Reese Witherspoon is co-writing a novel with this legendary thriller writer – and you can already pre-order it

Independent

27-01-2025

Reese Witherspoon's book club is a literary phenomenon. Founded in 2017, her monthly selections aim to champion women's voices, stories and writing.
The Legally Blonde actor began the book club as a direct challenge to not just the publishing industry, but also Hollywood. After reading a particularly bad script, she was frustrated by the lack of interesting and nuanced roles for women in film and TV.
As such, she launched her own production company, Hello Sunshine, which has gone on to develop books including Big Little Lies, Daisy Jones and The Six, Gone Girl and Where The Crawdads Sing, all to critical acclaim.
Having bolstered the commercial success of female authors like Delia Owens, Celeste Ng, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Kiley Reid and Lucy Foley, it's now Witherspoon's turn to put pen to paper.
The actor has announced a thriller book co-written by one of the most legendary writers of the genre: Harlen Coben. If you haven't read any of his more than 30 novels, chances are you've seen one of the many Netflix adaptions (Missing You landed on the streaming platform at the start of the year).
Author of Fool Me Once, Stay Close, Think Twice and Tell No One, Coben's hugely popular books are loved for their suspenseful plots, sudden twists and relatable characters.
So, who better for Witherspoon to team up with for her debut novel? From release date to potential plot, here's everything you need to know about the co-written thriller.
When will Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben's book be released?
According to Century, an imprint of Penguin Random House, the novel will be released in autumn 2025, with Amazon advertising the release date for 23 October. You can currently pre-order the title from Amazon now (£20, Amazon.co.uk).
What will Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben's book be about?
The title and plot of the duo's book remains under wraps, but the story is reportedly an original idea by Witherspoon. The actor enlisted Coben to help her bring the thriller story to life.
"To say I am a fan of Harlan's body of work is a massive understatement,' Witherspoon said. 'Scheming with Harlan on how to thrill audiences with mysterious characters and complex narrative twists and turns has already been more fun than I can describe."
Announcing the collaboration on Instagram, the actor added: 'As a massive fan of Harlan's work, I can't believe he agreed to co-author a novel with me. I'm either the most persuasive person alive or the idea of this book is just TOO GOOD! Maybe both?? I honestly can't wait for you all to read it!'
Meanwhile, Coben said: 'Once we began discussing her idea, there was no turning back. Collaborating with Reese has been a pure joy and so creatively rewarding. I could not be more excited about putting this novel out into the world.'
And with Witherspoon and Coben both having extensive experience of adapting books for the big screen, we wouldn't be surprised if a TV show or movie is in the works, too. Watch this space.