I did not mesh well with this book at all! In my opinion, it was a BIG mess! I could not wait to close this book for good.

This book is narrated by the three Drumm brothers, Luke, William, and Brian.
They grow up in a dysfunctional family were they often cross each other’s path in a disastrous way. They act more like rivals than they do brothers! As noted in the book synopsis, one brother dies in the end and throughout the story we are left to guess who.

Firstly, each brother narrates from their perspective so there is a ton of overlap and repetitiveness. The chapters jump all over the place - we start at 1994, then skip back to 1985, then to 1992, then to 1978, and back to 1999, and so forth. Let’s just say I could not keep up, nor did I want to. There was a lot of skimming and fast reading involved! I have loved all of Liz Nugent’s books, but this one, I just could not get into! It did not include any suspense or excitement like her last novels, and it just fell flat, was stagnant and got boring very quickly for me. The synopsis almost assured me it was a thriller/suspense, but it did not even come close. There were a lot of triggers and uncomfortable moments (for me anyway) as well.

Since she wrote my favorite book of 2017, I jumped at the chance to read this newest story of Liz Nugent's.
These two stories couldn't be any more different though, so whatever you thought about Unraveling Oliver let it go. Read this with a clear mind.
With that said, this was a family drama with a sick twist at the very, and I mean very, end.
It was brilliant. It was engaging. You were sucked right into the lives of these brothers. More hoping for something to happen, and Liz Nigent didn't disappoint. She smacks the reader with such a punch that you don't even see it coming!
Gawd, I love this womans' writing! Having read both books, she is now a favorite author of mine.

The Drumms give being a dysfunctional family a whole new meaning. There's you regular dysfunction that most family display sometimes, take that and multiply it by a thousand and you get a glimmer of life in the Drumm family. Their mother practically made it impossible for William, Brian and Luke to be "normal", healthy and stable as adults. This is a thriller that comes across as more of a drama at parts. You won't be able to put down once you pick it up, you'll just need to know what happens. We have so much trauma and even though the title makes you think there are "Little Cruelties" there's nothing small about what these boys go through. The characters are not overly likable but are highly sympathetic.

I received an advanced copy of this story through NetGalley and am leaving a voluntary honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Three brothers are at the funeral. One lies in the coffin.They each betray each other, over and over, until one of them is dead.
But which brother killed him?

Liz Nugent is so clever in writing such despicable characters that quite frankly I wanted all three brothers to be in that coffin. Each brother was equally horrible but they are the products of a narcissistic mother. They all suffer with varying emotional problems and jealousy of each other. None of them are likeable but the youngest had my sympathy, he was treated appallingly by everyone and suffered mentally from it.

The author's talent lies in writing such horrendously toxic characters that we can hate but still feel a degree of sympathy for them. He writing is clever, engrossing and I loved the ending.

I'm a big fan of Liz Nugent and am was fortunate to get an ARC on Little Cruelties. This one was a bit of a slow burn but once you familiarized yourself with the characters and started hearing the different perspectives, I thought it was very enjoyable.

Although there was only one question we wanted answered throughout (which brother is dead?), I found myself not able to put it down. Really enjoyed how the story was told from each brothers' perspective and how it allowed you to view the same events differently.

This being said, Nugent's books are constantly being marketed as fast-paced thrillers and they are not - Little Cruelties is no exception. This is really slow, character driven stories; don't expect a flow constant twists and turns and elements of surprise.

What a twisted read! Little Cruelties is about 3 brothers, in a story told told through glimpses of the past and current day. It is timely and does a fantastic job capturing the nuance and complexity of relationships, familial ties, the impact of the Me Too movement, and social media.

I loved it. You never really know what is going on, but you think you do as the past explains the present, but then the perspective switches to another brother and what you thought you knew isn't true anymore.

One specific thing that I loved was how much I despised William. You can see how he doesn't think he is wrong, that his actions are totally justified, and those that don't see things from his perspective are in the wrong, not him.

This book kept me intrigued and engaged and it is worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advance copy of this e-book in exchange for a review.

This is the first book by Liz Nugent that I’ve had the pleasure of reading and, boy, was it a ride.

Little Cruelties follows the lives of the Drumm brothers – Luke, William and Brian. We start the novel off at a funeral and we know one thing for sure - all three Drumm brothers are in attendance, but one of them is dead. The question is which one?

Liz Nugent does a brilliant job weaving this tale of betrayal, violence, deceit and downright dysfunction. The book is told from the perspective of each brother at different times in their lives. I enjoyed this style of narration as it allowed me more insight into the characters and their (usually questionable) actions and decisions. It also revisited the same event from each of their perspectives. I can’t remember the last time that I was so invested in a book that had so many unlikeable characters. The truth is, any one of the brothers could have been dead at the hands of another. They’re that terrible to one another.

