The Fiction Writer
- Downloads：1006
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-12-03 07:21:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jillian Cantor
- ISBN：B0CG2Y9CML
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Sue
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What a strange premise。。I’m not sure if I liked it or not！
Kristy
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This was an。。。 interesting。。。 read。 Made me want to re-read Rebecca， though！ Full review to follow。
Michelle
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I really enjoyed this twisty story inspired by Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca"。 Olivia is a struggling writer who is hired to co-write， with billionaire Ash， the story of how Du Maurier stole the story for "Rebecca" from Ash's grandmother， Amelia。 She flies to Los Angeles and soon finds herself living in the guest quarters of Ash's Malibu home。Ash is less than helpful in writing the story， and eventually the project goes south。 Ash's wife， Anjelica， was pronounced dead， although Olivia is not quit I really enjoyed this twisty story inspired by Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca"。 Olivia is a struggling writer who is hired to co-write， with billionaire Ash， the story of how Du Maurier stole the story for "Rebecca" from Ash's grandmother， Amelia。 She flies to Los Angeles and soon finds herself living in the guest quarters of Ash's Malibu home。Ash is less than helpful in writing the story， and eventually the project goes south。 Ash's wife， Anjelica， was pronounced dead， although Olivia is not quite sure。In Los Angeles， Olivia reunites with her college friend， Noah， with whom she ends up in New England。 For a few minutes， I thought that Noan might somehow be involved， but he was not。The story is twisty and propulsive， but ultimately makes little sense。 Ash is a cipher and unknowable， and the story creeps up to a surprise twist， but not get there。 But it is a propulsive read。As always， I listened on audio。 Allyson Ryan did a good job ramping up the tensions and portraying the various characters。 。。。more
Tania
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If I wasn’t such a huge fan of “Rebecca” I wouldn’t have been able to finish this novel。 I was impatient for something， anything to happen。 Such a fun idea to make a modern meta version of this classic mystery novel。 But， sadly the execution of this story dragged。 Lots of “Rebecca parallels” that at first were fun。 However， they didn’t push the plot forward， just around in circles。 And I didn’t like the main character， “the fiction writer” which was a big flaw in my being engaged by the plot。
Trader （RedHotBlueReads）
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Olivia Fitzgerald's second book didn't quite make any money and her live-in boyfriend has left her。 When she gets an offer to ghost write a book based on and because of her second book， Becky， a Daphne Du Maurier retelling， she needs the money and the jolt to her creativity， so off to Malibu she goes to work with an attractive widower， Ash Asherwood in a glass tower on the hill。I'm not going to say much more than that because I don't want to spoil anything。 What I liked most about this story was Olivia Fitzgerald's second book didn't quite make any money and her live-in boyfriend has left her。 When she gets an offer to ghost write a book based on and because of her second book， Becky， a Daphne Du Maurier retelling， she needs the money and the jolt to her creativity， so off to Malibu she goes to work with an attractive widower， Ash Asherwood in a glass tower on the hill。I'm not going to say much more than that because I don't want to spoil anything。 What I liked most about this story was the atmosphere。 There's a definite creepy gothic vibe from the start which I loved， and Olivia just can make a reader want to throw something， which I found both frustrating and amusing at times。 But I did like the story and its twists and turns。 I haven't read this author before， but I will be looking for future titles。 Overall， great gothic atmosphere， strange and frustrating characters， a quick， entertaining read。 。。。more
Electra
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Meh。 The concept was interesting， I'm just not sure about the execution。 I was left unsatisfied by the ending。 3。5 stars。 Meh。 The concept was interesting， I'm just not sure about the execution。 I was left unsatisfied by the ending。 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Emily | booksandbedtime
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This is my second book by Jillian Cantor， and she has cemented herself as a must read author for me！ Short Synopsis:Olivia Fitzgerald is an author。 Her second book entitled “Becky” is a retelling of the classic book “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier。 Her book fails， but a billionaire heir hires her to tell his grandmother’s story - who he thinks is the original author of Rebecca。 My Thoughts: I have NOT read Rebecca and was hesitant going in because of it。 But it’s definitely not a must to enjoy th This is my second book by Jillian Cantor， and she has cemented herself as a must read author for me！ Short Synopsis:Olivia Fitzgerald is an author。 Her second book entitled “Becky” is a retelling of the classic book “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier。 Her book fails， but a billionaire heir hires her to tell his grandmother’s story - who he thinks is the original author of Rebecca。 My Thoughts: I have NOT read Rebecca and was hesitant going in because of it。 But it’s definitely not a must to enjoy this story。 It’s full of suspense， and secrets， and nothing is as it seems。 I loved reading about Olivia’s journey （and her poor choices。） It was a fun bingey， suspenseful read。 。。。more
