It’s quite something when you read a book where all the lead characters are essentially unlikeable, but you become obsessed with them and just can’t stop reading. Set in Dublin, Our Little Cruelties is the story of the dysfunctional Drumm family and all the ways their complex relationship strands are woven together.

I was totally invested in Our Little Cruelties because the characters had a low moral bar – you literally didn’t know what they were going to do or reveal about themselves next. That’s why this psychological thriller was so addictive.

We get chapters from each of the three Drumm brothers: William, Brian and Luke. The prologue hooks you in by revealing that one of the brothers is dead, then the story (which jumps in timeline to add to the feeling of unrest) as to how this happens unravels itself.

Will, the oldest brother, is a successful film producer. Arrogant and confident, he is used to life going his way and if it looks like it isn’t, he steps in to make sure it does. He is also highly charismatic – so you can see why so many people fall for his charms, despite his more salacious character traits.

Luke, the youngest brother, was the one I felt for the most. Battling mental health issues, he is catapulted to fame as a pop star in his early 20s, then has to deal with life when his star fades and people take advantage of him.

Brian was the most enigmatic character to me. A sort of hybrid of his brothers, I flipped between feeling sorry for him and hating him. This was a read that – in general – provoked strong emotional reactions in me (always a great sign). Alongside the drama and tense plot moments, there were times I laughed out loud too (when Will meets Bono springs to mind).

I really enjoyed how we got a POV from each brother. They all tell the same story of their lives together, but each has a very different take. This is clever storytelling that slowly reveals itself – my favourite kind.

Our Little Cruelties is also an exploration of sibling rivalry to the max. The brothers can’t communicate properly, resulting in tensions, jealousy and actions that you’d think they wouldn’t inflict on their worst enemies. Despite this – there is a family bond there and they remain tied to each other.

From the tantalising premise to the brilliant story conclusion, razor-sharp writing and characters that jump off the page at you, I loved Our Little Cruelties. I didn’t want it to be over. As dysfunctional as the Drumm family are, I really wanted to spend more time with them and see what they got up to next.

A so-so book for me more a drama than a thriller.. Found it a bit slow and over egged chapters. Not very likeable characters. That being said I would definitely read her next offering as I liked her previous books.Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

What an excellent book! It certainly makes your own family seem normal! The tale of 3 brothers, told by each of them in turn, travels back and forward in time but this is never confusing. A fantastic read from start to finish.

What a brilliant book! Though this story opens with a mysterious death, unexplained until very near the end of the narrative, it is not so much a thriller as a searing account of the dynamics of a dysfunctional family, exploring the relationship between three brothers very close in age.
Growing up in Ireland in the 1970s and 80s, William, Brian and Luke Drumm are in many ways typical brothers – fighting among themselves, battling for their parents’ attention, vying to be top dog at every opportunity.
Things don’t change when they’re adults – though William becomes a successful film producer and Luke an unlikely rock star, while Brian gets rich managing Luke’s career, their jealousies, insecurities and rivalry follow them throughout their lives, affecting their love lives, their careers and their families.
Told from each brother’s point of view, the story goes back and forwards in time, to their early childhood with a troubled mother who favours Will, resents Luke and is lukewarm in her affections towards Brian. Will is a typical elder brother, ignoring and bullying his younger siblings; Brian falls naturally into the role of resentful middle child, while troubled Luke gets religion, then turns to drugs and drink to cope with the pressures of fame.
This is such a good story! It’s absolutely character driven with people that you shouldn’t care for, but do! Will and Brian are so deeply unpleasant, and Luke so weak and damaged, that it’s measure of Liz Nugent’s writing skills that we actually care for these brothers, and for their mother, who inflicted perhaps the biggest cruelties of all.
Secret and mystery make this a suspenseful read, but it’s the brothers’ relationship – so familiar, yet so strange – that drives the reader on through page after page of small and large revelations building up to highly dramatic and very satisfying climax.
After reading what went on in the Drumm family, I don’t think I’ll ever look at my own siblings in the same way again …

This deserves to be another Liz Nugent best seller. The tightly wound story of three brothers who hurt and betray each other at every opportunity; you start, bam, with a funeral and then comes the backstory. And boy, is there a backstory. The book gives space to each brother to tell the same story in their way, so you get different angles and perspectives. Well plotted and a real pageturner