The “little cruelties” that the characters inflict upon each other from childhood to adulthood vary from petty to outrageous. The result is a very entertaining read that keeps you guessing until the end! Definitely pick this one up if you like suspense, family drama and a non-chronological narration style.

3.5 stars

If you look up dysfunctional family you will find the Drumm the brothers are at the top of the list.

Luke, Brian and Will: one of them is dead, two of them were there : I suspected all of them at one time.

I could not decide who to vote for to live of course.

Nothing redeeming about this family. If you love crazy, dark, secrets and murder plus more you will love this book !

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster , Simon and Schuster Canada for an intriguing read.!

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: November 10, 2020
I was a huge fan of Liz Nugent’s other novels, “Unraveling Oliver” and “Lying in Wait”- the way Nugent was able to tell a psychological thriller was incomparable, these two novels serving as impeccable examples of how to tell a twisted tale of suspense. Her newest novel, “Little Cruelties” seems to be in an entirely different genre. Full of dark family secrets and the twisted dysfunction of a family in the spotlight, “Cruelties” is more of a family drama than her other two novels, and has none of the psychological suspense that I expected.
On its own, comparisons aside, “Little Cruelties” is an interesting read. Told in alternate timelines, from the standpoint of the three protagonists—William, Luke and Brian—Irish brothers who were raised by a narcissistic mother whose former life in the spotlight over-shadowed all of their own meagre efforts. The story prefaces at the beginning that two brothers survive, as one lies in a coffin. As the three of them tell their own stories and detail their own dramas, I tried to look for clues throughout as to which brother would be the one to fall.
Nugent can definitely create empathy for her characters. When she told the story from Will’s perspective, I was able to generate hatred and distaste for Luke and Brian, however when it was their turn to speak, William’s flaws came to light. The alternating timelines threw me a little bit as they were not in chronological order (the plot went from childhood, to adulthood, and back again in quick succession) but I thoroughly enjoyed the story being told from the perspective of all three brothers.
Although “Little Cruelties” was not what I expected from Nugent (especially in comparison to her other great, pulse-pounding novels), it was an interesting read all the same. I was invested in the characters and wanted to know the outcome (although I was disappointed with the outcome itself. After all of the hype about the ending, I expected a more dramatic conclusion). This novel reads like a Hollywood tell-all, about a family in the spotlight who suffer mental illness, addictions, narcissism and abuse, while still trying to have functional relationships with each other and others. Go in with these expectations and you will find Nugent’s writing entertaining and witty. However, do not go in expecting Nugent’s typical creepy psychological stories, as you will be disappointed.

I have read one of this author's other books and loved it. This one however was just not for me. It's not that by any means the book was bad, it just wasn't what I was hoping for in a book.
I wasn't huge on the time jumps, the timeline was really difficult to follow and I didn't love jumping from adulthood to childhood one chapter after another. I did like that the book was laid out telling the point of view of all three brothers and being able to hear the same events from all their different points of view.

I didn't however find this book particularly mysterious. There was no real suspense. You know from the start that one of the brothers has died and another is guilty however the story then paints the brothers to be so completely dispicably that through out the book I didn't really care who it was that died.

This book centres around three brothers who grew up in Ireland with their mother and father. That statement might make you think this was a nice normal and loving family, but nothing could be farther from the truth. While their father loved the boys and did his best to treat them as equals, their mother played the two older boys off against each other while she was mean and cruel to her youngest son. Their whole lives were spent being cruel, sneaky and nasty to each other. Even when it appeared they were being nice there was always something cruel happening behind the cover of brotherly love.

The author starts the book off, making you wonder who has died and she keeps you guessing till the very end. The book is told from each brothers view point which I really liked as it allowed me to see inside their heads and see the reasons behind their actions. This is definitely a psychological drama, a mixture of mind games and family tragedy. The father is the only person in the book I can honestly say I liked, the others are full of faults and are easy to hate at times. This family is one very messed up bunch of people with the majority of the blame going to the mother. I really enjoyed the touch of horror in the book, some may call it the psychological thriller part but to me it came across as scary. It left me creeped out and wondering as the book ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this amazing book. I couldn’t put it down and I was awake until 3:00 a.m. finishing it.

Liz Nugent crafts a compelling tale that generates a curiosity from the start. Each character is expertly created and exposes the dynamics that are not uncommon among siblings in a number of families. The issue of trust is central and how lack of trust and family secrets ravage relationships and individuals.
The conclusion does not achieve a happy ending but the story would not ring true if such an ending were contrived.

