Book Description
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.
From blazing new talent Zoje Stage, Baby Teeth is a story about a perfect-looking family, and a darling little girl who wants nothing more than to kill her mother.

My Thoughts
I don't know about other book lovers, but when I finish a really great book in a particular genre, I find myself choosing something to read next in a different genre. Call me superstitious or just someone who has been disappointed by that follow-up book. It might not have been bad, in fact, it might have been quite good, but it just couldn't compare to the prior book. In all honesty, if things like Buzz Books and other recommendations didn't guarantee that my TBR pile wouldn't grow on a daily basis, I might go back and re-read the “follow up” book and be pleasantly surprised by my reaction.
So I am not quite sure what happened, but a finished a terrific suspenseful thriller and then received Baby Teeth. I had my next non-thriller picked out and purchased and then I read the Baby Teeth description. It sounded so good that I threw my book rules out the window and dove right in. Why would I spend a cold Saturday night curled up under the covers, when the couch, a warm fire, and Baby Teeth were right there waiting for me?
When it comes to Hanna, to me it was a nature versus nurture type dilemma. We see mentally ill or just plain bad and evil characters often in books, but we rarely get to view them as children. Honestly, I think I see most children as works in progress and barring an unhealthy environment or abusive parents, I've never really thought about mental illness in the very young. So what about Hanna? Is there something going on in her home life causing her to act out? Is she mentally ill or just plain evil? I think I have gone as far as I can down this specific path since I don't want to spoil any details not already mentioned in the book blurb. I can tell you Hanna is a character that you won't soon forget and the family's story is dark, disturbing, twisted and scary good believable.
Several things really made this a compelling read. It grabbed my full attention from the first page( actually, from the description), the author's words made me feel like I was right there in the house with the family and I couldn't stop flipping my virtual Kindle pages. This was a 5-star book to me and I am hoping the author participates in Q&A interviews so I might discover where her idea for this book came from.
Thank you Zoje Stage, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the digital ARC to read and review. Highly recommended.

This is a novel about a 7 year old girl who refuses to speak and her Mother, who is suffering from Crohn’s disease. Each chapter is written from the viewpoint of one of them. Each is working very hard to be the sole object of the husband’s interest and affection. Hanna, the child, is also exceptionally bright and wants to rid herself of her Mother and the competition. Suzanne, the Mother, is homeschooling Hanna and spends all her time with her. She has also tried to get her in various schools but Hanna was, after starting, expelled from each, once for setting a fire. The novel deals with Hanna’s attempts to eliminate her Mother and the terror and guilt with which the Mother reacts. A psychological thriller that will leave you wondering. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC for an honest review.

I do not know what to say about this book. I was sick with the flu so I decided to do some reading. I am so glad I chose this book. This book is outstanding!!! The story is about a little girl who will not speak. She has been tested and there is nothing on why she does not speak. When her father is around, Hanna is a perfect angel, but when arund her stay at home mom who also home schools her, she is anything but an angel. The story of what this little girl puts her mom through is crazy. When she does decide to speak, she speaks a name to her mother. Who is this person whom name she speaks? What happens to this family as it starts to splinter due to the behavior of Hannah? Who will the husband believe,his wife or daughter? Will they every find out what is wrong with Hannah? You must read this book to find out. Do not sleep on this book. It will stay with you once you finish the last page. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Idgie Says:

You know right away that there is something seriously off with Hanna. She may be mute, but appears to be by choice. You soon see that while she and her mother fail to communicate on many levels, so while Hanna might have given her mother the opportunity to love, this lack of communication has now made her decide she's a detriment instead.


Mommy and Daddy also have a hidden but strained relationship which doesn't help the situation and Suzette seems mentally fragile to start with.


This book is filled with tension from page 1... and you have no idea who will come out winning in the end.


I will add that the cover is fantastic, it really grabs.
Review will go live on my site on release date, but I've posted it here now. http://dewonthekudzu.com

The horror is just beginning.

This brilliant debut grabbed me from the beginning and kept me flipping pages until I finally closed my kindle with a satisfied sigh. It's been a while since I've read such a well written, original, keep-me-going thriller/horror novel.

The Jensen family has it all. Or so it seems. Yes, they have money and looks. They are all talented and smart. But, mom has Crohn's and 7 year old Hanna doesn't talk. And Hanna wants to kill mom and marry her dad.

Did I mention that Hanna wants to kill mom? Yeah.

This is one hell of a not to be missed story. St Martin's Press will be publishing it in July 2018. I can't thank them enough for offering me an advance copy.

This novel is a compelling tale about the tug of war between a mother and daughter. Told from each of their perspectives, it’s hard to believe if either one is a reliable narrator. The mother, Suzette, had her own problems growing up with an inattentive mother. She suffers from Crohn’s Disease, and has had a difficult journey controlling her health. Suzette clearly tries to love her daughter, Hanna, but we learn early on that they are both dealing with troubling emotional mother-daughter issues. The daughter, Hanna, is a 7-year old Daddy’s girl, who hates her mother in such a hostile manner that it’s hard to comprehend why she never established any kind of bond with her mother.

