Two thrillers for the price of one - Jacob Finch Bonner’s stollen story itself and the events that unfold once his novel is released into the world. I loved how the plot of the author’s book unravelled alongside his own in alternating chapters. It is definitely a slower start while the anticipation of learning the plot twist inside his story builds, but that revelation is only the first of many as events in real life spiral out of control. A very enjoyable double thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy. The Plot available May 11, 2021.

The Plot
By Jean Hanff Korelitz

Like so many others, I almost gave up on this book because it started out so slowly. But I am truly glad that I continued reading. The plot within The Plot kept building. Jacob Finch Bonner is a writer whose first novel was hugely successful but whose next book was mediocre. He began second guessing himself and his ability to write when an arrogant student in a writing class he is teaching drops an unbelievable story in his lap. A few years later, Jacob realizes that the student’s book has never been published. When he learns that the student has died, he decides that the story must be told and that he has an obligation to the story to tell it. But, should the story be told? Of course,the new book is a huge success. One reader, however, believes the story shouldn’t have been told and anonymously starts accusing Jacob of plagiarism. As Jacob becomes obsessed with learning the truth about his accuser, the story intensifies with more twists and turns leading to a surprise ending.

This was a very good read. Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan for an advanced copy of this book.

Could not get on with the voice reading this one which I was gutted about because the story sounded amazing! The problem with the voice is that it sounded like a robot and had no emotion in it whatsoever :(

I wanted to like this one, but I found it to be extremely difficult to get into. The whole first part about the writing retreat was so dry. I know it was just setting up for the rest of the book, but it just didn't grab me. I've seen so many people raving about this one, but it just didn't do it for me.

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz was an extremely clever book. Jean Hanff Korelitz was a new author for me but based on this book I would definitely read other books by her. I listened to the audiobook that was well narrated by Kirby Heyborne.

The Plot could be described as a psychologically suspenseful novel. It explored the morals of writer’s plagiarism. What would you do if you were given the privilege of listening to a plot for a book from one of your students and were convinced along with your pompous student that it would become a successful, best selling novel? That was the dilemma Jacob Finch Bonner faced. He was teaching a writing course at a small unknown master’s program when this happened. Jacob had written two novels already but he was experiencing writer’s block when he tried to write his third book. He never forgot the plot of the story his disrespectful student told him during office hours so many years ago. Jacob continually watched for the book to be published but it never materialized. As Jacob dug further into his student’s life he discovered that his student had died. At that point, Jacob made the decision to borrow the plot and write the book himself. It was an instant success as he knew it would be. Jacob became a celebrated and well accomplished author. Jacob never stopped looking over his shoulder, though. Would he be accused of stealing someone else’s story?

The plot was a fast paced, page turning book. I could not seem to stop listening to this book. It was suspenseful but a little too predictable. I guessed the ending well before it was presented. The characters were well developed and complex. Jacob may have been too trusting and a little naive but likable. I really enjoyed reading The Plot and would recommend it very highly.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen this advanced audiobook of The Plot through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I think it's safe to say that I've never read anything like The Plot. Jake was a professor in an MFA program when one of his least likable students discloses the plot that is guaranteed to make any author famous. Jake reluctantly agrees but goes about his life. Some years later, when he remembers the plot, he also realizes that his former student, Evan, doesn't seem to have published his work yet. After a quick search, Jake realizes that Evan died shortly after finishing the MFA course and likely never finished his book.

We join Jake as he's touring the world, on bestsellers lists, and all thanks to one very special plot. Jake isn't a bad guy, after all, he doesn't take the actual /story/, just the general plotline. And as everyone knows, plots can't be copyrighted. It all starts going wrong for Jake when he gets that first email. Someone knows. Someone knows the plot isn't his and someone wants to expose him.

So often in books, we are told about these special plots, songs, stories, etc., and we don't get a chance to experience them ourselves. Author, Jean Hanff Korelitz, goes above and beyond writing not just one story by two (possibly 3!), allowing us to experience Evan's story and Jake's story throughout the course of the book and it really pays off. The narrator, Kirby Heyborne, was perfect and kept me engaged the whole way through.

5/5 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Celadon Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Everyone has a unique voice and a story nobody can tell. And anybody can be a writer”

The Plot is a pretty interesting, inception like story that follows two plots, the plot of the story by Jacob Finch Bonner, and The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I don’t really “hate” MCs, but gah, best believe I was wholeheartedly cheering for Talented Tom! Evan Parker/Parker Evan was pretty bleh too, so I was happy to see justice served on that end.

