I really enjoyed this book. It's not particularly fast paced but something about it really appealed to me. It's a modern Gothic retelling of Rebecca. I read this book really fast and I was invested the entire time. It's about a writer (obviously lol) which I always enjoy. I will say though that I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I was expecting it to go off the rails a bit and have a crazy climax after all the buildup but it just kind of petered out. Plus, the real reason for getting the main character to the mansion was a bit of a stretch. There should have been a stronger reason than that, in my opinion. Also, if you have not already read Rebecca, this story will spoil a few things so be sure to skip the paragraphs where it talks about that classic or wait until after you have read Rebecca to read this one.

Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca. I don't know how I would have reacted to this novel that features Rebecca in so many guises if I hadn't read the original but as a fan of that one - this is not Rebecca. Olivia, a writer whose most recent novel, a retelling of Rebecca, takes a job with Ash a famous actor who claims that Rebecca is based on the story of his grandmother. She's meant to be working at his Malibu home but what she does is drink- a lot- and make unwise decisions. This is so meta that it becomes a tangled web that will either keep you reading or closing it out of frustration. Not a fan of Ash (nor is any reader meant to be) and the narrator, well....Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Meh for me but others might enjoy this modern Gothic take on a classic.

The more I read, the less I liked it:
✔️Frustrating plot
✔️Red flags everywhere
✔️Clueless FMC
✔️Creep MMC
✔️Drags on and goes in circles

Being a huge fan of both Rebecca and of Jillian Cantor, I was so excited to get an arc of this book. This is a complicated story with layers of secrets, deceptions, lies and deceit that propels the reader through the pages. In the style of the classic gothic mystery, Rebecca by Daphne, Du Maurer, Cantor writes a modern retelling that I found intriguing.

Oh. My. God. Sitting here, trying to wrap my thoughts around how utterly flawless The Fiction Writer was, my mind is well and truly spinning. From its riveting musings about ownership in storytelling to the epic plot and dynamite characters, the entire book was as nigh on close to perfection as one could get. Curious about what I mean? Read on for all of the glorious details…

I have to start with the plot, of course. Taking Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and reworking it, Cantor used it as the background to a premise that totally rocked my world. Told via dual POVs and timelines through a book within a book construct, I was never quite sure what to hang my hat on and what was about to be pulled out from under my feet. So, of course, I wasn’t exactly surprised when I came across the ultimate twist. I won’t tell you which plot line I found it in, but I will say that it was jaw-dropping and shock-inducing in the extreme.

Then there were the characters. While not necessarily genuine or true-to-life, they were compelling in a way that made me putty in their hands. The relationships, on the other hand, felt decidedly real. And with personas that ran the gamut from sympathetic to despised, there was a bit of everything in these pages that just kept me coming back for more. Even, surprisingly enough, a little bit of romance, which left me with a smile on my face to be sure.

I can’t forget the feel of the book either. Just like the renowned novel, the setting was filled with gothic atmosphere that simply resonated off of the page. After all, the elements were all plain as day—a creepy portrait that seemed to be watching, an isolated house (albeit a modern monstrosity), and a disapproving housekeeper. Taken all together, I was just waiting for a ghost in the wings.

At the end of the day, this clever, multi-layered plot was both fast-paced and downright addictive. And while I knew it going in, this triumph of retelling was one mystery that I couldn’t, for the life of me, see through. I mean, packed full of underhanded lies, devilish motivations, and just a bit of spice, it was simply a resounding success. So please, run—don’t walk—to pre-order this puppy today. Rating of 5+ stars.

I have long been a fan of Jillian Cantor and have devoured her historical fiction religiously, but when she announced she'd be writing more of a gothic mystery this year, I was over the moon excited. Featuring a widowed billionaire who has a strange connection to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, he invites down on her luck Olivia to ghost write a book for him. Now, this wouldn't be a mystery if all was fine and dandy, so you're definitely going to want to find out what ensues when this releases November 28!

The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor features Olivia, an author who accepts a seems-too-good-to-be-true ghostwriting job as her life is in freefall.

When Olivia meets rich, handsome, and recently widowed Henry "Ash" Asherwood at his mansion on a Malibu cliff, she's intrigued by the possibility of helping him write a book that reveals his grandmother's connection to Daphne du Maurier and her novel Rebecca. But as she attempts to conduct research for the book, whether interviewing Ash or using outside sources, she hits roadblock after roadblock. Then strange things start to happen, Olivia begins to doubt herself, and she connects with an old friend to sort it all out.

I was never sure which characters I could trust and that kept me turning the pages, even thought the middle dragged a bit. I've never read Rebecca, and it and its author play a large role in this story so I likely missed some of the "insider" plot points. It was interesting to learn about the claims of plagiarism connected to the classic novel. I also enjoyed the behind-the-scenes view of an author's relationship with her agent and other aspects of her career.