Recent domestic noir novels predominantly feature a host of female characters, so Liz Nugent’s latest offering by way of her fourth novel, with its depiction of the three Drumm brothers, marks a significant departure within this genre. Brothers Will, Brian and Luke are so expertly crafted that you could be forgiven for thinking you must have encountered them yourself. The volatile, fast-paced media industry the brothers all work in, and the dysfunctionality of their upbringing, are skilfully presented by Nugent. In Melissa, a narcissistic, domineering mother, is juxtaposed with her three equally dysfunctional sons: misogynistic film producer Will, mean-spirited Brian and self-destructive but vulnerable Luke.

The plot commences with the funeral of one of the brothers. It is only at the end of the novel we find out which brother has passed away, but from the beginning the indications are there that one of his siblings is complicit in his death. Broadly speaking, the novel is structured into four parts: the first three parts allow each brother to recount their childhood, the final part then weaves together strands from each previous part to build, inexorably, to the shocking conclusion as to which brother has died and who is implicated.

In any other novel, this complex structure with its non-linear narrative featuring multiple perspectives, retrospectives and barely-there inferences, might disintegrate and lose its readers, but Nugent controls the plot and character depiction so well, that ‘Our Little Cruelties’ never runs this risk. As well as a perfect example of how to construct a compelling thriller narrative, this novel also paints a convincing picture of dysfunctional family life, entitlement, mental health issues and the daily cruelties that family members can dish out to each other.

I am very grateful to NetGalley and the publishers, Penguin, for their ARC in return for this honest and unbiased review of ‘Our little Cruelties’, and cannot wait to see what Liz Nugent will write next!

The book is split into chunks detailing the three brothers individually and how their actions impacted on each other throughout their lives. Within each chunk I found it confusing with the timelines used as they were not written chronologically but as there was no plot line to follow as such, this did not detract from my enjoyment of a great piece of writing but is why I dropped a star. Each brother was brilliantly depicted, and I could feel the family dynamics from start to finish and how they lead to the final outcome. They were all dysfunctional in their own way but what shone through for me was how my opinions changed throughout the book. There was one brother I did not like all the way through and I found it hard to get through his section but the other two went up and down in my estimation of them as the book progressed, though none were who I would want as a family member! When the chapters in each section overlapped timewise it was really interesting to see how each brother viewed that same period, with their own hang ups and secrets colouring their version of events.

I have not read anything else by this author before but will now look out for her and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a deliciously twisted family tale.

Dark and dangerous, the story of three brothers - one dead, two alive, all unpleasant.

You start the story wondering which one has been killed and end up wishing for it to be all of them. The psychology of how three brothers can ending hating each other in so many ways will keep you gripped.

I didn’t love this book, it’s hard to root for any one character when they’re all so deeply nasty, but it was extremely dark, well written, and keeps you guessing.

The descent of Luke’s mental well-being is well-drawn, but the constant lows where he struggles and fails are tough to read. Meanwhile, William is one of the most truly despicable and unpleasant characters I’ve ever read and Brian isn’t much better.

It’s certainly gripping and will keep you guessing, but you can’t help wishing that more people got what they deserved in the end. On the other hand, none of the women do well, with almost every female character suffering significant harm at the hands of one or more of the brothers, which seems a shame. It’s definitely a book where the worse the character, the better their outcome.

It is really well-written so definitely worth a read, and I found it fairly unusual to have three male ‘protagonists’ in a thriller, which I enjoyed.

This is my first Liz Nugent novel and I would definitely read another of her books. I wouldn't class this as a psychological thriller - more a complex family drama with an unexplained death firing the plot. The 3 brothers were brilliantly written, each voice unique and the structure reminded me a little of 'The Affair - the same story told from different perspectives. Two of the brothers were truly awful human beings so the fact that you stay with the story and spend the page-time with them is a testament to the quality of the writing. Recommended.

Exquisite storytelling from a masterful author. Liz Nugent knows how to take readers to some dark and disturbing places with some at-times foul characters while compelling us to keep turning the pages.

Irish author Nugent has racked up #1 bestseller accolades and several awards for her compulsive standalones that centre on rather horrendous people. Whether it’s a man who ‘snaps’ and beats his wife, a rich couple happy to cover up a horrible crime, or an aging socialite willing to do anything to maintain her fantasy life, Nugent’s characters are often the worst in the room, yet strangely engaging.

