*I received an ARC of this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was a mostly difficult read for me, Because it was just so psychologically wrong. It was like watching a car accident while you are fixed on something and can’t do anything to change the outcome.

In one word it was - horrible - and therefore maybe amazing? I haven’t read anything like that before and it was a great idea to write a book in the view of someone as mentally confused as Mike is.
I never thought him the victim to be honest and it was so hard in the end to not scream at the book about the wrongness its existence was in itself - but I kept reading and the end destroyed me in my feminist roots. Don’t get me wrong! I really liked the book, but it made me so angry about the unfairness in our world and society system. I guess thats exactly what the author intended to do to me.

You’ll always see everything in Mikes point of view, which means you will be hopelessly in love with V. Even though V is marrying Angus and always tells Mike to stop contacting her. Even though she clearly does not want you to rescue her from her relationship - or is it only the game they played again? The Crave?

Being stuck in Mikes head, when he relives the last month with and without verity, after he was released from prison, will lure you into a dark dark world, where you won’t even be able to tell, what is true and what is not.

The book was well written and super exciting. Because in one way you thought over the first pages, that you knew what will happen, but you were completely wrong. Also the POV Mike made it hard to realize what really happened, and what only he thought had happened. It confused me in so many ways, that I have to admit the idea for the book was a masterpiece.

And here comes the big BUT

I expected more bloodshed, more violence, more hate. More of everything. The story got a bit boring at times and I could only always think „please don’t let that happen to V!“.

*spoiler warning* - I expected a stalker to be more violent to be honest. The author always describes how maskuline and strong Mike is. And that he is a psycho in his own way. But why would he always be so calm and whiney? I don’t know, but I really really disliked being in this persons head!

When I look back at reading the book and my behavior, I can tell it was a love/ hate. I wanted to know the outcome but it was a little too slow pacing to be super exciting for me.

This type of anti-love-story is becoming more popular in the psychological thriller market; telling a story which the protagonist believes is true love but which the outside world and the reader can see through and recognise as a dark obsession. In Our Kind Of Cruelty, our protagonist is Mike. He has a very troubled past in and out of foster care, but things started to turn around when he met Verity.

Mike and Verity were happy together once. They’re not together now, but Mike believes it’s only a matter of time until she comes back to him. We learn the history of their passionate relationship, juxtaposed with present day. Mike is alone, living a fairly isolated life, and Verity is marrying Angus. But Mike things V’s impending nuptials are all part of a game they used to play, and he’s sure if he bides him time he’ll work out what he needs to do to win her back.

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Told entirely through Mike’s eyes, Araminta Hall draws the reader deep into the mind of an individual who is clearly troubled, obsessive and deluded. It’s a strange feeling having Mike as your only viewpoint on the situation – he’s far from an objective narrator and the insight into his thoughts is unnerving at times, but at other times I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

But things take an abrupt turn in the second half of the novel, as Mike’s actions have consequences and an intense court case begins. Whilst it’s still from Mike’s deluded point of view, we get a wider picture of how his actions had affected his ex, Verity. The couple’s turbulent, sexually charged relationship is put under the microscope, and the trial highlights the stark contrast in the treatment of men of women, and the way their actions are judged.

This is a clever, layered story which sucked me into Mike’s strange, lonely, obsessive world. It’s not the first book I’ve read which adopts this style with the male offender as the narrator – the most famous which comes mind is Caroline Kepnes’ You – and it’s not the best, but it stands up to the rest.

Well, this is not your ordinary book.
Told through the thoughts and feelings of Mike you have to make your mind up whether he is a delusional stalker of an ex girlfriend or just a man who loves too much. Can you love too much is there such a thing and what role does Verity play in this?
Is she the master playing with the toy or visa versa?
A well written thought provoking book which had me wondering should I go on or should I quit and I was compelled to carry on.
Only you can decide 4 well written stars

This certainly lived up to its description of ‘spellbinding and darkly twisted'. Hall’s psychological thriller is a chilling one with this story of psychopathic obsession.


