Wow. So this was pretty twisted. I can't decide if I even really know what happened in the end. I think I would have liked one final short chapter from V's perspective but I guess the ambiguous ending gives us something to talk about. I went back and forth the whole time I was reading trying to decide what I thought was really happening. So it's very good in that way but I think I would have liked a clear answer in the end. If you enjoyed You by Caroline Kepnes then you'll like this...this was even better.

Wow. So this book started out slow for me but the second half really picked up and left me guessing until the very end. So many books claim to be “the New Gone Girl!” and this is the closest I’ve seen one come to having that completely creepy feel.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars



annnndd I love reading about the crazies.

Mike knows that Verity still loves and wants him. So what if she is marrying some other guy? He knows the signs she sends to him and what she really means when she rejects him. He must do something grand to get her back. After all this all has to be another game of "Crave" that they play.



Verity after all does invite him to her wedding.

My book buddy is probably going to say I readed this one sorta wrong BUT I did like it. The front part of the book could do with less talky talky in Mike's crazy ass life but still...it does make sense after the second part of the book starts. (That second part was real crazy time good.)

Are you waiting for me to actually say what happens? You are outta luck...this is one of those that you don't want to get spoiled on. Just jump right in if you like the crazy train characters that make you kinda icky feeling and want to find your 'Eagle.'


Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

3.8 Out Of 5 Stars for this dark, twisted AF love story...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book Title: Our Kind of Cruelty
Author: Araminta Hall
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Source: I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~MY RATING~ 3.8/5 STARS - GRADE=B

~BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot~ 4/5
Main Characters~ 3.5/5
Secondary Characters~ 3.8/5
The Feels~ 5/5
Pacing~ 4/5
Addictiveness~ 5/5
Theme or Tone~4/5
Flow (Writing Style)~ 3.8/5
Backdrop (World Building)~ 4/5
Originality~ 4.5/5
Ending~ 3.7/5 Cliffhanger~ …sort of open-ended.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book Cover~ Okay, I guess…
Setting~ London, England
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~My Thoughts~

A compelling, provocative, and utterly disturbing story about obsessive love…with a decidedly English feel (this is coming from an American, though) to it. Being inside Mike's head is uncomfortable…I really despise stalkers, and he left me feeling positively icky. It is odd though, that he made me doubt, like seriously doubt, everything. In fact…I don't know if I truly understood the ending. Maybe, that's what the Author wants??? But, overall, I was hooked while reading this and had to know where this was ultimately going. Although, I was slightly mystified with the ending.

~Will I read more from this Author?~ I don't really know, honestly.

Book Description
This is a love story. Mike’s love story.
Mike Hayes fought his way out of a brutal childhood and into a quiet, if lonely life before he met Verity Metcalf. V taught him about love, and in return, Mike has dedicated his life to making her happy. He’s found the perfect home, the perfect job, he’s sculpted himself into the physical ideal V has always wanted. He knows they’ll be blissfully happy together.
It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t been returning his emails or phone calls.
It doesn’t matter that she says she’s marrying Angus.
My Thoughts
Our Kind of Cruelty grabbed my attention and never let go as I waited to see how far Mike would go to ensure his love story would have a happily ever after ending. There were so many times that I questioned whether Mike was straight out “ cray-cray” or if there was some basis for his obsession with Verity. I won't answer that question since it would spoil the story, but I will say that what goes on inside Mike's head is truly the stuff that nightmares are made of.
On the outside, Mike appears to have succeeded in moving beyond his abusive childhood. He has a good job and enough money to transform the house he bought into the ideal home that he knows Verity will love. His only problem is the fact that Verity has ended their relationship and plans to marry another man. But is that really her intent or is this just another phase of the game, The Crave, they played when they were together? Mike takes the term unreliable narrator to a whole new level and I highly recommend this thriller as I thoroughly enjoyed losing myself in this twisted tale.
I found this book in the 2018: Spring/Summer Buzz Books and the excerpt left me wanting more. Thank you, Araminta Hall, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for the digital ARC to read and review. The publication date is May 8th and I expect there will be a lot of buzz around Our Kind of Cruelty.

WOW!!! All the hype, all the reviews are spot on. I read this book in one sitting, sometimes cringing but always fascinated when I turned the page. It’s one suspenseful page after another. I love the authors intention in writing this book because I believe she is absolutely correct about our society and the still. Prevalent Differences between women and men.

