Wow! What a book! I don’t know if I liked or disliked this story.

So much of what Suzette feels is normal mother feelings, but I think Hannah is way out of sorts.

It feels as if Hannah’s part was forced, although I know there are some children who do behave like this. If there weren’t, we wouldn’t have serial killers.

The end is definitely not an ending I would have written.

I think overall, I’m quite disappointed. This wasn’t the thriller I was expecting. It was more heartbreaking to me than anything.

I’m not sure I understand all of the hype surrounding this book - it has a huge amount of reviews already (given that it hasn’t been published) and has been talked about on so many different book forums.

Essentially, this novel is a horror story, symbolizing a greater theme of the unspoken fears surrounding mental illness. The main character, toddler Hanna, hates her mother, Suzette, and essentially plots to kill her for the entire novel. The kicker here - literally nothing happens, plot or otherwise, until 65% through the book, at which point I had already become disillusioned.

Overall, I can see where this will be polarizing in readers opinions of it (it already is). It had potential and I enjoyed the end half of the book but it fell flat overall.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Probably the oddest book I have ever read. The story follows Hannah and Suzette through their unbearable mother daughter relationship. Hannah has been a mute and will not communicate with her parents aside from grunts and groans. Everything changes one day on a car ride, she finally speaks in the voice of a witch who was burned to death in France. Baby’s teeth follows the Jensen family through terrors and trials as a family to get some resolve. There are a few good twists but mostly this book was just really weird.

This book will definitely be on that readers are talking about, and I feel like it will be a "love it" or "hate it" experience. That may be a good thing for a book like this, because the subject matter is controversial and so it will spark a lot of heated opinions. For me, the book isn't "love it." The premise is intriguing - a daughter who loves her daddy and is totally devoted to him, but hates her mother. In fact, she wants her mother dead so that she can have daddy all to herself. Seems totally creepy and interesting, I'm with you so far. However, the book drags on and feels like it's trying too hard to be edgy and controversial, and at most elicited a few eyerolls instead of the shock it was supposed to elicit. I read a lot of thrillers that turn out to be unmemorable, and I can't say that about this book. It's memorable - but unfortunately I'll be remembering the negative aspects instead of the positive. And there were positive aspects. It was well-written and the premise is original, it just never rose above the gimmick to become something truly unique.

Hanna is a clever seven-year-old girl who doesn’t talk and her parents are trying to find out why. Hanna doesn’t get along with her mother and believes that she should be able to have her daddy all to herself. Hanna uses all her tactic to scare and even harm her mother to get her out of the way. Hanna is good at manipulation and only acts like a sweet little daughter when her father is around. As the home becomes more dangerous for Suzette (mommy), she wonders if she’ll ever feel safe in her own home.

So I’ve read many different reviews on this novel and I was so excited to get it and be able to review it on NetGalley! I have to say that I am in the camp that finished it quickly and absolutely loved it. I was so interested in this type of book and I’ve never read anything quite like this! I enjoyed that this book went back and forth between Hanna’s and her mother (Suzette’s) perspective. I loved the writing and I found myself immersed into their lives and was so curious as to what little Hanna was going to get up to next. I loved that Hanna was so intelligent and that she decided to take on another persona for a while to do the talking.

I loved that this book was totally different from all the other books that have been coming out. It was fast-paced and I loved all the character from the book that Hanna loved and how they made a version for her to take with her. I loved how diabolical she was throughout the whole novel and how her father takes it when he finally realizes what she’s been up too. This book was incredibly creepy and I loved that about it, you really can’t see the ending coming. I enjoyed the last few chapters, although I want more closure! This was definitely a read I recommend everyone at least try! 4.5 stars from me!

Oh wow, I really don't know how to rate this book. The author wrote a story that really brought up so many emotions and really made you have such dislike and maybe even hatred for a child with mental issues. It really made we wonder if this is what goes on in the mind of a child with the mental challenges presented in this book. My heart went out to the parents especially the mother who really loves their child but have to admit that their child needs serious help which they can't provide. This is a great book but be prepared for the emotional journey.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book and provide my honest review.

************ AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ************

Woah! This story messes with your mind, especially if you have kids! Not only do I have a kid but an 8 year old girl! So it’s a bit freaky! The writing was perfect. It was so creative and descriptive that is draws a picture right before you. I felt myself getting so angry with Alex and his blinders on. Zoje Stage is good... I was on all their sides at different times.

I was sble to listen to the audiobook. The narrator really did a great job of putting feelings into each character. She didn’t try so much to give different voices to different people which I was fine with since we hop back-and-forth between Hannah and the mom. However the narration wasn’t really a creative and interesting way to tell the story.

I received an advance copy of this audiobook. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise. All thoughts and feelings on this audiobook are mine and solely mine.

