Bye, Baby A Novel by Carola Lovering

 Book Excerpt:

"On a brisk fall night in a New York apartment, 35-year-old Billie West hears terrified screams. It's her lifelong best friend Cassie Barnwell, one floor above, and she's just realized her infant daughter has gone missing. Billie is shaken as she looks down into her own arms to see the baby, remembering—with a jolt of fear—that she is responsible for the kidnapping that has instantly shattered Cassie's world.

Once fiercely bonded by their secrets, Cassie and Billie have drifted apart in adulthood, no longer the inseparable pair they used to be in their small Hudson Valley hometown. Cassie is married to a wealthy man, has recently become a mother, and is building a following as a lifestyle influencer. She is desperate to leave her past behind—including Billie, who is single and childless and no longer fits into her world. But Billie knows the worst thing Cassie has ever done, and she will do whatever it takes to restore their friendship…

Told in alternating perspectives in Lovering's signature suspenseful style, Bye, Baby confronts the myriad ways friendships change and evolve over time, the lingering echoes of childhood trauma, and the impact of women's choices on their lifelong relationships."

Title:  Bye Baby

Author:  Carola Lovering

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Five

Review:

"Bye, Baby" by Carola Lovering

My Thoughts:

"Bye, Baby" was quite a read that once you start reading [and it was a long read], you will not want to put it down until the end. From the characters, friendships, and twists and turns, wow, what a read this one was that will give one a lot to think about long after the read.

How did Cassie and Billie, best friends from high school, 's friendship turn so toxic? Well, all that is left to say is that this is what can happen when someone decides to poke in and try to destroy it all, and in the end...it happens. Was it the secret that broke them up, jealousy, or were they such opposites? Is this what happens when people grow up and change?

Be ready for a read that takes in a lot...from 'toxic relationships, messy friendships, motherhood, trauma, and toxic narcissism and much more' that you will just have to pick up this read to try to understand it all if you can. 

I will stop here and say, pick up 'Bye, Baby,' and see how well this author gives it all to the reader. I didn't think this was a happy read; however, you know what you feel about this thriller read. I was left shaking my head and saying what a friendship this one was. Ok, I will stop here.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.