Although I nearly rated this book four stars, I felt at a disadvantage not having read Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, as this novel is described as a feminist adaptation of his work. The story centers on Lila, a renowned and captivating actress in a relationship with Kurt, an equally famous director. While filming an adaptation of Tender Is The Night together, Lila begins visiting a therapist named Jonah. Gradually, the cracks in her seemingly perfect life begin to surface, unveiling both past and present traumas. Throughout the story, there’s a lingering sense that things are not as they seem, creating an unsettling tension as characters appear to manipulate one another. It’s a compelling narrative that kept me wanting to return to it time and again.

i would like to preface this review by saying that i was really excited and looking forward to reviewing this book, but i don't think i'm the right audience for it. just because i didn't like it, doesn't mean it was bad. i would still recommend sweet fury to certain types of readers.

sweet fury is a feminist retelling of Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night. i haven't read the original, and after this book, i don't think i want to.

the biggest thing that i struggled with was the writing style. i found the prose really stiff and unnatural sounding. it didn't flow in a way that i would expect from a fiction book. (i'm assuming it's the fitzgerald influence). the therapy session/notes were really difficult to read. i understand from a technical standpoint, but this is fiction. it could've sounded less formulaic.

i found the plot fairly flat and uneventful, besides the odd bit. because of this, i found myself bored with the story. the ending was definitely interesting but it didn't make up for the all the pages of boring nonsense i had to ensure to get there.

the characters weren't likeable (i feel this was intentional), but it made it harder to get through the book as i wasn't rooting for anyone. i quite like angrily hoping something bad would happen to someone, but i didn't even feel that with any of the characters.

i came into this book expecting an old hollywood thriller and was disappointed by the lack of thrilling. it lived up to the old hollywood expectations though.

Actress Lila Crayne is cast in a feminist adaption of Tender Is The Night. She meets therapist Jonah to prepare for her role, unlocking traumas of her past. Soon her life begins to unravel and Jonah is there to pick up the pieces.

I found the premise of this intriguing and liked the cross over with F Scott Fitzgerald. This ended up being a mixed bag for me. This was well written and had some interesting twists which kept me reading. However, I found parts overly long, slow moving and on the verge of becoming dull. I also couldn’t get on with any of the characters, finding them unlikeable. The ending seemed quite unbelievable and I’m not sure what to make of it. I admire what the author intended to do and this has the potential to be great. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Describing Sweet Fury as a feminist retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'Tender Is the Night' with the blurb 'The Silent Patient meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this elegant and twisty debut thriller', meant that I was instantly drawn to this book.

The reading experience though didn't live up to my anticipation and I found this to be a slow burn that never quite captured my imagination or my heart. I generally struggle to connect to stories that are stuffed with unlikeable characters, and really struggle with r*pe and domestic abuse as predominant themes. It also didn't help that I personally found the ending to be really unsatisfying as well.

This truly is a stylist literary domestic thriller but it's overwritten at times and unfortunately the high hopes I had for it fell flat. This is one that will likely split readers and unfortunately on this occasion I fall on the side of readers that it didn't work for.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for a digital review copy of "Sweet Fury" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

This has been described as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets The Silent Patient. I think that’s clutching at straws a little bit, but sure… let’s go with that 😅

This was fine. It wasn’t bad enough to DNF but it was not really my cup of tea. I was never particularly excited to pick it up.

The writing felt a little disjointed and scatty and I felt it didn’t flow well while reading it. It’s mostly a slow burn style book with long chapters and I did struggle to engage at times.

There are lots of references to Tender is the Night which I’ve not read (and probably never will) and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I knew what the hell everyone was talking about half the time!! 😂

I didn’t like the characters and I wasn’t invested enough to care about their stories. I also found the story as a whole a tad pretentious.

The ending was definitely the best bit for me. I thought it was the best written part (even though it was a bit stupid).

Thank you Bantam and Netgalley for a copy of this book!

Sweet Fury is a sharp, tension-filled thriller that kept me second-guessing every character’s intentions. The Hollywood setting, the blurred lines between truth and performance, and the slow unraveling of Lila’s psyche made for an engrossing read. While some twists felt a little over the top, I loved the eerie, unsettling atmosphere and the way the story played with power and manipulation. It’s a wild, messy ride—but one I couldn’t look away from.

I really loved the sound of this one but just couldn't get in to it. I really struggled with the characters and sadly felt no motivation to keep picking this one up.

So sorry!

