Wow! This is the best thriller I've read this year. These days there are so many blurbs that say "You'll never guess the astounding twist!" --Well, that sums up this book. There is an astounding twist, and I never guessed it. All the evidence was carefully scattered throughout the text, but whoops, I didn't see THAT coming. I do love being fooled, and this book is so well written that it would be enjoyable even without the twist factor. The characters are vivid and believable, there's interesting info about the publishing world, and that OMG twist is in the Gone Girl league. I plan to read other books by this author, who was new to me.

This is a new release by a successful American author. Her previous works include "The Devil and Webster", "You Should Have Known" and " Admission", the latter two which were adapted for film. This new one is a psychological thriller. We meet Jacob who was considered a promising novelist after the release of his first book, but unfortunately he has not been able to live up to that promise. While teaching creative writing at a small college a student, Evan Parker, reveals the plot idea he has for a book. When he later discovers that Evan had died a few months later, Jacob writes his own book using Evan's idea and becomes a huge success. He also gets an email charging him with being a thief and that is only the beginning of a campaign against him. As Jake investigates he begins to realize the truth behind Evan's plot line. This is great recommendation for fans of the genre and anyone interested in the writing process.

Excellent read! Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ebook. I loved that this was a literary title while still being really accessible. Will definitely recommend and purchase for my library.

I want to begin this review with a thank you to all of the other reviewers that came before me that warned of the slow start. It took me about 60 pages in before I felt any connection to this story. I might have put this aside if I hadn't gotten that warning and that would have been a shame because this was really well done.

Who owns the plot to a story? That's the question we ponder through out.

Jacob Finch Bonner meets an aspiring writer - albeit an arrogant aspiring writer - at an MFA program he's teaching. Said writer, Evan Parker / Parker Evan, claims he has a plot like no other. One that is sure to skyrocket him to fame in the literary world. He holds the details close to his chest but lets Jacob see a small snippet. Just a few pages, really, and Jacob is gobsmacked that this idiot actually has something here. Something that could be HUGE.

Fast forward four years and Jacob is riding high on the success of his latest novel, Crib. That is until he starts receiving threatening messages accusing him of plagiarism and theft of plot.

After the slow start this turned into a heck of a fun ride. I have to admit that I did figure out the *who* early on which normally would have annoyed me but not the case here. The writing was so addictive that I didn't even care that I figured it out. To watch all the pieces come together in the end was so incredibly clever and satisfying. I am not at all surprised to see this book getting the attention that it's getting. 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and BookishFirst for my copy.

This book had all the making of a great thriller, however it was pretty lackluster is my opinion.

Jacob Finch Bonner was an up-and-coming author who just never panned. While teaching he comes across a student with the makings of a great book. When the student dies, he takes the story and publishes it as his own. All of the sudden Jake is thrown into the world of success, but someone out there knows the truth.

A lot of this book felt literary more than a thriller, and at times I was just not jiving with the story. The thing that redeems this book is the twist. It was so shocking you would never see it coming at all. I am sure this will be a hit this summer.

One note , I had an advanced copy of the audiobook and the e-book, and by far the ebook wins. Narration did absolutely for this story, and this might have been the reason, I was not digging it until I made the switch to the ebook.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a GOOD ONE. I have highly recommended this to my friends. Such a unique story line! 5 out of 5 stars for me.

Is is plagiarism if an author uses an idea for a plot of a book which was never written? That's the charge coming down on Jacob Finch Bonner- Jake- now that his book "Crib" has become a super best seller. He'd struggle for years after his first novel, gradually sliding down the pole til the day he learned that Evan Parker, a student in a writing seminar he taught at Ripley College had died. Parker had been convinced that he had the plot of all plots- the book that would conquer the world. And what was that plot? Well, no spoilers from me as bit of "Crib" are interspersed with the narrative. Jake's life is just starting to come together- he's met and married Anna- when the emails accusing him start. His quest for the truth, well, it gets wild. Korelitz is a brave writer to take on the various themes- she skewers writers, publishing, academia, and so on- and she does it with style. This is a compulsively readable thriller and if it's a little confusing near the end, that's what she meant it to be because all will be clear. Jake's a great character as is Anna. Thanks to Netgalley for the AEC. Two thumbs up.

