Juliette Violet Valentine never intended to be a problem child, she just never tried very hard not to be. She was simply a product of her environment, a voyeur into the unscrupulous world of her misguided, calculating mother. Juliette never meant to weaponize the family dog. She and Spike were just playing... Besides, rabies shots aren't that painful. Her younger sister, Anna? That was an unfortunate accident. Juliette's mother was guilty of ignoring her at the worst possible time, therefore she deserved to be punished.
Juliette had been a very bad girl, but she appeared to be the perfect child. At just fifteen years old, Juliette had it all, beauty, grace, charm, and talent. She mastered the art of gymnastics, astonishing even the most accomplished coaches and judges. Juliette effortlessly captured the attention of the one and only talent coordinator in her tiny town, soon becoming the girl everyone recognized from the Sunday newspaper. Unfortunately, being the perfect little prodigy became quite dull for Juliette. She found herself choreographing exciting adventures that did not always turn out so well for everyone else. Juliette craved a challenge, soon setting her sights on Jonathon. He quickly became her pet project. Getting his attention was not enough, she wanted to own him. What Juliette did not expect was to experience actual human emotions and the desire to put someone else ahead of herself.
Like Juliette, sixteen-year-old Jonathon Smithfield was blessed with good looks and a charismatic personality. While he may have had the image of being the proverbial bad-boy-next-door, Jonathon had a heart of gold. He was a fragile soul trying to come to terms with his unfortunate, abusive childhood. Even with his mother gone and his tyrannical father on his heels, Jonathon managed to persevere, never allowing his past to break him.
Once Juliette got her hooks into Jonathon, he did not stand a chance. Jonathon unknowingly became the object of her obsession. Juliette, likewise, became the object of his obsession, all by her design... and while some may say Jonathon turned out for the better, one might wonder just how ethical it is to hunt, capture, trap and tame a free spirit.
Crushing Little Things brings to life a working-class neighborhood on Red Schoolhouse Road in 1987. Juliette's and Jonathon's exploits are carried out just under the nose of the resident fairy godmother, the well-meaning detective, and the negligent, abusive adults who set the entire ordeal in motion.
The reader will get to know Juliette and Jonathon through their perspectives and by way of various flashbacks of their traumatic childhoods.