, Rape, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Abandonment, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Kidnapping
minimicropup's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
- Fallen leaves. Autumn breeze. Street food sizzling. Baby powder. Phone notifications. iPhone keyboard clicks. Selfies. Sirens. Baby crying.
- Where Did It All Go Wrong friendship study
- Psychoanalyzing characters and romance with a touch of understatement and irony
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Dementia, Classism, Rape, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"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.
Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Classism, Kidnapping, Dementia, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, and Stalking
Moderate: Pregnancy and Adult/minor relationship
nikkileighreads's review against another edition
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Infertility
smileyjayna's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
* āghostsā generally, not like š»
I do not love the narrative voice (if thatās the right term for it, how itās always āI give a strained smileā or āI jolt up in bedā) but I havenāt read anything else by Lovering so Iām guessing it was it was a choice for a thriller.
I DO like the way choices are dissected and discussed, how they do or do not belong to their characters, if that makes sense.
I like the pacing of the book overall, but I have not decided my opinion on the moments in which two characters experience the same event.
I think it was a sloppy choice to use weight as shorthand for virtue/virtue (wade, ava (to a lesser extent)).
Graphic: Abandonment, Dementia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, Emotional abuse, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Classism, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
Minor: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Eating disorder, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Lesbophobia
msvernier's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death, Rape, Dementia, Toxic friendship, and Abortion
rowanhill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying and Child abuse
pomoevareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Toxic friendship, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy and Abortion
kvillanueva's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy and Kidnapping
astoriareader's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
- Billie & Cassie were childhood best friends. Through glimpses of the past, we learn about their secrets, their traumas, and their friendship.
- In the present day, they arenāt as close, and we slowly learn why.
- Cassie is a micro-influencer, as well as the owner of an upscale boutique. Billie works at an expensive, luxury travel consultancy.
- I wouldnāt characterize this as thriller/suspense, but rather, a well-written drama about toxic, one-sided friendships.
- Multiple POVs (Billie & Cassie) with both present & the past.
- Fast-paced.
- Set mostly in NYC (at least the present). I live in NYC, so I love reading books with this setting.
- Lovering is an incredible writer, and she expertly creates a familiar, relatable story about old friendships. She crafted and plotted a seamless story that youāll find yourself breezing through until the very end.
- The main characters are both imperfect and flawed. I really liked Billie, and I felt sorry for her throughout the book. The book deals with Billie constantly trying to maintain a friendship with Cassie, instead of letting the friendship run its natural course.
- Cassie wasnāt a likable character, and I thought she was very shallow & nauseating.
- Lovering also explores motherhood AND choosing to be a childfree woman. I loved that she incorporated this, as it isnāt something that many writers acknowledge or incorporate.
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Abortion, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent and Eating disorder