I initially began this novel with a high level of interest because the premise seemed so intriguing. The beginning was quite interesting, but I found the narrative started becoming very dry. The lack of character interaction and a focus solely on first-person narration begins to tire. I stopped a third of the way through because it was no longer enjoyable.

Before I even start my review of the book, I want to gush about that amazing cover! The book cover has another book on it. The title of the book is witty as well referring to the plot of a novel as well as the plot of land (both smartly depicted on the cover as well.)

Jacob Finch Bonner is an author with two published novels, struggling to write his next novel and fulfilling his dreams of becoming a famous author. His lifelong dream was to become a bestselling novelist, but his published novels never got much traction and he is now trying to salvage his career and trying to adjust to the realities of a writer’s life. So, he decides to take up a teaching position at a third-rate MFA program hoping to make some money, retain some self-respect and mentor budding writers.

Little did he know that this last resort option he chose was planting the seeds that were going to transform his life!

He crossed paths with an arrogant student, Evan Parker, who apparently has a plot for a book that is to die for!

Jacob moved on with his life after the MFA program but a few years down the line, when his student’s book with the most unique plot had still not been published, he researched and found out that Evan was dead.

He faces the worst kind of writer’s dilemma, not wanting to steal a plot but also not wanting to let such an amazing plot go unwritten. He made the wrong choice, and he knew it would cause him problems, and it did…in the most dangerous way possible.

What I liked about this book was that the plot of this book itself was unique, but we also got a glimpse of another book within this one, which also promised a groundbreaking plot. What’s better than one good plot? TWO GOOD PLOTS!

The author made a lot of promises to her reader but I am happy that she does deliver on her promises. Both stories were very well written and very well put together. Oftentimes, when there are two stories, it can get confusing or it is easy to lose interest in one of the stories (happened to me when I read Misery by Stephen King where I loved the main story but skimmed over the story included within because it failed to grip me enough). But with this book, it successfully captures your attention from the beginning and doesn’t let it go.

The writing style was a bit out of my comfort zone and seems a bit dense. Especially the parts when the reader is within Jacob’s head. I could have done without some of the inner monologues. But the book overall was amazing! I loved it from beginning to end and it was definitely hard to put down.

I loved my reading experience of this book and I would recommend this book to any thriller lovers. The beginning might seem a bit dragged out and boring but once the plot builds up, it is very hard to put the book down. I was guessing till the end and at no point felt like I had the story figured out. A lot of times while reading thrillers, being able to predict the twists can ruin the reading experience, but the author makes it very hard for readers in this book to make a guess. So, if you are looking for a read filled with surprises, to keep you hooked, then you should definitely pick this one up!

I was looking for something totally immersive to read following several weeks of reading self-help, thought provoking, introspective stuff. Boy did I get it with The Plot. In a brilliant piece of writing, Korelitz gives us two stories in one—the story of the author Jacob Finch Bonner and the way in which he came to write Crib, his hugely successful novel, and then we also get bits and pieces of the actual novel.

Several years ago, Jacob Bonner had one critically acclaimed novel, but his next two novels couldn’t even find a publisher. When The Plot begins, he is teaching at a poorly-ranked MFA program in Vermont where he encounters an arrogant student, Evan Parker, who submits a few pages of his novel in process, which he claims is going to be a bestseller. Although he is terribly put-off by Evan and his condescending self-assurance, Jacob begrudgingly agrees that the novel has potential.

Jacob looks for Evan Parker’s novel a couple of years later and realizes it has never been published. A little online snooping brings him to the shock that Evan is dead—having died a few months after Jacob had him in class. So, using the few pages Evan had submitted for the class, Jacob writes the novel that never was, titled it Crib, and it becomes an overnight sensation. Jacob suddenly is famous, doing book readings and interviews all over the country, signing a movie contract with Stephen Spielberg—even meeting the woman who becomes his wife. But then anonymous, threatening messages begin coming to him accusing him of theft. Jacob decides to try to find the person who is threatening him by journeying to Rutland Vermont, Evan Parker’s home town, to track down the culprit.

