It's hard to properly review this book and talk about some of its shortcomings (in my opinion) without giving away any of the substantial aspects of the plot. What I will say is I think this was a very original and enjoyable read, despite the few issues I had with it.

This was an interesting read - a book within a book. The protagonist is a published author who had a bit of success with his first book but hasn't been able to follow it up with anything even remotely successful. He hears a story that has The Plot - a story with such an amazing storyline that it's guaranteed to be a runaway bestseller. When circumstances provide the opportunity to put that plot together and publish it himself, how can he resist? And what might the consequences be? It's an interesting story not only for that plot, but also for the insights into the writing process and publishing industry - the good, the bad and the ugly. I listened to the audio version and Kirby Heyborne's narration is excellent.
Thanks to Netgalley, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

A very readable and page turning novel about a washed up writing professor who steals a story from a student who never gets a chance to write it due to his untimely death. The writing is very suspenseful and grabs you right from the start - I loved the Plot within "The Plot" as well as the snarkiness with which the author writes about writers. People who read mysteries often will likely pick up on some clues that will give them some nudge towards where the story is going, but overall it still keeps you guessing. Loved this book!

This was actually a 3.5 for me. The Plot started out very slow but finally started getting interesting halfway through. I figured out the twist fairly quickly but it was well done. It was worth the read. Thanks netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The plot of The Plot is compelling and believable. A failed novelist appropriates a brilliant plot and before you can say New York Times bestseller list, he’s “back in the high life again.” Of course, nothing is ever that simple.

Novelist Jacob Finch Bonner was once a rising star in publishing. His first book received critical praise and his future looked bright. Years later, he’s a visiting author at the third-rate Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Ripley Symposia. But what advice can a writer who hasn’t written in a word in years give to students? Jake is phoning it in, barely able to muster enough politeness to play his part.

He was not looking forward to reconvening with his dreary and annoying colleagues, not one of them a writer he genuinely admired, and certainly he was not looking forward to feigning excitement for another battalion of eager student writers, each and every one of them likely convinced they would one day write—or perhaps had already written—the Great American Novel.



Most of all, he was not looking forward to pretending that he himself was still a writer, let alone a great one.

One of the students is Evan Parker, a belligerent, self-confident young man. Students at the Ripley Symposia are expected to comment on their classmates’ works in progress. Not Evan. He’s incredibly tight-lipped, claiming that his plot is to die for. Evan allows Jake to read the first chapter of his book, after which he recounts the rest of the tale. Evan may be an arrogant prick, but he’s not wrong: the plot is mesmerizing, quite unforgettable.

Time passes and Jake’s life gets worse and worse. He leaves New York City for a job, one where he’s a concierge for a writing program slash boarding house. He’s so broke, he’s not sure he can replace his car if it dies. Is it the sensation of hitting rock bottom that inspires Jake to look up Evan Parker? Over the years, he’s wondered half-heartedly why he hadn’t read about Parker’s meteoric success. Nothing pops up immediately.

Then he saw, at the bottom of the page: “Searches related to ‘evan parker.’”



And below that the words: “evan parker obituary.”

Evan died just a few months after the writing workshop. It doesn’t take long for Jake to arrive at an inevitable conclusion.

Later, of course, Jake would go back to this moment. Later, he would recognize it for the crossroads it was, but already he was wrapping this stark, years-after-the-fact set of circumstances with the first of what would be many layers of rationalization. Those layers had not much at all to do with the fact that Jake was a moral human being with, presumably, a code of ethical conduct. Mainly they had to do with the fact that he was a writer, and being a writer meant another allegiance, to something of even higher value.



Which was the story itself.

After all, not only is Evan dead, but his book is also moribund. There’s more than a whiff of self-justification: “Good writers borrow, great writers steal, Jake was thinking.” Even that thought is unoriginal, it is attributed to T.S. Eliot.

Even if Parker’s manuscript actually existed at the time of his death, Jake had never seen more than a couple of pages of it, and he remembered little of what he had seen: the mother, the daughter, the ring of pineapples around the door of the old house. Surely what he, alone, made from so little would belong to him and only to him.

Jake convinces himself that his decision to write Crib isn’t really theft. Fast forward three years—there are “over two million copies in print” of Crib. Jake’s life is everything he once dreamed. He’s so busy he’s barely lived in his newly purchased apartment. The only thing that causes him discomfort is a specific question: “How did you come up with your plot?” One day Jake opens an email that causes the bottom to fall out of his world: “… though the message was brevity itself at a mere four words, it still managed to get its point across. You are a thief, it said.”

Horrors. It’s not like Jake hasn’t ruminated about famous literary frauds. At the deepest level, he knows he was not the creator of Crib.

Which somebody, somewhere out there, might conceivably know.



All of it, at any time, might be ripped away from him—rip, rip, rip—and so quickly that Jake would find himself helpless and annihilated even before he knew what was happening. Then he would be relegated to the circle of shamed writers forever and without hope of appeal: James Frey, Stephen Glass, Clifford Irving, Greg Mortensen, Jerzy Kosinski . . .

