Over my years of reading, there have been books that are dark and then there have been books that are simply disturbing.

I have read books about domestic abuse, child murders, and sexual harassment but nothing quite prepared me for the sickly tone of Liz Nugent's "Little Cruelties." What is amazing about that fact is that this book on the surface doesn't focus on a single "triggering" topic but simply the entire tone is dark. It looms over the book.

The three Drumm brothers were born a year apart-William, Brian and Luke. Their mother is a has-been singer who inspires unhealthy competition and favoritism between the boys. As the sons become men, the suspense builds as you dive into the merciless and absolute cruel games they play against one another. Their lives intertwine in a way that only family can, holding no loyalty over years of deception and lies. "Little Cruelties" is structured to show you the point of view of each brother and it does so absolutely seamlessly. The timelines bounce back and forth over the span of decades. Yet somehow, Nugent manages to build tension that I felt in my jaw from clenched teeth.

When I wrapped up the last chapter of this book, I sat in quiet for a while and thought of my older brother and sister. Although we have never been cruel to one another, it did make me wonder how differently we may view incidents from our childhood.

This masterpiece isn't one I would want to re-read. It's so heavy. But it is a book I will remember and that challenged me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Publishing for this Advanced Reader Copy for my honest review.
#Netgalley #LittleCruelties

First I want to thank NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I first stumbled upon Liz Nugent when I read Lying in Wait. Loved it. Then I read Unraveling Oliver. Liked that a lot also. So now I look for her new books. And this one definitely dd not disappoint!

So this book starts with a great little chapter. You don't know who is talking but there are 3 brothers, one of them is in a casket. This chapter sparks your drive through the entire book. Wondering who killed who? Which brother was in the casket? The story is told in sections at specific times throughout their childhood and adult lives, but each "family moment" was interpreted differently by each child. It made it especially interesting for me as I grew up an only child, Previous to reading this book, I thought having siblings would be amazing. But now, I changed my mind! These are some complicated characters that you do not always care much for - but they are enjoyably horrible. And for me, I was guessing up until the end about solving that first chapter. Great book! Highly recommend reading this one for a great domestic thriller/mystery.

Liz Nugent has done it again with another solid character driven novel. Nugent sure knows how to write despicable characters, but in a way that keeps you invested in them. The dynamics of this dysfunctional family were fascinating and disturbing and made for a compelling read.

Each brother gets a turn at narrating, interspersed with scenes at the funeral, where it's unclear which brother has died and how, until the very end. The nonlinear narrative threw me a few times, as I tried to keep track of where I was in the storyline, but overall I liked the format.

This is my fourth highly rated Liz Nugent novel and I'm excited for what she'll deliver next!

4.5 stars

This is the 4th book I have read by this author and once again it was a good read. Liz Nugent has a knack for coming up with these crazy characters who you wouldn't want to encounter in real life but are so much fun to read about in her books.

Brothers William, Brian, and Luke Drumm grew up in 1970s Ireland. And let's just say their childhood helped shape them into the men they became as adults. The beginning of the story opens up with the funeral of one of the brothers. So how did the brother die? The story will go back in time to pivotal moments in each of the brothers' lives.

This book could be classified as a mystery or psychological thriller but if you are primarily interested in those elements there might not be enough here to sustain your interest. I guess what I am trying to say is it's much more of a character driven novel than a plot based one. To be honest, half the time I forgot a brother was dead and I needed put on my thinking cap to figure out if one of the brothers was responsible for his death. I was so intrigued by their backstories that the whole mystery portion wasn't as important to me. For what it's worth though, the ending did catch me off guard.

The timeline is all over the place as one chapter might feature something that happened in 2001 while the next chapter goes back to an event in the 1980s. I personally thought it was easy to keep up with the story despite the back and forth. Eventually you get to hear each brother's perspective and by the time you get to the ending it's like all the pieces of the puzzle fit into place. The characters, including the mother, and the relationships they had with each other was fascinating to me.

Lots of disturbing elements to the story, and yet it was a fun read. I'm already looking forward to whatever this author comes up with next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

As always, Liz Nugent is the queen of writing about toxic families. Her style is so unique. I loved this satisfying, disturbing and entertaining book. Check it out!

Moving mystery with rich, deep characters and a story that will take the reader on an emotional journey. Highly recommend for any collection!

There's cruelties aplenty, but calling them "little" is like saying Hurricane Katrina was a small amount of rain. With a mother who's "June Cleaver" to two of her sons but "Mommy Dearest" to the other, and brothers who turn sibling rivalry into an Olympic sport, Little Cruelties (previously published as Our Little Cruelties) is the portrait of family dysfunction. Born to an actress/singer mother, brothers William, Brian, and Luke all go on to have careers in the entertainment field, but squander money like the proverbial drunken sailor. And they seem determined to break every one of the Ten Commandments. They steal from each other, covet thy brother's wife, rarely speak to, never mind "honor" their mother, and even commit murder. Little Cruelties opens at the funeral of an unamed brother, and the rest of the novel is told in flashback (but in no particular order) from the perspective of each. While this does result in some repetition, it's fascinating to read how they recount the same event so differently. But with the zigzagging timeline and same plot told three times, Little Cruelties struggles to keep up the momentum. But it will make you thankful for the family you have...even if they can be a little cruel

If you've read a previous title by Liz Nugent, you know you're in for a wild ride and this book is no exception. The little cruelties is an aptly named title and you'll easily see why early in. If you want a psychological thriller, this is the author to read.

