I really loved this book! It was well written and a great psychological mind bender. The plot fascinated me all the way through. I could not put it down. I found myself white knuckled, gripping my kindle as I swiped through each page, eager to know what would happen. This was a one click read for me! The book wraps up nicely, but leaves room for a possibility of a book 2 (please oh please let there be a book 2). This story was flawlessly written and very unique for its genre. Was the daughter really possessed or just crazy? Did the father do something to the daughter or not? I have questions and I need answers in the form of book 2 now! I've never read anything by this author before as she is relatively new, however this will definitely not be the last book i read by her. This book has climbed to my top 10 list of 2018 thus far! 5 stars from me!!!!

At first, I thought this book was a horror/thriller, but as I got to the ending, the book became something more than that. This was not another retelling of The Bad Seed, although at first it seemed like it might turn out that way. The characters were emotionally complex, and it became a portrait of how parents struggle with mental illness manifesting within their child.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook.

Meet Suzette, just your average stay at home mom doing everything she can to be the best parent she can be to her 7 year old daughter, Hanna. Except Hanna is mute and Hanna may be evil. Wait, an evil 7 year old? That cannot possibly be true can it? A 7 year old that purposely goes out of her way to be insidious towards everyone around her except her father, Alex. But she's just trying to get people to understand her and one person stands in her way. Mommy. Hanna has been expelled from schools, has no friends, talks to no one and plans her attacks quite carefully. All Suzette wants is a perfect family and a perfect little girl and she cannot possibly understand why Hanna has a vendetta against her but it grows increasingly dark and more disturbing.
Baby Teeth is probably one of the best books I have read in a long time. Twisted and suspenseful with bouts of sadness and hope, this book had me turning pages late into the night. As a mother myself -who has a child with autism, I felt it easy to identify with Suzette-wanting the best for your child, wanting to communicate with your child and trying to understand what is going on in their mind. I couldn't fathom what it would be like to have a child with such a dark side though as I tried to put myself in her shoes many times throughout this book and even questioned "What would I do?". I found this to be a fantastic read for anyone who loves a good suspenseful, deeply psychological thriller. I was even more excited that there could be a possibility for a sequel.

This was one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I normally don't like books that jump from people to people but I really like how that worked with this book. I do wish that there was a little more from Alex point of view in the book. But the book really did grab you from the open pages and make you want to read late into the night. Great story development and I love how it wasn't a tied in a bow perfect ending. I can see a book 2 coming.

Well, I ended up just busting through the last 70% of this book this weekend!! Thank you @stmartinspress for the advanced copy!!
And what a debut novel it is for @zoje.stage_author!! Five GIGANTIC stars for me!
This book fucked my mind and didn’t even use lube! 😂 is that too nasty? Oh well, I’m going with it!
This book was everything for me! Apparently, as I think back on my previous reads I’ve not read a bad seed book before, so I didn’t KNOW KNOW the world of fucked up children. I’ve seen plenty of movies about bad seeds but not books!
This got me from the beginning. And it never let up for me! Hanna is one badass psychopath of a seven-year old!
The writing was amazing. Smooth. Realistic to me. Switching from mom’s perspective to Hanna’s perspective was seamless in my mind. You really got to see how Hanna’s mind worked. How some things were so adult in her thinking and some were still so childish.
You REALLY question Suzette’s (the Mom) thinking and wonder in the end if she’s a good mom or bad mom and that really fucked me up too!
I just loved every part of this book. If I had ONE complaint it was that I wish Suzette would have tried to record with her iPhone the crazy ass shit Hanna was doing. Why didn’t that ever cross her mind?!
I will for sure be buying this in hardcover when it’s released!!
I know one person LOVED it like me and I buddy read it with my friend Chandra @wherethereadergrows and it was just alright for her so I guess you’ll have to make your own assessment when you read it! And be sure to let me know! I’d love to talk endlessly about this one!!

I have never hated a child (character) so much. And I mean that as the greatest compliment to Zoje Stage. The characters are real, believable. I was sucked into the novel from the beginning and couldn't wait to finish to see what happened. There were a few times I had to stop reading because I found myself worked up over the actions of Hanna - which is unusual for me to be involved in the characters' emotions. Wonderful read!

The book opens on Alex, Suzette and Hanna. On the outside, they appear to be a model family. They are good-looking, he's an architect who gutted and renovated their stylish home himself, mother and daughter are fashionable. Kind of a stereotypical "golden" suburban family.

But there is so much lurking underneath the surface.

This was hard for me to get into. I think maybe it's because I didn't really identify with any of the characters. That normally isn't a problem for me. But in this book, there are very few ancillary characters. Without giving away too much, I'll bottom line it.

Hannah hates her mom, loves her dad--and is willing to do what it takes to get rid of her mom. Suzette is fragile, suffers from a crippling autoimmune disease and will do anything to keep her husband, who she adores, happy. Alex (the husband) is completely in denial that there is anything wrong with his perfect family.

