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Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering Book Review

Reasons For Reading This Book: 

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering was the book of the month for March 2024 for The Readheads Book Club. Like I do every month I read along with the club. I did not read anything about the book before I started it, I just downloaded it and started reading. I had no idea what I was getting into when picking up this book. 

Content of This Book:

What I Liked About This Book:

This book was very polarizing for the 4 host of the podcast. Two host's loved it and the other two did not like it. Personally I sided more with the two who disliked it. The following is my attempt at finding parts of the book that I liked. One part of Billie's character that I found relatable was that she loved her job. This was relatable to me because I am also someone who loves my job and the people I work with. It was refreshing to have a character who felt the same way, this is not always the case with characters in other books. I also liked the set up of the book. I am a reader who does not mind the switching of time lines and timeframes. For the purpose of this plot and how it progressed I was a fan of the opposing timelines. I liked that the author would have something occur in present day that brought up a memory or lesson from the past so then the timeline switched to that part of history to give the reader context for why the character felt or acted they way they did in present time as a result of the past. Without spoiling the ending, I did like that there were both failures and successes when it came to the relationships in this book. Following the timeline of the relationships (romantic, friendship, and familial) was the most likable part of the book. 

What I Disliked About This Book:

A big debate on the podcast episode and something that I struggled with the entire book was the author not giving a definitive reason for why Billie does not want to have children. There were hints that the reason was that she never developed a maternal instinct, but that never felt like a complete reason. One host (Jackie) of the podcast made the point that the author might have done this intentionally by making a statement that women do not owe anyone a reason or explanation for why they do not want to have children. I get this on a personal level, but when the book is centered around this topic I feel like the author does owe the reader a clear explanation. I was in agreeance with Margo (one of the hosts) that the references to current day trends was too much and ended up being cringe in my opinion. I am not from New York and was still not a fan. I am in agreeance that I read to escape the current world so having an influencer and trendy references was a major turn off for me. I also found the author was trying too hard to have it be relatable. As someone who absolutely loves being an aunt, I can relate to being obsessed with the kiddos in your life, but with that being said I am not a mother so I found Cassie's obsession with her daughter before and after the kidnapping to be exhausting and ultimately an annoyance. As a consumer of crime shows, movies and books, I was completely underwhelmed by the investigation and the way in which the police work was conducted in this book. I found some plot holes in the evidence and immediately discredited this author's ability to write a crime novel. This was a also discussed in the podcast episode. I could continue but one last thing I will say is that I was overall underwhelmed by the story as a whole both with the investigation and the rise and fall of Billie and Cassie's friendship. 

Would I Recommend This Book?

As you might be able to tell, I would not recommend this book. Overall I disliked more parts than I liked. It did make for an okay book club discussion but still not worth the read in my opinion. 

Check out my book reviews for 2024!!


Check out my book reviews for 2023!!

Horse by Geraldine Brooks  
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Hester by Laurie Pico Albanese
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Environmental and Sustainability Book Reviews 2022
Self-Improvement Book Reviews 2022
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Not All Diamonds and Rosé by Dave Quinn
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham 
Girls With Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman
Run, Rose, Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton
The Summer Series by Jenny Han
A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard
The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives by Brian Moylan
Verity by Colleen Hoover
All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart 
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Majesty: American Royals 2 by Kathrine McGree
Every Last Secret by A.R. Torre

Check out my book reviews for 2021!!

2021 Book Rankings

Beach Read By Emily Henry
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Educated by Tara Westover
The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins 
We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins 
We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Klara and the Sun 
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
American Duchess by Karen Harper 
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Girl With No Job by Claudia Oshry
Down the Habit Hole by Holly Madison Book Review
My Story by Elizabeth Smart
Layla by Colleen Hoover

Check out my book reviews for 2020!!

Check out my book reviews for 2019!!

Check out my book reviews from 2018!!


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