Baby Teeth is unsettling, but in a good way.
Suzette spends her day with her seven year old daughter. She homes schools Hannah because she has already been removed from two schools. But Hannah's behavior continues to escalate causing Suzette to fear from her life.
Baby Teeth is an easy read. The chapters are short and the text isn't too thick. Plus, in the effort to cut the tension create by the book, I kept reading so I could get a conclusion. I was mostly satisfied with the conclusion though I think it did fall on a stereotypical horror trope
While the book does require some suspension of belief, Baby Teeth grabs you from the beginning. The idea of evil children make us uncomfortable and the novels plays off that. At the same time, it questions our knowledge of bad and good. The novel fails to take this idea deeper for true explanation and mixes the ideas of delusion and psychopathy.
Not very deep, but truly creepy, Baby Teeth is not for the faint of heart.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the chance to read and review Baby Teeth.

So bad. So good.

Let me tell you a little story, as a teenager I remember watching a documentary about a family with a schizophrenic daughter and being terrified! What if that happened to me when I had kids? I can't imagine being stuck with a difficult child for life. Maybe that makes me a horrible person, but mostly, I think it makes me human. It would feel like a prison and I can't imagine being tasked with such burden. It has been a huge fear of mine since watching the documentary, especially when I was pregnant and raising infants. I know it sounds silly and selfish to worry about such things, but having children feels like rolling the dice, you never know who they will become or what their personalities will be like.

While reading Baby Teeth, I felt immensely grateful for my normal, loving little humans. So grateful.
In the story, Hanna is a silent little dear while her daddy is around. He loves her and they share an unbreakable bond. When Suzette, Hanna's mother, is alone with Daddy's Angel, however, a different story emerges. Hanna becomes a dangerous demon-child, hellbent on keeping her mother away from her father. No one is allowed to come between her and Daddy, especially Mommy.
"Sweet" seven-year-old Hanna is determined to devise a plan to get rid of her mother, preferably forever.

I was a little freaked out when I read the synopsis, especially because I have a daughter close to the same age and I couldn't imagine her being so devious. The idea is chilling and disturbing, but ridiculously intriguing. I knew I had to read this book because it's completely out of the box, creepy, and interesting. I couldn't read that description and not find out what happened with this family. Be warned, though, Baby Teeth has some of the most mixed reviews I've ever seen for a book and it hasn't even released yet. I'm definitely on the "loved it" side of the spectrum, and hope others will be too.

Reading from Hanna's perspective was everything I envisioned. I felt myself wanting to shout, "Kill it! KILL IT!" The author's ability to bring this demon-creature to life was stellar. Hanna's inner voice truly sounded like a demented seven-year-old child who seemed to have a clear-cut motive for wanting her mother out of the picture. Her lunacy made the story constantly scary and exciting, keeping my Kindle glued to my fingers to figure out what she would do next.

Suzette's point of view was my favorite to read. As a mother myself, I was able to relate to her perspective quite well, understanding the back and forth feelings she was consistently battled in regards to her daughter's well-being. She obviously loved her daughter - she carried her for nine months, she's part of her own flesh, but she couldn't help being frightened of Hanna's wicked antics. Any normal mother would feel confused, guilty, and somehow responsible for their child's behavior. Like Suzette said in the story, "the mother is always to blame," whether we criticize ourselves or receive the blame of those around us.
What about the dads, Society? Can't they step up and receive some of the benefits and blame of parenting, too?

Speaking of fathers, Alex angered me almost more than Hanna! What an oblivious fool. In the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

This book isn't releasing for months, and it makes me so sad because I want everyone to have it now! Everything about this story is fine-tuned - there is excellent characterization and a stellar plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. While some may complain that parts of this story don't seem realistic, I have to disagree. Who has a measuring stick for a psychotic seven-year-old? I think Hanna's temperament and actions were explained meticulously from her point of view. Unfortunately Baby Teeth will not be available until July; however, I definitely recommend doing yourself a favor by pre-ordering this exciting novel now with the links below. It is definitely one of the most twisted books I have had the pleasure of reading, and I hope you will pick it up too!

Even the author feels this book isn't for anyone, and I'm one of those. It's me, not her.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of BABY TEETH by Zoje Stage in exchange for my honest review.***

What would you do if your adorable seven-year-old daughter hated you?
What if you knew, but couldn’t prove she was trying to kill you?
What if she was a perfect angel with her father?

Suzette *knows* Hanna hates her. Her husband Alex thinks she’s exaggerating.

What if you hated your Mommy and wanted her dead?
What if you knew how much happier you and Daddy would be without her?
What lengths would you go?

Hanna has a plan, but Mommy isn’t cooperating. She’s hard to kill.

BABY TEETH is the story of a mother and daughter relationship gone terribly wrong. Told in alternating chapters of Suzette’s and Hanna’s third person points of view Stage takes readers on a dark and twisty journey from bad to worse.

