An enjoyable slow burning read with a good ending you do not expect. It wouldn't be my favourite book belonging to Liz but still worth the read.

I have always loved Liz Nugent’s books so was looking forward to this. Revolving around 3. brothers we know one has died as the story opens with a funeral but who? We are then treated to a fabulous twisting story from multiple perspectives and times and you definitely need to have your wits about you to keep up with everything that is and has gone on making it a fascinating and challenging read. If i’m honest I didn’t enjoy it as much as her previous books as I found some bits not as gripping as others but overall it very enjoyable and well written read,, definitely recommended. Will thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy.

I loved Liz Nugent's previous books especially Skin Deep (see my review here) and Lying in Wait (see my review here) so when I saw that she had a new standalone psychological thriller called Our Little Cruelties being published on 26th March 2020, I jumped at the chance to read an early advance copy thanks to Netgalley.

There was NO DOUBT in my mind that Liz Nugent is a very sick and twisted person in real life who should possibly not be allowed near small children or pets, however having met Liz at Harrogate Crime Festival she is actually very sweet and nice and not scary at all which is why I am shocked at how dark and disturbing her books are... but then you do hear that saying "it's the quiet ones you should watch out for".

So, back to the new book.  We start at a funeral - three brothers - 1 dead, the other 2 alive, and who is narrating the story?  Well I can tell you that all 3 brothers narrate the story and take the reader on a journey back and forth from their earliest memories to the current day.  Liz Nugent very cleverly gives each brother their own story to tell in their own words and we flit to and fro, jumping timelines, skipping decades and returning to major events within each part of the book.  

None of the brothers are particularly likeable, we have Will, the eldest controlling and selfish brother, Brian, the middle child who has some serious sibling rivalry issues and little Luke, the youngest brother who has mental health illness on top of a really harsh and unloving mother.  The stories are sad and the brothers entangled lives are laid bare to the reader which at times is so uncomfortable you may have to change seats.

Some of the subject matters are hard to read about - I particularly found the mother's behaviour towards her children disgusting and upsetting.  Reading Luke's journey into stardom as a young pop star and his decent into mental heath illness and drug/alcohol addiction was moving and emotional and following Will's career progress and his cavalier attitude to life made me want to hit him over the head with a brick (tied to a chair).

Liz has created several very unlikable but plausible characters and taken the reader on a roller coaster of a journey to find out which of the brothers died and who killed him.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fans of dark, disturbing and dis likeable characters.

Not the best Liz Nugent book i have read, i found a lot of it repititve. I enjoyed the switch between characters and the ending was excellent.

I read the simple preface of this book and instantly wanted to read it. <b>'Three brothers are at the funeral. One lies in the coffin. Will, Brian and Luke grow up competing for their mother's unequal love. As men, the competition continues - for status, money, fame, women ...
They each betray each other, over and over, until one of them is dead. But which brother killed him?'</b> Added to that I had previously enjoyed 'Skin Deep' by the same author.
This book had me hooked from start to finish although I was slightly disappointed by the ending but nevertheless I very entertaining read. The book is told by each of the three brothers all the while the victims and the killer are kept secret. They all have their own story and it is interesting to see their individual take on each plot line. The characters are not not people but fascinating all the same.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Penguin UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

My final book of 2019 and what a high to go out on! As an avid fan of Liz Nugent, I knew from the second I read the description that I would be completely enthralled by this book and I wasn’t disappointed!

‘Our Little Cruelties’ tells the stories of the Drumm family brothers Brian, Luke and Will, which spans over a number of years. They’re extremely competitive with each other and all crave to be in the spotlight. This way of life will result in the demise of one of the brothers.. but which one?

Fantastically exciting, gripping and compelling. Liz Nugents genius writing skills have a way of transporting you into her world and captivating the imagination like no other.

From the very first (brilliant) opening line, Liz Nugent had me enthralled. As a current fan of this author, I was already prepared to dislike the characters.....and I wasn’t disappointed 😅 The writing, as always, is excellent, and the story itself is gripping. I’m pretty sure we’re going to see a lot of hype when this book is released! I’m giving it the full five stars.

‘All three of the Drumm brothers were at the funeral, although one of us was in a coffin’. As usual Liz Nugent starts her latest book off with a cracking first sentence !

This story is told from the point of views of the three brothers . These three brothers are all for the main not nice people and seem to want to do their best to hurt and upset each other. We know from the start that by the end one of the brothers will be dead.

Yet again Liz Nugent has written an absolutely fantastic book that had me completely engrossed from the first sentence. This book is full of horrible characters and this is what this author does best . Writes fantastic books with not nice characters. I devoured this book and highly recommend it.

My final book of 2019 and I'm going out on a high!

Nobody writes dysfunctional families like Liz Nugent. She seems to get into the very fabric and woven seams of despicable and self centred, self serving characters and the result? A fourth book that is utterly compelling, wildly entertaining and really, just brilliant.

Brian, Will and Luke are the three sons of a self obsessed "star" of the Irish scene, Melissa. They all grow up competing for her love, with some getting more than their fair share. As adults, their competitiveness and familial "little cruelties" towards each other means they can never be happy if one appears to get further ahead of another and so, three brothers are at a funeral, one is in the coffin, but which one?

