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Perfect Obsession
Her life was a dream come true — until it wasn't... When Ani meets Julian Wade, she thinks he is the answer to all her problems. He has money, a penthouse apartment, and doesn't ask a lot of questions. Or rather, any questions. Who is Ani and what was her past like? She figures what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Or will it? She's ready to play the part of perfect wife. But Julian has been waiting for the perfect moment. He knows who she is. He knows what she did. When the secrets are exposed, she'll have to face the consequences... A thrilling psychological thriller that you won't be able to put down!
434 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 26, 2020
4051 people are currently reading
1368 people want to read
About the author
Cole Baxter
46 books370 followersCole Baxter loves writing psychological suspense thrillers. It's all about that last reveal that he loves shocking readers with.
He grew up in New York, where there crime was all around. He decided to turn that into something positive with his fiction.
His stories will have you reading through the night--they are very addictive!
Sign up for Cole's VIP Reader Club and find out about his latest releases, giveaways, and more. Copy and paste this link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/dqL8yT
He grew up in New York, where there crime was all around. He decided to turn that into something positive with his fiction.
His stories will have you reading through the night--they are very addictive!
Sign up for Cole's VIP Reader Club and find out about his latest releases, giveaways, and more. Copy and paste this link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/dqL8yT
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
March 22, 2020
This is my first Cole Baxter book and I have to say, after reading this, that I think I’m going to be a big fan of his!!!
When Ani meets handsome Julian in in the coffee shop where she works, you can practically hear the fireworks going off!!! He is handsome, wealthy, intelligent and wants to spend time with her .. he appears to be a modern day prince!! Strangely as their relationship develops, he never asks her any questions about her past. Alarm bells are going off in my head!!
This is such an addictive read, I couldn’t put it down. I loved how the story goes back so we get to see what their secrets are and why Julian is as secretive as he is.
A must read book!!!
When Ani meets handsome Julian in in the coffee shop where she works, you can practically hear the fireworks going off!!! He is handsome, wealthy, intelligent and wants to spend time with her .. he appears to be a modern day prince!! Strangely as their relationship develops, he never asks her any questions about her past. Alarm bells are going off in my head!!
This is such an addictive read, I couldn’t put it down. I loved how the story goes back so we get to see what their secrets are and why Julian is as secretive as he is.
A must read book!!!
January 6, 2021
I was duped into another horrible psychological thriller on kindle unlimited....
Fast paced? No. Guessing till the end? No. It was predictable and slow with poor writing and poor character development.
Fast paced? No. Guessing till the end? No. It was predictable and slow with poor writing and poor character development.
May 17, 2020
Unbearable
Pretty sure this was written by a middle schooler. The only good thing I can say is that it ended and for that I am thankful.
Pretty sure this was written by a middle schooler. The only good thing I can say is that it ended and for that I am thankful.
March 22, 2020
What a waste of time! This is some of the worst writing I have ever read! Word choice, grammar errors, punctuation mistakes prevail.
May 4, 2020
Oh Dear
I am seriously glad I got this book on my Kindle Unlimited and didn't pay for it!. I don't think that I have read a more clumsier, convoluted, ridiculous plot. The characters were so unbelievable , two dimensional and the dialogue absurd. I guessed the big reveal very early on. Sorry big thumbs down👎
I am seriously glad I got this book on my Kindle Unlimited and didn't pay for it!. I don't think that I have read a more clumsier, convoluted, ridiculous plot. The characters were so unbelievable , two dimensional and the dialogue absurd. I guessed the big reveal very early on. Sorry big thumbs down👎
May 18, 2020
So I read this book pretty quick. This was a love hate relationship with this book. Beth-ani frustrated me by not going with her gut. But then I could understand her wanting to be loved because of how badly she grew up.
Anyway..Beth-ani can’t believe her luck. The most gorgeous and perfect man enters the coffee shop and she’s so drawn into him. She manages to get his number. Jillian tall, handsome and rich.
Beth-ani and Julian became close. He was the perfect gentlemen. He treat Beth-ani just like any woman should be treated so when Beth-ani started having doubts she would always make it like it’s her fault etc.
What looks like the perfect couple it isn’t what it seems. Someone’s out for revenge. What lengths will they bff to seal that?
It was a quick read for me considering and I am looking forward to seeing what other books this author has
Anyway..Beth-ani can’t believe her luck. The most gorgeous and perfect man enters the coffee shop and she’s so drawn into him. She manages to get his number. Jillian tall, handsome and rich.
Beth-ani and Julian became close. He was the perfect gentlemen. He treat Beth-ani just like any woman should be treated so when Beth-ani started having doubts she would always make it like it’s her fault etc.