If you like clear and tidy endings, this isn't the book for you; I liked that I had some unanswered questions, and I was relieved that the ending didn't include one additional twist I feared it would.

Thank you to Park Row Books and NetGalley for the egalley and to the Thoughts From a Page Patreon group for the opportunity to talk with the author in late October 2023.

Title: The Fiction Writer
Author: Jillian Cantor
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This book was a little too meta for me. A re-telling of Rebecca about the initial telling of Rebecca—with questions about who told Rebecca first—and an extra helping of Rebecca thrown in for good measure. It just ended up being confusing. It was a quick read, so I kept reading, but Olivia wasn’t the brightest light, continually putting herself in chancy situations and letting people use and abuse her. So, an interesting concept, but in the end, not a good fit for me.

Jillian Cantor is a bestselling author. The Fiction Writer is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)

I was so intrigued by the idea of a Rebecca retelling, but sadly this one fell pretty flat for me. it started out strong enough but quickly fizzled out with a boring, dragging storyline and characters i really didn’t care about.

A suspenseful and action packed Gothic thriller! Everything you think you know is wrong in the most delightful way. Intrigue, passion, secrets and lies make this a story that you won't be able to put down until the very last page.

From my blog: Always With a Book

Thank you HTP Books #partner, for the advanced e-copy of The Fiction Writer in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third book I’ve read by Jillian Cantor and I just love her writing style. I was thrilled that this was also an early reads selection for the @thoughtsfromapage patreon group and I loved our group chat as well as being able to hear from the author.

Rebecca is one of my favorite classics and as soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. I loved the way Jillian Cantor used that book to create her own story, her own version of a retelling of Rebecca, including pulling bits of Daphne du Maurier’s own life into the story. I also loved the book within a book construct – that is always one of my favorite ways to tell a story and it works so well here to keep the mystery and tension building throughout the book.

Besides the mystery that is woven throughout the book, I loved the themes that Cantor brought up within this book – the idea of plagiarism in novels and who has the right to tell a story. It definitely provides some food for thought for sure and this is something we as a book club discussed and then we were able to hear the author’s point of view on, which was pretty neat.

I very much enjoyed this one and it left me wanting to revisit Rebecca and find all the other books that have been based on or inspired by it.

Authors and publishers are always an interesting read for me. The relationship between the main character, Olivia and her publisher was interesting. However, the relationship between Olivia and the multimillionaire was fraught with many twists and turns. Although I was not terribly familiar with the story, Rebecca, there were enough bread crumbs to follow along. Olivia has a lot of back story which is woven in.

The Fiction Writer, the latest novel by Jillian Cantor, will be published on November 28, 2023. Park Row, an imprint of Harlequin Trade Publishing, provided an early galley for review.

The cover and the title were initially what grabbed my attention. As someone who moderates our library's writing group, stories with protagonists who are writers can be a real draw. Admittedly, I've never read du Maurier's 1938 novel Rebecca so some of the references and parallels might be lost on me. Still, Cantor does a good job filling the novice reader on important details.

The character of Olivia was immediately recognizable as she exhibits traits I've seen over the years in other writers (myself included). As someone who reads book reviews as part of my librarian job, the references that Olivia makes regarding the publishing industry rang very true as well.

The story quickly spiraled into a gothic romance space, a genre that is not my usual norm. Olivia starts making questionable choices, ignoring red-flags due to her being drawn in by Ash's looks, charms and wealth. I could not relate.

Having read several of Jillian Cantor’s historical fiction books, I was excited to read her new book, The Fiction Writer. This novel, set in modern times, tells the story of author Olivia Fitzgerald, who, after a well-received first book, wrote a retelling of Rebecca that flopped. As she’s trying to write a new book, her agent has a ghostwriting opportunity for her with Henry Asherwood, a rich, famous, and attractive man who needs a writer for his grandmother’s story. When Olivia meets with Ash, he explains that his grandmother is the real author of the story of Rebecca and accuses du Maurier of plagiarism. The story is a page-turner that becomes more twisted and suspenseful as Olivia begins to research and investigate - is the story Ash wants Olivia to write authentic, what truly happened to his wife, and what does Ash want with her?
I rounded this one up to 4 stars, as I enjoyed Jillian’s prior books a little more, but this one kept me turning the pages trying to figure out the mystery. Rebecca is one of my favorite novels, and I appreciated Jillian Cantor's research on Daphne du Maurier - I had no idea she faced accusations of plagiarism. The question addressed in the book of who a story belongs to was fascinating.
Thanks to the publisher, Park Row, and the Thoughts From a Page Podcast early reads program for the advanced copy of this book!

3.5⭐ Olivia Fitzgerald was a rising literary star until her last book, a retelling of du Maurier's Rebecca, was a flop, her longtime boyfriend left her, and she's suffering a bad case of writer's block. When she's offered the opportunity to ghostwrite sexy reclusive billionaire Henry "Ash" Asherwood to reveal a shocking secret connected to du Maurier and his grandmother, she takes it. (She has bills to pay, after all!) But as she dives further into the past, she only has more questions.

