Close proximity, a private island, 7 people are involved in a murder of one of their own..... or are they?

This story was told by one of the main characters, who is an unreliable historian on the best of days, so this story felt like it was a little all over the place. It was also written in five acts, like a play, so there were also some scenes that were not told in chronological order. Backgrounds and development of most characters were not flushed out, just vague descriptions, which also felt more like a play than a book. One thing that was unique was to have the weather described as a character - the wind that gusts over and around the island during the murder scene was just poetic. Given the twists and turns and untruths that are told throughout this story, I was more than a little confused, but the ending was sufficient to tie everything together.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

this was such an interesting book!! i loved the way it was told in second person and how i felt like the narrator was talking directly toward me. i never knew what to expect while i was reading and this definitely had some jaw dropping moments for me. as always, michaelides includes talk of therapy and greek mythology which i enjoyed. i loved the setting of greece and the whole cast of characters that we got to follow. i also loved getting to see glimpses of theo and mariana (from the silent patient and the maidens). i definitely will recommend this! i know i will be thinking about this book for a long time

CW: murder

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I did have a NetGalley e-ARC, but DNFed it. I decided to try again by listening to the audiobook and had a much better experience. If you're going to read this, I recommend the audiobook.

This was a slow-burn. It was part character study, part murder mystery. I liked the cat-and-mouse, whodunnit plot. The Silent Patient is still my favourite by the author and there are Silent Patient Easter eggs in this, so I would recommend reading that before reading this. The narrator in this book does break the fourth wall, so keep that in mind if you don't like that in books. I didn't mind it. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my review.

I was bored most of the book. I really enjoyed the writing style, but the story itself was just not it for me. I would def check out his other books before, because i did like the way he told the story, just not.. the story!

I had trouble keeping track of the story sometimes but I loved how it was set up. It kept my interest and kept me guessing. I loved the tone of the narration and how we eventually discovered the unreliability of the narrator.

This was a solid book, though not my favorite of his. It’s a solid creepy book in his typical style on an island, and I’d recommend it if you like Michaledes.

This was on my most anticipated read for the year. I wanted to like it so much. The way the story is laid out was confusing at first. The main person telling the story was so obnoxious and entitled, I just couldn't get past HIM to enjoy the story. By the time the twist came and where you should be shocked, I felt nothing and just wanted the story to be over. Really said, cause I actually purchased the book, anticipating a 5-star read, to go on my shelf. This is the 2nd book that left me disappointed. His next book? I think I'll wait a while before trying to read.

#NETGALLEY #THE FURY. #ALEXMICHAELIDES

Thank you Celadon for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

This took me so long to read because it was my treadmill read! 🙈

I always enjoy Alex’s books. I love the Greek play writing style. This had super short chapters with multiple acts throughout. It started a little slow, but once the first act was over it picked up as you wanted to know what was happening and who to believe.

Just when you think you know what’s happening another twist appears.

Again this has an Easter egg to his other two books that is always fun to see!

The Fury is my favorite Michaelides' book yet - I loved the locations of London and the island, loved the dark, unreliable characters, and all of the drama that ensued. A perfect summer read to get caught up in.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides didn’t quite hit the mark for me compared to his other books. It follows a psychologist caught up in a dangerous crime investigation, but the main character felt hard to connect with and a bit inconsistent. The supporting cast also lacked depth.

The plot had its moments but sometimes felt predictable and uneven in pacing. Michaelides still creates a tense atmosphere, but the psychological insights we love from his other books seemed watered down here.

Overall, The Fury has some suspenseful moments, but it didn’t grip me like Michaelides' previous works.

I enjoyed the characters and scene of this book, but that's about it. The narrator was frustrating and this book did not grab my attention very quickly. I am willing to give their other books a try but I expected more excitement.

I absolutely loved this. It was a slow start for me, but once I got into it, and the way the story was told, I could not put it down. Coming from someone who was not big on Alex Michaelides' first big novel, this one was definitely it for me.

This thriller was extremely gripping from the beginning and the characters are described in great detail. Their personalities are well flushed out and it makes it very interesting to read. The plot was very fun to read. The author does a great job and continually kept me engaged. I read this book in a couple of days because I needed to know what happened.

Michaelides has a way of writing these tragic characters that always seems to draw me in, but this one can be described in one word.. meh.

Did I love it? No. But did I hate it? Also no.

I actually started and DNFed this book THREE separate times before I just finished it. I will say once I got to about Act 3 I was intrigued more than when I started.

The narration style was a bit odd. We listen to one of the people involved, Elliot Chase, and his own opinions, daydreams and reactions to the events in the book. Which gets old, quick. I will say I did like how things I noted in my head that seemed inconsistent, did get resolved later which I will give Michaelides credit for.

Once you get into it there are plenty of twists and turns that will have you questioning everything you just read. I flew threw the end pretty quickly but I had an idea of where the tale was going.

The ending left me wanting more, something more than what we were given. I wanted something big and dramatic - instead I was just like OK. This was just a really slow "thriller". It bordered on a cozy mystery if not for all the drugs and sexual comments.

Overall, a 3-star read. It didn't wow me but I didn't hate it. As a fan of The Silent Patient and The Maidens, I would recommend those before I would pick this one up.

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I liked other books by this author but this admittedly was my least favorite. The plot felt a little all over the place and the narrator was unlikable to me. The pacing was very slow and the drama and twists would up feeling ridiculous and uninteresting.

The writing style on this book was simply not for me. The jumping back forth and in time was jarring and didn’t achieve the desired effect. Every time I became interested in the plot, we skipped back to the past and it took me right out. This was predictable and lackluster. It leaned very heavy into the play structure, rather than drawing on many elements of Greek mythology, like this author is known for, and I appreciate the attempt, but again it just felt dull in execution.

Not my favorite of the three books I have read by Alex Michaelides.

What I loved:
1. The setting - who doesn't love a remote beautiful island for the setting!
2. The characters were interesting, and I thought they were well developed.
3. The narrator - I loved and hated him.... you will see when you read it!
4. A mystery, romance and thriller all in one book!

What I wanted to be different:
1. The set up was slow...and then ending was fast!
2. I really spent more time not liking the narrator than I did liking him!

Thank you so much to Celadon Books and Net Galley, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

For sure my hopes were super high. The Patient was incredible. And perhaps that’s not fair to the author, but regardless, The Fury was fine. There were clues, there was buildup. The reveal didn’t come out of the clear blue sky and I was able to go back and have some real ah-ha moments. But. It was fine.

I love Alex Michaelides especially the Silent Patient. I couldn't quite get into this one though and ended up DNFing. I loved Silent Patient so much that I will always give Michaelides a chance, but this one wasn't for me