What looks like the perfect couple it isn’t what it seems. Someone’s out for revenge. What lengths will they bff to seal that?
It was a quick read for me considering and I am looking forward to seeing what other books this author has
April 18, 2020
Absolute trash imo. I'm baffled by the amount of high ratings this has.
The writing itself is awful. Poor grammar all throughout the book and everything was surface level. There was a lot of telling, not showing. I had so much secondhand embarrassment while reading. Who over the age of 13 says they're passionately making out? Pretty sure the fanfiction I wrote as a tween was better written than this.
Ani was childish, naive, and stupid, just like her mom said. Now obviously I know her mom was the root of all her issues and that mothers shouldn't treat their children the way Ani was treated, but honestly she had a point. Ani blatantly ignored a number of red flags about Julian. Writing your protagonist as that ignorant is not cute. It's not relatable. It's just cringy.
Won't be reading this author again.
The writing itself is awful. Poor grammar all throughout the book and everything was surface level. There was a lot of telling, not showing. I had so much secondhand embarrassment while reading. Who over the age of 13 says they're passionately making out? Pretty sure the fanfiction I wrote as a tween was better written than this.
Ani was childish, naive, and stupid, just like her mom said. Now obviously I know her mom was the root of all her issues and that mothers shouldn't treat their children the way Ani was treated, but honestly she had a point. Ani blatantly ignored a number of red flags about Julian. Writing your protagonist as that ignorant is not cute. It's not relatable. It's just cringy.
Won't be reading this author again.
August 20, 2020
Couldn’t finish it. Terrible dialogue, no imagery. Got part way through chapter 6 and still no real idea of what the main character looks like. No explanations for why she’s so whiny and insecure, every sentence about Sam is describing how wonderful she is. We got the idea the first chapter, needs to be more descriptive of locations and characters so you can get a picture in your mind and a feel for the environment, not constantly reworded feelings about them.
April 16, 2020
This was my first book from this author and holy smokes did he do a fantastic job! I wanted to cry near the end for the events going down. (Don’t wanna spoil it.) but I’m happy Ani learned to love herself that’s what we all truly need to learn.
March 29, 2020
Hideously bad. Please don't waste your time reading this! Spelling mistakes,grammatical errors,rubbish characters and a ridiculous plot do not make a good story. Probably the worst book I've read.
August 8, 2020
Just don't
The ending was the best part, it ment the book was over!!!! Very poorly written,if you are going to write a book that has a location that you are unfamiliar with, do some research. Seattle isn't on the ocean, it's on Elliott bay, you aren't going to drive a few hours on your honeymoon to the Rockies from Seattle, maybe the Olympics or cascades, but not the Rockies. Everett is about 30 minutes from Seattle, not hours like the book tries to depict.
The plot was poorly thought out as well as the building of characters, very superficial and not enjoyable in the least
The ending was the best part, it ment the book was over!!!! Very poorly written,if you are going to write a book that has a location that you are unfamiliar with, do some research. Seattle isn't on the ocean, it's on Elliott bay, you aren't going to drive a few hours on your honeymoon to the Rockies from Seattle, maybe the Olympics or cascades, but not the Rockies. Everett is about 30 minutes from Seattle, not hours like the book tries to depict.
The plot was poorly thought out as well as the building of characters, very superficial and not enjoyable in the least
July 14, 2020
Interesting Story
The story was interesting and I was anxious to get to the end, to at last be able to put all the pieces together. It’s the story of an extremely insecure girl who looks for love in all the wrong people. Her search for happiness leads to tragedy. I felt drawn to the plot, but found myself skipping over paragraphs. There was a lot of “overwriting.” The story was good, but could stand some tightening.
The story was interesting and I was anxious to get to the end, to at last be able to put all the pieces together. It’s the story of an extremely insecure girl who looks for love in all the wrong people. Her search for happiness leads to tragedy. I felt drawn to the plot, but found myself skipping over paragraphs. There was a lot of “overwriting.” The story was good, but could stand some tightening.
June 16, 2022
I didn't really like this one. It was like reading 50 shades of grey. I guessed what was happening about halfway through and didn't really want too finish it, but I did.
January 2, 2021
Guessed it Early in the Book
This book really plodded on until the final chapters of the book. About half way through the book I knew the who, why, and what of the story. I kept waiting for the oh wow moment but it never came. The book was entertaining enough for me to finish it but if you are looking for an edge of your seat thriller this is not the one for you.
This book really plodded on until the final chapters of the book. About half way through the book I knew the who, why, and what of the story. I kept waiting for the oh wow moment but it never came. The book was entertaining enough for me to finish it but if you are looking for an edge of your seat thriller this is not the one for you.
