Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

I am so excited to be part of this blog tour for “Strange Sally Diamond” by Liz Nugent. From the moment I read and loved “Our Little Cruelties”, I knew Liz Nugent is going to became an author I will often come back to. And Strange Sally Diamond was incredible!

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 384

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Penguin Books

Format I read it in: Paperback / Uncorrected Proof

Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis

“Put me out with the bins”, he said, regularly. “When I die, put me out with the bins. I’ll be dead, so I won’t know any different.”

When Sally Diamond’s dad passed away, she did exactly what he hold her to do. She put him out with the bins.

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.

But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally’s life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

My Thoughts:

Now, I wish I could say that putting her dad out with the bins is the strangest thing Sally would do in this book, but it’s called “Strange Sally Diamond” for a reason. After her father’s passing and the letters he leaves her behind, Sally becomes the talk of the town. There are certain things being revealed about her early childhood that could explain why she has always been different. Also, there are some anonymous letters in the mail from someone that may know her. I dived into this book blind, and can only recommend that you do the same.

The book starts slow, with a small twist, and then before you know it, you’re swimming into the deep end of a very poignant, but disturbing story. I won’t reveal anything else in terms of the plot, because I don’t want to spoil anyone’s reading experience. We have Sally’s point of view, from the day her father dies, until the present day. And we also have another person’s point of view, sharing their story from Sally’s early shildhood, also to the present day.

Reading both POVs was stressful and gripping.

I liked Sally – the way she accepted she was different and never changed who she was for anyone else. But also her willingness to keep working on herself and be the best version of herself. I loved the group of friends she had around her. They were always supportive and wanted what’s best for her, but never afraid to tell her the truth when it was needed. I also enjoyed the other POV, although it always had a darker, more sinister atmosphere. Despite all the evil, there were emotions of loneliness, sadness, fear and the need to be accepted and to belong that I sometimes felt for them.

With so many twists and turns, Liz Nugent managed to keep me on my toes yet again. And although I had my own theories and suspicions (I’m looking at you, Mark!), I was completely wrong and didn’t see anything coming until it was on my page. “Strange Sally Diamond” is a brilliant thriller with a lot of disturbing excitement. I liked the idea of the grey area between a gullable victim and an accomplice. And this is the kind of book that is about to raise a lot of moral dilemas and start conversations during a book club meeting. I warmly recommend it, with the advice to dive in blind. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and give you chills when you’re expecting them the least.

About The Author:

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

Liz Nugent is an award-winning, bestselling Irish crime writer.

Unravelling Oliver was published in 2014.

Lying in Wait was published in 2016.

Skin Deep was published in 2018.

Little Cruelties (Our Little Cruelties) was published in 2020.

Website: https://www.liznugent.com/

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Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent [BLOG TOUR]

I am so glad to be part of the blog tour for Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent. Huge thank you to the team at Penguin Random House, for sending me a copy of the book, to read and provide an honest review. Please check out the other participants as well.

★★★

Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent took me on a wild journey I never knew I needed. Be ready for a very intense family and many unpredictable secrets!

Synopsis:

This is a story about three brothers. One of them is dead, lying in a coffin.

Will, Brian and Luke grew up competing for their mother’s unequal love. As men, the competition continues – for status, money, fame, women… They each betray one another, over and over again. Until one of them is murdered.

But which one?

My Thoughts:

Our Little Cruelties is the first book I have read by Liz Nugent, and now I know why her books are so gripping. This book is very dark and brutal, but also raw and honest. It captured a troubled family so well and created a very uncomfortable and unpredictable atmosphere.

The book is split into four main parts; three parts from the perspective of each brother, and the last part that covers the conclusion scenes and culmination. There are also special parts throughout the book, where the two brothers are attending the funeral of the third brother. The full beauty of this setting is that we don’t know who the dead brother is until the very end, and the reason why he was murdered.

Throughout the book, we slowly get to know all three brothers, their parents, their loved ones , their hopes, dreams and fears. But most importantly, the rivalry between them, than only increases over the years. All the brothers are fighting their own battles. They all do horrible things and they are all mean to each other. Being three of them, there is always a two versus one game as well, and they keep changing their sides and alliances. It was very interesting to read about their thoughts and experiences, especially when they have different opinions on the same situations, and each opinion is valid and makes sense based on their personality. This was very cleverly written.

After the first part, I made my own opinions about the characters, but after reading the other parts, my opinions changed drastically. Because there are always more sides to one story. And people react in different ways. Also, small things trigger to bigger chain events.

I absolutely loved the psychological aspect. How three brothers can grow up with different childhood experiences while living in the same household. The power and responsibility that the mother has when raising her children. This has always fascinated me and I loved discussing it with my boyfriend and my friends.

The book itself is very dark and has a lot of plot twists. The last part of the book is very intense and was so fun to read. Sometimes it had too much drama for my taste, but considering that this is a family thriller, it was inevitable.

Our Little Cruelties is the perfect thriller to make you wonder how dysfunctional your family is. It is gripping and dark from the very first pages, and keeps this atmosphere until the very end. I loved it and I definitely suggest you pick it up.

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK | Amazon US

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