While this comes across as F. Scott Fitzgerald fanfic, it really missed the mark on its “feminist” leanings. The writing felt so over the top that the entire story seemed almost pedantic. Overall, a great idea, but poorly executed.

Sweet Fury is a sharp, twisty debut that delves into the complexity of fame, power, and identity through the lens of a feminist film adaptation of Tender Is the Night. Lila Crayne, America’s sweetheart, appears to have it all—but as she works through the trauma of her past with her therapist, her perfect life begins to unravel. As secrets unfold, the novel explores the blurry lines between victim and perpetrator, justice and revenge, while offering a bold critique of misogyny in the film industry.

The narrative is immersive, combining psychological tension with a deep exploration of the narratives we construct about ourselves and others. Bischoff's writing seduces you into the story, only to deliver a punch of uncomfortable truths about manipulation and the price of power. If you're looking for a thought-provoking, suspenseful read that challenges assumptions and offers a fresh take on the classic story, Sweet Fury is an ambitious and compelling choice.

A wonderful debut novel from Sash Bischoff! Billed as a feminist retelling of Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night, Sweet Fury is a classic by itself. Bischoff writes beautifully, and her storytelling perspectives on feminism are thought-provoking and on point. The added twists made the story all the more enjoyable and complex, and although the ending wasn't a surprise, it was nonetheless gratifying.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

A difficult read. Sometimes boring as story built up. Mystery thriller. Unforgiven past and revenge slated future. Lila hurts everyone, while creating her own agenda, but at a high price.

I very rarely find a book that I do not finish but unfortunately I struggled with this one. I think it could be the timing of when I was reading but I just could not engage they way I expected. I will revisit again as perhaps the timing will be a better fit. I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I will rate two stars at this time and if I finish at a future date, I will update my review.

This one was very VERY literary, and I am in a little bit of a reading rut, so it was tough for me to finish this one.

At first, I was super hesitant about this book because it opens with the author praising F. Scott Fitzgerald. While I can understand the complexities of human nature, and the impact Fitzgerald has had on modern literature, I know too much about his and Zelda's relationship to see him as "great". It took me until 75% of the way through this book to understand what Sash Bischoff was trying to say about Fitzgerald and Zelda and when I finally did it all clicked. I spent the whole book thinking about how shitty all the men were and how I hated every single one but that was the point! I think if I were to share my favorite trope in this book, it would be a huge spoiler so trust me when I say, it gets there eventually. I'm not too familiar with Fizgerald's (Zelda for F. Scott, that's for you to question) work but I think I still understood the complexities and even picked up on a few of the easter eggs the author sprinkled throughout. I too remember reading Gatsby in a turning point in my life and I remember loving it and the feelings it gave me so I can understand why this author did was she did. I was invested with the plot the whole way through and even though I didn't care for any of the characters, all of them being morally gray did something for me. This isn't an all time favorite but the writing was so good, I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!

An intriguing premise with sharp commentary on power, gender, and storytelling, *Sweet Fury* offers a layered exploration of fame and manipulation. The psychological tension builds steadily, but the novel's twists feel somewhat predictable, and the characters, though compelling, remain difficult to connect with. While the themes are thought-provoking, the execution left me wanting more depth and unpredictability.

As a fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s work, I was excited to read this novel. Following Lila Crayne’s adaptation of Tender is the Night into film, we learn about previous and current relationships, the importance of companionship, to themes of femininity and more. I found myself floating between greatly enjoying the story and disliking it. Throughout the novel, many nods/hints were left tying current content with the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s work. Often the constant mention of specifics from his other works, felt like it was taking away from the story currently trying to be told.

Overall, this novel is a unique take on revamping F Scott Fitzgerald’s work intertwined with the inner workings of the characters lives.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Sadly, this one fell flat for me, and I’m not entirely sure why. I found the main character annoying—she felt disingenuous, and I couldn’t connect with her at all. Normally, I like unreliable narrators, but in this case, it just made it hard to care about the story. Jonah's perspective, however were more enjoyable and easier to reach. While the novel touches on some important themes, it didn’t live up to the expectations I had going in.

Part commentary on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender Is the Night, part literary thriller (in the vein of Alex Michaelides’ The Fury but MUCH better in my opinion), Sarah Bischoff's Sweet Fury demands that we examine our current societal definitions of feminism. Bischoff does this in a really clever (if, at times, uncomfortable) way. She not only criticizes the performative feminist; she also forces the reader to consider the ways we show up to support survivors (or fail to do so). I don't want to discuss the plot in this review because so much of what made this book fun to read was not knowing what was coming next. Suffice to say, I was absolutely hooked right from the start and tore through this one. I am looking forward to reading more of Bischoff's work in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I had really high hopes for this book after reading the comparisons to other books I loved, as well as the F. Scott Fitzgerald plot lines. Sadly this one fell flat for me -- I'm not sure exactly why. I really disliked the main character, Lila -- I found her very annoying. It was impossible to know who was being authentic -- normally I love an unreliable narrator but in this case I just disliked her.

I liked Jonah and enjoyed the parts from his point of view more.

The glimpses inside the movie making were interested but I felt bogged down in the descriptions of the film shoots.