Jeff
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I Literally Read This Book In One Sitting。 Yes， the book is just over 300 pages。 I said what I said。 This is one of those books that just traps you in and you *need to know what will happen next*。 There's enough creep/ ick factor， yes - but there is also several strong mysteries here。 Including some that seem to touch on real-life issues。 The twists and turns are well done， if some of them at least are somewhat expected given the overall genre and even plot to that point。 For those that prefer c I Literally Read This Book In One Sitting。 Yes， the book is just over 300 pages。 I said what I said。 This is one of those books that just traps you in and you *need to know what will happen next*。 There's enough creep/ ick factor， yes - but there is also several strong mysteries here。 Including some that seem to touch on real-life issues。 The twists and turns are well done， if some of them at least are somewhat expected given the overall genre and even plot to that point。 For those that prefer clear cut endings with every question definitively answered。。。 eh， read the book for yourself。。。 but *I* didn't get as many answers as I had questions。 But maybe I missed some answers？Overall a solid， well paced book that fits well within its genre。 Very much recommended。 。。。more
Alex | | findingmontauk1
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I had a delicious time with THE FICTION WRITER by Jillian Cantor。 I am a major fan of anything meta （movies， books， shows， etc） 。。。 and， well， this is a book about an author who does a retelling of Rebecca and also sort of lives a retelling of Rebecca while doing so。 So， it this meta-meta？ It makes my head spin in the best way！ There were a few times I got a tad bit lost， but it was only because I was trying to spin together twists and links in characters and my own conspiracies。 I loved the Mal I had a delicious time with THE FICTION WRITER by Jillian Cantor。 I am a major fan of anything meta （movies， books， shows， etc） 。。。 and， well， this is a book about an author who does a retelling of Rebecca and also sort of lives a retelling of Rebecca while doing so。 So， it this meta-meta？ It makes my head spin in the best way！ There were a few times I got a tad bit lost， but it was only because I was trying to spin together twists and links in characters and my own conspiracies。 I loved the Malibu Gothic story here with all its mystery and suspense realness。 SO good！ 。。。more
Rebecca
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Thanks to the publisher， via Edelweiss， for an advance e-galley for honest review。I love Jillian Cantor's writing， and I love homages to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca， so this was an interesting， entertaining take on that story。 The book-within-a-book format helped to add some nice twists to the story， and I appreciated all the ways this one connected to the inspiration。 Thanks to the publisher， via Edelweiss， for an advance e-galley for honest review。I love Jillian Cantor's writing， and I love homages to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca， so this was an interesting， entertaining take on that story。 The book-within-a-book format helped to add some nice twists to the story， and I appreciated all the ways this one connected to the inspiration。 。。。more
Betty
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I normally love Jillian Cantor’s books， but I was disappointed in “The Fiction Writer。” I thought it was confusing， the plot dragged on， and the characters were mostly unlikable。 （I didn’t like Olivia at all。 Ash gave me the creeps， but I adored Noah。）The novel is a contemporary retelling of Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca，" with a mix of psychological twists and a focus on the intricacies of storytelling。 The protagonist， Olivia Fitzgerald， is a struggling author who takes on a ghostwriting opport I normally love Jillian Cantor’s books， but I was disappointed in “The Fiction Writer。” I thought it was confusing， the plot dragged on， and the characters were mostly unlikable。 （I didn’t like Olivia at all。 Ash gave me the creeps， but I adored Noah。）The novel is a contemporary retelling of Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca，" with a mix of psychological twists and a focus on the intricacies of storytelling。 The protagonist， Olivia Fitzgerald， is a struggling author who takes on a ghostwriting opportunity that leads her into a complex web of obsession， secrets， and stolen manuscripts。Even with its many twists and turns， I found the story awkward with characters that were not relatable。 Those who enjoy books within books and stories about authors would probably enjoy this book。I received an advance copy of the book。 The opinions expressed here are entirely my own。 。。。more
Leah
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Takes the story-within-a-story concept to such a convoluted extreme there wasn’t much substance。 A let-down after the author’s last work。
Teri
