Reading the previous reviews of this book on Goodreads, I have to agree with most other readers who used the word "brutal" to describe it. I've read many, many horror stories with both supernatural and human monsters in them. What makes Mean Little People just as disturbing, if not more so than some, is that the scenarios described here are so real and possible. We've all heard about the sick acts performed by school bullies, wife-beating husbands, street gangs and the Mafia, but that it can all happen to one little boy us absolutely heart wrenching.

Now, what not many reviewers have pointed out is the writing. As a part-time editor, I really struggled with the writing style the author employed. The prose was quite short and sharp, and didn't seem to be very well developed, making the flow seem very simple. As well as this, Tony, the main protagonist, speaks in a kind of slang that tends to grate on you after a while.

But if you can put that aside - and I did- you will find a tale that delves into the dark heart of humanity. The things that Tony goes through definitely shape the kind of man he becomes, making an argument for the nurture side of the 'nature vs nurture' debate. I would have loved to go this 5 stars, but unfortunately had to drop one due to the writing style, which may not suit everyone.

*I received this book free from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this thriller. Great cast of characters and a gripping and entertaining plot with enough twists and surprises to keep this reader guessing. I Couldn't put it down.

Tony Bruno's life is covered from the age of 7 to his late teen years. Tony is bullied by his schoolmates. His schoolmates don't stop until Tony fights back. His father beats him every night when he comes home. His father hates him. Why? He stops a kid, Salvatore from being bullied. They become good friends. Tony also becomes friends with Vincent who was a bully. When Salvatore gets into trouble, Tony says he did it and ends up in Juvenile detention where he is sexually abused by the guards.when he gets out, he goes home only to be kicked out of his home with nothing but the clothes on his back. How will he survive on his own at the age of 13? Tony ends up joining a gang where he learns more than he wants too. Meanwhile Tony meets a girl that he falls in love with. I won't tell more about the story as I don't want to spoil it for you.

At times the writing is slow in the beginning (at least it was for me). I became enmeshed in the novel as I wanted to see how Tony would survive and who he would become. I wanted to know if anyone would help him. I cried while reading this novel. It is at times heartbreaking.
It is a book that I think should be read by everyone and discuss. I believe that abuse is still too often not noticed when it is staring you in the face.

This was a tough read due to the subject matter and content. The author did an amazing job tying it all together though.

This was the first book I received for free from Netgalley and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Mean Little People follows the life of Tony Bruno, an average 7 year old just wanting acceptance from his peers and his family and finding nothing but pain and rejection on the way.
This book is not for the faint hearted, it contains very graphic violence and delves into very sensitive issues. Tony is bullied to within an inch of his life, sent to prison for something he did not do, raped, kicked out of home, involved in gangs and the Mafia all before the age of 16. Tony receives more than his fair share of rejection and heartache.
You cannot help but feel sorry for Tony as he grows up, all he wants is acceptance and someone to take care of him. Those that do manage to find the time for him either have a hidden agenda or struggle to take care of themselves. I read this book pretty much in one sitting, it was so hard to put down, I somehow felt that I had to keep reading to make sure Tony was going to be ok. It was almost like watching a car crash in slow motion…. You know it isn’t going to end pretty but you just can’t look away.
The story is set in Philadelphia, there is no time, but I am going to assume it is the 60’s or 70’s when the Mafia was rife and children fell through the welfare cracks easier than they do now. There was little or no government assistance for at risk youths.
There is a hint of Romeo and Juliet in this novel with Tony falling for Kate, a beautiful, and intelligent young girl with her own tragic back story, that is off limits to Tony unless she joins the street gang he has had to take shelter with.
This book was well written and very easy to read, fast paced and gripping. I do have a couple of gripes though, I will admit the awful things that Tony endures in such a short time do become a bit unbelievable, I find it hard to believe that any one has had such a traumatic childhood, it is possible but hard to believe. I could not like or relate to Tony’s mother at all, I can very well understand the battered wife syndrome, but not many mothers in that position would chose their dead beat husband over their child, that is where they draw the line and get help.
Before chapter one, we are introduced to Paige Dearth, who shares a little about herself and her familiarity with the subject matter. I admire Paige for brining to light these issues, but again I did feel like Tony’s story was a bit much to find truthful, not saying that it is impossible, but as a reader I did find it to push the boundary somewhat.
I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone with a strong stomach and the hunger for a fast paced story. I will definitely put her other books on by TBR pile.

This book follows Tony's life from the age of seven. At that age he was bullied until he reacted one day and fought one of the bullies. His father was also a bully, picking on his son for not standing up for himself.

This was a very violent book, so it's not for the faint-hearted!

I rate this book 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, mainly because I found it a bit too violent!

