Sweet Fury
By Sash Bischoff

This book is a mishmash off ideas about male privilege, female victimhood, revenge, obsession – and different points of view on all of these topics. Unfortunately, the author has ultimately succeeded in creating a caste of thoroughly unlikable characters, with the possible exception of Maggie.

The plot line here is so convoluted that I was hard pressed to figure out what the author was getting at. Who was the perpetrator and who was the victim seemed to change throughout the book. And adding character viewpoints and motivations toward the end did nothing to salvage the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. This was a quick read and I think it would be interesting to read in tandem with an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. The ending definitely went a little off the rails which took this from a 4-star to a 3-3.5-star read.

A critique of America's misogyny, told through the lens of the film industry, with a conversation with Fitzgerald's work and a healthy dose of revenge. But who is the victim? I really enjoyed this book - the characters are fascinating and the reveal is fantastic. I'm not going to say too much, because I don't want to reveal too much. This is an excellent debut for Bischoff.

"Lila Crayne is America’s sweetheart: she’s generous and kind, gorgeous and magnetic. She and her fiancé, visionary filmmaker Kurt Royall, have settled into a stunning new West Village apartment and are set to begin filming their feminist adaptation of Fitzgerald’s Tender Is the Night.

To prepare for the leading role, Lila begins working with charming and accomplished therapist Jonah Gabriel to dig into the trauma of her past. Soon, Lila’s impeccably manicured life begins to unravel on the therapy couch—and Jonah is just the man to pick up the pieces. But everyone has a secret, and no one is quite who they seem."

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

A Feminisit Retelling of Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night?

While everyone in this novel is a self-proclaimed feminist, this book is devoid of female pleasure. How can Kurt be in his 50’s and not know his way around a woman’s body? Lila should have given him a copy of “She Comes First” with the relevant passages highlighted and put him on a PIP (Performance Improvement Plan). If Kurt doesn’t rise to the occasion, she should forward The Break-Up Powerpoint Presentation.

The prose is also slightly overwritten and unnatural, giving it a bit of an inauthentic hue. For example, there is this one passage about a ranking of women. One of the male characters launches into this diatribe, but no guy even the most pro-women would talk in these very specific and academic terms.

Finally, the ending. Oof! It didn’t make any sense for a variety of reasons. Without spoilers: 1. Keep in mind that Lila and Kurt allegedly have bodyguards and a security team. 2. If you go on TikTok, you will find that people can read lips.

The author does have a solid understanding of Fitzgerald’s works, and this is a solid piece of fan fiction.

I am disappointed this was marketed as a thriller rather than more of a psychological suspense.

While I did enjoy reading this feminist take on Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald it was overall just okay for me.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

I have a great deal of respect for books with morally-gray protagonists. Usually it means the author didn't hold back or worry about public opinion when writing the story, Therefore, a huge round of applause to Sash Bischoff for her debut. It's a brave book.

The premise sounds simple enough. Lila Crane actress about to star in a feminist retelling of Tender is the Night starts therapy in order to better know her character. At least that's what we're told on page 1. It's quickly apparent that Lila is an unreliable narrator. So, for that matter, is her therapist. The result is a twisting, turning psychological thriller written in the style of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I wanted to love this book. Sadly, my enthusiasm was tempered by two things. First is not being a Fitzgerald afficianado, enthusiast, or whatever you want to call it. The second is that neither protagonist is sympathetic or likeable. In fact, most of the characters are unsympathetic and unlikeable. (Okay three things. The epilogue. I don't want to spoil things, but it left me disappointed and unsatisfied.)

As a reader, I'll be willing to give Bischoff a second try. There was a lot here to like. 3 1/2 stars

This book was incredibly pretentious and did not work for me. I nearly DNF'd it but ended up rage-reading it. I think it had a lot of potential but none of the characters or plot felt realistic and genuine.

A story that kept me turning the pages long into the night. Not your typical tropes and very imaginative. A feminist story of revenge at its heart, but much more than that. It was dark and twisty and everything you want in a story. I'll be reading more by this author.

