Jacob "Finch" Bonner is a writer. After limited success with his first novel, his later writings are lackluster, and he can't find an audience. To pay the bills, he teaches at a MFA program at Ripley College. There Jake meets an arrogant, aspiring writer with a guaranteed best-selling plot.
A few years later, after discovering some information, Jake decides to write a book based on the details the arrogant writer told him. The book becomes a huge success, but Jake starts receiving correspondence threatening to expose Jake for stealing the story.
I was anticipating this book for a while due to the publicity buzz. It took me a while to get into the book, nearly to page 100, before I felt the story take off.
I also immediately knew who "Talented Tom" was, but not the full identity until an excerpt from Jake's novel, The Crib, was revealed. Once I read that, my suspicions were confirmed. I enjoyed reading The Crib excerpts.
I received an ARC of #ThePlotBook from #CeleadonBooks and #NetGalley. All opinions are mine and freely given.

Although this read started very slowly for me, all of a sudden it just took off. A novel idea for a book...a writer, Jacob Finch Bonner, who has failed to live up to the hype of his first novel meets an aspiring writer while teaching an MFA session who has an unbelievable story to tell. The plot remains in his head and once he learns that the aspiring writer died without publishing his book he decides to steal the plot and write it himself. That is when the story becomes a spider web - luring you deeper and deeper into the intricate web. Jean Hanff Korelitz masterfully divulged layer after layer teasing you to figure out who is threatening Jacob. The revelation at the end was no surprise to me but the sticky threads connecting everything together were well thought out. I expect to see this one as a screenplay soon. Kudos to Jean Hanff Korelitz, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this just published book.

Thank you Celadon Books & Netgalley for the arc. I actually listened to this book on audio copy provided by Macmillan Audio.

3.25/5

Plagiarism is a serious issue no matter the situation. One should never ever steal other person’s work. This is the core message of The Plot. Though the story started slow, I was able to connect with Jake and understand him as a struggling author / writing coach. Not justifying what he did, but Jake sounded like a sensible person who should have guessed the *someone* since he knew the story of *something turned* why did it occur to him only at the end rather than sooner?

When I got ahold of the plot, I guessed the virtue of a certain character long before Jake did. This made me loose my grip with the story, but since it was an audiobook I continued to listen just to know how Jake comes to “know”. It was an okay revelation - guess this is what happens when one reads too many thrillers!!

The writing was decent and the narration was pretty good, but I felt the voice modulations could have been better. If you don’t read much suspense novels, this might impress you.

I’m predicting this book will be a great one for bookclub discussions. With a twisty plot, some unreliable characters and a lot of bookish banter, it has a lot to offer readers.

Jake Bonner is a bit of a “one-hit wonder.” His first book was published and popular in some areas, but after that he has published nothing notable and is in a writing slump. When he decides to teach a writing class, Jake has a student that stands out. Not because he’s a great writer, but because he is an awfully rude person and is so arrogant he believes he has a plot that is certain to become a novel that will be a huge bestseller. He tells Jake a summary of the plot before the course ends and then they go their separate ways.

Fast forward a few months and Jake is still a struggling writer when one day he learns of the death of his former student with the bestselling plot line. Jake discovers the student never published anything so he decides to write his own story based on the plot that seems to be a sure hit.

Jake soars to fame and at the height of it, he begins to get anonymous messages from someone that knows he stole the plot from his student. The meat of the story centers around Jake’s search for the source of his anonymous messages and his discovery of what really happened to his former student and the members of his family.

I found the beginning incredibly dull and I had to make myself keep reading and then the next thing I knew I could not put it aside. It really gained steam the last half of the book and I ended up really liking the story. A great one to have a discussion about with other readers!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

BEST BOOK I HAVE READ THIS YEAR!!! Loved this incredible story of Jake, a struggling writer and how he was "inspired" to write a best selling novel. Jake lives with a secret and someone is threatening to expose it. His whole career and reputation are on the line. He must get to the bottom of these accusations and what he ultimately discovers is shocking! This is a book that literally gave me anxiety until I finished it. I was on the edge of my seat proclaiming "I didn't see that comin'!"

The book is incredibly well written, and the characters are kept to a minimum. The "plot" is complicated, and I had to reread some of the story just to keep it straight in my mind - I think maybe Korelitz maybe wanted me to have to do that. I LOVED everything about this book. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review The Plot!

This is one of those suspense/thriller books that really is hard to put down. As the story unwinds, I found myself engrossed in the story within the story and how things with our author friend are going to play out. Does fiction really mirror real life? Is that what makes a story great? The Plot is well narrated and I especially loved the mention of goodreads and how the site tells you how many books you read each year, so fun! Fans of suspense/thrillers will really enjoy this one, add it to you list!