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It’s been many years since I last read Rebecca， but I couldn’t resist a retelling set in Malibu featuring a writer。Olivia’s long term boyfriend just moved out， her second novel crashed and burned， and she’s barely written anything on her third book over the past several months despite telling her agent things are going well with it。 When she’s offered a well-paying ghostwriting job for a billionaire in Malibu， she has no other option but to take it。I liked the way this starts out – Ash’s claims It’s been many years since I last read Rebecca， but I couldn’t resist a retelling set in Malibu featuring a writer。Olivia’s long term boyfriend just moved out， her second novel crashed and burned， and she’s barely written anything on her third book over the past several months despite telling her agent things are going well with it。 When she’s offered a well-paying ghostwriting job for a billionaire in Malibu， she has no other option but to take it。I liked the way this starts out – Ash’s claims that Daphne du Maurier stole his late grandmother’s story， a nosy housekeeper with questionable motives， and excerpts from a novel written by a mystery author that sound eerily familiar。 I never knew du Maurier was actually accused of plagiarism， but this novel brings a couple of cases to light （she was never found guilty）。 It was shaping up to be a twist-filled mystery。Then I quickly grew frustrated with Olivia。 Almost immediately after meeting Ash， the majority of her thoughts are consumed with him and how hot he is。 She also drinks excessively then suffers from hangovers， pushing work to the backburner。 Ash waves red flags on nearly every page， and she misses all of them。 But it’s clear to the reader things aren’t adding up。 I admit to skimming through slower parts because the mystery engaged me， and I wanted to know what really happened with Ash and his deceased wife。 He’s an immature narcissist， but is he also a murderer？The Fiction Writer is a sort of book within a book， which has to be a challenge to write。 The ending reveals satisfying twists， and the puzzle pieces fall nicely into place。 If you’re a fan of slow-burn mysteries and retellings， check out The Fiction Writer。I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Annarella
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I think that the author did a good job in writing this book inspired by Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier。 I don't think it's a retelling as Rebecca is a different plot and the characters inspire those in this book but are also quite different。Thas said is a good dark novel with gothic element， an entertaining and gripping story that I enjoyedRecommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC， all opinions are mine I think that the author did a good job in writing this book inspired by Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier。 I don't think it's a retelling as Rebecca is a different plot and the characters inspire those in this book but are also quite different。Thas said is a good dark novel with gothic element， an entertaining and gripping story that I enjoyedRecommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Linda （Lily） Raiti
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* Review to come *
Emily | emilyisoverbooked
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Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing， Park Row for the copy of this book！After reading Beautiful Little Fools for Book Club this year， I knew I wanted to read Jillian Cantor’s next book， The Fiction Writer。 What I didn’t realize is that this book is also a retelling！ While I never read Rebecca， I remember it sitting on the shelf at my grandma’s house and her telling me to read it multiple times。 Lol。 Regardless， I really enjoyed The Fiction Writer and don’t think that you need any familiarity wi Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing， Park Row for the copy of this book！After reading Beautiful Little Fools for Book Club this year， I knew I wanted to read Jillian Cantor’s next book， The Fiction Writer。 What I didn’t realize is that this book is also a retelling！ While I never read Rebecca， I remember it sitting on the shelf at my grandma’s house and her telling me to read it multiple times。 Lol。 Regardless， I really enjoyed The Fiction Writer and don’t think that you need any familiarity with Rebecca to be able to enjoy it。 It’s full of rich person and writer drama， has some twists and turns， and is a very bingeable read！ Perfect if you like sinister feelings， “WHAT ARE YOU DOING GET OUT OF THERE NOW” moments， and thinking about how similar one story can be to another and still be considered “new。” 。。。more
Taylor
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3。75 ⭐️ went into this knowing nothing regarding the plot， having never read rebecca， but found it quite enjoyable and the mystery aspect was intriguing
Danielle B