You know if there’s a book that involves Athens, I’m there! I was surprised to see it pop up in The Plot. I mean, we went all the way to Rabun Gap, so it nice to see that. The reader of the book did a wonderful job on accents (the slurring in the bar was top notch) and definitely felt like southern accents were probably the most realistic I’ve heard in quite some time.

I feel like there were two big twists in this book. I saw them both coming, but still enjoyed it nonetheless. I called my husband and told him about 40% in that something was off and I was right. This was a book I would have recommended for him, and still am going to make him listen on audio. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed, but it did wrap it up in a nice bow, which is what I was hoping for.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I felt it was a good book with good twists. (Predicable doesn’t always mean boring y’all.) If you’re a fan of The Secret Window or The Talented Mr. Ripley, this one is for you! Thank you @celadon and @macmillanaudio for the gifted copies! The Plot is out May 11th.

5 fabulous stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Jake is a writer and published author, a one hit wonder of sorts, but maybe more half a hit. He is struggling to come up with a best seller to really make it as an author. While teaching, he meets Evan, a cocky student who exudes confidence and thinks he is a brilliant writer. Evan also has a brilliant idea for a story which he shares with Jake. A real game changer. Years alter and the story still isn't published. Jake finds out the reason, Evan died before he could tell his history

Jake sees this as an opportunity to truly make it as an author and turns Evan's idea into his own boom. Except Jake isn't the only one who knew about Evan's story.

There is so much to love about this book. The writing was superb. You really get into Jake's head and get to know him, all the good and bad. The story is fantastic. I loved the idea of a book within a book, such a unique way to tell the story.

Thank you Celadon Books, MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for both the digital and audio ARC

It took me a few pages to get into the writing style of this book, but once I got settled in, I really enjoyed this plot within a plot book!

Jacob Finch Bonner, the author of a moderately successful first book is teaching a writing class at a small college in New England. One of his students shares the plot of book he plans to write. The plot is an obvious best seller, and when Jake doesn’t see the book published, he investigates and finds out that student has died, never publishing the book. Jake uses the student’s plot and writes a book, it is a huge success, but someone knows that the idea wasn’t his.

I liked the organization of the book, one story following Jake with chapters of Jake’s book sprinkled in.
I did have a basic idea of who knew that Jacob used his student’s plot about halfway through, but as the writing was the good and there were some twists I didn’t see coming, this book continued to gain momentum from that point and it was a great read.

I will recommend this book to friends who like suspense novels. I will also be looking at other books by this author.

I received both the audiobook and the physical copy of this book. I started with the physical copy, switched over to the audiobook when I was walking, and then switched back to the physical copy to finish. The audiobook was fine, the narrator was fine, but I really enjoyed reading this particular book more than I enjoyed listening.

As a side note, the NetGalley audio app is not great – I can’t go back unless I go back a whole chapter, and it often just stops at the end of a chapter and I have to go in, start two chapters ahead, and then go back to the previous chapter.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an Audio ARC of of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I truly admired the author's writing abilities and obvious intelligence. I even enjoyed many of the discussions about artistic inspiration and how writers take from and build on other author's ideas and plots. (I cringe every time I hear allegations of plagiarism in either the publishing or music industry. To my mind, hasn't every trope, conflict or life drama been depicted in just about every manner possible by now?)

I actually enjoyed this novel., but......! As I listened to this wordy, overly descriptive audio on the NetGalley Ap, I kept thinking ... hmm, shades of <u>The Goldfinch</u>, by Tartt. I gave up reading <u>The Goldfinch</u> after a while because it just went on and on and on and on and on..... The erudite, "high altitude" writing style in <u>The Plot</u>reminded me strongly of Donna Tartt.

Acquit me! - I love a good discussion about art: the history of, the making of, the talented or eccentric creators of, the feelings and thoughts evoked by, etc. etc. As I audited this book, I often felt like I was back in class, listening to a lecture - but without the opportunity to raise my hand and ask the Prof for clarification or even debate a point.. (I also felt the urge to check for footnotes and reference sources, but, alas, this was an audiobook....)