Hanna is clearly a disturbed child. She suffers from selective mutism, she can speak but will not, perplexing doctors and her parents. When she finally speaks to Suzette, she claims to be a witch. Suzette is tired of trying. Her patience is understandably shot. Additionally, she suffers from Chron’s Disease. Although she was victimized by Hanna, I had a difficult time empathizing with her. I know I couldn’t have done better in her shoes, but I didn’t like her and at times I rooted for Hanna to prevail.

As a child psychologist, I wanted a little more insight into Hanna’s psyche. I don’t believe in bad seeds. The glimpses of good we’re supposed to see in her are her intelligence and creativity. I need a little more in terms of personality. A boy like Hanna with whom I worked had tremendous unselfish love and empathy for his little sister, not example. The love Hanna expressed for her father was age inappropriate (she was seven not three) and creepy. Other readers probably won’t be as picky as me.

BABY TEETH fizzled out toward the ending, which didn’t live up to the rest of the story. Still, BABY TEETH will appeal to a wide range of audiences, would make a great movie and compels a sequel.

I literally devoured this book, it was way too good to put down for very long! #BabyTeeth had me wondering who I should root for and changing my loyalties with the page number! I can't wait very long to see what little devious Hanna does next!

I read Baby Teeth in one day. It might just be the creepiest, craziest book I’ve ever read, and I’m glad I finished it just as night fell, because if I hadn’t, I’d have locked myself in a closet all night.

Suzette and Alex, a lovely and talented couple, have a lovely little girl, Hanna. Lovely to look at. But Hanna doesn’t talk, and she’s been kicked out of at least five schools before even turning six. So, there’s something off about Hanna. She adores her father, and, while seemingly indifferent to her mother, hates her so much she wishes she were dead.

And so the story of Hanna, who is a very smart little girl, plays out to it’s terrifying end.

Or, is it a beginning?

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. I had no idea what it was about when I got it. And I am very glad I read it, because Zoje Stage really knows how to tell a story.

Excellent story line that is well written and captivating. This story is chilling and nothing short of the worst nightmare that any parent could face. A must read.

I found this a difficult read. Not for everyone. A Child who fantasies about getting rid of her mother, so she has her daddy all to herself. I thought I was reading a horror story. But I did persevere and the ending had me thinking. I am sure there are children with this destructive fantasy and psychiatric condition. I would have like to see a few pages at the end about the psychiatric condition. I enjoyed the aspect of the "realness" of the condition.

I really don't know how else to describe this book outside of just plain silly.

Was it entertaining? At times. But for the most part it was just one eye roll after another.

Would I recommend? Only if your TBR was empty.

It's not horrible, it's just there are so many other books out there with more substance.

ARC provided by NetGalley

This book was messed up. I still am not really sure how I feel about it. The book centers around three characters - Hanna, her mother & her father. She is nonverbal & adores her father but despises her mother. Hanna is messed up. It took me a bit of time to get into the book but once I was about 20% in, I finished it in one go. The ending was a mild cliffhanger, but not in the way that sets up for a sequel (it's better standalone anyway). I didn't find the ending overly satisfying, but it was interesting - I'll give it that.

I think I'd recommend this read if you're in the mood for a bit of a WTF? read.

This book missed the mark for me. The setup was pretty flimsy, and the characters didn't really develop. Lots of awkward transitions; I kept thinking part of the book was missing. That could jus be because it was a proof copy from netgalley, but it still made flow pretty choppy.

The ending was so ... What? Really, what? Ultimately the last third of the book was tedious and I could barely stand to skim just to get it over with.

This is one of the creepiest books I've ever read.

Hannah is seven years-old and the daughter of Alex and Suzette. She loves her dad but dislikes her mom.

Hannah would love to have her dad for herself and starts taking the steps to see this happen. That's the premise of the book and all I can say without getting into spoilers.

The book is told from the alternating points of view of Hannah and Suzette. Suzette suffers from Crohn's disease and I found the author described the illness and its symptoms very well, although I don't suffer from it I was able to easily capture the character's constant pain and anguish.

Overall, I found the story to be disturbing and had difficulties like or relating to any of the characters but I still recommend it to readers of psychological thrillers and suspense.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley

Hanna loves her Daddy but Mommy has to go.

No tool is out of this little one's reach. Even innocent flour becomes a weapon!

I couldn't help putting myself in Suzette's shoes. How would one even react to these events?
As things quickly escalated I couldn't put it down! What could this child possibly do next?
Why on earth would they have an open flame with this child around?!

You seriously have to question their decision making skills.

I am with many readers in that I completely despised Dad ( I seriously could not even be bothered to remember his name).
Granted, the stories he heard from Suzette were a little 'far fetched'. Parents should always have a united front when interacting with their children.
This is a classic example of a male dismissing a woman's reactions as simple hysterics until it is too late. Bad Daddy.

