Have you ever really thought about the plot of a book? What it’s composed of… how it hooks you? Well, this author comes in swinging with not just the plot line of <i>The Plot</i>, but she wrecks all writing norms by including the plot to another book she titles <i>Crib</i> within <i>The Plot</i> that equals/ rivals the main storyline. Yes, this author comes out with TWO novels in one and both are sure to be hits! This thriller starts out slow, but by the time you get comfortable, she shakes you up like ants in an ant farm - yes, my reading friends- there are ant bodies flying everywhere while you try to ferret out who is doing what and will this fictional author (because our real one absolutely got away with it) get away with stealing (borrowing/ resurrecting…) someone else’s plot. This is a solid read to pick. Anyone who just loves masterful storytelling with be thrilled by it. The audiobook narrator is good for keeping your attending, but let’s face it, this author needed no help- there would be no bad narrator.

A huge thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio as well as this author who came to dominate the thriller genre Jean Hanff Korelitz ( @JeanHanffKoreli ) for providing an advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest opinions. I’m so excited for her next book set to be published in 2022.

You can find my reviews at http://www.OceansOfBooks.com

A thriller that is based on ethics related to the question of plagairism and whether a writer can steal an idea if it is truly an original. This was a fun read with some unexpected twists. I felt like I had the villain pegged as soon as the person entered the story but I couldn't figure out how or why. As a reader and writer I thought this was a fun book that I had a hard time putting down.

"The Plot" is available now. Thanks to NetGalley for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

They say it is about the journey rather then the destination. I really enjoyed The Plot even though I figured out the twist halfway through.

I enjoyed the journey Jake was on throughout the book, the characters he met, and locations he visited were extremely well written and captivating.

Even though I figured out the ending prior, there is still so many WTF moments!

I really enjoyed this novel, and plan on listening to it again to see if I missed any clues along the way.

This story follows a professor named Jacob who is a fledging fiction writer. One of his students, a very unlikeable character, is convinced that he has an idea for a book plot that will sell millions. Jacob discovers that the student is actually a really great writer despite being a know it all. Jacob later learns that the student died before he published this supposedly blockbuster plot. Under the guise of "not letting the plot go to waste," Jacob writes it and publishes it under his own name. The book becomes a great success, but Jacob starts receiving anonymous threats, accusing him of stealing the plot. Jacob pursues various leads to try and identify the accuser. This book was well written, twisty and fun, but I really didn't like Jacob. He passes this plot off as his own, receives acclaim and then has the nerve to try and hunt down someone who threatens to (rightfully) expose him. I just really didn't have respect for this main character and his willful blindness with respect to Anna, as well has his glaring insecurity as a writer. He spends quite a bit of time justifying his actions and I just wasn't there for it. His investigation and its twists and turns were well done, I just wish we had had a different protagonist, perhaps one willing to own his choices, leading us through.

The Plot begins slowly, however, it rewards the reader with a story that is riveting and unique. This is the story of a writer, Jake Bonner, who is desperately trying to write a follow up to his first, somewhat successful, novel. He needs to pay the bills so he takes a job teaching at an undergrad writing workshop for a small college. He is uninspired and going through the motions when he meets the egocentric Evan Parker. Evan confides to Jake about his idea for a book that immediately blows him away. He knows that this story, if written well, will be the kind of blockbuster hit that Jake has been chasing his entire life. A few years pass and the book remains unpublished. Jake is still struggling with writing anything of quality when he discovers that Evan had died not long after their meeting. So therein lies the dilemma, how can any good writer let a plot like that go to waste???? The rest of the story unravels as Jake must come to terms with his decisions and face the consequences.

This was a great story and would be a great book for book clubs and discussion. It is not your typical thriller and written in a way that keeps you guessing until the explosive ending.

