My thanks to Net Galley, Mac Millan Audio, and the personal invitation I received to review this advanced audio copy.

"Grieving widow" and write Anna Finch Bonner is back in this follow up to The Plot to carry out revenge and murder! Anna receives a manuscript that is a little bit close to her past life and sets out to see who sent it to her because if she doesn't, an event from her past will come out that she definitely doesn't want known.

Good narration. Twisty . Stick around for the ending!

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.

I loved the first book and was excited for thus book. It was very enjoyable and I really loved the characters and the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

This book took a long time to get through but was interesting. It didn't hold my attention until the very end, and I forgot most of the ending of the previous book to fully follow the beginning of this book. It likely would work better to read both books back-to-back.

The Plot was one of my favorite books I have ever read. The twist at the end totally took me by surprise, and I was very happy to hear that a sequel was coming out. Korelitz has done it again, though not quite as shocking as the first. It was good to hear to the conclusion and explanation of the depths of Anna. She's truly wicked! How on Earth did Korelitz keep up with all the intertwining plots and connections?? I was put off a bit by the name dropping that happened towards the beginning, but it didn't really hamper my enjoyment of the book. Great sequel, and of course, I love the narrator Julia Whelan!

The Sequel picks up right where The Plot left off, with Anna Williams Bonner publishing her first book, a fictionalized telling of her author husband's suicide. Just as her late husband, Jacob Finch Bonner received private threats about his novel, Crib, being stolen from one of his students, Anna Williams Bonner, is now receiving similar threats about Crib being a little to close to her own life story, a story that she has worked hard to erase. While she was the one anonymously harassing her own late husband before his "suicide", in The Sequel, Anna Williams Bonner isn't in control of who is harassing her, but that doesn't mean she gives up the power in this book; it just takes several guesses (i.e. murders) before she gets the whole story.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one kept me guessing more than the original , “The Plot.” WOWZA! “Anna”’s story was a wild ride.

I loved The Plot and definitely recommend reading that before this sequel. It's been over two years since finishing that, so some details were a little hazy. This is told from Anna's perspective, unlike the first book being told by Jake. Other reviews have said this filled in some plot holes left from The Plot, but since I didn't exactly remember those holes, this felt more like a rehash of the same story to me. Although captivating, it felt lacking, and thus the 4 stars.

I am grateful I had a NetGalley audiobook to listen to. Read by Julia Whelan, it added much to my enjoyment.

"The Sequel" by Jean Hanff Korelitz seamlessly continues the gripping narrative initiated in "The Plot," exploring the aftermath of literary deception through a new lens: Anna Williams-Bonner's rise as a successful writer following the murder of her husband, Jacob Finch Bonner.

The novel excels in its storytelling prowess, with Korelitz leaving no narrative thread unexamined. The transitions between the two books are seamless, offering readers a compelling continuation that builds upon established themes while introducing new layers of intrigue.

"The Sequel" satisfies with its intricate plot, and Korelitz's writing is as sharp and engaging as ever.

There were so many reasons I was excited for The Sequel. I’ve already loved The Plot and The Latecomer (both 5-star reads for me!), and I’m a big fan of Korelitz’s style. Plus, I buddy-read this with four other friends from Bookstagram, which made the whole experience even better. And to top it off, I listened to the ALC through NetGalley, which was the cherry on top.

The story follows Anna Williams-Bonner, who, after dealing with plagiarism accusations against her late husband, starts her own literary career with her debut novel, The Afterword. But just as her success is taking off, strange excerpts from a novel that shouldn’t exist start surfacing, threatening to expose secrets from her past. The tension builds, and Anna is forced to confront someone who knows far more about her life than they should.

Reading The Sequel is intriguing because it gives us a protagonist like Anna, who's deliciously morally gray. As flawed and even awful as she can be, I rooted for her the entire time. There's something addictive about wanting her to succeed despite all the questionable choices she makes—it’s part of what makes the novel so compelling. Jean Hanff Korelitz captures the excitement of following a character who walks the line between right and wrong while still evoking sympathy and investment in her success, which can’t be easy as an author.

The insider view of the publishing world Korelitz provides is fascinating, and the suspense is perfect. I was so wrong with every prediction I made while reading The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz! Seriously, it’s pointless to even try when Korelitz is masterfully spinning a thriller like this. She has a way of throwing curveballs that leave you completely off balance, and I absolutely loved it. Whenever I thought I had the story figured out, I was way off. Like in The Plot, Korelitz works her magic by including pieces of a book within a book, which is such a clever and immersive technique. It adds another layer to the story that keeps you deeply engaged and enriches the whole experience. I have to give a shout-out to the clever chapter titles—each one is the title of a sequel, which was such a fun and thoughtful touch.

