Mystery and Thriller reader fans, get ready for your next great read! Jean Hanff Korelitz's latest novel just came out, and in a word, it is...delicious! Our protagonist is a promising young novelist, Jacob Finch Bonner, working on that sophomore novel and teaching writing at a low residency MFA program called (Bread Loaf it is not.) Jake meets his latest group of students, and is a bit taken aback by one Evan Parker, an arrogant and narcissistic student who tells Jake he has the next great American novel. Evan is hesitant to share his work--he really applied to the program to find an agent--but ultimately tells Jake about the plot.
Time passes; Jake continues to struggle to succeed at his writer lifestyle. Then one day, he learns that Evan Parker died. Jake thinks about the plot of Evan's great American novel, and scours the internet to see if it was ever published. It was not. And it really was a good story...
The Plot was an absorbing and quick read for me. I loved The Devil and Webster, also by Korelitz, and was eager to read The Plot based on that alone. Korelitz is really good at the college and writers' program details, and has great character development for teachers. You can see what is going to happen just maybe a page before it does, which was very satisfying. I also love the whole question of intellectual property as well. The Plot is a five star read for me. I hope you will put it on hold at the Library, "add to cart," or find it at an Indie Bookseller. So good!

Have you ever really thought about the plot of a book? What it’s composed of… how it hooks you? Well, this author comes in swinging with not just the plot line of <i>The Plot</i>, but she wrecks all writing norms by including the plot to another book she titles <i>Crib</i> within <i>The Plot</i> that equals/ rivals the main storyline. Yes, this author comes out with TWO novels in one and both are sure to be hits! This thriller starts out slow, but by the time you get comfortable, she shakes you up like ants in an ant farm - yes, my reading friends- there are ant bodies flying everywhere while you try to ferret out who is doing what and will this fictional author (because our real one absolutely got away with it) get away with stealing (borrowing/ resurrecting…) someone else’s plot. This is a solid read to pick. Anyone who just loves masterful storytelling with be thrilled by it. The audiobook narrator is good for keeping your attending, but let’s face it, this author needed no help- there would be no bad narrator.

A huge thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio as well as this author who came to dominate the thriller genre Jean Hanff Korelitz ( @JeanHanffKoreli ) for providing an advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest opinions. I’m so excited for her next book set to be published in 2022.

You can find my reviews at http://www.OceansOfBooks.com

THE PLOT starts somewhat slowly, with a few chapters clearly just setting the scene for what is about to take place. Once it gets going, though, it's a compulsively readable, well-paced ride. It wasn't particularly surprising (once you know "the plot" you can kind of figure it out) but I didn't mind at all-- the twists and turns were too fun. Recommended for lovers of thrillers and of fiction!

This is definitely one of the better books I've read in 2021. While I did start to suspect the major twist about halfway through, I was still excited to see it all play out. I can't say I liked the ending, but not all good books have happy or satisfying endings. The characters are interesting and the plot-!- is great. Definitely kept me interested and I read the whole thing in a few days!

Absolutely terrific!! The Plot is such a complex and original novel, that I will be recommending it to everyone.

Right off the bat, we are introduced to protagonist Jake Bonner. He was an early superstar in the world of publishing after writing a critically acclaimed first novel at only 25 years old. He followed that success with two duds, and now he's blocked. To make ends meet, Jake takes an assignment at a third-rate university where he oversees a summer fiction writing program. He doesn't expect much of his students and is right on the money with his expectation. Except for one student. Enter Evan Parker, an arrogant, pretentious twenty-something. When Jake reads Evan's writing sample, he's honestly impressed. The guy is a jerk, but he can actually write. At their first meeting, Jake attempts to provide him some guidance to improve his skills, but Evan shuts him down. He doesn't need any help with his writing, and goes so far as to proclaim that his story is so good that no one "on the planet, no matter how lousy a writer he is, who could mess up a plot like mine." Evan goes on to say that everybody will read his book. It'll make a ton of money, be made into a movie, and probably be picked up by Oprah as one of her book club picks!! Ultimately, to prove his point, Evan tells Jake the plot of his still-to-be-written novel. And for all Evan's faults, Jake is mesmerized.