The Plot is so skillfully created that I found myself reading chapter after chapter, as quickly as I could. Jacob’s agony over the deception that he feels he has concocted is palpable. As the plot moves toward the climax, I began to suspect who might be sending him the threatening messages, but Jacob never comes to that realization until it is too late.

What makes The Plot so fascinating is not only the “plot,” which in itself is terrific, but the moral dilemma presented. Who owns plot ideas? Can a plot be stolen, or are ideas alright to just float in the creative atmosphere? We have all read books where we question, “Have I read this book in another setting?” or “Wow! This is a lot like __________.” But the question of The Plot is that the originator of the book idea is dead. Now, is the plotline available? Is that really stealing?

The reviewer for NPR questioned whether Korelitz did her complex plot justice or if it just fell flat. I really did enjoy the book, was proud of myself that I figured out who was threatening Jacob, and was shocked by the novel’s resolution. The NY Times reviewer, on the other hand, called the book a “spectacular avalanche” and says that The Plot is Korelitz's “gutsiest, most consequential book yet.”
Korelitz is the author of You Should Have Known, which became “The Undoing” on HBO with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. While I loved “The Undoing,” The Plot was the first of her novels that I had read.

3.5 This book was fun and different. I couldn't put it down curious not only where the book was going but also what the plot was to the novel. The twists and turns in the novel were great, but it wasn't totally shocking and I did guess exactly where it was going. The "plot" was too built up, the reveal didn't live up to the intrigue surrounding it. Overall an entertaining unique thriller that is worth the read.

Ha! This book was a treat. So much fun!

It took a minute to pick up and I doubted Stephen King's high recommendation on the story for a minute. I kept going in blind faith, lol. Well, well, well... what a surprise! Not only the plot is clever, but I love some good book inception. A book within a book.

I've never heard of this author before, and I requested the ARC after St. Stephen recommended it on Twitter. I am glad to say that her style is compelling, engaging, and the story was riveting! I figure out some things in the story, but the book had much more to give than I expected. Anything else I add may give away spoilers, and I wouldn't want to do that to anyone reading this.

Also, that cover! So simple, and yet so subtle. The plot in this book can have multiple meanings, and it's for us readers to discover them in its pages. Excellent creative design!

I really wanted to like this book and I loved the concept of the plot it wasn't anything like I've ever heard of before so I was drawn in right away. The only thing that I didn't like about this book was because it was written in third person and had a story within a story it didn't really pull me in as a reader. I kept having to stop and figure out was it the story or the book the story was talking about. The plot of the book is about an author who hasn't been able to write anything for a while, so he decides to help teach a class. When his student (Evan) decides that he doesn't need help because his story is great all on his own. Jake is a little unsure but very proud of Evan's confidence. Then he hears the plot and knows that even though he is very jealous he knows that Evan's book will blow up and be all anyone talks about and on all of the book lists. When he finds out later than Evan has passed he takes the unreleased novel and passes it off as his own work. It blows up and he becomes famous however someone knows that this work is not his own. And someone is going to stop at nothing to make sure that everyone else knows it as well. Very good read that I couldn't get enough of it once I got into the story. I really liked how we were finding out with the author as things were unfolding instead of knowing everything before hand. I also loved how both characters were very relatable and even though Jake did a terrible things you really cheered for him and wanted him to get his act together. This is one book that I couldn't wait to see what happened but I never wanted to end. Great read and I'm very glad that I got the chance to check it out.

Jake is a floundering author and is working as an instructor for a second-rate creative writing program when he meets Evan Parker, an arrogant wannabe author who claims to have a "sure-thing" plot. Evan is super secretive, but shares this plot with Jake who must admit that it is a spectacular story. Several years later, Jake discovers that Evan has died and the book was never written. Jake decides to "steal" the plot and write the book himself, since Evan never shared the plot with anyone else. The book is a huge bestseller and he becomes an overnight success, but then he receives an email with only these four words: "You are a thief."

