4.5 Stars

This was a really smart, well-crafted story, a genre hybrid that read like contemporary fiction & a thriller, with some satirical commentary on being a writer thrown in there, as well - I'm staring to realize I thoroughly enjoy these kinds of books!

Jean Hanff Korelitz is a fantastic writer - the writing was really strong here & keeps you turning the pages. It's definitely more of a slow burn, & while it lulls in one or two places, I found that I couldn't stop reading. I loved the whole "book within a book" aspect, & without giving anything away I'll say this went a few places I was genuinely not expecting it to go, at all - this got dark! "Crib" was something else! I love a complex protagonist & we got just that with Jake, Korelitz did a great job at making us feel empathy for him while also having us question his morality - the way plagiarism (in its many forms) was tied into the overall plot was fascinating. Again, this is more of a genre hybrid, so adjust your expectations accordingly, but it was extremely well done - this would be a great book for book clubs, there's a lot to unpack!

I'll definitely be reading more from Korelitz in the future, I can't wait to get myself a finished copy! Thank you so much to Jean Hanff Korelitz & Celadon for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!