My first read by this author. I found the book fast paced and entertaining, but a bit unbelievable and far fetched in places. However it did keep me interested to see how it all came together.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

This just didn't click for me. It's one of those books you can breeze through pretty quickly, but somehow it still manages to feel like it's dragging. The story just seemed a bit too out there to be believable. An example, when she wakes up from the car accident and the cops thought she was driving, although the bruises were on the wrong side... and the cops were shocked that they didn't think of that. Normally, I do like psychological, domestic thrillers.. this just missed the mark a little for me though. It is a quick read and does pick up towards the ends with some action packed scenes, so definitely worth giving it a try if you like psychological thrillers.

This book started off well but from about 50% in just went downhill and very far fetched. Sorry this one isnt for me

This was a quick thriller read, I very much enjoyed! There’s so much going on you just don’t know what’ll happen next!

Unfortunately The Anniversary just wasn't for me. It was all a little to predictable for me and I didn't engage with the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

This book left a lot to be desired. The story had potential to be good, but the execution was off. The book droned on and on and didn't really have much to tell. The amount of facts presented versus the amount of background noise was off--there was so much unnecessary wording and beating around the bush to get to the point that it bothered me to the point of leaving this low of a score. The characters were also not noteworthy or anything to root for. I actually found the main character Catherine to be a bit annoying at times. Things that she would do didn't seem relatable or believable and that left me not connecting with this book like I had hoped.

The tale of small town corruption was intriguing and genuinely interesting--however I feel it could have been done a lot better than Baxter did. I feel like too much attention was given to other parts of the story that distracted from this part. Jessica's character was not believable at all--people in real life do not act like that and just show up out of nowhere and help someone and not want credit. I didn't find much that she did in the story would actually happen in real life and therefore disliked the entire character. The only character I feel that was done well was Tom because he was so malicious.

All in all it was a decent story---just needed to be executed a lot better.

I’ve enjoyed all the books I’ve read by Cole Baxter. Probably the main reason I got into thriller books. His book The Anniversary doesn’t disappoint either. Filled with so many secrets and lies it keeps you wondering what the next form of deceit may come forth.

Catherine got married to Tom at a very young age and looked up to him as such an incredible man and husband. Her views of him quickly shift after they are in a horrific car accident where someone dies and she over hears him blaming her for the accident when she wasn’t driving. As time goes on the webs of deceit her husband has caused not just for her but their whole town unfolds and helps her see her marriage for what it was, which was an arrangement that benefited Tom and put her into an isolated shell. Will she be able to escape his lies or will she become just another one of his victims?

This book was entertaining and fast paced. However, I did find it to be unrealistic and far fetched, but it kept my attention and I found myself wanting to keep reading to see how the author would tie it all together.

I have read a few of this author's books and I won't be stopping any time soon. I really enjoyed reading this book, while wanting to scream at the characters for what they were doing (or not doing). It was a really enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I felt like I was watching a movie throughout this book that’s much more than a wife betrayed by her husband. The more it unraveled, there was so much more than poor Catherine could’ve imagined. The events that transpire are unreal. This is a gripping domestic suspense with jaw-dropping twists.

Thank you, Cole Baxter, Bookouture, Bookouture audio & netgalley for my ecopy & #audiobook! All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! I thought it was just so so good. It kept getting better and better. It was so delicious.

It’s Catherine and her husband Tom’s fifth wedding anniversary. To celebrate, he’s taken her to a posh restaurant for a romantic dinner, an extravagance he never bestows on her despite his wealth. As usual, he’s planned every aspect of their evening, making all her choices for her including the dress she’s wearing, what she’ll eat, and even what she’ll drink. Tom’s a man who demands absolute control, especially when it comes to his wife. Yet, as he plies her with terms of endearment and expensive champagne, Catherine senses something off about him. She can’t help but be suspicious.

Even though their night has been magical, their marriage has been anything but. Thinking that maybe he’s cheating on her again, she checks his phone when he steps away from the table. However, who he is texting is the least of the secrets her husband is keeping. On the way home that night, Tom’s erratic driving causes a high-speed collision and the death of a woman in the other car. As the paramedics tend to Catherine, she hears her husband tell the police she’d been the one behind the wheel instead of him. Tom says she’d been drinking, and she caused the death of the woman. Catherine knows he’s lying. But why? What is he hiding?

