Little Peach

Author: Peggy Kern

Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Young Adult

Originally Published: March 10th 2015

Format: Hardback (208 pages)

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Synopsis: What do you do if you’re in trouble?

When Michelle runs away from her drug-addicted mother, she has just enough money to make it to New York City, where she hopes to move in with a friend. But once she arrives at the bustling Port Authority, she is confronted with the terrifying truth: she is alone and out of options.

Then she meets Devon, a good-looking, well-dressed guy who emerges from the crowd armed with a kind smile, a place for her to stay, and eyes that seem to understand exactly how she feels.

But Devon is not what he seems to be, and soon Michelle finds herself engulfed in the world of child prostitution where he becomes her “Daddy” and she his “Little Peach.” It is a world of impossible choices, where the line between love and abuse, captor and savior, is blurred beyond recognition.

This hauntingly vivid story illustrates the human spirit’s indomitable search for home, and one girl’s struggle to survive.

My Rating: ★★★★

Little Peach is one of the most difficult books I have ever read. This book is not a light-hearted read and is a deeply distressing and emotional read. I felt both physically and emotionally repulsed by what I was feeling and that is a sentiment to how well written this book is.

Michelle has escaped from her addict mother and the bad environment she has grown up in. Little does she know what her life will become when she meets the charming Devon when she arrives in New York. Michelle’s escape turns into a life of child prostitution alongside Baby and Kat under the watchful eye of the Bloods, a nasty gang.

This story is so well written that the lines between fact and fiction are extremely blurred. I think what makes this such a difficult read is that the author has truly gotten to grips with the emotional needs of girls like Michelle. Michelle knows she doesn’t want to prostitute herself, but she has come to rely on her ‘Daddy’ for both emotional and material support. The manipulation that we so clearly see as readers is not so easily seen by these vulnerable and scared girls who are desperately seeking to make their lives better.

This book is painfully realistic and I so desperately wanted to be able to scoop Kat, Michelle and Baby into my arms and remove them from the world they are in. The characters are so, so real and the emotion throughout this quick read is raw. This book most definitely will not be for everyone. I cannot say that I enjoyed this book at all but it is definitely one of the best books I have read. I read it in a day as I couldn’t put it down.

An extremely powerful book with a painfully emotional message. This really happens out there in our world and that is what makes this such a difficult book to read.

Have you read Little Peach? What did you think? 

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