I have read 4 or 5 books by Cole baxter, hence why i requested this one. The cover jumped at me, and I was excited. Until I started it. This one was promising, util it wasn't. It was a slow burn, and I couldn't see how it was a thriller. It was poorly written and did little to keep my interest, it was very thriller -like, until close to the end where there was a slight plot twist but it wasn't that great. I will still give others by him a chance, but this one wasnt for me

THE PERFECT SUITOR by Cole Baxter.
Three years after the tragic death of her wonderful husband, Charlene continues to mourn. As she struggles to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, she meets Samuel. Handsome and educated, this charming man is the perfect suitor, and Charlene slowly lets her guard down and opens her heart to him. But Samuel is not the man he appears to be. He has a dark compulsion. And an even darker secret.
Really good read. Twisty. Did not expect that. 4*.

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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What a good read! A lot of things happen here! May contain spoiler .
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Charlene is very strong lady well there is a moment when I felt like she is dumb🤣
Getting to fall from someone easily like samuel. Samuel has a hidden past than will unravel later on up until someone is ‘stalking’ them apparently, but a twist at the end.
Just a whirlwind .
Definitely worth to read!

Charlene loses her husband to a mugging while they are on vacation, she is totally devastated as they wouldn't have gone to that part of the town if not for her insistence!
As she is recovering from this shock, she receives a friend request from Samuel - after exchanging many messages, phone calls they finally decide to meet in-person. As they spend more & more time with each other they realize that they like each other.

All seems to be going well, until Charlene realizes that Samuel has a habit of pushing her to buy things whether she likes/ needs them - it's an odd behavior!
Then the odd sightings of someone following her scares her even further! When she hires a PI to learn what's happening she is taken aback - but then there's more to come and she soon loses someone dear to her!

Overall some parts were really hair tearing and annoying but I could quickly move on from that!

This was a read now book, thanks Netgalley!

Charlene loses her husband then spends the next 3 years moping around, only wanting to sleep in the hope of dreaming about him. One day she receives a Friend Request which intrigues her enough to accept. This is such a long drawn out book which would have been better as a novella and that way much of the repetition could have been avoided. I didn’t like the stilted writing style nor did I find the story exciting, just a very naive, gullible woman who brought all her misery on herself! Probably in the minority here but it was far too slow for me and by the time it did liven up I’d lost all interest - sorry!

I was excited to read this book, just because I was intrigued by the cover. It’s my first book by Cole Baxter.
It was a good story, if it was a bit shorter. I also didn’t got excited or shocked by new informations.
It was kinda predictable.
It was medium paced, easy read for non-English speakers.

That didn’t appeal much to me. Such a letdown.

Thanks to Netgalley! Hoping for a better read next time!

This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated 'The Perfect Suitor – the stunning psychological thriller perfect for fans of Daniel Hurst. I did enjoy parts of the story and really felt for the characters but over all the book seemed to drag on in a lot of parts and the suspense just wasn't really there. It wasn't a bad read but it was not as I expected and so it did leave me a bit disappointed.

3 for neutral, was unable to access my netgalley account for months, until today. Because of this, I was unable to see which books I needed to read. I apologize for the inconvenience and hopefully will not have any more issues in future.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc. This review is wholly my own.

Charlene tragically loses her husband and meets Samuel who seems to be the perfect man but everything is not as it seems. Great synopsis to reel you in, but not as chilling as it sounds.

I feel like I have read this story 10 times already. Not overly original. It was too slow of a pace to keep you interested and predictable.

With all of that said - it wasn't "bad" - it just wasn't great.

Thank you to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Perfect Suitor by Cole Baxter is a domestic thriller that you won't be able to put down! The story revolves Charlene, who is recovering from the death of her husband three years ago. One day, she meets a handsome stranger named Samuel. Soon, they begin a relationship, and everything seems perfect. But why does Charlene get the sense that everything is not as it seems? Is Samuel hiding something from her? What is it?

Here is a terrifying excerpt from the Prologue, which is a flashback:

"Blood poured from his chest, and his eyes fluttered. "I... I love you..." he murmured, his fingers wrapping around mine for a moment, and then the pressure was gone. He was gone.
"No!" I screamed, collapsing over his chest. "No! Come back! Please! Please don't leave me, Christopher!"

Overall, The Perfect Suitor is a domestic thriller with plenty of twists. One highlight of this book are the exciting reveals and twists, which I wasn't expecting at all. I did take off 1 star, because nothing exciting happened until about midway through the book. After the midpoint, though, the story got more exciting, and I really enjoyed the second half. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!