This literary thriller starts off slowly, setting the stage and establishing the characters. At about a third of the way through it takes off, and it's non-stop twisty mystery until the shocking end.

This book doesn't really have likeable characters; they are all flawed and make questionable decisions. But that doesn't keep the reader from rooting for Jake and even questioning whether he has *really* done anything wrong. It raises questions about who a story really belongs to, and gives the reader a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing world - both topics would make a great book club discussion.

It's also a very meta novel; the book-within-a-book format is brave and well executed in a way I haven't seen before. I started reading this with one thing in mind, but it ended up being something completely different than I expected.

The only downside for me was that I figured out the villain earlier than I think the author meant me to, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story and watching it all unfold.

The Plot is the brainchild of Jean Hanff Korelitz, the best selling author of You Should Have Known (the book that was the basis for the HBO series The Undoing). It’s about a struggling author, Jacob Finch Bonner, who’s teaching at an MFA program when he encounters the perfect plot. The problem? It’s the brainchild of another author, a student in his program. But years later, Bonner is still thinking about the plot and his own career is stalled. He finds out that the other author has died without ever publishing his book so Bonner steals the plot. Flash forward again and the book is just successful as predicted. Bonner’s at the top for the world. But someone knows he stole the plot and they won’t leave him alone until he’s ruined.

This book was fine. The author does a good job of stringing her readers along and keeping you surprised with every twist. And it’s got a unique feel to it. But once again, every single damn character in the book was completely unlikable! It made it very hard to care what happened. Bonner’s success was unearned so why get worked up about his downfall? The book within the book was the best part but I did find it difficult towards the end to keep the differences straight between the real life events and the events of the book. I can’t decide whether or not I was surprised by the identity of Bonner’s troll – I didn’t guess who it was but I also didn’t gasp when it was all laid out. If unlikable characters don’t bother you, though, then I would recommend this the next time you’re looking for a twisted and unusual book.

Jacob Bonner writes a critically acclaimed first novel but his star dims after that. He takes a job teaching novel writing, but his heart is not in it as he attempts to critique ono unpublishable manuscript after another. Then one writer comes in with a fresh idea. He outlines the plot, but refuses to show anyone his manuscript. He dies not long after that and Bonner decides he will use the outline of the plot. The results are unexpected and the ending took me by surprise.

This book was so much more than a thriller! The story follows a man named Jacob who is a bit of a “one hit wonder” writer: his first book was well received, but his subsequent novels were duds. So while working as a professor in a college writing program, he is introduced to a student with an unbelievable story. Fast forward a few years. Jacob discovers that his student has died without finishing the book, so he decides to take the plot idea and run with it as his own. His book is a huge hit and he’s finally living the dream…until he gets an email that says, “You are a thief.” Someone knows the truth and Jacob has to figure out who it is before the world discovers that he is a fraud.

I’d consider this one a slow burn with a book within a book. I’m sure writers will especially love and relate to the ups and downs of the writing process. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

I'm not even sure where to start with this one. I was pleasantly surprised, even though it was predictable. The first like 3/4 was entertaining and kept me on my toes. However, when it came to the big "plot twist" and reveal, I had already predicted it about 3 chapters before. It was still good, but it's not as surprising as the description and other reviews have said it was.

Thank you to #NetGalley and publishers for an ARC of #ThePlotBook in exchange for a review.

The ending!!!! This was the cherry on top of a pretty decent sundae. A super slow burn is how I would describe this book. The last 50 pages picked up and that is when I was excited to really dive into this story. The main character kind of drove me crazy at times. I didn’t relate to him but his journey was an interesting one!

I really enjoyed the story inside the story. The mystery element was my favorite part of the book. If you are interested in reading this book keep chugging through the slow burn!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for the eArc in exchange for my honest review!

This was a really engaging read. I always enjoy stories about writers and their process, but I loved how this relatively traditional jaded-mid-career-floundering-author story turned mysterious and then thrilling. I did figure out the twist relatively early on, but it was still fun to see how the author handled the reveal.

