It was an interesting storyline. Could have gone in a million different directions. Entertained me on a long car drive.

I recently finished The Anniversary written by Cole Baxter and narrated by Stephanie Cannon.

Stephanie Cannon does a great job with narration. I spent several chapters trying to think of who her voiced reminded me of - when she was narrating for the wife - Anna Faris when she played Erica on Friends!!

The story was mediocre. I really liked the beginning of the book but then felt like it started dragging out. In my opinion, after the first couple of chapters, it was not very “thrilling.” Overall, meh.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the advanced audio listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.25/5 ✨

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and Cole Baxter for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I cannot stress to you how fast-paced this book is. I listened to the 8+ hrs. audiobook in one sitting because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. In the beginning, you may think it is the typical wife and husband at odds trope but there is more. Tom shows us his Ph.D. in gaslighting and corruption while Catherine finds her strength in more ways than one both in herself and through others who you may not expect.

This is my first Cole Baxter title and it WILL NOT be my last.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Anniversary by Cole Baxter, an audiobook narrated by Stephanie Cannon is a completely gripping, nerve-wracking, breathtaking, suspenseful, and addictive psychological thriller packed with manipulation and gaslighting! This thriller will keep you on the edge of your sweet, will trigger your anxiety, will make you wish to through that book in the corner (be careful if you reading on a Kindle device), and sometimes scream from frustration... All possible emotions you need when reading/listening to a good thriller! There is one unexpected twist at the end that made me gasp for air as I would never guess it! All and all, a fantastic book! Some parts really annoyed me at the same time I do understand that they are necessary for the sake of thriller.

I can't believe that Stephanie Cannon was the only narrator! wow! She completed at least 3 people's jobs! And swinging from one to another character by changing the voice and intonation... you just be professional in your job!

Romantic fifth-anniversary dinner turns into a nightmare. Their car is crushed, someone is dead and Tom states loud and clear that Catherine was a driver... There is no more life that Catherine knew before. Finally true light shines on the stage full of manipulation and gaslighting. There is no one to trust! There is no way to prove what is a lie and what is true...

This is a masterpiece of gaslighting, manipulation, selfishness, power, and delusion of God complex!

I was lucky to complete the first part as an e-book and the second part as an audiobook and both were equally amazing! So you can't choose wrong!

Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture, and Bookouture Audio for spoiling me with both versions of this book!

It’s rare that a domestic thriller actually has action. At first, I was scared this was going to be a typically evil husband plot, but the way this escalated was insane. There wasn’t a lot of mystery and twists, you are just watching (reading) this impossible situation unfold.

Tom had me so angry, this man was so delusional. It was entertaining for sure. When the truth was revealed, it was a little disappointing and predictable. Some things also was a little far fetched and unbelievable. The ending was a little rushed and wrapped up a little nicely. The audio narrator was good, the story was easy to follow. I would recommend, 4/5 stars!

Thanks Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this advanced listener copy in exchange of an honest review.

This is a scary thriller. Some you think, that could never happen. This one, it actually could. The anniversary couple, Kathryn and Tom, is celebrating 5 years of marriage at a swanky restaurant. As her husband is buying a bottle of the most expensive champagne, she begins to notice something is off. They leave the restaurant, Tom driving, and an accident ensues. Kathryn wakes up in the hospital and finds out that her husband told the police that she was driving!!!

This was such a good audiobook. I was in a trance the entire time. Bravo to Stephanie Cannon. Amazing job with the narration.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture Audio for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The devastating and life-changing fallout of marrying a man with a messiah complex, in a place that's less small town and more small cult.
Absolutely Bonkers (but good).

2.5 stars

Five years of marriage seem to be built on five years of lies. What was meant to be a nice dinner out for their anniversary turns into a car crash and betrayal, as the truth begins to unfold.

The concept is quite preposterous: framing someone for a car accident when injuries and the state of the car could easily prove otherwise? And I’m afraid it got even more far fetched from there…

The story progressed at a decent pace but it was quite repetitive and it took a while to see any of Tom’s motives, although you certainly see a string of terrible things he did and is continuing to do. It did not feel like a mystery to solve: more like a soapie drama and descriptive tale of Catherine’s abuse and gaslighting at Tom’s hand. At the 70% mark I was just begging it to land.

The narration was fantastic and the performance was so good you could forget you were listening to a production, and just get lost in the story. With all sincerity, I would have given up if it hadn’t been for the performance. The different voices for the characters were superb. I would definitely listen to another audiobook with Stephanie Cannon as the narrator.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I'm not sure where to begin with this one...

