After finishing The Plot I had no idea where the author was going to go with The Sequel. I found this book to be more of a character study more than anything. The first half of the book, not a whole lot happened, but I wasn’t upset or annoyed. The pacing was nice, and like I said, I wanted to see where the book went, so I have that invested interest in mind. But the author skillfully laid a few breadcrumbs as to what was to come. Once we got past the halfway mark there were enough clues that the story finally started to have some legs, and it felt like more plot was present versus just learning about the main character. I was so thankful that I had read the first book in the series, because you absolutely need to in order to understand this book and I would not have enjoyed it as much if I hadn’t. I really enjoyed getting to know Anna, she was delightfully unhinged, and I’m not sure what it says about me, but it was fun watching her unravel after what I read in the first book. After reading the two in short succession, I do think that I enjoyed The Sequel more than The Plot. I found this book harder to put down, and I had a deeper desire to understand what was happening and going on than I did in the first.

I highly recommend you read The Plot shortly before reading this book, so it is fresh in your mind. You will need the plot details to fully understand this book!

This was a little slow until the very end, which mirrored my experience with The Plot as well. I really disliked Anna, so I had a hard time connecting with her and becoming invested in her story. I hadn’t expected her to redeem herself, so this was a bit predictable for me. Also, I think I am a bit too rules-bound to accept that she gets away with so many murders! Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for this early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the first book in this duology (longer series?) and this one lived up to my expectations. It was narrated by the marvelous Julia Whelan, my favorite audiobook narrator.. This makes it an automatic listen for me. I literally seek out anything Whelan narrates. I don’t want to say too much of the story because it is a mystery and follow-up to The Plot. But, I will say that both of these books center around the idea of taking another writer’s work and rebranding it as your own. The twists and turns and tracks being covered and uncovered keep the reader guessing. In addition to the story itself, there is the question of what is ethical and how far are you willing to go in order to advance your own career, lifestyle, etc.
I flew through this and loved it. Definitely recommend but read or listen to The Plot first to not be spoiled and for understanding of some of the characters and story here.
One of the features of this story that was a nice touch, as an homage to authors and literature, is the naming of the chapters. As you read the book, each chapter is named for a piece of literature that will be recognizable to most readers. I loved this touch and then the explanation of it at the end.
#TheSequel #NetGalley #CeladonBooks

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon for an ARC of this title.

I gave the previous book in this series 3 stars for the same reasons I gave this one three stars - it absolutely nails the page-turning, can-you-believe-this-is-happening thriller model, but that's a question worth asking: <i>can</i> you believe this is happening? It's all a little too smooth for our main character constantly getting out of the corner they're repeatedly backed into, and it really drives over a bridge of believability as the twists (and the bodies) pile up towards the end. I don't ask for full verisimilitude from this sort of book, but it was just absurd at a certain point.

There is just something about Jean Hanff Korelitz's writing. Her books are so phenomenally written. The Sequel picks up after the Plot ends. I had no idea there would be a sequel to The Plot, so I was very excited when I read the blurb. The story centers on Jacob Finch Bonner’s wife, Anna. We learned briefly about her background in The Plot. Jacob was a writer whose last book was finally successful, but at a cost. He plagiarized the story from a deceased student and was tormented by a stalker who threatened to expose him.

This story’s focus is on his wife, Anna Williams-Bonner. She is not exactly a likeable protagonist but is fascinating with a wry sense of humor. She has written her first novel, based on her life and it is received with fanfare. Her literary journey is going in a similar direction as Jacob’s. Though she is experiencing literary success, she is being plagued by someone who knows about her unsavory past. The book is paced so well, and I had no idea where the plot would go. I was immediately sucked in to the story and had to know what would happen. I listened to the audiobook which was masterfully narrated by Julia Whelan.

Thank you Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC.

The Sequel is the perfect novel for people who love to write or have aspirations to write their own novel. The Sequel is the second book to The Plot and while I remember enjoying The Plot and the very basic premise, I recalled almost zero details. Hanff Korelitz was good about providing enough context and detail when necessary to make this moot point. That being said, I do think this works best in tandem and not as a standalone.

The writing in this novel is great. It's a unique premise, building off The Plot and focusing on Anna and life after Jake. I thought much of the book would be focused on her trying to write her own novel and while the plot certainly focuses on her book, the actual writing of it seemed to come easily. I love the dichotomy of Anna's character and how well she played into each role she adopted. It was hard to know her true colors or motivations so I loved when the inner monologues became more prevalent.

For a short book, there were parts that felt verbose. I think this was done intentionally to give the literary effect and it worked. It also took me a bit to get into it. I really started to get invested once The Afterward was written and Anna started her tour.

I listened to this novel on audio and always love Julia Whelan's delivery. She was great in this role and it was an excellent casting choice.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was a superb sequel and because I still don't recall a whole lot of details from The Plot, dare I say better than the first book!