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THE FICTION WRITER was nothing short of amazing。 Not only did I enjoy that it was loosely based on the story， Rebecca， but the fact that it was so well done。 It had a little bit of everything I enjoy; mystery， romance and drama。 You can easily spend an entire day reading it。 I can honestly say that I haven't read anything quite like it and I really hope THE FICTION WRITER gets as much attention as it deserves。 It was plotted and executed to perfection。 It's definitely in my top ten books for the THE FICTION WRITER was nothing short of amazing。 Not only did I enjoy that it was loosely based on the story， Rebecca， but the fact that it was so well done。 It had a little bit of everything I enjoy; mystery， romance and drama。 You can easily spend an entire day reading it。 I can honestly say that I haven't read anything quite like it and I really hope THE FICTION WRITER gets as much attention as it deserves。 It was plotted and executed to perfection。 It's definitely in my top ten books for the year。 Five stars！This review will be shared to my Instagram （@coffee。break。book。reviews） very soon。Thank you to Park Row Books for my gifted copy。 。。。more
Susan Knight
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I love it when a book leads me into picking up another book。 Rebecca is moving further up my tbr。
Deborah
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I enjoyed The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor though the end let it down a little for me。 I mean， I liked where it finished。。。 but then Cantor went a bit further， and for me， it was one twist too far。 That said， this is an intriguing book - several tales within a tale。 Within a tale。 Or in some ways。。。 fan fiction run amok！Although it's easy to get a sense of where this is going， Cantor's ability to keep our manuscript author's identity a secret as well as mysteries in Ash's past and that of hi I enjoyed The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor though the end let it down a little for me。 I mean， I liked where it finished。。。 but then Cantor went a bit further， and for me， it was one twist too far。 That said， this is an intriguing book - several tales within a tale。 Within a tale。 Or in some ways。。。 fan fiction run amok！Although it's easy to get a sense of where this is going， Cantor's ability to keep our manuscript author's identity a secret as well as mysteries in Ash's past and that of his grandparents kept me turning page after page。 Eager for answers。3。5 starsRead my review here: https://www。debbish。com/books-literat。。。 。。。more
Ellen
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Well written and complex， the author succeeds in another retelling of a classic in a unique way。 I loved Jillian Cantor’s earlier books of historical fiction， so thought I would try this one。 After her last book flops， Olivia accepts a ghostwriting gig for a rich， handsome man， Ash。 Ash hires Olivia under the pretense of claims his grandmother wrote Rebecca first， and Daphne Du Maurier plagiarized。 Olivia becomes entwined in a web of lies。 There are some twists and surprises。 I guess I am just n Well written and complex， the author succeeds in another retelling of a classic in a unique way。 I loved Jillian Cantor’s earlier books of historical fiction， so thought I would try this one。 After her last book flops， Olivia accepts a ghostwriting gig for a rich， handsome man， Ash。 Ash hires Olivia under the pretense of claims his grandmother wrote Rebecca first， and Daphne Du Maurier plagiarized。 Olivia becomes entwined in a web of lies。 There are some twists and surprises。 I guess I am just not a fan of the Gothic style， but the story was absorbing。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Sheri
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I went into this book with no expectations because the author is new to me。 What I found was an intriguing story about a writer trying to find her way when her novels are floundering。 I loved trying to figure out the twists and who to trust。 I enjoyed the writing style and the setting。 I could picture myself in the story。 A great book！
That Book Betchhh
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I have got to say I loved this book！！ Did the characters make questionable decisions that I would never？！ Or decisions that made me want to throw my kindle across the room while reading？！ …WHY YES， THEY DID！ But overall I loved every second of it！！ The setting， the mystery behind the secluded billionaire， the “quirks” of Both the FMC and the MMC…CHEF’S KISS！The vibes were very Misery （by Stephen King）-esque meets Verity （by Colleen Hoover）。 But more kitschy and fun， BUT less scary but almost the I have got to say I loved this book！！ Did the characters make questionable decisions that I would never？！ Or decisions that made me want to throw my kindle across the room while reading？！ …WHY YES， THEY DID！ But overall I loved every second of it！！ The setting， the mystery behind the secluded billionaire， the “quirks” of Both the FMC and the MMC…CHEF’S KISS！The vibes were very Misery （by Stephen King）-esque meets Verity （by Colleen Hoover）。 But more kitschy and fun， BUT less scary but almost the same level of manipulation and nefarious intentions😂⭐️HITS SHELVES: NOV 28TH⭐️ 4。5⭐️Special thanks to NetGalley， @parkrowbooks and @htpbooks for the review copy。 。。。more
DeAnne
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The synopsis itself was intriguing enough that I wanted to pick this one up， though I feel like I need to read Rebecca at some point because I'm sure there were tons of call backs to the original work that I would have seen had I read it。 I did feel that the pacing itself on this story was a little slower than I like， I can appreciate a well crafted slow build， but this was a little too slow to keep me constantly engaged。 It didn't make me want to stop reading because I certainly wanted to know The synopsis itself was intriguing enough that I wanted to pick this one up， though I feel like I need to read Rebecca at some point because I'm sure there were tons of call backs to the original work that I would have seen had I read it。 I did feel that the pacing itself on this story was a little slower than I like， I can appreciate a well crafted slow build， but this was a little too slow to keep me constantly engaged。 It didn't make me want to stop reading because I certainly wanted to know what happened， but I did find myself putting it down a few times。 Still there were a number of things that kept me guessing and overall it was a well fleshed out story。 。。。more