Despite Mike Hayes’ disadvantaged childhood, ending up in foster care, he goes to university and subsequently gets himself a very good job. And the icing on the cake is a girlfriend he adores, one he met at university. And she is The One, without doubt. They know each other, breathe each other, feel each other, are totally dedicated to each other. She can do no wrong. Why, then, is she going to marry another man after those beautiful years together? She’s testing him, isn’t she? Of course she is. Fine, he’ll play the game.


This is certainly a very compelling novel, but it throws up more questions than answers. I had an opinion about how I wanted it to end, how I thought it should end, and right to the very last few pages, I was convinced it would. However, I was disappointed. I was slightly confused and felt there were loose threads. Whether or not this was to pave the way for a sequel, remains to be seen. That said, Mike is the sort of character you love or hate, and your feelings for him determine which way you want this to end.


And that, makes for a very interesting read.

I've read a lot of very similar books recently so this one doesn't jump out of the crowd.
It was a good read, very enjoyable! However it was rather tame.. I like my thrillers a lot more dark than this one.
Still worth a read, especially if you're new to the genre.

This was little too uncomfortable to read. The prose was beautiful and I was really swept up in the story, but I like to like the people I read about. Or at least one of them. No - I don't think I enjoyed reading this book. Although, I would probably recommend it to anyone who wanted a good mind-scrabble.

3.5 - 4 stars

A story of obsession and desire - the author has nailed the media circus, judicial misogyny and societal double standards regarding women's sexuality.

The novel is really well written and the characters are complex and well drawn, the portrayal of Mike's blinkered, all consuming obsession with his ex girlfriend and how this impacts on every aspect of his life and the warped reality he lives in makes for uncomfortable yet compelling reading.

I would have liked to hear more of Verity's voice in the novel and for me there was a little too much repetition.

It's a really unsettling, dark and disturbing read on many levels and weeks after finishing I'm still not sure how I feel about it !

Many thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book - this review is, as always, my honest opinion and thoughts.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this, It was a disturbing story of obsessive love and game playing in a relationship which I would recommend.

EXCERPT: '... what that means is that sometimes two people need each other so much it is worth sacrificing others to make sure they end up together.'

Verity and Mike are playing a game called The Crave, where they prove to each other how much in love they are, but when Mike takes a job in another country for a couple of years, it's not clear whether Verity has outgrown the game, or if they are locked in the ultimate crave.

It becomes a question of how far they will go to prove their feelings for each other, and soon someone is dead.

It reminded me of Caroline Kepnes 'You' with its dark account of obsessive love. I liked the book and although it seems some things were kept vague and questionable on purpose for the sake of the story, it feels like it could have been stronger with Verity's perspective as well as Mike's.

"Our Kind of Cruelty" has a multitude of advance praise for the great and good of the thriller business, this cannot fail to grab your attention! Some of my favourite authors have nothing but compliments for Araminta Hall and this title. I find that not always can these be trusted but here they are correct to a fault. There has been a lot of hype around this book and not only on Twitter, the place I first encountered it.

As you all know I love a disturbing, chilling, spinetingling read. This is all of those and more. The premise is an original one - The story is told from the POV of Mike, a seemingly delusional man who is obsessed about his ex-girlfriend Verity. Each of the characters are well-drawn with traits that make them both believable and relatable. We are so used to hearing a love story from the woman's perspective that we fail to consider the guys, this book does just that. Turning everything on its head is a welcome change. It is a suspenseful and dark read and Hall really ratchets up the tension as you get deeper into the story.

Many thanks to Century for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

What a crazy, mixed-up book this is!!! The first part of the book sets the scene on Mike’s relationship with his now ex-girlfriend Verity and the games they used to play ‘The Crave’. This is written from Mike’s point of view and details events past and present in their relationship.

The second part of the book is the court case and there are a lot of twists and turns along the way.

