Review: The Perfect Cheerleader - Cole Baxter

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Review: The Perfect Cheerleader - Cole Baxter - October 2022

Cole Baxter, best known for his adult psychological thrillers, delivers a darkly addictive YA offering with The Perfect Cheerleader—a razor-sharp high school thriller aimed at the 16-30 crowd that asks: how far would you go to get rid of the most popular girl in school?

Set against the backdrop of Sherman Oaks High School, this book plunges readers into a world where popularity is power and cruelty is currency. At the top of the food chain sits Bea Ardent—rich, stunning, untouchable, and utterly ruthless. She’s the kind of queen bee who rules through intimidation, and when she feels threatened by new girl Melanie Glass, the claws come out.

Melanie is everything Bea isn’t: warm, kind, and genuinely liked. But being the “nice girl” doesn’t make her safe. As Bea’s schemes grow more twisted, readers are taken on a breathless ride through jealousy, manipulation, and psychological warfare. If you love books with unreliable friendships, secrets behind perfect smiles, and the simmering tension of teen rivalries gone toxic, this one’s for you.

Though it has all the hallmarks of a teen drama, Cole Baxter keeps the tension taut and the twists coming. His knack for pacing—honed in his adult thrillers—translates well here. He doesn't shy away from the darker side of adolescence either: bullying, mental health struggles, and peer pressure are explored with just enough grit to feel realistic without becoming overwhelming.

What sets The Perfect Cheerleader apart is how it balances fast-paced entertainment with character depth. Bea isn’t just a cardboard cutout of a mean girl—there’s a chilling complexity to her need for control, a vulnerability hidden behind her perfect exterior. And Melanie, while sweet, has her own shadows to wrestle with.

This thriller has echoes of Pretty Little Liars and Mean Girls, but with a psychological edge that makes it ideal for older teens and even twentysomethings looking for a nostalgic-yet-intense read.

Dark, dramatic, and totally bingeable, The Perfect Cheerleader is a twisted high school showdown that will have you turning pages long into the night. Just don’t be surprised if you start questioning everyone’s motives by the final chapter.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4i878Wf




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