This book was spooky! It was an intense read feeling a mother's love and fear of her own child.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Zoje Stage, and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

In her debut novel, Zoje Stage has made quite a name for herself. Exploring some dark and disturbing areas of the parent-child relationship, the reader is forced to see a seemingly calm little girl turn against her own mother. Hanna Jensen appears to be quite the average four-year-old girl, with one glaring exception; she does not speak and never has. Countless tests and examinations have left her parents, Alex and Suzette, baffled, as there is nothing physical wrong with her. With her muteness comes the added issue that she is unable to acclimate into any scholastic situation, leaving Suzette to homeschool Hanna. While there is no verbal communication, Hanna’s comprehension and written word is advanced for her young age. What no one has been able to see is that Hanna has another side, a darker side that is focussed on tearing Suzette down in a well-planned manner. Hanna internalises her struggle, but is happy to show her mother an evil side and purposely sabotage any progress that is being made. What begins as simple defecating on the floor turns to barking and, eventually, full-on violence in a school setting. While Suzette tries to come to terms with this, Alex is oblivious and sees only the princess-like girl that Hanna presents on a nightly basis. After Hanna tips her hand and shows off an alter-ego, Suzette is no longer prepared to go at this alone, but Alex remains uncertain that Hanna is to blame for anything. Hanna sets out her own plan to get rid of Suzette once and for all, allowing her to have Alex’s attention forevermore. While Suzette knows it is coming, she is helpless to slay the monster before her, seeing it has taken the form of sweet Hanna Jensen. Stage weaves together quite the disturbing tale here, pitting parental instinct against base survival. Fans who enjoy a diluted psychological thriller may enjoy this one, as its presentation has rounded edges and light spine tingles.

When this novel was recommended to me by a friend, I wanted to give it my full attention, not only because of its subject matter, but also because it would fit perfectly into a reading challenge requirement. It would seem that Stage has found herself with a great deal of Goodreads activity where reviews continue to grow on both sides of the fence. I can see where both the five- and one-star folks are coming from, having been able to situate myself somewhere in the middle. The characters found herein are perfectly crafted and complement one another so well. Hanna is that young child who has a love of her father and inherent dislike of her mother, partially because there is a need to share, but also due to the fact that Suzette is her primary caregiver. Hanna manifests her dislike from disobedience through to full plotting of injury and death of the woman who has nothing but confused love for her. As the story progresses, Hanna’s character turns darker, especially with the revelation of an alter-ego, though things always bounce back when Alex is in the room, which only perpetuates the tug-of-war between the parental units. Suzette, on the other hand, is a woman who has suffered much medical and emotional turmoil in her life and has had to wrestle with a mother of her own who could not care about her. Suzette seeks to be a better mother and person, but Hanna seems to bring out the worst and they battle regularly. While Suzette may seem the paranoid one, her significant time and experiences with Hanna fuels this push to have her daughter examined by professionals, while Alex seeks to protect his offspring. Many of the secondary characters work well here, especially in peeling back the onion and seeing just how destructive Hanna can be, even if her father refuses to see it. The story itself is well-done, choosing to alternate chapters from the perspective of Hanna and Suzette. One could see where things were going, but it was a matter of how swiftly they would get there and how outlandish things could get by the end. Where I struggled with this novel was the intensity level. True, not all books have to have “psychopathic serial killers” to be successful, but I felt Stage wanted to unveil the truly demonic side of Hanna on a regular basis, but diluted it for reasons unknown. I wanted to be shocked and feel Suzette’s pain, but it almost seemed as though some of the narrative chose to gloss over things, lessening the impact. Still, for a debut novel, Stage kept me curious, especially with the ongoing symbolism that the attentive reader will gather as they forge ahead in this piece. Well constructed and I would surely give Zoje Stage another try, hoping that she and her publisher take some of the criticisms that are coming out, to heart.

Kudos, Madam Stage, for this very interesting debut. I can see much potential within the genre and hope you’ll keep writing. Your fan base is sure to grow exponentially, especially with all the popularity this book is receiving online.