All in all a good book which will make you cringe in parts and cry out in disbelief in others.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

With thanks to Netgalley for a free copy of this title in return for an honest review.
A
The story is told in the first person by Mike, a seemingly delusional man with a tragic past, besotted with his ex-girlfriend Verity. At no point during this story are we given Verity’s point of view. All the way through the story the reader is unsure who was telling the truth and even at the end of reading this story I am still unsure as to who was really telling the truth. All characters are flawed yet the reader sympathises with each character.
For myself it was original to read a love story from a man’s point of view which became quite obsessive, rather than it being the woman. There seemed to be a slight hint of feminism within this book with a strong female lead. Although this may read as a love story from Mike’s point of view there is a lot of psychological tension throughout making for a very interesting, yet disturbing read. I thoroughly recommend this book.

This genuinely sounded amazing and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. Sadly, whilst readable, it was repetitive and didn’t seem to go anywhere much. A bit dull and not as exciting as it sounded.

Really enjoyed this. Creepy and unput downable. Really catch your attention from the first page and didn't stop as you progressed further into the book. Fab twists

Mike and Verity have a special bond. They are made to be together. And although Verity is engaged to another man, Mike knows that they are playing their own game. Because the way they Crave each other is harmless fun. It what fuels their relationship. Nothing excites Mike like seeing Verity with another man, and there’s nothing Verity lives more than Mike saving her from another man and claiming her for himself. So it’s clear to Mike that Verity is still playing... isn’t she?

What a brilliant, scary, disturbing read!

Mike and Verity met in their second year of university. It was an instant attraction of two completely opposite types of people.

Mike Hayes’ childhood, until he was twelve, was spent with an alcoholic mother who allowed a variety of men to move in with them. Often, these were violent men who would beat his mother to a pulp and he would have to pick her up and treat her wounds. When he was twelve, he was fortunate to be fostered by two very loving people, Elaine and Barry White, who could see his potential. They kept him on as a member of their family long after they should have (sixteen being the age foster children are supposed to live on their own) and helped him get into Bristol University where he read Economics. This degree ensured that he could take up a top position in banking earning lots of money

Verity, on the other hand, was the only daughter of Suzi and Colin Walton, a very wealthy couple, who were able to send Verity to a very expensive and exclusive school. She excelled at both school and university. After obtaining her degree, she began working for Calthorpe Centre as part of their pioneering team studying artificial intelligence. She, too, earned a very high salary.

After they finished university, Mike and Verity moved into a flat together and to spice up their sex lives played a game they called “Crave.” Verity would chat up someone in a bar, with Mike watching and just before anything too serious happened, would come over and manhandle the unsuspecting man out of the way.

Mike wanted to make a name for himself so took a job in New York. He and Verity stayed in close contact until a fateful Christmas, He returned to spend Christmas with her at her parents’ home. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan and after telling Verity about him getting drunk and disorderly, she demands that he leave. Unfortunately, Mike thinks that she’s just playing a new role in their “Crave” game and when she tells him she’s getting married to someone else, he still believes it’s simply Verity acting out their game.

I think this is one of the darkest, yet most brilliantly constructed, novels I’ve ever read. Araminta Hall, one of the nicest, most special people, who looks like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, has pulled out all the stoppers and has given us Mike! Is this possible? Can people be so warped and messed up that they only believe what they want to believe? Can Verity really be as naïve as she makes out to be?

Read this book! That’s all I’m saying! It’s a study of human behaviour that is terrifying!

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

When I started Our Kind of Cruelty, I thought it was great. It was refreshing, a storyline that I hadn’t read before. The concept of The Crave really hooked me and the first half of the book was great. But for me, the second half tailed off a little. I won’t go into the details because spoilers but it just didn’t hold its own throughout which was disappointing.

However, having said that, I do think it’s a really good book, so maybe just not my kind of thing.

Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall
Spookily plausible, this book starts off with the narrator telling us about his ongoing love affair, at first it all seems normal enough, but as it progresses you begin to see that the narrator is in an obsessive relationship, and he is possibly a psychopath.
A compelling narrative follows, and you find out the complex relationship and sexual games played by the couple. His personality is faintly off centre, and you notice he doesn’t see things in his mind as the narrative suggests it happened, giving you little chills as you read, because he seems otherwise quite normal, and even likeable.
The tension builds very well, and you can see a tragedy unfolding, knowing that it is inevitable, but then things take a strange turn, and Verity, the female character comes under scrutiny as she has to justify her lifestyle. It really makes you think about the different rules for men and women, as the media castigate her lifestyle choices. Gripping and compulsive reading.