Author Korelitz then fast forwards two and a half years into the future. Jakes fortunes have fallen even further; he's even been laid off from the crummy job he had at the university. All that's left for him is to peddle his expertise on-line as a coach or consultant. He's in a dark place one day when his thoughts wander to ex-student Evan Parker. He realizes that he's never read anything about Evan's self-proclaimed number one best seller so he does what anyone would do -- Google him. That's when he discovers that Evan died shortly after they first met, so never got around to writing/publishing his great American novel. Sounds like an opportunity, right?!? So Jake sits himself down and proceeds to write Evan's novel. All of the writing is his own, but the basics of the plot are Evan's. Is it really plagiarism if every word was created by Jake? If the character names and development are all Jake? Interesting ethical question and the basis for the remaining 300+ pages of The Plot after an online troll starts contacting Jake to claim that he's a thief. The troll is relentless, and Jake is plagued with doubts about his own self-worth, as well as the practical need to identify the troll.

The creativity of The Plot is that it follows Jake's life, celebrating the crazy success of Jake's new novel, while interspersing that with sections of the novel that he wrote. A book within a book. Personally, I couldn't put it down. I was equally interested in the plot of the novel that Jake wrote and with how his life radically changes after it is published. I felt very connected with Jake and wanted to reassure him that he wasn't a plagiarist. He was a compelling, well developed character.

In summary, I loved everything about The Plot, and I'm sure it's going to be a best seller. My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Five stars from me.

An interesting thriller that gives a glimpse into the world of a writer. The twist wasn't too twisty though. Some may find it slow, but I will recommend it. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

They say it is about the journey rather then the destination. I really enjoyed The Plot even though I figured out the twist halfway through.

I enjoyed the journey Jake was on throughout the book, the characters he met, and locations he visited were extremely well written and captivating.

Even though I figured out the ending prior, there is still so many WTF moments!

I really enjoyed this novel, and plan on reading it again to see if I missed any clues along the way.

Jake is a "one good one" under his belt kind of book author. He doesn't seem to have another chart topper in him.
A cocky student, in the creative writing course he teaches, claims he has the best plot ever. Now that the student is gone and the book with the greatest plot was never written.

Is it really stealing if you write the book with your own words? Somebody thinks it is.

I liked the book within a book concept. I had some suspicions about half way through the book. It had a twist, but I was hoping it would twist a little harder. I almost gave up on it at the beginning, but then it picked up and kept me reading. I wasn't blown away with this one, but it was a good read. I could see it better in my minds eye as a movie.

I had so much hope for this book given all that I saw about it before it came out. I was fortunate to get an advanced copy and I am glad I read it. I love reading and any book that deals with writing is so interesting to me. The book started out slow for me but picked up and kept going. I loved not only the twists but the ethical dilemma that the protagonist had to face. Thank you to Netgally and to the publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy

This sounded like the kind of book I would love but I didn’t realize just how much. It’s suspenseful and it’s also one of those books where it feels like anything could happen.

It became increasingly tense and, while I didn’t like Jake particularly well, I still felt very nervous for him.

I’m definitely seeking out her backlist now.

Jean Hanff Korelitz's latest novel is a thriller that kept me guessing until the end. I thought I had the plot all figured out and then began to second guess myself. I was shocked at the ending of this novel! Jacob Finch Bonner is an author chasing a subsequent successful New York Times Bestseller. He finds himself teaching in a third rate MFA program helping other aspiring writers. He meets a student with a plot that is a sure thing. The story really takes off from here! We follow Jacob as he desperately tries to keep his reputation intact and accusations of plagiarism at bay. The story takes a dark turn the closer he gets to uncovering the truth about his accuser. The author weaved a novel within her novel seamlessly. I have read a few books by Korelitz, and I would recommend her latest for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and he publisher for an opportunity to read The Plot

I was so excited to get approved for this book - I had read so many amazing reviews and it really felt excitingly - but it turns out it’s not really for me. I’m just finding the writing style and the pace does t work well for me.

As soon as I read the description of The Plot I knew it sounded like something I would enjoy. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It started out slow, but be prepared, because once it picks up you will not want to stop reading. Jacob Finch Bonner is an author with one popular book published, but is struggling coming up with an idea for his next one. While he is trying to figure out his next book he begins teaching a MFA program. and that is where he meets Evan Parker. The Plot is told through the voice of Jake, and then through pages from his current bestselling book. I really enjoyed The Plot. I read the last 100 pages or so in one sitting because I couldn’t wait to see how it all played out. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

The first few chapters where painful with all of the (afterthoughts). As soon as the parentheses ended the story started to become interesting. While it was pretty easy to guess who the real villain was, the twists and turns of the story and book still kept you guessing and reading. The ending was unexpected as a good book should be. Thank you for sharing!

