A very hardhitting book in a new series featuring Rainey Paxton.
She was born addicted to heroin, returned to her parents and living in squalor. and abused.
This first book really made me want to read the whole series.
It is not an easy read but if you make it to the end you wilL want to read more.

Love every single book she writes in this series, a hard and brutal red but one I always enjoy…more please Paige!! ❤️

Gosh I have so much I want to say about this book but don't know how to put it into words. Again, Ms Dearth gives us a raw look at a child born into hopelessness. Rainey Paxton was born under a dark cloud that follows her for the first seventeen years of her life. The adults in her life were neglectful and not worthy of any sympathy. The one adult, her aunt, who could have done more, allowed her parents to constantly abuse them both. Her parents were horrific, disgusting and unfortunately depictive of real life. In spite of all that, Rainey is able to keep the secrets of everyone who abuses of her innocence. The essence of this story was so emotive for me because I see a lot of the Kingston images on you-tube and I'm sure these are the scenes that go on behind closed doors on a daily basis. There is a cliff hanger and I desperately want to know what happens. There are strong scenes of abuse so caution.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own and freely given.

This book was incredible that I read the next one too. I was shocked at the story but in a way that made me feel for the characters. I yelled, screamed, and fought to be a part of the story. Great story, great character development and even better author.

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

I think I read my first Paige Dearth book in 2011, and every time she comes out with a new one, I look forward to reading it. Her books are tough to read; they are definitely not for the faint of heart or people with weak stomaches. But there is a rawness to them, and a grittiness. I feel a wide array of emotions anytime I read one of her books. They never fail to make me cry.

I appreciate that Paige Dearth can show this rawness without taking things too far.

Thank you to Netgalley and Paige Dearth for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fiction with meaning. That's what Paige Dearth calls her writing. She apparently speaks with expertise on the subject of child abuse, having been abused herself. A Little Pinprick was compelling. I carried my Kindle everywhere and anytime I had a moment, I read from her book. There is a book 2. I'm now so invested in Rainey that I am immediately headed out to get book 2.

Why did Rainey survived at her birth? The parents were told that it wasn’t likely she would live but she did. When her Aunt Sophie comes over and finds Rainey dirty and hungry, she takes the child. Aunt Sophie comes down with Huntington’s Disease and can’t take care of Rainey. Rainey ends up home again and is lonely. When her mother gives birth to a second child, she ends up taking care of Ivy, the baby. One day the parents realize that Rainey could make money for them. She has to agree to see the men to keep Ivy safe. She ends up going into Juvenile Detention for three years for something she didn’t do. So many adults aren’t seeing” what “that child’s” life is like. So many children and teenagers are ignored when they are seen by “nice” adults and they shouldn’t be.

The novel held my attention even when my heart broke for Rainey. This is fiction but at the same time you know it’s not. No one should live a life Rainey did. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.Thank

This book was so well written, however, I did not finish it. I was expecting this to be a horror novel (That's what category I found it under), and although it contains horrific life events, to me, it was more of a memoir. This is absolutely wonderful, but not really my style unfortunately. I may pick this up again one day, just to finish the story. As stated before, this title is WELL WRITTEN.

Wow what an emotional read! In the fragile first hours of Rainey’s life, hospital doctors and nurses fight to keep her alive. Several months later she is released into her parents’ custody, where the baby is forced to live on neglect and tainted breast milk.

Constrained in her home, infested with drug addicts and drifters, Rainey’s drug-addicted parents leave little hope for her protection.

While Rainey is still an infant, her aunt Sophie visits her and finds the baby dirty and hungry. A bond forms between the two until tragedy strikes. Rainey is alone again until her sister, Ivy, is born and the child breathes new life into Rainey’s small, isolated world.

But her parents have another plan, and with no one there to intervene on Rainey’s behalf she must make sacrifices to feed her parents’ cravings and to keep her sister safe.

Follow Rainey’s journey from a house crawling with junkies to the violent confines of a juvenile detention center where she finds friendship, and learns fearlessness from the most unexpected people.

Ok, this book was super tough to read. When I was about 50 pages in , I thought I was going to have to put it down and walk away but I had to keep reading to find out what happened to Rainey and her little sister. It honestly didn't get much better as the book went on, for Rainey that is. Overall just a tragic story and it's hard to believe that a child could be treated this way and still have any spirit at all, but Rainey chooses to have hope which is what kept me reading.. I did not know this is a series and the 2nd book is already on amazon so I will definitely be reading that one too.

This book pulled at my heart so much. I wanted to reach out and hug This little girl so bad, I cried, was angry and prayed to the gods above that if any child was going through this, that it would stop. It's a realization that this is actually happing somewhere right know. An amazing book, well written.

I received this book as an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest and fair review.


I love Paige Dearth. When I say she grabs you by your heartstrings….she really does. A Little Pinprick tells the story of Rainey Paxton and her tough beginnings. Addiction is how she’s born and she’s surrounded by it growing up. Paige Dearth masterfully and sometimes a bit too descriptively (but it’s needed) pulls us into Rainey’s young and troubled life. I genuinely had to put this book down a few times due to crying (Paige dearth is the queen of realistic dark fiction). The story telling was pretty amazing. The only reason I am not giving 5 stars is because the last few chapters felt a bit long winded and overly written to me.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC.

This is the third book I’ve read by Dearth. Although the subject matter is tough and the content, harrowing, they are always compelling page-turners. Even though her books are fiction, this is the unfortunate reality for many.

