When a beloved actress is cast in a feminist adaptation of a Fitzgerald classic, she finds herself the victim in a deadly game of revenge in which everyone, on-screen and off, is playing a part.
Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.
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| January 2025; Simon & Schuster; 978-1668043257 audio, ebook, print (288 pages); psychological thriller |
When I started this novel, I couldn't remember why I chose to review it. I usually don't care for the glitz and glam a story with Hollywood stars has. While I liked The Great Gatsby, I'm not a huge F. Scott Fitzgerald fan (I much prefer John Steinbeck). But then the twists and turns of this wild ride started and I was hooked.
I remember when a book about Zelda came out a few years ago and how everyone was going wild over F. Scott Fitzgerald. I didn't get it, but this novel reminds me of that time. And again, I didn't understand the character's obsession with Fitzgerald. If you are a fan, though, you will really love this novel with all its references to Zelda and Fitzgerald and his writing.
It didn't take long for me to get over my aversion to the actor aspect of the story. Partly that is because it wasn't really the Hollywood elite. They are more of an independent film group so there isn't all the gossip and partying and hedonism of previous novels I've read. They are also in New York and not in California and I think the scene in NYC is different than L. A. I actually enjoyed the scenes on the set of them walking through various scenes.
What I truly loved about the novel though was never knowing who to trust. The story is told from Lila's POV mostly and since she is an actress I never quite knew when it was an act. I automatically put her in the unreliable narrator category. Was I right to?
Jonah is another character I wasn't sure if I should trust. In the first act of the book, we get his session notes with Lila. I didn't like the execution of this. His notes are just that notes and so there aren't complete sentences. It was disjointed and difficult to read. I wanted to race through but my brain had trouble with this style and it slowed my reading (evident because I only read a third of the book the first day, but was able to speed through reading the last two-thirds the next day). Thankfully they only occur in the first act. In the second act, we get Lila's diary/journal entries. These were easier to read as they were written more naturally.
I didn't really like Jonah or Lila. The character I liked most was Maggie and I hope she got the cat in the end.
If you are looking for a wild ride, then you need to pick up this book.
Buy Sweet Fury at Amazon
Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.
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