Fast read - COULD not put down. I had to know what Lila was planning.
Lots of moving parts, intricate plan of a clearly angry woman.
Lila and Kurt are the Hollywood IT couple. Working on a film together - a retelling of Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night. A feminist twist.
A biting drama.

Twisty and complicated are the two best words I can use to describe Sweet Fury.

Gave me Silent Patient vibes {only because of that ending 😳}

Read it if you like a steamy, twisted thriller.

This was interesting - a very unsettling end which I was appreciative of. You don't have to be a huge fan of F Scott Fitzgerald to enjoy the book but it does help as everyone seems to be obsessed with him. I'll be interested to see what the feedback is... I feel like it could go either way.

In reading Sweet Fury by Sash Bischoff I can't sort of see the similarities to The Silent Patient. Initially, that comparison in the book description is what made me interested in this story. This book does have its own twists and turns which made it an interesting story. The book definitely touched upon misogyny in the film industry. I think readers who are fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this book.

How do you deal with the trauma of your past…. Do you hide it away in hopes of one day seeking revenge and n those who wronged you? Are you a good enough actress to ensnare those around you into your unstable life and paint such a picture of yourself that no one would believe who you really are?????
This book entrapped me into a world of who is who and what the heck is going on. The layout of the book was truly intriguing and keeps you guessing from whom’s point of view is the truth.
Because we all know there are three sides to every story, yours…. Mine …. And the truth. Who will you choose to believe?

This book was incredibly well written and immersive. I'm impressed that it's the authors first novel!!

Unfortunately for me, I think it fell a bit flat because I haven't read the originating F. Scott Fitzgerald book. I still thought that even though I did not catch a lot of the references and nuance, it was impeccably written. This author definitely has a career in front of her if she keeps going!

I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book if you're a Fitzgerald fan. I cannot emphasize enough how good the writing here is. It kept me engaged and I could feel every scene in my bones.

Im still weeping a little as I finish this brilliant debut novel! I loved Gatsby when I read it in high school and loved it even more when I became an English teacher and was able to teach it. Lila is an actress married to director Kurt when she will be playing the lead in Tender is the Night. She's also in therapy due to a childhood trauma that left her father dead in a horrific car accident. Vacillating in time between her days at Princeton and the present, the book details her rise to fame as well as the memories she carries with her daily and her need for revenge. I powered through as i couldn't put it down and it will remain as one of my favorite books of the year!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

For a first novel, this is awfully polished. I had no idea what to expect, and my knowledge of Fitzgerald is more than lacking (to my English teacher mother's dismay), so I felt no preconceived notions going in. This was a slow burn, and it soon became apparent that every narrator had something to hide. I grew into the story, and while I really didn't try to figure stuff out, I took everything in with a grain of salt. All in all, this was an interestingly-told tale. I particularly appreciated the story told from the therapist's POV.

Could I see this as a movie? Absolutely. Well done.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

I’m a huge fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Bischoff’s Sweet Fury is an ode to that renowned author. Superstar couple Kurt and Lila are filming a reimagining of Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night from the feminine perspective. They have a stellar cast and location, but there is an undercurrent of secrets and deception. Complex, flawed characters, unreliable narrators, a dark backstory and many twists and turns! The plot is well developed but gets bogged down with long, overly descriptive prose that slows the pace. Still a great read! Would make a great Netflix series.

Oooo I love a good who done it. I personally thought the therapist was sketchy but also this book was full of unreliable narrators. I loved the nod to “tender is the flesh”. All in all solid book the twist were really good

With references to F Scott Fitzgeralds work, this novel delves into the roles of men and women in a misogynist society. Actress Lila Crane and her gorgeous fiance, Kurt Royall start to film a feminist version of Tender is the Night, Lila has it all, beauty, talent and a charismatic personality. She decides to prepare for her role by seeing handsome therapist Jonah Gabriel . With his help Lila hopes to remember her forgotten past. As things start to the surface her life begins to shatter. Can Jonah put the pieces back together or will her film that means everything to her be snapped? A great read and a page turner.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC of Sweet Fury, a psychological thriller
by author Sash Bischoff.

F. Scott Fitzgerald is a favorite classic author of mine and so this was an automatic request for me.
I also enjoy thrillers containing mental illness plots.

This book is a story within a story based on a story!
Beloved actress Lila Crayne and her fiancé Kurt Royall team up to make a film, a modern, feminist (“rage adaptation”) adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, Tender Is The Night.
To prepare for her traumatic role, Lila begins therapy with charismatic Jonah Gabriel.

I enjoyed the chapters featuring Jonah’s appointments with Lila more than the chapters depicting the scenes around the film and the elite people involved. Fascinating to read his notes and thoughts on each of their sessions.
So much image-focused pretentiousness was wearying and the mundanity involved in the creation of a film initially bogged down the plot for me.

I most loved learning about Jonah and how he idolized Fitzgerald. Jonah made a God out of him, a replacement father, as well as a new identity for himself.
He agreed with Fitzgerald that every hero needed a heroine. And from the moment Jonah spotted her at Princeton when they were both students, he decided to make Lila his.