Rainey had a tough life from the very start. Born addicted to drugs, she spent her first couple months in the neonatal ICU. From that safe, warm, and nurturing environment, she was thrust into another that was far from ideal for anyone, much less a helpless infant. Her parents’ rundown drug hovel in poverty-stricken dangerous Kensington, Philadelphia. Neglected. Abused. Hungry. For a time, her only saving grace was her aunt Sophie. If only Rainey could stay with her forever. But that was not to be. Rainey persevered. She became strong, resourceful, and resilient. She found purpose, something — or rather, someone — to live for : her little sister, Ivy.

Inevitably, drug houses will be teeming with unsavory characters. Because of one such character, Rainey found herself in peril yet again. Her time at the juvenile detention center was better in some ways and worse in others. But Rainey was a survivor. She had to be. She was all Ivy had.

This was an intense and emotional read. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

This book was hard to read but also hard to put down. Rainey has lived a life of despair and desperately wants to protect her little sister. This book gave me so many emotions and to think this is truly some girls life sickens me. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in this series. I need to know what happens next.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

This was definitely a difficult book to read emotionally, however this was definitely understandable with this type of content. What I didn't get was why there was not more of an actual reaction to the things that were happening to her. It was like the author wanted to make this character as damaged and harm as possible, but didn't really want to actually develop a character that lives the life that her character did. It was like the shock value was wanted, but the character development was not even a thought. Everything seemed to roll off of her and this is not plausible. Many of the things she went through would result in horrible pain, or harm and it just seemed like the character was a bowling pin and came right back up for the next thing quickly. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Rainey Paxton led an awful life. Born to a mother and father that were heroin addicts, she had to detox at birth. Her aunt wanted to raise her but her mother kept Rainey. As she grew, the only moments of peace in her life came when she was with her aunt. She had no friends. No one wanted to be near her. It was obvious that her homelife was horrible but not one person felt the need to do something about it. Rainey finds herself in trouble with the police and has to lie to keep her parents and little sister safe. Will her sacrifice break the tough shell around her parents and show them what a loving daughter she is? Can they stop their addiction and become a family?

Paige Dearth creates vibrant and compelling characters. Even though I knew the main character wasn't a real person, I still found myself wanting to go and help her so many times in this story. The situations these characters find themselves in are completely plausible. The main character, Rainey, lives in squalor and fights to survive. Each passing year gives her strength and maturity, she faces each storm head-on. I know that circumstances such as Rainey's do exist. What I have a hard time understanding is why no one ever took the time to report the dirty, starving child to the authorities. It might not have helped or it could have led to an equally bad situation, I understand. This is the only issue I had with this book. Rainey is such a captivating character, it is good to note that there will be another book about Rainey's life. With her strength, I hope she can overcome her circumstances and succeed.

How can you truly hate a book but love it simultaneously?
This is this book for me. I loved it, but I hated the characters that treated Rainey and her sister like crap. I had so many feelings for this book that I believe this may have truly been the first book I had to put down at certain times just to get a breath in so I didn't throw my kindle. My heart broke so much for Rainey and her sister.
It makes you question how people let things like this go on. Our system is flawed; our system sucks, and it needs to be fixed. Even though this is a story, how often does this truly happen? I am sure it happens a lot.
At such a young age, Rainey knows her parents are not the best and that the drugs they take are horrible. She doesn't want to live there; she wants to be with her Aunt Sophie. Yet, she can't; we just see how heartbreaking this is. When the one person who is the sunlight and the joy of her life can no longer be there for her, she has to grow up, and sadly Rainey has grown up way too much. She finds herself in horrible situations but at no fault of her own. She is learning how to survive more than she should. I love this author's work, just how real it seems and how much you feel about the characters. This book will give you that and more. There is also a cliffhanger, and you want to know what will happen next. Just be prepared is all I will say.

A Little Pinprick

- [ ] Let me preface this by saying I didn’t know what to think because I am a true thriller, horror, extreme horror, and book to scare you reader. Within the first quarter of the book I was sobbing and this isn’t something that usually happens with me.
- [ ] Part One of a 2 book series
- [ ] Check TW ⚠️
- [ ] Book begins with a horribly sad setup of a couple using drugs before going to deliver their baby who is born into withdrawal. You immediately become devastated at the situation as Rainey is released to her parents and put through what I baby doesn’t deserve. And then enters her Aunt. Nothing like the mother, and she begins the try to help Rainey for the next few years. You feel such immense HATE for the parents that it makes your stomach ache. A sad turn of events comes upon her Aunt and Rainey is losing the only person she feels love from and you’re heart is completely ripped out. Over a few years she has befriended a woman who visits her home with all the slums named, Buddy, who keeps an eye out on her. Few years later she is surprised to find she is having a little sister and she’s the one responsible for her care and for finding money to feed them
- [ ] When I tell you it get worse. It just gets worse.
- [ ] No spoilers from here on out. You beg and beg the parents die. The author writes things in a way that you feel so invested in the lives of these children. This book is traumatizing, but so good. It’s not for everyone because of the subjects in the story, but it’s sucked me in more than I ever imagined it would.
- [ ] This book is spectacular. If you can handle the subject matter it’s a must read!

📌 A Little Pinprick Review 📌

Author: Paige Dearth

Rating: 5⭐️

I have not had the opportunity to read a Paige Dearth novel before this one, and I can say with certainty that this won’t be my last. Dearth masterfully educates the reader about the reality of drug addiction through her novel A Little Pinprick. This would be a difficult read for anyone who has experienced the trauma of a life involving drugs and abuse, so I would certainly proceed with caution if that is a sensitive subject. Dearth is honest in her writing and this novel was difficult to put down. It was a fast read and well written. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!