With multiple perspectives and varying timelines, the story is really well paced with some serious OMG moments. At all times it is riveting, sensational and compulsive with a truly unforgettable ending that is fast coming Ms Nugent's trademark, I highly highly recommend you read this book ASAP. A fantastic 5++/5

Review will go live on blog closer to release

Liz Nugent is back with her fourth novel, and I have been on tenterhooks waiting to get my hands on it, so I was delighted when an email popped up to say I had been pre-approved a copy on NatGalley. Of course, I immediately ran there and downloaded it.
If you have read any of Liz Nugent's books you will know that she is the master of the opening chapter. She hasn't let up this time around either and the opening chapter gives us a powerful introduction and sets up perfectly for what is to follow.
The story revolves around three brothers William, Brian and Luke. In some ways they are typical brothers and are out to one up each other. The novel is told from each brother's perspective, and as a change of pace to other books in the genre we focus on each brother individually for the bulk of the novel. We start off with William telling his story up to the funeral, then Brian, and finish with the youngest brother Luke
The crossover between stories is the most interesting part as we get to see events from each brother's differing viewpoint - and how wildly different they are. We are left to wonder which version of events is actually true. Given that each of the brother's is so incredibly unreliable it is hard to believe any of them.
The Drumm family are the very definition of a dysfunctional family - but the brothers are not the only ones who have fault. They're parents also seem to have their own troubles that are peppered throughout and greatly influence the young Drumm boys in ways that carry on through their lives. It is an interesting take on Nature vs Nurture.
We also need to look at some of the secondary characters who play the boys off each other. Are they as innocent as they seem? Or are they just well suited to the brothers? While it is hard to draw sympathy for any of them, except perhaps Luke, they certainly aren't the only ones who act in a less than perfect manner throughout.
The story is incredibly relevant with large sections of the book focusing on the #MeToo movement, and on mental health. I think these issues were brought up very carefully, but with massive impact. It makes for hard hitting reading but is brilliantly done.
The author continues to write strong characters and the plot is second to none. This one grips you from the start until eventually releasing you with a thug in the end. It took a while to pick myself up and get my breath back. Just brilliant.
Highly recommended.

Three brothers - all flawed in their own way - narrate their childhood. The reader knows that one brother dies - but which one, and how?

I enjoyed the three voices, particularly when the same incident is told by the different brothers, actions which seemed sane and rational to one man appeared selfish and mean to another. Dark secrets, jealousy and sibling rivalry drive the plot in a top read.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, I simply could not put it down! Another complete triumph from the genius that is Liz Nugent. Nugent creates such original, dark and addictive plots that contain characters that will stay with you for a very long time to come!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. Wow this book was absolutely brilliant. Very well written thought out story. The characters where great. Well worth 5 stars and more. I look forward to reading more from this author.

#ourlittlecruelties
#netgalley
I am sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this. I loved her first book.
I really had to force myself to keep reading it.
I couldn't identify with any of the characters so it's harder to buy into the storyline.
It was very repetitive..felt like some of the chapters were just filling the gaps.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in advance.
2 star review😣

An unusually written book. It starts at the funeral of one of three brothers. Throughout the book we learn more about each of them, even learning a different truth about various events in their lives. None of the brothers are particularly likeable, but I still found myself gripped by the stor. Well worth a read.

An excellent dark and disturbing book that deals with current issues like the me too movement, mental illness etc. The dynamics within the Drumm family were riveting, told from the 3 sons’ perspective. It was sad and horrifying in equal measure but extremely enjoyable to read.

I was super eager to feast my eyes on ‘our little cruelties’ on the strength of Liz Nugent’s previous novels - adding this to the catalogue cements her position as one of my favourite authors.

As with her previous titles this one was clever - hitting that sweet spot between intelligent writing and readability. In my experience this is not easy to do!!

The story is pretty gritty with some rather unsavoury personalities. We learn from the start that this will be a tale of 3 brothers, one of whom will die by the end, but we are left guessing which one until the very end.

A lot happens in this story - covering the lifetimes up to middle age of the brothers, shifting from perspective between all 3. As such pace is gratifyingly quick. That the narrative dips between different characters and timelines could have been confusing, but it was so well managed I had no problem following. Overall an engaging read throughout - highly recommended.

My thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for an honest and timely review in exchange for an advance copy.

This isn’t a good book this is a GREAT book and in my opinion Liz Nugents best yet

Starts with a funeral. A brother, one of three, is dead but which one?

The story is narrated by all three brothers at different times in their lives with events intertwined. It captured me and I travelled their journeys through their words

I highly recommend this book to all readers. You will not be disappointed

Unique family drama, utterly compelling with character who, while not likeable, suck you in, leaving you unable to put it down.

I eagerly await a new Liz Nugent book every time I hear about it, and I’ve been dying to read this one since I first heard about it months ago. Our Little Cruelties is a horrifically compelling book that follows three brothers at various points in their lives. It’s an amazing deep dive into the fictional psyches of the characters, their reasons for their behavior and so on. I couldn’t put it down to be honest. It’s relevant, dark and gripping from beginning to the bitter end.