Bye, Baby: A Novel

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.

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Average rating: 6.78

65 RATINGS

7 REVIEWS

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Bookworm_Claire

Nov 20, 2024

7/10 stars

This was a book club pick that I normally wouldn’t read not have read. I did enjoy the bit of suspense and the non-linear storytelling. I feel the ending was a bit strange and not what I was expecting. I would recommend to someone who likes mystery/suspense.

loridougovito

Nov 19, 2024

9/10 stars

Loved but the ending was not even a little believable

SharonLooksAtBooks

Oct 24, 2024

8/10 stars

What I liked: The depiction of NYC’s privileged and superficial social media driven young mothers, caught up in love-hate relationships. What I disliked: Why is this book promoted as a thriller? This was a coming of age story about two childhood best friends whose lives drifted apart as adults.

ljzsreadsandreviews

Oct 22, 2024

8/10 stars

This was one hell of a book! I was addicted to finding out what happened the entire time. Obviously the giant mystery we know about but trying to figure out not only how things were going to end but how Billie and Cassie got to where they were in the present had me sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time. At first I was so confused how a friend like Cassie could be so cruel to a friend like Billie, but really she always was... It was such a screwed up friendship and frankly if they had met in another circumstance of life, they may never have been friends. It’s a very real thing with friendships to grow apart and it’s really sad so I felt for Billie the entire time. I loved the suspense this brought and reading it as an audiobook was gripping. I think the only thing I didn’t like was Cassie but overall I thought this was really well done.

RaissaR

Apr 16, 2024

6/10 stars

Evolution of friendship from childhood into adulthood. Secrets that friends held on to all their lives. Kidnapping gone wrong. It was a good read I just wished it had more oomph.