I feel slightly better about my crazy Irish family now... this book was a trip! At first I wasn't sure I was invested in the lives of these three brothers, but I found myself gasping out loud, reading long after bedtime to see what happens next--I could not put it down! Thanks NetGalley for the advance copy.

Just didn't find it very interesting. It was monotonous and very unbelievable. Had a very hard time scrolling through the book

I’ve never had such a hard time putting down a book where I didn’t like the characters! It is well written, moves along at a fair pace, and keeps one’s interest to the last page.

The story starts with 2 of the Drumm brothers burying their 3rd brother. We are not told which brother is dead or how he died. Then we learn about the relationship between said brothers from each of their perspectives from their childhood through adulthood.

Will, the eldest brother, is a philandering, misogynistic, mean spirited, mama’s boy. Brian, the middle brother, is a jealous, money focused, wimp who adores his niece. Luke, the youngest, is mentally ill and an addict who uses drugs and alcohol to bury the misery caused by knowing that his mother cares for him least of all. Their mother, Melissa, is a fading celebrity who cares little for her family.

This dysfunctional family is immeasurably readable. You’ll just grow to hate one brother then move on to read about the next brother and grow to detest him as well. There are reasons to feel sorry for each of them but the bitterness and malice they show each other makes it hard to find like them.

I usually figure out which character committed the crime way before it is revealed but I can honestly say I wasn’t certain until the perpetrator was exposed.

The little cruelties that family members inflict upon each other - the embarrassments, the arguments, every jab small and not so small. We all know about them but perhaps not at the level the Drumm brothers do. Luke, the pop star/actor is unloved by his mother and becomes addicted to drugs and alcohol. Brother Brian manages and manipulates Luke's career. If he lets some gossip slip to the media it doesn't hurt anything, does it? William is a producer who cheats on his wife and abuses women. Daisy is the daughter who outs her family secrets on her blog. Once you start you won't want to put this book down. Once again Liz Nugent develops characters that astonish and entice. An excellent read.
#Little Cruelties#NetGalley#IndigoEmployee

The three Drumm brothers take turns narrating the story through various moments in their lives. We know one of them is dead, but not which one or why. I got to 97% in the book and I still did not know which brother was dead, which brother deserved to be dead, or which brother I wanted to be dead! I enjoyed the multiple views on different incidents and kept thinking that the title of "little Cruelties" was PERFECT! The book is full of slights and hurtful things, things that created deep wounds and family fissures. Whether on purpose or by accident, the lasting damage to relationships and psyches is the driver of the tragedy that the family experiences.


'But I saw the photos in the newspaper. Daisy, open mouthed and wailing, surrounded by friends and fans, but too young to recognize the difference between them.'

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent is a brilliant, though often harrowing study of a highly dysfunctional family headed by a narcissistic matriarch with little empathy and love for anything but her career. The three brothers, will, Brian and Luke grow up in the shadow of this vain and cruel woman, their only source of affection being their gentle father who dies leaving them to fend for themselves. This is a book about sibling rivalry, about brothers who vie for the affection of a woman who is unable to love and who seems to thrive on the cruelties they inflict on one another as they claw and scrape their way towards some kind of recognition.
The story is structured as a thriller, beginning with a funeral. Three brothers attend, but one is in the coffin. The story is then told in turn by each of the brothers as they hurtle towards inevitable destruction. Will, the oldest, takes after his mother, becoming a successful but predatory and narcissistic movie producer. Brian, the middle "loser" child, shows little talent except for lying and taking advantage of his weaker siblings. Luke, the youngest and probably most talented, is the unloved child who overcomes mental illness to become a pop star and award winning actor in between bouts of extreme psychosis.
Nugent effortlessly switches voices and creates unlikeable but highly compelling characters in an incredibly compelling story that I couldn't put down.
Thanks to Net galley and Simon and Scuster for providing a free copy for an honest review

This is an intriguing story of three brothers and the story begins with the death of one of them. The narration is commendable and it beautifully captured the ways children develop their personalities over a period of time, how their perspectives differ despite being in the same situation and how the unknowingly, the little cruelties that are generally part of sibling rivalry can alter the course of life. I enjoyed reading this book.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I requested a copy after watching the author on a crime writers' panel on myvlf.com, and thinking how funny she was. This book is not funny. It concerns the three unlikeable Drumm brothers and their appalling mother and is told in random constantly changing timelines. I'm quitting at 15% because I don't care which brother killed which other brother - as long as there is one fewer of them left at the end, that's good enough for me.