A review by daniellereadslikealot_
Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When Cassie and Billie were teenagers, they were each other’s person. Now, as women in their thirties, Cassie is a micro influencer with a baby and a wealthy husband while Billie is happily childfree and traveling the world for her job and their friendship is hanging on by a thread, mostly for Billie. But when Cassie receives a strange message about something that happened in their teenage years and her infant daughter goes missing from her home, she realizes she needs Billie. However, Billie has a secret of her own. I love books that look deep into complicated female friendships and this one did it so well. I absolutely got frustrated with both Billie and Cassie in different ways, but with dual POVs plus flashbacks of their teenage years, I started to understand their behavior a little bit better. It’s not a thriller so much as a domestic suspense with social commentary on motherhood, friendship and trauma, but I didn’t mind that at all. I did think the ending was a little abrupt, but it did make sense for the story. One thing I really loved was how the book really emphasized that it is 100% okay for women to not want to be mothers. I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves reading about complicated women and friendships. 
CW: sexual harassment, sexual abuse, murder, child abduction, death of a parent, Alzheimer’s disease 

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. 
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