March 29, 2024
2.5/5.
April 7, 2022
Too repetitive
Good plot and had me wanting to know what happened. However, there were a lot of things repeated. I feel like the book could easily be half of the length it is. Took too long for the climax. You knew it was coming, but it just dragged on without really going anywhere until the last part of the book.
Good plot and had me wanting to know what happened. However, there were a lot of things repeated. I feel like the book could easily be half of the length it is. Took too long for the climax. You knew it was coming, but it just dragged on without really going anywhere until the last part of the book.
July 18, 2020
I feel like I should get some kind of award for actually finishing this, and I'm not sure why I didn't just file as a DNF. OK - review time...
BethAni is working as a barista (with no higher goals) when she meets handsome, successful Julian Wade. They begin dating, move in together and decide to get married in quick succession. As doubts as to Julian's motives begin to creep in, Ani explains them away, until everything goes to poop.
Thumbs Down Bullets:
* Baxter needs to hire a new editor, because whoever is doing it now is doing nothing. Grammar errors, punctuation errors, plain old bad English - you name it. "Probably I might possibly do blah, blah" and similar incomprehensible lines abound.
* I have a problem with men writing as women in the first person, especially when they make women look like sniveling idiots. Apparently, if you are good looking and rich, that's enough for a mere girl to lose all common sense.
* Ani could go on for PAGES about absolutely nothing. I really don't need to read 10 pages about her dream, especially when nothing really happened and it does not advance the plot. I don't need to hear yet again (for pages) how she is so insecure and her life is crap, especially when she does nothing to improve it. She can ramble on forever (in several instances) about her feelings, although it's all the same ramble.
* The 'reveal' is not exactly a reveal, more like an 'OK, I saw that coming'. This is so incredibly predictable, as well as totally unbelievable.
Thumbs Up Bullets:
*Sorry - there are none.
What should have been added to this book was a list of websites for suicidal teens. At least then the book would have had one redeeming quality.
BethAni is working as a barista (with no higher goals) when she meets handsome, successful Julian Wade. They begin dating, move in together and decide to get married in quick succession. As doubts as to Julian's motives begin to creep in, Ani explains them away, until everything goes to poop.
Thumbs Down Bullets:
* Baxter needs to hire a new editor, because whoever is doing it now is doing nothing. Grammar errors, punctuation errors, plain old bad English - you name it. "Probably I might possibly do blah, blah" and similar incomprehensible lines abound.
* I have a problem with men writing as women in the first person, especially when they make women look like sniveling idiots. Apparently, if you are good looking and rich, that's enough for a mere girl to lose all common sense.
* Ani could go on for PAGES about absolutely nothing. I really don't need to read 10 pages about her dream, especially when nothing really happened and it does not advance the plot. I don't need to hear yet again (for pages) how she is so insecure and her life is crap, especially when she does nothing to improve it. She can ramble on forever (in several instances) about her feelings, although it's all the same ramble.
* The 'reveal' is not exactly a reveal, more like an 'OK, I saw that coming'. This is so incredibly predictable, as well as totally unbelievable.
Thumbs Up Bullets:
*Sorry - there are none.
What should have been added to this book was a list of websites for suicidal teens. At least then the book would have had one redeeming quality.
June 23, 2020
My main reason for giving this book such a low rating is these characters didn’t seem well thought out at all. For starters, Ani is completely naive and not in the cute way. Her ability to come up with excuses for Julian’s toxic behavior seem only to serve the plot continuing forward and more pages to be written. Without Ani building Julian up as some kind of god, the plot really stays flat. I was empathetic of Ani in the beginning, but once Cole gave us a peek at her upbringing...it stopped right there. Now for Julian - as someone who works in the technology as well, I find it extremely bizarre that someone who succeeds in an industry built on testing and quality checking jumps blindly to conclusions. And on a final character note, Sam. She literally had no major impact to the book and was a waste of character space. While Ani always talks about what a great friend she is, I’m just not seeing it. Top it off with a fairly predictable ending and that’s a wrap, folks.
Guys, I tried to like this book. I really did. If you’re a fan of ‘You’, the plot summary seemed to give up the same vibes but maybe an explanation of motive. That is exactly why I picked it up...but I almost didn’t finish. I gave it the entire book to try and redeem itself, but it just didn’t happen.
Guys, I tried to like this book. I really did. If you’re a fan of ‘You’, the plot summary seemed to give up the same vibes but maybe an explanation of motive. That is exactly why I picked it up...but I almost didn’t finish. I gave it the entire book to try and redeem itself, but it just didn’t happen.