Thank you netgalley for the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review

As soon as I read the description of The Plot I knew it sounded like something I would enjoy. I listened to the audio version and thoroughly enjoyed it. It started out slow, but be prepared, because once it picks up you will not want to stop listening. Jacob Finch Bonner is an author with one popular book published, but is struggling coming up with an idea for his next one. While he is trying to figure out his next book he begins teaching a MFA program. and that is where he meets Evan Parker. The Plot is told through the voice of Jake, and then through pages from his current bestselling book. I really enjoyed The Plot. I listened to the last two hours in one sitting because I couldn’t wait to see how it all played out. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC audio version!

Wow! This was a welcomed surprise. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book, but I ended up really enjoying the ride. I liked the book within a book storyline along with the many unexpected twists and turns. The shocking conclusion blew me away! The pacing was perfect and kept me enthralled until the jaw dropping ending. The narration added an element of suspense and intrigue.
Thank you NetGalley and McMillan Audio for my audiobook.

Audiobook Netgalley:

This book grabbed me from the beginning. I very much enjoyed this concept of a once-famous author struggling to find his next great book. He meets a young man that claims to have the PERFECT PLOT that will be a runaway bestseller. Years go by, the young man never writes the book. I will end my synopsis there for fear of giving away too much. I think a good majority of readers will be reading this book to find out just what this perfect plot is.....but this book is more than that. I love the male narrator and his timing. Thank you Netgalley for an ALC of this title. I very much enjoyed it. Such a unique book.

3.5 Until very recently I had better luck with non fiction audio books, not so much with fiction. Now though I've read a few fiction that have changed that, this being one. Thought the narrator did an excellent job and I think that helped draw me into this story. Though I didn't like it as much as some of my friends, I did enjoy the storyline, albeit the slow start. Once it took off though I enjoyed the mystery, search and the question of morality on which the story hinges. Is it okay to steal an idea for a story?

A story, within a story in which I unfortunately guessed the who in the who done it, way before it was unveiled. At that point I asked myself if I would have put the book down had I been reading instead of listening? Possibly, as I am still having and possibly judging too harshly these psychological mysteries. This though was a little different which I appreciated, but much enhanced by my listening experience.

ARC from Netgalley.

Every once in a while, a book breaks out and captures the world. Titles like The Da Vinci Code or Harry Potter are the kind of novels that become a global phenomenon, books that everyone you know is reading and talking about. The works are published in as many languages as possible and circulated around the globe. Inevitably a bidding war breaks out for the rights to create a film or television version of the story. The author goes from unknown to rich celebrity in an instant. For most authors, this is the kind of success they can only dream of. For Jacob Finch Bonner, the main character in Jean Hanff Korelitz's new novel The Plot, that fantasy is about to become reality.

When we first meet Jake, he is barely holding on to his dream of being a professional author. He's published two books, but neither of them brought him enough sales or acclaim to comfortably live off of. Heck, his third and fourth books can't even find a publisher. Instead, Jake serves on the faculty of a low-tiered MFA program, coaching potential young authors with whatever experience and wisdom he can muster. His students rarely make an impression on him, so it is unusual that he finds himself thinking of a young man from his latest class.

Evan Parker is cocky. He's the kind of guy who has all the confidence in the world and isn't afraid to show it. Jake takes an immediate dislike to him. Evan seems to think he's too good for the writing program. He even goes as far as telling Jake that he's only taking the class to pad his resume. Evan claims to have an idea for a novel that is too good to mess up. The last thing he needs is some washed-up author like Jake giving him advice. Jake has seen these kinds of students before, but Evan is different. In their one on one the first week, Evan lays out the plot of his work in progress. Jake can't believe it. Evan is right. He has an idea that will take the world by storm, a surefire hit. All Jake can do is keep living his bland life and wait for his student to become a literary star.