(Side note: I have been a fan of Fitzgerald’s work since my own college days and remember tragic love, and money and class, being his dominant themes.
My favorite was The Beautiful and Damned and this book has inspired me to revisit my own youthful angst awakened by that first read of Fitzgerald.)

The twist at the halfway point of the story is when I became hooked. Who is the stable/reliable character of all three: Lila, Kurt, or Jonah?

There are mother issues in this story with both Lila and Jonah.
Fitzgerald himself had a suffocating mother and he grew to state, quoted in this story: “All the distress that he had ever known, the sorrow and the pain, had been because of women.”
“Lila was taught that all she ever needed, all she’d ever need, was her mother.” Lila’s mother made her swear off allowing a man into her life.

The ending of the book was riveting, twisty, and satisfying.
Whose fury is sweetest?

Four stars.

This starts out a story about two seemingly selfish people that get wrapped up in each other and also in the making of a movie based on a famous author’s work. When you get into it you find a whole other storyline with vengeance and a life-changing confrontation.

If you like twisty and complex stories, this book is for you. It checked all the boxes for items I need on my TBR list! Sexy, steamy, mysterious, and well written, of course! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. It was refreshing to read a novel about the film industry. I love theater and stage shows, so to get a book that takes me to the acting life and production was enjoyable.

Lila Crayne is famous. She is the best known actress of this generation and loved by all. Her fiancé, Kurt is also a kingmaker within the world of Hollywood and the two have joined forces and created their own production company. But Lila's life isn't all that it seems, and this is revealed as she meets with her therapist. Originally to prepare for the role in an new retelling of Tender is the Night, Lila begins to unravel past tragedies and trauma as well as current issues.

This fabulous story is filled with Hollywood gems, Fitzgerald Easter Eggs and feminism rage! #simonandschuster #sweeetfury #sashbischoff

If I didn't know this was Sash's debut, I would think she was a seasoned novelist. This was a really well-written story within a story. If you're familiar with F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night", you will find yourself pleasantly enthralled with "Sweet Fury". A twisty, thought-provoking novel of construction and deconstruction in conversation with the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and told through the lens of the film industry, Sweet Fury is an incisive and bold critique of America’s deep-rooted misogyny. With this novel, Bischoff examines the narratives we tell ourselves, and what happens when we co-opt others into those stories; and she probes the blurred lines between victim and perpetrator and the true meaning of justice, as per the write up. At first, I was a little confused by the number of characters being introduced and had to write them down to keep them straight. There were the true characters and then the characters each were portraying in the film adaptation within the story, however only a few were central to the plot, so it did not end up being confusing. Don't be put off the story if you're not a Fitzgerald fan or have never read Tender is the Night. It does not take away from the enjoyment of the book at all. This was a really wonderful debut and I am excited to see what Sash Bischoff writes next.
Please look out for this stunning first novel when it comes out on January 7, 2025! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this arc.

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

When Lila and her film director husband take on an adaptation of Tender is the Night, and put a feminist spin on things, she enters therapy to prepare for the role.

But in doing so sets in motion a revenge plot that may get her killed. As Jonah, the therapist, digs into her past, her life is falling apart. Is Jonah a help or does he have secrets of his own?

In the end no one is who they say they are and no one is safe from this twisty thriller.

NetGalley/ Simon and Schuster January 07, 2025

It’s the adaptation of a lifetime—the adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘Tender is the Night’.
And…..it’s sure fun to read!!! Suspenseful fun….with a perfect title!!!
It’s spicy-sweet with
tempestuous fury.

And my goodness… who didn’t love Lauren Groff’s ‘Fate and Furies’ and Alex Michaelides ‘The Silent Patient’?
Credit to the mystery person who wrote the blurb: it’s spot on!! I’ve often wished to thank a blurb-writer and know who he or she is. (Thank you!) …
It’s all any reader needs to know to read it!!

Note …
I’m often too chatty in my reviews giving more away than readers need —
why? because I loved it - the characters- the details - the dialogue- the cleverness - the JOY….
All this is true in ‘Sweet Fury’.
I’m tempted to say too much again ….
But the WONDERFUL BLUB PERSON got everything just right— just enough and not too much ….
so I’m going to be good ….
and leave two teaser excerpts and share no more!
[but remember this novel is twisty-turvy-TERRIFIC]….

“I am finally the lead in a film about female empowerment! My whole career, I’ve been cast as the ingenue. I would have killed for a roll like this; and now, finally, I’ve gotten it. I want to deserve it. I don’t want to be the helpless woman who needs saving; that feels so hypocritical. And yet, deep down? I’ve always had this strange fear that all men will eventually abandon me; and no matter what, I’ll end up alone”.

“If someone has done something terrible to you, can you ever truly heal or will you always have a scar? Is there a way to erase the scar itself—and more importantly, erase that person‘s power to hurt again?”

This was a delicious psychological thriller with an ending. I never saw it coming.
😉

I loved this twisty, turny book! I had no idea how everything would come together, thinking that a cohesive ending wasn’t possible. I was so wrong! I love being proven incorrect in books. I love to be surprised. It happens so rarely that I get a huge thrill when it happens. I definitely got it with this ending! I didn’t see it a mile away but the clues were all there. I honestly adored Lila, She was written perfectly and was the hero we all need. Incredibly well done, this author is extremely talented.