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chaptersofchase 's review for:
Bye, Baby
by Carola Lovering
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you, St Martin’s Press, for the gifted copy of Bye, Baby
Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 3.5.2024
Star Rating: ☆☆
Okay, let me start by saying that I typically really enjoy Carola Lovering’s book, and while I do think that Bye, Baby had its moments, it was not the book for me.
For starters, it is not a mystery; it is not a thriller; it is more a look at the relationship between childhood friends and how they grew apart over the years. Bye, Baby hit home for many reasons, and unfortunately, all of those reasons made me feel uncomfortable and added to my dislike of the book.
There will always be characters in books that aren’t lovable or likable. But, I think something is to be said for an author who creates a character who goes too far over the edge of unlikeable. Lovering did that when she created Cassie. I didn’t like her from the start, and then I was not too fond of her stance on children and her lack of understanding of why Billie didn’t want to have them. When a character like this exists, it's hard to find any redeeming qualities and it can cause your reader to feel isolated from the story.
Another issue I have is that the book is marketed as “A missing baby. A fraught friendship. A secret that can never be told,” it opens up with the baby missing. But, halfway through the book, the baby is returned, the friendship is still fraught, and the secret has been revealed. It seemed like all the cards had been played, yet the book still had over 100+ pages left.
Overall, Bye, Baby was not for me, and I probably should’ve DNF’d, but I kept hoping there would be some redeeming quality. If you’re looking for a Carola Lovering book to read, I might try Too Good to be True.
_
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Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 3.5.2024
Star Rating: ☆☆
Okay, let me start by saying that I typically really enjoy Carola Lovering’s book, and while I do think that Bye, Baby had its moments, it was not the book for me.
For starters, it is not a mystery; it is not a thriller; it is more a look at the relationship between childhood friends and how they grew apart over the years. Bye, Baby hit home for many reasons, and unfortunately, all of those reasons made me feel uncomfortable and added to my dislike of the book.
There will always be characters in books that aren’t lovable or likable. But, I think something is to be said for an author who creates a character who goes too far over the edge of unlikeable. Lovering did that when she created Cassie. I didn’t like her from the start, and then I was not too fond of her stance on children and her lack of understanding of why Billie didn’t want to have them. When a character like this exists, it's hard to find any redeeming qualities and it can cause your reader to feel isolated from the story.
Another issue I have is that the book is marketed as “A missing baby. A fraught friendship. A secret that can never be told,” it opens up with the baby missing. But, halfway through the book, the baby is returned, the friendship is still fraught, and the secret has been revealed. It seemed like all the cards had been played, yet the book still had over 100+ pages left.
Overall, Bye, Baby was not for me, and I probably should’ve DNF’d, but I kept hoping there would be some redeeming quality. If you’re looking for a Carola Lovering book to read, I might try Too Good to be True.
_
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebookend.diner/
Follow me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/thebookenddiner
Follow me on StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/thebookenddiner