I really enjoyed The Plot. The premise was fun and I loved the end (even if I saw it coming.)

Jacob isn’t the most likable character. He published his first novel to great acclaim, managed to write a second, and then struggled to get anything published. He's teaching at a writing program and of his students is unbearably cocky, saying that he doesn’t really need Jacob’s help because he’s got a foolproof plot.

A year or so later, Jacob is still floundering and decides to Google his former student. Who seems to have died shortly after taking Jacob’s writing class. Jacob snoops around to see if the guy ever actually wrote his book, and when it seems like he didn’t, Jacob decides to write it. Fast-forward a few more years, and Jacob is a #1 best selling author whose book is being made into a movie. But then one day, Jacob gets a message from “Talented Tom” that says “you are a thief.”

The Plot alternates between Jacob’s point of view and chapter from his book, The Crib, which cribbed the plot (haha.) I didn’t enjoy the Crib chapters as much, but I think the book needed them for reasons that I can’t get into without spoiling the story.

The “plagiarism” angle of the story was interesting. Jacob didn’t really plagiarize, but his borrowing did give him a PR problem, which escalated as “Tom” upped the ante. The fun of the story was trying to figure out the identity of “Talented Tom,” the mystery letter writer, and their endgame.

{3.5 stars}

“You act like words don’t belong to everyone. You act like words don’t belong to everyone. You act like stories don’t have real people attached to them.”

————————————

I’m rarely at a loss for words but I have no idea how to rate this book. Its premise is so unique. I’m not going to give away too much about the plot; but basically a relatively unsuccessful author adapts a unique plot from one of his writer workshop students and gets caught. He begins being hounded by someone accusing him of plagiarism and begins to unravel.

I enjoyed this read for the most part. I loved the idea. But it spent too much time in Jake’s head for my liking. I prefer books with a lot of dialogue, especially these types of modern thrillers. Don’t get me wrong, there was lots of suspense but when you figure things out before the protagonist it can be a little boring going around and around in their head with loose ends you’ve already tied in your own brain.

I definitely think it is worth a read because of its uniqueness but there are some parts that drag a little in the middle.

I was so excited for The Plot! The plot sounded interesting and definitely pulled me in from the start. The beginning is a slow burn, but definitely picks up throughout the book. I thought the twists were just OK, but I still couldn't put the book down. Would recommend if you like Verity or The Silent Patient type books,

tw: death

I have a hard time rating it - I'm between a 3-4 stars, so a 3.5 rounded up.

Thank you @celadonbooks for the advanced readers copy of The Plot! I loved this digital arc it was such a fabulous book, released this Tuesday so pick it up ASAP! I didn’t download on my kindle correctly so I could take my usual pretty shots! But that’s okay because the book speaks for itself ❤️
*
Summary: Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written―let alone published―anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot.

Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker’s first novel: but it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that―a story that absolutely needs to be told.

In a few short years, all of Evan Parker’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You’re a liar.
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts: I loved this story! A lot of other reviews said it was a slow start but I was hooked from the beginning. It was such an interesting read flipping back and forth between what is happening and the plot of the hit story! It was fun and fast paced and opened up a good conversation on what plagiarism actually is! Highly recommend this one!

Jacob Finch Bonner was a one hit wonder in the publishing industry. He now spends his time teaching talent-less students how to write, and wallowing in self pity over his own lacklustre career. But one day he gets a student with a plot for a book that Jacob knows will be read the world over. Years later Jake wonders what happened to Evan Parker thinking surely he would have heard if his book had been released. A little googling is all it takes for him to discover Evan tragically died shortly after his weeks at the writing programme, failing to ever get his story out in to the world. Jake is sure that Evan Parker would want his story to be read, and who better to write it than his past teacher? When Crib comes out it takes the world by storm and Jake lives the life he always thought he deserved, until one day he receives an email, and those four words upend his life '<em>You are a liar</em>.' Desperate to find out who knows Jake stole the idea, he takes a deep dive into Evan Parkers life. How exactly did he get the idea for the world wide best seller? Who could possibly have known Evan's story? And who exactly stole the story from whom?

Jake is a really interesting POV to read from. Narcissistic and arrogant he feels he was never really given a fair shake in the publishing world, so when he writes Crib and it takes off, he is so sure he is deserved of all the fame. He isn't a likeable character, he thinks the world owe's him something, if I'm being completely honest? He's a bit of a dick. He see's other people's fame and wonders why them and not me? I can write just as well as them. But once he set's his mind to something there is no stopping him. We meet a whole cast of side characters from Evan Parker himself, to Evan's publishing colleagues as well as his family and friends, most of these don't have a large part to play in the story as a whole, but once the final chapters hit you realise that they were pivotal to telling Jake's story.

