Billie West and Cassie Barnwell Adler had been the best of friends until their very different lives drew the 35-year-old women apart. When Cassie's infant daughter goes missing from her upscale Gramercy Park apartment she shares with wealthy husband Grant, who is to blame? We learn it's her old friend Billie. How did a friendship go so wrong? In the chapters that follow, the story is told of the days leading up to this shocking occurrence and what happened afterwards. The story of Cassie and Billie, from their first meeting as teenagers in a small Hudson Valley, New York town to their college years and beyond, reveals a friendship that became more toxic over time. Billie is single and travels around the world for her job. Yet she becomes obsessed with the married Cassie and her growing role as an online fashion/lifestyle influencer whose posts make life look perfect. While they had grown apart, they shared a dark secret that binds them together. And who does the frantic Cassie turn to when her daughter goes missing? Billie.
Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering delves into many topics including the complexities of female friendships and family relationships. I found myself fully invested in the story as it starts so creatively with one friend taking the other's child. Rather than being a mystery about a kidnapped child, it was a story about two very different women with a long history together. And one toxic friendship. I was obsessed with finishing it in one (rainy) day.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this tense, engaging book in advance of its release.
Rated 4 out of 5 stars.
Adult Fiction | Suspense.
Publication Date: March 5, 2024.
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