The Plot begins slowly, however, it rewards the reader with a story that is riveting and unique. This is the story of a writer, Jake Bonner, who is desperately trying to write a follow up to his first, somewhat successful, novel. He needs to pay the bills so he takes a job teaching at an undergrad writing workshop for a small college. He is uninspired and going through the motions when he meets the egocentric Evan Parker. Evan confides to Jake about his idea for a book that immediately blows him away. He knows that this story, if written well, will be the kind of blockbuster hit that Jake has been chasing his entire life. A few years pass and the book remains unpublished. Jake is still struggling with writing anything of quality when he discovers that Evan had died not long after their meeting. So therein lies the dilemma, how can any good writer let a plot like that go to waste???? The rest of the story unravels as Jake must come to terms with his decisions and face the consequences.

This was a great story and would be a great book for book clubs and discussion. It is not your typical thriller and written in a way that keeps you guessing until the explosive ending.

Thank you netgalley for the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review

As soon as I read the description of The Plot I knew it sounded like something I would enjoy. I listened to the audio version and thoroughly enjoyed it. It started out slow, but be prepared, because once it picks up you will not want to stop listening. 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 listened to the last two hours in one sitting because I couldn’t wait to see how it all played out. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC audio version!

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. The narration added an element of suspense and intrigue.
Thank you NetGalley and McMillan Audio for my audiobook.

Audiobook Netgalley:

This book grabbed me from the beginning. I very much enjoyed this concept of a once-famous author struggling to find his next great book. He meets a young man that claims to have the PERFECT PLOT that will be a runaway bestseller. Years go by, the young man never writes the book. I will end my synopsis there for fear of giving away too much. I think a good majority of readers will be reading this book to find out just what this perfect plot is.....but this book is more than that. I love the male narrator and his timing. Thank you Netgalley for an ALC of this title. I very much enjoyed it. Such a unique book.

3.5 Until very recently I had better luck with non fiction audio books, not so much with fiction. Now though I've read a few fiction that have changed that, this being one. Thought the narrator did an excellent job and I think that helped draw me into this story. Though I didn't like it as much as some of my friends, I did enjoy the storyline, albeit the slow start. Once it took off though I enjoyed the mystery, search and the question of morality on which the story hinges. Is it okay to steal an idea for a story?

A story, within a story in which I unfortunately guessed the who in the who done it, way before it was unveiled. At that point I asked myself if I would have put the book down had I been reading instead of listening? Possibly, as I am still having and possibly judging too harshly these psychological mysteries. This though was a little different which I appreciated, but much enhanced by my listening experience.

ARC from Netgalley.

Every once in a while, a book breaks out and captures the world. Titles like The Da Vinci Code or Harry Potter are the kind of novels that become a global phenomenon, books that everyone you know is reading and talking about. The works are published in as many languages as possible and circulated around the globe. Inevitably a bidding war breaks out for the rights to create a film or television version of the story. The author goes from unknown to rich celebrity in an instant. For most authors, this is the kind of success they can only dream of. For Jacob Finch Bonner, the main character in Jean Hanff Korelitz's new novel The Plot, that fantasy is about to become reality.

When we first meet Jake, he is barely holding on to his dream of being a professional author. He's published two books, but neither of them brought him enough sales or acclaim to comfortably live off of. Heck, his third and fourth books can't even find a publisher. Instead, Jake serves on the faculty of a low-tiered MFA program, coaching potential young authors with whatever experience and wisdom he can muster. His students rarely make an impression on him, so it is unusual that he finds himself thinking of a young man from his latest class.

Evan Parker is cocky. He's the kind of guy who has all the confidence in the world and isn't afraid to show it. Jake takes an immediate dislike to him. Evan seems to think he's too good for the writing program. He even goes as far as telling Jake that he's only taking the class to pad his resume. Evan claims to have an idea for a novel that is too good to mess up. The last thing he needs is some washed-up author like Jake giving him advice. Jake has seen these kinds of students before, but Evan is different. In their one on one the first week, Evan lays out the plot of his work in progress. Jake can't believe it. Evan is right. He has an idea that will take the world by storm, a surefire hit. All Jake can do is keep living his bland life and wait for his student to become a literary star.