Received a copy of Mean Little People by Paige Dearth for an honest review through NetGalley. Thank you for giving me the chance to review! You will need to have an open mind while reading this book. However, if you are not one to read books with rape, bad language, detailed violence or emotional and physical abuse, this book clearly is not for you. For me this book had its moments of not wanting to put it down, to have to put it down because it was a bit too much at times and wanting to violently shake some of the characters because they were nothing but full of pure hate and selfishness. Overall, I would recommend this book as it gives you glimpses of real life, also for people who have been through similar things, it can help make them feel like they are not alone as they often do after they have been violated by people they were taught to trust. I will be considering other books by Paige as well as her writing style to me is unique.

The book follows Tony Bruno from the age of 7 through his early adulthood with many obstacles and often not thought out decisions he has made along the way. Tony had to put up with his father’s excessive drinking and watch his mother get abused by him and often he went after Tony as well. His mom would always tell him to try and keep his dad happy as they didn’t really have a choice to go anywhere. At school, he had to deal with being bullied by Vincent and his friends, first, it was just verbal, but now physical attacks were happening.

Vincent and Tony learned that they had similar home lives and bonded after Tony kicked his ass one day. From then on Vincent and Tony were inseparable. At the start of 8th grade, the boys met a new friend named Salvatore, only come to find out that Salvatore is the son of Johnny Morano the godfather of the Italian mob. Tony ended up in Juvenile Detention Center for a crime he didn’t commit and only ended up dealing with more abuse including rape from the officers who worked there. At 13 after not being charged with the crime and let free, he was now homeless and broke with nowhere to go.

Eventually Tony found a job at the bakery close to where he was staying in an empty building working for Donata. Things were finally looking up for him and he learned how it felt to feel accepted for who he was by Donata and her granddaughter Ruth. After being kicked out of the building he was staying in by the police, Tony had nowhere to go again and had to make a choice he eventually grew to hate, by being part of a gang called the Slayers. Tony did things he often hated for the Slayers as he needed a place to stay, he felt he had no other choice other than to end up dead. Tony meets a girl named Kate who he fell in love with. The more time they spend together, he wonders how he ever got so lucky to have a woman love him for him, help with his nightmares that he has from Juvie and help him make love to her. Tony had never felt this good in life and he realized that to move forward with his life with her, he needed to find a way out of the Slayers because if they found out about Kate that would be the end of them both.

Tony talked to Salvatore and told him there had to be a way out. There was of course even though Mr. Morano didn’t like dealing with gangs, they raided the Slayers one night and brought Tony back with them. The stipulation to getting Tony out of that mess was he now worked for the mob, but Tony was ok with that because now Kate and him could be together “till the end”. Will Tony finally have his happy ever after or will there be more problems along the way to make sure Tony pays the price for his choices? Will Tony’s mom ever leave his father to make a better life for her or will Tony have to put him in his place?

Paige Dearth’s Mean Little People is a difficult book to review. Her plotting and story arches are excellent but her characterisations and dialogue are very stilted and at times implausible due to the limitations of her writing style.

Mean Little People has a lot going for it. As stated above, the plotting and situations are above par and keeps the reader enthralled within the story structure. It is very episodic and there are many things within this framework that work extremely well. The main character is interesting and the depth and depravity that is found within this setting is dark and deeply disturbing. I was invested on how everything would turn out but I did have to overlook some flaws which at times made it hard to differentiate between the different characters.

The flaws in which take away from the book are lack of personable dialogue where everyone pretty much speaks in the same exact way which flattens some of the characters. There is also the lack of real character depths when dealing with secondary characters which creates some cardboard cut-out villains that could do with a bit of a polish to lift the material to a higher standard. This prevents some readers to become fully invested in the overall plot. If you can overlook this and just coast along for the ride, you will find the workings of an excellent plot.

The material is dark and maybe a bit too much for some readers as this does deal with a harsh reality of sexual, physical and mental abuse. Good characters of heart are often crucified or snuffed out and evil tends to prevail and win which for some audiences this will not be the tied up in a neat bow. It is a messy story and it does work for being so but the author has made some hard decisions and I have to admire her for sticking by these. You can tell that the author is deeply invested in her characters and at times it must have been difficult to tell their story and make the decisions she made.

The only other fault that and this is more of a personal reflection is the acknowledgement and paragraphs before the manuscript where the author gives a glimpse into her own abuse whilst growing up. I personally feel that if this was put at the end of the book, it would probably lift the book as a footnote instead of a precursor to the overall book. This is just a personal gripe and really does not take away from the overall manuscript.