The narrator was quite decent and I liked his voice, but I was occasionally distracted by his pronunciation of certain words and would loose the thread of the story. (For example: the main character's name: Instead of Jacob Finch Bonner, I occasionally heard Jacob Finch <i>Boner</i> - I kid you not! This is basic phonics, people!) Also, the NetGalley Shelf AP - Yikes! I got so frustrated whenever I tried to rewind the narration for just a few sentences.

Technical issues aside, this was a pretty decent thriller, but half way through., I knew who the killer was, the why of it and even the how of it, and I could even foretell how the story was going to end - <i>and</i> I knew I wasn't going to like that ending.

My take: everything was a tad "over-explained." There really was nothing left to infer or guess - all the work was done for the reader. Dialogue and characterization were good, and the various settings were so well described and detailed, you could probably make your way through the halls of the now defunct Ripley college or the small New England towns where the main and side stories took place. This minute attention to detail and the heavy use of elaborate and multi-syllabic descriptors slowed the action down.

This entire novel can certainly be made into a movie, but it will be a short movie, because nothing much <i>happens</i>... just the slow dripping away of all the characters lives - both fictional and "sub-fictional," and all of those long interior monologues from Jacob.

Of course, I enjoyed the "NOVEL WITHIN A NOVEL THAT MIRRORS THE ACTION IN THE MAIN NOVEL" theme, but this is what made it so very predictable. Maybe <u>The Plot</u> was never meant to be a thriller in the true sense, but if you were hoping for a shocking twist, I don't see how you couldn't see it coming.

I'm rating this one a 3.8 out of 5 because the writing was very good, and I did enjoy the literary discussions, but as a thriller.... well, I'll let you decide, because I do still highly recommend this one!

Jean Hanff Korelitz is unique in her telling of this amazing, intriguing story because she captures the protagonist's emotional state throughout his creative process, as she highlights for readers the internal frustrations of learning to write fiction which is publishable. In creating her chief character Jacob Bonner, Korelitz reveals not only the critical nature of the publishing world, but also she criticizes the purpose of the curriculum behind certain academic writing programs. Speedy, gratifying programs that will help writers create works of fiction or poetry which will get scooped up by top publishing houses for immediate publication!
This narrative is unique because along the way, Korelitz is creating a narrative which causes readers to raise questions about what the true meaning of Jacob's intentions and behaviors truly are. In so doing, she creates an entertaining story that suggests she's trying to elicit reverse psychology from readers. Readers will respond to this story because Jacob is daring and his journey, an allegory for sure, is something readers will feel like they'd never dare to do, but its intriguing for them to keep reading. Korelitz uses suspense along the way, and she pulls us into this story, and you are caught in her grips until the shocking resolution!
Overall, Korelitz is unique in creating narratives. That said, without creating a spoiler, she carefully weaves into the first story or base story, the actual "plot" or story from one of Jacob Bonner's students ( A student any teacher would say clearly feels they can devise a great idea, but then they don't want to put the efforts into writing and developing it). Then this fictional student -created story becomes a key ingredient in the whole mix of the baseline story, Jacob's story, because he retells it over the course of this engaging book.
Korelitz has mastered her craft in spinning out 2 EXCEPTIONAL novels, this and her novel, The Undoing, another psychological story. If you haven't read it, I encourage you to read it as well. Both great thrillers published by Macmillan.
Thank you for the ARC copy.

I love books that have a story within a story, and it makes sense that a book called The Plot would be in this style. I was immediately drawn into the story from the first page (minute, I suppose, since I listened to the audiobook) and I listened during every free moment I could find until I finished. Readers always wonder where authors find their ideas, so what happens when an established author hears about a book plot from a budding author who never writes their book, so that established author then takes the idea and writes a bestseller? Is it stealing when the original author was never able to write their book because they passed away? This was an interesting mystery and sure to lead to interesting discussions!

As I said, I listened to the audiobook, and I almost stopped listening to the book because I did not like the narrator at all. His cadence almost sounded robotic. The only reason why I continued to listen was because I was quickly invested in the story. If I’d had a physical copy, I would have switched to that early on. So while I definitely recommend reading The Plot, opt for the physical book and not the audio.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 STARS!

THE PLOT is a beautifully written mystery/thriller that had me guessing almost all the way. Jean Hanff Korelitz is going on my "must read" authors list!

