Revenge tasted sweet.  ️ ️ ️ ️ ️

Lila Crayne is the it girl, a starlet. She's engaged to talented filmmaker Kurt Royall, and together they're re-booting a feminist adaptation of Tender is the Night, a misogynistic but renowned classic written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  To prepare for her role as Nicole - a patient who falls in love and marries her therapist - Lila decides to go method and starts seeing a therapist of her very own. As she begins to open up in her sessions, her life quickly cascades into pieces and it's up to accomplished and well-known trauma expert, Jonah Gabriel to put those pieces back together. 

I read Tender is the Night because I wanted some familiarity with the plot while reading Bischoff's re-telling.  Tender wasn't for me even though I typically enjoy reading the themes it carries throughout so I didn't know what to expect reading this, but I was blown away. I cannot tell you how much I loved Sweet Fury. I got totally lost in it. I was absorbed by how she reflected the style of Fitzgerald's writing coupled with the lavish settings and interpersonal relationships. I loved the Gatsby references (duh, my favorite book), the shroud of mystery (who the hell is telling the truth), and the very, very unexpected ending (wow). First book?! How?! So impressive.

For me, this reading experience felt like The Silent Patient (but better) meets Tartt's The Secret History but told through a film lens. If you like either/both of those, you will also love, love Sweet Fury and should read it when it comes out on January 7, 2025! 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of topics from mental health to revenge, and much in between. Lila is a movie star in a rather strange relationship with her director of her first film and her latest. It was hard at times to understand the relationship, which was probably the point. There is a lot of behind the scenes of movie making and different POV's which helped in getting to know the characters.

The movie they are making is a feminist version of Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I admit to not knowing the story or being a big fan of Fitzgerald so I had a hard time with all the references to the original work. I am sur if I was more familiar with his work I would have enjoyed the book even more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Sweet Fury by Sash Bischoff tells the story of famed actress Lila Crane and fiancé Kurt Royall who are filming a remake of Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night. Lila then seeks out a psychologist Jonah Greer. This story is told through a narrative plus the psychologist notes and Lila’s diary. A story that parallels Tender is the Night.

The story kept me reading and wanting to see what happened. It’s a good read but I was utterly confused about the epilogue. Not sure what the author was trying to tell us.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I confess I always rooted for Nicole and “Tender is the Night “and it’s great to see this 21st century reinterpretation. A both satisfying and chilling thriller and literary critique of gender and madness and the male voice.

This is a solid debut. There were twists and turns that I was surprised and delighted by and overall it's a fun read. The Fitzgerald world is turned on it's head a little by looking at his world through the female gaze. The idea of revenge and misogyny is palpable. I did have a hard time settling into it as there were long swathes of dialog and descriptions that I thought dragged the book down. But the story itself is worth a read. I'd recommend this and I would like to see what Sash Bischoff writes next. I think they have a nice career ahead of them. Thank you Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for an early ARC.

4.5 Stars !! What a brilliantly written debut novel. I could not put it down. The F. Scott Fitzgerald references were great to find scattered throughout the book. Lots of important topics discussed in the book like male misogyny and the me too movement. The ending of the book was very suspenseful with twist and turns at every corner. I highly recommend giving this one a read.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

There were some good aspects to this book, I wanted to know what the trap was because something wasn't right. The reference to F Scott Fitzgerald's work was too much for me.

Hollywood’s beloved Lila Crayne and her filmmaker husband Kurt Royall set off to make a feminist adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night. To prepare, Lila seeks therapy to help her overcome the trauma of the car accident that took her father’s life when she was just a child. Readers search for the truth through chapters of her doctor’s notes, her time at Princeton, and present day on and off the film set.

I didn’t know who to trust, which added an exciting element with every turn of the page. The story is mysterious and engaging as the characters play mind games with each other and the reader. I was unsure who was in on what, and was delighted to see the story unfold.

I was a bit confused at the very end, but it only made me want to go back and page through the story again which I think speaks volumes about the writing itself. Loved this debut novel from Sash Biscoff!

Thank you to @netgalley , @simonbooks , and @sash.bischoff for the opportunity to read and review!

Wow! Thrills, literary adaptation, revenge. ✅ ✅ ✅ This is a stunning debut.

We meet Lila, a notorious film star, as she enters therapy while working on her latest film project. What a coincidence that her new therapist Jonah also attended Princeton -- or is it? As the plot is laid, it is difficult to know who is a reliable and who is an unreliable narrator. The story within a story of the movie plot, adapted from Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night, creates some amazing parallels. Twists, deception, and backhanded justice. Hard to put down!

I began reading Sweet Fury, by Sash Bischoff, eagerly anticipating all the possibilities of a story involving anything by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  While this was good, I found it slow at times and had to drag myself through some parts.  I never considered not finishing it, as I had to know how it ended. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Lila our main character is filming her dream movie with her fiance/director and heads to see a counselor to sort out somethings before the filming begins. Slowly the layers of all these characters and more are revealed, but the twists, turns and reveals last until the very last sentence. Just when you think you have the book figured out everything is turned on its head. The pacing of the first part of the book is a tad slow, but as soon as I read the first page in Part II I was hooked. It is at that point that we switch point of views to the counselor. I loved the dual narrative and the meeting notes you get to read throughout the book, and the redemptive arc is amazing, even if you do not see it coming. I would recommend for anyone who likes a thriller with an ending they cannot guess.

A book that drew me in from the first pages a really well written debut thriller a complex story line well developed characters.I will be following this author.#netgalley #s&s

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A movie adaptation of an F. Scott Fitzgerald classic becomes a little too real when the actors enact the plot in real life.

Wait, was this really a debut novel? Bravo! This was written like a pro. This story was so unputdownable. There was plenty of Shakespeare references which made my literary heart flutter. This is a story of getting through trauma, the emotions dealt with trauma, and how ,in life, the lines between reality and fiction blur. Amazing! And will highly recommend this story.

I wanted to like Sweet Fury so badly, but oh my heavens, this book drove me crazy. The writing style was very overindulgent, but not in a maximalist, descriptive sort of way– in a pretentious dialogue sort of way. I can't put my finger on it exactly. It doesn't seem to take itself seriously, but then sometimes it really, really does.
The way the character of Freddie is written drove me crazy. It felt like a joke on TikTok someone makes about how gay characters are written, where he was constantly outwardly saying things that had gay buzzwords. It felt like I was constantly being reminded that this author was cool and hip and that Freddie was representation isn't that great!
The best part of this book was hands down the therapy notes. Everything else was eh. I would've probably loved the book if it had been a mystery novella that was all written in therapy notes.
Anyway. Not for me.

A bit slow and wasn’t very intriguing to me. I can see the bits of Silent Patient in it but it wasn’t enough for me.

There is a lot in this book that I think my students would benefit from reading and some good issue for discussion, in particular violence against women, justice, revenge, not being able to take credit for what they have done, therapy and repressed memories,, and boundaries. I don't think most of them have read Fitzgerald so that will go past them but think they can still get a lot from the book. Twisty tale that got more interesting as it went on

This took me a while to get into, but once I did, I needed to know what happened. The book was disturbing at times and surreal. The ending in part was took quick, but also left some unanswered questions.

Could not put this down & consider it a TOP read ever for me. It felt well thought out, brilliantly written, and kept me engaged. I found myself wanting the story to go on and could not put it down.

The way the book takes you through the story’s twists and turns makes you feel as if you are experiencing it yourself.

You will not regret reading this amazing book!

thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for my honest review. I can’t wait to recommend and re-read it in the future!