While there were parts of this book that I loved, there were also some parts that let it down a little. Because the story is told solely from Jake's POV we get a lot of introspection, especially in the first 75% of the book. Now, normally that's not something I mind but because I wasn't a massive fan of Jake as a character, and the fact that some of it was very repetitive, I did find myself skipping big chunks of the text because I didn't really care what was being said. However, once the story picks up, it takes off at a sprint and I found it near impossible to put the last 25% of the book down. One thing I did love was the inclusion of chapters from 'Crib' the book that Jake wrote. These really fed into the mystery of not only who was blackmailing him, but where Evan got the story from originally, and gave us insight into what made this plot so shocking. I did guess the big twist, but that didn't stop me from being shocked when I realised I was right, and there were still plenty of others that managed to catch me out of nowhere.

The Plot gives us a real deep dive into the publishing world, both the highs and the lows, the never ending press tours &amp; the fact that writing a book and selling it are two completely different things. But it also asks us to question the ethics of Jake's decision. In his mind Evan was dead and, knowing his personality, he wouldn't have shared the story with anyone else, but does that give Jake the right to take his story and write it as his own? There is so much I want to mention about 'Crib' but I can't because of spoilers, but safe to say that they are chapters you definitely want to pay attention to.

Overall this was a book that definitely took me out of my comfort zone as a reader and on one hell of a wide ride. I do think it could have been paced better, but the story continuously kept me guessing and it had me gasping out loud at some of the plot twist's. An easy 4*, and a story that will certainly stay with me for a while.

This novel is fantastic on its own, and I'd like to pre-order the "book within a book" now, thank you very much! The author pulls off the novel-within-the-novel conceit perfectly. Compelling and gritty, this slow burn really grabs your attention and doesn't let go until the grand finale.

Jacob "Finch" Bonner wrote a well-received, well-reviewed first novel. He promptly wrote a second novel that was less so. Work on the third book he's under contract to write is virtually nonexistent.

To pay the bills, Bonner takes a job teaching an MFA class on writing. When doing the meet and greet during office hours, most students are exactly as he thought: not many good ones, according to their reading samples. Except for Evan Parker. His sample, grudgingly shown, shows that he has talent and his arrogance about it is warranted. Eventually, Parker tells Bonner the story - the whole story - and Bonner concludes that the book will be very good indeed, and that the plot is so original that no one has ever written a book using it.

Bonner manages to make it through the term, and subsequently lands a spot teaching virtual classes in another place. He can't stop thinking about Evan Parker, and is amazed to find that Parker died shortly after that class, without ever having published that book. Bad news for him, but good news for Bonner, who decides to shanghai the idea and write his own version off it. This book becomes a huge bestseller, he lands on Oprah's show, Spielberg has snapped up the movie rights, and so on. He also goes on a book tour. One place he stops is a radio station on the opposite coast, where he meets a woman working for the station who tells him she read the book and loved it - ditto for his other books. They flirt a bit, and we see where this is leading.

But it seems someone knows what Bonner has done, and doesn't have any second thought about letting him know. It starts with emails, escalates to social media, and then to actual paper letters..

She moves to New York to be with him, and do all the social things, which, to his surprise, she's great at.. Bonner continues to get the creepy messages, but keeps this from his now-fiancee and eventually his wife.

The social media portion finally makes it the food chain to his editor and the boss and legal counsel for the publishing house, where they tell him not to worry, they've seen this sort of thing before. But he does worry about it, as there are things only someone Evan Parker could have told the story to see. We also get glimpses of the book,with two to three pages of it here and there.within the main book. By now, we're following Bonner as tries to track down information about Evan Parker, those who knew him well, and who could be behind the machinations to expose Bonner as having lifted the idea from Parker's draft.

This book reminded be a bit of the movie The Words, a movie about a book about a book, with a dash of Secret Window and The Hoax tossed in. It's a bit slow to get started, and somewhat ponderous as well - I attribute this to be mimicking what I suppose is Bonner's literary fiction style. As things progress, the writing becomes somewhat looser. The ending is something I saw coming, and there's a cold-heartedness in the reasoning behind why some people do what they do to set things right/get justice as best they can, as they see fit. My only quibble is that the plot of Parker's book is deemed entirely brand new, and that no one has written anything like it, ever, which is not exactly true in our world (but perhaps is true in the universe of this book).

I'm giving The Plot 4.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 5.

