After reading The Silent Patient and The Maidens, I have been patiently waiting for Alex Michaeles' next book and it's finally here! Thank you to @celadonbooks for sending me an advanced copy of the book.

I loved the writing style that this book had. It was very much theatrical but also very much like a conversation you would have with a friend, one that is telling you about something that happened in their POV. I also enjoyed how each of the characters was introduced and had a back story on how they met before they all met up on the island. The things mentioned stay in your head, wondering if they are the killer or the one person that was murdered.

As you get more and more into the book, you start to understand the fact that everyone one this island has secrets that not everyone knows about. It's in a way that you feel like you're reading someone's journal or letter to you (Elliot states that he writes things down.) It almost made it seem more personal and that this work was meant for me to read it. Such an interesting way to tell a story.

The Fury comes out January 2024!

Memorable Moments:
- Kate and Jason meeting up while he was practicing his shooting
- Finding out who was murder and, later on, who is the murderer
- The crescent moon earring
- The real reason for the Greece trip
- How Elliot and Lana met

The Fury is a very unique mystery that I never could have unraveled on my own. Get ready for the most unreliable narrator & unlikeable characters if you dive into this one. It’s a private island mystery like no other. The writing style is very different. It switches between 1st and 3rd constantly, but for good reason. Very slow burn thriller that leads into a shocking finale.

Quick intro:
Lana Farrar and her friends are spending Easter weekend on her private Greek island, but their time together is upended by a murder. Who is dead and who murdered them?

Quick thoughts:
I want to start off by saying that The Silent Patient is one of my favorite books of all time, so I probably have ridiculously high standards for anything Alex Michaelides’ writes.

In theory…I liked the structure of the story (like a play) and I liked that the narrator broke the fourth wall and spoke directly to the reader. I love an unreliable narrator. The first few chapters gave strong Agatha Christie vibes - murder on an island, limited number of suspects, who is dead, who dunnit, why?

But it just didn’t grab me. I found myself getting distracted often, putting the book down, and picking my phone up. And usually that’s not a good sign. It felt like there was just SO much set-up and background our narrator wanted to get through before the action, and once things really started to happen I was just tired. This has to be one of the slowest paced thrillers I’ve read.

There were some parts that were extremely heartbreaking and compelling and A+ writing. And also a couple twists that had me gasping, so that was fun. But overall, I just felt very meh about it and I’m so bummed. I wanted to love it more, but it was pretty middle of the road.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for granting me an ARC of this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book. I had liked The Silent Patient (like not hardcore love), but was not a fan of The Maidens. To say I went into this with low expectations would be accurate.
Holy smokes did Michaelides blow it out of the water with this one. All the twists and turns of betrayal, loss, love and friendship. An unreliable narrator and a mix of players that kept me guessing. If you weren’t sure about this author give him a chance with this book.

I received the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐3/5

➡For former Hollywood darling and retired actress Lana Farrar, there are few places that bring her back to life like Aura, the private Greek island gifted to her by her first husband at the height of their marriage. Every year, when she tires of London's gloom and rain, she escapes to the island with a few of her closest friends and family members for a few days of rest and relaxation.

But this trip will be different. This trip, seven people will venture to Aura but one won't be making the return trip.
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🙏 Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books and the author for an advanced copy of The Fury. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: The Fury was written in the second person POV which I found unique for a thriller. I found the narrator, Elliot, snarky and was immediately drawn in by his bold and dramatic account of the murder that occurred on Aura (the island where the story took place). Like The Silent Patient, The Fury has a rich cast of characters who all had something to hide, a somewhat unreliable narrator and twists and turns that will give you whiplash. Though I didn't feel like the conclusion's shock value was nearly at the level of The Silent Patient, I was intrigued enough by the premise & plot to make it to the end and think this would make a great book club pick! With lots to pull apart and decipher, it's a great story to read alongside a friend or group.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: Despite being intrigued by the unique structure of the book, I found my annoyance with Elliot and his tendencies to go back and change his narratives distracting and was frustrated for most of this read. Though I think any book that can illicit strong feelings is worth talking about and I'm always intrigued by an unlikeable protagonist, I can't say I was a huge fan of the share and recant nature of The Fury. I was slightly underwhelmed by the story and while I'm still a Michaelides enthusiast, this one won't get top billing from me.
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Read if you love:
*murder mysteries where you have to figure out the victim
*unreliable narrators
*2nd person POV
*vivid settings (Grecian island)
*layered whodunnits
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See also: Rock Paper Scissors, The Villa, One of the Girls