While I did feel bad for Suzette and her predicament, I also felt that she was partially to blame for her circumstances. She's not great about taking initiative, merely seems to sit back and hope it will get better. I also didn't understand how Alex could be so in denial. I mean, maybe at first. But by the time the book starts, there have been huge problems for YEARS. Come on!

I thought the writing was good. To me, this was more horror than psychological suspense. But again, it was extremely creepy, but also sad to me as I saw Hanna as a deeply disturbed child with an illness. And I think the story highlights a family's struggle with trying to appear perfect to the outside world when they are living a nightmare behind closed doors.

I would recommend this to people who are fans of horror, and enjoy the occasional "bad seed" type of tale. It's definitely creepy!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a free e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

I feel weird for saying this but I loved this book! Does that make me crazy????!!! About half way through, I started wondering who was more crooked, me or the author? I couldn’t stop reading it though!
Alex and Suzette have the perfect marriage along with a daughter, Hanna who is seven. Hanna is a sweet little girl who is mute. They have tried putting her in several schools hoping she will start talking but they’re never lucky.
For some reason, Hanna does not like her mom and starts plotting to get rid of her so it will just be her and daddy. This part was creepy and I kept waiting for the book to turn towards some incest or something (then I would’ve put the book down) but it never did. I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the little girl’s ideas. Am I sick or something? I was telling my oldest daughter about it laughing. However, because of my description she said she may try reading it (and she doesn’t read). Who is more sick, her or I?
Seriously, the book is good and makes you wonder what you would do in that circumstance. I could see it being a Lifetime movie easily if not a theatrical movie. I loved how Alex supported his wife through it all for the most part. Of course he had his doubts as anyone would but their relationship was my favorite part of the book.
I only gave it three stars on Goodreads only because of the ending. I am thinking their needs to be a sequel. However, because of this ending, I could see it easily made into a TV series as well. I think it would also be a good Book Club book since it brings up so many topics.
How would you react if your child was trying to hurt you?
Would you keep the signs from your spouse as long as Suzette did?
I received an ARC of Baby Teeth in exchange for my honest review. Thank you netgalley.com. The release date is July 17, 2018.

Hoooooly shit what did I just read?! This book was so disturbing in all the right ways! Hanna is the perfect little monster, and Suzette was so sympathetic. I’m now heavily considering not having kids.

I enjoyed this book! It was a page turner for me. I recommend this book for readers who liked The Bad Seed and We Need To Talk About Kevin. If you don't like the evil child trope, then you may want to pass on this book. I'm predicting that Baby Teeth will be a controversial book and people will either love it or hate it. It shows the darkside of parenting. The story is told in alternating points of view; it goes from the mother's perspective to the daughter's perspective. It leaves the reader questioning whether kids are born bad or if it's bad parenting.The scariest part about this book is knowing that kids with mental health issues with violent behaviors are a reality in today's society.

This book was a page turner! It hit home a little since I have a special child, but hopefully she doesnt end up being a psychopath! I can't wait to read more from this author.

Genre: Mystery and Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: July 17, 2018


The book is marketed as a “We Need to Talk About Kevin” meets “Gone Girl” meets “The Omen.” Since I enjoyed both books and liked the movie “The Omen,” I assumed I would enjoy “Baby Teeth.” Well, I was wrong. The story is about a disturbing little girl that wishes her mother dead so she can have her father all to herself. There is suspense at first, but soon chilling turns into repetitious and boring. Just how many times do you want to read about a child viciously attacking her mother? Or read about a father who ignores, or plays down his daughter’s behavior. The story attempts to emulate the 1956 movie, “The Bad Seed,” which is also melodramatic storytelling. In “Teeth” the reader is left wondering just what was wrong with the parents and especially the little girl. Is she mentally ill, does she have multiple personalities, is she a witch? This tale shocked for shock purposes only. Instead of being chilling it is boring. Don’t bother with this one.

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.


WOW! I loved this book, totally dark and disturbing! It took me only 2 days to read this, if I didn’t have a job or kids I could’ve have finished it one sitting! I just finished and had to flip back to the last page to make sure I was at the end, please tell me there is going to be sequel!

Good book overall. There were times I thought the mother was pretty dumb for not telling her husband what happened. And the ending, set up for a sequel I guess? Not sure that would be my first choice. But again, overall, well written and I read it pretty quickly as I was eager to know where things would go.

An action-packed thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat not knowing what lurks just beyond the next page. A remarkable must read

Comparing this book to "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is absolutely not doing it any favors. Nor is calling it "Gone Girl meets the Omen," as seen in some of the early marketing for the book. This novel lacks the tension of the others it is compared to, and seems set up more as a parody of young, gluten-free, hipster couples who struggle with raising precocious children than any kind of thriller.