Hanna trying to rattle her mom’s cage and she’s doing a great job at it. Call me twisted by I was enjoying the ways that Hanna was tormenting her mother. Not that I, myself would want to be a victim of Hanna’s but Hanna was a crafty individual and she would stop at nothing to get a reaction from her mother. To her father, Hanna was an innocent child and it wasn’t until later in the novel when Hanna was seen by outsiders that her father, finally saw Hanna for who she truly was.

I couldn’t believe that Hanna was only a seven-year old child. The way that her mind worked and by her actions, she seemed to be much older. She seems way too shrewd, devious, and intellectual to be a seven-year old.

Hat’s off to Hanna’s mother for everything she did for Hanna even though her daughter made her life so miserable. Even when her mother tries to lock herself in the bathroom for private time, Hanna can’t leave her alone. When mother tries to enroll Hanna in the public-school system, Hanna’s behavior had me laughing and in shock. It had finally happened! Her mother had found other individuals who could back her up. Their reactions to what Hanna did was an added bonus. I thought the ending of this novel was brilliant, it really fit Hanna personality and the novel perfectly.

I’m giving this novel a 4 based on Hanna’s intelligence of a 3 and the storyline and tension within the novel of a 4.5.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.
#BabyTeeth#NetGalley

Zoje Stage has ripped off a fantastic debut novel in “Baby Teeth.” She has written other material but admits it was mostly about things she didn’t really care about. She suddenly saw the light and realized she needed to write about things she wanted to read.

“Baby Teeth” is a psychological suspense novel that pits a seven-year old girl against both her wobbly mother who fears her and doting father who treats her like a cuddly angel. And the little girl? She knows exactly how her actions will affect the family dynamics and is ruthless in making sure she leaves nothing out in her performance.

The author has basically pared the characterizations down to three: the mother, Suzette; the father, Alex; and the sweet little demon, Hanna. She has produced a story that doesn’t need a cast of thousands, and captures the reader’s attention from the point of view of mainly mother and daughter. Suzette is a stay-at-home mom with a myriad of personal ailments who cannot seem to give her child the attention that promotes closeness and understanding. Hanna, who has never communicated with either parent, hatches increasing evil plans, sharing the details with the reader with a shocking inside look at the mind of a calculating youngster. Alex tags along as the father without a clue, doting on the little girl and smothering her with devotion while cultivating her clinging love.

Zoje Stage is adept at keeping the tension up without reverting to bursts of unrealistic violence. Each of little Hanna’s actions is subtle and escalates at a fearsome pace. Alex is reluctant to accept his wife’s versions of the events that truly threaten her, and is slow to accept the realization that something evil is unfolding in their daughter’s tiny body. The reader is captured as this highly personal battle escalates to deadly violence.

Read this amazing book. The author has captured and magnified the very struggles that we all, as parents, have witnessed in our own lives. What’s wrong with my child and what did I do to deserve this? The ending may keep you awake at night with some more questions.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Yes, it's a Thriller and that should be expected but this is a thriller like no other. When a child is the focus of a novel based on psychological violence, it sets one on edge in a unique way and Baby Teeth keeps readers consistently engaged, yet wholly disturbed. However, isn't that the goal of a good Thriller? The characters are not likable. None of them. While the mother conjures feelings of compassion, she ruins it with a contemptible response to an exchange with her daughter. When the daughter begins to show signs of redemption, it's shortly shot down in flames. There is a price to pay for page-turning suspense, and you may not be willing to pay it. If your constitution is strong, and you are searching for a book that will keep you on edge from beginning to end, look no further. You won't be able to stop thinking about it long after you've finished. For better or for worse.

This was a little different than what I expected and I have to say it was quite a sad book for me. Mental health is such a hard topic but I did like how this was told from the 2 different perspectives of the mother and the daughter. The writing style was great and the book kept me intrigued from the start.

I tried to get into this book and found myself not being able to. This is not a subject that I find myself reading. It may be for others, but not me.

I love a good killer kid story, so when this showed up in a NetGalley email, I was immediately interested.

Hanna is a 6-year-old mute (by choice) who is in a psychological tug-of-war with her mother over her father's love. She puts on a good face when her father is around, but basically spends her time mentally and physically torturing her mother.

