Jacob Finch Bonner wrote one great novel, but is struggling to find his muse again. While he awaits inspiration, he teaches a graduate level class to aspiring authors. One of his students rebuffs Bonner's offers of help, saying he's got a solid idea for a book -- one so perfect that every the dullest writer couldn't screw it up.

Bonner hears the idea, waits for its inevitable release as a bona fide bestseller -- but years have passed, and nothing has materialized. The student with the brilliant idea, it turns out, has died. So Bonner writes the book with his student's sure-fire idea and, of course, it's an instant hit. Bonner's life of prestige and comfort is interrupted when a stranger starts writing him saying, essentially, "I know what you've done."

It's a really interesting story, with a few fun twists. The ending was solid as well. One nit with the audiobook: As a person who grew up in Central New York -- where the book is based -- the pronunciations of a few local towns are not very good (or consistent).

ove, love, love the concept of this one. the synopsis kind of reminded me of the film, ‘the words,’ so i was super excited to pick this up. books about books and authors are totally my thing, so i knew i would really enjoy the plot.

however, from page one, the writing style was a struggle for me. its well-written, without a doubt, but its not something that caters to my personal reading style. the narrative is very descriptive-heavy, with long paragraph after long paragraph of description, and for a mystery/thriller, i 100% need writing that is quicker paced than this and with more dialogue. thank goodness it gets more tolerable/balanced as the story progresses.

i think it helps that excerpts of the book the MC publishes are included throughout. i love when bookception is used and it was a lot of fun seeing how the events in the MCs book unknowingly parallel the events happening in his reality. i will say that the ending is predictable and most people will see it coming, but i think the way the information is revealed is engaging regardless.

overall, a really great concept and fascinating plot (i wouldnt expect anything less for a book titled as such), even if some elements of the execution werent my personal favourite.

Though this was engaging, I didn't think it lived up to the enormous hype. I was surprised to have been able to guess a lot of the twists and turns, which kind of took away from my reading pleasure. That being said, the author can definitely write and I would be interested in reading more by her in the future.

What a ride! Jean Hanff Korelitz’s thriller is quite something. It’s one I just adored even if I did figure the big twist out early on. It’s the journey with this book.

Jacob is a formerly successful writer who is struggling to write his next great novel. His student Evan dies without having published his own incredible story, so Jacob decides to write it himself to great critical acclaim.

But then someone starts threatening to expose him for the theft of the story, launching him into the truth behind the tale he wrote about.

Thanks to Celadon Books for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

I was not able to give a review of this audiobook because it was deleted from the NetGalley Shelf App before I had a chance to download it. I was truly disappointed and I was looking forward to this book.

Nope nope nope. No. Couldn't do it. Worst narrator I have ever come across. I couldn't push through. I'll grab a hard copy from the library.

Intriguing and interesting plot, although slow to take-off. Once it took off, I couldn't stop reading, even though I had guessed what the plot was!

<b>Suspenseful and impossible to stop listening to! Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I kept seeing such great reviews, I had to read (or listen to, in this case) this one. The audiobook had incredible narration that made it easy to stay engaged.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with this original premise, but it just so happened that I read two at the same time, without knowing they were so closely related. I haven’t quite finished the other book yet, so I can’t say which is better, but I think it will be a close finish!</b>

Several years after Jake had Evan Parker as a student in one of his classes, he finds out that Evan died suddently, just a few months after finishing the class. The only thing Jake remembers about Evan is that he was very arrogant, and he had an amazing plot for a book. Since Evan died before he was able to publish his book, what can Jake do? He writes his own book, stealing Evan’s plot. But is it really stealing since he’s only using the plot and the book is written in his own words? Someone thinks it is.

After the novel—titled <i>”Crib”</i>—becomes an instant bestseller, Jake starts receiving cryptic messages, from someone who calls themselves “Talented Tom”, who is accusing Jake of being a theif. “TT” threatens to publically expose Jake. And even though he’s been told to ignore the situation, he can’t. Jake goes down one crazy path after another, trying to figure out who “TT” is, before he’s exposed.

Although I was able to predict one of the major twists, it didn’t take away from the story at all!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Jean Hanff Korelitz for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

<b>My Rating: </b> 5 ⭐️’s
<b>Published:</b> May 11th 2021 by Macmillan Audio
<b>Pages:</b> Audio, 10 hours 43 min
<b>Recommend:</b> YES!

@JeanHanffKoreli @MacmillanAudio @NetGalley
#psychologicalthriller #NoRulesJustThrills #Audiobook #ThePlot
#NetGalley #Writing #FamilyDrama #Author

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz Published by Macmillan Audio May 11, 2021 Narrated by Kirby Heyborne I received an advanced audio copy of this book from Macmillan Audio and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jacob Finch Bonner had written a great first book, and he had a promising future, but he couldn’t write a second great book. He found himself teaching in an unknown MFA program. There he read a student’s work and never forgot it. He expected to see Evan Parker’s book published with great fanfare, but it never happened When years later he learns of Parker’s death, he does the unthinkable and finishes the small work he read and it is a huge success and so is Jake. Until he receives an email calling him a thief. He panics, he distrusts everyone and is in a mad hunt to learn who knows his secret.