And, of course, Julia Whelan’s narration is flawless, as always. Her performance here is a symphony of voices—each character uniquely brought to life with her skillful touch. Whelan doesn’t just read the story; she pulls you into it, making you feel like you’re living every moment. Her ability to bring authenticity to the dialogue makes the characters feel so real, and it’s like I’m right there with them. Whelan absolutely nails Anna’s obnoxious confidence, and the sarcasm is spot on—it feels like a friend telling me this story with all the passion and intensity of someone who’s lived it.

If you loved The Plot, The Sequel is an absolute must-read. Between Korelitz’s brilliant writing and Whelan’s spot-on narration, this audiobook is worth every second. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this book much more than the first. It’s crazy to think of the thought process that goes into writing a book like this where there is so much that intertwines.

“The Sequel” follows Jakob’s wife/widow Anna Williams-Bonner. As soon as she becomes a successful author (repped by the same team as Jakob) she also starts to receive unwanted anonymous mail eluding to Crib being a stolen story.

I highly recommend reading “The Plot” first. Julia Whelan was an amazing narrator, once again!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Jean Hanff Korelitz for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I remember when The Plot came out, and it blew my mind. The idea of the story and the way it was written captivated my attention and stayed with me all this time. There’s just something about a book with an ethical dilemma at the center of the story, well-developed characters who are all at least a bit morally gray, and a story within a story that made the first book a really enjoyable read for me. So I couldn’t wait to dive into this one.

The audiobook is narrated by one of my favorite narrators in the entire world, Julia Whelan. She has the type of voice that makes me want to listen to her narrate all day long, and I partially credit her for my finishing this audiobook in such a short period of time. I love how she embodies her characters and breathes life into the story in her own unique way.

The other factor that kept me listening to this book around the clock was the plot, no pun intended. After the shocking events of the last book, now we get to see more of what is going on in Anna’s life, and her thoughts as well. This story really dives into her backstory, and while she can easily be viewed as a villain, it was also really hard to read this entire book in her voice and not empathize with her. Reading a story in her voice put me in her shoes, and made it really easy to understand what and why she did what she did.

Learning more about Anna herself was fascinating. We hear fictionalized accounts of her backstory in The Plot, but this book gives Anna agency to tell her own story, and to show what the fictionalized account got right and what it got wrong. But as she writes her own book, a threat comes in the form of an anonymous Post-It note, followed by a manuscript of a story that is nearly the same as her own life story. Throughout the book, she plays a dangerous cat and mouse game with the mysterious sender of the note and manuscript. It was a constantly tense story after Anna receives the note, with the tension ratcheting up towards the end of the book, even as she is living the busy life of a hyped debut author.

Overall, this is a fantastic story. It was tightly plotted, with a surprise ending that I didn’t see coming. This book keeps the story introduced in book one moving forward, without feeling drawn out, overdone, or boring. I really enjoyed the mystery of the story, both finding out the real story of Anna’s life, where the threat was coming from, and who the bigger threat really is: Anna or the anonymous sender? Korelitz remains a fresh, innovative, and distinctive voice in the genre. I recommend this if you liked The Plot, mysteries featuring anti-heroes or morally gray characters, stories within stories, and high tension plot lines.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Ok, first, I would like to apologize to the author because, despite the fact that I loved her first novel, when I saw this (aptly named) sequel, I was a little disappointed. I didn’t think The Plot needed a sequel and would have preferred something original. Obviously, the author anticipated this, as there are plenty of tongue-in-cheek moments debating the merits of sequels. But I would like to readily admit that I was totally wrong.

My main concern with a sequel is always that it has the potential to ruin the original (at least for me). But learning more about Anna, her past and her motivations, only adds to the original story. It is no easy feat to get the reader to want to spend time with such a morally gray character, and even at times feel sympathy for her (maybe even root for her?), but the author manages to achieve that here.

I loved how meta this book was with plenty of literary references that every book lover will enjoy. I particularly enjoyed the chapter titles as sequel titles to well-known novels.

This was an excellent audiobook that I raced through in less than two days. I highly recommend for anyone who loves literary thrillers like The Plot (duh), Yellowface, Ladder to the Sky, and Who is Maude Dixon?.

Narrated by one of my favorites, Julia Whelan, “The Sequel” is a solid sequel to “The Plot”. Anna is not a good person but she’s just short of being an unsympathetic character because here earlier life seems not to have been a good one. Of course, it’s hard to say if her own recollection is truer than Evan’s story because she’s not to be trusted. The ending clearly left room for a third installment (which might be a good working title) and I look forward to reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy

Jean Hanff Korelitz does it again with "The Sequel"! If you loved "The Plot," you’re definitely going to want to dive into this one. Though I’ll admit, I didn’t love it quite as much. But don’t get me wrong, it’s still a wild, twisty ride worth every page (or in my case, every minute of the audiobook, thanks to the brilliant narration by Julia Whelan.

Here’s the gist: Anna Williams-Bonner is living the high life as a "literary widow" after the death of her husband, Jacob Finch Bonner. She’s enjoying those royalty checks, and oh, by the way, she’s written her own bestselling novel. NBD, right? Except... it turns out her past isn’t quite as buried as she thought. Someone’s out there, stirring the pot with some very creepy skeletons from Anna’s closet, and it’s threatening to blow her perfect new life to bits.

The story kicks into high gear when Anna starts getting excerpts from a novel that should’ve disappeared along with her late husband’s secrets. Korelitz serves up some seriously delicious suspense, weaving in clever satire about the publishing world while peeling back the layers of Anna’s devious and ruthless side.

Now, let’s talk about Julia Whelan—she’s one of my favorite narrators, and she absolutely nails it here. She has this amazing way of making you root for a character, even when you know they’re up to no good.

While I didn’t love The Sequel as much as The Plot, it’s still packed with the same kind of twists and tension that made Korelitz’s first book so addictive. The pacing is spot-on, and there were definitely moments where I had to pause and think, “Wait, WHAT?!” The only reason it’s four stars and not five is because The Plot set such a ridiculously high bar. But honestly, if you enjoyed that first book, you’re going to get a kick out of this one too.

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for a copy of the audiobook via the NetGalley app. Go grab a copy—you'll enjoy it!

Two words: Julia Whelan. She is just fantastic. I really enjoyed this audiobook and couldn’t stop listening. I was hooked from the first minute! The narration was wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

Well this was fun!

I really enjoyed both THE PLOT and THE LATECOMER - different books (and genres!) to be sure, but Jean Hanff Korelitz's writing just works for me. So I was cautiously excited for THE SEQUEL.

This is, naturally, a sequel - I skimmed the last two chapters of The Plot before getting into it; I think I may have felt lost otherwise.

Between Julia Whelan's narration and JHK's writing, it was easy for me to get into the book. There was one part in particular in which I struggled to stay engaged via the audiobook and was glad I had the print to switch to (I'm not sure if that's due to the voice Whelan was doing for a certain character or the way the scene was written). Otherwise I don't think you can go wrong with either mode.

The plot and characters were pretty dark, but deliciously so. If you need a likable main character, this may not be a book for you.

I burned through this puppy real fast and really enjoyed the ride. Our MC is such a likeable yet unlikable character struggling to keep her past under wraps while living in the spotlight as a new author riding on the buzz of her late wildly successful husband's suicide. Shocker, her past just won't stay under wraps... I'm hopeful for a third installment. You can't tell me our MC Is going to keep her nose clean.

Riding on the fame of her late husband’s coattails, Anna Williams-Bonner has written her own novel. A novel that quickly becomes popular, a novel that has brought someone out of the woodwork of her past. Hadn’t she put the past behind her? Hadn’t she insured that nothing could touch her? She’s missed something along the way and now someone is tormenting her, someone that knows the truth. Setting out on a journey into her past, she’s determined to find out just exactly who she’s dealing with and to settle the score once and for all no matter what it takes. This was a dual read/listen that was narrated perfectly by Julia Whelan making it a great listen as well as a great read. Thank you to Celadon Books, MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC and an ALC of this book.

Although I usually like Korelitz's books, I really didn't like The Plot. I don't remember why exactly, but I know I didn't like the main character, Jacob Finch Bonner. A few months ago I started reading about The Sequel. People were excited...and I began to be excited myself. When I saw the audiobook on Netgalley, I decided to give it a try.

I'm glad I did.

Anna Williams-Bonner is the widow of author Jacob Finch Bonner. She has been inspired to write her own semi-autobiographical novel based on her husband's death by suicide. He had been driven to despair by anonymous accusations that he had plagiarized his best selling book and now Anna is trying to pick up the pieces. Although to outsiders Anna is a sympathetic, tragic figure finding unexpected success after tragedy, this outward persona is just a disguise for the ruthless person beneath.

Readers will be taken on a thrill ride as Anna's devious plans play out. She's definitely not a likeable character but I did enjoy watching her story unfold.