I had such high hopes due to reading The Silent Patient and it being one of my favorite books. This book was hard to follow and hard to read. I did not enjoy it and it was a struggle to complete.

A classic "whodunit", but with the psychological twists that Alex Michaelides always throws at you. The feeling this book gives you is that you are sitting at a bar being told a story from the author.
It has unpredictability, an unreliable narrator, and the location of a private-cut off island. We start the book not knowing who the narrator actually is or who is murdered. Slowly the story begins to unravel and the characters story's come to life. The audiobook was performed so well! It was clever and twisy, especailly nearing the end when everything you thought you knew brings surprise elements. One thing that I've found classic for this author is that his endings will have unanticipated twists and he has overlapping characters included from his others books which is fun. Fast read with surprise. If I were to rate: The Silent Patient, The Fury, and then the Maidens.

This unique story is not a whodunnit, but a whydunnit. It all started when ex-movie star, Lana Farrar invited her closest friends to spend Easter on her private island in Greece, ready to get away for a few days from the gloomy weather in London. The narrator, Elliot Chase, tells the story of what happened on that island and how it ended in a murder.
This story started off pretty slow. I wasn't really interested in the first 50 pages, but after that, it started to get interesting and I could not put the book down. The chapters are short, so I got through this book very quickly. The nonlinear storytelling made it feel like the narrator was actually sitting there, telling us the story. Alex Michaelides did an amazing job with the suspense and the mystery in the story. My favorite part of this book was obviously the narration. I love books with unreliable narrators and the way this book was written is not something I've seen in other books. The end was full of twists and I loved every second of it. The moment I finished this book, all I wanted to do was to read it again from the beginning. I love this book.

Wow. That was a wild ride! With 6 acts, just like the plays he writes, Elliot tells us how the murder on a Greek island plays out. Except, with ever act we get more truth and more twists! I really enjoyed this, I didn't know what I was going into I went in completely blind. Having loved The Silent Patient, and not loving but I didn't hate the Maidens, I knew I couldn't go wrong with Alex Michaelides. This one definitely kept me guessing and I was so intrigued I couldn't put it down! I really enjoyed the "different points of view" but all told from one persons perspective.

I flew through this one thanks to the short chapters and constant twists. It's a quick read which I enjoyed but I really didn't care for the narrator.

Interesting take on a mystery that takes place on a remote greek island. Some of the people are likable others are not. Involves an actress, her husband, best friends both male and female and also the actresses son.

I enjoyed the plot of this book but I couldn't get past my feelings about the narrator, making this a low-rated book for me. I've seen many praise it for the use of the unreliable narrator, but there was still too much inconsistency for me. There were times when the narrator seemed almost omnipotent, putting us into the minds of the other characters, seeing what they saw and reading what they thought. It was not supposed to be a true POV change, and yet somehow the narrator knew these things. It felt like sloppy editing to not iron out the parts of narration that simply don't make sense for the style that was chosen.

I expected a much better book from Michaelides. This didn't deliver like his other two. I didn't really like or connect with any of the characters and so much was completely unbelievable. I hope his next book is a good one like his previous thrillers.

This is Alex Michaelides third book. I completely loved his first book The Silent Patient; his second book The Maidens, I DNF about halfway through. This book was in between for me. I was able to finish it and enjoyed it but did not pull me in as hard as his debut. I enjoyed the book and will keep reading his books.

I quite enjoyed this book. The premise was unique, as well as the style, in which the narrator speaks directly to the reader. It definitely kept my interest throughout, and like the author's other book, The Silent Patient, had a couple of great twists!!

I was hoping for so much more! I really liked The Silent Patient so I’ve been hoping for something else good by him since & this being his 2nd book post Silent Patient, it didn’t work for me yet again.

I tend to dislike any kind of gimmick in a book. Not 100% of the time, but probably like 94% of the time. In this case the narration style felt like a gimmick that didn’t serve the story in the slightest. I absolutely hate it when author’s break the 4th wall, unless the entire story is being told that way, but even then I just don’t really like it, & it happened way too much here. It was a weird choice to make the narrator basically talking shit about himself & sorta side eyeing readers. I think the story would have been better told without that element.

But aside from that I just really never vibed with the narrator & I found him annoying. I couldn’t tell if he was supposed to be a normal person or an omnipresent narrator, & if this was the case then what was he exactly?

