Reese Witherspoon announces her debut novel written with Harlan Coben

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Reese Witherspoon has announced that she is writing a novel in collaboration with bestselling author Harlan Coben.

The actor shared a photo of herself with the award-winning author on social media to announce the news, and wrote: “I’m beyond excited to share that I’m co-writing my very first thriller with #1 bestselling author, Harlan Coben!

“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!”

The title of the novel is still under wraps, but Witherspoon’s post revealed that it would be published in autumn 2025, and a statement from the publisher said the book is based on an original idea that Witherspoon had.

“To say I am a fan of Harlan’s body of work is a massive understatement,” Witherspoon said in a statement issued through Grand Central, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. “The fact that he found my idea for this thriller intriguing enough to want to partner with me on it as co-author is a dream becoming a reality.

“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. I can’t wait for everyone to read what we have been imagining.”

The book will be published in the UK by Century, a division of Penguin Random House UK.

Witherspoon has previously published her memoir Whiskey in a Teacup in 2018, as well as three books in the Busy Betty children’s picture book series.

Coben has written over 30 novels, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and are bestsellers in over a dozen countries.

Several of the hit thriller novelist’s works have been adapted for both film and television; the first Mickey Bolitar novel, following teenage nephew of Coben’s popular protagonist Myron Bolitar, was adapted into the 2023 series Harlan Coben’s Shelter by Amazon Studios, and Coben has a contract with Netflix to develop 14 of his novels into original series or films with him serving as executive producer.

“Once we began discussing her idea, there was no turning back,” he said in a statement. “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.”

Witherspoon has been connected to the literary world for some time now, having started Reese’s Book Club in June 2017, with multiple club selections going on to be picked up for television and film adaptations. She recently paid tribute to her high school English teacher by announcing Margaret Renkl’s The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year as the 100th book club pick.

Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine too has been behind several book adaptations like Prime Video’s Daisy Jones and the Six, based on the best-selling book of the same name by Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Hulu and ABC Signature’s Tiny Beautiful Things based on Cheryl Strayed’s novel, Apple TV+’s The Last Thing He Told Me, and Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Celeste Ng.