Book Review: Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall

Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt:  A book you meant to read in 2018 TW: Stalking, graphic assault/murder, attempted sexua...




Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book you meant to read in 2018
TW: Stalking, graphic assault/murder, attempted sexual assault


I had absolutely meant to read Our Kind of Cruelty back last April when I got it from Book of the Month - I mean it's less than 300 pages after all - but it took me a little longer to get to than I expected. And it was not an incredibly quick read. In fact, it was a slow burn if I ever read one. I was literally flipping through every page saying, out loud, "This man is CRAZY." But this stalker thriller had a surprisingly feminist undertone.


Our Kind of Cruelty follows Mike, a successful investor, who is so in love with Verity (V), he can hardly stand it. Yet they've hardly spoken in months and he recently received an invitation to her wedding to another man. But it doesn't phase Mike, because it's all a part of this game they play - The Crave. V flirts with another man until Mike comes to save her, then they sleuth away to have sex. This is just a more advanced version of The Crave, of course, and V is playing really hard to get.


I could never really get a grasp on where the story was going, but I just kept following the story down whatever tunnel it was taking me. It never got too twisty, and truthfully, I'd say the entire story is highly predictable. Though it burned incredibly slow, the story kept me on my toes and I wanted to know what was going to happen next.



"Oh right, so we're back here. Back to not believing the words that come out of a woman's mouth because they always mean the opposite." - Araminta Hall, Our Kind of Cruelty



Oddly, I'd say Cruelty was like a weird mix of You, Gone Girl, and Fifty Shades of Grey (yeah, I went there). I truly don't think there's a better way I could describe it without spoiling the story, and realistically, I may have already said too much. While a little slow for my liking, overall the story was pretty wild, though highly predictable. I liked it, but it could definitely be hit or miss for most.



Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆

















Kayla Whitter is a 30-something INFJ and Hufflepuff. She enjoys reading avidly, binge-watching tv shows, and occasionally venturing out into the world. She can often be found drinking coffee, and eating burritos or Chick-fil-a.

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