📚Review: The Fury 🏝️
This book was so fun. I received this as an ARC from @netgalley and had to start it right away. It has been one of my most anticipated reads for 2024, so I was super excited that I finally had got approved. The Silent Patient by this same author is one of my all time favorite books, so I have been patiently waiting for his next book. Although this was nothing at all like The Silent Patient, I still really liked and enjoyed this book a lot. Talk about unreliable narrators! Wow! I really liked how the narrator “talked” to the readers as he went on with telling his story. I thought that was unique and well done. 👏🏻👏🏻
This last 25% of the book was so good and suspenseful, I had to keep going to find out what was going to happen. Not to mention the twists that kept coming too. After the epilogue my head was spinning. And I thought the ending was so clever. My mouth literally fell open. Without telling too much, this book is about a small group of people who go on vacation on a greek island. The narrator tells the story and introduces each person and you get to know each of their stories and how they are all connected. There is a murder (or two) and you are left trying to figure out who did it and why. It reminded me somewhat of an Agatha Christie book, Evil Under The Sun. (Minus the detective) But it was just so good. Cleverly written. I really enjoyed this one. I hope you do too. It was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me. Be sure to check this one out when it’s released next month. I can’t wait to add it to my collection. Thank you again to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: January 16, 2024.

Have you read any books by this author yet? Which is your favorite?

I LOVED THIS!!!! The silent patient is one of my fav thrillers of all time and his second book, the maidens, I didn't care for. But boy, this was AMAZING!!! I could not put this down. I loved the setting, the writing, everything. THE TWISTS!!! So so good!!

This was such a fun book. I loved the narrators voice and his snarky view on things. I loved the Agatha Christie style mystery. There were a few red herrings and the book kept my guessing until the end. Overall, a great book and I think it’s going to be a hit next year!

"The curtain rises.
And so it begins."

Plot: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★☆
Writing: ★★★★★
Concept: ★★★★★
Vibes (can't explain this one, you just feel it): ★★★★☆

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of The Fury.

I am so impressed by Mr. Michaelides. But what's new?

If you're a thriller fan, or a Michaelides fan, this is unequivocally the book for you. Do not be fooled by the synopsis of it being about an ex-movie star. In the end, it truly does not matter one little tiny bit that anybody in the story is famous. It is not romanticizing fame and stardom. If anything, it makes me feel quite grateful to be an average, unknown individual.

The Fury is, at its core, a modern-day, wildly convoluted, slightly perverse, Agatha Christie mystery, with more twists and turns than you can ever guess. And I don't say that lightly. I have read so many thrillers that very little surprises me anymore. Well, this surprised the pants right off of me. (Yes, I did guess Major Plot Twist #1, but that matters little when Michaelides included a handful more that I never could have gotten.)

Did I like this book as much as his first two? Now, that is a fantastic question I do not have an answer to. I like them all in their own way. I think that is the best way to describe his stories. Each has their own wit, charm, and set of dynamic (often crazy) characters, and therefore, it is very difficult to compare them.

That being said, I cannot recommend this book enough. It is everything I hoped for and more. That's why I read it in about two days, as a super slow reader. I am so excited for Michaelides' next story, and I really hope he continues to put out these absolutely wonderful, meaningful thrillers.

this is the perfect book for when you just want to spend all day reading about murder and intrigue in a beautiful setting. the twists were satisfying and the main characters were interesting enough. the level of writing is better than your average thriller, though not quite reaching ~~literary. i liked the motif of these winds.

For a book described as a fast paced thriller, it sure was slow moving. This book really drug on and was not the thrilling, page turner, it was described to be. I didn’t hate this book, but I also didn’t love it. I don’t think it was particularly enjoyable because there was never a “grab ahold of you” moment. I never felt like I was on the edge of my seat and absolutely had to know what was happening next. I wanted to enjoy this book, but it was a flop.

Thank you Celadon Books, Netgalley, and Alex Michaelides for the ARC of this book. My review is entirely my own opinion.

The Fury is a tale narrated by Elliot. He is best friends with Lana. She is married to Jason and her best friend is Kate. The four of them are all living in England. Lana was a famous actress. Kate is a current actress. Elliott is a writer of sorts. The friends all go to stay on the island that Lana owns off the Greece coast. When the story starts you know that one of them doesn't get out alive. However, the constant changing narrative as written from the perspective Elliot will keep you on your toes guessing. I loved all the twists and turns in the story. I couldn't put the book down and finished it in like 48 hours.

Special thanks to Celeron Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I definitely would recommend this book if you just love Alex Michaelides and can't get enough of him. I wasn't crazy about The Silent Patient, btw, there is a nod to that in this book. And if you've not read The Silent Patient, definitely don't start this one first. It will kill the mystery. The Fury is the 3rd book I read by him and the worst of the three in my opinion.

I really wanted to like this one but its messy and all over the place and it is slow going in the beginning. The most annoying part was the narrator, Elliot, who is talking to the reader through winks and side glares, making him unreliable, which I usually like. An unreliable narrator usually adds to the story. But not this one folks!