Our Little Cruelties continues Nugent’s magic for making rather revolting folk rather riveting. It’s the tale of three brothers who take sibling rivalry to toxic levels, and opens with all three at a funeral: one brother is in the coffin, has one of the other two put him there? The novel is divided into thirds, with readers taken through the perspectives of each of the three Drumm brothers on key moments of their lives over the past decades.

Will, the eldest, is a womanising ‘family man’ and film producer. The youngest, Luke, shines bright as a young pop star before burning out in a haze of addictions and mental health issues. Middle child Brian seems the boring one, devoted to niece Daisy and shifting from teaching into celebrity management. All three are the offspring of a self-absorbed showbiz mother. A family of grudges and jealousies, damaging each other’s lives (and those of others) whether they mean to or not. As events unfold we come to some pretty horrible realisations about many things. Is redemption possible?

Nugent has penned a riveting story that blends whodunnit with shades of Greek tragedy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books to an opportunity to read and review Our Little Cruelties.

The book starts with three brothers at a funeral - one of them is in the coffin ! Then we are taken back in time - and hear from each of the brothers as they tell their own version of the story of how they ended up here .

If you enjoy a book filled with unlikable characters, - which I actually do - this is the book for you . I found the book quite difficult to get into at first place as the author goes back and forth in time and not in chronological order. Although I did enjoy hearing the same events from three different POVs and how the author tied everything together .

And that ending !

3.5 ⭐️

This was a book I was really looking forward to reading. Liz Nugent is a brilliant writer and draws the reader in completely. However, this one is not for me, I much prefer her other books. I couldn’t relate to any of the brothers, disliked them and their mother, so didn’t care what happened to them. The start of the book with the funeral was intriguing as the reader wasn’t aware which brother had died, but honestly it could have been anyone of them, they all deserved their comeuppance! I didn’t like the flitting between years in the chapters devoted to each brother, and the stories there weren’t very interesting. The story is well written, but the subject matter did appeal, sorry. Thank you NetGalley.

I read this from beginning to end, but to be honest found it quite depressing, the charecters were awful, the storyline was depressing, I think I need something uplifting to read now

A very dark and disturbing story of decipt and betrayal. This book is very clever as it makes you not want to like any of the three main characters yet is absolutely riveting at the same time. I genuinely felt sorry for Luke, one of the three brothers that book is based on. A lot of the book is based around mental health issues and the damage it can cause to relationships. Deffinatly worth a read.

Wow, wow, wow! What a book. A dramatic, twisty exploration of some serious family drama. Everyone in this book is awful but in the absolute best way.

Told from the perspective of three brothers from a seriously messed up family, we learn at the beginning that one of the brothers has died but we don’t know which one. What follows is the telling of their stories, flitting back and forth between them being children to more recently (which is done super well by the author!), with SO MANY twists and turns along the way. Seriously, if you think your family has drama, it doesn’t have a patch on the Drumm family!

This was the first book I’ve read by Liz Nugent but I have all of her others on order now!

A big thanks to Netgalley & Penguin for the ARC in return for an honest review, which will be posted on social media around the pub date.

Well written story told from the perspective of three brothers. I enjoyed the book, but felt that some of
the chapters were too long and repetitive. I found myself skipping several pages without much of the story moving on..

The book starts with a funeral and we soon know that one of 3 brothers is being buried. What we don't know is which one. There follows the life stories of the Drumm brothers, Will, Brian and Luke, told from their own perspectives, starting from early memories and jumping around in time. It was quite a good read, but the 3 brothers are not very sympathetic characters, and their lives not especially interesting. I found I didn't really care who was in that coffin by the time it was revealed! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

No one does unlikable characters like Liz Nugent! Three brothers, all on paths to destruction, some of their own making but much down to the cruelties of each other. Of course there’s no happy ending, but it’s a better book without! Thank you to netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

As always Liz is a master at drawing us in and keeping us Turing the pages. This is again a wonderful read and one to recommend to all.

Absolutely adored this book. Seriously funny, cringe, poignant and just compelling. You’ll love and hate Will, Luke and Brian in equal measure. (Or Willy as Bono said) A very strong 5/5.