"The Patient" by Cole Baxter is a riveting psychological thriller that delves into the mind of James Owens, haunted by a crime he can't remember. Released from a mental institution to house arrest, James grapples with hallucinations and mysterious occurrences, questioning his sanity. The tense atmosphere, complex characters, and a sinister agenda keep readers on the edge. As tragedy strikes, James embarks on a journey to confront his tortured past, leading to a spine-tingling revelation. Baxter crafts a gripping narrative, perfect for fans of psychological thrillers, delivering a chilling exploration of the fragile boundaries between reality and delusion.

Cole Baxter's The Patient, unfortunately, was not the right book for me. James is "the patient," recently released from a mental hospital after, years ago, being declared unfit for trial for a murder he does not remember committing. James's twin, Janet, comes and goes in James's life, claiming to be supportive while throwing insults James's way, making him feel inadequate and unequipped for "real life," and just in general being a terrible human being.

Bright spots in the book are the parole officer Brianna and the court-mandated mental health expert, Dr. Sellers. For me, however, these positive relationships could not overshadow the negative vibe of the entire book, with James leaving behind a childhood in which he was abused, to replace it with an adulthood that is the same way.

I never enjoy books in which vulnerable people are taken advantage of, but The Patient was especially infuriating. Additionally, I felt like the writing style of the book was very simplistic, not in a way I found appealing. Also, beware of several flashbacks of abuse.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really struggled with this book. I don't do great with books featuring characters that are having mental breakdowns, or being gaslighted into thinking they are, and that's all this book is. If you're into suspenseful books that keep you on the edge of your seat you'll enjoy it. Just not for me.

James is being released from the hospital for a crime he doesn’t remember committing and going back to his childhood home. When he gets to the house the memories flood back and threaten his fragile mental health and when his sister comes to help him things just get harder. As he adjusts with help from his therapist, parole officer and sister he has to learn if he can trust himself or any of them. Twists and turns will have you glued to each page - even after you are sure you figured out who James can trust because you have to know how his tormenter is achieving their goals. Great read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Cole Baxter and Inkubator Books for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

As my first ARC book and now review, I do have to say I was quite disappointed with this book. I've heard such great things about this author, so I was excited to get a first read before it was released.
I'm past the release date because it was just so hard to finish. I felt like I was reading from the mindset of a small child. From the very beginning of the book, I already knew how it was going to end and who the Villan was going to be. So, zero suspense leading up to the end.
The romance/sex part with the probation officer was so unbelievable. The time frame was so off. It was all very unrealistic, to say the least.
So I give this a ⭐️⭐️

Thank you, netgallery, for the opportunity to read this book.

This book started out strong and stayed that way for me.

A man, James, is released from a mental hospital/prison for something he does not remember doing. He is trying to get back to life in his family home. His sister, Janet, is a fairly bitter person. She's filled with lots of anger. James suffers from insomnia and trying hard to fit in.

It's hard to know what is real and what isn't. Is James a cold hearted killer or is he a victim? What part does his sister Janet play in all of this. What will the final outcome be???

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

3/5 stars

I love a good twisty book! This book had all the twists and turns. Is James as crazy as his sister makes him out to be? Go give it a read to find out. There were a couple things made too obvious but there were still a couple shockers for me. I think it was well written and I would read another book by this author.

A tad disappointed in this story.

Honestly, the issue is the writing. I keep waiting for it to get better but it never did. A chore to finish this one, but I did.

Brilliant Writing!!!

I was given the opportunity to read an early copy of this book and what a absolutely brilliant book it is!

This book has so many brilliant twists and turns I never saw coming! I loved it!

This book has it all, witty banter, suspense and incredible character development!

This masterpiece that kept me engaged the entire time!

Pick up this Phenomenal duet today!

No spoilers with my review! This is a must read for 2023!

