Decent premise, limp execution, The Fiction Writer does function as a bingeable 'palette cleanser' between books, but if you're not inherently interested in Rebecca retelling or stories about authors, this lukewarm romance drama disguised as a mystery 'thriller' is an easy skip.

The Fiction Writer picks the least interesting elements from Rebecca to emulate; the protagonist from Daphne du Maurier's classic is extremely gullible by today's standard, but it's logical given its time period and women's upbringing back then. It's bizarre for the female protagonist living in this side of the century to be so blatantly ignorant to red flags (the constant 'this seems wrong, but I'll accept it anyway' internal monologues make it even worse). The writing is also hilariously absent of stylish flair at times, repeatingly using 'sexiest man alive' to describe the love interest (are we filling word count or what?).

The mystery features some interesting moments of circularity, but the final reveal is anticlimactic, and requires a pretty big leap in logic (the novel assumes everyone can write a full-length novel as easily as washing hands). After reading so many stories diving deep into the publishing industry in recent years, the representation in The Fiction Writer feels very surface-level and unrealistic.

I did end up reading The Fiction Writer all the way through, despite its lack of substance; partially due to its short chapters, as well as my general interest in its subject matters. But other than that I can't see this being anyone's must-read. Afterward, I realized I've read from this author previously—Beautiful Little Fools, a tepid The Great Gatsby retelling from the female characters' POV—clearly she has great concepts, but the execution is not for me.