Jacob Finch Bonner is struggling as a writer. His first book was a modest success, but in some ways, that makes writing the second more difficult. He's now written a second and a third, but neither one was accepted for publication, so now Jake is teaching at a small college in Vermont. One of his students, Evan Parker, stands out because of his arrogance and attitude. One day in what amounts to a student-teacher conference, Parker tells Jake the plot of the book he wants to write, and Jake finally understands where Parker's arrogance comes from. The plot is AMAZING and will most certainly be a best-seller. Jake moves on, waiting to hear news regarding the publication of Parker's novel, but he never does. A few years later, having heard nothing, Jake searches for Evan Parker and found that he died, never having published a word. What do you think Jake did then? What any writer would do, of course! What happened after that? You'll have to read this to find out!

I listened to THE PLOT on audio and at first, I didn't think I'd be able to finish it. Seriously, this book has a very slow start. I didn't care for the narrator at that point either. A few Goodreads friends warned me of the slow start and advised me to try and hang in there because the payoff was *chef's kiss*. I'm glad they warned me and I'm happy to report that they were right. The narrator ended up growing on me quite a bit as more characters and voices were introduced.

What I did like, right from the beginning was the author's writing style. The first part of this book is a lot of "telling" and even though I didn't much care for that, I can still respect how well it was written. Once the story gets moving though, the writing really shines and here's the kicker: not only is she telling Jake's story, she's telling the story that Jake wrote, based on Parker's idea. So, there are actually two stories here, with chapters of Jake's book CRIB, intermittently sprinkled throughout. Somehow, Ms. Korelitz manages to do this so that the storylines between the two are correlated and it makes for very fast paced and intriguing chapters.

The plot for...well, THE PLOT, is an intricate wonder and I found myself guessing almost to the very, very end. I'd say I guessed correctly around the 70% mark, but I did doubt myself. Around the 90% mark is when I knew I had guessed correctly. I did not see all the twists related to my theory, so even though I did guess the perpetrator, the denouement still held a few surprises.

I was not familiar with this author prior to this book, (I thought.) Then I discovered that the HBO series I watched called THE UNDOING was written by her, and that show was a trip! THE PLOT would have been a perfect 5 star read for me, but I deducted half a star for the slow beginning and because I did guess who the bad guy was beforehand. Still, I rounded it up to 5 stars here at Goodreads and I'm pretty sure this book will make my top ten of the year!

Highly recommended! 4.5/5 stars!

*Thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio download of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz, is a slow-burn, intriguing, reflective mystery that asks the question, does the plot of a book belong to the creator of the story, or to the person who writes it and brings it to life?

This story definitely contains interesting commentary on the life of an author and the publishing industry.
The main character, Jacob “Finch” Bonner, is a phlegmatic figure who has dedicated his life to writing, and though he has written a fairly well-received novel in the past, he finds himself plagued by a lack of inspiration. While biding his time, he teaches a writing workshop and comes across an arrogant, narcissistic student who brags that he’s got a sure thing, a story that is destined to be a bestseller, now he just has to write it. Jacob realizes that the story is truly explosive; a tale worth telling.

Years later, when the story still hasn’t been written and the author is not longer available to write it, Jacob questions if a plot truly belongs to the teller, or the person who pens it. As he wrestles with this question, and delves into the story itself, it takes on a life of its own, one with tragic consequences.

This story is clearly introspective and more literary fiction than thriller or suspense novel, in my opinion. In fact, it’s not until much later in the story that the mystery truly picks up momentum and changes not only tempo, but also the tenor of the story. There is an overall melancholy tone to the writing that speaks to the main character’s mindset. I thought the narrator did an excellent job of capturing the conflicted, quiet character of Jacob Bonner and truly helped set the tone of the story with his portrayal. Unfortunately, the plot also contains the cliched trope of the ignorant, heartless Christian as one of its antagonists.

Though the unraveling of the mystery is satisfying in and of itself, I thought the big shock of the plot in question was not as fascinating as it was made out to be. And through I did figure out the perpetrator prior to the reveal, it was still a creative, impressive and well-plotted resolution.

The Plot is a compelling, contemplative story with a slow-building mystery. It’s a well-written, thought-provoking and an enjoyable story.

I adore clever mysteries, and this sounded like the perfect literary suspense novel.

