The book is exactly what the title states, a sequel. I enjoyed the first novel "The Plot", and felt like this one was able to drive across the story...but it is, in fact a sequel. It was an interesting take, with characters that made you want to continue to see how it all ends.

Like an alternative point of view, this novel revisits the scene-of-the-crime so to speak of The Plot and turns the tables somewhat. Unlikeable characters pull my rating down to 4 stars from the 5 stars I would usually give such a compelling book. It was hard to put down when I switched to the audiobook version. Thanks NetGalley for the arc print copy.

Anna Williams Bonner knows how to get things done. She took care of the problem of her author husband…umm, late husband, and has now written a book of her own. When her past won’t seem to leave her alone, she goes on a quest to make sure her past stays exactly where she left it.

I enjoyed The Plot more than this one. This was slow moving in most places. There were a few things that happened that made my mouth drop open, but for the most part I was underwhelmed.

An argument could be made that a sequel to The Plot wasn’t necessary and I would agree. The Plot had an it factor that made it easy to devour.

But this has something The Plot doesnt. A central main character that is reprehensible, but entertaining; immoral and fascinating. Anna feels like the female equivalent of Joe Goldberg, so being in her head was so entertaining.

The pacing dragged a bit sometimes, but Anna’s voice is compelling enough that I would definitely pick up another book in this series.

The Sequel picks up where The Plot ended. Anna Williams-Bonner wrote a book and is off on a national tour promoting and meeting with fans of hers and Jake when things start popping up about her past. Does someone else know what she knows? But who and how?

I enjoyed reading more about Anna's childhood and her traumas. Her motivation for doing what she did and what she is doing.

Thank you Jean Hanff Korelitz, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm always hesitant to pick up a sequel (no pun intended) to a book that I enjoyed. Same as movies, ya know? But, this one was not a disappointment. I mean, Anna is a total narcissist, but we knew that going in - just maybe not to what degree. I can see where this may go with book 3, but I may be done with 2. Good place to stop IMO.

Disappointing read for me. I love The Plot and was sorely disappointed in The Sequel. The writing is slow and the scenes are repetitive and boring.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC which I read in exchange for my honest review.

The sequel to THE PLOT, Anna is back and crazy as ever. Starting where THE PLOT leaves off (no spoilers!) she’s published her own book, THE AFTERWARD. She’s living a dream, until she begins to receive excerpts in the mail of a novel that isn’t supposed to exist. Whoever is sending the excerpts appears to know enough about Anna that can blow her perfect world apart. She has a LOT of skeletons.

What follows is a fun cat-and-mouse game. It’s no secret that I love living inside the mind of a psychopath, and Anna is no exception. The wry humor added to my enjoyment.

Smart, intelligent, and well-written, don’t miss this series!

But do read book one in the series first!

Stay alert throughout the early chapters of the book. Korelitz has brilliantly crafted this suspense novel. All the pieces of the puzzle come perfectly together by the end which will keep you flipping the pages. I eagerly await the sequel to The Sequel. What more can be said!

The Sequel is not as compelling as the first book, and that has a lot to do with the fact that Jake, for all his flaws, was a more sympathetic and relatable main character than Anna. Although she’s been through a lot of hardship and trauma in her life, she also seems to be some variety of psychopath (not that the ending of the first book left that in much doubt but I felt like it was confirmed by having her thought processes in full view.) The plot is also pretty same-y when you come down to it, and the twists don’t hit nearly as hard. Overall it just felt like a weaker rehash of the first book. It’s well written, so if it weren’t a sequel it would get a higher rating, but it pales in comparison to The Plot.

I loved this and hated it equally. She is such a BAD person but watching her scandalous behavior was fun. Looking forward to more books by her but I hope I like the characters better.

In a worthy follow-up to The Plot, this book picks up Anna Williams-Bonner’s story following the death of her husband, Jacob Finch Bonner. She has secured Jacob’s legacy and is enjoying the royalty checks that resulted from his posthumous literary success. And she has written her own novel, which has received both acclaim and has been embraced by readers.

But just as she is riding high, she receives, through various sources, excerpts from a novel draft that should have long since disappeared. These unwelcome arrivals mean there is someone out there who knows too much about her late brother and late husband — and the truth of Anna’s own complicated history. As Anna tries to find out who is behind it, she feels her control over her own story may be slipping away.

This is a well written, thought-provoking novel. It explores interesting themes around identity, authorship, and success in the world of publishing, and what makes a good sequel, all within a compelling mystery.

Highly recommended!

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I really liked the first book and had high hopes for the second but it just didn’t do it for me. It’s probably me and not the book but I just couldn’t keep going to find out.

I really did not know what to expect with The Sequel after everything The Plot served us. I was pleasantly surprised! I ended up listening to the audiobook and it was wonderful, per usual. I loved that we had a strong, morally corrupt female lead. I felt guilty rooting for her, which is always a fun concept when reading a story.

I enjoyed The Plot and was satisfied with the ending, so I was not even expecting a sequel. Did the story really need to keep going? I don't think so, I think it would have been fine to stop after The Plot. But I stil find The Sequel to be a fairly enjoyable story, and I did want to keep reading to see what would happen.

The Sequel focuses on Anna Williams-Bonner. After her husband's death (as described in The Plot), she is moving on and writing her own novel. She publishes a novel and becomes a best-selling author herself. But her success is short-lived when she starts receiving threatening notes from someone who seems to know all the secrets she has spent her whole life trying to hide.

I liked learning more about Anna's backstory. At times it felt like she was a real human and almost likeable, and I think it added depth to her character to learn more about what she has been through.

I did think this story was more of a slow burn, and it ended up feeling too similar to the first book-- rehashing the original story and then also adding a new story that was very similar to the original story of The Plot. Again, I question whether there was enough story here to necessitate an entirely new book.

So my thoughts are a little divided with this book. I liked some of it but also felt it was repetitive.

This book was so much fun! I really enjoyed The Plot and I think this was an amazing follow up. There is also something about books about books that keeps me super engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC.

If you liked the Plot, you must picked up the second novel. It's just as compelling and twisty as the original. I would recommend to anyone who loves a page turner and would think much like the first novel, it would make a great book club read! I definitely recommend you check it out!

JHK has absolutely cemented herself as an "auto buy" author for me now. The Plot was so perfect that I thought "why mess with a good thing?" I also thought it would be like other sequels-- good, but not as good as the original.. I am happy to report that I was wrong! I was hanging on every word and I have to tempt fate to ask: can she make it a trilogy?

The story was compelling enough to keep me glued to it, but as I was going back and forth between the ecopy and the audiobook, I found that the characters were hard for me to enjoy. I enjoyed the mystery of trying to figure out who was threatening to out the main character's past, but I didn't love the route to getting to the resolution. This is a book where the lead is not a hero and frankly most all the characters were either mercenary or evil in some way or another. I guess they had to be in order for the reader to tolerate how Anna resolved her problems. I am just not the right audience for that kind of protagonist lead. I found myself captivated with the story, but dreading what would always come next. I would recommend it to people who don't mind sociopaths as much as I do. Ha.

This felt completely unnecessary and mind-numbingly repetitive. Not only were entire situations and even words (lachrymose is TOO SPECIFIC A WORD for multiple characters to use it!) repeated over and over, but the whole plot also felt like a retread of the first book. Despite this being a sequel, it's somehow still all about that first book from The Plot. The pacing was off (the first 20% is Anna writing a book and then going on tour zzzZZZzZZz), there were too many endings, and nothing felt earned or satisfying.