Years go by and Jake's life continues to diminish. The college he taught at closes, and he begins freelance editing self-published works. In an age when anybody with enough willpower and money can publish a book, the world of serious writing slips further and further away from him. He still thinks back to that day when the arrogant Evan Parker outlined his novel. Surprisingly, Jake never heard about his student becoming the runaway success that he was destined to be. On a whim, he looks Evan up. Jake is shocked to see that his student passed away shortly after completing his course. Even more alarming, it appears that Evan never got around to writing his novel, the very novel that was destined to lead him to stardom. In that instant, Jake makes a decision that will alter the course of his own life. He decides to steal Evan Parker's plot and write the hit novel himself.

Who owns an idea? Sure, copyright laws exist to protect the works and their creator, but does an idea in and of itself belong to anyone? These are the questions at the center of The Plot. Jean Hanff Korelitz is no stranger to success. Her novel You Should Have Known was recently adapted into the hit HBO series The Undoing. Here she writes of an author dealing with similar achievement while harboring the secret that his breakout work didn't begin as his own. As Jake grapples with the moral dilemma of his fame and fortune, he must also face the knowledge that someone knows his secret. Jean Hanff Korelitz does a fine job balancing the internal character conflict with the external strife that propels her thriller. I easily raced through the pages of this one, eager to see things come to a head. My only problem is that I guess the twist in the plot about a quarter of the way in. While this didn't completely take away my enjoyment of the story, it did lessen the impact of its conclusion. Still, The Plot is a twisty thrill-ride of a novel that has enough nuanced character development to keep even the most skeptical readers engaged to the very end.

The idea of plagiarism is the subject of this book. When are you crossing the line when you get an idea from another person.... who ends up dead? This book kept me listening to it and I loved the narrator. Very smooth and easy to listen to. I did not see the ending coming. Will definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Auto-Approved Audiobook of The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I was very interested in “The Plot” particularly with her previous work “You Should of Know” which was adapted into the HBO Series “The Undoing” in which my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed!
I normally do not go into the synopsis for my reviews, as I think most reviews are just a rehash of The Plot… Ha!
I enjoyed the scene setting and character introduction, but as we got into the book, I started to get a clear idea who the antagonist was. Now that is no reason to not read or listen to the book! We have all figured out who the bad guy was in thriller mysteries! That is part of the fun, and “The Plot” is still fun and interesting.
Speaking of plot, there are several references to other stories and authors. The book is sort of a homage to the art of The Story, which I almost enjoyed as much as the plot of the novel. There is a lot of “inside baseball” about writers and the publishing world which I did find fascinating. I felt it was a nice subplot and helped the overall theme of the novel.
If you enjoyed “The Undoing” on HBO, or the original novel “You Should of Known” I think you will enoy “The Plot” and its homage to writing and on its own merits as a thriller mystery!
Happy Reading and Stay Safe! Thank you!

Excuse my pun but I feel like the plot of this has been done before - Californication season 1 and 2, anyone? I really wanted to like this book but felt like it was just missing something major that I can't quite put my finger on. I did think the story moved quickly and the characters were interesting but maybe the plot just seemed so familiar that I couldn't fully enjoy it for what it was. It definitely starts as a slow burn and ramps up in drama by the end. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to and review the audiobook version of this title. Jacob Finch Bonner is an author teaching at an MFA program when he meets Evan Parker, a cocky student with a killer book idea. A few years later, Bonner discovers that Parker died not long after that semester, and so he decides to write Parker's idea into his own super successful work. As Bonner is riding the book's success, he receives an email that says, "You are a thief." For the rest of the book, Bonner attempts to discover who this person could be. It was a slow start as Korelitz sets the scene, but it paid off with a brilliant exploration of the nature of fiction, who can tell who's story, whether an idea can be stolen, and an inside look at the publishing industry. Some of my favorite passages were of Bonner's philosophizing about writing. And of course - there is a jaw-dropping twist that you will not see coming. There's also tons of name dropping of famous authors and their works throughout the book. I enjoyed this so much I plan to purchase it in print for my favorites shelf.

This is a story about a crib.

This book was an unsettling, psychological slow burn and I was on the edge of my seat by the end. I called the twist early on; however, I found that it didn't really impact by enjoyment of the story, as it was still just as uncomfortable to watch it unfold. The writing was excellent, and I enjoyed the exploration of the concept of story.. Because how does one own a story? Is it the words? The theme? The.... plot?

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .💫 /5

Thank you so much to Negalley & Macmillan Audio for this ALRC!

