Thank you so much to @parkrowbooks and @thoughtsfromapage podcast for access to an eARC of The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor. I read this through Cindy at Thoughts from a Page Podcast patreon group! And while I missed the author zoom (because I was driving my tween somewhere. That is always the case, lol!)I did SO enjoy reading this. In fact, I read this in one day and now today I can celebrate the publication day! Yay!

Author Olivia Fitzgerald’s most recent novel (a retelling of Daphne du Murier’s Rebecca) was a total flop and the rest of her life isn’t going that well either: she’s struggling with a bad case of writers’ block and her boyfriend of many years just broke up with her. So when her agent calls with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia doesn’t hesitate to sign the NDA. And the job sounds straightforward–interview Henry “Ash” Asherwood, a sexy reclusive mega billionaire, and write a book that reveals a secret about his late grandmother and Daphne du Maurier.

The deeper Olivia gets into this project, though, the less straightforward anything is. In fact, isolated at Ash’s Malibu estate, Olivia uncovers mystery after mystery and can’t seem to determine fact from fiction. Who should she trust? What are everyone’s true motives?

Oooo, this is a fun mystery/thriller that had me totally creeped out and frantically turning pages. I was right along with Olivia, never sure who to trust but I was suspicious of everyone. This is a fast read with so many twists and turns. The Malibu setting is both gorgeous and described in a way that also added to the creep factor. I thoroughly enjoyed this ride!

The synopsis itself was intriguing enough that I wanted to pick this one up, though I feel like I need to read Rebecca at some point because I'm sure there were tons of call backs to the original work that I would have seen had I read it. I did feel that the pacing itself on this story was a little slower than I like, I can appreciate a well crafted slow build, but this was a little too slow to keep me constantly engaged. It didn't make me want to stop reading because I certainly wanted to know what happened, but I did find myself putting it down a few times. Still there were a number of things that kept me guessing and overall it was a well fleshed out story.

At first, I was a bit confused by this novel’s structure. The Fiction Writer includes snippets placed throughout the story written from a mysterious character’s point of view. But it’s not the protagonist Olivia, who initially seems quite naïve. Almost desperate for male attention. Even after she meets Ash and he is decidedly creepy and untrustworthy, she is still compelled to take the write-for-hire job he’s offering. So much of what he shared with her in terms of backstory details seemed implausible. However, I don't recall reading the classic novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Maybe that would have been more helpful in understanding the similarities between the fiction writer and that novel.
Anyway, I'm glad I stuck with it because the pace really picked up in the second half of the novel. Olivia transformed as a character in a good way into someone who wasn't quite so foolish and careless. The plot gets really interesting and I started to lean into the unreliable narrator aspect much more than I thought I would. The more details that Olivia uncovers about Ash and the secrets he may or may not be hiding, the more invested I became in getting to the resolution.
There’s a nod to the publishing industry within the story, revolving around the ongoing debate about whether there are original stories created, or if we’re all just retelling the same ideas with fresh voices and clever twists. Of course, there's a nod to the struggle about how hard it is to be a successful writer, including picking up the proverbial pieces when sales slump or involuntarily parting ways with a literary agent. For those who like books that delve into the behind-the-scenes details regarding the industry, I think you’ll especially like the way the author subtly weaves that subplot into her overall story. By the way, don’t miss her note at the end which offers an intriguing explanation about why she wrote The Fiction Writer.
In the end, the novel concludes in a satisfying fashion. I’m always fond of the second-chance romance trope because it softens the edges of the rather cagey secondary characters and makes for a hopeful read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions shared here are my own.

THE FICTION WRITER is a brilliant novel. The pacing of the story was perfectly executed and it kept turning the pages late into the night. It's one the best books I've read this year and I can't wait to recommend it to my customers at Barnes & Noble.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book. reviews) very soon.

As the old gothic novel "Rebecca" is a personal favorite of mine, I just had to request "the Fiction Writer", which is set in Malibu, a place I also know fairly well. The MC titular writer Oliva (who's "Rebecca" retelling flopped) gets a lot more than she bargained for with a ghost-writing gig - is there an actual ghost in the mansion up on the hill?? And what's up with the rich client's family history?? I found it very immersive & engaging and enjoyed the twists. Recommend to Du Maurier fans & thriller lovers both. My sincere thanks to the publisher & Net Galley for the complimentary DRC, it was my pleasure to review it.

Olivia is in need of some money. Her second novel was a complete flop and she is not making much progress on her next project. So, when a different type of writing job is offered to her, she jumps at it. All she has to do is interview a reclusive mega billionaire, Henry Asherwood. But, the more she investigates the more mysterious he becomes and she ends up in her own perilous situation. So many secrets!!!