The pacing was just all over the place and so was the plot, the first half was a slog to get thru and then the surprise twists were just absurd, especially the first one. I just couldn’t suspend belief. Two stars is being generous 😬

Can't believe I forgot to write a review for this- since I finished it ages ago, but here we are. I thought Michaelides third book was just okay- I usually like sort of meta narration (for example- loved Catriona Ward's Looking Glass Sound- and our narrator here Elliot very much tells his story like he's addressing an audience. And he's completely unreliable.

It was paced pretty well, though, and the pages kept turning. When everything came together at the end it was a bit of an aha! moment for me, in that the whole muddled thing suddenly seemed to make sense. One of my struggles was that the first two thirds of the book felt too muddled, and Elliot kept backtracking to tell us parts of the story he previously had tried to hide (for whatever reason). It made the main line of the story difficult to follow in a way that didn't add to the intrigue- I just found myself waiting for the next shoe to drop.

I'm not a huge fan of the way this book ties back into Michaelides previous books- I always find myself having to go back and remind myself how they tie in and what parts they played in the other books. I think if the characters were super memorable this would be a fun tactic to connect these books within a larger world, but instead I just find myself confused a lot of the time. Overall, this was my least favorite of his books so far. I'll still read the next one though- it wasn't terrible just not quite my cup of tea.

Alex Michaelides is back with a serious flip of story telling that is anything but mundane and boring. The Fury is narrated by Elliot Chase, who likes to tease "a story that is unlike anything you've ever heard", and that is exactly what he brings to the table, even if he does take a bit to get used to. Twists one doesn't see coming, betrayal, movie star power, so much to uncover and yet, it's a slow burner for sure. The Fury is a great creative endeavor of a new twist on the typical "whodunit" storytelling, and I, for one, appreciated it.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

I love everything Alex Michaelides writes and this is no exception! I flew through this one and couldn’t put it down. I’m already ready to read what Alex writes next!!

If you like an incredibly unreliable narrator in a book that doesn't pick up until about halfway through, this is the one for you!

Unfolding on the beautiful Greek island of Lana Farrar, a former movie star's private retreat and told by Elliot Chase, this story dives into the complex dynamics among Lana's closest friends, who gather for a relaxing weekend amidst underlying tensions. As the night progresses, hidden animosities emerge, culminating in a shocking act of violence that leaves one of them dead, leaving Elliot to unravel the tangled web of deceit and desire.

Elliot annoyed me throughout the book - telling a disjointed story in fragments that fit his POV. I honestly found most of the characters very unlikable which caused the twists at the end to fall flat. It's also very heavily Greek-influenced.

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Alex Michaelides for allowing me access to this book. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored the setting of this book - the description of the island, house, and weather events taking place were engaging and set the tone perfectly. However, I felt that the narrator was unreliable to the point that I felt tricked as a reader. I was able to infer some of the twists and ultimately didn't love the direction in which the story went, but I still think this could be an enjoyable summer read for someone who likes mystery and a strong sense of place.

I was thrilled when I first heard about The Fury, and was looking forward to reading it, but sadly It just didn't live up to my expectations. The main character is Elliot, who is obviously in love with Lana, an ex-movie star who has chosen to stay out of the lime light. But she has decided to take a vacation and take her best friends and family to her private Greek Island. But each person has there own agenda.

For me the book just wasn't interesting or entertaining, and it was not engaging enough for me to finish reading it

As always this is my own opinion.

Okay here we go with Alex Michaelides blowing me away yet again. I don't think this author can ever do any wrong in my eyes. There was so much going on in this book and I didn't know who to trust or who was alive or dead. I loved the Greek Island setting and that we were following unlikeable characters. One of my favorite things to do is to hate on characters who are easy to hate on haha and I will not apologize for that!

As far as locked room thrillers go, this is good. Def some Knives Out vibes.

The narration takes a bit getting used to; it seems this structure is becoming more popular.

My biggest problem with the book is being told one thing, shown another and then told something different.. there's absolutely no way to know the truth. It's also somewhat confusing bc they never say specifically what is so horrible about Elliot! He alludes to thinks, discusses Kate and Jason hating him but I was waiting for a far more dramatic reveal (it did have quite a it of Knives Out in it). Anyway, quick read and it's the same as most in this genre.

I really enjoyed this book, but at the end of it, I can’t honestly completely articulate WHY. The first person perspective threw me off in the beginning, but I get why it was used and it ended up not only serving the plot, but being a key component. Something about it really kept me turning pages - which is ultimately the goal. So from that perspective - SUCCESS! I really like Michaelides books generally, and this is definitely a solid read.