Wow! This was a welcomed surprise. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book, but I ended up really enjoying the ride. I liked the book within a book storyline along with the many unexpected twists and turns. The shocking conclusion blew me away! The pacing was perfect and kept me enthralled until the jaw dropping ending.
Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for my ARC.

I didn’t expect this book. I was thinking something totally different but it surprised me in a good way. This starts off very slow and a very slow burn type of book. But then about half way through and the ending totally surprised me. Once it took off I couldn’t put it down.
Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy of this book.

Wildly imaginative! Great, multi-faceted characters. Very unique plot. Vivid descriptions. A gritty, intense, fast-paced, riveting, artful melding of stunning psychological thrills and nail-biting suspense. A REALLY great read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

I received a complimentary copy of The Plot from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Great book! Actually, I would say there are two great plots—a story within a story. Beautifully written and difficult to put down, this novel claimed all of my attention for about two days. Writer and writing teacher Jacob Finch Bonner has stolen the amazing plot of a late student’s intended book. Now a best selling author, Jake is threatened by an online troll about the theft of the content of his hit novel, Crib. He finds love, marries fan Anna, and embarks on a frightening journey to learn the truth. Fantastic read!

My Recommendation
Every once in a while in this galaxy of extraordinary talent and literary excellence there appears an anomaly-someone who distinguishes themselves amongst all the bright stars and excellence.. So today I have the pleasure of writing about a superstar book-The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The imagination and build in this writing reflect a woman whose architecture and flow deserve many kudos. There are high marks in originality,
momentum ,mystery, timing, crescendoed
tension and character development.

This story within a story is told in easy to follow alternating quasi chapters. The author did a mastèrful job of writing two books actually with a synergy that works well. The book within the book has star power and so does its companion piece-a story a bit closer to the present moment.

This five star starts at an MFA writing program being given in a rural Vermont school by Jacob Frach Bonner whose first book was a NY Times notable but whose subsequent books were pretty unsuccessful. While teaching the course he encounters Evan Parker-an arrogant student who claims he has a plot line which is universally marketable. When Evan shares his plot with Jacob it is not told to the reader. It is, however. The catalyst for all that follows.

Three years pass and Evan is dead. Jacob cannot resist the urge to step in and bring the unknown story he was told to the public. All he needs are the name changes
and to follow the trail of Evan’s narrative.
So a newer version is created as distortions become clearer and lies become truths. The result is an overnight bestseller, movie rights, author interviews et al

With perfect timed revelations the success of the book expands to 39 countries. Then Jacob gets a note from someone who knows of his plagiarism and as the threats of making that knowledge available to the public so does the tension increase with each threat.

Little by little the reader is led into more of both stories. The result is a masterpiece of reader manipulation with twists and turns.

An addictive read.

I loved the premise of this book. I'd been putting off reading it for a while because of other obligations, but from the moment I read the first page (in line to get my COVID vaccine), I was hooked. Once the plot got going, I got so sucked in that I read pretty much through the night (or at least, stayed up until a very unreasonable hour) and snuck away from my own graduation gathering (over Zoom) to read more. It was engrossing.

But for a book that (within its own pages) promised an explosive, fantastic plot, the plot was pretty... guessable. And by that I mean I guessed the major plot twist about 30% of the way in. (And through a very informal, very small poll on my Instagram, it seems like most of my friends who read it guessed too.) The perennial problem of books-in-books is that they overpromise on what they can deliver. When Jacob promises you that his plot is the wildest, most unique, most un-guessable thing in the entire world, and you guess it 120 pages in... yeah, not looking so great. Perhaps it's because I read an article in The Atlantic about a (significantly less shocking) similar situation, or perhaps it's just because readers are not so limited as Korelitz/Jacob believes. The fact is that this is a solid thriller, but that's about it.

If it wasn't packaged as "a plot no one's ever thought of before," or even if it was and the book-inside-a-book's plotline hadn't been revealed to us, I probably would've given this four stars. But ultimately, the book doesn't go beyond what its title promises—it's a plot. The characters, while fleshed-out, do not pop off the page and are not especially memorable. While reading, I found myself flipping back and forth to remember the names of characters I'd met a few chapters earlier.

Still, the book-in-a-book premise does enable it go a step beyond what's typical of the genre, and I loved the little references to the politics of publishing houses and what it's like to be an author—things that I recognize from engaging with an online community of bookworms that are either authors or publishers, though I am neither myself. 3/5 stars