3.5 stars

Love, Obsession, jealousy, rage, manipulation, lies - the perfect storm for disturbing "love" story gone bad...
Mike Hays had a rough start in life and wound up in foster care. Even he will admit that his permanent foster parents were loving and caring, but maybe not quite so loving and caring as, Verity Metcalf. Verity and Mike entered a romantic relationship where they enjoyed playing games of a sexual nature called "the Crave". Everything seemed fine. Mike loved Verity more than anything. He was willing to do anything to make her happy. He sculpted his body, he bought the perfect home, he wanted the perfect career. He was the "perfect" man for her. After all they have the perfect twisted and toxic relationship disguised as love.
Then their relationship ended. Mike was distraught. He was willing to do whatever it took to get Verity back. Verity cut him off completely and Mike believes he just needs to watch, he needs to be patient, she has always given him the "sign" in the past, she will give him the sign again, right? All he needs to do is hang in there and wait, watch and stalk.
"I must be cruel only to be kind / Thus bad begins and worse remains behind.”
One day, Mike receives an invitation to Verity's wedding. He agrees to go. This must be where the "sign" is going to be given...It must be.... Is she seriously going to marry this other man? This is certainly another "crave" where Mike must step in and save the day!
Obsession, manipulation, a mind unraveling all the set the stage for this book. There is a lot of psychological drama in this book and I times I wondered "is everything as it seems" and "what is the big reveal going to be" I also wondered how reliable Mike was, as he wasn’t the most stable character. That paired with the fact that I just had no empathy or for Verity. Maybe because the reader doesn't get too much information on what is going on in her mind. What was her motivation. I would have given more stars had I known more about what made her tick.

This book did not have me on the edge of my seat, but it was compelling as I wanted to know what Mike would do next and to see if a "sign" would ever be given. This is more of a psychological character driven story focusing on obsession. My favorite part of the book was the court room scenes. Hearing all the testimony. I think this book will have people talking. This is a book where you know that something isn't right here. Is the main character completely wrong, is he being toyed with, is he mentally ill, is that all part of "the crave", etc.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com

WOW! What a book! What a RIDE! Crazy, psychological thriller! Crazy main characters! What’s right? What’s wrong? Who’s telling the truth? Who’s lying?! I flip flopped SO MUCH! Araminta just SLAYED it! Never have I been so curious as to whether I knew the characters or whether I knew what was even going on. But most of all she just KILLED IT in the court room scenes. Holy hell. I’ve felt this way only once before, and that was the first time I watched the court room scenes in the movie “A Time To Kill” for the very first time. These court room scenes were riveting, uncomfortable, appalling, and utterly fascinating. What.A.Ride! Pick this one up and read it!

4.5 Stars

“I must be cruel only to be kind / Thus bad begins and worse remains behind.”

When I saw my friend Michelle’s review comparing this to one of my favorites, I went and requested it immediately. I spent the next 24 hours waiting with bated breath to see if I would be approved an early copy while simultaneously trying to lower my expectations. I mean, really, there can only be one You (well, actually there are two and supposedly another in the works and also a television program, but you know what I mean). Ever since Kepnes released her little sleeper and everyone’s favorite psycho book boyfriend into the world others have been trying to follow in her twisted footsteps – and I keep reading them. At this point I figured the comparison is similar to everything being “the next Gone Girl” and once I received my copy I was prepared for disappointment and would deal with Michelle accordingly if I hated it . . . .

Ha! I keeeeed. Don’t be scared, Michelle.

So what was the end result????? This really is maybe the next You - with one difference: you won’t fall in love with Mike and it’s crystal clear throughout the story that he won’t be getting a happily-ever-after. The story here is of Mike and Verity. Theirs is a classic love story – they met at university and were together for seven years while each became quite the success in their respective industry. Unfortunately Mike engaged in an indiscretion of sorts while living abroad for work. That was when Verity stopped returning his calls and e-mails. Mike is not deterred, however, and knows he can win Verity back once he returns to London. He has the job, the house, the money – all that’s missing is the girl. And so what if she’s engaged to someone else and has invited Mike to the wedding. Mike knows the whole thing is a ruse – a game they play. After all, how can two people who Crave each other so much ever stand to be apart?

Mad props to Araminta Hall for going balls to the wall when it came to Mike. There was not one sentence where I didn’t believe I was in the mind of an absolute nutter. Again, I didn’t “love” Mike like I loved Joe, but boy did I appreciate his crazy effing perspective on things.

Oh, one other note. PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASE keep the cover with the eagle on it and ditch that other ugly AF one : )

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Wow, I could not stop reading this book. Hall has created a truly haunting figure in our narrator Mike, who is a complex product of abuse and entitlement. After a few years of working in New York, Mike has returned to London to claim a seemingly perfect life, which includes winning back his girlfriend Verity. There will surely be tons of comparisons to Gone Girl because our narrator is clearly unreliable, but I was reminded more of the obsessive Joe from Caroline Kepnes' You or even a more grounded, less violent Patrick Bateman. We see all confrontations through Mike's eyes, and though he's careful to excuse his behavior, there are just enough cracks on the surface for us to tell that he's lying. How much is delusion, and how much is he just deceiving?