March 8, 2020
Her life was a dream come true — until it wasn't...
When Ani meets Julian Wade, she thinks he is the answer to all her problems.
He has money, a penthouse apartment, and doesn't ask a lot of questions.
Or rather, any questions.
Who is Ani and what was her past like? She figures what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
Or will it?
She's ready to play the part of perfect wife.
But Julian has been waiting for the perfect moment.
He knows who she is.
He knows what she did.
When the secrets are exposed, she'll have to face the consequences...
A thrilling psychological thriller that you won't be able to put down!
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuousluy.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
When Ani meets Julian Wade, she thinks he is the answer to all her problems.
He has money, a penthouse apartment, and doesn't ask a lot of questions.
Or rather, any questions.
Who is Ani and what was her past like? She figures what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
Or will it?
She's ready to play the part of perfect wife.
But Julian has been waiting for the perfect moment.
He knows who she is.
He knows what she did.
When the secrets are exposed, she'll have to face the consequences...
A thrilling psychological thriller that you won't be able to put down!
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuousluy.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 9, 2020
Perfect Obsession
By Cole Baxter
Main Characters: Julian and BethAni
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.
5 out of 5 stars
This book started a little slowly for me but it certainly picked up. 30% into the book I didn't see that twist coming. There are twists and turns that you just do not see coming. The slow part for me was all of the internalizing that Ani did throughout the whole book. She just had low self-esteem. The author did pretty well with character development. I liked Julian but never grew to like BethAni. This is a contemporary romantic suspense book and you need to pay attention to the two different timelines. I have a terrible habit of skipping things now and then to my own detriment. I started to give this book 4 stars but realized it was just because I never liked BethAni's character. Good suspense.
By Cole Baxter
Main Characters: Julian and BethAni
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.
5 out of 5 stars
This book started a little slowly for me but it certainly picked up. 30% into the book I didn't see that twist coming. There are twists and turns that you just do not see coming. The slow part for me was all of the internalizing that Ani did throughout the whole book. She just had low self-esteem. The author did pretty well with character development. I liked Julian but never grew to like BethAni. This is a contemporary romantic suspense book and you need to pay attention to the two different timelines. I have a terrible habit of skipping things now and then to my own detriment. I started to give this book 4 stars but realized it was just because I never liked BethAni's character. Good suspense.
August 25, 2020
I really dislike giving negative reviews.
I understand that authors really put themselves out there when writing a book and inventing a story.
With that being said, however, I didn't care for this book at all. The plot was absolutely ridiculous and was filled with the most boring and redundant scenarios. The main character was such a whiny, spineless woman so full of doubt that it was burdensome to read her self pitying remarks over and over again. I know the character is meant to be self loathing-but give the readers a break already!
The timeline was nonexistent as if the author couldn't be bothered to figure it out or perhaps he didn't care at all. That makes two of us.
I tried to think of a positive and honestly all I can come up with is that I'm glad it's over.
I understand that authors really put themselves out there when writing a book and inventing a story.
With that being said, however, I didn't care for this book at all. The plot was absolutely ridiculous and was filled with the most boring and redundant scenarios. The main character was such a whiny, spineless woman so full of doubt that it was burdensome to read her self pitying remarks over and over again. I know the character is meant to be self loathing-but give the readers a break already!
The timeline was nonexistent as if the author couldn't be bothered to figure it out or perhaps he didn't care at all. That makes two of us.
I tried to think of a positive and honestly all I can come up with is that I'm glad it's over.
March 10, 2020
You've done it again, Cole Baxter. I know your characters are never as they seem and that was certainly the case with Julian and Ami. The perfect boyfriend, the perfect fiancé, maybe just a little too perfect. Although the first few chapters weren't very well paced, closing in on the 30% mark, the story picks and holds on to you until the very end. Cole is outstanding at the turns and oh so twisty twists of these books. I am constantly amazed by what I don't see coming. I am a big fan and tis is a solid read.
I civet an ARC and this is my totally honest review.
I civet an ARC and this is my totally honest review.
November 29, 2024
I've read quite a few from this author, and I think this is one of the better ones. I don't know if I would classify this as a psychological thriller exactly... It's definitely psychological, but more emotional than thriller, if that makes sense.
Yes, the motive of Julian is easily laid out very early on in the story. From reading some reviews I think some people need to be reminded that not all books have to be a Who-dunnit. The mystery here is HOW, not who. How did Ani get to the point with Mr. Irving where she's being accused of his murder? Did she actually do it? Is she actually crazy and had a total breakdown? Is she an innocent victim who just made some bad choices or psychotic and evil? Is Julian justified and a wounded victim, or is he the crazy villain?
