THE SEQUEL was just as twisty as I hoped it to be! I loved the audio format and what a delight to see it was narrated by the best, Julia Whelan.

*many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I enjoyed The Plot, so I was excited to read The Sequel, and I was lucky enough to read them back-to-back. Unfortunately, after being initially intrigued by the plot, I felt that the Sequel started to drag on. I couldn't connect with the MC at all, and I found there was a lot of unnecessary casualties in the book. The plot points also seemed kind of ridiculous at points, which isn't always a deal breaker for me, but it just didn't work for me here. I think this one will end up being forgettable.

Fantastic follow-up! Surprising from beginning to end. Clever and captivating! Highly recommend! Five stars.

Very twisty! I hadn’t read the first book of this series, so it took me just a little bit to get into it and follow along - but it was really easy to jump right in and be enamored with this book.

Suspenseful, and I didn’t t see that twist coming!

Is it wrong to like such an unlikeable character? I don’t know, but I am here for all things Anna Williams-Bonner in THE SEQUEL. Korelitz enters her character’s head and crafts a spectacularly entertaining, candid, and down-right addictive thriller.

For those of us who have read THE PLOT, Anna is not a new character. However, entering into her orbit once again is just as good as the first time. I loved the harsh wit and criticism Anna has for those around her. It offers a refreshing candor. Within her mind, this woman knows who she is and owns up to her choices. As the reader, you can understand the why of her actions even if you don’t agree with them. This combined with the resurfacing of the past is why the sequel to THE PLOT is so captivating.

As she plays with a clever look at the publishing industry and the darkness of a psychological thriller, Korelitz has created a story that allows the reader to have fun while being on the edge of their seat. I honestly didn’t know what Anna would do next, and I loved every minute of it. THE SEQUEL was just as twisty as THE PLOT, but dare I say it, even more turns. Now my only question is…will Anna be back for round three? I hope so.

Audiobook Note: The way Julia Whelan narrates this book is exactly what you would want as a listener and reader. She breathes life into Anna as we go further down the rabbit hole of the character’s past and present. The inflection and pace moved the story along and kept you wanting more.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Glad that i read the first book so close to starting this one, very good series (so far!)

100% you should read “The Plot” before reading “The Sequel.” The newly widowed Anna surprises herself by deciding to write a novel. This is a very entertaining book featuring a villain for whom I found myself rooting. It can be read as a standalone, because the author rehashes most of the plot of the first book, but I recommend reading “The Plot” first.

I am not sure how to even review The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I don’t want to give away any spoilers for this book and The Plot (of which The Sequel is, well, a sequel). I’ll just say a couple things. The Sequel is not a standalone novel. You absolutely cannot read this book without finishing The Plot (and it’s best to read the two books back to back). And not much happens in The Sequel that hasn’t already happened in The Plot. Honestly, I think the book was an unnecessary sequel.

Another fall favorite is Jean Hanff Korelitz's The Sequel is a follow-up to The Plot. Like The Plot, The Sequel has a wild plot revolving around writers taking other people's plots and stories. I listened to this book as an audiobook. I don't want to spoil the plot, but essentially it follows up from where the last book ends. It begins with the wife of The Plot's main character, who was a disillusioned professor teaching introductory writing classes to disinterested students. Much to his surprise, one of the students has a gift for writing, a student who is disrespectful and downright obnoxious.

The professor has spent most of his professional life trying to write a bestseller that will free him from teaching and allow him to dedicate all his time to writing. And now here is a student - one who is barely passing his class - penning a bestseller with the ease of a pro. Then the student dies, leaving the manuscript in the professor's hands. This is the professor's one shot at achieving his dream of becoming a bestselling author. He knows it's wrong, but his desire to be successful at all costs outweighs his moral compass.

In The Sequel, the professor passes away, ironically at his desk doing the thing he loved the most: writing. His wife is left to pick up the pieces. She writes a novel, which becomes a bestseller. But her motivations for writing her book, and for being the wife of the professor, are questionable. The Sequel was just as fast-paced and entertaining as The Plot - it also tied up some loose ends from The Plot. I hope there is a third book in this series!

The Sequel is the second book in “The Book Series” written by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The Plot was the first in the series about Jacob Finch Bonner, an author who makes his name known through his writing of The Crib. I absolutely LOVED The Plot! I was incredibly excited to continue the series with The Sequel.

In The Sequel, Anna Williams-Bonner, the wife of Jacob, meets with her own writing success when she publishes her own novel, The Afterword. As Anna is promoting her book, she receives a message that she believes will jeopardize everything she has worked toward and will no doubt reveal her secrets. Anna is on the hunt for clues to uncover who is behind this scheme to take her down.