Heidi
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At first， I was a bit confused by this novel’s structure。 The Fiction Writer includes snippets placed throughout the story written from a mysterious character’s point of view。 But it’s not the protagonist Olivia， who initially seems quite naïve。 Almost desperate for male attention。 Even after she meets Ash and he is decidedly creepy and untrustworthy， she is still compelled to take the write-for-hire job he’s offering。 So much of what he shared with her in terms of backstory details seemed impla At first， I was a bit confused by this novel’s structure。 The Fiction Writer includes snippets placed throughout the story written from a mysterious character’s point of view。 But it’s not the protagonist Olivia， who initially seems quite naïve。 Almost desperate for male attention。 Even after she meets Ash and he is decidedly creepy and untrustworthy， she is still compelled to take the write-for-hire job he’s offering。 So much of what he shared with her in terms of backstory details seemed implausible。 However， I don't recall reading the classic novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier。 Maybe that would have been more helpful in understanding the similarities between the fiction writer and that novel。Anyway， I'm glad I stuck with it because the pace really picked up in the second half of the novel。 Olivia transformed as a character in a good way into someone who wasn't quite so foolish and careless。 The plot gets really interesting and I started to lean into the unreliable narrator aspect much more than I thought I would。 The more details that Olivia uncovers about Ash and the secrets he may or may not be hiding， the more invested I became in getting to the resolution。 There’s a nod to the publishing industry within the story， revolving around the ongoing debate about whether there are original stories created， or if we’re all just retelling the same ideas with fresh voices and clever twists。 Of course， there's a nod to the struggle about how hard it is to be a successful writer， including picking up the proverbial pieces when sales slump and involuntarily parting ways with a literary agent。 For those who like books that delve into the behind-the-scenes details regarding the industry， I think you’ll especially like the way the author subtly weaves that subplot into her overall story。 By the way， don’t miss her note at the end which offers an intriguing explanation about why she wrote The Fiction Writer。In the end， the novel concludes in a satisfying fashion。 I’m always fond of the second-chance romance trope because it softens the edges of the rather cagey secondary characters and makes for a hopeful read。 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary copy。 All opinions shared here are my own。 。。。more
Leslie - MamaNeedsABook
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I love me a book about books！ This was a fun and entertaining read， inspired by Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier。 The author in the book is also inspired by her， so it is ironic that she finds herself in a Rebecca-esque situation herself with the "sexiest man alive。" As a side note， I got very annoyed with how many times she referred to Henry Asherwood as the "sexiest man alive。"Olivia is the main character and her re-telling of Rebecca just failed miserably。 Now she can't even get anyone to publish I love me a book about books！ This was a fun and entertaining read， inspired by Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier。 The author in the book is also inspired by her， so it is ironic that she finds herself in a Rebecca-esque situation herself with the "sexiest man alive。" As a side note， I got very annoyed with how many times she referred to Henry Asherwood as the "sexiest man alive。"Olivia is the main character and her re-telling of Rebecca just failed miserably。 Now she can't even get anyone to publish her third novel。 So when Henry Asherwood comes knocking offering her a writing job， she can't turn it down。 Even as things get weird。。。As the title hints， this book is a book for people who love reading about writers and classic novels。 However， even if that's not your thing， this book was entertaining as a thriller as well。 Solid 4 stars。 。。。more
Sherri