Act 1 started off really strong and grabbed my attention. Act 2 was overdrawn and boring. Act 3 was such a disappointing mess that I was rolling my eyes. I think I understand what the author was trying to do but it didn’t work for me and felt very unrealistic and more insulting than anything.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Sash Bischoff, and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was not for me. The premise sounded interesting, and while the book was what the premise said, it was still much darker and more disturbing than I was expecting. I have not read Tender is the Night, so I cannot speak to how similar this book is to that plot, but the comparison to The Silent Patient is accurate. As someone who did not enjoy The Silent Patient, I think this led to me not enjoying this book either. There is many a flawed and unreliable narrator, and I do commend Bischoff for the development of every character. She writes a twisty story where the reader can't trust anything that is being presented. However, as I stated, it was all a bit too disturbing for me personally, being that there were several rape scenes discussed somewhat in depth. I do think there's an audience for this sort of dark thriller, but I would be warned going into it that it does take that tone rather than being just more of a mystery as I thought it would be.

Hollywood fans!!! Enticing psychological thriller with some juicy and twisty charms to dangle in front of you. Lila, quite the actress along with her partner, Kurt, who is the producer, recreates F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night" tragic romance. In order for Lila to do it justice, she incorporates a therapist, Jonah, to prepare for her new role.
Lila is gorgeous and magnetic on stage, but as the layers unravel in therapy, so does she. I like the way the characters blurred the lines between truth and tale living the reader to become part of the game. No one is quite who they seem when you can't tell who the more toxic person is or the victim. This is a dangerous game they play. You will get caught up in it quickly when the first surprise hits you. It took me a bit to get into it, but then the twist comes. I'm impressed by this author and knowing it is a debut!
Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this incredible ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you, S&S, for the review copy. I also listened to part of this book on audio through the Simon & Schuster Buddy program. I was genuinely impressed by Sash Bischoff's debut work. The details and story development, along with her narration in the audiobook, clearly reflect her strong background in performance and theater, evident in both her storytelling style and voice acting.

You don’t need to be a fan of Fitzgerald or familiar with his work to appreciate and enjoy this story; Bischoff handles that aspect masterfully without bogging down the plot with excessive details or background information.

As noted, Sweet Fury is an impressive debut that takes its time to develop. Once the plot fully engages you about one-third to halfway through the book, it becomes captivating, filled with unexpected twists and directions. The narrative offers a layered and nuanced examination not only of Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night but also addresses broader themes such as misogyny and the treatment of women by men—both fictional and real. The mystery is well-executed, showcasing Bischoff's flair for dramatic plot development.

Stick with it; while the first part of the book reads slowly, it effectively sets up the plot and characters, which is essential for a rewarding payoff as the story entangles both readers and characters alike.

I flew through this one!
The plot moves quick and there are lots of twists that kept me reading. The story is interspersed with therapy transcriptions and journal entries that give deeper insight into different characters. The writing is sharp, biting and poignant and adds depth and dimension to the overall themes.

There is a lot of explanation and description of Fitzgerald and Tender is the Night. I could see some people interpreting these parts as pretentious or info dumping but for me, they added to my clarity of the story.

Overall, an extremely well written, unique, and tense story full of mystery, drama, and literature that I definitely recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the advance copy. Sweet Fury is Bischoff's debut, and it is apparent that she put a great deal of effort and time into the writing of this book. Although I haven't read Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night (and maybe I would have appreciated this book more if I had), I usually don't find that I struggle to enjoy the book if I haven't read the original. Ultimately, this one just didn't quite work for me. It is very slow moving, the characters are all unlikeable (and not in a love to hate kind of way), and the plot veers into areas that are just....yuck. I think Bischoff has a lot of potential, and I would try out her next book, but ultimately this one was not a total win for me. Check out the content warnings on this one if that impacts your reading of a book.

4.5 ⭐️ Rounded Up!

Thank you Simon Books and Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted copies!

Sweet Fury
Sash Bischoff
Publishing Date: January 7, 2025

🎧 Narrator: Sash Bischoff 🎧

Let me start off by saying the author lets you know from the beginning that F. Scott Fitzgerald is where inspiration is drawn here and the references are abundant throughout. Having not read Tender is the Night I was worried I was going to feel lost, but you learn enough about it through Bischoff’s storytelling that it’s really fine.

It’s hard to review this one without giving anything away, so I will keep this one brief and vague. I was sucked in immediately and the pacing kept me engaged until the very end. The story was told from multiple POV, including therapist notes and Lila’s journal, and I really enjoyed this aspect. Stories involving mental health and/or therapy always intrigue me. There were twists and betrayals aplenty. Themes of feminism and misogyny took center stage, mostly within the context of the film industry.

I did feel that the direct F. Scott Fitzgerald references could have been toned down just a smidge and I wish the very end was a bit more clear, just for my personal preference. Regardless, this was an impressive, intelligent, and completely binge worthy debut novel. Bischoff’s writing style and prose was honestly flawless. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

🎧 The author narrates this herself and when I saw this I was nervous, you don’t see this often outside of nonfiction. But fear not! She does a phenomenal job!! I was seriously impressed.

🎬 Sweet Fury - Sash Bischoff

4.25 ⭐️ - Okay, a psychological thriller it is. It’s giving “men ain’t shit” and I’m here for the female rage and revenge. NOW, that said, lots of trigger warnings so look em up before you jump in, BUT this was GOOD. This is a page turning, slow burning, twisty story that you should keep on your radar.


The Great Gatsby is one of my favoriteeeees ever so when I saw the blurb including F. Scott Fitzgerald, I was immediately interested. I, like the main character, have only ready Gatsby, but I didn’t feel lost when I was reading this book. This book is full of unreliable characters, truths and lies I’m not sure I trust, and events I should have seen coming but didn’t. I enjoyed the layout and how it was told in different Acts (like a play) and changing POVs. At times it felt wordy or chapters felt long, but honestly that could have just been because I was so excited to see what happened next. If you’re a The Silent Patient fan, a Verity fan, or a just a psychological thriller fan in general, this needs to be in your TBR asap!

Fates and Furies meets the Silent Patient was the first part of the blurb for this book, and I think it is a fantastic way of describing it without giving too much away. We are following our main characters, Lila Crayne and Jonah Gabriel. When Lila starts seeing Jonah as preparation for her role in an upcoming film adaptation of Tender is the Night by Fitzgerald, mysterious things start to happen.

This was such an interesting story, and seeing that it is this author's debut, I will keep an eye out for their future books. The pacing felt a little rushed by the end, but I do feel like the book took its time, giving us the background for what finally happened. I felt like the characters were done well. I think that as this author's writing grows, the character development will get even better. I feel like the setting, while in the current day, still gave off the feeling of being in one of Fitzgerald's novels. This was definitely an unexpected read for me this year.

I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Shuster for allowing me to read this ARC early.

There are quite a few positive reviews on Goodreads for this one, so I think I might be in the minority here. There were a lot of elements that just didn't work for me as a reader. First off, I haven't read "Tender is the Night," which is kind of essential to the plot here. Most of the references just felt boring to me since I couldn't make any connections to the original text. And a lot of the dialogue about it seemed to drag the pacing of the entire plot. Second, every single character was an unreliable narrator and had nefarious motives. I don't need all characters to be likable, but in this instance, it felt hard to even root for anyone or to feel connected to anyone. The only real action occurred about 80 percent into the book, and then the epilogue completely ruined the whole story. It felt totally nonsensical to me. I get what Bischoff was trying to do, and I appreciate that she was trying to put a feminist stance on assault, but this entire revenge plot just ended up feeling off-putting to me (and was sort of easy to predict pretty early on in the story).

Reading in Between the Wines book review #130/130 for 2024:
LAST BOOK OF THE YEAR AND THE ONE THAT HELPED ME MEET MY YEARLY GOAL
Rating: 5 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
Book: Sweet Fury
Author: Sash Bischoff
RELEASES on January 7, 2025!!!

Sipping thoughts: How fitting is it that Bischoff’s debut novel is my last read of 2024, my last 5 star of the year, and the book that helped meet my goal of 130 books!

I have to admit I did not think I was going to like this book. I was so confused at first, and I have never read anything by Fitzgerald or even like anything of that genre. But, let me tell you, once it hit that first twist!!! I was like, "Oh, crap, let me buckle up because I am in this," and I immediately understood it would be a ride. Now, in all honesty, I did not like the parts where they went into depths of the actual play, but after finishing the book, I understood why it was necessary. I would love to see what Bischoff writes next as I want to see what direction her writing goes.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @SimonAndSchuster for an advanced copy of @SweetFury.

#SweetFury #SashBischoff #SimonAndSchuster #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I loved the idea of this one and the nods to Fitzgerald.

Lila is America's sweetheart, about to star in an upcoming film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night. The book follows Lila on and off set as she navigates her troubled home life that is intrinsically intertwined with her booming career.

Personally, I found Lila's character to be a little over the top and I was having trouble connecting. I knew a lot of self-proclaimed "theater kids" when I was younger, and she reminded a little of them, but I think she was supposed to.

The plot twist felt both convoluted and obvious to me when we finally got to it. I enjoyed it, but it felt like it went on a little longer than necessary.

Overall, I found it to be an interesting read, and it inspired me to pick up a copy of the classic, Tender is the Night to read after I was done.