A book about a book? What could be better!! I really wish I had read this one rather than listened to the audio version. In the beginning it was very distracting due to the recording sounding like it was being stopped after each sentence. There’s no way to explain the plot of the story. It truly is a story within a story. It’s unique. It’s compelling in that the author truly has two stories being told at the same time. Unfortunately the beginning was a slow burn and then about a quarter of the way through the intrigue begins and then it burns slowly again. However, there’s enough questions and drama to make a reader want to continue and for that I gave the author four stars for what a unique read this was. I appreciated the advanced readers copy from Celandon and Netgalley and look forward to reading more from this author.

I don't read a lot of thrillers, and I could see where this one was going, but I really enjoyed watching the main character figure it all out.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Rating: 10/10
Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
Narrator: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Publisher: Macmillan Audio / Celadon Books

Wow, just wow! I loved The Plot so much. It’s now in my top 10 fiction books of 2021. I could not stop listening. I needed to keep peeling back the layers of this complex suspense/mystery novel. Kirby Heyborne did a fantastic job narrating this one. I don’t know how to describe it because I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll refer you to the official book synopsis.

A twisty tale that will keep you reading. The narration seemed robotic in parts, but overall a well done reading. The story itself is great.

Wow, just wow. The best book I’ve read in a long time. So well written. I listened to the audIo book and really enjoyed the narration. was hooked from the start and caught off guard by the ending. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Rule Number 1. Never never write about your life, learning or teaching, in any MFA in Creative Writing program.

This was a terribly predictable book about a MFA program and teaching and all the terrible things a novel could be.

Except this one worked. I nearly fell out of my seat a couple of times. No, I wasn't drinking. Shame on you.

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a book within a book.

"Jacob Finch Bonner is a writer who's best days are behind him. He finds himself teaching at a third rate writer's program reading terrible fiction from wannabe writers. One student, Evan Parker, shares a plot idea that Jacob knows will make him a household name. Years later Jacob finds out that Evan is dead and never wrote the book. Jacob decides to take Evan's plot and write the book. The book becomes a best seller and everything Jacob thought would happen comes true. And then he receives an email - someone knows where his story came from"

The last 20 percent of this book is the best part. You have some sense about what's really going on and Jacob is a little less whiny. The first part of the book was a lot of Jacob whining because his early books are not popular enough or someone will find out what he did. You have a good idea about a certain character and where they fit into the narrative. Korelitz does a nice job integrating Jacob's book into the story - making the reader wonder what's real and imagined. The ending was a big surprise - not the one I imagined.

The audiobook performance was a little uneven. There were times I wondered if it was a computer reader

The ending saves this one. Nice novel from Korelitz.

I'm not one to start guessing at the beginning of a mystery movie. I'm more the kind of person who likes to sit back and be entertained. Surprised. Shocked even. It's the same with mystery novels. Give me a twisty story, and let me enjoy it as it unfolds.

So, a book about a book with a killer plot? Sign me up for the wild ride!

Except it really wasn't. Jacob is a sad sack, a real nothing kind of character. He's the kind of guy I might meet somewhere, and forget the moment he was out of my sight. And as for respecting him? He was that dud, the one who does nothing to elevate himself, but keeps wondering why he's going nowhere.

And the plot? Even I knew what was happening, and I hate guessing ahead. It was annoyingly predictable from the beginning.

So yeah, a decent book, but nothing special. I wouldn't recommend running out to buy it, but if you find it at the library, it would make a decent beach read this summer.

The Plot is a book about a burnt out author, Jacob Finch Bonner, who is presented with the opportunity to “borrow” the plot of a book that is sure to be a mega hit. However, borrow looks more like steal and someone isn’t happy with the success Jake is receiving. Who is after him? You will have to read it to find out!

I truly loved the setup for this book and upon finishing it I had such mixed feelings! I think it was similar to my experience with The Maidens in that I was expecting it to be a heavily plot driven novel and instead found a simmering domestic mystery.

I can honestly say that I have never felt so conflicted. My overall enjoyment reading The Plot was pretty low as I kept waiting to be hooked. So although that sense of urgency never came, after finishing it I still felt like it was one of the most ingenious books I have ever read!

The idea for the book, where it goes, and how it all ties together is truly Einstein level stuff. This will be the rare occasion where my Scale of Surprise rating blows my overall rating out of the water!

5/5😱SOS Rating
3.5/5⭐️Overall Rating