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.

America’s sweetheart, Lila Crayne, is going to appear in the adaptation of a lifetime, cast in the leading role in an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night. Working alongside her fiancé, director Kurt and best friend, Freddie, they plan to make this an adaptation of a lifetime, with Nicole getting the ending she ultimately deserved. Working closely with a psychologist, Dr. Jonah Gabriel to prepare for her role as Nicole who is dealing with mental health issues in the story. Together, the two of them are able to bring suppressed memories to the surface for Lila, and allows Lila to come to terms with the fact that her relationship with Kurt is abusive.
But, Jonah has ulterior motives. He has been in love with the gorgeous Lila since the two of them met briefly at Princeton many years ago, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Sweet Fury ticks all the boxes in a psychological thriller and readers will be shocked by the twist ending and the truth behind the sordid events that bring Jonah and Lila together…or back together.
Sash Bischoff’s debut novel is bound to be a bestseller in no time at all. Thank you to Simon & Schuster, Sash Bischoff and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I was so excited at the prospect of reading “Sweet Fury,” a psychological thriller, when the publisher offered me an ARC in exchange for my review. As an F. Scott Fitzgerald fan, I couldn’t resist the theme centered around the making of a film adaptation of “Tender is the Night,” with a feminine twist. It had a promising start with its prologue of a bloody corpse. Unfortunately, the book did not live up to its promise.

In the novel, Lila Crayne, a self-proclaimed Fitzgerald aficionado, stars in a film adaptation of “Tender is the Night” being directed by her fiancee, Kurt Royall, who is famous for another film in which Lila also starred. Lila will be portraying Nicole Rider, a mental patient of psychiatrist Dick Rider, who falls in love with the psychologically damaged Nicole, and marries her. The book blames his subsequent decline on Nicole. However, Lila wants to change the story to make Dick the predator instead of the prey, creating an image of Nicole as a strong female character who overcomes her past trauma despite being preyed upon by Dick.

The characters in “Sweet Fury” seem to parallel those in “Tender is the Night” when Lila seeks therapy with Jonah Gabriel, also a Fitzgerald fan, whose attendance at Princeton, Fitzgerald’s alma mater, coincided with a year in which Lila was a student. Jonah has been obsessed with Lila since he met her at Princeton, although Lila informs him that she doesn’t remember him. Throughout the therapy, Jonah tries to retain his professionalism, despite his obsession with Lila, but her lure seems impossible to resist.

The narrative alternates between long stretches of dialog involving the filming, such as speeches to the cast members at a pre-filming party, long sequences describing a scene being practiced and filmed, interspersed with long narratives with no dialog in which the past is described as well as the characters’ feelings explored. In between these long chapters are short ones of either Jonah’s therapy notes or Lila’s journal entries, detailing her physical and verbal abuse at the hands of her fiancee, which she created at Jonah’s request.

Despite the long, somewhat tedious chapters, the book was a solid four rating until the denouement, which devolved into the farcical. And the short epilogue was totally incomprehensible to me. I can usually overlook a contrived ending if it is satisfying, but this ending involved lengthy monologues, bizarre actions, and a sudden appearance by a secondary character. If readers can overlook these deficiencies, it could be an interesting novel. Perhaps I had higher expectations of a book which invokes my literary hero, F. Scott Fitzgerald. (On the plus side, it did make me want to re-read “Tender is the Night”).

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me an ARC of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

Sweet Fury is a glittery reflection and a treat for those who love F. Scott Fitzgerald and his works. Lila is a famous actress who is set to star in a modern adaptation of Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night, to be directed by her wild and demanding fiancé. Lila begins therapy with the charismatic Jonah Gabriel to examine her past and gear up for the role. Sash Bischoff has written an innovative and complex book, full of revenge, backstabbing and unreliable characters, all with the backdrop of Fitzgerald’s world. Highly recommended! With thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC. My opinions are my own. @SashBischoff

Thank you Simon and Shuster for the ARC of this book for an honest review.
It took me some time to get into this book but once I did I was hooked and started flipping those pages to see what happened next. Trigger warning about sexual assault on women. The man in the book is obsessed with a woman he met in college and he will do anything to have a chance to be with her. It gets pretty messy (literally) as he tries to convince her to be with him. She has her own plan as things become very intense.
I would recommend this book keeping in mind it starts out a little slow and is very different.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC of Sweet Fury by Sash Bischoff! Sweet Fury is a well-crafted book starring Lila, a famous actress, who is literally starring in a movie that is supposed to be a modern take on the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, Tender is the Night. While making the movie, Lila begins to attend therapy with Jonah. He is tasked with helping her deal with both past and present trauma. When life seems to imitate fiction, and the reliability of the narrators begins to unravel, we see that this is a story within a story, both reflecting back to the original book. Overall, I thought this was a clever and purposefully dramatic book which I enjoyed very much!