Cringe.

This book made me feel so uneasy and uncomfortable. Catherine is 23 years old and has been married to Tom for five years. (Yes, she was a young 18 year old bride) Tom is 15 years older than her. Age is not always a big issue but makes a big difference when you are 18 marrying a 33 year old as opposed to 38 years old marrying a 53 year old.

Tom is controlling, a narcissist, a groomer and the biggest douchebag character I have ever read. This is saying a lot as I have read over 600 books in my life. When Tom and Catherine are in a car accident, he moves her out of the passenger seat and puts her in the drivers seat. (Not a spoiler, it happens right away at the beginning of the book and sets off a series of events.)

The book is so unbelievable. So many things happen which are so out there. I don't know how often I rolled my eyes in yet another "as if" moment.

I listened to the book on audio. The narrator did a good job portraying Catherine as a young naive woman. Her character change voice to male was okay. I could differential characters but was never fully convinced in my mind it sounded like a man.

2.5 stars - rounding up to 3 for rating guidelines. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Bookouture for the advanced readers copy to listen and review.

This book started out good and was interesting and then it just went flat. You knew from the beginning who was driving the car. It became monotonous and repetitive what was going on. The female main character was very weak and I found her annoying. The story against the husband was so farfetched, it was unbelievable . There is no way any of that was believable. It was a quick read, but not worth the time.

Wonderfully-developed characters with depth and substance. I was immediately drawn in and held captive from beginning to end. Not too sure about the narrative thou

Excellent book. the action starts right in the very beginning. This is the book you stay up all night to finish. Very fast pace...with great characters. I would recommend to anyone. I gave it 5 stars on my FB page. Great job

I had high hopes for this domestic thriller but it unfortunately fell a bit flat for me. The main female character was portrayed to be so naive I couldn’t help but roll my eyes so many times. The main male character’s manipulative actions wear icky and unbelievable. The narrator did a decent job, but I didn’t quite care that she used a different pitch for the female character…it was kind of odd. The plot line was over the top too.

This is the first audiobook in a very long time that I have not finished.

First of all I chose this audiobook as a ARC from NetGalley so many thanks for this.

The bookcover plot line looked good and had it been anything other than a sugary Mills and Boon type story I think I would have stuck at it and given it a go but the audiobook narration put a stop to that. Quite honestly the female narrator’s take on a male voice was a joke and ruined the story. This book could have been made passable with a decent narrator; say Barbera Rosenblat.

Sorry but this audiobook was like treacle being poured into my ears. Not for me.

The ARC audiobook I listened to was very engaging. Tom is a charming husband with secrets his wife doesn't know about. While out celebrating their 5th anniversary they get into an accident on their way home and after that the twists keep coming! I will admit parts of this book were so unrealistic it was laughable but I was able to look past those parts and focus on finding out what the outcome of the story would be. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this before it's released.

This is an action fulled listen. You are thrown into the sction straight away. Some of the dualogue is distracting and does not sit well with the characters. Totally unrealistic and inappropriate more likely to be foubd in a movie. I did find this distracting. At time it felt like an over the top film. I enjoy the tension and this would make a good film. It dealt with important issues such as grooming and gaslighting and was enjoyable and farfetched .
This is a good solid rounded up to 4 stars. The narration is compelling. Thank you netgallery and publisher and author and narrator

"The Anniversary" by Cole Baxter is a decent read, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I found some parts of the book to be slow-paced, making it a bit of a struggle to stay engaged. However, despite these drawbacks, the novel still had its moments of charm and suspense.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BookoutureAudio for the book #TheAnniversary by #ColeBaxter. This gripping thriller includes manipulation, murder and abuse. Who was driving the car that killed a woman? Was it Catherine or her husband? This crazy twisted story had me enthralled to the very end.

A romantic anniversary dinner to celebrate 5 years married ends in a car crash. A woman is dead, and her husband is saying she was driving. Yet she is certain her husband was the one driving. Why is he lying?

This book starts off with a bang, and is so action packed! This one kept me engaged from the first page. The story was not what I expected, but I loved it. Did I have to suspend a touch of reality for some of the action? Yes, but that did not take away from the story at all. This book was fast paced, thrilling, entertaining, beautiful, anxiety inducing, and intense. As you can see, this book made me feel a gamut of emotions. The characters were very well developed, and the plot was masterfully written. It flowed in a way that kept you reeled into the drama and twists while anticipating what was to come.

Stephanie Cannon is a wonderful narrator. She moved effortlessly between characters, genders, and emotions. She really brought this story to life!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for this excellent ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Contains Spoilers***

The plot of this book started out with you hating the husband, Tom. It made me so anxious and angry I almost considered not finishing it, I disliked his character so much. Hearing how he controlled his wife and how they were arranged to marry so early really made me feel for Catherine. She didn’t know any differently and really fell into the role of the victim.

As you hear about the car crash I was just thinking the whole time, why don’t the doctors share her injuries and the detectives recreate the scene. This would’ve proved without a doubt she wasn’t driving. It seemed so obvious to me, but it led you to keep reading to see if Catherine would defend herself and prove her innocence.

As the story further develops you realize Catherine really is in a helpless situation as Tom has the majority of the city in his pocket aside from an unlikely ally. As you reach the end of the story it takes some crazy turns including a city standoff, the murder of Catherine's father and the realization that the crash was actually calculated. In the end there is justice and some peace may be had.