Thank you to Celadon and MacMillan Audio for the copy.

“What is it you want, anyway?”
“I want to know what you did. And how you did it.”

I am a sucker for a good sequel, and Jean Hanff Korelitz has delivered! I actually enjoyed The Sequel more than I initially liked The Plot. Korelitz has managed to take the primary villain from the first book and turn her into a character that you’re actually rooting for & invested in, which I did not see coming at all.

While much of the story feels very similar to the first book in this series (a writer has a secret; someone knows and is threatening to tell), the characters and their motivations are different this time around, and that changed the vibe a little bit.

But my favorite thing about Korelitz’s writing is how she satirizes everything about the writing process and publishing industry, very nearly biting the hand that feeds her in the process, and emerges triumphant and unscathed, with everybody cheering her on and praising her encore.

——

A huge thank you to Jean Hanff Korelitz, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Anna is the "grieving widow" after her husband Jacob "commits suicide" at the end of the first book The Plot. But Anna really killed him, and Jacob really did steal his bestselling novel idea from a dead student. A student who was Anna's brother and who wrote about how Anna had killer her daughter and parents. In this Sequel, Anna goes on a quest to write her own best seller about her grief and her dead husband and to silence all of those who might know her origin story or that Jacob plagiarized and fictionized it.

I really liked the first book The Plot and really, really like Korelitz's other books. Her writing is smart, sharp, and snarky and a good balance of literary and propulsive fiction. I liked this sequel as well, at least mostly. I found the plot a bit of a rehash of the same and so twisty that it sometimes became circular. If you were a fan of The Plot, you will likely like this, but it is one that you have to have read the first book to even understand the second one (or if you're like me and read it so long ago, you had to seek out a spoilery review to even get started with this one.)

I did a combination of Kindle and Audio, and the audiobook is narrated by Julia Whelan. She is great with the snarky and does indignation so well. If you like her on audio, you'll like this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

3.5 stars

first of all this IS a direct sequel to <i>The Plot</i> so definitely read that first. I didn’t realize so many events from the first book would play a role here and i had to stop a few chapters in to refresh my memory on that book because I was so confused. overall I enjoyed this, it’s full of good and well plotted twists like the first book but I did feel like it was a bit slow and it can easily get confusing to keep track of who is who because so many characters go by different names (we have essentially 3 different stories to keep up with).

Sequels often carry a certain allure when the original story captivates its audience. Readers naturally want to see where the characters they’ve grown attached to will go next.

But let’s face it—sequels rarely live up to the magic of the first.

Jean Hanff Korelitz, in The Sequel, plays with this very notion when she has two characters voice the sentiment early on. It’s a bold move on her part—maybe a little too bold.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Plot, which centered on Jacob Finch Bonner, a once-obscure novelist who found success after swiping a brilliant story idea from a student in the MFA program he taught. When the student dies, Jake passes the story off as his own, but someone knows the truth and is determined to bring him down.

The Sequel picks up after Jake’s demise, shifting the focus to his widow, Anna Williams-Bonner, who has since penned her own bestseller, Afterword. Then, mysteriously, she begins receiving the same ominous messages that plagued her late husband.

While intriguing, I had a couple of reservations about this follow-up. First, having recently experienced the demanding process of publishing a debut novel myself, I couldn’t quite buy into Anna’s sudden transformation into a successful author. In The Plot, she didn’t strike me as someone poised to write a bestseller, let alone have a strong motive to do so.

More significantly, The Sequel felt like a rehash of its predecessor, with Anna now stepping into Jake’s shoes and facing nearly identical dilemmas. This gave the story a somewhat repetitive feel, and I would have preferred to see Anna charting a different course rather than revisiting the same narrative beats her husband faced.

Sequels are typically not quite as good as the first book, but this one was on par! I do think reading The Plot prior to this would be helpful as there are lots of details you will miss if you don't.

Thank you Celadon and NetGalley for this ARC! Rarely do I like sequels more than the first book but this is definitely one of them! The story picks up right from The Plot with grieving widow Anna after her husband Jake’s suicide (well we know better!) playing in her new role. Anna decides to write her own book that becomes widely popular and while on tour starts getting strange messages from her past that she thought was taken care of. We follow Anna trying to find out who is trying to expose her true past and we suddenly also feel sorry for her, the murderer of all people from her past. Wonderfully written!

After Anna’s husband, bestselling novelist Jacob Finch Bonner, is laid to rest, she published her own debut novel. She then begins receiving excerpts of a novel that shouldn’t exist anymore. Someone knows too much about her past.

I have one piece of advice before reading this one: read The Plot or reread it if you don’t remember the details. It’s been years since I read The Plot, which I adorned, and I felt like I missed a whole lot in this one. It still was suspenseful and twisty (after the first half) but I felt a little lost. Reread the first. Don’t make the same mistake as me.

