Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by smileyjayna
Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering
challenging
dark
tense
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I love ghost* stories
* “ghosts” generally, not like 👻
I do not love the narrative voice (if that’s the right term for it, how it’s always “I give a strained smile” or “I jolt up in bed”) but I haven’t read anything else by Lovering so I’m 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 vice/virtue (wade, ava (to a lesser extent)).
* “ghosts” generally, not like 👻
I do not love the narrative voice (if that’s the right term for it, how it’s always “I give a strained smile” or “I jolt up in bed”) but I haven’t read anything else by Lovering so I’m 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 vice/virtue (wade, ava (to a lesser extent)).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
Moderate: Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Classism
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting