There's a line in "The Sequel" which explains why authors tend to write sequels for books that can be left standalone... “Sequels can be very enticing when the initial book has done well. Readers want to know what happens to a character they’ve connected with.” And yes, The Plot was good enough... but not sure it warranted a sequel itself... Whilst The Sequel benefits from not being shackled from the "best novel ever written" subplot of the first book, it doesn't feel a necessary exploration of what happens next. Good enough to spend the time, but one you could perfectly live without. 3 out of 5. Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy.

One of the more interesting mysteries that I have read in that the plot unravels in an unusual way. It begins with the widow of a celebrated writer writing her own first book “Afterword” that describes her grief over the death of her husband and it becomes a best-seller. This means she is doing book tours all around the country. But she starts getting excerpts of another book from an unidentified person that threatens to derail her career at the very least. I really enjoyed this different take on plot.

EXCERPT: 'But . . . this is terrible,' Anna said. She was beginning to feel distinctly unwell.
'Yeah. It said the person Jale stole it from was dead, but he finished most of his novel before he died.'
'As opposed to after he died?' said Matilda with abundant sarcasm. 'Well, at least we're not dealing with somebody who's channeling a dead novelist. That is so not on my bucket list. And also: Most of a novel? This is one of the most elastic words I've ever encountered. You know how many times I've asked an author how much of their book is finished? 'Most of it!''
'Well, that's what it said.'
Matilda extracted an oyster from the uppermost tier, put it on her own plate, and seemed to lose interest in it.
'And the manuscript excerpt that came with the cover letter?' Anna asked. 'It was part of this mostly finished book?'
'Well, so I assume. A section of the theoretical masterpiece that Jake supposedly stole Crib from.' She rolled her eyes.
Anna was feeling it now, the dread. It had begun at the back of her throat and was pulsing its way through her, electric and dull.
'And . . . was it a masterpiece?' she heard herself ask.
The two of them looked at each other.
'It wasn't terrible,' said Matilda, who had apparently seen it, too. 'The writing was competent. But I think I speak for both of us when I say we don't care about the writing. We care that it was sent to Macmillan with a cover letter accusing our late author of plagiarism. Well, maybe 'care' isn't the right word. I'm so completely pissed that we have to deal with this again.'

ABOUT 'THE SEQUEL': Anna Williams-Bonner has taken care of business—that is to say, she’s taken care of her husband, bestselling novelist Jacob Finch Bonner, and laid to rest those anonymous accusations of plagiarism that so tormented him. Now she is living the contented life of a literary widow, enjoying her husband’s royalty checks in perpetuity, but for the second time in her life, a work of fiction intercedes, and this time it’s her own debut novel, The Afterword. After all, how hard can it really be to write a universally lauded bestseller?

But when Anna publishes her book and indulges in her own literary acclaim, she begins to receive excerpts of a novel she never expected to see again, a novel that should no longer exist. Something has gone wrong, and someone out there knows far too much: about her late brother, her late husband, and just possibly... about Anna herself. What does this person want, and what are they prepared to do? She has come too far, and worked too hard, to lose what she values most: the sole and uncontested right to her own story—and she is, by any standard, a master storyteller.

MY THOUGHTS: I liked The Plot, but didn't love it. The Sequel I love 💖 But please be aware you do need to read The Plot prior to reading The Sequel.

Anna is the focus of The Sequel. Although I knew she was rotten to the core, I couldn't help rooting for her! She is a psychopath through and through. She has zero conscience and is able to blend beautifully into society, playing the grieving widow with aplomb, manipulating and playing to her own advantage everyone she comes in contact with.

She has left her past behind her, she likes her new life; but it seems she hasn't been quite as thorough as she thought in eliminating threats to her future. They just keep on coming . . .

The Sequel had me on the edge of my seat as Anna dealt with the threats in Anna's own unique style.

I sincerely hope we haven't seen the last of Anna.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.6

#TheSequel #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Jean Hanff Korelitz was born to Jewish parents and raised in New York City. While living in England, Korelitz met Irish poet, Paul Muldoon. They married, have two children and reside in Korelitz's native New York City.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Faber and Faber Ltd via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

It has been over three years since I read the first book in this series and I cannot lie, even though it was a five star book for me, I couldn't remember the plot (many books and many sleeps since then). I tried to refresh myself a little, but my review was rather mysterious because I hadn't wanted to give away any spoilers. I spent the first portion of The Sequel feeling a little confused and wishing that I had re-read The Plot, but then the book cleverly took me back and weaved in what ended up being a fantastic playback/reminder.

This was the trigger that made me remember how smart the plot was put together and how the twists, secrets and lies were put together and then gradually unravelled. The Sequel was no different and I loved how the story developed in front of me. This was a slow burn of a thriller with so many small details dropped in that seems inconsequential, but later came back as important threads.

We follow a different main character in this book and she was not a likeable character in the slightest. Anna started off as someone who appeared to be callous and scheming, but by the end I perceived her as desperate; scrambling for ways for her to save her own skin, regardless of who she had to take down to get there. There was a small (very small) part of me that felt a little sorry for her as her existence must have been incredibly lonely.

This wasn't a book that I was able to binge. It required time and attention from me as there were so many details to keep track of and try to understand. I would definitely recommend reading both books in close succession, as I think the beginning of the book was slightly tainted for me by not remembering the first book. Otherwise, a fantastically gripping story, told through very clever writing.

Thank you so much to Faber & Faber for the ARC and opportunity to read this on NetGalley!

I reread The Plot in anticipation and will forever be a favourite read of mine. The way I squealed when I saw The Sequel was coming and the way I’m convinced there is now a third book coming excites me even more.

The Sequel contains the same twisty turns I read and loved in The Plot and while <spoiler> Anna didn’t get her comeuppance, I’m on the edge of my seat trying to work out how she’s going to pull herself out of this hole. Another book? TV show? Film? I don’t know what’s next but I’m ready for it ✌🏻</spoiler>

I can’t wait to get the audiobook and listen to The Plot again and reread this while listening to Julia Whelan narrates this! I have to also mention the ✨ingenious✨ cover designs on the Faber & Faber editions, it’s enough getting books the same size these days but when the covers call back to an earlier book I’m in AWE. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy and put them next to each other, SO COOL!

Thank you so much to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Sequel, it’s out now!!! #TheSequel #NetGalley

What a sequel!
If you haven’t read The Plot, id strongly recommend doing so before reading The Sequel. The book picks up almost immediately after the final events in the first book. Anna, now a widow , who has inherited her husband’s money and the management of his past works, has decided to write her own novel and immediately enjoys literary success. Her own secrets continue to chase her and someone is out there orchestrating her downfall.

I don’t want to post spoilers but this book is brilliantly paced with twist after twist after twist. Anna is a superb character who will stop at nothing to protect herself and the life she has carved out for herself. It’s rare but it happens and I think the book is stronger than the first in the series, I really hope there’s a third book.

As well as suspense and element, as a book lover, I really enjoyed reading a thriller set in the literary world, wildly entertaining as well as page turning.

Recommend wholeheartedly.

4.5 stars

'Sequels can be very enticing when the initial book has done well. Readers want to know what happens to the characters they've connected with'.

Anna Bonner Williams, tragically found herself the widow of literary wonder Jacob Finch Bonner but managed to articulate her loss in her very own book - now on its way to becoming a best-selling success. Anna may have had a questionable past but life seems to be smooth sailing now - easy even. However, when a mysterious note, with threatening undertones, appears amongst a pile of books to be signed at a book event, Anna's sense of self-preservation kicks into overdrive. As we discover more and more about her dubious background, a thrilling web is spun.

Although you can read The Sequel without having read the first book, The Plot, it's a disservice to the overall story. Too much of The Sequel builds upon a comprehensive understanding of the first book. To that end, giving away details of this book will spoil the first. Suffice to say though, that after drawing you in, there's brief plateau before turning into a wild thriller in the last quarter. I'm so glad I read the two back to back.

'The more she considered it, the more she understood that she'd been making fiction for longer than she'd been writing it, and fiction had taken her far from where she'd begun. She would hardly stop making it now'.

Outrageous, thrilling and disturbing with a lot of funny thrown in, this book is an acidic expose of the publishing world at the same time as being a deeply disturbing thriller with a very unreliable narrator. Anna is recently widowed and seemingly benefiting from her recently dead husband's literary fame as her moving account of his unfortunate suicide is picked up by publishers eager to cash in on a personal tragedy.

But not all - and not everyone - is what they seem, as histories are rewritten, narratives are offered from different perspectives, and the power the written word has to build up - and to destroy - in 'real life' is pursued to the limits.

I was gripped all the way through, the author plays with what you think is right and follows through to some absurd situations with revealing coincidences that drive the plot forward. I didn't read The Plot first, which comes before this sequel, but this book stands on its own without the need to have the background information that comes through at the start here.

Altogether very enjoying and very satisfying, with an ending that might just leave the door open for the sequel's own welcome sequel?

I loved reading The Plot so I was very excited for this one. I found this book to be just as captivating and intense as the previous one. I definitely felt hooked by this book and would urge anyone who has read the first one to read this asap.

I'm not sure if it's because I didn't read the first book "The Plot " or, although I love reading, I'm maybe not interested enough in the world of publishing and writing, but I couldn't get into this book at all or care about the characters. I realise I'm in the minority and can only wish the author well.
Thank you to netgalley and Faber and Faber for an advance copy of this book

Despite the name, I didn't realise there was a previous book! I think I would've enjoyed it more if I'd read that one, but still an enjoyable read. The style of writing was good and the plot intriguing.

I actually preferred this to its predecessor, The Plot. The narrative voice is stronger - or perhaps it's just more fun to be in Anna's mind than Jacob's! Yes, it gets a little repetitive, and in this as well as other ways it stretches credulity, but I ultimately didn't mind - I was happy to be along for the ride. Sociopaths are fun.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a stunning read! Although I hadn't read the prequel, I quickly became thoroughly immersed in the story. The writing and plotting are superb, and the story unfolds in the most compelling way. A genuinely thrilling thriller, the author develops the complex characters in a highly engaging and immersive way, which had me turning the pages long into the night. I grew to like the utter psychopath Anna which is testament to the author's writing skills. The sly swipes at the publishing industry were very entertaining and added a lot to my appreciation of Anna's cunning.
I highly recommend this book

I really enjoyed this book! I read the previous instalment recently and was looking forward to this one’s publication, so I was very excited to be approved for an advance copy through NetGalley and the publisher - thank you!

The Sequel ties up the loose ends from its predecessor and manages to keep up the tension in the first book - no mean feat when it’s a new protagonist and the twist of the first book has been revealed. I wasn’t sure how it was going to end up until the very final pages, so I didn’t think the ending was predictable at all. There’s a line in the book about sequels not living up to the first book, which is a bit tongue in cheek but thankfully not true in this case. The chapter titles all being sequel books from (mostly) great and all popular titles was a nice touch too. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I had not read The Plot prior to reading this book, so read it as a standalone. I have, however, read The Latecomer and massively enjoyed Jean Hanff Korelitz‘s writing style. This is something that continued when reading The Sequel, which I found a fantastically written, propulsive snd unputdownable thriller… so much so that I read the whole thing in a day! I felt it did function well as a standalone, but don‘t know if my enjoyment would have been heightened further by reading The Plot beforehand. I found myself hating and loving the protagonist, Anna. As her true character in all its cunning was revealed, I found myself simultaneously wanting her to succeed and fail. I can‘t wait to read more by this author and highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed The Plot, a story about a failing writer who stumbles across and steals a brilliant plot. He’d been teaching an MFA course at a third-rate school and came across this remarkable storyline whilst talking to one of his students. What happens from this point on is convoluted, somewhat predictable, but nonetheless compelling. I ended up disliking the lead character, Jacob Finch Bonner, but really appreciating the well-crafted way the tale had been pieced together.

When I spotted this book, naively, I didn’t initially realise that it would pick up the narrative from pretty much the point where the last book left off. In fact, it’s very much a continuation of the story detailed in the previous book. But this time, we follow Jacob’s wife (now widow), Anna Williams-Bonner, a lady who has literary ambitions of her own. Perhaps she can write a book too, she thinks. It turns out that not only can she write but that her book quickly becomes something of a best seller.

This is a story that readers could potentially take on without having read the first episode – there’s just about enough here to fill in the gaps. But I wouldn’t recommend that. I quickly found that I was referring back to a detailed synopsis of The Plot, a book I read some three years ago. This second episode tells a complex enough tale on its own without adding in a lack of knowledge of the pre-story. I think most readers would get tied up and confused pretty quickly.

I suppose the story here is somewhat repetitive, as Anna takes on all comers in her desire to keep her past a secret. And yet, I enjoyed my time with this ruthless psychopath so much I don’t begrudge the author taking her time in the telling. I grew to like Anna a good deal, despite her obvious flaws. There’s also an interesting and sometimes amusing, sub-narrative here centred on the writing/publishing industry. In a tongue-in-cheek way, she paints both the writers and those that fine tune and (hopefully) publish their efforts in a remarkably poor light.

If I were to be critical, it would be that I feel it could all have been wrapped a bit quicker. But I enjoyed my time with Anna so much I don’t really begrudge the author this indulgence. Also, I can’t emphasise enough that the writing here really is really top-notch.

Had me totally addicted , and I just sat for hours turning the pages, as there was no way I could put it down until the very end… thrilling read, this book is an absolute must-read , it’s just too good to miss.

I loved the plot, it was a 4 star for Me and I had not read from the author before. I love the twist and turns of the first in the series and had heard that this book was similar. I did love this book. It had a lot of fun elements to it and it was nice to stay with the character of the first one and the setting. However, it didn’t quite have the same effect as the first one. Certain elements of it were quite repetitive, which I can’t say more without spoilers. I think it probably could’ve been a little bit shorter and then it would not have been as repetitive. Also, the plot twist at the end wasn’t as good but the first one was so good that it was hard to live up to the expectation. An enjoyable read.

The Plot is one of my all time favourite thrillers, and I went in to the Sequel wondering if it could live up to the first - wow! This absolutely blew me away and got me out of a reading slump.

I thought The Plot was remarkable. A compelling page turner filled with intrigue and insight. Original and clever. The Sequel, for me, is a disappointment. I don’t think it reads well as a standalone as there are many references to the original, This lacks the impact of The Plot and I’m not convinced that it’s a story that needed to be told. Much if it is rehashed from The Plot and whilst this ties up some loose ends, it lacks drama and originality. It’s well written but far less enjoyable.