Thanks to Celadon and NetGalley for the review copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for this great read by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I do not know why I felt so sensitive while reading this book. It really bothered. me that the teacher stole the students idea. It shows that the teacher could not come to the fact that the student was better than him that he would be willing to do that. This book was well written and very flushed out. I really enjoyed it and will read more from this author. As an avid thriller reader, I hate to give reviews with spoilers. I can say this was great. Thanks so much.

I really enjoyed this book. While a bit slow, it was smart, and felt original and fresh. It definitely held my attention right until the end, which while I was a bit disappointed, made sense for the story.

There is nothing I love more than a thrilling plot twist and a jaw-dropping ending. The Plot delivers on both.

It’s the story of a writer who makes it big. Bigger than big. Oprah and Steven Spielberg, big. He has published a book with a plot twist unlike any other. But then he is accused of stealing the story... from a dead guy... and the plot twists just keep coming.

What I loved most about this book was how intimately I connected with Jake as a writer. I could understand his emotional struggles, his imposter syndrome, and his desperate curiosity.

And that ending! For me, it was reminiscent of how I felt at the end of Shari LaPena’s The Couple Next Door and Ashley Audrain’s The Push. Chilling and deeply satisfying.

This book is fantastic on various levels. Yes, it's a slow burn but the topics it tackles is engrossing. I like it's structure, the narration, and the concept of the writing/publishing world. It's like you don't know if you feel bad for the main character or hate him, but then you perhaps develop empathy. Read it, audiobook it, it's fantastic.

Wow. The ongoing story and plot twists in this were terrific. This was a book that kept me interested throughout.

It began as the story of a struggling author, Jake, who has had some notoriety with his first novel and then the sophomore slump. Jake then turned to teaching students at a mini-MFA program in the Northeast. While he was teaching, he meets an obnoxious student in his program who shares a bit of his plot with Jake. Several years pass and Jake continued to struggle but then comes to find out that his old student has passed away. So, Jake decides to take the plot of an unwritten novel and make it his own.
There are so many twists in this novel that it will keep you engaged throughout. I really enjoyed the story and the way the plot unfollowed.
The narrator was Kirby Heyborne, who did a wonderful job with the various characters. The story was well paced and well read. I had the e-arc but also access to the audio and enjoyed this version.
#ThePlotBook #NetGalley #CeladonBooks #MacmillanAudio

Rating: 8.75/10

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance copy of The Plot for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

The Plot takes imposter syndrome on a national book tour and proceeds to set it on fire; a fascinating, page-turning read that will keep you guessing until the very end. This and The Last House on Needless Street are THE books that need to be on your wishlist for 2021.

I have to admit: I tend to be cautious when books are lauded prior to release, so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going into something I would end up DNF’ing. I read some early reviews from people I trust and, well, it ended up being fairly positive.

Feedback was along the lines of “It starts out very slow, almost like a completely different story. Just when you think about putting it aside, THAT is when the story really begins to ramp up. IT’S SO GOOD.”

Needless to say, I had to check it out, and boyyyyyy howdy. I FINISHED IT IN LIKE 4 HOURS.

People tend to hate the term “slow burn”, but The Plot is exactly that. Building up the character of Jacob Finch Bonner took its necessary time for you to become fully invested in him and his motivations. Finding out how much of a POS Evan Parker/Parker Evan (you’ll get the reference when you read) in the beginning sold me on Bonner getting his. The secondary characters Bonner interacts with add just enough seasoning to the story to where they aren’t just surface-level, especially his love interest, literary agent, and a handful of others.

While the story did take some time to get its feet, that payoff at the end was just simply MAH-VELOUS. I did, sorta, kinda call it around the 3/4 mark or so, but it didn’t take away from the satisfaction of a well-played twist on Korelitz’s part.

I did really enjoy how the author ended up telling two (2) stories here: Jacob’s own and the novel he “stole”, CRIB. Seeing how both played off of each other and ended up playing out across Jacob’s timeline was very intriguing. It ends up varying the pace in which you’ll read the book, and as you begin picking up on things, you’ll notice the pages begin to fly by.

I highly recommend The Plot to those looking for another one of those Gone Girl / The Silent Patient / The Girl on the Train-type novels; a fantastic beach read that will keep you up into the wee hours of the night. Also, this REALLY makes me want to check out The Undoing on HBO (based on her novel You Should Have Known).

I have to give props to Kirby Heyborne as well for his narration. This is the first book I’ve listened to that he has narrated, but from the looks of his catalog, it most certainly won’t be my last.

Such a clever and entertaining thriller, especially for fellow authors. Lots of inside jokes, I loved the layering and how the story unfolded, then refolded back onto itself. Altogether a super-enjoyable and well-written page-turner.
#netgalley #theplot #jeanhanffkorelitz