Years go by and Jake's life continues to diminish. The college he taught at closes, and he begins freelance editing self-published works. In an age when anybody with enough willpower and money can publish a book, the world of serious writing slips further and further away from him. He still thinks back to that day when the arrogant Evan Parker outlined his novel. Surprisingly, Jake never heard about his student becoming the runaway success that he was destined to be. On a whim, he looks Evan up. Jake is shocked to see that his student passed away shortly after completing his course. Even more alarming, it appears that Evan never got around to writing his novel, the very novel that was destined to lead him to stardom. In that instant, Jake makes a decision that will alter the course of his own life. He decides to steal Evan Parker's plot and write the hit novel himself.

Who owns an idea? Sure, copyright laws exist to protect the works and their creator, but does an idea in and of itself belong to anyone? These are the questions at the center of The Plot. Jean Hanff Korelitz is no stranger to success. Her novel You Should Have Known was recently adapted into the hit HBO series The Undoing. Here she writes of an author dealing with similar achievement while harboring the secret that his breakout work didn't begin as his own. As Jake grapples with the moral dilemma of his fame and fortune, he must also face the knowledge that someone knows his secret. Jean Hanff Korelitz does a fine job balancing the internal character conflict with the external strife that propels her thriller. I easily raced through the pages of this one, eager to see things come to a head. My only problem is that I guess the twist in the plot about a quarter of the way in. While this didn't completely take away my enjoyment of the story, it did lessen the impact of its conclusion. Still, The Plot is a twisty thrill-ride of a novel that has enough nuanced character development to keep even the most skeptical readers engaged to the very end.

The idea of plagiarism is the subject of this book. When are you crossing the line when you get an idea from another person.... who ends up dead? This book kept me listening to it and I loved the narrator. Very smooth and easy to listen to. I did not see the ending coming. Will definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Auto-Approved Audiobook of The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I was very interested in “The Plot” particularly with her previous work “You Should of Know” which was adapted into the HBO Series “The Undoing” in which my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed!
I normally do not go into the synopsis for my reviews, as I think most reviews are just a rehash of The Plot… Ha!
I enjoyed the scene setting and character introduction, but as we got into the book, I started to get a clear idea who the antagonist was. Now that is no reason to not read or listen to the book! We have all figured out who the bad guy was in thriller mysteries! That is part of the fun, and “The Plot” is still fun and interesting.
Speaking of plot, there are several references to other stories and authors. The book is sort of a homage to the art of The Story, which I almost enjoyed as much as the plot of the novel. There is a lot of “inside baseball” about writers and the publishing world which I did find fascinating. I felt it was a nice subplot and helped the overall theme of the novel.
If you enjoyed “The Undoing” on HBO, or the original novel “You Should of Known” I think you will enoy “The Plot” and its homage to writing and on its own merits as a thriller mystery!
Happy Reading and Stay Safe! Thank you!

A book about a book? Has the potential to be extremely boring, but not this one. Honestly, this was a "plot" that I don't think I have read about before, and I enjoyed it.

Synopsis:
Jacob Finch Bonner is a previously successful, now struggling writer, teaching an MFA course when he comes across a cocky student who is sure that they have the next "great thing." Jacob reads an excerpt from the student's novel and actually agrees. A few years later, when Jacob discovers that the student, Evan Parker, never actually published this book, and is in fact, dead, he decides that this story is too good not to tell. Jacob risks taking what little he knows about the "plot" and making it into his own novel.
All is going well for Jacob and his new best-selling novel until someone starts threatening him that they know that he is a plagiarist, and will expose him. Who knew Evan Parker? Who read the book before? How is Jacob going to silence this blackmailer?

Thoughts:
The audiobook actually took me about 15-20% to actually become fully invested in this story. It was a little slow and confusing at first, but once the action picked up, I was sucked in.
While Jacob is trying to figure out who the heck is threatening him and could have known about Evan's original novel, he finds out more and more about his former student's life, which brings us layers of family drama and a mystery I couldn't wait to be solved. While in hindsight, I should have predicted the ending, I definitely did not while listening!