Charlene Bell is really quite the character. At first, I had a ton of sympathy and empathy for her and her situation. However, the more I read, the less I liked her. Although her family is not what it should be, and that part, I totally understand, but she seems a bit self-indulgent and selfish. Once she ‘met’ Samuel, though, things seemed be on the upswing. However, everything that glitters isn’t gold, and the grass is not always greener on the other side. This is a good story about grief and guilt, as well as betrayal, and I must admit that, in the end, I was happy for Charlene. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to take this ride.

This was an extremely engaging and suspenseful book. Twists and turns kept me anxiously awaiting what would happen next. I highly recommend it!

I haven't read anything by Mr Baxter in the past, but I will make him one of my new go-to authors now. I enjoyed the book, and will recommend it for anyone who loves a great read! Recommended.

"The Perfect Suitor" by Cole Baxter follows Charlene, a woman who is reeling from the tragic death of her husband during a trip to Cairo. Three years after the traumatic event, she leads a secluded life in her home, getting everything she can delivered, and avoiding her toxic family’s phone calls. Her two links to the world outside are her therapist Dr. Neal and her best friend Selina, whom she has yet to meet in person. Every day is a struggle for Charlene to go through the daily motions, burdened by her grief and guilt.

Then she receives a friend request from the mysterious Samuel, who slowly and patiently gets under her skin and becomes a part of her life. He draws her out of the house and makes her feel wanted and appreciated. However, she begins to notice some patterns in his behavior that disturb her and hint at the possibility that Samuel’s intentions may not be entirely honest. From that point on, she begins her search for the truth, going through every possibility that occurs to her and carefully observing Samuel’s behavior.

Charlene’s grief is described convincingly, and reading about her healing process is interesting. Having a first-person narrator who is struggling and constantly questions herself can be somewhat claustrophobic, as the reader is stuck with their unfiltered thoughts. It may either come across as raw and relatable, or as too much of a slow burn, depending on the reader’s preferences and their mood. In this particular novel, the line between the two is very fine; on the one hand, there is enough material for speculation and for guessing along with Charlene, but on the other hand, we follow her way too closely and her detailed exposition of all that she feels and thinks as it occurs to her can be a little suffocating at times. It can become a little frustrating as Charlene doggedly moves from theory to theory, because the reader may not necessarily always follow her reasoning and entertain the possible solutions to the mystery in the order that she does. Again, on the flipside, when done well, this manner of writing creates a satisfactory tension between what the reader knows or thinks they know and the reality of the character’s situation. In the end, there is a sense of curiosity that motivates the reader to keep sorting through Charlene’s impressions and form their own version of the truth.

Agent Aubrey’s way of talking is somewhat irritating, and the role he plays towards the end of the novel isn’t completely convincing. It would have been nice to see a little bit more of Selina and her friendship with Charlene throughout the book. The reveal at the end is powerful even if it may seem somewhat delayed, and there are several scenes that are quite exciting and action-packed.

Cole Baxter never disappoints! It was engaging and I couldn’t put it down. I lost sleep because I was enjoying it so much. It’s already on my “read it again” shelf.

What a good read, read this in one sitting and enjoyed it immensely, kept me glued to the pages throughout ..

Charlene's husband is murdered in front of her while on a trip. She blames herself and as a result of his murder, she has become a recluse. She is seeing a counselor vitually who is trying to help her get over his death and encourages her to meet other people and leave the house. Charlene takes her advice and begins to leave her home at first just for a cup of coffee then explores a little more. She becomes bold and meets a man through the internet. She learns to trust him and through their relationship, she begins to be more comfortable with leaving her home and with her new life after her husband's death. This new man in her life, Samuel convinces her to go to art auctions and other events with him and he talks her into spending a lot of her money. She begins to question things about Samuel and whether or not she can trust him.

I enjoyed this book and found myself wanting to keep reading. It captured my attention and had me guessing at the turn of events throughout the book.

I enjoyed this book from the very beginning! It gives you action right away and keeps you hooked throughout the book.

I felt for Charlene as she grieved for her husband and the situation she then found herself in afterwards.

I was gifted this book from netgalley and publishers in return for an honest review.

The perfect book to wrap yourself around on a dark night. This book starts with action, which instantly got me hooked and keeps it and tension going throughout the book!