I was a big fan of Jean Hanff Korelitz's first novel in this series, "The Plot," so I had high expectations for "The Sequel." I am pleased that this book lived up to those expectations! Korelitz brings the reader back to the world of Anna Williams-Bonner, who is fresh off of the book tour of her late husband's final novel when she finds literary inspirations of her own. Anna is an unexpected (to everyone else at least) success. However, she soon begins to receive anonymous letters in the mail that threaten to unveil her buried secrets.

While the plot of "The Sequel" shares many similarities with its predecessor, Korelitz manages to make the story feel fresh by exploring it through Anna's perspective. Anna could have easily been a pretentious narrator who makes the book unbearable. Yet, Korelitz crafts an antihero that I found myself rooting for no matter how terrible she gets. The story also featured a share of twists making it difficult to put the book down.

The writing of this book was also excellent, with plenty of excellent quips about sequels, the publishing industry, and writers in particular. I found myself genuinely laughing out loud at a few points. I would also be remiss if I did not mention my appreciation for the clever chapter titles!

Whether you love writers or hate writers, this book was a darkly funny journey into the past of Anna Williams-Bonner, and I appreciated the chance to learn more about her history. Jean Hanff Korelitz is a fantastic writer, and I highly recommend picking up a copy of "The Sequel."

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this book, scheduled for publication in October 2024.

Read The Plot, even reread it, before diving into The Sequel!

Thank you to Celadon for the review copy of The Sequel, and to MacMillan Audio for the audio review copy, narrated by the incredible Julia Whelan.

I’m a huge fan of Jean Hanff Korelitz. Her voice and writing style pull readers deep into the thoughts and mindsets of her characters—whether they’re heroes or villains—exploring their darker, sometimes snarkier, sides.

What really works in The Sequel is the intriguing exploration of what happens when someone starts taunting Anna, the murderous wife from The Plot. I loved the cat-and-mouse, chess-like game that unfolds once again. Though it serves as an extension of The Plot, The Sequel firmly stands on its own, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at the book publishing world.

The pacing is excellent, seamlessly weaving in parts of that original manuscript that refuses to stay buried, while following Anna on her present-day book tour. As she becomes increasingly unsettled, the tension builds as she tries to figure out who is taunting her and what truths they know—truths she desperately wants to keep hidden. As always, Julia Whelan's narration is pitch perfect, bringing in just the right tone to Anna's darker edgier thoughts and attitudes and keeping me engrossed in the twists and turns as the plot unfolds.

From the very first page you feel like you're on the road to another winner by Jean Hanff Korelitz. It'sliterally the sequel to The Plot. Remember the main character from The Plot Jacob Finch Bonner. A very fragile writer who commits suicide at the end of the book (sorry for the spoiler) Anyways, he left a wife behind and she decides to write a book. Nobody expects it except everyone. She publishes the novel and has great success with until she gets a note and that's when the novel kicks in. It's all about her pat which I'm not about to tell you about because that would be a true spoiler for someone who is deciding to read the novel. I would definetly recommend taht your read The Plot before you pick up The Sequel. The reaon why is that both novel are very well executed and readable so you wont get bored. It's playful fun and yet super smart. The main character in this novel is obviously the wife and Ms. Korelitz isn't making her likable which is fine. You can tell from the first few pages that woman has issues. I loved not liking her and see where the story would take me. I highly recommend this book. It's nice when a follow up book is written and not because the first one was so successful so author just writes it to cash in on it. She definetly had something more to say about the publishing world and what makes us tick as humans. READ IT!!! Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon books for the read.

Anna, widow of the plagiarizing writer who became a literary sensation only to meet his untimely end in Jean Hanff Korelitz’s suspenseful page-turner, THE PLOT, is now a literary sensation in her own right. However, as she glories in telling her own story and enjoying the literary success her husband once had, strange packages and messages begin to turn up–revealing that someone knows more about her husband’s death–and Anna’s own secret past–than Anna would like. And so begins a suspenseful cat-and-mouse hunt for the truth, threaded with sharp, spot-on (and funny) observations about the literary and publishing worlds.

THE SEQUEL is a good sequel. It has a very similar feel to THE PLOT: suspenseful hunt, layered revelations, unexpected twists, and human stories of wrongdoing and revenge. It falls just a hair short of THE PLOT’s suspense and story, but that still makes it a wonderful novel: a smart, suspenseful, page-turning read.