I'm not an avid thriller/mystery reader, so I do ask a lot if the genre if I do read/listen to them. I did want to find out what happened in this book and so it was easy to keep listening, but in the end I did want a bit more. If you are a thriller/mystery lover, then you will definitely enjoy this.

There are a lot of plot holes/unrealistic plot points in this book which were sometimes frustrating. I also think the beginning wasn't very strong (for me it did get better as it went on).

I would read this author again, but I'm afraid I can only give this a 2 star as it was a very standard (and fairly unrealistic) book as a whole.

The Anniversary, an audio arc from Netgalley, was ok. The "ok" reviews are the hardest to write. When a book is stellar and knocks it out of the park, it is easy to rave and fawn and want to tell how much it impacted you as a reader. A one star rating is equally easy because those negative emotions also, frequently, need to be shared. But, a middle of the road, ok book is ...... ok.

The publisher described this domestic thriller as one fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst and K.L. Slater. That is true. Each of those authors also writes ok domestic thrillers, so if they are your vibe, Cole Baxter will be a welcome addition to your bookshelf.

In summary, the plot involves a couple celebrating their anniversary at a restaurant, alcohol, an accident, gaslighting, inept police work, over involved neighbors......a lot of stuff, none of which was fully developed, believable or compelling. Baxter leaves so many plot holes, and expects the reader to switch off their brain (hello, bruises showing the passenger side bruises? Maybe test blood alcohol levels? Maybe remove the wife from the clutches of her husband officer who says he knows who was driving????).......when reading, I know not everything is real, but, as a reader, please don't ask me to suspend every single basis in reality.

I'm sorry for the harsh criticism, and I've read Baxter before, and will read him again, but this one was a miss for me.

This was the most ridiculous book I have ever listened to; yet I couldn't stop listening to it. The hospital would immediately know she wasn't driving. And what's with the lady trying to kill her and then just stopping and running away. There is no way this would happen....the whole neighborhood trying to beat her to death?! Just ridiculous plot.

I take absolutely no pleasure in leaving a bad review, I really didn’t enjoy the writing the plot or the narration unfortunately so I’m going to just say it clearly wasn’t for me. I found the story too easy to pick apart, the charges against our protagonist were far too easily debunked. Take it from me, I’ve had a terrible car accident. I obviously was not the driver, but injuries proved that immediately at hospital. Not for me. Sorry, I hope others love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

I really liked the way the book started. Halfway through the book it does have a lot of male violence towards women and grooming though so that should’ve had a trigger warning. The ending was good. Overall it was an enjoyable book.

"The Anniversary" begins with a bang:
A husband and wife celebrating their 5th anniversary are in a fatal car accident.

The wife wakes up in a hospital, accused of driving the car that resulted in a fatality.

The wife is confused because she knows her husband was the car's driver.

Although the book's "charming husband of five years has a secret life " premise was strong, the book's dialogue was stilted and unrealistic.

WHY?
Nobody communicates with each other like the characters in this book.

I listened to the audiobook read by Stephanie Cannon, who did an outstanding job with the narration.

Narrator Stephanie Cannon kept me engaged while wincing; elevating my rating of this book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

The evening when Katherina and Tom went out to celebrate their anniversary. Little did she know that the night would become a tragic ordeal with lasting consequences. "The Anniversary" by Cole Baxter was a gripping novel filled with suspense, gaslighting, and physical abuse. I experienced the story through the audiobook narrated by Stephanie Canon. While she skillfully portrayed the women's roles, I found her depiction of the men's characters less engaging.

Katherine and Tom are the main characters, but they are hard to like. Katherine seems to never learn her lesson. She is fragile and gullible. Her husband accuses her of driving the car and killing another driver, yet she still goes back home with him. No one questions the bruises at the wreck or the hospital until much later, which would prove she didn't drive the car. This book repeats situations over and over without explaining them. The story needs to be shorter and answer big questions. Why doesn't it explain what kind of group the men are forming in the town? Is it a cult? Why doesn't she use her cell phone when she is kidnapped? She could call 911, but she doesn't. I tried to like this book, but I was glad when I finished it.

I just reviewed The Anniversary by Cole Baxter. #TheAnniversary #NetGalley

First off, thank you so much, Netgalley, for sending me this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, I just couldn't even with this book. It just felt like too much and not enough at the same time. I didn't like any of the characters, and there was a ton of repeating moments and dialog in the book.