However, I'm sure some people will like, maybe love this book. I just don't see it. What can I say? However, I appreciate the ARC, it was just too all over the place for me. I think if the narration changed, it would've been a notch better. The narrator kept insisting we know this fact or that fact before the big reveal, and it was all too much and sloooow going folks. By the last 100 or so pages, my brain was dead I think because it tidied up a bit there but a little too late for me.

After reading 5 star books, its getting harder and harder to rate books that are just messy. 3 stars. I didn't hate it, just disliked it immensely and I really, really wanted this book to work!

I enjoyed the second half of this book more than the first half. For some reason I found it hard to follow. It was very twisty but that made for it being hard to be believable. I just found the main character, who’s also the narrator, hard to believe. Usually, for me, when that happens, it means the character has some sociopathic tendencies that I find hard to relate to, and I don’t enjoy reading about people that suffer from this. But if you like a book that’s hard to guess where it’s going next, this is the book for you, because it made little sense to me, but it was shocking and I didn’t see any of it coming. I gave it 4 stars because the plot was original, and the ending can’t be guessed, but I didn’t get it less than that, even though it appears I didn’t enjoy it, because I did enjoy the second half, once The plot started down a more linear path. I may have given it 5 stars if I didn’t get so lost in the first half of the book. This is definitely one where the reader will either love it or hate it. I only finished reading it because I’ve enjoyed other books by this author and felt that it had to get good at some point, and it did, but had I never heard of the author before, I may have abandoned the attempt after the first 100 pages…. So if you do pick it up, just keep going.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4 Stars!

This was a really fun murder mystery/thriller to read. I love that the story told about each character's personality through the narrator. There were definitely twists involved with this story. It caught me off guard because some of the twists come from the narrator themselves. I will say I found some of the story to be slower paced. Some parts where the narrator would backtrack or talk about themselves, it was almost taking away from the anticipation building for the murder. However, I still really enjoyed this thriller, and I would recommend it!

Ex-movie star Lana Farrar takes a group of friends to her private Greek island where one of them ends up dead.

This book has some really interesting bits to it and some things that just didn't work for me. The narration is very meta with the narrator talking to you and breaking up the narrative in different ways that suits him, a la Nick in The Great Gatsby. Actually, Elliot reminds me of Nick a lot. You can't trust him and he works way too hard to remove himself from a narrative that he is driving. While I found this a unique way to tell a story, I didn't find any of the characters very interesting. The story itself is very twisty and reads like an Agatha Christie book with many red herrings. It also feels a little out of time. You can't tell when this is really taking place for most of it. It has this classic feel. This will absolutely find its audience, especially since it so uniquely written.

All in all, an interesting thriller set on a Greek Island.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

Elliot is in love with Lana. I mean who isnt but Lana is a movie star so everyone wants to be around her. Elliot likes to think Lana is perfect for him and that her current husband Jason is bad human and should go away along with another friend Kate. Lana and Elliot plan a getaway to a Greek island Lana owns to put their plan in place and Elliot thinks everything is finally going to be go right. But little does he know there is going to be more to this story and things might not go exactly as planned.

This reads a lot like a play or the creation of a play and that made it even the more interesting. It was a very interesting read and I really enjoyed the book. I didnt expect the ending at all and it was something that shocked me to my core which takes a lot. You really think the book is going one way until it completely goes a complete opposite direction. Alex does the dual storylines very well with the flashbacks. It was a book that was unexpected but perfect! I would highly recommend!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

As a lover of the Silent Patient, I was really excited to read The Fury. I think the story was fun, Alex Michaelides is great at doing the whole unreliable narrator breaking the fourth wall thing… I feel like that’s his signature at this point.

I will say, after reading the Silent Patient, I was already expecting the twists when they happened in this novel. So it didn’t have the same *gasp* effect on me. Nonetheless, still a fast paced and immersive read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story structure and narrative voice was such a pleasure to read. Told through the voice of Elliott Chase, through a 5 act Greek Tragedy we learn the “why” of the events that unfurl into a murder mystery.

Lana Farrar is a former Hollywood actress who invites her friends out to her private Island, Aura, for some R&R. The people who she considers closest to her, all have secrets, and their own motivations for coming to the island. What transpires is layers of perspective and intrigue.

Well written, easy to read, and the nod to the Silent Patient was a fun addition.

I love Alex Michaelides and this thriller did not disappoint.
I perceived it as having extremely different vibes than “The Maidens” which was a surprise, but I ultimately felt it was a pleasant one.

The prose, structure and themes are highly theatrical and tongue in cheek. The narrator is self aware in the similarities to Agatha Christie’s tales.
But the truly enjoyable part for me is that the mystery didn’t lie so much in the “whodoneit” but in the motives. I loved the pacing and characters and Michaelides did an exceptional job in setting an atmospheric tone through location.

A great page turner that was so much fun to read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.