This is a fascinating read in the #MeToo era, particularly given that the author is a woman. I found it interesting that as much as Mike fleshes out his love for Verity, she remains defined in his terms. We never get to meet the real Verity, though we are treated to an aside in which a tabloid rails against her. It's an all too realistic look into gender power dynamics in thriller form.

Mike loves Verity – V – more than anything. Since they met at university, they’ve been inseparable, and Mike can’t imagine life without her. Their relationship isn’t, perhaps, what you’d call conventional – one of their favourite pastimes is a game they play, called the Crave. A game involving manipulating strangers in order to scare them – and they love the rush, the turn-on, the feeling of power.

But Mike’s love for V gets a little bit too intense. He moves to New York on a temporary work contract, and things start to fall apart – from her perspective, in any case. When he comes back at Christmas, the relationship crumbles, and life as Mike knows it is over.

It can’t be, though – right? This is him and V. They are soulmates, destined to be together. He sets about making his beautiful Clapham house just the way V would have wanted it – an edenic English garden, bursting with flowers, to take the place of grey concrete and stone. Even when he gets an invitation to her wedding, he can’t believe it’s really over. It’s all part of the game, see. All part of the Crave.

This psychological thriller gripped me from the start. It’s a perverse love story, told from Mike’s perspective as he awaits trial – for what, we’re not yet sure. He writes it all down, reflecting back on the events that led up to that moment; how it all transpired. We learn about his troubled childhood and trauma at the hands of a neglectful mother; his lack of friends; his obvious delusions. You can’t help but pity him, even as you feel sickened by his behaviour.

‘I could look at V when she came in from wherever she’d been and know instantly how she was feeling. Every time she rang I knew it was her without looking at the screen. When we watched a film or listened to music I knew what her reaction would be without speaking. I knew how to make her scream and moan and thrash, every inch of her body mapped indelibly on my mind. Connections like that cannot be broken, however much we are separated.’

All the while, I kept expecting this novel to turn out differently from the way it did. I kept thinking I had it figured out, but I didn’t. Mike refuses to believe what V has told him, time and time again – that it’s over between them, that she’s moved on, that she loves someone else.

In the end, though, we get it. We get what Hall has been trying to tell us all along. This isn’t about some big twist, some jaw-dropping turn of events ­– the truth has been right under our noses this whole time. Whilst not what I was expecting, this is nevertheless a gripping, twisted tale, one that makes you think long after it’s over.

I think this is going to be a VERY popular book in 2018!

I have tried writing this review 3 times and I keep deleting it because I'm afraid to give away anything about this book. I'll just say it's a very twisted love story and leave it at that.

This was such a compelling read that the pages practically flipped themselves. If you were a fan of You by Caroline Kepnes then I'm certain you'll enjoy this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Will post Amazon review on publication day.

The endorsement from Gillian Flynn put this book on the top of my to-read list and had me in expectation of a twisty thriller - which isn't particularly the right genre for classification and which bumped the star rating down for me.

The story is gripping and I sped through to the end in excited anticipation, but it ultimately left me underwhelmed since Mike Hayes, while unreliable as a narrator, is predictable in both thoughts and actions. Stories from this type of POV tend to be 'nuanced' in all the same ways and this one is no different.

While there is relevance with the current political climate and the differing treatment of men vs women in the press, it's heavy-handed and inevitable instead of subtle and insidious, wasting the opportunity to build tension and dread. It would have been much more interesting if even one of the courtroom players acted against archetype.

I received a free e-copy of Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall from NetGalley for my honest review. This is a very bizarre psychological thriller. Very gruesome, disturbing and sick. This one was a bit extreme for me. I struggled getting through it. I am sorry I just was not a fan of this one.

This is one of the BEST psychological thrillers that I have ever read and I know I won't forget it any time soon. Authors of the same genre need to be aware- this book is going to top the charts!

Full review to come upon release.

I have no words for this book. What a complete and utter "mindf***" for lack of a better word. I don't want to say much as I think it would be best to just read this book and form your own opinions. I went back and forth internally so many times on what I thought was happening here and it was such an interesting book to try to put in perspective.

If you liked Joe Goldberg from You, then Mike Hayes is definitely a character you will want to get to know when this book releases in the spring!

This book had a rather mediocre storyline. Not a lot of suspense. Boring at times especially during the trial. A political statement that I feel backfired. A rather bland ending.

Fast paced, unreliable narrator who keeps you guessing till the very end!

This story puts terms like obsessive and delusional in new (and scary) light. This story is so well written hooking me from start to finish.

Wow. Our Kind of Cruelty messed with my head. I thought I understood who Mike and V were at the beginning, only to see Mike become more and more unhinged. Reading each account of events, and then Mike's interpretation of those events, and then to see how he acted on his interpretations of those events, was truly unsettling. And then to see how the court system treated V despite the fact Mike is obviously completely unhinged and dangerous, simply because she is a woman with a sexual history, was disturbing. All the more disturbing because this actually happens. Very well written and, I expect, a future bestseller.