A review by babewithabookandabeer
Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for my Netgalley copy of BYE, BABY by Carola Lovering, out 3/5/24!

I haven’t read TELL ME LIES by this author, but I did watch the show so I requested this one right away. It is marketed as a thriller, but think it’s more of a deep exploration of female friendship and how it changes as people’s priorities shift and motherhood (and lack thereof) comes into the picture. There are thrilling moments (and a major trigger warning for sexual assault) but I think this book is a slow burn that does it well.

It definitely starts off with a hook, where we have narrator Billie West hearing terrified screams above her from her longtime best friend Cassie Barnwell when she realizes her infant daughter goes missing. The bang? Billie is the one who took her. 

We slowly start to uncover what led to this and it’s a wild ride from start to finish. I really enjoyed Carola’s musings on motherhood and a woman’s choice to not have children. Cassie is married to a wealthy dodo-brain man and building a following as a lifestyle influencer. Billie is single and childless by choice and finding herself boxed out by Cassie and her new mommy friends.

The flashbacks were great and I was on the edge of my seat figuring out where the friendship flourished and where it faltered. While Cassie is eager to leave the past behind her, Billie knows a big secret about the worst thing Cassie has ever done, so can the friendship REALLY end? 

I loved the ending, I loved all the side characters and I definitely recommend reading this one once it comes out because I’d love to hear other women’s reflections. Can two betrayals cancel each other out? Read to find out!