The audiobook was narrated by the incredible Julia Whelan, who never disappoints—she's probably my favorite narrator, and her performance here was spot on, as usual.🎧
✨
If you enjoy thought-provoking, character-driven stories with a blend of suspense and literary depth, I highly recommend giving this one a listen! It’s the perfect mix of plot twists and complex characters that will keep you thinking long after the final chapter.

The Sequel is book two in the The Book Series by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
I loved The Plot! So I was eager to jump into the second book.
The story is interesting and I found myself glued to the pages.
This book became quite addictive, unexpected and a delicious mystery at the same time!
A fascinating, unputdownable read I highly recommend.
The narrator Julia Whelan did a fantastic job!

Thank You NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was a pleasant surprise…I actually liked “The Sequel” far better than the first book in this series. The first book, “The Plot” was about struggling author Jacob Finch Bonner who appropriates the idea/plot for his latest bestseller from one of his students who tragically passed away before publishing his own version of the book.

Jacob was a despicable character, a liar and a whiner. His book, I think it was called “Crib”, was wildly successful and on his book tour he ends up meeting Anna Williams, who ropes him into appearing on a radio show she that works for. They end up dating, and eventually marrying. If you haven’t read The Plot, I’d recommend you read that first, even though I really didn’t like it, because it sets up the background for The Sequel.

The Sequel takes place after Jacob has apparently committed suicide, and follows the life of his widow, Anna Williams Bonner, as she deals with everything that comes next. Without revealing too much, there’s a lot more to love about this book, and even though Anna is the true villain in both books, I was oddly rooting for her not to get caught as she met every obstacle in her life by eliminating everyone who crossed her path and threatened her in any way. It’s so dark and so funny, and although Anna is a total sociopath, I found the book far more entertaining than the first in the series.

I was so happy to get this egalley because I loved The Plot. The Sequel is even better! I love how there is always a twist with this series and I loved the main character Rose. I would read or listen to a third book if one was to be released.

If you’re looking for a light, easygoing listen for your next road trip or your morning walk through the neighborhood, that’s not The Sequel. Instead, it’s a dark and haunting thriller that’s full of surprises.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

Over the weekend I finished THE SEQUEL by Jean Hanff Korelitz and really enjoyed it! If you read and liked the first in the series, THE PLOT, then I highly recommend you pick this up. I actually liked this one a little more than the first one. I might be crazy but I loved the story told from the POV of the villain, and I felt some sympathy towards her despite her murderous ways.

With multiple twists, The Sequel will keep you on the edge of your seat. Just when I thought she couldn’t get crazier…Anna just kept finding others that were threatening to expose her. She’s not out to kill everyone but people can’t let her be. I think my favorite part of this book was the chapter titles, each one being the name of a sequel from another series. The titles fit so well and braced you for what was coming that chapter. It was brilliant!

I did most of The Sequel in audio because the narrator is THE @justjuliawhelan, and I love her narration in everything she’s done! She gives a rich voice for Anna and no one could’ve done it better.

Many thanks to @celadonbooks for the physical copy and @macmillan.audio for the audio!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC!

First of all, my favorite thing about this book was that the chapter titles were all the titles of novels that were sequels. I know, I'm a book nerd. But that's not to say that I didn't love the book for other reasons also. I really can't remember the last time I've encountered a literary character so cold and brutal, but also so compelling and likable-despite-it-all as the protagonist of The Plot and The Sequel. By whatever name you want to call her, she is formidable! The audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Julia Whelan, and was a delight to listen to, from start to finish.

I love the back side of publishing tell all fiction novels. The MC has an agenda to clear her deceased husband of plagiarism. She writes her own novel to high acclaim which leads to her finding out more about her late husband's and late brother's involvement. If you enjoyed Yellowface or Who Is Maud Dixon? grab this one. While it would be best to read the first book, The Plot, you might find it enjoyable as the author does take some time to touch back while moving forward. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC audiobook where the reader does a wonderful job capturing the tone of the novel.

“Sequels can be very enticing when the initial book has done well. Readers want to know what happens to a character they’ve connected with.”
“But they’re never as good as the first book, are they?”

In this case, I think the sequel is just as good as the first book. I liked that this picked up right where we left off. It's great that this book is very similar to the first, in that we follow the main character as they are harassed by an unknown person. I really liked the perspective of our protagonist and the background it gives to the entire series. She was kinda evil but I love that for her.

The narration was great (Julia Whelan is my fave).

This was a great follow up to the plot! I thought the events of this book and the pacing were done very well. The narrator is so unlikable but at the same time I was rooting for her to get the justices she felt she deserved. The ending felt a little crazy to me but overall really enjoyed this one!

A huge Thank You to @celadonbooks for the invitation to participate in the #CeladonReadsTogether for #TheSequelBook by Jean Hanff Korelitz!

In a word, Brilliant!

I absolutely loved The Plot and was thrilled to see that we get to keep following Anna! I had no idea where it would go, but I was buckled in and ready. Getting to see more of her story, from her perspective, was enlightening and added depth to her character and her actions. It gave a weird level of empathy for an otherwise unsavory character!

