Bye, Baby - by Carola Lovering

About the Book

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A March 2024 Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick

"Powerful, relatable and crazily addictive, Bye, Baby takes an unflinching look at the battling forces of toxicity and love which define so many female friendships. I couldn't put it down." --Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author of Ghosted and The Love of My Life

Every friendship has its shadow...

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.

Review Quotes

"Suspenseful to its core...impeccable." --New York Post

"In this captivating, page-turning tome, Carola Lovering once again pins us in place while we frantically read to find out how exactly this could've happened... and if it could happen to us." --Zibby Owens

"Memorable characters, toxic friendships, shocking twists...Carola Lovering's newest novel has it all." --Woman's World

"The suspense is a shapeshifter until the very last page." --Booklist

"Carola Lovering has hit the ball out of the park, again. Her latest is a gripping novel of suspense that explores the complexities of a female friendship, bound by childhood secrets, that is simultaneously life affirming and toxic. I could not put it down." --Greer Hendricks, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Golden Couple

"Powerful, relatable and crazily addictive, Bye, Baby takes an unflinching look at the battling forces of toxicity and love which define so many female friendships. I couldn't put it down." --Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author of Ghosted and The Love of My Life

"A shocking, emotionally-charged look at a dysfunctional friendship and the aftereffects of a split second decision that had me on the edge of my seat. Completely immersive with writing that is propulsive, vivid and rich, Bye, Baby is all-consuming. Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. I'm a fan!" --Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing

"Bye, Baby is a searing, intense thriller about friendship, relationships, and motherhood. Lovering has a unique ability to create such realistic characters, it's hard to let go of them. And every twist packs a wallop." --Samantha Downing, international bestselling author of A Twisted Love Story

"Compulsively readable and highly relatable, Bye, Baby will have you on the edge of your seat. Lovering's best book yet explores the dark space that can open up when close friendships grow, change, and fracture. This novel is both suspenseful and indelible--I devoured it in a day and am still savoring its themes months later." --Avery Carpenter Forrey, author of Social Engagement

"A twisty novel about the dark side of love and the reverberating effects of childhood trauma, Carola Lovering's Bye, Baby is tense and suspenseful with secrets and surprises at every turn." --Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost

"Lovering unspools a taut, twisty, humdinger of a plot that encompasses the vagaries of true friendship as well as those of true love." --Kirkus (starred review)

"Lovering's nuanced characterizations and interweaving of different voices and timelines add depth to her story of obsession. Fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins will enjoy this one." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author