Overall, this is a good read and not sure what the author’s intentions are. If it is to raise awareness of bullying and abuse, it really doesn’t hit the bullet points but if she is putting a story out there for dark and entertaining that she has hit all the marks. This is a very good yarn though it is very dark and has a hard hitting violence that will offend some readers. If you have the stomach and constitution for the subject material, you should be rewarded with a great plotted story. I for one will be looking out for the sequel as I am interested where Ms Dearth will take the story. I would give this 3 ½ stars but I will round this up to a four star rating.

DNF at 16%, not because the book was badly done in any way, but because I couldn't stand the subject matter any longer. This was completely my own responsibility and not the result of misleading marketing on the book. The book clearly tells us what happens inside in the summary, it was my own fault I picked it up even though I knew full well this subject isn't for me.

Actually, I could not finish this book. The dialogue seemed forced and unrealistic, and overall it didn't capture my attention and motivate me to read more. A mediocre read and too many other wonderful books out there to read.

Please head the warning that comes with the book. Tony goes through a lot of sh*t throughout the story.

Reading this book broke a part of me and somehow put me back together again. To ready what young Tony has to go through is heartbreaking.

Throughout the story you read about the vile acts that are committed against and to this young man. A young man that only wants to be loved and accepted. That love and acceptance doesn't come easy for him though. He has to fight for everything he has and then watch as he loses most along the way.

A must read book if you are truly ok with difficult subject matter.

This book was definitely brutal and hard to read yet I couldn’t put the book down. The little boy went through so much and it’s really eye opening as to how some people are so cruel to others.

I can't....I can't. This story just kills me. From the first few pages, I was sucking in my breath and cringing because of how horrible the main character was being treated first by his bullies and then by his father.

Stories like this are so hard to stomach, but also so important. I can not understand how stuff like this happens, but it does and it is sad and sickening.

The book itself is really well written. It flows in a good way. It's just a hard one to read for long periods of time. I had to take many breaks.

Overall this was an enjoyable read. I would recommend to a friend

This story is just so sad. Definitely not for the faint of heart. It's a story about a boy (Tony) who endure bullies at school and an abusive father. The author is descriptive in the horrifying abuse, verbal and physical the child endures.

The story is very dark story as Tony struggles deals with the atrocities as he grows into adulthood. This is sometimes a difficult book to read, but I couldn't put it down. The story has a good pace, is well written.and a definite page turner.

I was moved by Tony's story of bullying, physical and sexual abuse as a child and young teen although it was very hard to read. The writing was very good and I kept wanting to read more of Tony's story. The brutality, violence near the end of the novel is very graphic which I found very hard to take. That is the reason for 4 stars. Definitely not a story for the faint of heart.

Gritty, intriguing novel. The author takes you down some very dark roads, into a side of life you'd rather not even know about. She expertly tears at your heart and shows you how some people can make decisions that suddenly seem understandable, as they never before would have. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. My first from this author. Definitely not my last.

This book is definitely not for the light-hearted. Paige Dearth does an excellent job conveying the experiences that Tony goes through as a child and how it affects him as an adult. There were moments that were so descriptive that I had to stop reading and take a few breathes. There were moments when I even had a few tears come from my eyes. I couldn't tear myself away from this book for long though. The character development was executed flawlessly and even though there were characters who involved committed horrible actions, I still was rooting for them. It was a phenomenal book and I can't wait to read the next book that shows what happens to Tony as he continues through adulthood.


I received this copy thanks to fiction with meaning, llc

First and foremost, this IS NOT the typical comic sleuth novel I enjoy reading regularly.....

I think when I read the description, I thought "Oh, this sounds good...poor kid has it tough, but beats the odds..." I don't want to give anything away about this book, but I guess for a person who usually reads something on the lighter and/or action side of the spectrum...this book literally had me in tears, shock, and horror.

I felt like I needed therapy after reading some of the horrible things that happened with this poor kid. Would I willingly pick up a book this dark? No. But I can tell you, that I almost couldn't put this book down except for times when it got so intense, I just had to take a break so I could look at something funny or positive with hopes I wouldn't go to bed with nightmares.

If you typically read stories about twisted people and horrible events, this book might not do much for you, but for me it was a traumatic read.

"Wow"...That's really all I can say about this story...

I don't know why, but I loved this book, from the first chapter I was gripped, it is a roller coaster story which has been brilliantly written by Paige Dearth, I don't want to give to much away but the story focuses on a young lad called Tony Bruno, a victim from the start, hes bullied and physically attacked by his peers, his dad is abusive and a drunk and his mum is to scared to help him, all Tony wants, is to fit in, he wants to find friends and belong, but what follows is a harrowing and sometimes brutal story of Tony's survival and everything he has to do to stay alive against the odds, this is a story that will stay with you for a long time after you have finished reading it.