This novel differs from others in the "creepy kid" genre in that the child's point-of-view is spelled out quite clearly, as the structure of the novel alternates between a section in the child's voice, and a third-person section of the mother's experience. There is no ambiguity as to the child's mental state or her motivations. This is a fairly straight-forward story about a young couple with a mentally ill seven-year-old, who is determined to dispatch Mommy so she can have Daddy all to herself. While there were some moments of tension, the book did not have the feel of a horror novel or of a thriller.

I enjoyed reading the musings of Mommy (Suzette) as she considers her own adolescence and rates herself against her own mother's failings. What kept me reading was wondering how far the child would go, to what level her violence against Mommy would ascend. What bothered me was that I expected this book to be a thriller or some type of very dark fiction, and it's really more a sad tale of a failed family. Compare it to "Ordinary People" and you'll have a better appreciation for the book.

This is an extraordinary remarkable story. This was an easy book to get into right away, it certainly held my attention.

I have sat on this review for a few days now wondering how I could write a review without giving anything away, I need to say, this book won't be for everyone, and its hard to say "I loved it" but I did, for all sorts of reasons.

The authors writing is well and truly remarkable, easy to read, flows well and evenly without let up so the reader never gets bored, I felt everything that this Mother felt, and much more.

Hannah doesn't speak, has never spoken, can she or won't she?

When I had to put this book down to sleep or eat or do some boring chore around the house, I remained thinking about what I had just read. Its impossible for me to place all my varied thoughts on this in a single review.

I was talking to my husband about the subject matter. Without giving anything away I was tossed in so many thoughts and ideas within its pages, supernatural ? Nature or nurture? Mental health?
But shes a small child {I kept reminding myself}

Is this how serial killers have no conscience?
Does it start from a small age?
Is it the parents fault?

I had so many unanswered questions.

I knew I would get to the bottom of this in the end with the help of the author.

Reminding myself that Hannah was a young girl was a constant battle for me.

I felt for the Mom. You never want to admit to yourself that there is something wrong with your child. Even if you are told that you're child is a little bully, you don't want to listen.

So, its not helpful or constructive when her Swedish husband never gets to see the bad side of Hannah, she is always his little 'squirrel' his little darling.

No school can manage Hannah so its left to her Mom to school her from home, her Mom has an illness and finds it hard to cope, you see this as the days go on.

One thing I took from this fictional story [although verges on a fact] is how strong Hannah's parents were together although it seemed sometimes they weren't on the same page but like anything, there are many diversions you can go down but it can lead to the same point. The same destination, and that was, what is best for Hannah.

I warn you, sometimes you may think parts unbelievable, but each has its purpose. You may gasp and raise you're eyes to the ceiling, you will see its all worth while.
The authors research in this field has been second to none. I applaud her.

Its a book I will remember for all sorts of reasons.

As I say, its not to everyone's taste, but is sure impacted on me.

This book is reminiscent of The Omen (without the religious component) or The Bad Seed...only we get to see inside the child's thought processes. It is super creepy, but adult sociopaths were all once children, so this premise of the book is fascinating. It is also almost too horrible to contemplate and it is not a book for everyone., but for me it was a riveting read.

I was offered a free download of this via Netgalley, which I appreciate, but I'm afraid to say Baby Teeth didn't meet my expectations.
The premise of a young girl wanting her father for herself and plotting against her mother sounded quite fascinating. I was hoping for something dark, shocking and suspenseful, but honestly, this was just plain silly.
Parts of the story dragged and it contained no surprises.
I'm very much in the minority and plenty of readers seem to have loved this book, but I just couldn't buy into seven-year-old Hanna's perspective. I'm struggling to describe this as anything else but just silly. Sorry.

Judge me not, I do love creepy reads. I have read a couple of thrillers with some really dark characters. However, this has to be one of the darkest. This is mainly because of the age of the baddie.

Hanna’s parents have view different opinions about her. Mom, Suzette knows there is something wrong with her child. She has seen the ugly side of Hanna, the tantrums, abuse and meanness of this little girl. However, daddy knows a different Hanna who is just adorable and seemingly misunderstood.

The story is narrated through the POVs of Hanna and Suzette. Suzette is struggling to be a good mom. It is obvious that she loves her little girl. However, she is having some serious difficulties understanding her. And it seems that her love is unreciprocated. On the other hand, Hanna loves her dad and she wants him all to herself. However, to do that, she needs to get mommy out of the way.

There are so many chilling scenes in this book. I read it almost a week before writing this review and I can still remember the chill that went down my spine a couple of times. There are others that are so horrific that it is hard to imagine a little girl being behind such evil. However, I was totally hooked. This is one of train-wreck, compulsive reads. I just couldn’t look away. I had to see how it would all end.

I think that this book is more of psychological horror than thriller. Hanna reminded me of the baddie in the movie, The Orphan or Damien in The Omen. I know this might not be for everyone and I can already this title being a bit controversial. However, I am glad that I read it and I know that it is one that I won’t forget any time soon.