DNF @ 10%. I forsaw my future and it was not made any better by forcing myself to read almost 300 pages of misogynistic characters and an actress with about as much depth as a puddle. I get what the author was trying to do, but I can't help but think the story might have been more subtly told in the hands of another writer. Because really, a concept like this needs a writer who can handle the content matter with a little more tact. I felt the same about 'Food Person' by Adam Pearson - it's all a bit on the surface while trying to desperately push down below. Though, I imagine this one is going to pop up a lot on TikTok - they'll enjoy it there.

I enjoyed this, it had a bit of a Taylor Jenkins Reid feel to it and I appreciated all the twists and turns. I thought the pacing was good generally, if a little too rushed towards the end, and characters were well fleshed out. Adding Tender is the Night to my reading list aswell.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

A uniquely set out novel, this was exciting and thought provoking. I’m not a Fitzgerald fan, so I think an avid fan of his would probably connect more to ‘Sweet Fury’ than I did, but still an enjoyable read!

I had high hopes for this book, despite not having read Tender is the Nught. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I had. It was a slow burn for me, I found myself not caring too much if I didn’t get a chance to pick it up, which is never a good sign.

The characters were all very unlikeable and but over the top at times. I didn’t really care what happened to them and ai figured out what the twist was early on. The ending was interesting but disappointing. This was very literary for a thriller.,and hard going for me. It was ok, but I just couldn’t get invested at all. Not the right audience for it.

Thanks to the publisher for the chance to read this.

To sum this up I would say ‘ a darker Evelyn Hugo’ . If you want the Hollywood vibes, some scandal , some twists and turns then you will love this .
It’s very much a literally thriller and like many it starts of slow but you can feel something building … the characters are not nice people but then what do you expect in Hollywood!
Told in flashbacks , the present day and also thorough therapy notes , it all weaves together really well . The book plays homage to Fitzgerald and his works and I now want to go and read ALL the books!
A great debut and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future

I've seen this book all over Instagram in the last few weeks, so was delighted to get a copy. Debut novelist Sach Bischoff weaves a wonderfully meta tale, very much like a stacked doll, where you know there are multiple layers of intrigue and deception, but you're not quite sure which characters you can trust until the very end. That was incredibly satisfying for this reader, who was doing mental gymnastics during every reading session. The book sits comfortably within the thriller genre albeit at the literary end; mostly driven by the author retaining a very authentic voice commensurate with Fitzgerald's work. This works beautifully, adding a depth to the prose that feels rich and engaging. The book starts a little more slowly than you might expect - in order to set a compelling scene - but the pace soon picks up and you'll find yourself whisked along.

In reading the book, I was aware of two things that *might* put some readers off, so I'd like to address those here:
1) there are some topics in the book that could be difficult for some readers - I felt that these were written with care, and with a sparseness to the prose that means the reader gets just enough to understand the scene, but not so much that it is troubling. The events used are not gratuitous, each serving a purpose within the story.
2) the depth of the dedication to Fitzgerald's world - you don't need to be familiar with his work to appreciate this novel. I'm not a particular fan and didn't enjoy Gatsby (yes, I know!) but I'm really glad that I've read this . Consider the Fitzgerald immersion the backdrop, rather than an homage, and enjoy the novel for what it is.

I'd hugely recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys superbly twisty thrillers with a strong element of mystery.

This is such a complex and complicated book, and that reflects my feelings too. There is so much going on all at once; it's incredibly fast paced and my brain was racing to catch up.

First of all, the format of this book is very cleverly done. Although it is such a simple thing, I really enjoyed the way that it was almost written out as a script, with parts acting as 'Acts', and chapters as 'scenes'. It added to the whole cinematic feel of the book (which feels very apt give the author's background). Along with the cinematic format, I also enjoyed the alternate way of portraying dialogue through the notes of the therapist. This is a really unique way to see a different side of a character, and to be privy to their inside thoughts. I felt it worked really well.

While I enjoyed the flashbacks, and completely understand that they are a necessary part of the plot, sometimes it did feel like it was all a bit too much; there was already a lot going on all at once to keep track of, and the flashbacks just added something else that the reader had to catch up with.

I've always enjoyed the unreliable narrater trope; it makes books so interesting and thrilling. The way that an author can completely flip the book on it's head by snatching the comfort and familiarity from you is an incredible feat. And Sash does this really well in Sweet Fury. You're sure you know the flow of the book, the characters, the relationships and most importantly, who the bad guy is. But, the narrater (or narraters) are not always reliable. It's very cleverly done and really rocks your world.

I would say that my biggest problem was with the ending; it was a little too fast paced. So much blame is being thrown around and the villain constantly shifts to the point that you're just confused. and have to keep flipping the pages back to understand what's really going on. It can just become a little too confusing.

To round it off, I would say this is a really intriguing novel full of complicated characters and relationships, which explores what happens when art begins to mirror life. I would recommend!This is such a complex and complicated book, and that reflects my feelings too. There is so much going on all at once; it's incredibly fast paced and my brain was racing to catch up.

First of all, the format of this book is very cleverly done. Although it is such a simple thing, I really enjoyed the way that it was almost written out as a script, with parts acting as 'Acts', and chapters as 'scenes'. It added to the whole cinematic feel of the book (which feels very apt give the author's background). Along with the cinematic format, I also enjoyed the alternate way of portraying dialogue through the notes of the therapist. This is a really unique way to see a different side of a character, and to be privy to their inside thoughts. I felt it worked really well.

While I enjoyed the flashbacks, and completely understand that they are a necessary part of the plot, sometimes it did feel like it was all a bit too much; there was already a lot going on all at once to keep track of, and the flashbacks just added something else that the reader had to catch up with.

I've always enjoyed the unreliable narrater trope; it makes books so interesting and thrilling. The way that an author can completely flip the book on it's head by snatching the comfort and familiarity from you is an incredible feat. And Sash does this really well in Sweet Fury. You're sure you know the flow of the book, the characters, the relationships and most importantly, who the bad guy is. But, the narrater (or narraters) are not always reliable. It's very cleverly done and really rocks your world.

I would say that my biggest problem was with the ending; it was a little too fast paced. So much blame is being thrown around and the villain constantly shifts to the point that you're just confused. and have to keep flipping the pages back to understand what's really going on. It can just become a little too confusing.

To round it off, I would say this is a really intriguing novel full of complicated characters and relationships, which explores what happens when art begins to mirror life. I would recommend!

Sometimes, it's best to leave sleeping dogs to slumber. Because what is unleashed when they are awakened out of kilter, can be more than you bargain for...

Lila and Kurt are a celebrity couple who have everything going for them. Careers as a movie star and a film maker with an interesting collaboration coming up, they have a great deal to look forward to.

Until a revisiting of past traumas means that all hell breaks lose. And in such a situation, you cannot always be sure that you are safe in the people whom you have chosen to trust.

This is a nuanced and interesting story, with many layers to it. Feminist fiction with a sting in the tail. Worth a read, it gets 3.5 stars.

A tale of Hollywood, misogyny and therapy.

I wanted to love this book but there was not a single bit of subtlety to it. Usually as a reader we are trusted to make our own choices about how we feel but here you are signposted in to what you should think or even telling me when they have been clever about Fitzgerald.

A shame as the thriller has legs, but as a woman, you don’t need to tell me when misogyny and gaslighting happen, I will know.

Sweet Fury is a provocative and twisty exploration of fame, power, and identity in the modern world, set against the glamorous yet cutthroat backdrop of the film industry. The novel follows Lila Crayne, America’s darling actress, as she embarks on a feminist reimagining of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night, only to find herself ensnared in a web of betrayal, secrets, and revenge. As Lila prepares for her role, her personal life begins to crumble, particularly as her therapy sessions with Jonah Gabriel—a suave, enigmatic therapist—bring her darkest traumas to light.
Bischoff weaves a deeply introspective narrative, expertly deconstructing the constructed facades that both the film industry and society at large demand of women. Lila’s story is a sharp critique of America’s enduring misogyny, questioning not only how women are perceived and exploited but also the roles they are forced to play in their own lives. The novel's exploration of the blurred lines between victim and perpetrator, particularly in the context of power dynamics, is both timely and thought-provoking.
The character-driven plot takes readers on a psychological rollercoaster, with plenty of twists and turns. Each character—from the charming therapist to the seemingly perfect fiancé—harbours secrets that slowly unravel, keeping the tension high and the stakes even higher. Bischoff's writing is intelligent and haunting, offering rich, multilayered prose that invites deep reflection on societal expectations, justice, and the manipulation of narrative.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

I was interested to read this but I found it a bit heavy handed. It said Fitzgerald fans would enjoy the references, but then went on to point out all the references as you went through. It lacked subtlety. I didn't mind the overall plot but it could have been better explained in places

I was hooked from the start and ended up finishing this in one sitting. Like other readers have mentioned the ending is the weak link in this story, it wraps things up but it feels rushed which doesn’t do the rest of the story justice. An epic debut novel from Sash Bischoff nonetheless, I can’t wait to read more from her in the future!

Thank you so much Random House UK, Transworld Digital, Bantam + NetGalley for the chance to read Sweet Fury before it’s published on 3rd April 2025!

This was a super quick and fast paced read. It has some interesting themes with lots of twists and turns. I didn't particularly enjoy the ending though and I found it felt a little rushed. Still, a pretty solid thriller.