Our Kind Of Cruelty tells the story of a couple’s dangerous, secret game, which inevitably backfires. It is a form of psychological fiction, but not a psychological thriller and certainly not a dark, devious and twisty plot with its low suspense and slow pace.
Mike and Verity play an aphrodisiacal game, where they go to a nightclub and Verity would stand alone at the bar until approached by a man. She would flirt and encourage him until things were going a little too far, then she would reach for her necklace as a signal to Mike to go in and break it up. They called it The Crave.
Because the narrative is all Mike’s, we learn that Verity is the dominant partner in their relationship: inventing the game; being very particular about the type of property and interior design she wishes Mike to get for them, his choice of music and TV programmes; that they should aim to retire at 45; even his physique. “V sculptured me into what she jokingly called the perfect man and she wasn’t happy until every part of me was as defined as a roadmap”. It is Verity who encourages Mike to go to America in order to earn more money, which is what he does and which causes the first rupture in their 9 year relationship. “I begged V to let me come home all through the first year, but she kept on saying I was doing so well and making a fortune for us and how important that was for her”.
When Mike returns he discovers that Verity has embarked on a new relationship and announced her forthcoming wedding. Mike is initially devastated but in his distress starts to misinterpret Verity’s behaviour as a new, more intricate Crave. Over the course of the book, we hear Mike’s endless, tormented outpourings and watch his mind unraveling as he attempts to interpret the ‘signals’ Verity is sending him. We learn about Mike’s vulnerability due, sadly, to the terrible abuse he suffered as a child.
Halfway through the story I was expecting to get V’s version of the events, but it was just more of the same from M. Although it was clear that M’s mind was very fragile and delusional, I read on for what I thought would be some new information that would turn the scenario around. During the trial at the end, I was still anticipating some new twist and the only tension came from my own anticipation of a non-existent scenario which none of us readers could have foreseen. Instead I was left with a few loose ends and unanswered questions.
At the end the author admits the “male centred anger” she felt about the patriarchy and that her book was “written in a mad spurt of anger at the continued injustices perpetuated against women in our so called civilised society”. To use the medium of psychological fiction to make a misandrist point about a sadly, misguided soul, who was obsessively in love with a longstanding girlfriend, who had manipulated him, or the judicial system, not only failed, but was not the best platform or mouthpiece to do so in my opinion.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall is a domestic thriller and courtroom drama like no other! I've never read one quite like it. Not only do we have a male narrator named Mike, and see things from his point of view, we're also dealing with other issues of autism and passionate obsessions, too. Until recently, Mike and his girlfriend Verity ( V as he likes to call her) have played a dangerous, sexual game called 'Crave', for years. But when they break up obsessed Mike still believes V is playing the game and will come back to him, despite V telling him she's getting married to someone else and inviting him to the wedding. Nothing deters single-minded, Mike from his expected outcome.

The book begins like any other but it wasn't long before I felt sorry for Mike, even though I knew he was a nasty piece of work. Why? I found the reason I sympathised with him was in the details. The way the author, Araminta Hall, portrayed Mike's fears as he talked about life as a kid; the things he refused to do, or accept, because his thinking was always logical and he didn't understand why no one else could see things the way he did. Why say sorry when you don't mean it? Why say you could kill someone and not do it?

As an adult Mike's learnt to fit in with the world and act as society expects. To a certain degree. But it doesn't mean he has to like it, or find it easy to do. He's also one for keeping himself in check with routines of which he thrives on. Clearly, when you get to the end you'll realise Mike's attitude plays a massive part of the final twist.

I really enjoyed this book, and its flawed characters, although not particularly fast-paced to start with, the journey fascinated me. Our Kind of Cruelty is about obsessive love, unhealthy relationships, and the psychology of the human mind. Details. It's all in the details.