A good story, believable characters and although predicable in places, it was still a good read. The story was quite upsetting in places and it really made me sad for the life the main character was living. I will definitely be reading other books by this author.

Please see my full review on Goodreads. This was an intense read and not for the feint of heart. There is no stone left unturned when it comes to violence and abuse. Despite the graphic and gruesome nature of the story, I enjoyed it immensely and had a hard time putting it down. I had no idea where the plot was going and there were a couple twists and turns that kept me on my toes. If you're okay with extreme violence and looking to get in touch with your deepest, darkest revenge fantasies, this book might be for you.

This is the first book that I've read by Paige Dearth and I'm not disappointed in the slightest. Prose like a razor, characters that make your mind explode and your heart burn brightly. The book arrives with a beautiful, but simultaneously heartbreaking, plot which certainly serves as a punch in the gut for all the bullies out there. Bullying is one of the modern plagues of today's societies. We don't seem to be able to escape from it and, at the same time, there is so much ignorance and hatred surrounding this matter.

I hope this book will be an eye-opener for many biased people out there. This review is entirely my own. A huge "thank you" to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to read everything else that Paige Fearth is going to publish in the future.

I have read several books by Paige Dearth and all have been excellent. A very emotional book and heartbreaking. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Egads! This wasn't what I thought it was, and yet, it's super strong. One little boy, bullied beyond coping, shares his life story. This book is real, gritty, dark, and sad. Where are this child's mentors? Where are so many people missing from his life. Then the ending, it goes to book #2. This book is so hard to review. It's strong on reality and low on hope and love.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

Whew...I need to take a shower after reading this book

First of all, if you have any PTSD triggers to bullying, rape, many types of abuse, or violence - this might NOT be the story for you. It starts out at a 100mph and it's pedal to the metal after that.

The story starts out with 7 year-old Tony Bruno being ruthlessly bullied by his classmates and physically abused by his father. And as the years pass, the action ramps up.

Tony does what he has to to survive and this is a dark, dark story of him growing up and maturing.

The book is not what I expected. It is much broader in scope than I thought it was going to be as it tells his story well up into adulthood in different parts of Philadelphia.

It is well written with meticulously described characters and settings but BE WARNED. There is graphic violence, sexual situations including rapes and torture.

I received this book from the author through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

This story of a child bullied and neglected is so overwhelmingly devoid of hope that I could hardly finish it. It's a terrible portrayal of how awful our society can be. I can't imagine recommending it to anyone.

FABULOUS! My first title by this author, and now I just finished a 3rd book by her. Definitely dark, but kept me wanting more!

Brilliant book going through the full life of a child. A very awful life this poor boy leads from being beaten, neglected and unloved. A book of courage and determination.

This book is just another amazing read by Paige Dearth. Truly gripping and pulls you in deeply to the story! Her books are graphic and disturbing but she leaves nothing out so I feel this helps you connect to the characters more as you don't have to imagine what happens. She truly tells it like it is straight to the point. This will make you ache for what these people go through and unfortunately deep down inside leave you with an awareness that unfortunately these scenarios have truly happened to someone somewhere. I am always beyond pleased with her writing and can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Wow! Just wow. When I started reading this book I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't disappointed. Very descriptive. Just when you think poor Tony isn't going to have to go through anything else, you're wrong. Looking forward to reading the other book that Tony is also in.

Was just graphic for graphic sake and no depth to any of the characters. Could have been so good, but missed the mark in my opinion.

This novel deals with some dark images, however, the honesty and brutality are also what makes it worth reading. There was a lot of feelings in this book and I really "enjoyed" it, as much as you can enjoy a novel this harrowing. This book opened me up to a new author and I will be looking forward to picking up more of her novels.

A sadly realistic portrayal of one young boy's troubled early life. The author's ability to help the reader relate to her characters was a strong plus. I truly cared about the fate of those who populated this book's world. I will seek out other works by this author. (Just my opinion.)

I really enjoyed the book along with the twist and turns the plot made. I felt very sorry for the main character and what he had to go through with his father and the bully's. This is a great book language is a bit obscene not something I would have one of my children read but does protray some real life veiws. I would recommend this book to any person who enjoys books about the mob, bullying , friendship and childhood abuse.

I already read this book under it's previous title Born Monster. As per the author it is the same book under a new title. This book was gritty and raw but so good. Not for the faint of heart.

All Tony has wanted was to be loved and accepted by people. From the time he was born, he has been rejected by everybody but his mother. He's bullied constantly until the third grade where he finally takes matters into his own hands since he sees that nobody will help him. His life remains rough and he falls on more and more bad luck every time he turns around, but he somehow manages to overcome it all.

Before I say how I feel about this book, I want to state very clearly that this is a very heavy book. People who don't like to read about a lot of violence and other aspects should not read this book. It definitely covers a lot of things that some people find very hard to swallow.

That being said, I really did enjoy this book. My heart went out to poor Tony every step of the way. I love how the whole story took place through his growing up. I felt like I was literally watching this poor kid grow up and all I wanted to do was step into the pages and comfort and protect him and watch the man he grew up to be. It was emotionally wrenching, but worth every page turn.

There are some issues in this book that I had a huge problem swallowing, but in order to air them out, I'd have to throw in big spoilers. I don't believe in throwing spoilers in reviews, so I'm going to leave it alone. It's nothing against the book itself. I didn't really find many (if any) issues with it. I may have to do a blog later about the social situations that I found I couldn't wrap my head around.

All in all, I still recommend this book. I fully advise that this book be taken with caution if the person is sensitive to heavy subjects. If the person is okay reading a book with some very heavy and sensitive subjects, I do warn that it is very emotionally gut wrenching. They will be on the edge of their seats through the whole journey. I was so close to tears when I finished the book. I can't even describe it.

Mean Little People is a non-stop trial of the human spirit. The main character in this book faces disheartening odds and awful luck.
The characters from South Philly actually made me laugh (sometimes inappropriately) because my husband is originally from Philly and his family uses some of the same words and phrases.
Although Mean Little People was at times almost too difficult to read it demonstrated what some of the youth of today actually face. There are children who never seem to catch a break.

Great read. Gets you hooked from the start. Would highly recommend!!