I also had a problem with Hanna’s voice during her chapters. Her perspective is far too mature for a 7-year-old - her plotting and reasoning, expert knowledge of Internet research, sexual awareness - are just a few issues that made me believe this child was indeed possessed by an older entity.

I understand this was an uncorrected ARC, but there were a few instances where the scenes stopped and changed abruptly with no sense of a segue. It was like sentences or paragraphs were missing. I hope the editors have these areas corrected before publication.

I would like to ask the author why she chose Crohn’s Disease as Suzette’s health nemesis. Does someone near and dear to her have the disease and is she trying to bring awareness to the affliction? I am just curious because I read a lot of books and as an IBS sufferer myself, such bodily dysfunction is rarely addressed in fiction.

As for the ending, without revealing any spoilers, I sense a sequel. Hanna’s story does not end and I am interested to see Hanna at later stages of growth, how her troubling behavior evolves and what the future holds for the family. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me the widget to read this book.

I found this book really hard to read. All of the characters were pretty monstrous in their own ways. It was very obvious that Suzette and Alex never should've had a child - neither was prepared to be a decent parent. I finished the book, but didn't get any joy from reading it.

Sitting here eating my breakfast and thinking, “There is nothing better than reading about a diabolical demon-Child on a Monday morning”. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was both creepy and funny at the same time, as you get to listen to the internal dialogue of the Mom and child. Al I can say is that Hannah better be glad that I am not her mama...lol

I was really interested in this one by the description but I really struggled to finish. The plot just seemed so outrageous, and all the characters were loathsome. There was no one I felt I could root for.

Baby Teeth by Soje Stage is a shocking look into the life and mental health of a 7 year old determined to harm her mother.

I love a good creepy child story, so there was a lot I liked about this book--the fascinating horror of seeing inside Hanna's mind, and her mother's desperation at being left alone with her daily, unable to make her husband see what Hanna is really like. But in a lot of ways, the reading experience was not really very pleasant for me--it just made me feel so damn anxious, to the point where I had to peek at the end to see whether it would get as bad as I feared. I do like books that evoke feelings of anxiety, fear, etc in me, but this one crossed a line into an unpleasant experience at certain points. I did enjoy it enough to give it 3 stars, despite the things I didn't like. I would recommend it to anyone who is fascinated by reading about creepy/evil children.

First, I want to thank Zoje Stage, St. Martin’s New York and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage had me very interested in this for many different reasons. First off the author mentioned she worked part time at the Monroe County Library in Rochester, NY where she started writing novels. I used to live in Rochester, NY and frequented that library. Learning this about the author made me more intrigued to read the book.
Hannah was a very unique character one which I had never experienced before in any other book. At first you feel sorry for the sweet girl because she mute. But as the story goes on she is not that sweet and innocent girl you think she is.
Suzette the Mom pulled on my heart strings a little bit. Hannah did not give her Mom the easiest time when she would homeschool her. Plus, the stress was not good on Suzette’s Chrohns disorder.
Alex the father was caught in the middle of both his wife and his daughter whom he loved dearly.
If you like mystery, thrillers, twists and turns this is the book for you!!

Woooooow. That was so freaking disturbing but in all the right ways. There were times that I almost felt like I needed to put the book down because it was messing with my head so badly but at the same time I couldn’t stop reading.

Brilliant plot. I dragged it out on purpose to keep the drama unfolding. I hated to finish. It didn't seem things could get worse with this girl, but inevitably they did. You will love the characters. I can't give this book enough stars. If you want a nail biting thrill ride with a creepy as hell ending, you will adore it.

This book is terrifying.

its not terrifying in its scary kind of way, its terrifying because Hanna has no remorse no empathy for what she does to her mom or other people she actually finds joy in making people suffer thats what truly terrifying

Zoje Stage you did a wonderful job on writing this amazing terrifying story

Loved it ,great story of a complex and frightening dynamic between mother and daughter ,can see how they got there as the mother has had a difficult childhood herself and is beset with the burden of her condition
The daughter is frightening ,her throught process very much of a sociopathic Nature
They are both competitive though and the mum shd know better but u do feel for her and being home all day with thise tantrums an u cd do nothing but take it personally ,the daughter is a one for divide and conqour ,the father didn’t do enough in my humble and was weak though does try just us t enough and he spends a lot of time in denial ,he does though support his wife just not as soon as cd have
I suspect it may be aloooong time if ever that they give up their new found freedom and the daughter may well be left to fend for herself and about time too in some ways ,she is dangerous. though none of the characters terms are very likeable I did have more understanding for the mother than I thought I wd as can’t imajine how hellish life at their house wd be
Creepy scary and a great enjoyable read
Thanks netgalley and publishers for letting me read this novel

I was fascinated by the premise of this book and couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it. :D Unfortunately I couldn't sympathize with the mother or really any of the characters. I suppose it works well on the level that the reader gets no easy answers. Suzette is clearly not a good mother, but does she deserve the level of wrath Hanna exhibits over and over again? Creepy and engrossing. A must-read for horror/psych thriller fans.