All that aside it was an enjoyable read. Twisted till the end.

Zoje Stage you are on my radar! More please!

This was some twisted story! I have to admit, it was the cover that first got my attention, but the story held within it was worth the hype as well. It really questions whether some people are born bad and challenges the debate between nature vs. nurture. Really strange, but interesting I had a hard time putting it down. This is a story I won't be quick to forget!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book. I don't normally read this type of book but I must say the excerpt drew my curiosity. This book isnt for you if you don't like terror. This book terrified me. How can a 7 year old hate her mother so much she plans her death and believes she has to save her father from her? Hanna is 7 and Suzette is her mom. Suzette didn't have a good upbringing and suffers from Crohn's disease which is somewhat under control now. Her husband Alex adores Suzette and will do anything for her but is oblivious to the fact that his daughter is deranged and wants her mother dead so she can have daddy all to herself.

So, this book was very interesting. It took me a while to write this review because I couldn’t figure out whether I wanted to give it 3 or 4 stars. I settled on 3 because I figured if I had to keep asking myself, then I needed to give 3 stars. This book was quite disturbing at times. Hanna is 7 years and refuses to speak. Hanna harbors resentment towards her mother, and adores her clueless father, Alex. Alex irritated me to no end, as he refused to believe how out of control Hanna was. He took the word of his daughter over his wife. The incident with the photograph? I couldn’t imagine a father actually printing that kind of photo out. Suzette also upset me, but not as much as Alex, in the ways they just basically ignored the 2 most serious events which were disastrous for Suzette. Yes, go to therapy, but pandering to Hanna all weekend and just bringing up the incident as “something we don’t do in this house” really perturbed me. Why wasn’t she punished?? I really like the concept of the book, I’m just not sure how I feel about the overall execution. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

WOW. I can't even tell you what I'm feeling right now, because this book is a tsunami-tornado of emotions and impressions and fears and doubts... First, let me say right off the bat - this will NOT be a book for everyone. I've seen a lot of reviewers turned off by the subject matter, questioning why anyone would write - or read - a book about evil in children or a mother-daughter dysfunction so severe that it literally ends in blood and tears. This is a tough book at times. There is a lot of dark, taboo, disturbing stuff brought into the light here, and it's not for the faint of heart. But my goodness, the story is so well crafted that it would be a crime if it stayed in the dark...

Hanna is not your typical seven year old - even beyond her refusal to speak. And Suzette is not the perfect Stepford mother she wants to be (or, perhaps more accurately, wants people - most notably her husband - to think she is). Those things are both abundantly apparent from the opening pages. In a shifting perspective between Hanna and Suzette, this novel unfolds like a dish towel full of broken glass - there are broken bits that seem to be begging to draw blood throughout. The story of their family dynamic stutters with every breath. Things are just NOT right, but only Suzette seems to see it - to Daddy-Husband Alex, Hanna is his "squirrely girl" and can do no wrong. Until, in a horrible, morbidly fascinating rush, it becomes blindingly apparent that EVERYTHING is wrong. And from there on, the story is a mad rush to see who will be left standing (quite literally)...

This is a powerful read. There are a lot of excellent, spot-on observations about Mommy Guilt, the fear that you've lost yourself and/or spouse to your child, and the bitter and ugly truths of motherhood (be they genuine or "just" genuinely felt), and I hope those don't get lost in the sturm und drang about the "murderous child book". This is a very dramatic take on those issues, but the issues are no less real in more mundane, everyday life - even if, thank goodness, they are usually experienced with much less bloodshed... ;)

My review copy was generously provided by St. Martin's Press.

I love 'bad seed' stories! This one definitely doesn't have the most likable characters. The parents are clearly a big part of the problem. Honestly, I want to give them all a smack. And just when you start feeling sympathetic, this book pulls you right back to reality.

My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Suzette has the perfect marriage, a doting husband and their gorgeous custom home, so when their daughter Hanna is born their family appears to be living the American Dream…on the outside. The reader is dragged through this psychotic ride as we navigate the thoughts of both young Hanna and mother, Suzette.

This book was a dramatic combination of the troubling imagination of young Mark in Imagine That and the psychopathic tendencies of the husband in Poison. Unfortunately, both books were reads I didn’t entirely enjoy the first time around.

Author, Zoje Stage, undoubtedly did an incredible job taking the voices of a mom and child as she switched between each character, each chapter. The characters created within the pages of Baby Teeth were hard for me to love, from the overcompensating father to the crazy daughter completing the cast with a needy and insecure wife. Parenthood is certainly re-evaluated as we are shown Suzette’s daily nightmare and forced to look within ourselves for how far we are willing to go for our child.

*Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.