This story started out pretty strong. Then it slowed down a good bit. I kept expecting it to pick up. It did, it was just too close to the end. I wanted more to happen in the middle. That being said, I did enjoy the setting of the California coast. And lord have mercy…Ash is a weird character. He would be someone that would set off alarm bells to any woman!

Need a twisted tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Author Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck. Her most recent novel - a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca—was a flop, her boyfriend of nine years just dumped her and no one is interested in publishing the book she has been working on for the past year. So when her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia is all too willing to sign the NDA. At first, the write-for-hire job seems too good to be true. All she has to do is interview Henry “Ash” Asherwood, a reclusive mega billionaire, twice named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, who wants her help in writing a book that reveals a shocking secret about a link between his late grandmother and Daphne du Maurier. But when Olivia arrives at his Malibu estate, nothing is as it seems. The more Olivia digs into his grandmother’s past, the more questions she has—and before she knows it, she’s trapped in a gothic mystery of her own.

I am of two minds about this book. The first half or more seemed to kind of plod along slowly, but then the last part of the book really picked up the pace and became exciting. If I were to base my score on the first half I would have to only give it a 3, but once the action started and there were twists involved, that knocked it up to a 4.

The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor is a recommended Gothic mystery set in California.

Olivia Fitzgerald's last book, Becky, based on Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca, was an adjunct failure so she is surprised when her agent calls to tell her that reclusive, handsome, mega-billionaire Henry (Ash) Asherwood wants to hire her for a writing job. The money is good so she flies to Malibu to meet with him and learn the details before signing an NDA. Ash claims that du Maurier actually stole his late grandmother's story. He has read her diary which was written in French before Rebecca was published and he wants Olivia to tell her story. Then it all gets rather dicey because he's not seriously discussing business or having his people get down to business. Olivia "finds herself drawn into a tangled web of obsession, marital secrets, and stolen manuscripts."

Where this succeeds is as a Gothic mystery, based on Rebecca. Metatextuality is clearly on display when, interspersed between Olivia's chapters about her trip, are excerpts from a book titled The Wife, which seems to be another retelling of Rebecca. It all seems a bit too much, even if you appreciate the idea Cantor is pursuing.

This plot is very slow moving and requires all manner of suspension of disbelief almost immediately, especially since a compelling reason to keep reading past the thirty percent mark is missing. Even if you need the money, most people would suspect something odd right away and make Ash discuss business, not his cooking abilities. Olivia is there to do a job and she needs the information to do so. Once it becomes clear that the handsome rich guy is not providing the information, then it is time to go home and wait for him to get the papers in order, not hang around and drink too much.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Park Row Books via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

I’ve never actually read Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, but for some reason I seemed to be very attracted to retellings of it. The Fiction Writer isn’t a straight forward retelling, but instead something much more. Cantor has taken the idea of a retelling and focused on a writer who has done just that.

Our main character Olivia, who has written a very unsuccessful retelling, is thrust into a situation where she is desperate for money and that desperation fuels what lengths she is willing to put herself through for work. I loved the portrayal of Olivia, as the reader gets to watch her self-reflect throughout and truly grow as a stronger character. In addition to Olivia, there is an interesting cast of secondary characters who largely all give off suspicious vibes in one way or another. It was so fun trying to decide who to trust and uncover each of their secrets.

In addition to a solid cast of characters, Cantor smartly includes passages from a book. Who wrote the book? You have to keep reading to find out! These excerpts enhance and build on the Rebecca nods throughout The Fiction Writer.

If you’re looking for a fun and entertaining popcorn thriller that you can easily binge, this is it!

A huge thank you to HTP Books for my gifted copy!

Olivia is in a writer’s slump. Her last novel didn’t do well so when she’s offered the chance to ghost write a book , she jumps at the chance.
Ash has been voted People’s Most Sexiest Man Alive twice. He wants Olivia’s help writing a book about his Grandmother and Daphne du Maurier.
There’s lots of secrets in this book. It will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what is truth or lies.

I can't make up my mind about The Fiction Writer. The mystery and gothic atmosphere were wonderfully done. If Cantor was going for a Rebecca-esque tone, she nailed it. There were twists and turns to the story that kept me guessing, right up to the end.