I gave this book 4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

James is released from a psychiatric hospital and is out on probation for an unknown crime. He's dropped off at his childhood home and left to face his demons alone. When his sister, Janet, comes to check up on him, we start to wonder. Is James really as crazy as Janet is making him out to be or does Janet have ulterior motives in making him think he's unstable? really loved the idea for this book. It's easy to guess a big twist right away, but there's a lot of moments of doubt along the way. Some parts of this book were too unbelievable and it seemed like it jumped forward hours or days without warning which made it a little confusing.

This book is described as being a psychological thriller, which isn’t my usual genre of choice, but I made it through this read.
The initial mystery surrounding the main character’s psychological state and reason for incarceration was enjoyable and I found myself trying to puzzle it out.
I did find some of the plot points a bit cliche for the genre, which meant the end wasn’t as thrilling as it could have been. One point I did not enjoy was the author often ending a chapter or the character’s day with them falling asleep; this happens frequently in the story and isn’t a great way to move the story forward.
Fans of the genre who do enjoy the classic thriller tropes will likely enjoy this book.

What a rollercoaster of a book this was. It gripped me from start to finish. I found myself unable to put the book down and wanting to read more.

I really felt for James. I thought he was a poor soul having suffered with his mental health and accused of killing his teenage girlfriend without any real, raw proof. Doing the time and being told he didn’t remember it because of his head.

I questioned just about every character in the book at one point but I did guess who was messing with James quite early on. This characters attitude towards it was a dead giveaway.

I can’t say too much without giving it away but it was an easy, quick thriller but one I did thoroughly enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Cole Baxter and Inkubator books for allowing me access to this ARC.

James is released from prison for a murder he doesn't remember and he gets settled in his family home that he inherited from his father that hated him. While James is dealing with insomnia and his new normal, we are introduced to his horrible sister Janet who is just an awful human being. The story has a very creepy haunting vibe to it and while you can see where its going, it was still enjoyable to be on the journey.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Sadly, this one just wasn't for me. I found it to be so predictable, and I didn't care much for the writing style. I did like James, but I got frustrated with him so many times when he was dealing with Janet because he so easily flipped from being strong to weak. I also did not buy into the relationship he had with his parole officer. I'm pretty sure that would never happen in real life!

If you are new to reading psychological thrillers, you might enjoy this one.

Thank you, @netgalley and @inkubatorbooks for the #gifted e-arc of this book!

2.5 stars rounded

A fast paced page turner. This one will make you feel like you’re going crazy. The main character James suffers from schizophrenia, leaving you questioning what’s real the entire time. I figured out the twist in this one pretty early on, but it still held my interest.

This book had me hooked from the beginning and got me right out of my reading slump. I'd been looking for a book to keep my attention and this did not disappoint! I would recommend this to everyone I know! 5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for access to this ARC.

What an edge of your seat book! I honestly didn’t see the twists and turns until they happened and my god they were not what I expected.

What a brilliant read!

I had such great fun reading this.

I felt like I couldn't put this book down and I found myself invested in finding out the truth behind the past and the truth behind the events occurring in the present. I loved having to try work out whether certain events were happening or if they were only happening inside James' head. There's something so fun about reading about an unreliable narrator or a possible unreliable one.

I would love to check out another work by this author and I can't wait to see what comes next.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.</i>

I loved this read, it was so fast paced and exactly what I needed to get me out of my book slump. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone!

📚 #thepatient by #colebaxter
📝 @inkubatorbooks
📆 10/8/2023
📱@netgalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ten years ago, James Owens was convicted of a murder he couldn’t remember committing. Now, finally released from the mental institution where he’s served his time, he is placed under house arrest in the sprawling family home he has inherited from his father.

💭 Does Frieda McFadden, by chance, write under a pen name? If you love her books, this one is worth grabbing. I read it in 4 hours - it's very fast-paced, with short chapters. The reader feels completely delusional the entire time (much like the main character, James, who suffers from schizophrenia). I had no idea what to believe the entire time. The ending was also fantastic! I saw the twist coming, but the book was still satisfying!