Baby Teeth is a "psychological" thriller focusing on a dysfunctional family and their child with disturbing behavior. Alex, the father, does not want to see or believe that his daughter has behavioral problems. His daughter behaves around him, she is loving and, although she does not speak, she has her own way of communicating with him. Suzette, the Mother, is homeschooling her daughter while dealing with the symptoms of her Crohn's disease. Suzette is the target or her daughter, Hanna’s, "bad" behaviors. Hanna begins to speak to her Mother and really wants her father all to herself. She is clever, manipulative, and unwilling to speak. She does not like going to traditional schools and engages in behaviors which result in her leaving the traditional school environment.

This book is told through POV chapters titled "Suzette" or "Hanna” The reader gets a glimpse into the mind of each. Hanna is the proverbial "bad" seed who acts out and has behaviors which get her into all kinds of trouble. Although she is seven years old, she had thoughts and actions, I would associate with a much older child. While reading the book, I kept waiting for the light bulb to go off over Alex's head and for him to finally "see the light". Suzette, being the target of most of her daughter's bad behaviors, struggles with feelings ranging from wanting to help her daughter, fearing her child, and wanting to not have to deal with her child anymore.

For me this book was good not great. I thought of the movie, "The Good Son" while reading this book. Hanna has "evil" thoughts and is perhaps mentally ill. I won’t say more about the family or their family dynamic. Hanna is creepy, and this book is a fast read but most of the actions felt "gratuitous" and there for shock value to move the story along. There are a lot of negative behaviors, actions and thoughts in this book that it almost became too much. As characters spiraled out of control, the pace picked up but again things just felt gratuitous. Some may also be turned off by the way the Suzette speaks to her child. I would describe this book as good not great. For me there was something missing. Initially I really enjoyed the book but as I read more, I felt a disconnect but still wanted to know how the book was going to end. There was a battle going on and I wanted to see who won - even though no one really wins in these situations.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a long time since I've really struggled with how to review a book, but that's where I am at with Zoje Stage's Baby Teeth. I often debate how much weight good writing should get over the story and plot. Sometimes books sell because they have an explosive ending or outrageous plot with sub par writing. This book was quite the opposite. Stage's writing is quite polished, but the story line was so troubling that I felt torn between giving it 4 stars for writing and 1 star for plot. All that being said, you'll probably be turning the pages on this book because you want to know what happens at the end (because the story is so outrageous).

So what to make of this book? The plot involves Hanna, who is a 7 year old girl and daughter to mother Suzette and Swedish father Alex. Suzette is a full-time stay at home mother, partially due to having painful complications and a weakened immune system related to Crohn's disease. Alex is Swedish and works full-time as a successful developer and architect. On the outside, everything about their life seems perfect: that is, until we meet Hanna.

The novel is told from the perspectives of Suzette and Hanna. Suzette is tired from homeschooling Hanna, who, the reader is told, is mute by choice. Hanna has been kicked out of every school in which her parents have enrolled her, so Suzette homeschools her. Hanna is defiant, jealous, and manipulative. She despises her mother, and adores her father. There is a very unsettling Electra Complex taking place here, with Alex tending to Hanna's every whim and desire as soon as he gets home from work at night. Is there something inappropriate going on with Alex and Hanna? What is causing Hanna to have outbursts, to treat her mother as a competitor rather than the daunting mother she is? 

I have two kids who are 6 and 8, and I highly doubted Hanna's terrifying behavior. Could a 7 year old cut up someone's pills in the middle of the night and fill them with flour to poison them? I don't think 7 year olds even harness that kind of dexterity. Could a 7 year old plot to kill their mother? Would a 7 year old set fire to a school trash can by bringing matches from their family home? Maybe there are 7 year olds out there like this, but I highly doubt it. Even the most gifted kid would not have some of the language that was going on inside the head of "Hanna." 

There are also moments in the book that are just plain bizarre. I won't spoil them here, but there are things her father allows Hanna to get away with that border on seriously abusive and inappropriate parenting. I also find it hard to believe that two well educated parents would wait until a child is 7 years old to invest significant time and money in therapy, especially a child who has been so behaviorally off. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, the author, Zoje Stage, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced reader copy of this book.

Received as an ARC from Netgalley. I was actually really interested in this one, but it was a fair bit of work to finish. I really (really!) did not like the mother. At all. There is history here with her mother, supposedly affecting how she mothers, but beyond the Crohn's disease and related complications, it was maybe too subtle for me to understand how it motivated her choices in raising her little girl. I get the frustrations of an oppositionally defiant child, I get dealing with a child who seems to loathe you, and how that could harden you a bit, make you give up, but... there just didn't seem to be an ounce of love there. Hanna seemed stronger, mentally and physically, than a child her age, so that didn't mesh for me either. Ultimately unsatisfying.