On the other hand, even though the mystery caught my attention, the motivation behind the mystery was weak. The entire story spins on Olivia being in Malibu to work as a ghostwriter for a mysterious billionaire with an ever-present dead wife (a la Rebecca) who claims his grandmother was the original writer of Rebecca and plagiarized by Daphne DuMaurier. It's all very meta and interspersed with snippets from a book by a mystery author entitled "The Wife" which is also very Rebecca-esque. Why is Ash Asherwood interested in hiring Olivia for his grandmother's story? Why is he being evasive when she asks questions? Is he seducing her or distracting her? Why are all the weird things happening?

When I finally found out the answers my reaction was a big old "meh".

Part of the problem was the main character, Olivia. I didn't like her. Cantor tries to explain her attraction to Ash by pointing out her weakness for handsome jerks, but that doesn't explain why a supposed intelligent woman would ignore a million red flags and stay with a man. As for Ash, he too felt underdeveloped. Other than being told he was "the Sexiest Man Alive" multiple times, I failed to see his charisma.

I will add that it doesn't help that this book reminded me a lot of Verity by Colleen Hoover. (Although Cantor's writing is far superior.)

Cantor is a good writer. Like I said, she nailed the gothic feel and tone. Many people have told me that Cantor's Beautiful Little Fools is brilliant, so I'll give that book a try. In the meantime, I would give this book 3 stars for keeping me guessing and two stars for character development.

Jillian Cantor’s writing style drew me into this story. It was a fun read for a REBECCA fan, like me. Olivia Fitzgerald is sought out to ghost write a book claiming that Daphne du Maurier stole the plot from the Asherwood matriarch. But something doesn’t add up about this claim. Only the reader knows that someone has written a book similar to REBECCA, but who is it? I had to keep turning pages to find out. The Fiction Writer offers just the right degree of spookiness to recreate the feeling of the suspenseful classic.

(I have posted reviews on Goodreads and B&N and will soon be posting on Amazon. Thank you for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel!)

I've been meaning to try this author for quite some time now... I was going to pick up one of her historical fiction titles first, but then I came across her newest book The Fiction Writer and I decided to change my plans. Then again, I can never resist a story with a bookish angle... Add the promise of a gothic mystery and a connection to the classic Rebecca, and I HAD to read it straight away. And what a successful first introduction it turned out to be! I absolutely loved my time with The Fiction Writer and the parallels to the original classic definitely took the story to the next level.

I'm going to keep this review short because The Fiction Writer is one of those stories where it is best to go in blind for the plot to have its maximum impact. What I can say that if you have read the classic Rebecca, you will definitely spot the many parallels and references along the way. I myself finally read the classic earlier this year, and it really made me appreciate the way this story was woven together even more. I wouldn't say that it's absolutely necessary to read the original before tackling this story, but it will most likely enhance your reading experience if you do.

The story is mainly told through the eyes of Olivia Fitzgerald, who has been struggling with her writing career as well as her personal life. I can't deny that I had mixed feelings about this character and she could get rather frustrating at times, but she did play her role very well. Did I want to yell at her for ignoring all those obvious hints along the way? Most definitely. But I guess that is partly what her character is all about. The twists and turns are very well done though, and the gothic feel is most definitely present. I could have done without the love triangle vibe and cheating, but I guess that is partly the parallels being at play again.

The writing style itself is extremely engaging, and it was very easy to keep flying through the pages. The short extracts of the The Wife manuscript did slow down the pace a little, but once you understand the importance of those pages it becomes easier to appreciate them for what they add to the plot. I'm not sure if the ending was completely satisfying though, but that might just have been me... Either way, I've become an instant fan of Jillian Cantor's writing and I will be looking forward to dive into her backlist next.

The Fiction Writer is clever and creative.

Olivia is a down on her luck writer who is contracted by Ash to tell his grandma's story. He insists that the book, Rebecca, was stolen from his grandma.

Told in present day, with flashbacks to the past via Ash's grandma's journal entries, it was a slow unraveling of the story that kept me interested all the way through.

Rebecca is one of the many classics I have never read, but of course I'm familiar with the story and have read more than one reimagining.

I thought this was an interesting spin on the classic tale. I was glued to the pages, enjoyed the story, liked the MCs, and couldn't wait to see how it all came together.

Olivia is a writer of fiction, She has had one novel that was a bestseller, a second novel that failed around the same time her long-term relationship ended as well. She needs to get writing but she needs money for living expenses more so, when her agent calls with a too-good-to-be-true ghostwriting job, she jumps at the chance.

Olivia travels to Malibu, CA to meet her new employer, a wealthy and famous individual. He claims that the novel "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier is based on the real-life story of his grandmother, whose story was stolen and published by Du Maurier. He wants Olivia to write about the plagiarism and ensure that his grandmother's story is not forgotten.