It's a pretty straight up killer kid storyline, but I did like that there was a reason she was so fixated on hurting her mother (besides being your average sociopath). She wanted her dad to herself. It's easy to fall back on the trope of just being "born evil". Although having some sort of severe mental disorder is obviously a part of it, I thought it was more realistic for Hanna to have some sort of twisted 6-year-old reasoning for targeting her mother.

The book alternated between Hanna's view and her mother's view so you could see the thought process behind both. Hanna's mother wasn't a saint (she more than once instigated Hanna) but I actually started to not blame her. Especially since Hanna's mother has to deal with her chronic illness as well. As someone who also suffers from an autoimmune disease, I know that it takes a lot to manage. I can only imagine how hard it would be to not only raise a child as well, but one who is hell bent on destroying you. Also, points to the author for obviously knowing her stuff. I have a different autoimmune disease, but treatment is similar, and I thought the author was spot on with her depiction.

I really liked the ending. No spoilers, but I've read a lot of horror and it wasn't what I was expecting. It was refreshing and still chilling without resorting to cliches or crazy twists.

Overall, I loved it. Sure it was a little over the top at times, but it's horror. It's supposed to be.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2302894197

Are you kidding me? This is a DEBUT novel? Really? I am absolutely blown away and can’t believe that this is the author’s first work. It was so polished, so well done, and so brilliantly written. What a page turner. I absolutely couldn’t put it down, didnt want to go to bed - wanted to just keep reading. I’m an avid reader, last year read over 80 books - and I know that this year, this will be one I will remember. The author wrung emotions out of you, twisted your gut, and had you thinking about the book and the characters, even when you had to put the book down and get back to real life. I’m truly amazed at how well written this was for a new author. I will definitely be waiting for her next book. Incredibly good read. Well done Ms. Stage. Well done - your father was right. Congratulations on a job amazingly accomplished.

What will little miss Hanna do next??!! Great book. Crazy and disturbing, but great! Read it!

I would like to thank Netgalley for an early read of this book in exchange for an honest review........ Wow. This book literally scared me a little. Honestly gave me chills reading it. Even though it completely unnerved me, I found myself reading this book in one seating, I really strugged to put it down. It was superbly written and I am definitely looking forward to more books from this author. The only complaint I have is that I felt that the reasoning behind it all didn't quite live up to the extreme circumstances. Don't think there was enough reasoning to fully explain Hanna's actions. This made the book quite unbelieveable. However I still rather enjoyed this book. Highly recommend!

Told from the viewpoints of both Mom and Daughter, this was a riveting tale about a young girl who never speaks, but oh, what's going on in her head about dear old Mom will give you nightmares! Kept my interest right to the very end, and I'm worried - sequel???

Wow, I don't know how a seven year old could be so creepy, but little Hannah certainly is! Is a child born a psychopath or is a psychopath made and what exactly should a mother do if she thinks she may have given birth to one?

Despite or maybe in spite of her unhappy childhood with her mother Suzette vows to be a good mother to her only daughter Hannah, even though just by being pregnant with Hannah, Suzette is risking her health and further damage to her body from the Chron's disease from which she suffers. An artist, Suzette dreams on coloring and drawing with her daughter as they spend lazy days at home together. But Hannah, who has never spoken to her parents, despite may other indicators that she is exceptionally bright, would rather use her artistic skills to make collages of dead women that all eerily resemble her mommy. To Hannah her Daddy is all good and her Mommy is all bad and she won't be happy until Mommy is out of the way and she has Daddy all to herself.

My husband is not usually interested in the books that I read, but when I read him parts of Baby Teeth about things Hannah was doing, he was so intrigued, he kept asking me to read more to him and wanted me to call him at work and let him know how the book ended.

This book is definitely dark and definitely creepy. I really felt sympathy and concern for the character of Suzette and what she was going trying to do the best for her daughter, but having Hannah fight her every step of the way. It was frustrating how apparently little her husband saw about what was going on at home and school with Hannah when he was not around.