“How sad it was to say anything about anyone in public, but anonymously, and end someone’s career (in this case, someone’s life).”

The Sequel comes out 10/1.

4.25 stars

THE SEQUEL by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a strong sequel to her 2021 bestseller THE PLOT. Since it’s been over 2 years since I read THE PLOT, I do recommend reading these close together or at least reviewing the full summary with spoilers to THE PLOT before picking this one up if you were like me and forgot some of the intricacies of the first book. I think it’s necessary to have that background.

In this novel, the main character Anna Williams-Bonner is Jacob’s widow from the first book, and she has decided to become an author herself and successfully publishes her own book THE AFTERWORD at Jacob’s publishing house. I absolutely loved the publishing insider commentary that reminded me of YELLOWFACE. Shelf Awareness even got a shout out in this novel!

Soon Anna receives excerpts from a novel that seems very familiar, and she starts to spiral. If you like unhinged narrators, you’ll enjoy seeing Anna’s journey in this novel. She takes literal and figurative journeys to try to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

I don’t think the author knew she was going to write this sequel until after she experienced success with the first novel, so there was some layering needed with the plot that, at times, felt strained. You don’t read thrillers like this for their plausibility, so just go in with the goal of seeing where Anna takes you. And she will take you places!

I was curious about what Anna’s novel would be about, but unfortunately the reader never gets to know. I, for one, would love to know what kind of plot Anna’s mind would create.

If you liked THE PLOT, I’m certain you will also enjoy THE SEQUEL. I ended up rating it a little bit higher because I loved the publishing industry talk in the first third of the book.

it’s an absolute pageturner, a gore-free thriller with a ruthless lead, and the book offers solid satisfying resolutions to the questions left in the dramatic ending of the first book, but it still wasn’t The Plot. Part of this reaction is just me: in The Plot I was intrigued and compelled by Jacob’s overall goal to be a successful author. His fears that his best work is behind him, that he’s undertalented, that it’s all downhill from here, and that he’s gonna spend his life teaching in decreasingly prestigious programs made such a compelling motivation.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! I was intrigued by the premise of this one because I feel like this is a genre where we don’t often see sequels. That being said, after everything Anna did in the previous book I struggled to like her character in this book. I thought justice would be served. I thought this was a little unrealistic and reaching for a new plot for this character. By the end I kind of wished the author had just stuck with the first book and not done a sequel 🤷‍♀️. I did enjoy this at parts… just didn’t really think this book was necessary.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Celadon books for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

I was a HUGE fan of Korelitz' first book, The Plot, and when I found out there was a 2nd book, I was so excited and couldn't get my hands on it fast enough! The first book was considered "insanely readable" which is absolutely true, so if you haven't read that one, I would recommend reading it first. It will definitely help with understanding the main characters and plot points.

The Sequel gets off and running with Jacob Finch Bonner's widow Anna post "Crib" success. She is moving through the 'grief' process and has recently become a literary success herself. But then the ghosts from her past come back to haunt her once again as she receives a suspicious note about her late brother and a manuscript that gives her "Crib"-deja vu. Much to her dismay, someone has connected the skeletons in her closet to the dead people she left behind and it's up to her to put it all to rest again. And she is determined not to let anyone destroy the new perfect life she's built in the wake of her husband's death.

This book was SO GOOD (allllmost as good as The Plot) with lots of good twist and turns, and a relatively likeable anti-heroine. The author did a great job of telling Anna's story and making her more human to the reader. The Sequel was incredibly well executed and well-written and filled in a lot of the holes and questions I had from the first book.

This book exceeded my expectations and if you loved the first one, you definitely need to pick this one up too! I have been working a lot, so I was bouncing between the eBook and audiobook formats, which is good because it's basically unputdownable. I highly recommend this one to all my thriller-lovers and will be reading it in my October book club!

Loved this sequel. I was torn between rooting for the protagonist or wanting her to get caught!
Definitely read the first book before this one, you would miss a lot if you hopped right into this one.
The narrator was fabulous for the audiobook.

I loved this book so much! This is equally as engrossing as “The Plot”. I loved getting to see things from Anna’s point of view. She is such a fascinating character and so unlikeable in many ways. I was very torn on rooting for her to get away with everything and yet wanting her to face her comeuppance for all of her misdeeds. Readers of “The Plot” definitely need to read this sequel!

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC. I absolutely loved this book. I also loved the authors previous novel The Plot. I did revisit the last four chapters of the plot before starting this, but they do review relevant items here. Anna Williams Bonner is living large as Jacob’s widow and writing her own novel, The Afterword. Once published, her past is once again coming back to haunt her. Anna thought she took care of everything and everyone before, but somehow there is still a copy of the manuscript her husband was accused of plagiarizing. The novel mirrors Anna’s real life. She must find out who holds the manuscript and destroy it once and for all. Available October 1st, grab a copy and enjoy the ride!