As a mother I found this hard to read, on the same level as We Need to Talk About Kevin, but I did appreciate the originality in the way the story was told.

The hype for Baby Teeth has been building for months. It’s mostly the reason I’ve kept putting off reading this because I was afraid my expectations were too high. And while it didn’t quite live up to the hype, it was still a pretty entertaining read.

It took me a little while to get into the story. The writing style, especially when it came to Hanna’s POV, took some getting used to. But once I really got into the story and could start to appreciate what a little psycho Hanna was I started to enjoy it. I became invested in the characters and really wanted to see how it would all turn out.

While I enjoyed seeing what crazy thing Hanna would do next, I did think it dragged on a little too long. The same type of things just kept happening again and again and there was a lot of needless description. Towards the end of the book the plot really began to advance and the power struggle between mother and daughter was really compelling to me and then it just abruptly ended. The ending felt more like it was leaving things open for a sequel than properly giving any type of closure to a stand-alone story. I found it disappointing that just when I was really getting into it, it was over.

Overall, Baby Teeth was certainly an entertaining read, but fell short of the hype for me. A little steadier pace and a less abrupt ending would have made it a little better, in my opinion. I don’t know if this book would be for everyone, but I think there are a lot of people who would enjoy it. I could definitely see it becoming a fun, creepy movie.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

It is hard to give a solid description of this book without giving away crucial details. This book is fascinatingly creepy with the right amount of plot and the right amount of unease. What if your child was a master manipulator? Full of vengeance and spite behind closed doors with you, but appearing sweet and innocent to everyone else. Is it you? Or is there truly something going on with your child?

This novel gripped me from the beginning. Tapping into my worst fears of being a parent. As an educator, I see sides of students that parents do not and vise versa, but as adults we need to be vigil when it comes to looking at children's behavior and motive for those behaviors, and navigating the world of mental health diagnoses in children can be tricky. I really thought I had it all figured out, but the last few pages left me in awe. This is the type of plot twist that will leave you wondering well beyond the final words.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

When I started this book, I wasn’t sure I would finish it. Seven-year-old Hanna was not only unlikable, she was terrifying. A tiny psychopathic manipulator, her goal was to get rid of her mother so she could have her father all to herself.

The mother, Suzette, started off as a shallow upper class matron whose main concern was keeping face while her daughter exhibited bizarre and sometimes violent behavior in public. The father, a successful businessman who was away a lot, knew Hanna only as a sweet, innocent child who adored him. He refused to believe that she was capable of the nastiness attributed to her by her mother and what he considered to be inept headmasters of private schools that kept expelling Hanna.

Before long, however, the personalities and backstories of Suzette and Hanna blossomed as each narrated the tale in alternating chapters. Hanna became more terrifying, but Suzette was now someone I could care about. I found myself enthralled by Hanna’s resourcefulness as she gleefully tormented her mother in accelerated attacks. Meanwhile, the father began to witness injuries and destruction that he could not ignore.

The author does a great job of fleshing out the characters, including a child therapist who does her best to help the family cope with Hanna’s aberrant behavior. Hanna’s childishness comes through as she gives snide names to adults like “Brown Teeth” and “Mrs. Stinky Breath.” The mother’s navel-gazing regarding how she may have messed up became somewhat redundant, but not terribly. My one complaint is that the ending left everything hanging. Sometimes, you just want to know that the people you care about are going to be safe.

Baby Teeth reminds me of the creepy 1980s movies that my friends and I watched just to make us laugh...and scream -- the kind of vibe you get from Chucky, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Pet Semetary. This book is pure horror, which kind of turned my stomach, but there are probably really people who think like Hanna!

The second half of the book was distinctly better than the first; however, the pacing of the first half was necessary to establish the story. I only kept reading to find out what happened in the end. Hanna's open hatred for her mother seemed unnatural. I also couldn't figure out why Suzette had NO ONE to turn to, aside from her husband. The adult characters' actions seemed incongruous with their obvious intelligence. That's probably what made the book so unrealistic to me!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage. I can only give this one 2 stars. I zipped through it, skimming so that I could say I finished it. This book got a lot of hype in some of the Facebook reading groups I’m part of so I thought I would give it a try. It was just not for me. That being said I do believe there is definitely an audience out there who will love this book about a disturbed child out to kill her mother so that she can live happily ever after with her daddy. If you are a reader who enjoys a horror story give it a try.

Very creepy and twisted. I really liked the suspense I felt reading this. I would definitely recommend this book.

Wow! Wow! Wow! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

If you enjoy thrillers and don’t mind that the child is a psychopath you’ll love this book. The story is told from two alternating perspectives, Hanna (daughter) and Suzette (mother). Hanna views her mom as an obstacle that stands in her way of having all of daddy’s love and attention. Suzette is a mother who tries her best most days to take care of Hanna and only she sees the tricks Hanna plays. .
Be forewarned some scenes may be difficult for some to read. I literally found myself grimacing and saying “Oh my God!”