I get how some readers who had a more ideal childhood would not understand or like the inner dialogue and self-doubt and subsequent actions of Ani, but... as a "victim" of severe childhood abuse akin to Ani's mother and a lack of unconditional love, emotional support, and true nurturing, I experienced much of the same issues with co-dependency, struggles with severely low self-esteem, an "obsession" with true love, lack of trust, and so on. Ani's dialogue reads very well with someone who is recovering from severe mental/emotional trauma. It shows up in every area of life and there is a split between the unhealed person who can make poor choices or be "annoying," with the more healed version that is the authentic self that we can catch glimpses of from time to time.
I thought the emotional impact of this book was 5 stars. Psychologically, it is a heart-wrenching exploration of pain and broken families and the struggle to be whole.
I do not put this in the same category as an intense action-packed psychological thriller, but more of an emotional psychological-based drama.
Contrary to what some reviews stated, I did still have some questions that kept me guessing up until the end, especially with the subtle inclusion of Hannah. There was no way to truly tell if she was a wounded victim or a heartless maniacal psychopath.
All in all, there were 3 characters that are cycled through as to whether they are the innocent broken victims seeking justice or manically evil, or a combination. THAT is what the "thriller" aspect is, as well as HOW did the events actually happen and WHAT is the actual truth.
This doesn't make it on my list of favorites, but I do think it is well done and the end wrapped up beautifully. It was very emotional and I think the portrayal was written well of each character who had gone through various forms of traumatic events in their lives and had gaping holes where a parent's unconditional love should have been. If this were a movie and released 20 years ago, Brittany Murphy, via her later psychological thriller movies, would have made the perfect Ani, if that better helps illustrate the feel of this book.
I would recommend this to the right person, would read this again, but it may not be everyone's book of choice, especially those who lack emotional depth and want everything specifically spelled out for them.
Overall, well-written and captivating. Emotional. Dramatic. Heartfelt. Underdog and Survivor story.
Yes, the motive of Julian is easily laid out very early on in the story. From reading some reviews I think some people need to be reminded that not all books have to be a Who-dunnit. The mystery here is HOW, not who. How did Ani get to the point with Mr. Irving where she's being accused of his murder? Did she actually do it? Is she actually crazy and had a total breakdown? Is she an innocent victim who just made some bad choices or psychotic and evil? Is Julian justified and a wounded victim, or is he the crazy villain?
I get how some readers who had a more ideal childhood would not understand or like the inner dialogue and self-doubt and subsequent actions of Ani, but... as a "victim" of severe childhood abuse akin to Ani's mother and a lack of unconditional love, emotional support, and true nurturing, I experienced much of the same issues with co-dependency, struggles with severely low self-esteem, an "obsession" with true love, lack of trust, and so on. Ani's dialogue reads very well with someone who is recovering from severe mental/emotional trauma. It shows up in every area of life and there is a split between the unhealed person who can make poor choices or be "annoying," with the more healed version that is the authentic self that we can catch glimpses of from time to time.
I thought the emotional impact of this book was 5 stars. Psychologically, it is a heart-wrenching exploration of pain and broken families and the struggle to be whole.
I do not put this in the same category as an intense action-packed psychological thriller, but more of an emotional psychological-based drama.
Contrary to what some reviews stated, I did still have some questions that kept me guessing up until the end, especially with the subtle inclusion of Hannah. There was no way to truly tell if she was a wounded victim or a heartless maniacal psychopath.
All in all, there were 3 characters that are cycled through as to whether they are the innocent broken victims seeking justice or manically evil, or a combination. THAT is what the "thriller" aspect is, as well as HOW did the events actually happen and WHAT is the actual truth.
This doesn't make it on my list of favorites, but I do think it is well done and the end wrapped up beautifully. It was very emotional and I think the portrayal was written well of each character who had gone through various forms of traumatic events in their lives and had gaping holes where a parent's unconditional love should have been. If this were a movie and released 20 years ago, Brittany Murphy, via her later psychological thriller movies, would have made the perfect Ani, if that better helps illustrate the feel of this book.
I would recommend this to the right person, would read this again, but it may not be everyone's book of choice, especially those who lack emotional depth and want everything specifically spelled out for them.
Overall, well-written and captivating. Emotional. Dramatic. Heartfelt. Underdog and Survivor story.
February 23, 2021
Perfect Obsession is about Ani a coffee barista and Julian a perfect man. Ani has dreamed about her perfect life since the day she had a crush on her high school teacher. In her dreams she envisioned the perfect man, the perfect husband, the perfect father, and the perfect family.