This is not a club anyone would want to join. Understandably, with his life and reputation on the line, Jake doesn’t fess up to his readers and publishers. He decides to find out “more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. “

I’m not going to give away the plot of The Plot—I won’t have to, because readers will race-read to find out the truth behind the plot of Crib.

The plot within the plot was way more enjoyable than the plot itself (speaking of the plot), but that's actually alright because the suspense around and general teasing out of the plot within the plot (in The Plot) was terrific. The identity of the super anonymous mean guy is way too evident way too early or this would definitely be a 5 star book for me.

This review is going to be a short one, because I absolutely refuse to be the one who spoils any part of this brilliant book for anyone who hasn't read it yet.

Go in knowing more than the basic plot (and isn't this word played with so cleverly by Korelitz) that you can find on the inside cover or in the summary section of an online retailer:

Writer wrote a first book that was well-received but doesn't make a huge splash. Second book ends up not even making a ripple. So writer becomes a reluctant teacher at a barely-acknowledged program, where one of his students describes one of the most incredible plots for a book he's ever heard. When the writer hears this student has died, writer takes said plot, writes it, and becomes earthshakingly famous for his new book.

And then the writer gets an email from someone who knows exactly what he did, leading the writer to try to discover the story behind the plot.

Now go get the book.

I'm not kidding.

Don't read any spoilers, don't do more research, just go get the book and read it.

The ending...it's still with me. This book is a series of jaw dropping twists that all work, with a finale that will leave you absolutely stunned.

This book is amazing.

WOW! This blew my mind! What a great novel! I couldn’t read fast enough.
Jake..... a lonesome writer was teaching a writing class in Vermont. He was in a funk, and just couldn’t get a book out. Later, he has a movie deal for a new bestseller! Instant fame. The book, The Crib, follows along with Jakes new path. So many twists snd turns and the ending is mind blowing! Best thriller I’ve read in a very long time!

This really had potential to be a great book. I did not enjoy the writing style (in my opinion, this was more in line with literary fiction than suspense/thriller that it was advertised as.) I did not want to continue after the first chapter and unfortunately, I should have gone with my gut.

It almost felt like moving through quicksand trying to get through the first 80/90 pages...the quicker you try to move, the more you sink. The writing was rambling and wordy and just so sluggish to get through.

Other than the writing style, the book just didn't hit the mark. It had potential to be fantastic (a great premise!) but just wasn't executed correctly.

I was REALY looking forward to diving into The Plot. And although I did enjoy it, there are a few things that bothered me while reading it, which is why I landed at 3.75/5 stars.

Ok, here are a few things I really liked:
- I liked the "book-within-a-book" concept.
- The character development is beyond excellent. I mean, you really got to know these people.
- Although it's a low burn, it does a good job of keeping you interested.

Here are some things that irked me:
- The excessive use of parentheses, like... why?
- I figured out the "twist" SO early on and I hate it when that happens. I was really hoping for a GASP! moment. :-(

Overall, I liked it and I would definitely recommend it to someone who maybe doesn't read too many thrillers, otherwise I think you're likely to figure things out pretty early on.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Plot follows Jacob, a semi accomplished author turned writing teacher throughout his journey of writing the next best book. The thing is- where did he come up with his premise for his story? Is he a thief? A plagiarist? Or just a literary genius?

I really enjoyed this book & loved learning more then I ever thought I would know about the writing process as a whole. A little slow in spots for me, but I was still drawn into the storyline and trying to figure out what was going on.

Thank you to @netgalley, @jeanhanff, & @celadonbooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You can pick up this gem in stores & online now!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

Thank you, NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz in exchange for my honest review.
I wanted to like this book SO bad. The reviews are great, they really are, which made it hurt even more when I wanted to toss my Kindle out the window so I wouldn’t have to read anymore. The good news is, that feeling finally went away, the bad news is, it took FOREVER to get to that point.
Holy SLOW start Batman. I mean…I picked up and finished 3 other books in the time it took me to get past the slow start. It was painful. SO SO painful. BUT it does pick up.
If you enjoy a VERY slow start, wonderfully written horrible characters (I know that’s a lot), and a complex plot on top of a plot, then this is the book for you. Here’s the problem I had with The Plot, there’s this complex, twisty plotline which you have to pay very close attention to and yet the burn is so slow you have a hard time paying that much attention to what’s going on. The story builds, it’s slow, but it does build, and you get this point where the question becomes is “stealing” someone else’s plot plagiarism?
I really did expect to like this one. I wanted to, but it just didn’t work for me. That said, I know there are a lot of people who LOVE slow burners, and this one is made for them!

A plot within a plot.

Jacob Finch Bonner is a tortured soul - guilty for something he did (you can guess the what, but not the how), and so drunk on his newfound fame that he doesn't see what's coming until it hits him in the face.