Wow, what a crazy family. This is an excellent psychological thriller. First it starts with you knowing one brother is dead, but you don't know which one. The book is told from three different brother's perspectives throughout the years.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

This was another one that was hard to put down. The author does a great job of narrating so that you don't know in the beginning which one of the brothers is dead. But, I have to say I didn't like any of the characters. That is no fault of the writing, it is the topic and how self absorbed they were. Still a good read.

This wasn't a bad book but it honestly wasn't my favorite. It was slow to start out but the ending did finally pick up. I was a little surprised by it, I will admit, so that's another plus to it. I thought I had it all figured out early on -- but I didn't! I did enjoy the brother's each having their own perspectives throughout the novel. There was a lot of repetition within their individual narratives so at times I thought I may have been rereading parts but then I'd realize a few sentences later I wasn't. I also enjoyed the nonlinear layout. Usually I find it hard to follow, but it worked well in this book.

Overall, I feel that this was more family drama to me than a psychological/mystery thriller as it's advertised by its summary and those aren't books I normally read. If that's the type of book you like, then I'd strongly suggest picking this up -- you might really enjoy it! Nevertheless, I still think it was a good overall and I'll not shy away from other novels by the author.

Three brothers. One is in a coffin. Wow this book!
I couldn't put this one down. The family is quite dysfunctional, and we get to explore each brother deeply as well as parents and other influencers in their lives. I loved this dark, twisty, deep tale. Perfect for mystery, thriller fans and great addition to a summer shelf!

Liz Nugent writes the BEST books about dysfunctional families and Little Cruelties is no exception. The story is about the Drumm brothers (William, Brian and Luke) and their crazy, hurtful, and cruel family ways. Each brother is horrible in their own way. I do like how Nugent gives us the point of view from each brother, but didn't like how the chapters bounced back and forth between years and sometimes even decades. Little Cruelties is the psychological family drama you NEED to read!

This book was good, though it paled in comparison to Nugent’s other 3 books, which were all 5 star reads for me. I did enjoy the family drama but it didn’t wow me like her other books did. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

What a deliciously horrible family - from a cold fish of a mother to three perfectly dysfunctional brothers. It's the train wreck you can't turn away from. It makes you look.

A psychological drama about a dysfunctional family in show business. It starts with a funeral, but we do not know which of three brothers is in the casket. The characters are colourful and it was frightening how they could inflict little cruelties, or some not so little, on each other.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The opening chapter grabbed my attention with 3 brothers at a funeral, 1 of them being in the coffin. The book goes on to jump back and forth in time which could be, at moments, confusing, The three brothers are constantly at odds with one another and their disconnected mother. As a reader, it’s nice to get the backstory in pieces but it left me wanting more.

Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review,

What a ride this book took me on. This is the story of three brothers living in Ireland and it details their childhoods through adulthood in their 40's or so. This is not a heartwarming memoir by any means, which I'm sure is fairly obvious from the title of the book. Nor is it hard to read in a 'difficult childhood but beat the odds and had a meaningful life in spite of it all' sort of way. There is nothing happy in this book, and the most positive thing that can be taken away is that upon finishing it, you will feel a possibly unexpected rush of warmth to your own family, for not being this family. You will call your dad or have lunch with your mom or finally return your sister's favorite cardigan that she didn't even know you 'borrowed'.
The first 3/4 of the book is told from each brother's point of view. The last part is told from each of them as well as Daisy, the daughter of one of the brothers. The first 20% or so, I didn't care much for the story and was having a hard time staying interested. But once I finished with the first brother's part and moved on the the second, I could see what the author was doing and how she was getting us there. The writing is good, maybe even great, and she brought some lively scenarios clearly to life. I struggled with the non-linear time frame in the book. The author brought us back and forth from the 80's to present day and the way it was done I found jarring and distracting as a reader. When that method works well, it's engaging and interesting but it didn't work in this novel. And just when I thought these brothers couldn't get any more awful, to each other and to basically everyone they came in contact with, the ending comes and punches you in the face. I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars but ultimately went with 3 because I just didn't care about these characters. But I want to reiterate that the writing was good and the storyline was good and I will definitely be seeking out another book by this author.
*I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The premise of Our Little Cruelties is intriguing, but for me it didn’t quite deliver. I always find it difficult to relate to books where most (if not all) of the characters are unpleasant. This was especially true for the first 1/3 of the book which seemed to be a collection of past events in random order that just reinforced my impression that the narrator was an incredibly unpleasant and selfish man. The kernel of mystery dropped at the beginning didn’t provide enough suspense to make me curious about what had happened. I enjoyed the rest of the book more, but was disappointed by the resolution.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Little Cruelties.

Unfortunately I had to put this one down. The concept sounded interesting to me but once I got to about 10% and was still just not feeling it I had to call it quits.