Perfect Obsession is a psychological thriller set in Seattle. The story begins in 2019 then transitions to 2011. 2011 is Ani and Julian’s backstory.
BethAni Gray’s character hasn’t had much luck with men in the past and had often ended relationships just as they were starting out. Between her awkwardness, self-doubts and unfamiliarity with how to talk to guys flirting didn’t come naturally to her, so she bailed early before she got hurt. She’s skeptical of happiness eventhough she dreams of being happily married with children. Then she meets Julian and it’s a whirlwind instant romance with an attractive guy who’s not only wealthy, but comforting and kind as well. She often wonders if he’s too good to be true but she quells those doubts when he offers her affection.
On the surface Julian Wade is a gentleman. He has a secret from his past and has been planning his revenge for eight years.
Cole Baxter gave a detailed accounting of the day-to-day activities between Julian and Ani. At times it was too much information and I felt it overcrowded the story bogging it down with minute details that didn’t progress the story.
This is my first read by Cole Baxter. My initial thought was this had to be written by a female with the descriptive ways he wrote the female characters in this story. This book didn’t read with the writing caliber I expect from a psychological thriller. This is one of those story’s that waits until the end for the thrilling psychological twist. To say this is a psychological thriller is an injustice because over eighty percent of the book is a romance with extensive character development leaving a few chapters of suspense. Cole went through each mannerisms and habits with a fine tooth comb. There was the push n pull between telling the truth or hiding the truth. Meanwhile the perfect life kept moving forward. The concept is simple and straightforward yet the execution was slow building to the point of boredom. Cole gave away his secrets too early not leaving anything for the reader to be surprised about.
Perfect Obsession is a psychological thriller set in Seattle. The story begins in 2019 then transitions to 2011. 2011 is Ani and Julian’s backstory.
BethAni Gray’s character hasn’t had much luck with men in the past and had often ended relationships just as they were starting out. Between her awkwardness, self-doubts and unfamiliarity with how to talk to guys flirting didn’t come naturally to her, so she bailed early before she got hurt. She’s skeptical of happiness eventhough she dreams of being happily married with children. Then she meets Julian and it’s a whirlwind instant romance with an attractive guy who’s not only wealthy, but comforting and kind as well. She often wonders if he’s too good to be true but she quells those doubts when he offers her affection.
On the surface Julian Wade is a gentleman. He has a secret from his past and has been planning his revenge for eight years.
Cole Baxter gave a detailed accounting of the day-to-day activities between Julian and Ani. At times it was too much information and I felt it overcrowded the story bogging it down with minute details that didn’t progress the story.
This is my first read by Cole Baxter. My initial thought was this had to be written by a female with the descriptive ways he wrote the female characters in this story. This book didn’t read with the writing caliber I expect from a psychological thriller. This is one of those story’s that waits until the end for the thrilling psychological twist. To say this is a psychological thriller is an injustice because over eighty percent of the book is a romance with extensive character development leaving a few chapters of suspense. Cole went through each mannerisms and habits with a fine tooth comb. There was the push n pull between telling the truth or hiding the truth. Meanwhile the perfect life kept moving forward. The concept is simple and straightforward yet the execution was slow building to the point of boredom. Cole gave away his secrets too early not leaving anything for the reader to be surprised about.
April 24, 2021
A Story of Vengeance Eight Years in The Making.
Twenty-Four years ago Barista Ani, Feels like her life is pasting her by.
The she longs for an amazing relationship/marriage to a wonderful man where they can start a family.
Because if there is anything Ani want more than the perfect man, it’s a child.
Partly, due to her own horrific upbringing by an abrasive, abusive mother, and absent father.
However Ani is having to deal with her emotional immaturity, and crushing self confidence issues.
So when hot, devastatingly handsome Julien Wade, tech billionaire, stops by “Thanks a Latte” Ani, at the insistence of bestie and co-worker Sam, decides to put herself out there and add her phone number to his coffee cup order.
Imagine her surprise when the hood looking customer engages her in conversation, later to ask her out on a date.
It’s not long after this first meeting, that their relationship starts to escalate.
Ani, can’t believe her luck that this man, this PERFECT man is interested in HER!
Slightly over weight, ordinary looking HER!
Soon, Ani is pregnant.
Then several months later Julien romantically proposed.
However on her honeymoon towards the last months of her pregnancy, Julien’s behaviour begins to change for the worst.
As the story progresses, we find out that Ani and Julien’s meeting wasn’t so serendipitous.
They are both connected through a horrible passed event.
An event that destroyed Ani’s life.
An event that she has struggled to put behind her.