Stories with evil children always get me. Why are they evil-were they born that way, possessed by a demon, or are they mentally ill? Hannah's reason for being is to inflict pain on her mother and to finally get rid of her so she can have her loving Daddy all to herself. We don't quite find out the cause of Hannah's psychotic and sociopathic behavior and that is why I did not rate this book 5 stars. In addition, the ending was left open for a sequel and I wish it had more of a bow tying up all the loose ends--but, it didn't. . So many things are just not explained and the book could have been so much better because the writing was sharp. The pages flowed quickly and I think the author is really good at telling a story. There are some seriously creepy scenes that I won't go into detail about because they really are strange... If you are easily disturbed by evil children acting out I would stay away from this one. Otherwise, get ready for a very bumpy ride on a witchy roller coaster.

This was really well
Written but it scared me too much to read! The fact that the young daughter was so evil...it was really upsetting!

This book was compared to We Need to Talk About Kevin, a book I loved. That book has haunted me and is one I often mention when talking about books that linger. Baby Teeth will also be a book lingers with me long after it's been read.
Hannah is quite a disturbing child. The book is told in alternating chapters, with Hannah and her mom narrating. Like the mother in WNTTAK, Hannah's mom has not truly bonded with her. Hannah is selectively mute and is on a path to get rid of her mother.
Some of the book was a little far fetched for me, but overall I really enjoyed reading it. I was disappointed that it ended so abruptly. I thought perhaps my copy was defective, but realized it wasn't. The author said she wanted us to draw our own conclusions as to what happens next. I'd much prefer she tied up the story.

I COULDN'T PUT THE FIRST HALF OF THIS BOOK DOWN. A COMBINATION OF "THE BAD SEED' THROWN IN WITH THE BITE OF "THE EXORCIST". IT STARTED TO LOSE INTEREST WHEN THE AUTHOR WENT DOWN THE WITCHES PATH, LOOKING AT HER 7 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AS SOME SORT OF MODERN DAY WITCH. STILL VERY FASCINATING IN TELLING THE STORY, CHAPTER BY CHAPTER, FROM THE DAUGHTER'S POV AND THEN THE MOTHER'S. I THINK THE NOVEL WOULD STILL BE AS POWERFUL IT THE AUTHOR HADN'T EXPLAINED IT IN WITCHCRAFT TERMINOLOGY. THE DAUGHTER WANTED HER FATHER ALL TO HERSELF AND HER MOTHER WAS IN THE WAY AND HAD TO BE ELIMINATED.

I can’t give this book a star rating. It was very well written but intensely disturbing. I don’t know if I loved it or hated it or would recommend it. I guess read at your own peril? Especially if you have little children. Maybe don’t read it if you have little children.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zoje Stage hits a home run with her debut novel, "Baby Teeth", on sale July 17, 2018. A psychological thriller told from alternating perspectives of seven year old Hanna and her mother Suzette.

FIRST SENTENCE: "Maybe the machine could see the words she never spoke."

THE STORY: Hanna does not talk but she is not stupid. She loves her Daddy, but not her Mommy. Daddy thinks she is perfect. Mommy knows there is something wrong.

WHAT I THOUGHT: When I was a teenager in the 50s, I remember reading and being shocked by The Bad Seed. It was the story of a perfect little girl named Rhoda, who got whatever she wanted one way or another. Her Daddy thought she was perfect but her mother started to suspect things. It became a popular play and then a movie. The other scary book I remember from that time is Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby. It came out in in the 60s and I read it in the middle of the night while I was breast feeding my first child. Some memories haunt you. I've added Baby Teeth to my unforgettable list.

I enjoyed the fact that the book was set in Pittsburgh and recognized locations and allusions. Suzette has Crohn's disease, which complicates her ability to deal with Hanna. She doesn't have the energy and feels guilty for not being perfect.

BOTTOM LINE: Not everyone will appreciate this story. It is disturbing but so well done that the reader keeps turning pages to see what will happen. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (July 17, 2018)
ISBN-10: 12501707
ISBN-13: 978-1250170750

DISCLAIMER: I received a free e-copy of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage from NetGalley/St. Martin's for my honest review.

ZOJE STAGE is a writer and former filmmaker. She was a 2008 Fellow in Screenwriting from the New York Foundation of the Arts and a 2012 Emerging Storytellers Fellow from the Independent Filmmaker Project. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Baby Teeth is her first novel.(from AMAZON)

I gave this book 3 stars only because I had a difficult time connecting to the characters. The idea was a good one but for me it was a bit slow.