I did really enjoy the F. Scott Fitzgerald discussions and similarities -- I love his work and will always enjoy reading about it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Sweet Fury by new author Sash Bischoff is quite an amazing kick off for the first book. The intertwine of F. Scott Fitzgerald's writings and the story concept immediately drew me in. Much like Fitzgerald the characters in Sweet Fury are complex and captivating and sometimes not what they seem. While the story primarily focuses on Lila Crayne and her therapist Jonah , her fiancee Kurt and the budding new star Lila discovered, Celia also claim the reader's attention. The characters are so well fleshed out and multi-faceted to the point their actions and manners sometimes shock and surprise. All in good ways.

The story focuses on Lila Crayne as she is working in the filming of a feminist interpretation of Tender is the Night. As the story unfolds the readers begin to discover that not everything is beautiful. in the life of America's Sweetheart. There is tarnish and flaw in the relationship of Lila and Kurt as comes to be revealed in her therapy sessions.

Still in Sweet Fury not everything as it seems. Jonah begins to fall deep into an obsession adoration and love over Lila that started long in the past way before she realized. He always held to the dream of a possible life that they would share together. He only becomes more protective and hopeful when Lila reveals that Kurt is abusive and cruel to her.

All we can do is anticipate the therapist to become the Knight in Shining Armor right? Well... not so much. Not everything is what it seems. The characters all have their secrets and skeletons. As Sweet Fury unfolds the past and those secrets come to life. Much like the film in production the character's lives all seem to be set on a stage or perhaps a well designed chess board. Much of the story involves Lila and ensnares the reader into her dark and twisted idea. It isn't just the film that Lila' controls and has motion over but so much more... after all she is an actress.... However, even an actress cannot expect all the plot twists. When there is betrayal and death that come to be it will take all in Lila's power to stay on top... and needless to say she will do whatever she can to stay there.

Sweet Fury was a captivating and enjoyable read. The book ignited a wish to collect and read more of Fitzgerald because Bischoff intertwines his works so beautifully into Sweet Fury. If you want a dark twisted character immersed book then Sweet Fury is a fantastic choice. Until next time, happy reading!

I went into this book not really realizing this was a psychological thriller, so I was pleasantly surprised when a little manipulation and revenge was starting to reveal itself.
Bischoff takes the workings of F. Scott Fitzgerald and retells them in a way to highlight the female as the main character. The writing was a mix of prose and awkward dialogue. I had a hard time transitioning along with some parts.
How lucky is Jonah, the ultimate F. Scott Fitzgerald fan, to gain actress, Lilah, as a patient as she recreates Tender is the Night for the big screen. The same book he wrote his thesis on while in Princeton. Also, coincidentally the same school Lilah attended. She is harboring trauma and may also be revealing that she is not in a healthy relationship. The entertwining of the storyline continues to get more complicated from there.
<i>Sweet Fury</i> was about feminine rage turned revenge. The themes of trust issues, manipulation, abuse and gaslighting were very strong. Essentially leading to in order to stop evil, one must create evil. Where does the cycle end.

I quite enjoyed this book, as a long time Fitzgerald fan I was really into the idea of a feminist retelling of Tender is the Night. Now, ultimately, the books not quite the feminist take I thought it would be, but it was a literary thriller that kept me engaged from start to finish. With gorgeous prose, classic movie star antics, and the jaw dropping luxury of living a life of privelage, Sweet Fury follows beautiful actress Lila Crayne as she embarks on therapy to work through her own childhood trauma as she embarks on filming an adaption of Tender. A true psychological thriller, it is apparent from the very start that things are not as they seem.

Sash Bischoff somehow wrote a story that is both impossible to put down, with characters that you do not like at all. I had no interest in them, these are not people I would like, but my gosh are they intriguing and the drama is too hard to look away from. I wasn't rooting for anyone, but somehow I needed to know what's happening. It was thought provoking, utilizing fiction to provide critique and criticism around the feminist movement in the celebrity world. It was like reading a play, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.

Great writing, but the story itself is a little too melodramatic for my taste, with an ending that felt tacked on.

A big part of this plot has to do with the characters making a movie based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald book, Tender is the Night. I haven't read his book, so I don't know how much of the main story is derived from the Fitzgerald book, if any, but I found this one to be pretty melodramatic. It was apparent early on that not all was what it seemed with our protagonists, which was confirmed in an over the top, expository-filled climax. I found it a little too heavy-handed.
Thanks to #netgalley and #simonandschuster for this #arc of #sweetfury in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for my gifted ARC!

Sweet Fury was like velvet. Sash Bischoff’s writing was so smooth and flawless. It was easy to tear through this book, and frankly, I could not get enough.

I am loving any book featuring feminist rage right now. It seems so appropriate to let that rage flow. To feel it in my molars. Sweet Fury is exactly what I needed to satisfy that craving. I audibly gasped and shouted when the twist was revealed, because I did not anticipate that. At all. In any world. What a trip.

I recommend this if you feel a similar rage. We need an outlet lol. Let Sweet Fury be yours.

While Sweet Fury’s synopsis sounded really interesting, its execution was lack luster.

The book was just low level boring the entire time. I felt mildly entertained and interested enough when the POV changed to keep going but I do kinda wish I had DNFed in the beginning when it didn’t catch my interest.

I think this book could have been really good with more character development. I didn’t feel attached to any of the characters or care what happened to them because we never got to know them. In addition, the twist was both predictable and absurd which is a really bad combination.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this one. There are better books out there!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Good. A really interesting contemporary book. Not perfect but definitely worth the read if you are able to get you hands on it.