As the story draws to its conclusion secrets are revealed.
We find out what the link is between Ani and Julien as thing come to a dramatic ending.
Gotta say. Great plot as we are let into the minds of the vengeful Julien, and the socially inadequate, self conscious Ani, their lives are pushed towards the ultimate conclusion.
At time’s Ani’s stupidity, and blind faith, that “everything was going to be okay” was really annoying.
And,
I found it awful that I couldn’t WAIT to see what kind of evil Julien had In store for her... Yeah, I’m mean.
Her weekness annoyed me even though I new this was due to her upbringing.
Still, she got on my nerves.
Otherwise a good story from an author I have never read before
****
Twenty-Four years ago Barista Ani, Feels like her life is pasting her by.
The she longs for an amazing relationship/marriage to a wonderful man where they can start a family.
Because if there is anything Ani want more than the perfect man, it’s a child.
Partly, due to her own horrific upbringing by an abrasive, abusive mother, and absent father.
However Ani is having to deal with her emotional immaturity, and crushing self confidence issues.
So when hot, devastatingly handsome Julien Wade, tech billionaire, stops by “Thanks a Latte” Ani, at the insistence of bestie and co-worker Sam, decides to put herself out there and add her phone number to his coffee cup order.
Imagine her surprise when the hood looking customer engages her in conversation, later to ask her out on a date.
It’s not long after this first meeting, that their relationship starts to escalate.
Ani, can’t believe her luck that this man, this PERFECT man is interested in HER!
Slightly over weight, ordinary looking HER!
Soon, Ani is pregnant.
Then several months later Julien romantically proposed.
However on her honeymoon towards the last months of her pregnancy, Julien’s behaviour begins to change for the worst.
As the story progresses, we find out that Ani and Julien’s meeting wasn’t so serendipitous.
They are both connected through a horrible passed event.
An event that destroyed Ani’s life.
An event that she has struggled to put behind her.
As the story draws to its conclusion secrets are revealed.
We find out what the link is between Ani and Julien as thing come to a dramatic ending.
Gotta say. Great plot as we are let into the minds of the vengeful Julien, and the socially inadequate, self conscious Ani, their lives are pushed towards the ultimate conclusion.
At time’s Ani’s stupidity, and blind faith, that “everything was going to be okay” was really annoying.
And,
I found it awful that I couldn’t WAIT to see what kind of evil Julien had In store for her... Yeah, I’m mean.
Her weekness annoyed me even though I new this was due to her upbringing.
Still, she got on my nerves.
Otherwise a good story from an author I have never read before
****
December 31, 2020
Man I don't even know where to start so I'll just be using lists. This is probably the worst book I've read all year I don't think I've had to struggle to finish a book so much in my life. I don't know why I did either. I must hate myself.
the good:
1. Hannah
2. It ended.
The bad:
1. The synopsis gives the entire story away. Like...the whole thing.
2. The writing hops between mad, juvenile and mediocre but at no point becomes good. The way the protagonist pieces things together wasn't realistic nor was it orchestrated and written out well at all.
3. It's almost exclusively all tell and no show. I felt like I was reading a summary of a story, summary of scenes and experiences rather than those things itself. I at no point can understand when Ani fell in love with this man. She said they talked for hours and a lot. As a reader, I saw none of that.
4. there is something so obsessive and weird and jarring how BOTH main characters entire life, personality, destiny, reason for existing ALL revolve around a man. I started to get the idea that this author either REALLY has some serious parental issues OR has never met someone who grew up without a father and this is how he THINKS those people function and that men are their only driving force to continue living. Both Ani and Julian seem to only have this as their personality trait oh and Ani is the most insecure dumb girl on the planet. it is REALLY unsettling to say the least
5. The antagonists plan, execution, drive just everything made NO sense to me whatsoever.
6. I could go on and on but I'll leave it here. It wasn't good.
the good:
1. Hannah
2. It ended.
The bad:
1. The synopsis gives the entire story away. Like...the whole thing.
2. The writing hops between mad, juvenile and mediocre but at no point becomes good. The way the protagonist pieces things together wasn't realistic nor was it orchestrated and written out well at all.
3. It's almost exclusively all tell and no show. I felt like I was reading a summary of a story, summary of scenes and experiences rather than those things itself. I at no point can understand when Ani fell in love with this man. She said they talked for hours and a lot. As a reader, I saw none of that.