The publishing world satire felt sharp and a bit fun to read! I am always amazed at how many people are involved in traditional publishing, and it helps to know how much is poured into one while anxiously awaiting.

I was fortunate to be able to read and chat with a fun group, @debs_shelves @neverwithoutmybook @novelsnlatte & @thethumbedpage which we all agreed it was tough or impossible to quit reading once we started! Also a thanks to @macmillan.audio who provided me with the audio via @NetGalley before I even got the book!

I must say the audio was fantastic and if you are a Julia Whelan fan, it will be predictably perfect. I was entirely brought inside Anna's mind.

Before you read The Sequel, you must read The Plot. Skipping the first, despite how repetitive the narrative can be, would be absurd, in my humble opinion. If you are going to only read one, please let it be The Plot.
The Sequel is a master class in writing style. It feels like exactly the kind of novel a prestigious MFA program would hope a writer to produce. It is extremely clever and creatively efficient, retelling the same story now 3 times over in the voice of 3 different writers.
I appreciate the versatility that takes as a writer, but at the same time, I genuinely cannot stand a single character in this novel, alive or dead. Not even the pets are likeable. For that reason, I did not enjoy reading this novel. It centers around Anna, and I ravenously anticipated her comeuppance throughout. As this includes retelling of Crib before it was Crib, as well as Anna's truth, none of this is revolutionary to readers.
I listened to the audiobook read by Julia Whelan. She is a queen.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(3.5)

Anna Williams-Bonner is living the perfect life of a literary widow, enjoying her late husband's royalties—until she publishes her own debut novel, The Afterword. As Anna basks in success, mysterious excerpts from a long-lost manuscript surface, threatening her secrets and control. Someone knows too much, and Anna will stop at nothing to protect her story.

“The Sequel” is a twisty, layered follow-up to “The Plot” that hooked me with its unreliable narrator, Anna. Julia Whelan’s punctuated narration brings Anna’s morally gray, sociopathic tendencies to life in a way that kept me listening, even when the plot didn’t always land. Anna’s voice is strong, sharp, and keeps you guessing, but the publishing world drama felt flat—especially when I compare it to the biting satire in “Yellowface” by R.F. Huang.

That said, the tension comes from Anna’s unraveling secrets, not the insider publishing look. I loved the slow, suspenseful buildup as Anna fights to protect her perfectly crafted life. The story within a story element and those chapter titles gave the novel a clever, meta touch that was fun, but ultimately, I was more invested in Anna’s unraveling than the plot twists. If you enjoy a strong, unreliable narrator and psychological intrigue, this one is worth a listen, even if you haven’t read the first!

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the ALC 💙 #macaudio24

Perfect for you if you like:
Unreliable narrators who keep you guessing
Dark humor and clever meta-narratives
Consequences of hidden pasts unraveling

Similar to:
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
The Plot by Jean Hans Korelitz (I haven’t read)
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

⛔️no romance
⚠️explicit language, extreme violence, drugging, kidnapping, blackmail, gun violence, mention of suicide

I absolutely loved The Plot. So I had to read The Sequel. I'd say for the first 1/4 of the book I was just getting annoyed at listening to Anna's inner thoughts. All of us that read The Plot know her. She was a layered character, to say the least. She seemed very flat as she went on her book tour for the book she wrote after the death of her husband. It takes a few more chapters to get those layers back to the story.

What you are reading for is the back story of Anna. We think we know it. We've read all about it before. But we don't know it. What we know is what someone wrote about what someone else wrote. It's a telephone game of a novel. You have to keep going back to get to the truth. By the end, I was on her side. I still didn't like her. I liked not liking her, though. I liked watching her fight for the rights to her own life.

The writing is dark but in a light way. Not a dark that takes you down a hole you have to climb up out of. Instead a dark that keeps you there until it's done. I binged this book the first chance I got. If there is another sequel, what will we call it? Because I don't feel done with Anna. This particular road has come to an end. It should not be revisited. But a character like this cannot be happy earning her life back only to live it cashing in on her dead husband and her one book. Can she?

You MUST read The Plot before reading The Sequel! I’ve tried to be as vague as I can while still showing how much I loved both stories. I wish I could just say: Read it, read both! I even went back and re-read quite a bit of The Plot before starting The Sequel to refresh my mind with the details. Such a good twisty plot, and bonus, you can read this one right after!

Loved this one even more than the first one! I wasn’t a big fan of Anna in The Plot, but then we didn’t get her side of things. Here, I could feel for her and understand her motivations as her story is revealed and getting her POV, and I was outraged in her behalf! I liked being in Anna’s head more than Jake’s. Not sure how that reflects on my character, haha, but I liked that she didn’t wallow in her situation, just evaluated and proceeded accordingly.

The Sequel was thrilling! Anna gets herself into a few dangerous situations confronting the threats coming at her and I was on the edge of my seat, rooting for her every step of the way!