This hooked me from the start. I was afraid it was going to be similar to Meg Wolitzer The Wife, which I really liked. I was much different. It was dark and messy. At times I want to close the book because of the bad decision making that was going on.
It moves quickly and comes too a great conclusion. I highly recommend it.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for book in exchange for an honest review.

A book within a book! A story about writers and the publishing industry and all things literary! A thrilling plot! Yes please! Jean Hanff Korelitz deserves all the praise for this witty, suspenseful and inventive novel.

"The Plot may seem a little hard on writers, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone; we’re hard on ourselves. In fact, you couldn’t hope to meet a more self-flagellating bunch of creatives anywhere."

This book is throughly enjoyable and just like a Russian doll, there is another story within the story within the story. Although some reviewers thought the book started off slowly, I loved the detailed character building and sense of place. I needed to understand the main protagonist Jacob Finch Bonner's motivations and insecurities because I really was rooting for him to overcome his abject fear of being uncovered as a plagiarist.

Jake is not entirely likeable but his former student Evan Parker is even less so. Jake, a somewhat successful author with a serious case of writer's block, has found himself teaching a creative writing symposium at a small Vermont college. There he encounters a cocky, brash student named Evan Parker. Evan is so sure that he has the beginnings of a blockbuster book on his hands that he barely has use of Jake's writing skills. Nothing could ruin the plot of Evan's book, even poor writing, and Evan Parker could write.

“This story will be read by everybody. It will make a fortune. It will be made into a movie, probably by somebody really important, like an A-list director. It will get all the brass rings, you know what I mean?”

How this blockbuster idea morphs into a book by Jacob Finch Bonner is the heart of 'The Plot'. The book then begins to speed along to an incredibly clever ending. There is a huge plot twist which any clever reader will figure out, but which does not take away the fun of this wonderful thriller. The author is also very brave to skewer writers' delicate egos and insecurities and I loved every delicious second. They can be in general a very jealous and insecure bunch!

"I’ve learned so much about writers. You’re a strange kind of beast, aren’t you, with your petty feuds and your fifty shades of narcissism?"

Bravo to the author for this intelligent, observant and creative book, that deserves to be the blockbuster book of the summer!

I read this book in one setting and it was truly remarkable. There was a book within a book. A plot within a plot. I want everyone to read it!

Wow!...I LOVED every single thing about this novel. It was like watching a great Hitchcock movie. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter, and couldn't read fast enough to get to the ending, even though I had actually suspected what was coming,it's so good it didn't matter!

A book within a book - like a play within a play - does not always work; in this case, both books being written piqued my interest. But our Jake Bonner - the writer of one of the tales - is no Hamlet. Jake is an entitled author of one somewhat notable first novel, and not very introspective regarding his failure to replicate his early success. Instead, we see Jake moping and feeling very very sorry for himself as he struggles to make a living as a one-touted young author. Until he writes his soon-to-be-Spielberg-produced-phenomenon.

Korelitz does a fantastic job painting Jake's sins in the gray area - a real reader's book, a real writer's book - to whom does a story belong? And who has the right to write it?

The twist in The Plot is evident as soon as the twist in Jake's fictional blockbuster, Crib, is revealed to us but the ride to the end is still thoroughly thrilling. Does the bad guy - the worst guy - ever win? The answer is, of course, sometimes.

Thank you Netgalley for this preview!

I’d have to rate this one middle of the road. While I enjoyed the read, and I would recommend it, especially to those new to the thriller genre, I was disappointed in the “plot.” For a book that was all about a book with a plot that was like no other, it wasn’t. It was slow in several places, and I found it easy to lay down.

I couldn’t put this one down. Such a clever idea, to use a ‘plot’ that the reader only discovers slowly but is told is one that can’t fail, as the driving force behind the story of this literary mystery/thriller.
The writing is great and I enjoyed the ride.... and I didn’t see the ending coming until very close to the reveal which I’m sure added to my enjoyment (I’ve seen others say they guessed it!) And I loved the risk at making the protagonist morally questionable, while keeping him likable. Fun and compelling.