I adore the novel "Rebecca" and was immediately drawn to this story's premise. The beginning is a bit slow, but once Olivia arrives on the west coast, meets her employer, and begins investigating, the story becomes a real page-turner. As a reader, you are kept guessing about who is telling the truth and who is lying. The ending is fantastic! This is a book that I will be thinking about for a long time. I highly recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers, Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca," and anyone who enjoys a good mystery about a fiction author.

Thank you to Jillian Cantor, NetGalley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Please see the link for my Goodreads review. Overall I really enjoyed this Gothic vibes suspense book. A few plot lines had me confused at times but not enough to take me out of the story.

Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is my favorite classic gothic novel so I was so excited to read this book!
Olivia Fitzgerald’s most recent novel which is a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca was poorly received, and she’s struggling to write her next novel, it doesn’t help her long term boyfriend has dumped her and moved out. So when her agent calls her with and offer for high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia willingly signs the NDA without a second thought.
We meet Henry “Ash” Asherwood, whose twice been named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, and he’s requesting Olivia’s help in writing a book that going to reveal a shocking secret about his late grandmother Emilia and Daphne du Maurier. He is claims that “Rebecca” was his grandmother’s life story, and daphne plagiarized her story.
His proof are his grandmother’s journals but they are written in French and need to be authenticated.
When Olivia arrives in L.A. to meet and interview him, the ghostwriting turns into a wine and dine experience between the two of them at Ash's Malibu estate overlooking the beautiful Pacific. Long hikes and Olivia begins to wonder what’s going on and why is she really here? Ash himself, seems almost too good to be true. But when she starts to dig into Emilia’s past, what she uncovers has her questioning everything . More questions seem to rise to the surface. What is the real truth that she’s being paid to write about? And now that Olivia’s in both Ash’s world and Emilia’s story, will she ever get out? This was a very clever plot line and I devoured it. So many secrets hidden in a mansion full of glass windows!

The Fiction Writer's premise interested me more than the story itself. Olivia, a ghostwriter, is commissioned to write a biography of a tech billionaire's family history. The billionaire claims that the inspiration for the famous novel, Rebecca, was none other than his grandmother. But Olivia finds out there's a lot more to his story, and she might be in over her head.

Jillian Cantor has a great writing style, but the overall story was so convoluted, and ultimately, the big ending was a bit of a letdown. Usually, I love a good mystery, but this one fell flat as far as I'm concerned.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were relatable and the situations while dramatic didn't seem too far out of reach for scorned and mentally ill people to do. The main character stayed true to her morals and convictions even though her life would have been more smooth had she gone along with the offered situation, which I appreciated. It was nice to see a character go against the norm and come out on the other side with her sense of self intact.

The book within the book was great and definitely had me going down a rabbit hold wondering who was the narrator and how did the relate to the current characters. The twist was delightful as well!

The Fiction Writer follows a woman named Olivia, a once successful but now struggling writer. She wrote a retelling of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier that was disliked by both critics and readers. So she’s shocked when out of the blue a famous billionaire named Henry contacts her with an opportunity for her to ghostwrite a book for them. Henry claims that Daphne du Maurier stole the story of his grandmother’s life to write Rebecca. He’s chosen to hire Olivia because he loved her book and sees her as an expert on Rebecca. Obviously Henry’s claim is massive, and when Olivia flies to Malibu to research his story she finds herself embroiled in countless mysteries surrounding Daphne du Maurier, Henry’s grandmother, and Henry’s deceased wife, Angelica.

Isn’t this a fascinating premise? I knew the second I saw it that I had to request an advance copy. I just needed to see where this idea would lead. I really love the premise and the individual mysteries scattered throughout this book that Olivia needed to solve to unravel the truth. I think this story had a perfect number of small mysteries to solve and a few nice red herrings. I also like that this was a quick read.

But to be clear, I enjoyed this book but only a little. Most of my enjoyment just came from the fact that the author had an excellent idea when creating this premise. But aside from that there wasn’t anything special about The Fiction Writer. The writing was just fine. The characters were just fine. Only about two of them had personalities, so I wasn’t really invested in these characters. Although I was interested in the way the mysteries were woven together to create the full story none of the solutions and reveals were very unique. The final twist, revealed in the epilogue wasn’t exciting. It was pretty basic.

Outside of the premise and mysteries The Fiction Writer felt… hollow. There wasn’t much to it. I enjoyed it for what it was, but, well there wasn’t much there to enjoy. I’m not going to discourage you from reading this. Like I’ve said I did like it. But I know that if you’re like most book lovers you already have a never ending TBR. If that applies to you I really don’t think you need The Fiction Writer to take up space on that TBR.