Highly enjoyable, but also highly predictable. I figured out the twists long before any of them were revealed & got really mad at the main character for not figuring things out earlier himself. All-in-all I wish it was a lot meatier & had more to it. I got to the end and asked myself “is this it?”.

This slow-burn mystery took me a little bit to get into but by the end I was completely hooked. I loved following Jake "Finch" Bonner through his career as a writer. Once we started learning the story of the Parker family I was eager to find out more. I loved getting little samples of the book Jake wrote inside this book and I was completely surprised to find out what actually happened with the Parker family. I would definitely recommend this book.

How much do you like to know about a book before you pick it up? Are you someone who reads the back of the book carefully or do you dive in with a vague “friend recommended it” to pick it up and let the story unfold?

When reviewing a book called The Plot - I find myself struggling with just how much to give away. I went in without much info and loved letting it pull me in. I knew it had something to do with a struggling author and possibly a stolen plot.

This would make perfect poolside or beach reading - so if you’re looking for what to throw in your bag this year, I definitely recommend The Plot! I listened to the audiobook which was also excellent - a story that can make even the most annoying chores pass quickly.

Thank you to Celadon, Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the advance reading and listening copies.

3.5 stars rounded up

THE PLOT follows Jake, a once "new and notable" writer whose career flatlined after his second book didn't live up to the promise of his first. While Jake is teaching at a low residency MFA program, an obnoxious student tells him his idea for a book with a genius plot. A few years later, when Jake hears the student has died, he writes the book himself, only to find that his ex-student was hiding dangerous secrets.

The first 30% of THE PLOT was very hard to get through - a lot of woe-is-me from the main character, which I struggle with, especially when the MC is a white man. I think we're supposed to feel annoyed with him, but still. It was a lot. But once we got into this book, I really liked it! I knew what was going to happen after about 60% of the way in, but that didn't impact my enjoyment of watching it play out.

I recommend this for people who liked The Silent Patient, and maybe recommend against it for anyone who wants to be an author, because I think it would be super discouraging!

The premise of this thriller was too good to pass up, which is funny because it’s about a book with an unbeatable premise. The Plot follows Jacob Finch Bonner, an author who’s failed to live up to the promise of his first book and is not teaching creative writing at a middling MFA program. One session, a terribly pompous student tells him about his perfect plot—a surefire best seller. When Jake discovers years later that his former student has passed away without writing his book, Jake decides to write his own version of that incredible plot. He’s riding high on the success from that book when he gets a message suggesting someone knows where the plot came from. I thought this book was fine. I certainly couldn’t put it down, but it was eye-rolly at times and very predictable. Still, I always love a metafictional story and it was fun to read a thriller about a thriller.

Jacob Finch Bonner had fallen on hard times. His first book was a moderate success, but book two was a flop and books three and four can’t even get published. He’s been reduced to teaching at a third rate MFA writing program. There, he encounters Evan Parker, the most obnoxious person anyone could have as a student. Evan is convinced he’s got the next best seller, on a par with Gone, Girl. When he dies later, never having published his supposed masterpiece, Jake steals the idea. And sure enough, the book is a colossal success. Then, the emails from Talented Tom start coming, accusing him of being a thief and a fraud.
The theme of the book is who owns a story. This idea has been tackled before, even Mark Twain said there’s no such thing as an original idea. I liked that the book paints a very ambiguous story. This wasn’t a case of out and out plagiarism. Jake ties himself in knots explaining his own actions to himself.
The book starts off slow and takes a while to really get going. The chapters interlace Jake’s life with chapters from his best seller. It would never be called fast paced. But there’s a nice underlying tension throughout and I was really curious to see how both stories would play out. I had a pretty good idea early on who Talented Tom but it didn’t dampen my enjoyment to be proven right.
My thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advance copy of this book.

