“Perhaps telling lies is the only way to find the real truth.”

I have always been irresistibly drawn to the “book within a book” concept. AFTER SHE WROTE HIM, however, takes the whole idea one step further, because here we potentially have two books within a book, and no idea which one is reality and which one is fiction. If this totally confuses you, then hey – give it a go! It certainly was one of the most original, intriguing ideas I have ever come across, and it really messed with my mind.

Madeleine D’Leon is a lawyer and a crime writer of a detective series that has been selling well and has many followers. One day, despite her agent’s misgivings, she has an idea for a different type of story. It all starts with Edward, her main protagonist, who appears to her out of the blue and quickly takes on shape in her imagination. As she writes her story and orchestrates his fate, the picture of him in her mind becomes more vivid, until he is almost as real to her as a flesh-and-blood person.

Edward McGinnity is a writer of contemporary fiction. One day he has an idea for a story involving a main character who is a crime writer. He calls her Madeleine. As he writes and orchestrates her fate, her picture becomes clearer in his mind, until she is almost as real to him as a flesh-and- blood person.

Do you see where this is headed? Exactly! Now, who is the writer and who is the fictional character?

Gentill introduces some very interesting topics here that really made me think. One particularly pressing question was Madeleine’s dilemma – with Edward becoming almost a friend to her (even though he is her fictional character), she feels guilty throwing him into some nasty situations in her crime story. As a writer, she becomes the orchestrator of his fate, dictating his life by the whims of her imagination. Fascinating!

As the story progressed, I felt more and more unsure of the line between reality and fantasy, a battle both Madeleine and Edward face. This blurring of the boundaries between what is real and what is imagined, sanity and madness, is something I really enjoy in a thriller, especially if it is as cleverly handled as in this book. As we get sucked deeper into Madeleine’s and Edward’s worlds, the story took on an almost dream-like quality where the borders were no longer clearly defined, a real challenge for my analytical mind!

AFTER SHE WROTE HIM was originally published under the title CROSSING THE LINES, which I thought was a title that perfectly sums up the book! This clever, original and thought provoking mystery will appeal to people who enjoy thrillers that dare to blur boundaries, step into unchartered territory. Caution to readers who don’t enjoy alternating POVs that swap and change frequently, even within the same chapter. Personally, I thought that it added to the story, showcasing how the two characters become more and more enmeshed, but I think you should be aware. This was the first book I read in 2020, and as we say in Australia – what a ripper!

What an enjoyable romp of a novel - you are never quite sure who is the writer and who is the creation! A really interesting, sly take on crime fiction, written with much verve and gusto.

The first 75% of this was very clever, very meta, very fun. But. As so often happens, when the finish line was in sight the author began to accelerate the plot in a way that felt unnatural and didn't do justice to the rest of the story.

3 for neutral, couldn’t finish, as I was completely lost on what was going on. Will update if able to read and enjoy at later date. Not sure if it was me, or the book, but decided to DNF until later.

This is a quite different from the usual crime or mystery tale. Madeline d'Leon has a mystery series and is writing a new novel, She decides she wants to feature a new character. Edward McGinnity comes to mind and she is off. But as her novel takes shape Edward starts writing a novel and who should appear in it but Madeline d'Leon. And so it goes with each featured in the other's novel. There is a murder to liven things up. But we are left with the question: Who is the writer and who is the creation? I leave it for you to puzzle over.

I went into this book with no idea what it was about apart from the fact that it was not one of the Rowland Sinclair series. It turned out to be an absolute gem.

Two writers, each writing a book in which the other is the main character. Who really is the author and who is the imaginary character? Gentill manages to have them both on the page simultaneously to the point where they appear to communicate verbally and eventually physically. To say it is cleverly done is an understatement.

I love the unusual in literature and this is definitely an unusual book. I made my mind up who was the real person and felt that the ending confirmed my choice. I still had to go back and reread bits to see how it was all possible. Don't read this book if you are feeling sleepy or you are in a hurry. It needs your full concentration.

Have you heard of the idea that someone should write a book where the main character falls in love with the reader? I've always thought it impossible but after this book I think a talented writer could just create something like that. And Sulari Gentill is a very talented writer, because,you see,in After She Wrote Him we see a writer fall in love with a character. Only,which one is which?
Madeleine is a lawyer and a writer of crime fiction. She is married to Hugh,the small town doctor. Everything is good, or so it seems. Then Madeleine comes up with the idea of Edward,a literary fiction writer who finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation. And as Madeleine writes about Edward and spends more time with him than with her husband,we start to see all the things that are not so fine in her life and her marriage. So,you would think that Madeleine is the writer and Edward is the character. But this book is not so straightforward,because on the other hand we follow Edward,a writer with a tragic past and an unrequited love for his best friend. Edward comes with the idea of Madeleine, who writes about Edward. At some point they become aware of each other and start interacting with one another,until they become more and more real and important to each other while everything else starts to become insignificant.
I didn't have any trouble following the plot and the characters. The writing was extremely beautiful. It is a story within a story,so at first I thought that there would be even more distance between myself and the characters,but when something would happen to them I found myself caring a lot. I have a guess as to who was real and who was not,but I don't think it ultimately matters.
This was one of the most unique books I've ever read and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Confusing, confusing, confusing. I’m still not totally sure who was the real writer and who was the character in this book. I am not really sure still what to think of it

This book was interestingly different. A story within a story. The premise of this book where a writer Madeline begins writing a novel where her main character, named Edward, is also writing a novel himself. Where this book gets confusing at times is because in Edward’s story he is writing a novel about a woman named Madeline De’Leon.