Merry Widow Anna knows a thing or two about stumbling onto a great story, and is soon facing long living in the same limelight as the poor dear departed, until the tale starts to become a bit too familiar. . .
You could enjoy this book even if you hadn’t read the first one, it works as a standalone easily, but if you enjoyed “The Plot” as much as I did, you will love this second volume.

An amazing follow-up to The Plot with a new voice telling her own story at last.

I loved the totally deplorable bad girl protagonist that was Anna Williams-Bonner (to use one of her many names). I feel a little guilty rooting for a woman who has gone from one murder to another, all to possess and protect her very shocking life story.

Although it would help if you have read the first book, the basics of that plot are used in this narrative as Anna comes into her own after writing her first novel as a sort of companion to her husband's bestseller. On tour, living on the proceeds of his success, and reveling in her well-earned new fame, Anna is suddenly beset with anonymous taunts and excerpts of a work in progress that she thought she had eradicated from existence. Does someone know? Well, that can't be allowed.

I really enjoyed the author's writing style and her word choices. The way she describes Anna's thought processes and actions as well as the quirky descriptions fit the storyline and narrative so well. Defintiely told with wit and satire, the author also gives a nod to the cutthroat world of publishing.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC - both formats provided by the publisher. The narrator did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and her voice brought so much quality to the production.

Definitely recommend. And I wonder, is this the end of the tale?

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early read.

The Sequel was an amazing sequel to the Plot. If book interested you at all, you have to read this book!!

This book is a sequel to The Plot, which I read twice. The Author is great at describing events and plots. Both stories are very readable and both can be stand alone books.

The first book introduces you to Jacob Finch Boner, a struggling Author that teaches writing at a community college. The second book is about his wife Anna Williams- Bonner. She takes care of her late husband's best selling book, as she enjoys the royalty checks. The plot of this book is excellent. It includes all the "book things," tours, signings, etc. The story has the build of a crazy murder suspense.

Excellent Literary, Suspense, and Twisty!

3.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be release 10/1/24.

As the title advertises, this book is the sequel to The Plot, told from the point of view of Anna and picking up in the weeks after the death of her husband. Anna decides to write a book (how hard can it be?), and her past comes back to haunt her. This book doesn’t quite humanize Anna, but it does explain her choices from the previous novel. The book is quite clever, but lacks to big reveals of The Plot.

I am a big fan of cleverness that doesn't announce itself and pat itself on the back. This book has that in spades! Let's start with the chapter names. I believe (could possibly be wrong?) that they were all the title of book sequels. But no I wasn't going to spend a bunch of time to confirm for sure that fact. I was too busy finding out why people were still harassing Jacob's widow over that darn book Crib! I loved how the drama of the book industry was woven throughout the book along with Anna having to protect herself in so many directions at the same time. And while I am not complaining about the ending, I did hope for a slightly different one. But to tell you would be a spoiler and I would hate to ruin anyone's fun with this book!

This novel is a sequel to The Plot, a 2021 bestseller that’s a very meta suspense novel about an author who steals the plot idea of a former student to write his own bestseller. And you absolutely need to read that one first before reading this! (I read and loved it back when it came out, so I read a pretty detailed recap before reading this one which I highly recommend if it’s been a while for you too.) I am a reluctant to say much about this book, however, because I feel like even telling the basic premise is kind of a spoiler if you haven’t read The Plot yet but plan to do so!

So let’s just say this is another excellently written, suspenseful read set in the literary world. It’s definitely discomfiting to read a novel from the perspective of a sociopath/psychopath character, but it was done so well - didn’t excuse the character’s actions but definitely did a good job of making me understand why the character thought they were justified. And for sure it kept me guessing!

This is the sixth book I’ve read by Jean Hanff Korelitz, and I’ve really enjoyed all of them. She just really has a way with words, and I love that different of her books have totally different styles, though obviously this one is more in the same vein of The Plot.

Plus it had some great meta moments like a conversation between two characters about how the sequel is never as good as the first book! Except maybe in this case, the sequel is as good. I was not convinced at first why The Plot even needed a sequel, and perhaps it didn’t - but I sure enjoyed every minute of it.

Thank you to Celadon Books, Macmillian Audio, and Jean Hanff Korelitz for this ARC.

FIRST: If you have not read The Plot, do not read any more of this review. The Plot is an incredible, mind-blowing thriller (so def go read it), and while the below will not be spoilers for The Sequel, it most definitely will be spoilers for the first book: The Plot.

