Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall -- Review

Title: Our Kind of Cruelty 
Author: Araminta Hall 
Publishing: May 8th 2018 by MCD / Farrar, Straus and Giroux 
Pages: 288
ISBN: 0374228191 

Synopsis: 

This is a love story. Mike’s love story.

Mike Hayes fought his way out of a brutal childhood and into a quiet, if lonely life, before he met Verity Metcalf. V taught him about love, and in return, Mike has dedicated his life to making her happy. He’s found the perfect home, the perfect job, he’s sculpted himself into the physical ideal V has always wanted. He knows they’ll be blissfully happy together.

It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t been returning his emails or phone calls.
It doesn’t matter that she says she’s marrying Angus.

It’s all just part of the secret game they used to play. If Mike watches V closely, he’ll see the signs. If he keeps track of her every move he’ll know just when to come to her rescue…

A spellbinding, darkly twisted novel about desire and obsession, and the complicated lines between truth and perception, Our Kind of Cruelty introduces Araminta Hall, a chilling new voice in psychological suspense. 

Review: 

While reading Our Kind of Cruelty I kept having flashbacks to similar books I've read about unhinged men in and out of relationships. Although I did feel that dark inkling of a similarity to You by Caroline Kepnes, I never really found myself comparing the two. I also thought that Mike's character was incredibly different from anything I've ever read and I almost felt sympathy for him by the end of the novel. 

I don't really know how to explain the complexity of the characters in this novel because I feel like I'm still shaking my head and trying to work it out. I loved the gritty and dark details that Hall included and it really gave the story an extra edge. It was disturbing and suspenseful from start to finish and I had a hard time guessing what Mike would do next. His unpredictable nature really added to the plot of the book. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I also loved how it kept me guessing while I was reading and still reeling long after the story was finished. I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoyed You by Caroline Kepnes and Perfect Days by Raphael Montes.

Thank you to NetGalley and MCD/FSG for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review. 

Rating 4/5