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The Fiction Writer
The Fiction Writer: A Novel | Jillian Cantor
19 posts | 17 read | 6 to read
Juicy, suspenseful, and irresistible. Nina de Gramont, New York Times Bestselling author of The Christie Affair "Sultry and mesmerizing" Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters From USA Today-bestselling Jillian Cantor, The Fiction Writer follows a writer hired by a handsome billionaire to write about his family history with Daphne du Maurier and finds herself drawn into a tangled web of obsession, marital secrets, and stolen manuscripts. The once-rising literary star Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck. Her most recent novela retelling of Daphne du Mauriers Rebeccawas a flop, her boyfriend of nine years just dumped her and shes battling a bad case of writers block. 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 Peoples Sexiest Man Alive, who wants her help in writing a book that reveals a shocking secret about 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 grandmothers past, the more questions she hasand before she knows it, shes trapped in a gothic mystery of her own. With as many twists and turns as the California coast, The Fiction Writer is a page-turner that explores the boundaries of creative freedom and whose stories we have the right to tell.
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MaleficentBookDragon
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Arvena
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Mehso-so

There was a lot going on! A book within a book, lots of secrets and quite interesting story line, but the story was unrealistic and at times cringe-worthy. Everything felt forced.

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Madison91
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Mehso-so

This had a lot of things going on… maybe too many things

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Dragon
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Mehso-so

This was my lunch read at work for the last few months. I only get to read for about 15-20 minutes. This book is one of those books within a book novels and is unashamedly influenced by the novel Rebecca. In fact that‘s a big plot point. I didn‘t really like the main character and it really wasn‘t that much of a thriller. It was okay as a lunch read but I wouldn‘t recommend it to friends. So-so at best

tpixie Yes it had so much potential but was disappointing. I agree The characters were frustrating. 7mo
Dragon Thanks @tpixie agreed it was a good idea but poorly executed 💚🐉 7mo
tpixie @Dragon 👍🏻 7mo
37 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Decalino
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Mehso-so

Olivia is a struggling novelist when her agent calls with an offer: fly to Malibu to ghostwrite a book for a billionaire, Ash. While the premise, riffing on du Maurier's Rebecca, could have been fun, Olivia is really annoying, ignoring all the flashing red supercreep warning signs because Ash was People's Sexiest Man Alive. This is mentioned, no lie, a dozen times. Her obliviousness made this a tough read, although it picked up a bit at the end.

tpixie Totally agree. 8mo
24 likes1 comment
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Amie
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Mehso-so

Disappointing. Good setup that became too convoluted and then completely fizzled out.

tpixie Yes!!! And a stupid female lead that couldn‘t see in front of her! 7mo
36 likes1 stack add1 comment
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EmberIvyRose
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Mehso-so

This was pretty slow for a thriller, lots of repetitive scenes and waiting for anything to just happen. The ending was okay, but not worth the wait.

tpixie Agree I gave that a pic, but it just did not do what I hoped it would do. 9mo
40 likes1 comment
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Hooked_on_books
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Panpan

I thought this book was awful. Rather than building tension, it‘s just repetitive and hanging on a plot point that isn‘t at all believable. Plus there‘s at least one giant plot hole and it‘s completely predictable. I‘m so glad I didn‘t buy this but got it from the library.

BarbaraBB Pan reviews often make me laugh 😄So does yours 10mo
TrishB @BarbaraBB same! I always read the 1 star reviews first on Amazon too. 10mo
Megabooks So glad I skipped this on aardvark! Was curious about it. 10mo
Megabooks @TrishB I read the 1⭐️ reviews of anything I buy the first time on amazon! They can truly be helpful! 10mo
TrishB @Megabooks exactly! Though the ones that give 1 star for a package being late/damaged not so much! 10mo
45 likes5 comments
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angieinwonderland
Pickpick

What a wonderful twisty, turny story. As the author says in her acknowledgments, it is very meta. How she kept that plot together with all the authors and their retellings weaving in and out blew my mind.

11 likes1 stack add
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Breanne1
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Pickpick

There were some good twists in this book and an overall enjoyable read. #aardvark pick
Book 71 read this year. I‘d like to get to 80 but that may be a bit too hopeful.

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AardvarkBookClub

“The books called to me, and instead, I turned them so I could see their spines. I‘d long believed that a person‘s books can tell you everything there is to know about them.”

- The Fiction Writer

#aardvarkbookclub #gothicfiction

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AardvarkBookClub
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Pickpick

From the USA Today-bestselling author of Beautiful Little Fools, Jillian Cantor‘s The Fiction Writer follows a writer hired by a handsome billionaire to write about his family history with Daphne du Maurier and finds herself drawn into a tangled web of obsession, marital secrets, and stolen manuscripts.

#aardvarkbookclub #gothicfiction #mystery

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AardvarkBookClub

“The old adage to each other, write drunk, edit sober. Though the truth was, we‘d often edited over beers too.”

- The Fiction Writer

#aardvarkbookclub #gothicfiction #booksaboutbooks

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tpixie
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I can‘t remember where I heard about this book so that it ended up on my TBR ( I need to get better at labeling that).
It‘s Daphne du Maurier‘s Rebecca inside Rebecca inside Rebecca. A Matryoshka doll. 🪆

LeahBergen Intriguing! 11mo
Ruthiella I also usually forget to note where my recommendations come from. 🙃 11mo
tpixie @LeahBergen i‘m a little frustrated with the main character not recognizing warning signs but then of course, it wouldn‘t be a book. I‘m very intrigued on the premise and how it‘s going to play out though. 11mo
See All 8 Comments
tpixie @Ruthiella yeah I keep telling myself I need more shelves on my want to read Goodreads account, but then never really take the time to fill it out. Between Litsy, friends, What Should I Read Next?, Instagram, Friends & Fiction…. (edited) 11mo
Aimeesue Stacked! 11mo
tpixie @Aimeesue 😀 11mo
batsy That sounds intriguing! I'm all for Rebecca in however many layers 😁 11mo
tpixie @batsy 😀💙😀 11mo
54 likes1 stack add8 comments
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AardvarkBookClub
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“ I wasn‘t a thief, but I was a liar. Most fiction writers were.”
- The Fiction Writer

#aardvarkbookclub #gothicfiction #thefictionwriter

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AardvarkBookClub
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Pickpick

DECEMBER PICKS ARE LIVE!! *Happy dance* ???? This month we have 5 brand new picks: an "eat the rich" dark comedy, bookish gothic fiction, dystopian sci-fi, small-town crime thriller and a feminist historical regency romance!

#aardvarkbookclub #bookbox #booksubscription #thefictionwriter #whatwaitsinthewoods #theotherhalf #yoursforthetaking #actlikealadythinklikealord

Megabooks And your social media engagement is great here and on insta! Thanks! 🫶🏻 11mo
AardvarkBookClub @Megabooks 🥹💖✨ 11mo
50 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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ReadingisMyPassion
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Panpan

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.)

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SilversReviews
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Mehso-so

Does Charley really think Olivia will be able to write this book for billionaire and sexiest-man-alive Henry Asherwood about a secret about his late grandmother and Daphne du Maurier?

Very clever story line, but THE FICTION WRITER was confusing and a bit on the slow burn side, but I couldn't stop reading because I needed to find out what really was going on and who the unidentified narrator was.

https://tinyurl.com/2zfad27c

@HarperCollins

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Reecaspieces
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Mehso-so