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

This was my first book by this author and I am very impressed! I will definitely be reading more by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I found the plot to be very unique and I loved the thriller from a literary aspect.

Jake is a writer whose had a fair bit of success with his first novels, but as he ages he seems to lose his momentum. He begins teaching writing classes to young writers for a way to make an income. When Jake meets his new student, Evan, Jake instantly dislikes him. Evan is cocky and arrogant and he seems to think he has the perfect plot for the perfect novel. At first, Evan only shares a few beginning pages with Jake and while the story is good, Jake is not so sure this story is everything Evan is making it out to be. Until he hears the plot.

Years later, Jake is still struggling on his next novel, he decides to google his former student Evan and see what become of him and his novel with the plot that has haunted him all these years. Jake is surprised to find out that Evan is deceased and has never written his story.

Jake thinks the story still needs to be told and he will be the one to write it. Jake takes special care to not plagiarize Evan’s story but to simply take the plot and make it his own. He titles his new novel, Crib. Crib becomes an international bestseller and you cannot go anywhere without people talking about Crib and the fantastic twist at the end.

Jake receives an anonymous note saying they know the idea behind Crib was not his own and Jake spirals trying to find out who knows before they ruin his new reputation. The truth is darker than Jake could have ever imagined and he soon finds out, the plot may be based off a more sinister truth.

⭐️⭐️💫 2.5 stars rounded up. This book was difficult for me to get into. I felt a good portion in the beginning was dedicated to talking about writing and what goes into writing and on and on with that. Then around 30% I thought things were going to pick up and it faltered again. By the time the book started moving for me the story already fell flat and I could predict “the plot” and the outcome.
Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for this ARC copy.

THE PLOT is similar to a number of other books with similar plots: what happens when a celebrated author takes ideas from someone else. The similarities are enough that readers can be forgiven for thinking they already read this book. Until the 3/4 mark when the ending becomes obvious. Author Jean Hanff Korelitz has a good grasp of the protagonist and the perils of writing fiction. I just wish she had created a slightly off-kilter version of this book; it would have been more entertaining. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley and Caledon books for the eARC!

I flew through this. The story was compelling, the mystery was enchanting, and the writing was as lyrical as Korelitz has Jake describe Evan's writing in the beginning. I do wish the voices had been a little more distinct, however, from the story of Jake and The Plot, to the story within the story, of Jake's novel, Crib, to even the first few pages we get to read of Evan's version of the novel in the beginning. The style was incredibly similar, and if it hadn't been for the chapter titles where readers are literally TOLD these are pages from Jake's novel within the book, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

The story is as unique as any mystery/thriller I've ever read. The meta-factor definitely helped with the originality, and it was a refreshing take on the genre. Do I think the plot (the actual story that starts all the drama, not this book, The Plot) is the best thing since sliced bread; as remarkable as Jake seems to think when Evan describes it to him in his office, guaranteed bestseller and sure to be picked up by Hollywood? No. Did I see the big bad coming from about 50% in? Yes. Was the ending pretty expositional and slightly eye-roll worthy? Yes. Can I think of better way to have ended the book instead? Well, no. So.

All in all, a quick thriller that, while it didn't really keep me guessing, definitely kept me engaged, if for no other reason than I enjoyed Korelitz writing and Jake's character. I will definitely be checking out some of Jean Hanff Korelitz other books, and am grateful to have received this eARC!

I know I’ve explained this before, I like to go into books with very little information. I’ll maybe read the blurb on the back but I try my hardest to avoid reviews. This book is blowing up on bookstagram so it was hard to avoid the glowing, 5 star reviews from very reliable sources. And that is where my problem begins. My expectations were so high, this book had little chance of meeting them. It begins as a slow burn. Very slow. I was reading electronically and noted it wasn’t until 30% in that the plot begins to develop. By 75%, I had figured out the twist. I found myself skimming the unusually long sentences.

I love books about books and appreciated the peek inside the world of writing. I loved the chapters of the book written by the main character interspersed within this book. There was an interesting premise but it didn’t deliver the punch I was expecting. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it like so many others. If you’re looking for a literary mystery, I think you should give this a chance.

The Plot follows Jake Finch Bonner as he struggles to confront the person from whom he allegedly plagiarized his best-selling novel. After publishing a few novels & becoming a NYT “New & Noteworthy” author, Jake finds himself teaching in an MFA program. Jake has taught for awhile & has come to expect nothing more than third-rate work from the students of this third-rate program. Until he meets Evan. Evan is pompous, filled with hubris to spare. As part of the program, Evan submitted draft pages of a work in progress for Jake’s review—it is in these pages that Jake unexpectedly finds the plot of a truly great story. Jake expects to see Evan’s work published, but he never does. Years later, upon hearing of Evan’s death, Jake decides to adopt Evan’s plot. Following its publication, Jake becomes every bit the sensational author he imagined he’d become. However, Jake begins to receive messages from someone calling him a thief, threatening to expose what Jake’s done.

One of the central questions in this book is the ownership of a story—whether that be your life story or a story you’ve written, and whether that ownership ever ends. I liked how the Hanff Korelitz demonstrated this question by pinning two characters of differing perspectives against each other, both of which are willing to go to great lengths to protect what they believe to be is their own story.

I had a love-hate relationship with Jake throughout the book. Overall, I appreciate how he was depicted. To me he came off as a tad arrogant, but self-aware, fluctuating between cockiness and humility. Because I interpreted Jake’s character this way, I either really liked him at times or was a little irked by him. I appreciate this because Jake’s character was written in a such a way that I actually felt varying emotional reactions to the character, as I would a person.