It didn't really seem like a thriller to me because everyone was so naive and gullible as adults that I was flabbergasted, and the closer it got to the end, the more ridiculous it all became. I couldn't wait for this book to end.

The Anniversary by Cole Baxter and narrated by Stephanie Cannon is an absolute belter of a psychological thriller. I usually poddle about doing bits and bobs when listening to an audiobook but OOF! Not this one, I had to grab a cuppa and sit and listen, utterly committed for the second half

Stephanie Cannon is a fantastic narrator. Swapping between genders and personalities with ease and authenticity, portraying each scene accurately and vibrantly. A brilliant performance

Jeepers bejilikers if this one did not knock my socks off and then some!

Kathryn is our MMC and seriously, in the beginning I really did not like her despite her timidness being a central tenet of the narrative and eventual storyline, Kathryn is married to Tom, an overbearing lawyer who has cheated on her often. We begin at their 5th anniversary dinner, a conversation about new beginnings and a great introduction to the influence that Tom has in the way he interacts with the waiter

Tom likes to drive his very flash, very fast car. Kathryn is never allowed to drive it, in fact, she is not allowed to do much outside of the home. Tom is driving faster and faster, Kathryn is terrified, asking him, pleading with him to slow down, but he ignores her, racing through a stop sign and it's too late, he slams into another vehicle, causing a fatal injury to the passenger in the other car. Kathryn's airbag has not deployed, she is injured seriously, Tom grabs her and places her into the drivers seat, his career must be protected at all costs...

When Kathryn regains consciousness in the hospital, she finds she is handcuffe to the bed. Tom has reported that she was driving, she was drunk, she is an alcoholic. But she only had a small glass of champagne and is certainly not an alcoholic

Tom forces Kathryn to return home against the doctors advice and their, she is a prisoner of her injuries, doubting her sanity. However, a visitor in the night notices the injuries Kathryn has are not synonymous with being the driver of the vehicle

(Note, Jessica is hands down my favourite character, the driver of the other car whose sister was the passenger. Thing is, she is off grid, a non-person who disappeared on active duty. She is also a grade one badass who decides to help Kathryn to clear her name)

OOooof, this is a book that is gripping, compelling and so very well written! The plot weaves and dodges and sucks you into a twisting, spiralling cyclone of plot twist after plot twist and into destruction and chaos

An outstanding novel and I cannot recommend it enough and defo an author that is going into my favourite thriller writers list

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, the brilliant Cole Baxter and immensely talented Stephanie Cannon for this excellent ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

The Anniversary had great premise. Catherine and Tom go out to celebrate their 5th anniversary and end up being in a tragic car accident. From there we begin to see the lies and secrets that he has been keeping.

Did not realize this was also a book of grooming, gaslighting, and narcissistic behavior. The dialogue was plain and simple yet unbelievable. I realize Catherine was young but she truly just rolls over and lets Tom walk all over her and she continues to play housewife? And then she got BACK in the car with him later? That was the point I had to walk away. It was a DNF for me.

I found this to be flat. We know within the first few chapters who was driving. And I just couldn’t get past the 40% mark to see if there was anything else that could shock and awe me.

Narration was good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this advanced audio in return for my honest review.

Pub date: 19 April 2024

This was my first introduction to Cole Baxter and now I MUST read his other books. I was consumed by this book. This isn’t a book of who did it, we know who did it from the start. We are taken on a wild ride figuring out WHYY?! I was hooked from start to finish at some points I put it on 3x the speed because I HAD to find out as fast as I could or I was going to have an anxiety attack 😂😂.

The Anniversary begins with a couple celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary. This anniversary sets off a chain of events that up ends many lives in a small town. Tom, the husband, is a very unlikeable character and his gaslighting and manipulation of everyone around him is deplorable. Some of the story details really made me question the plausibility of some events and made the story not as enjoyable. The pace of the story worked with a decent amount of suspense and it left me wanting to know how it would end.
The narration was well done and I found Stephanie Cannon easy to listen to and will seek out more of her audiobooks to listen to.

Thank you Net Galley. Cole Baxter, Stephanie Cannon and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to preview this audiobook and the opinions expressed are my own.

#NetGalley #ColeBaxter #TheAnniversary #StephanieCannon #Bookouture #Suspense #DomesticThriller

Note: This review would not post directly to Goodreads so I manually posted here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6386368755