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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 enjoyable stars.

This was different to Liz’s previous books, different writing style/story type.

I realise I’m in the minority here but I didn’t enjoy this one as much as her previous books.

I found the story to be slow going and overly descriptive. All the characters were unlikable with the exception of Luke , in fact this was Luke’s book really.

The book was enjoyable but the author has set it out so we have three characters who have flashback chapters from their point of view as well as current day point of view chapters. The problem is that with three of them it feels too many and it’s easy to get lost in what era you are in and which character.

Three brothers are at a funeral but one of them is in a coffin. One or even both of the living brothers is responsible for his death. That's the central mystery to this excellent new book from Liz Nugent. Will, Brian and Luke Drumm are very different characters. Will is a womanising film producer full of his own self importance. Brian is an unlucky in love part time teacher who's main interest is money. Luke is an unlikely pop star with addiction and mental health problems Throughout this book we see how a dysfunctional childhood shapes a child into the adult they will become. Nugent covers various different time periods seen through the perspective of each of the brothers. At times it's a laugh out loud read particularly as I'm a child of the 70's myself and can relate. Also it's a poignant and at times very sad look at a child's longing for maternal love. Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy.

If you're looking for a fast-paced plot full of thrills and spills, this is certainly not the book for you. Having enjoyed the author's previous books, most notably Skin Deep, I was looking forward to picking up this title. And I think if you know what it is that you're going into, you will like this book. I was just expecting a bit more excitement, a bit more actually happening. Instead, I got a deep dive into three complicated (not particularly likeable) characters and their family dynamics. Which if that's what you enjoy - perfect. I was just hoping for more rather than revisiting the same events, just through different points of views. Don't get me wrong, the character development done throughout the plot should be applauded and it really is done very well but I just don't think it's enough.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of this book.

This novel was a difficult one for me. While I did enjoy reading it, I found a lot of the things happening very predictable.
For instance, I knew who the brother to die was about a third of the way in, and that kind of spoiled the story for me.

However, the story is very well written and there is a underlying sense of tension while you read it.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a family the Drumms are, I absolutely loved the style of writing and the awful family. great read

Loved all Liz Nugent books & this didn't disappoint. The three brothers & their relationships with each other is compelling and the insight into each character as told by the others was very well done. The way the mother behaved towards each of her the 3 son's seems to show in how they behave as adults. Still thinking about the characters & their stories days after finishing it. Loved it.

Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent
A million thanks @netgalley @liznugentwriter and @penguinbooks for my arc
Publication date 26th March 2020
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So this has been an incredible week for reading 😊Peter Swanson followed by Liz Nugent. Two of my favourite authors of all time. I promised my friend Elaine @elainesreviews that I was going to read this over Christmas Eve but I absolutely blasted my way through it in one night 😊. Amazing as always. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The story follows three brothers, Will, Brian and Luke. As children they grow up competing for the mother’s love. As men, the competition continues. Who has the most money? Fame? Status? This is truly one of the most dysfunctional families I’ve ever read and I absolutely loved every minute of it. As always Liz Nugent’s writing is flawless and you’re completely drawn into the story. The timeline and characters jump around but it’s easy to follow and gives a depth and understanding of each character. Significant stories are told from each character’s point of view, this reminded me a little of ‘Daisy Jones & the Six’ which is a huge compliment 😊. Truly amazing. An absolute work of art. Like all the authors books this book will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend every book by the amazing @liznugentwriter xxxxx

With family like this.... who can't succeed in life? Okay that was said sarcastically, because wow, on each and every page one of the brothers will be betraying one of his other brothers, and with such flair....
The book starts with a funeral, the reader not knowing who died and why, but by the end you have so many possible victims!
Very well written book, and highly recommended.