Jake’s journey leads him back to the old MFA program and who he knew then. He needs to know more abut Evan Parker, and how he came up with this unique plot. Oh wow how I loved this book! It’s twisted and full of secrets and was so anxious to see what was going to happen I listened to it as much as I could. This is the first book I’ve read by Korelitz, and she has a long backlist to explore. Kirby Heyborne’s narration was wonderful and I believe this is the first book I’ve listened to by him. His pacing was wonderful, especially as the details of Jake’s betrayer become more clear. 4 stars…grab it up.

Could there be a more obnoxious student and what did Jake Bonner do to be punished teaching him? That was Jake's thought at the writing workshop he is teaching. Jake had a great first novel and was seen as an up and coming writer. His second novel was a disappointment and since then he has been stalled. To make ends meet, he teaches at a college that runs workshops for aspiring writers.
When he has an individual coaching session with the student, Jake is struck again by his confidence and his inability to see why he made those around him uncomfortable. The man is sure that he has a bestseller in him but that everyone else at the workshop is determined to steal his idea. He shares a little of the plot with Jake and Jake immediately sees that the idea is a potential bestseller. Jake is jealous that such an unlikeable person does indeed have a can't fail idea. But that's life and after the workshop the man recedes into the distance, overshadowed by the next class of aspiring writers and the next and the next.

But somewhere deep in Jake's mind, the thought of that student and his story remains. He keeps waiting to see the book published but it never is. His own writing is going even more poorly. Finally one night he looks up the student only to see that the man died soon after the workshop, his great idea for a novel having died with him. But has that idea died? Jake struggles with his conscience but then forges ahead writing the novel that the student never did.

Two years later, Jake's life is completely different. The novel he wrote is an immediate and tremendous success, vaulting Jake to the top of the publishing world. He is now married to Anna whom he met on a book tour at the radio studio where she was a producer. The couple is happy and wealthy or at least until the day Jake opens an email. When he reads it, his blood runs cold. Someone is writing him accusing him of plagiarism and of stealing the idea of his bestseller. There are hints of exposure but no demands to start. Will Jake lose everything his novel has brought him?

This novel has received a ton of buzz. It has blurbs from authors such as Stephen King and Meg Abbott and was an Amazon 2021 Book of the Month pick. The pace is brisk and the reader is swept along in Jake's story, interested in his success and then wondering who is threatening him and how that will play out. The exploration of plagiarism and how an author can turn from a success to a pariah overnight is explored. This book is recommended for readers of psychological thrillers.

The Plot is about a story too good not to steal, and the writer who steals it. Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect. When student Parker Evans says he doesn’t need Jake’s help because his work in progress is a sure thing, his arrogance irritates Jake... until he hears the plot. In a few short years, the student’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, he receives messages and reads social media posts accusing him of plagiarism. Evans is dead, so who is sending blackmailing him?

As an author, the concept of this book fascinated me. In truth, there if very little new under the sun, just different approaches to the same material. I’ve read nothing quite like this multilayered novel. Although the protagonist turned amateur sleuth identified many potential blackmailers, I figured out who it was early on. Yet I kept reading it; probably because the pacing picked up as the book went on. The first half of the book was too philosophical, too plodding, too boring. I wanted the author to just tell the story already. I didn't care for the narrator in the audio version, which certainly didn't help. Other reviewers raved about this one, but in my view, it was nothing special. 3.5 stars.

I pervious obtained an audio ARC from Net Galley for this novel. Unfortunately it was archived before I downloaded it, but I was able to borrow an audiobook from my library. This audiobook was good, but I had it figured out early on and that was disappointing for me

I enjoyed the idea of this book, but unfortunately something was missing for me. It was not a bad book by any means. Just a little lackluster for me.

I was able to figure out the twist, which never happens for me.

Overall, good narration and the story was okay.

So, I’m kind of torn. I liked this book but found myself wishing THE ENTIRE TIME that I was reading the book that the book was about instead. I think it was intriguing and the narration was pretty good, but I also felt like something was missing and it’s probably the other book...

Fascinating! Grabs you and doesn't let go. Narration is wonderful, story is very interesting and really made it difficult to put down. I will be looking for more from this author!

one, this has a great ending, two, this is super literary and inside baseball, which worked for me but might not for everyone out there. three, it's a recommend! great narrator, great production

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I know others will absolutely love this one, it’s such a highly anticipated one for a good reason.

I honestly am not the biggest fan of this cover but you can’t judge based on cover. This story definitely backs up that thought.

I loved the characters and the premise of this was just amazing!

Wow! While the first 30% of this audiobook was a bit of a slog, I found the remaining story to be exciting and captivating. It was hard to stop listening and at one point I actually felt scared- a bit like you feel while watching a scary movie. Like Jean Hanff Korelitz's other novels, I think this book would make a fantastic movie!!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This novel started out as a slow burn but it was immediately obvious that it was well written and thoughtfully executed so I continued. I am so glad I did! The concept of a book within a book has been done before but I thought it was done exceptionally well here, with just small excerpts being revealed here and there. The ending was a Wow for me. Despite having reservations about certain characters the whole time. I did not figure out the twist. Looking back I probably should have but even still, I dont think I could have anticipated the punch it would pack at the end. I think I would have appreciated it even more had I read the book and not listened to it. The narrator was a little bland and had difficulty with the female characters' voices. Overall, a very well written and interesting story and I will be looking for more from this author.