I love reading about writers and I think this one delivered on that front.
I wouldn't call this "suspenseful," but it really was a well-done mystery novel!
4/5 stars for me!

Excuse my pun but I feel like the plot of this has been done before - Californication season 1 and 2, anyone? I really wanted to like this book but felt like it was just missing something major that I can't quite put my finger on. I did think the story moved quickly and the characters were interesting but maybe the plot just seemed so familiar that I couldn't fully enjoy it for what it was. It definitely starts as a slow burn and ramps up in drama by the end. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to and review the audiobook version of this title. Jacob Finch Bonner is an author teaching at an MFA program when he meets Evan Parker, a cocky student with a killer book idea. A few years later, Bonner discovers that Parker died not long after that semester, and so he decides to write Parker's idea into his own super successful work. As Bonner is riding the book's success, he receives an email that says, "You are a thief." For the rest of the book, Bonner attempts to discover who this person could be. It was a slow start as Korelitz sets the scene, but it paid off with a brilliant exploration of the nature of fiction, who can tell who's story, whether an idea can be stolen, and an inside look at the publishing industry. Some of my favorite passages were of Bonner's philosophizing about writing. And of course - there is a jaw-dropping twist that you will not see coming. There's also tons of name dropping of famous authors and their works throughout the book. I enjoyed this so much I plan to purchase it in print for my favorites shelf.

This is a story about a crib.

This book was an unsettling, psychological slow burn and I was on the edge of my seat by the end. I called the twist early on; however, I found that it didn't really impact by enjoyment of the story, as it was still just as uncomfortable to watch it unfold. The writing was excellent, and I enjoyed the exploration of the concept of story.. Because how does one own a story? Is it the words? The theme? The.... plot?

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .💫 /5

Thank you so much to Negalley & Macmillan Audio for this ALRC!

A book about a book? What could be better!! I really wish I had read this one rather than listened to the audio version. In the beginning it was very distracting due to the recording sounding like it was being stopped after each sentence. There’s no way to explain the plot of the story. It truly is a story within a story. It’s unique. It’s compelling in that the author truly has two stories being told at the same time. Unfortunately the beginning was a slow burn and then about a quarter of the way through the intrigue begins and then it burns slowly again. However, there’s enough questions and drama to make a reader want to continue and for that I gave the author four stars for what a unique read this was. I appreciated the advanced readers copy from Celandon and Netgalley and look forward to reading more from this author.

I don't read a lot of thrillers, and I could see where this one was going, but I really enjoyed watching the main character figure it all out.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Rating: 10/10
Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
Narrator: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Publisher: Macmillan Audio / Celadon Books

Wow, just wow! I loved The Plot so much. It’s now in my top 10 fiction books of 2021. I could not stop listening. I needed to keep peeling back the layers of this complex suspense/mystery novel. Kirby Heyborne did a fantastic job narrating this one. I don’t know how to describe it because I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll refer you to the official book synopsis.

I figured out who the killer was almost immediately upon their introduction. Therefore, there was no "big reveal" for me. I was just waiting for the MC to figure it out.

I was seriously bored of the slow-burn internal struggle when the novel finally shifted to a fast-paced author turned detective story.

Problems that I had with the plot (SPOILER ALERT):

1) When you "advertise" a huge surprise at the end, maybe don't give us so many clues.
2) A woman does not have to have grey hair to dye her hair any color she wants. If her real hair color was anything normal, it may not have telegraphed the ending.
3) The introduction of the grey hair coupled with the "How old do you think I am" conversation was too obvious for me.
4) Why does she suddenly decide to create a public face for herself after she kills the MC? Her anonymity is what kept her secrets, well, secret. The apartment cleaner, small-town coroner, and volunteer firefighter would surely recognize her. Wouldn't they wonder why the MC was looking for his own wife? This should raise some serious red flags with the coroner.
5) She wants to be a writer - out of the blue? Does she even have an idea for a book?