I love to hate Anna Williams Bonner. What an unlikeable character. I hated her in The Plot, and my disdain for her only grew in this book. That being said, because I disliked her so much, it was thrilling to see her being put into some slippery situations, with her past finally coming to catch up with her.

This book is also for book lovers (wow, say that three times fast). It’s almost like a Behind the Music documentary for books: book signings, book tours, publishing discussions, etc. I loved this aspect and all the controversial topics it brought up.

Julia Wahlen does an incredible job as Anna in the audiobook. She is the queen of audiobook narrators IMO and I loved hearing her bring this truly terrible character to life. The inflections, the pacing, the tone…it was all perfection.

This one was a bit slow in the beginning. I didn’t care about Anna and hated how everything was going so right for her. Ugh. But then, we finally get to the heart of the novel, and seeing Anna navigate the obstacles is delightful. I felt like I was channeling Jake from the grave.

I wouldn't say I liked this one as much as The Plot, but it was such a high bar that I don’t think much WOULD live up to it. However, I thoroughly loved the overall storyline, and the twists were delivered very well. Also, I appreciated that each chapter borrowed its name from a famous literary sequel. Overall, if you are looking for a thriller about books with a villain main character, try out The Sequel.

Anna Williams-Boner is such a messed-up gem of a character. Reading a book through her eyes is truly an entertaining experience, although I found the pacing a bit slow until the last quarter of the book. But truly it is definitely worth the read! I mostly listened to the audio version narrated by Julia Whelan, one of my favorite narrators, and enjoyed her portrayal of the story. Fans of mystery and thrillers, especially well-written villains, will enjoy this series.

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. This book entitled “The Sequel” is a literal sequel to this authors last book “The Plot”. I absolutely loved “The Plot” so I couldn’t wait to dive in to this one. The sequel starts with Anna Finch Bonnor a new widow writing her debut fiction novel about a similar sequence of events as to what she had just recently encountered. Quickly she is feeling threatened that her late husbands secret will be revealed. Cant give away too much here without giving away the plot. This book is full of twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged and the ending was quite unexpected. Four stars

I loved The Plot but this just fell flat for me. I pushed through but once I got to 75%, I was like what am I doing? I just could not finish it. It was wordy without adding much to the book and I just felt bored reading it.

Maybe it’s because I really enjoyed The Plot and found it so unique and attention grabbing but The Sequel just didn’t do it for me… The story just felt resentment and unnecessary as a whole.

I will say JHK’s writing was superb though and she did craft a very good prose; it was just that the story itself didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and MacMillan Audio for the advanced ebook and LRC.

Wow, it had been awhile since I read The Plot, which I remembered enjoying thoroughly but didnt recall all the details. It all came back as I read this book waitinAfor the next shoe to drop... What a tail with incredible plot twists and shockers. The author is incredibily gifted in setting up characters and dropping bread crumbs and keeping the reader wondering which way the story would go... A bit unrealistic at the final pages but still a great piece of fiction that readers will gobble up. The characters are not the most likeable but you keep going and going because, well, who wouldnt want to know how this ends, and well, will there be a third part?

I am so happy this story continued! Jean Hanff Korelitz's The Sequel is just as good (if not better) than The Plot. It is dense and intricate, but so worth it. Highly recommend.

This is absolutely compelling, twisted story. It's very literary in both its tone and references, from the chapter titles themselves to constant dropping of names, book titles, and literary scenarios. Anna's story alongside the irreverent non-literal bloodbath that is publishing makes for a story with plenty of surprises. I described The Plot as "quietly vicious", and I think that might be even more relevant to this one. The full story of Anna's life and background, and what she'll do to survive, will keep you turning pages.

Do NOT mess with Anna Williams-Bonner. Retribution will be swift and thorough. In this captivating sequel to The Plot, Anna Williams Bonner is enjoying the spotlight as a famous literary widow and now a best-selling author in her own right. Life couldn’t be better…until she gets a very unwelcome blast from the past. Turns out a certain pesky manuscript still exists, and someone is sending pages not just to her, but to her in-laws and editor. In order to keep her darkest secrets under wraps, she sets out to find out who’s stalking her and destroy the manuscript once and for all. And her mission quickly turns deadly. (This is even more fun than The Plot!)

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this e-arc.*