What prevents a full five star rating for me was that I thought the book was a tad slow at times. While the pace does eventually pick up and become very compelling, for me it felt it took a while to get there. Pacing notwithstanding, I enjoyed reading the story as it was one of the more unique books I’ve read.

Of particular interest to me is the fact that there are two stories going on—the reader is following Jake’s story, but Jake’s perspective is interspersed with excerpts from his novel. At times I found myself a bit more invested in the excerpts, but at the end I was able to understand and appreciate the function of those excerpts within the context of Jake’s story.

This story really comes together at the end in a way that I wouldn’t have predicted! I don’t think I’ve read a book quite like The Plot—its thrilling and mysterious aspects are equally matched by the level of character detail and description that Hanff Korelitz includes. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a unique thriller!

I found this to be too similar to Misery to me that I DNF'd this 1/3 of the way through. I can see some people liking this, but I did not.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for an eARC of Jean Hanff Koerlitz’s latest novel, The Plot.

Unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me. The book was a slow burn but the plot was engaging enough for me to keep reading. I had my suspicions early on who was harassing Jake over the internet and I was curious to find out if I was right. I thought the ‘book within a book’ aspect was a nice addition and the plot of Crib (the book within the book) sounded like a something I would have enjoyed more than The Plot...

The Plot felt very repetitive to me and information was stated over and over again. Jake mauled over his decision to take over Evan Parker’s story throughout the whole book and it just became redundant. Maybe this was another case of the synopsis telling the reader what’s going to happen in the book, and that made the pacing feel clunky. For me, the epilogue “saved” this book. I thought it was chilling and interesting and would have loved to see more from that character’s POV throughout the book. (trying to be spoiler free lol)

Overall the writing was wordy yet engaging but that didn’t save the predictability and redundancy of The Plot for me. I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews for this one so don’t let my experience deter you from picking this one up, May 11th.

What a wild ride this book is! At first, I was skeptical. The blurb sounded great, but when I started it, I felt like it gave off a typical pretentious literary fiction vibe-- the kind that books about writers often do (hate to say it, but it's true!). However, the plot rapidly accelerated into a roller coaster that I never wanted to end. Although I may have prematurely guessed the ending, there were still lots of twists along the way, and other than that first chapter or two, I was never bored. (Looking back, I see that the slow introduction, like in a roller coaster, was for a purpose to build Jake's situation so we could later understand his motivation.) HIGHLY recommend this book.

This. Holy smokes. I loved this. This is such an impressive book and gives insight as to how far an author will go to write a perfect story. The second half of this book was a little more exciting than the first half but the entire book as a whole was incredible.

WELP. Reading THE PLOT a month after your own debut novel is released is really a wild ride lol! But not only was this a compelling read but it really did make me think a lot about the origin of stories. Putting a bestselling plot idea within your own novel is bold and Hanff Korelitz does it brilliantly.

3.5 stars out of 5 stars. I was able to read a physical copy of this interesting mystery. I struggled to connect with the writing style but enjoyed the plot twist.

I DNFed this one. All the literary references bored me and I just couldn’t get into it unfortunately. I’ve seen raving reviews so I might try again.

What an amazing thriller!
This book publishes in May and I hope it gets the buzz it deserves.
This book opened up with a real life application of a moral dilemma--who owns the rights to creative idea?
A creative writing teacher is struggling with writer's block and the pressure to deliver his next book. Normally, his student do not deliver inspiring work, but surprisingly one big-headed young writer surprises Jake with an incredible plot line,

Time goes by and Jack realized that book that sounded so promising was never written. His student died, and he never finished his book. So, Jack takes the idea and writes a best selling novel out of it.

While this is a very morally heavy subject, the story itself kept a thriller pace. I found myself listening to this story every moment I could to see what happened next.
Jake faces some serious consequences for his idea "theft." Slowly but surely, he realizes the issue isn't did he steal a plot idea, but whose true life story did he tell?
The ending was a crazy twist for me! I did not expect Jake's book THE CRIBE to be a real life tale. And the person who comes after him totally took me by surprise. Also, the ending was freak phenomenal. I was so happy to finally read a thriller where the main characters doesn't make it out of the nightmare. It makes your investment in the novel so much more real.

You have to pick this up. And when you do, please message me to discuss the ending.

“Good writers borrow. Great writers steal." - T.S. Eliot (or maybe someone he stole it from - who knows?)

Jacob Fitch Bonner has always wanted to be a writer, and he succeeded...kind of. After a successful first novel, his later works underwhelm, and he finds himself teaching. One of his students shares the idea for a "perfect plot" - the kind of book that will sell millions of copies, be an Oprah's book club pick, and end up as a Spielberg movie. When he finds out the student has died, Bonner borrows the plot for his book Crib, setting himself on a course to stardom. But someone knows his secret...and they're going to tell.

Thank you to Celadon Books for providing an ARC and Macmillan Audio for providing an ALC, both on NetGalley!

Genre: thriller
Rating: 4.5 (rounded to 5 for Goodreads)
Pub date: May 11

Wow. This is going to be a short review because I don't want to give too much away! I love dark academia and books about books, so this was right up my alley. As one would hope with a book called The Plot, this one is expertly plotted, with tension that ratchets up slowly but deliberately. The literary style at the beginning of the book perfectly matches the academic environment, and I loved seeing those words on the page. Whether you read or listen, you can't go wrong. This book is begging to be adapted into a movie or miniseries (just like the fictional Crib!) If you like a taut thriller, definitely pick this one up!

Review posted to Instagram 5/1/21 and Goodreads 5/2/21.