The premise had me hooked from the beginning – An author, Jacob Finch Bonner, who has been struggling to repeat his early success steals a “perfect, can’t-fail” plot from one of his former low-residency MFA students when he learns the student has died without getting his story published. Two years later, after Bonner has written, published, and toured with the book and is confident he has gotten away with it, he gets an anonymous email accusing him of theft. Korelitz has woven a story within a story as we get to read snippets from Bonner’s best-selling book alongside her story’s narrative. This structure kept me turning the pages to find out how the accuser was related to the book as the tension continued to slowly rise.

In addition to the premise, the structure, and the slowly-building tension between the accuser and the accused, there are glimpses into the writing process, the author/publisher relationship, as well as a lot of thematic food for thought. For example, who owns a story? At what point is a borrowed idea considered stolen or plagiarized? How many assumptions are made about an author’s life and/or their connection to, or inspiration for, the stories they write? Who is responsible for the way the story of one’s life gets written?

My biggest criticism was with the ending. I had guessed the villain early on so the ending didn’t seem plausible with the limited information we were given about the villain’s backstory. That said, the ending did not prevent me from enjoying the journey, and it would make for a great group discussion.

Other titles that would pair well with this one would be Caroline Zancan’s We Wish You Luck – especially if you want to read more fiction set in a MFA low-residency program. Or, if you enjoyed the plot point of a book within a book, Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders.

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a compulsively readable literary thriller. After several unfruitful attempts at launching his writing careers, MFA teacher Jacob Bonner borrows a plot from one of his deceased former students who predicted his plot idea to be a bestseller. Years later, after shooting to the top of bestseller lists, Bonner receives a threat from an anonymous person alone, claiming they know he stole the story. I tore through The Plot in an afternoon, greatly enjoying the setting of the writing world and academia prominent in the first section of the book. I’m not a thriller reader, so I found that I liked the book right up until the concluding twist. The Plot is a gripping new release perfect for readers of Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian and A. S. Byatt.

I thought this was a great book! It was very different from anything else i've ever read. A cool concept to look into! I enjoyed the style or writing and felt like this one was fast paced and well written overall. I would recommend this to any friends or colleagues for a different interesting read. Overall bravo with this one! I liked it a lot!

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for this ARC copy.
This book is the very definition of slow burn. The first half is a true test of patience as Ms. Hanff Korelitz lays the plot foundation slowly and deliberately, sometimes too slowly. All of that world building, however, really pays off in the back half.
My reasons for enjoying this become difficult without treading into spoiler territory. I will say that the novel-within-a-novel concept is so compelling and is executed perfectly. While the “twist” might not be as cleverly hidden as I would’ve liked, it’s a good one and the denouement is a real knock out.
What felt like a 2 1/2 star read quickly becomes a strong 4 star thriller that I heartily recommend.

This should sell well. There are hundreds of helpful reviews out there already. So I'll simply recommend this to thriller fans.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

A book about writing a book with an undeniable plot. How very meta. The premise of the book is intriguing, and the idea of "stealing" a story from another person who is unable to complete it is ethically murky and very tempting. We get to hear the story of Jake coming across this amazing plot, taking it as his own when the owner dies an untimely death and potentially getting found out. We also get to read excerpts from the book he writes, being able to judge for ourselves whether it deserves the approbation it receives.

The way the author describes how a "spark" chooses a writer, the responsibility of the writer to carry it to fruition, and how that story may choose another writer in order to be told if need be, is the exact same way Elizabeth Gilbert described the inspiration process in Big Magic. In Big Magic, this idea transferred from one person to another subconsciously, while Jake obtained the plot of his story more directly.

The pacing of the book was clever, as we discover the plot of the book at the same time we learn about the potential person behind the threatening messages. I also enjoyed reading about Athens, GA and UGA, as that is where I spent 10 years of my childhood. The ending was a little predictable but still packed a punch. Very enjoyable read overall.

I had a hard time sticking with this one. The plot takes on a story that is pretty predictable and it felt like I’ve read very similar book like it in the past. The writing was top notch but just couldn’t keep myself invested.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc