SWEET FURY by Sash Bischoff

4 stars

Lila Crayne, an established Hollywood movie actress in her thirties, has worked behind the scenes for years to bring about a movie she can star in that does a feminist retelling of Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. She gotten Kurt Royall, her famous filmmaker, to direct it as well as to pull together the funding for the shoot. They’ve moved into a luxurious West Village apartment in NYC and become the social toast of the town as Lila dramatically proposes marriage to Kurt at a large surprise fiftieth birthday party for him that she hosts.

Meanwhile, Lila has sought out Jonah Gabriel who specializes in early childhood trauma to help her undergo psychotherapy for the role. Turns out that Lila’s abusive father died in a car accident when she was in the back seat, and she has no memories of the accident itself. Lila also tells Jonah that Kurt has been abusing her, but that she can’t leave him as she fears that all men will eventually abandon her, and she’ll end up all alone. Jonah finds himself smitten with Lila and distancing himself from his fiancé Maggie.

While determined to make the film about female empowerment, Lila on set relentlessly manipulates all those around her, from the young actress Celia she’s recruited who looks just like Lila’s younger self, the timid script writer, and Kurt himself.

Condemning men who have preyed on women over generations, Lila seemingly want to flip the tables. Who is preying on who? And what does or should justice look like for victims?

Secrets and reveals swiftly pile up until a final twist at the end that YOU DO NOT SEE COMING! And you finish the book breathless and taking a long moment to think back over the plot to truly put the ending in context!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.