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***I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest reviewAuthor Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck。 Her most recent novel - a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca—was a flop， her boyfriend of nine years just dumped her and no one is interested in publishing the book she has been working on for the past year。 So when her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity， Olivia is all too willing to sign the NDA。 At first， the write-for-hire job seems too good to be t ***I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest reviewAuthor Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck。 Her most recent novel - a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca—was a flop， her boyfriend of nine years just dumped her and no one is interested in publishing the book she has been working on for the past year。 So when her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity， Olivia is all too willing to sign the NDA。 At first， the write-for-hire job seems too good to be true。 All she has to do is interview Henry “Ash” Asherwood， a reclusive mega billionaire， twice named People’s Sexiest Man Alive， who wants her help in writing a book that reveals a shocking secret about a link between his late grandmother and Daphne du Maurier。 But when Olivia arrives at his Malibu estate， nothing is as it seems。 The more Olivia digs into his grandmother’s past， the more questions she has—and before she knows it， she’s trapped in a gothic mystery of her own。I am of two minds about this book。 The first half or more seemed to kind of plod along slowly， but then the last part of the book really picked up the pace and became exciting。 If I were to base my score on the first half I would have to only give it a 3， but once the action started and there were twists involved， that knocked it up to a 4。 。。。more
Reeca Elliott
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Olivia is in need of some money。 Her second novel was a complete flop and she is not making much progress on her next project。 So， when a different type of writing job is offered to her， she jumps at it。 All she has to do is interview a reclusive mega billionaire， Henry Asherwood。 But， the more she investigates the more mysterious he becomes and she ends up in her own perilous situation。 So many secrets！！！This story started out pretty strong。 Then it slowed down a good bit。 I kept expecting it t Olivia is in need of some money。 Her second novel was a complete flop and she is not making much progress on her next project。 So， when a different type of writing job is offered to her， she jumps at it。 All she has to do is interview a reclusive mega billionaire， Henry Asherwood。 But， the more she investigates the more mysterious he becomes and she ends up in her own perilous situation。 So many secrets！！！This story started out pretty strong。 Then it slowed down a good bit。 I kept expecting it to pick up。 It did， it was just too close to the end。 I wanted more to happen in the middle。 That being said， I did enjoy the setting of the California coast。 And lord have mercy…Ash is a weird character。 He would be someone that would set off alarm bells to any woman！Need a twisted tale…THIS IS IT！ Grab your copy today！ I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review。 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
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The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor is a recommended Gothic mystery set in California。Olivia Fitzgerald's last book， Becky， based on Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca， was an adjunct failure so she is surprised when her agent calls to tell her that reclusive， handsome， mega-billionaire Henry （Ash） Asherwood wants to hire her for a writing job。 The money is good so she flies to Malibu to meet with him and learn the details before signing an NDA。 Ash claims that du Maurier actually stole his la The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor is a recommended Gothic mystery set in California。Olivia Fitzgerald's last book， Becky， based on Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca， was an adjunct failure so she is surprised when her agent calls to tell her that reclusive， handsome， mega-billionaire Henry （Ash） Asherwood wants to hire her for a writing job。 The money is good so she flies to Malibu to meet with him and learn the details before signing an NDA。 Ash claims that du Maurier actually stole his late grandmother's story。 He has read her diary which was written in French before Rebecca was published and he wants Olivia to tell her story。 Then it all gets rather dicey because he's not seriously discussing business or having his people get down to business。 Olivia "finds herself drawn into a tangled web of obsession， marital secrets， and stolen manuscripts。"Where this succeeds is as a Gothic mystery， based on Rebecca。 Metatextuality is clearly on display when， interspersed between Olivia's chapters about her trip， are excerpts from a book titled The Wife， which seems to be another retelling of Rebecca。 It all seems a bit too much， even if you appreciate the idea Cantor is pursuing。This plot is very slow moving and requires all manner of suspension of disbelief almost immediately， especially since a compelling reason to keep reading past the thirty percent mark is missing。 Even if you need the money， most people would suspect something odd right away and make Ash discuss business， not his cooking abilities。 Olivia is there to do a job and she needs the information to do so。 Once it becomes clear that the handsome rich guy is not providing the information， then it is time to go home and wait for him to get the papers in order， not hang around and drink too much。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Park Row Books via NetGalley。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2023/1。。。 。。。more
Sarah
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