I haven't read Rebecca, and I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had read that first.

I really enjoyed Cantor's writing style, but I felt like the character of Olivia just kept making stupid decision after stupid decision. There were so many twists and turns it felt over the top. However, I enjoyed it enough to keep reading it and was rather entertained, so if you like books with a gothic feel and lots of surprised, you might really enjoy this!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

"From USA Today-bestselling Jillian Cantor, The Fiction Writer follows a writer hired by a handsome billionaire to write about his family history with Daphne Du Maurier and finds herself drawn into a tangled web of obsession, marital secrets, and stolen manuscripts.

The once-rising literary star 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 she's battling a bad case of writer's block. 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 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.

With as many twists and turns as the California coast, The Fiction Writer is a page-turner that explores the boundaries of creative freedom and whose stories we have the right to tell."

I will ALWAYS read anything Du Maurier adjacent, especially if it plays with the supposed plagiarism of Rebecca.

Failing author Olivia Fitzgerald jumps at the chance to be a ghost writer in this gothic story. Olivia's first novel was a success, her second sold barely a thousand copies, and her editor hasn't been able to sell her third book. And her boyfriend of nine years has just dumped her. When her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia quickly signs the NDA and heads off to LA.

When she learns that Henry Asherwood III a.k.a. Ash wants her to write the story of his grandmother Emilia's life, she's intrigued but skeptical. Ash is convinced the Daphne du Maurier novel Rebecca was stolen from his grandmother since it is the story of her life. He says that he wants Olivia to write the story because he read her second novel Becky which was also a retelling of Rebecca.

Olivia soon finds herself in her own retelling of Rebecca complete with a mysterious hero who might or might not have murdered his wife and who is very reluctant to answer questions about his grandmother's life and why he thinks du Maurier stole her story. There is also a mysterious housekeeper who has an agenda of her own and who was Ash's deceased wife's cousin.

This was one twisty sort of thriller that takes a woman from a very unhappy state and transforms her. Olivia, though initially dazzled by Ash, manages to regain her independence and confidence as this story advances. She's helped by old friend Noah who has loved her from afar since their college days.

Fans of meta fiction would be the best audience for this one.

Olivia Fitzgerald is desperate for money and to get her writing career back on track. So when her agent calls her with a ghostwriting opportunity for People's Sexiest Man Alive, Henry "Ash" Asherwood, Olivia jumps on a plane and heads to Malibu. Olivia's second book, a retelling of Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca", was a total flop, so she's shocked when Ash tells her the ghostwriting opportunity has to do with his grandmother and the Rebecca story. Despite there being red flags all over the place and Ash being super dodgy, Olivia just continues to do whatever he wants to try and fulfill her contract and get her big pile of money.

I did not really enjoy this book. I felt like the Olivia character was just terrible. She just kept making mistake after mistake and it was really ridiculous. I also felt like Ash was just too unrealistic. His motivations made no sense to me at all. The story was so repetitive in the middle that I just started skimming to find the parts where something would happen. There were some fun twists near the end, but it was kind of confusing and couldn't save the story for me by that point.

I hope Cantor is back to form with her next outing as a I really enjoyed "Beautiful Little Fools".

This propulsive thriller was a book I read through the lit lovers group at @thoughtsfromapage. If you have not checked out that podcast and Patreon group - I highly recommend it!

This story revolves around a once successful writer who finds herself in a dry spell after a not so successful second book. She is desperate for money and inspiration. In walks a multi-millionaire who wants her to write a story about his deceased grandmother whom he claims wrote the original Rebecca before Daphne DuMaurier did.

With secrets aplenty and doubt behind every door- this one has you questioning the motives of each character. It grapples with the topics of who owns a story and who is able to tell it. Are there really any new stories left?

Although I have not read Rebecca and this one refers to it a ton- I still really enjoyed this one. I was annoyed with the seemingly naive choices the main character made- but I just moved forward. This story walks through Olivia’s search for the truth- it winds down several side streets and adds more questions than answers.

I found this one to be a page turner. I recommend you just believe someone could get so caught up in a handsome man giving them attention that they choose not to see what is right in front of them. There were some great twists and a satisfying end. I recommend!

Last night I dreamt I went to Malibu again. What Malibu???? Cantor has written a clever interpretation of the remarkable Gothic novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier now set in Malibu. Oliva is a writer that has hit a few bumps so she takes a job as a ghost writer for Ash, a wealthy, reclusive billionaire with lots of secrets. While one could read this book without having Rebecca, fans of Rebecca will enjoy guessing if certain characters and events are going to be depicted the same. A solid read.



Thanks to Cindy Burnett from Thoughts from a Page and Park Row books for the gifted ARC, provided through NetGalley in exchange for a candid review.