Fast moving, gripping, and completely unsettling, “The Anniversary” by Cole Baxter is a domestic thriller that explores the terrifying progression of abuse within a marriage. Accurately replicating both physical and psychological abuse, it can be difficult to read at times if you’ve ever been through something similar. Tom’s gaslighting of Catherine is all too realistic. Even though she recognizes his lies, he still manipulates her into second-guessing herself and questioning her memories — to the point that it could cost her her life. In the world of psychological thrillers where nothing is as it seems to be, it’s easy for the reader to be gaslit by Tom too. He repeats his lies so much and so consistently that it’s easy to doubt Catherine’s version of the truth. At least for a little while

“The Anniversary” by Cole Baxter is action-packed and loaded with suspense. Tom’s the monster you expect to jump out from around a corner when he’s not in a scene with Catherine. He’s the psychotic abuser who you wish that you could save Catherine from (either physically or psychologically) whenever he is. This isn’t the twisty, shocking thriller you’re used to. This is a heart-in-your-throat, white-knuckled-at-times story with a heroine you’ll think about for a while after you finish the book. As for Tom? You won’t believe what he’s hiding or all the lies he’s told… and why.

It started off strong and at a steady pace moving from past and present timelines. Catherine’s backstory wasn’t long coming together and it gave a real insight into events in the present day. I was really engaged for the first half of the listen but it went downhill for the second half to the point of unbelievable and just to far fetched and I found it hard to stay engaged. Cole really knows how to write completely despicable characters and Tom is right up there for me. It started strong but unfortunately didn’t keep up the momentum and went too far off course.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to listen to and review #TheAnniversary

The Anniversary just didn't hit the mark for me. I love psychological thrillers that seem like one thing and then pull the rug from under me. That's what I hoped for the deeper I got into this book, but was left so disappointed. It was too predictable and too illogical at the same time. It felt more like reading a soap opera rather than a well-written psychological thriller. I just kept thinking "well, that wouldn't happen" and it took me out of the reading.

Now I can enjoy books with illogical storylines when they're marketed like that or when I'm used to it with the author. I also need the illogical storylines to throw me for a loop or to keep me entertained. With The Anniversary, I was just left frustrated. If it wasn't for reviewing the book, it would have been a DNF.

3.5 ⭐

I enjoyed this book and it kept me wanting to read more to find out what would happen next. My issue with it was that some of it, mainly the whole stand off scenario, felt a little bit far-fetched, and that seemed to take away a little bit of the enjoyment for me.

I really enjoy Cole Baxter's writing and this is my favorite I've read from him in a while. These types of domestic thrillers are my favorite because I spend the entire book routing for the wife to overcome her evil husband. I just loved the female empowerment aspect to this one and thought the addition of Jessica's character was the perfect partner for Catherine. I did think the ending was a bit convenient and anticlimactic but otherwise I enjoyed every aspect of this. This story felt all too familiar coming from a small town myself, so it was easy to relate to the frustration of a corrupted police force and an entire community believing a man with power over the female with proof of the truth. I did not see the ending twist/explanation coming and thought it was a great full circle moment. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just okay. I didn't really care about any of the characters and it wasn't what I thought it would be. Not really what I wanted to be at all.

Five years of love, five years of lies. And so, begins this psychological thriller where nothing is what it seems - and of course a murder!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

This domestic thriller definitely caught you from the beginning...I really wanted to know how the events would unfold in this marriage that seemed doomed from the beginning. I was intrigued to find out which characters were to be trusted or who would turn on whom next. But overall there were no big twists. The wildly unbelievable events didn't shock me but rather sort of bewildered me. Baxter has many books already in this genre so I will try some of his past offerings.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Wow, what an incredibly gripping, twisted and brilliant story! I was hooked - could not put this one down. If you start this one, prepare to set everything else aside as the story takes you over. Just wow!