Thank you St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced copy of Bye, Baby in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio
Published: March 5, 2024
Summary:
A missing baby. A fraught friendship. A secret that can never be told.
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.
So begins the story of Billie and Cassie’s friendship–both in recent weeks, and since they met twenty-three years ago, in their small Hudson Valley hometown the summer before seventh grade. Once fiercely bonded by their secrets, including a traumatic, unspeakable incident in high school, Cassie and Billie have drifted apart in adulthood, no longer the inseparable pair they used to be. Cassie is married to a wealthy man, has recently become a mother, and is building a following as a fashion and lifestyle influencer. She is desperate to leave her past behind–including Billie, who is single and childless, and no longer fits into her world. Hurt and rejected by Cassie’s new priorities, Billie will do anything to restore their friendship, even as she hides the truth about what really happened the night the baby was taken.
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.
My thoughts:
This is the second book I’ve read by Carola Lovering and I love how she once again explores toxic female relationships. While I think this one is more domestic suspense than outright thriller, it still had me binging it in one sitting and I enjoyed it immensely. She is quite the talented writer and I need to read more of her books!
I love books about female friendships, especially messy ones because I find them so much more realistic. And this one…oh boy! Both women at times were relatable and yet unreliable and I found I didn’t know who I trusted more or could even trust, if that makes sense. I also loved that this book gave voice to women not wanting children…that is something we don’t see a lot of in books and yet it is a reality.
This book was so addicting – it’s that type of read, at times, that you just cannot put down because you know something good, or crazy, is about to happen next and you need to know right away what it is. Highly recommend and cannot wait to get to the next book by this author!
Audio thoughts:
This was so good on audio, narrated by two of my favorites – Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker. They really brought their A-game to this book, fully embracing their characters and personalities. It was such a treat to listen to this one!
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