I found the first half quite interesting. It started off slowly, setting the scene of Jake's life as a writer and providing commentary on the world of writing and publishing. The second half was a rollercoaster of suspicion and anticipation. This would make an excellent book club pick; there's a lot to unpack in this narrative. Overall, it was an enjoyable (but somewhat predictable) story, perfect for fans of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair.

🎧 The narration for this book was well done. I listened at 1.5x speed with no issue, even though the plot jumps around to different narrators and storylines.

I received a copy of this audiobook through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When I first started this audio book I was like alright keep pushing through the mud it has got to pick up speed. I think about 1 hour into it the pace started picking up and the plot started unwinding. I found myself looking forward to the next time I had a moment to listen to it.

The characters went from bland forgettable to fully developed individuals that I felt I could envision.

Though the story started off slowly, by the end I was thinking “what did I just listen too?” I feel like this is in my top 10 for the year so far.

Highly recommend!

DNF at 53%.

I did not particularly like the narrator. His voice was more droning than I would have preferred and didn't keep my interest.

The story was too slow to get going and incredibly boring at 53%.

Thanks so much to the publisher and author for an advanced ecopy of The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I had previously read this author's book, You Should Have Known ( aka The Undoing), and really liked it. My enjoyment of this one was just as great. You can hardly go wrong for me with a plot that includes a book within a book! Jake is a somewhat of a milktoast character....a writer who years ago had a highly praised first novel to which he has never had an equally lauded follow-up. As his money dried up, he was forced out of his NYC writer's community into a more suburban liberal arts college that has seen better days, too. Jake now is a mentor to wannabe writers, very few of whom he has much hope. Then one day, a student shows up with a plot so great the student just knows it will be a best-seller and be made into a movie by an A-list director. He won't tell Jake the plot, but through some of his creative writing he allows Jake to critique, Jake is intrigued. He finally convinces the student to share the plot with him. Jake is amazed to realize that, for once, he agrees that his student has a fail-proof plot that will be just as successful as the student thinks it will be, IF the man ever actually writes it. Years go by, though, and Jake realizes that the book was never written.....Jake, still struggling to find writing inspiration that will elevate him to the top of his game again decides since the student never wrote a book about the plot, someone should, and it might as well be him.

Naturally, the book IS the success Jake knew it would be and he is on top of the world....but someone realizes the plot of Jake's book was stolen, and they aren't about to let him get by with it.

I thought the pace of The Plot moved really well and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. I had the luxury of listening to the audio when in my car, while reading the ecopy at home.

The narration of the audio was very good. The characters all came to life well. The whole book was satisfying to me except the ending, though the ending was entirely appropriate for the tone of the novel. This author is clearly a cynic, and writes her cynicism well. I will be telling everyone about The Plot. Can't wait until someone buys the rights to make this book into just as great a series or movie as The Undoing was for the author her last go-around.

Ooh, this is a dark, twisty story!

Jacob Finch Bonner is a novelist, struggling to make ends-meat and find the right story idea for his next novel when one of his students at the MFA program tells him his plot idea. And what a plot it is. His student boasts that he doesn’t even need to be a good writer to turn an idea like that into an amazing success. Jacob is jealous of the other man’s idea and confidence, but he soon forgets all about it until a couple of years later. He then looks up the student to see if he ever did write that novel, and finds nothing…

I don’t want to give too much away because the joy of reading this novel is being fed each puzzle piece and seeing how it all fits together. I was gripped from the beginning, and while I did work out the ending by about halfway through it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the rest of the story. It’s dark, and delightfully disturbing with characters you’ll love to loathe. Plus, I loved that Seattle is featured (including one of my favorite bookstores, Elliot Bay Books) a couple of times throughout the story.

The audiobook was well-paced and it felt like I flew through the 10 hours and 43 minutes in no time. You might also recognize Kirby Heyborne’s narration from The Wife Upstairs or Hour of the Witch.

3 Stars ⭐⭐⭐
The plot is about a tale as old as time as it were. A student starts writing the next best novel, and the teacher sees the success available. Unfortunately the student dies, and the teacher decides he is going to finish the novel as his own work. This novel was ok for me. Personally the narrator of the audiobook made for a boring read. Maybe a physical copy would have had a higher rating, but maybe not. The execution of the plot was great, in dealing with the morality of our choices and such. I just wish it had been a little more fast paced in order to hold my attention more.
" Thank you to Netgalley, for sending me an free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review."