As a teacher, Bonner was arrogant and jealous of his students' writing. He had one good book in him and just couldn't get motivated to write another (that a publisher would accept), so he winds up teaching a seminar for a select group of writing students. But his life is about to change as he writes a book that accomplishes everything he wanted: fame, wealth, and the attention of women.

There's just one problem - someone knows what he did - and they are ready to share that information.

Great insights into publishing and book writing, and a great lesson in learning that "you're only as great as your last book".

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced reader's copy for review.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

It took me a minute to get into this book, but once it picked up, I couldn't stop reading to see where it was going. Even though it took some time to build, I found it to be totally worth it. I requested this because I loved The Undoing series on HBO & I was seeing this all over Bookstagram with rave reviews. I had no idea what it was about as the title is pretty vague. It turned out to be so different than I thought it would be. I am glad I read it without knowing much of anything about the plot (other than the title). I enjoyed how every layer revealed secrets that left me intrigued and wanting more. Jacob Finch Bonner, a one hit wonder writer, learns about a plot for a book that could make him very famous. Problem is, it isn't his story. He writes it anyway. Someone reads it and another plot emerges and takes over Jacob's every waking moment. Who is chasing whom? I was so involved. I loved this book. Reminded me of the play Death Trap. So good!

Jacob Finch Bonner is a has-been. Once upon a time, he was a moderately successful author, but his spark has slowly dimmed and faded as a writer. He finds himself relegated to teaching writing courses that will allow anyone to attend. One day, he meets Evan Parker, a new student of his. Parker has a great idea for a novel, and Bonner agrees that it will be a best-selling book. Fast forward a few years, and Bonner discovers that Parker has died without ever publishing his book. It is a story that just needs to be told! Who better than this has-been author?

Oh gosh. I know that people have just been raving about this book, but it just was not for me. This book was overly predictable - There was so much foreshadowing. The pacing of the book seemed off, and I felt that the story should have been more succinct.

This book also seems to oversimplify writing. Writing is far, far beyond plot. Great writers are storytellers - they stir the emotions and take you on a journey. They whisper dreams of what might be. They inspire adventures and create ideas to change the world. Philip Pullman once wrote that ""Thou shall not' is soon forgotten but "once upon a time" lasts forever." An author needs more than a decent plot to be a success. What about tone? Character development? Pacing?

*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

A grimy, slow burn mystery. Be ready to feel both icky and captivated! The premise is fascinating. To become a writer on level with the greats- Stephen King, John Grisham- one must be greatly talented, right? Or can anyone be a best-selling author if they just have the perfect plot? But then that begs an even more important question… exactly who owns the idea to a story?

Jake graduated on a high and was considered an author to watch as his first novel released to critical acclaim. But the acclaim didn’t last, and before long he was teaching others to do what he longed for. The taste of success is addictive. Addictive enough to do anything to have it again. Even if that means benefiting off of the death of a former, now dead, student. Just as Jake seems to have charmed the world, Steven Spielberg included, with his stolen plot, threats to destroy his life start emerging from the one person he will never win over. And those threats just might ruin Jake.

I loved the “book within a book” idea. Snippets of Jake’s masterpiece novel, Crib, interspersed throughout Jake’s story gave the plot a depth and complexity that was highly engaging. I actually wanted more of Crib.

I'm a sucker for a good twisty mystery that needs to be slowly unraveled, and the idea behind this book seemed to be exactly that. It started out strong, building the foundation and introducing the characters. But about 40% in, the author spilled the beans. There was only one way the plot could unfurl. At that point, I considered putting the book aside. But I’m glad I didn’t. While it did take away some of the magic and suspense, I still enjoyed watching it all unravel.

And THAT ENDING. Wowza! Even knowing who was threatening Jake, I still didn’t see it ending in THAT shocking, cringeworthy way.

Thank you Jean Korelitz, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

This book was provided by @netgalley for an honest review. I enjoyed the full circle aspect of this book. At times I felt like the story lagged but it was overall a quick read. There were some moments that confused me. 🚨 possible spoiler 🚨 I completely get the paranoia but I feel like someone so paranoid wouldn’t possibly go around advertising themselves the way the main character did. I think that’s the only thing that really annoyed me.

What a fascinating premise for a book. I was immediately intrigued by the premise: Professor finds success by stealing his dead student's novel, and then things get complicated. The book starts out great with this original story that reads like a conversation with the reader. At the beginning the pacing is a bit slow but the writing is so well detailed that just delving into the character's psyche and bringing to life the process of writing and the book within a book, that it is always interesting and engaging.

The Book Lady Reads in Amazon.com
4.0 out of 5 stars Wow!
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2021
Talk about a twisty, turny plot - I finished this book in two days.! There really are two huge twists in the novel - one I didn’t see coming and one I was able to guess,
Jacob is a writer who fears he has lost his way. When he hears about a unique plot line from a student, then he discovers that student has died, it doesn’t take him long to decide what to do!