As you read along it can be hard to keep track whose story you are engaging in. Both of these writers begin to immerse themselves into their novels and their characters and begin to have dialogue with their fictional characters. I had to reread a few times.

Although both writers Madeline and Edward had their own struggles and their own personal drama was interesting, the end of this book just ended in a way that felt so predictable. This book just wasn’t for me, but it might be for you with some of its twist and turns of events.

Received via NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested it I didn't realize that it was Crossing the Lines, retitled.

I enjoyed Crossing the Lines a great deal when I read it, but I don't remember it well enough to submit a review.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity, though!

I loved this book as it was so different from
everything I have ever read?? The murderer was easy to guess, in my opinion, but I still have no clue who wrote who, it’s like they wrote each other.

It took me a little bit more than usual to get into the book, but then I simply couldn’t put it down, I also had no clue that some authors actually write the way Madeline writes, I wish I could do it!

The way the book is written is very easy to read, maybe a bit confusing at the beginning but then you start understanding the plot and the story and you just want to get to the ending to know what is going to happen!

While it has an interesting premise, After She Wrote Him by Sulari Gentill is a difficult read. It's hard to keep track of the plot, if there is one, and ultimately there is little mystery or tension here. I kind of gave up about half way through due to the struggle of the author to find a voice. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Not exactly a mystery, and not exactly a domestic thriller, this was a unique, fun read about a crime writer writing about a crime writer. It's difficult to summarize, especially without giving away too much, but it definitely kept me turning the pages and held my interest to the end. Not particularly deep or demanding, this is a book I would recommend to people who are looking for something quick and catchy.

This book is about two writers writing about made up characters who are each other. I loved this concept! Ms Gentill did an excellent job of getting this to work and having it just confusing enough to keep us interested but not overwhelmed. It is a wonderful addition to the crime genre and the psychological thriller genre. Brava!! Thank you to #netgalley for letting me read #aftershewrotehim ahead of publication.

I really struggled with this. I couldn’t figure out what was happening with the two authors. Who was actually writing who and what was happening? It was very confusing. I liked the two separate stories until they would randomly mingle in the middle every time. It would just bounce to the other and their thoughts about the other and it was just too confusing. I just couldn’t figure it out.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review.

I’m not sure how to start. You really have to be engaged while reading or you might miss something. This was an interesting read but it didn’t hook me. The author had a great idea. Madeleine writes a character for her novel and becomes obsessed with him. It takes twists and turns. I did not love the ending but figured it would veer this direction.

I would recommend.

This book is intriguing--who is the true author, and who is the character writing about the author? It will resonate especially with fiction writers (and aspiring fiction writers) who love to think about how one's characters are both autonomous and inescapably tangled within the author's own psyche. It may also resonate with those who have had an author for a loved one, and have felt some irritation or abandonment as the writer leaves the present, physical world for an interior one that one may get to visit, occasionally, under strict rules.

The ending was not what I had hoped it would be, but perhaps that is the point?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC.

Fascinating!

While writing this all I could think about was the Oscar Wilde quote: “life imitates art far more than art imitates life”...

In this case, the “art” is Madeleine d’Leon’s own crime novel. As her marriage deteriorates she pens her perfect man, in her protagonist, Edward McGinnity, called Ned by his friends.

Or is the “art” Ned’s book? His love for Willow is unrequited, so he settles for being her best friend. As she pulls further and further away from him, he begins to fall for the protagonist in the crime novel he is writing...Madeleine d’Leon.

Who is real?
Who is imagined?

An exploration of how a book, or a protagonist, takes on a life of its own as it is being created, and what happens when the lines of what is real and what is fiction, get crossed for the author...when they cannot bear to let go of their creation in the same way that we the reader, sometimes hate to say “goodbye” to characters that we have become attached to.

The “whodunnit” crime novels being penned by the characters felt timeless in style to me, yet trying to figure out which character existed and which was the creation, was a COMPLETELY UNIQUE concept, for today’s mystery reader, and I was captivated by it!

Sulari Gentill, an author living in South Wales, was the 2018 Winner of the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction, with this book, first published August 1, 2017 under the original title, “Crossing the Lines”.

It will make its US debut, April 7, 2020 under this title.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Poisoned Pen Press for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review!

This is a clever, tantalizing , though provoking, complicated novel and it sizzles, The ‘story -within -a -story ‘ is taken to new levels in this obsessive, confusing novel and you often need to reread a paragraph to to keep up with the shifting narratives. Tricky, tricky, tricky.. Does it matter what’s really real?

After She Wrote Him is such an interesting concept! I really enjoyed the plot and this novel really pulls you into the world of Madeleine and Edward.



Overall, the novel was entertaining and kinda confusing. But while confusing it still pulled you in and kept you guessing.



The author Sulari Gentill's writing was amazing! She did such a great job developing interesting characters and every chapter made you not want to put this novel down. You really need to pay attention to what's going on to keep from being confused.



The only downside was the ending, unfortunately it left me feeling unsatisfied. But don't let the ending keep you from reading this wonderfully written masterpiece.



I highly recommend, i personally give this novel a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ star review. While the ending didn't do it for me the overall story of this novel left me a happy reader.





After She Wrote Him by Sulari Gentill



Release Date: April 7, 2020



Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital advanced copy.