This story is horrific...but it's entirely realistic, which just adds to the horror. Real people live with these horrors. Real people go through this crap. It's a world gone wrong. A little love and caring could have gone a long way. It's about a boy abused and neglected at every turn, just trying to survive and in order to just survive he ends up having to do horrible things. This book takes you on his journey, through all the crap life throws at him, through all his feelings and thoughts. It made me feel so much for him! I know this story will stay with me, and I will never look at anyone the same way again. You never know what they've been through to get to where they are today.

I did not like this novel for many reasons. It is harsh and graphic just for harsh and graphic’s sake. The characters have no depth and were boring and predictable. The dialect spelling made me crazy and was very distracting. As for sending a message about bullying I felt it sent the wrong message. Tony was bullied and then he turns into a bully himself actually killing people. Not the right way to stop bullying in my opinion.

Wow what a brutal read this was, very hard to read in parts due to the nature of the book and what happens to 5yr old Tony both at home and at school. His life is just awful and there's no respite from the bullying, abuse and neglect.

It's such a dark and twisted book but highly enjoyable also (sick as that sounds).

It tells the story of Tony from been a young boy to an adult and all the trials and tribulations of his life. It's about nature and nurture and just how wrong it can go when kids are treated the way he was. It's crude and a very very tough read I couldn't read it all in one go as I needed a break from it (so god knows how Tony felt living it). I was rooting for him throughout knowing how hopeless his situation was and just hoping beyond hope he came through and proved everyone wrong for himself if not anyone else.

In all though a tremendous book and I'd recommend it to others regardless of the dark nature of it. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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.

Let me start off by saying this is a dark book and filled with cussing. But it is one of the best books i have read in a long time. I will not forget this book. It is the first book i have read of Paige Dearth but it will not be my last.
It pulls you in and holds you. It was a little slow for me at the start but once it got going i couldn't put it down.
It had me in tears. I just wanted to reach in and help Tony.
If you read this be prepared to be taken to a place you probably never been.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as i did.

Paige Dearth is a wonderful author. She does a great job in writing about the real world. In writing the book the way she did, with such rawness she helped the.reader have empathy for Tony and understand how the events in his life shaped him into the man he would become.
I was kept on edge throughout the entire book. I did wonder what was going to happen to Tony or what Tony would do from chapter to chapter. The author did a great job hooking me into the storyline. I couldn't put the book down and ended up devouring it in 4 hours. I was excited to hear Dearth has written another book including Tony as one of the main characters. Even though Tony was brutal at times, I still found myself rooting for him.

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.