I do not want to include too many details of The Sequel in case those reading my review have not had the opportunity to read The Plot. I highly recommend reading this series in order to become fully immersed in the story. I really enjoyed this series! If you have not experienced the story of Dianna Parker in this series, put it on your list to read immediately! The narrator of the audiobook The Sequel, Julia Whelan, is EVERYTHING! She does an incredible narration that assisted in making this a pleasurable reading experience.

I am sincerely hoping that Jean Hanff Korelitz is writing a third book in this series, as I do not believe Anna’s story is over! If there is a third, this book will be an immediate purchase for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to receive an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Let me just say that I loved this book and thank you to Macmillan audio for the advanced listening copy. Anna Williams Bonner is not who she says she is. I’m just gonna say it. You gotta listen or read all of this book and learn who she is. she’s so convoluted and multilayered and really bad. It’s just fantastic . If you thought the The Plot was interesting., Wait until you read this, it’s just a brilliantly written novel and I loved it Fast moving and you have to pay attention, a must read for those of us in love with books end publishing.
Narration by the never lets me down Julia Whelan. So perfect.

Not as good as the first book - there were too many narratives that were conveniently wrapped up, I thought.

Smartly written and well executed dare I say I enjoyed the sequel more then book one? I loved how it wrapped up some thoughts and unanswered questions from book one in a realistic way.

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun sequel to the plot! I was able to predict some of it, but the ride was so worth it! I couldn't believe I was rooting for a murderess to get away with her crimes,

The Sequel is aptly named - a sequel to The Plot, which I'd read and enjoyed a couple of years ago. And the characters in the book aren't wrong when they say that it's tough to write a good sequel - but for me, Jean Hanff Korelitz did succeed here.
If I had it to do over, I'd probably find a synopsis or do a quick flip through the pages of The Plot before starting The Sequel, because it had been over 3 years since I read The Plot and it took me a bit to catch up and remember what had happened. But Korelitz leaves enough breadcrumbs here to get me back up to speed. And then it was another twisty story as Anna (and the readers) try to figure out who's accusing her of stealing the plot for her new book. It's atmospheric and unpredictable and kept me interested throughout. It was probably a 3.5-star for the book for me on the page - but I listened to the audiobook, and Julia Whelan was brilliant, as always. Her narration was perfect for the character and pushed it to 4 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

This sequel was totally unexpected but still enjoyable! I loved The Plot when it came out and didn't know what to expect from this story. I loved the meta elements that were peppered in (like "sequels are never as good as the original!"). It was interesting being in Anna's mind now and learning more context behind the original story in The Plot. I also enjoyed the writing/publishing storyline. Ultimately this book didn't have the same magic as the first one. But I still recommend this for anyone who enjoyed the first book.

Devious. That's what she is. Period. This was a good read and if there is a 3rd book I want to find out if she gets caught! This was a good follow-up book for Jean Hanff Korelitz and I look forward to her next book!

#TheSequel
#NetGalley

Anna Williams-Bonner is attempting to move on with her life now that she has been able to not only lay to rest her husband, writer Jacob Finch Bonner, but has laid to rest the rumors concerning plagiarism that has been surrounding him and his best-selling novel. Living off the success of Jacob’s novel Anna decides to take a stab at writing herself, ultimately publishing her own bestseller, but her success brings its own set of problems; someone is sending her pages from a novel that should not exist, pages that suggest that this individual knows more about Anna, Jacob and Anna’s brother, knowledge that could threaten her own success, and maybe even more.

I was very excited to read The Sequel after reading The Plot last year, but sadly The Sequel was not all that I had hoped it would be. While it was nice to revisit some of the characters and events that occurred in The Plot, there were times when things did not make sense; they relied way too much on coincidences and circumstance, even for a piece of fiction. I was also disappointed in the fact that there were no new, substantial characters in The Sequel; this was almost a part two as opposed to a sequel. Some of the plot holes also took away from my enjoyment of the story as well as affecting my ability to relate to the story or the characters,

The audiobook neither added to nor took away from the story. I liked how Whelan gave many of the characters their own voices, but at times the pace was too slow and the narration, often lacking a change in pace or volume, was monotone. It was an audiobook that I could take or leave; it didn’t make me want to listen to it the way that some do.

What a fun sequel to the original book! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Was she going to get away with it?! I loved it.

I highly encourage you to read The Plot first to understand the premise behind this book. You are brought right into the story with Anna newly widowed from her famous author husband. As the story unravels you start to see the darker side of the book that made Jake famous and how she is handling being a writer and widow. Loved how in both books you see how blackmail plays a part and you just want to know who is behind it. If you choose to listen to this one, please know the lovely @justjuliawhelan will transport you.