4. there is something so obsessive and weird and jarring how BOTH main characters entire life, personality, destiny, reason for existing ALL revolve around a man. I started to get the idea that this author either REALLY has some serious parental issues OR has never met someone who grew up without a father and this is how he THINKS those people function and that men are their only driving force to continue living. Both Ani and Julian seem to only have this as their personality trait oh and Ani is the most insecure dumb girl on the planet. it is REALLY unsettling to say the least
5. The antagonists plan, execution, drive just everything made NO sense to me whatsoever.
6. I could go on and on but I'll leave it here. It wasn't good.
November 22, 2020
I'm really liking this author. Love that he doesn't put in a bunch of ridiculous sex scenes. His descriptions of people's thoughts is excellent. I'm starting my third book by him. These are surprisingly well proofread, so I'm not sure what other reviewers are complaining about in that area. Having self- published, I am well aware of how tedious and difficult it is to catch every little grammatical whoops, so having a few left in is quite reasonable. I'm a trauma counselor, and I like psych thrillers for the psychology. I have no use for torture, gore or porn--I deal with plenty of that in my job, and there's nothing remotely "entertaining" about it. This author gets the psych right, puts together creative plots, and doesn't try to stuff a bunch of horror onto his readers. His climactic end scenes can get rather graphic, but I just skip over those bits.
He demonstrates empathy for traumatized people and a great understanding of how hard it is to combat depression and low self-esteem. I like his emphasis on internal mental processes and I feel he advances the plot at a good rate. Don't pass on a book because people complain it isn't "original". Everything has already been said, but that doesn't mean someone can't say something again very well.
He demonstrates empathy for traumatized people and a great understanding of how hard it is to combat depression and low self-esteem. I like his emphasis on internal mental processes and I feel he advances the plot at a good rate. Don't pass on a book because people complain it isn't "original". Everything has already been said, but that doesn't mean someone can't say something again very well.
April 13, 2020
Painful to dredge through
It wasn't a terrible book. However, I believe it is highly overrated. The premise was great in theory, but the execution left me more then wanting. This book honestly would've been a great short story. There was a severe lack in dialogue and the amount of useless information basically just took up space to turn it into a novel. I feel there could have been a better way to build up the characters and there had to be abetter way of writing because the plot development was like pushing a boulder up a giant mountain. Even with the faults, the boom was wrapped up nicely and the litter letter at the end was actually pretty touching. Unfortunately this isy first book by Baxter and it wasn't a good experience. I won't give up on him as an author but it does make extremely hesitant to read another book. Especially right after finishing one like this.
It wasn't a terrible book. However, I believe it is highly overrated. The premise was great in theory, but the execution left me more then wanting. This book honestly would've been a great short story. There was a severe lack in dialogue and the amount of useless information basically just took up space to turn it into a novel. I feel there could have been a better way to build up the characters and there had to be abetter way of writing because the plot development was like pushing a boulder up a giant mountain. Even with the faults, the boom was wrapped up nicely and the litter letter at the end was actually pretty touching. Unfortunately this isy first book by Baxter and it wasn't a good experience. I won't give up on him as an author but it does make extremely hesitant to read another book. Especially right after finishing one like this.
April 28, 2020
The stilted dialogue ruins this book
As far as plots go, this book isn’t terrible (although it isn’t great, either). You’ll know almost immediately what the “twist” is and how it’s going to play out. But the thing that really ruined this book for me was the stilted dialogue and the redundant inner monologue and musings of the protagonist. I just don’t understand writers who are so afraid of using contractions that they prefer to fill a book with robotic, unnatural-sounding conversations. All of these characteristics are enough to make the book mediocre. But as the coup de grace, the author throws in a protagonist who is so damaged and devoid of self-esteem and common sense that she will be completely unrelatable to almost everyone.
As far as plots go, this book isn’t terrible (although it isn’t great, either). You’ll know almost immediately what the “twist” is and how it’s going to play out. But the thing that really ruined this book for me was the stilted dialogue and the redundant inner monologue and musings of the protagonist. I just don’t understand writers who are so afraid of using contractions that they prefer to fill a book with robotic, unnatural-sounding conversations. All of these characteristics are enough to make the book mediocre. But as the coup de grace, the author throws in a protagonist who is so damaged and devoid of self-esteem and common sense that she will be completely unrelatable to almost everyone.
May 13, 2020
This was a painful, slow-burn that didn't redeem itself. I admired my resolve to read till the end when actually nothing unexpected happened. There was nothing thrilling nor surprising about the story. Just another tale about a silly girl having a crush on her English teacher who conjures up in her mind a fantasy love story. She attempts to commit suicide and her teacher rescues her and takes her back to his home where he allows her to spend the night on the couch. That night his home is set on fire. She escapes and he perishes. Years later (without giving away any spoilers) someone attempts to avenge his death. 2 Stars.
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