While some may say they found Suzette to not be relatable I would disagree and argue that any parent has found them self wondering if they are doing the parenting thing right. Is there something that could be done differently or better? How does a parent’s choices effect their children?

I REALLY hope there is a sequel because the ending certainly lends itself to it.

2 stars.

*

Baby Teeth is a shocking and uncomfortable novel that might have worked better with a Horror bent. The fast pace gives room to lots of terribleness that is mostly done due to shock value, while forgetting to develop the characters. The story is difficult to connect with because of that — when you don’t care about the characters, it’s hard to care about all the awful things that happen to them.

Zoje Stage’s writing is engaging. The thriller set up is mostly well done; there is a lot of tension from one chapter to the next. The shifts of POV from Suzette to Hanna flow smoothly and work very well with the overall plot, yet Alex’s obliviousness drags some interesting bits down. Still a quick and easy read.

The premise for this is really intriguing, but the execution failed me a bit. The lack of character development and Hanna’s overall behavior hit a little too hard for this to be all around enjoyable to me. Some scenes are really gripping, but there is no denying the escalating behavior from all characters in this book are done purely to shock readers.

The novel is mostly a collection of how many terrible things Hanna can do before anyone believes Suzette, and Suzette then trying to smooth it all over as it not being as terrible as it all was. There is a lot of conflicting emotions and downright bad behavior from everyone, but it falls a bit flat when the characters are two-dimensional.

Alex’s refusal to believe what is happening drags it all even more, even with this being a dysfunctional family. And when he does admit to himself that Hanna isn’t his little angel, it all seems very rushed.

In the end, Baby Teeth is just not for me. The writing is good, but the twisted behavior from Hanna seems downright unrealistic and done purely to get a reaction. This is a quick read, though, as the fast pace and shifts in POV bring it all together rather nicely. Just really not for me.

I gave this book 3 stars because I am not sure how I feel about it. It kept me reading to find out how it ended but it was a disturbing and depressing book. It left me with the feeling I had at the end of The Omen, an I’ll be back”creepy feeling. The book is about Hanna and her mother Suzette. It is never clear how old Hanna is but she has been expelled from several schools. She is mute but one doctor finally tells Suzette that “can’t talk” and “won’t talk” are two different things. Hanna loves her daddy and he sees a totally different side of her than Suzette does. I can relate a little to that because my oldest daughter did things in my presence that she didn’t do in front of daddy. But she never tried to kill me! Suzette had a lousy childhood and is trying too hard to be the perfect mom. Daddy thinks there must be something physically wrong with Hanna. She sees one doctor after another for test after test until the above mentioned doctor recommends a child psychologist. At her wit’s end Suzette finally convinces Alex to go. Hanna finally begins talking in front of Suzette only as Marie-Anne Dufosset, the last witch burned alive in France. This is when things begin taking a creepy turn and Hanna begins trying to kill Suzette in earnest.
In this book we see to the extreme that the mother-daughter relationship can be trying and the father-daughter relationship can be unhealthy without being sexual or abusive. It underscores the need to seek help early. We also see an apparently very bright little girl being given complete access to her daddy’s computer(he gave her the password and let her use it unattended.) Parents, pay attention to what your kids are watching. It also deals well with a chronic disease, Crohn’s Disease, and its effect on Suzette’s life.
I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher and I wish to thank them.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press for an ARC of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage for an honest review.

Hands down a five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thriller! This book is fantastic it was creepy, and very disturbing that that seven year old Hanna dispises her mother so much that she wants her dead. She wants her daddy Alex all to herself! The story is told from both Suzette mother and daughter Hanna’s POV. I couldn’t stop reading and when I did I kept going over the book in my head. If you love a good Thriller you won’t be sorry with Baby Teeth it’s excellent and by far the best I’ve read.

This was an interesting book in that I didn't like any of the characters but still found myself rooting for Suzette anyway. Hanna was a totally unlikeable character but I guess the author wanted it that way. I was so satisfied with the ending because I had fears it was going to be different. I will recommend.

What a creepy yet satisfying book. As a mother of a child the same age as the main character this gave me extra chills.

As a parent, Suzette always questioned if she is the best parent she could be and when she noticed that her child was "different from the norm" she questioned herself even more. Her daughter Hanna is mute but clearly makes her wishes know by her behavior. She is a daddy's girl, all the way, but is a nightmare to her mother. Hanna will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Oh, man! I loved having the two narrators, this gave me a full view of what each person saw and thought. Being inside of Hanna's head was super creepy because she justified all her actions and makes you want to cheer for her but then you realize how messed up that is. You can feel the desperation of Suzette as she fights that line of love and fear for her own child. It is so intense. The writing made me feel so attached to both of the characters.

I highly recommend this book.