The novel gives you a glimpse into an emotionally and verbally abusive relationship. It shows how a predator can start by isolating and guilt tripping their partner until eventually they cut everyone else out and can further control and manipulate their partner, taking away their sources of comfort

I went through a lot of emotions listening to this book, but overall I couldn’t stop listening. As angry as the plot made me, I had to hear the end and to me, Catherine, Jessica and Donna are the real heroes. They stopped at nothing and fought for what was right. These are the characters you love to see in novels.

I’d like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

The book was very predictable. It went on to long. It could have ended a few chapters earlier. It was a ver unbelievable story.

2⭐
Genre ~ domestic thriller
Setting ~ Ohio
Publication date ~ April 19, 2024
Page Count ~ 320 (37 chapters)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 17 minutes
Narrator ~ Stephanie Cannon
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ drinking and driving, murder, gaslighting, manipulation, corruption, mentions of infidelity

Catherine (23) is married to Tom, who is 15 years older than her. They got together, with her father's blessing, when she was 17 (huh?). Now it's their 5 year anniversary, they've had an expensive meal, including $100 for 6oz of champagne (huh again?), and are on the way home when there's an accident and a woman is killed. Thus sets forth this tale of major gaslighting and small town corruption.

Wow, I was not feeling this one at all. There are maybe 3 or 4 good characters out of quite a few. Catherine is so young and naive, and doesn't make the best choices. The plot is quite implausible and crazy, or maybe not and it's true to things that really go on in small towns were there's influential corruption. There were some action packed moments, but Tom was just awful and needed a good throat punch, as did most of the men, expect one.

Narration notes:
She did a fine job differing her voices. When she did the dialogue for Catherine she made her sound young and naive, which fit the story well.

A romantic anniversary dinner to celebrate 5 years married ends in a car crash. A woman is dead, and her husband is saying she was driving. Yet she is certain her husband was the one driving. Why is he lying?

This book starts off with a bang, and is so action packed! This one kept me engaged from the first page. The story was not what I expected, but I loved it. Did I have to suspend a touch of reality for some of the action? Yes, but that did not take away from the story at all. This book was fast paced, thrilling, entertaining, beautiful, anxiety inducing, and intense. As you can see, this book made me feel a gamut of emotions. The characters were very well developed, and the plot was masterfully written. It flowed in a way that kept you reeled into the drama and twists while anticipating what was to come.

Stephanie Cannon is a wonderful narrator. She moved effortlessly between characters, genders, and emotions. She really brought this story to life!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for this excellent ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Catherine stands accused of causing a fatal accident while driving under the influence. The problem is, she wasn’t even behind the wheel, and no one believes her protests of innocence.

As the story progresses, we discover disturbing truths about Catherine and Tom's marriage and their strange neighbors.

The plot was intriguing, and it started off strong. However, the antagonists reveal themselves too early in the story, leaving little to anticipate afterwards.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for the free audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley,Bookouture Audio and Cole Baxter for the eAudio of The Anniversary.
Narrated by Stephanie Cannon

This is my first book by Cole Baxter and really enjoyed listening to The Anniversary. The narrative starts in first POV on a 5th year anniversary, an argument and a car accident. As Catherine comes around in hospital she finds that Tom, who was driving, has blamed her for the accident in which there as been a fatality! From here on in, there is gaslighting, cohesive behaviour, masculine toxicity and physical abuse. What actually happened on that fateful night? It comes to light light a the end of the book!

Stephanie Cannon has a wonderful narration voice who perfectly separated each character within the story. She has the right pace for this story and put emphasis on the tense parts and relaxed off in others,

The narrative itself started great in the 1/3 of the book, kept me gripped and I had in my mind of a few paths it might take. It did drag a little in the 2/3 although I can see why Cole Baxter wrote the way he did as it basically showed how far the abuse of power can really go. Which concluded in the last 3rd.

3.5 stars and ill be looking out for more from Cole Baxter.

The Anniversary is a thriller with twists and turns and tons of corruption and mystery. We have a five year wedding anniversary gone horribly wrong.

We start off so strong when there is a car accident that leads to how deeply woven lies within their marriage are. I was hooked for the first half of this book! However, the dialogue and story really declined for me in the second half. I just found the story to be completely unbelievable as well as the conversations that were taking place. They just seemed so unrealistic and I lost interest in what the outcome would be. It felt like two different books.

2.75 rounded. This audiobook was narrated by Stephanie Cannon. She did fantastic with her portrayals of all characters!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Cole Baxter, and Bookouture Audio for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This will be a great read for everyone on April 19th.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, in my Facebook book club, and will post a Tiktok review within the week before it releases.

Gaslighting, isolation, grooming, deception, and control are just some of the words describing the marriage of our main characters. Katherine realizes she can no longer trust her husband and she needs to get out before it’s too late.

I can’t begin to imagine how hard it is to write a thriller novel. I give immense credit to writers and surely couldn’t do it myself. Making sure the plot and flow are exciting while remaining realistic. Adding in tough topics, like abuse, which are complicated and unique in each situation and that’s a lot of moving pieces to get just right. Unfortunately The Anniversary didn’t hit the mark for me. It felt like bits and pieces were there but it wasn’t fully executed in a cohesive enjoyable way.

Wonderful narrating across all characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for providing this ARC. This review is being shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date 19 Apr 2024

I enjoyed listening to this book. I will look into his other books soon.

Thank you, Bookouture audio for my gifted ALc