The talented Julia Whelan narrates, and her performance of Anna is perfection! Timing, emotion and all the different voices were spot on! Highly recommend the audio version!

This was a miss for me. DNF @47%. I enjoyed books one, this one just kinda forced it. I know people will love it, it just didn’t connect for me.

The audiobook is narrated by Julia Whelan and she is just such a great Anna! The narration and writing makes it so easy to stay engaged with the story. I kept finding reasons to putter around the house to keep listening and flew through the book!

The Plot is an immensely FUN book. It's very slow burn, straightforward, and the twist may or not be predictable. But I really enjoyed the story and seeing what happened next. I reread this right before reading The Sequel just to familiarize myself with the events and I'm so glad I did.

The Sequel takes place just about right after The Plot ends. Highly recommend reading them back to back to appreciate some of the details (and to avoid spoilers from the first book)! Our main character, Anna, is a psychotic serial killer, so if you're looking for a likable lead, this may not be for you. However, I was still rooting for her and when she found her back against the wall multiple times, I was hoping she'd find a way out.

TL;DR: This is a cat and mouse story with a psychotic main character with really great pacing and some fun twists.

Recommend if you enjoy:
-Cat and mouse stories
-Serial killer stories
-Books about the publishing world
-The Plot!!
-Rooting for an anti-heroine

the setup…
Anna Williams-Bonner is the widow of Jacob Finch Bonner, the bestselling novelist of the book Crib and as his executor, launches his next novel posthumously. As it also becomes a hit, she stands in for him on tours to promote the novel. It’s during one of these events that she gets the idea to write her own book. The Afterword is a success but as she goes on tour to promote it, Anna begins receiving cryptic notes and excerpts from the book that Jake used to plagiarize his own. It’s stunning as Anna knew it shouldn’t exist. Her quest to find out who’s behind this and what they want sets her on a journey back into her own murky past.

the heart of the story…
I strongly recommend you read the first book before delving into this one. While the author satisfactorily provides enough background, it still was extremely helpful in understanding why the sudden emergence of these excerpts is so shocking and to really know Anna and why this is so threatening. I had a completely different opinion of her that slowly evolved as her truths were revealed. I was strangely drawn to this woman, kinda rooting for her, as she investigated her own past and that of her brother’s, dealing with people who had their own agenda.

the narration…
Julia Whelan was the ideal choice to tell this story! Anna is complex and she captured the essence of this woman perfectly. And of course the storytelling is outstanding.

the bottom line…
I was excited when I learned about this story, believing we’d heard the last of Anna, even though I’d wanted more. This delivered on my expectations, surpassing them. It’s hard to make an unpopular character sympathetic but the impossible happened for me. I was fascinated by the woman, her extraordinary past and quest to just lay claim to a story that was her rightful own. 4.5 stars

I didn’t really expect a sequel to The Plot, but I enjoyed it more than I expected. I definitely found Anna to be more interesting than Jake had been, but I found that this book moved a bit slower than I was hoping for. I listened to the audiobook for the first half and I did enjoy the narrator. I think you could read this without reading the Plot, but I think some parts you would be frustrated by until enough details came together and it just reads better if you know the back story. I almost hope we do see more of Anna even if I think this is likely the last of her that we will see. Anna is helping to promote her late husband’s last book and during an interview she impulsively says she plans on writing a book of her own. She doesn’t know why, she never thought about writing a book before but there is something about the idea that she can’t shake. As she writes and publishes her novel she learns that someone out there still believes that Jake stole the idea for his most popular book Crib and allude to the fact that they may know more than that. Overall this was an enjoyable book, I gave it 3.5 stars rounded up because I did like Anna as a character (even if she isn’t a great human).

The Sequel is, yes, the sequel to The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz and takes place after the death of her husband. Anna decides to write a book of her own, because how hard can it be, called The Aftermath, which becomes a quick success both critically and in popularity. However, she gets little time to enjoy her success before she starts receiving anonymous letters concerning an unpublished novel by her dead brother which she had believed had been destroyed and now, she must track down who is behind this if she is to have what she considers her well-earned peace.

For the most part, I enjoyed The Sequel. It is well written and, for the first half, I quite enjoyed following Anna’s journey from ‘grieving’ widow to successful author and righter of what she considers all the wrongs in her world. There was a somewhat tongue-in- cheek quality to Anna’s badness which was quite entertaining at first. After a while, though, I wanted to, at least, feel some sympathy, if not empathy, for Anna but she seemed to have no redeeming characteristics nor, for that matter, did any of the other characters. Still, it did keep my attention enough to want to know how Anna would solve her problems and, to be honest, how she would be able to leave a long line of bodies across the countryside without raising any concerns by anybody besides the people who had occupied those bodies. So, in the end, I will say if you liked The Plot or stories with narcissistic but charming (really) bad girl protagonists, this one’s for you.

I read the novel while listening to the audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan who, although the story is told in the third person, does an amazing and, at times, somewhat creepy job, of getting inside Anna’s head. Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Celadon Books. All opinions are my own.

3.5