Important details about Bye, Baby
Pace: Medium but does go too fast during crucial scenes.
POV: 1st person (Billie and Cassie)
Trigger Warnings: Bye, Baby contains themes that include sexual assault, kidnapping, toxic friendship, death of a parent, adult/minor relationships, rape, sexual harassment, child abuse, pedophilia, murder, dementia, bullying, grief, pregnancy, death, emotional abuse, mental illness, sexual violence, stalking, alcohol, alcoholism, body horror, chronic illness, domestic abuse, infertility, toxic relationships, vomit, abortion, gaslighting, classism, body shaming, and eating disorder.
Language: Bye, Baby contains mild to moderate swearing and language that might offend some people.
Sexual Content: There is moderate sexual content in A Smoking Bun.
Setting: Bye, Baby is set in New York City, New York.
My Review
When I read the blurb for Bye, Baby, my interest was caught. I enjoy psychological thrillers with a mystery element. However, as I read the book, I found that the storyline focused more on Cassie and Billie’s decades-long friendship rather than the kidnapping outlined in the blurb.
Bye, Baby’s storyline revolves around Cassie and Billie, their decades-long friendship, and the kidnapping of Cassie’s daughter. I thought this was a well-written storyline that showed society’s expectations of mothers and the pressure that women who choose not to have children go through by other women. The kidnapping was not the focal point of this book. It was a tiny part of a very complex storyline.
The author did something interesting with this storyline. She started the book fifty days before the kidnapping and detailed Cassie and Billie’s lives. As she was building the present-day storyline, she returned to when Billie and Cassie first met and detailed the trauma that Billie went through as a teenager. I liked seeing both Cassie and Billie in the present and past. So much was explained about each of them and how their friendship turned toxic and one-sided.
The mystery angle of Bye, Baby was interesting. The author tells you who kidnapped the baby, but the why and how are not explained. The author does build up to that, but it seemed to go on longer than it should have. It was the afterward that was drawn out.
I was very interested in the mothers vs. women choosing to be child-free. There were times when the author did lay it on thick for the mothers. The pressure and adult bullying that Cassie and her friends did to Billie about choosing to be child-free was disgusting but very spot on.
The behind-the-scenes look into what it takes to be an influencer was fascinating. Cassie was obsessed with her followers, comments, and likes. Even though she started the Instagram account to promote her business, it became more of a mom vlog and promoting different brands. Honestly, it sounds exhausting and not something I can see myself doing.
The childhood trauma that shaped Billie was heartbreaking. So much happened to her quickly, and it became a little hard to follow. I enjoyed seeing Billie bloom during college, but I couldn’t understand why she kept returning to Cassie every time something went wrong. It was explained towards the end of the book (and it is linked to her trauma), but still.
The end of Bye, Baby seemed a little rushed. I didn’t believe what Cassie did. Hell, I didn’t even believe what Billie’s boyfriend did (and he’s a police officer). I was a little irritated by how everything went down (Cassie’s new best friend has issues with Billie but did the right thing in the end).
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Carola Lovering for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Bye, Baby. All opinions stated in this review are mine.