The whiplash this book gave me!! The build up was incredible. I did not want it to end, and I could not put it down.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martins press , whom never fail to surprise me when they allow me an ARC, 🥰, and Kristi DeMeester for this ARC. I read many a thriller book, and my scariest thriller/horror book is by Simone St. James, called “The Butcher.” I am going to compare this book to the scary feelings I felt for that one. That is a great complement coming from me as I never can get enough of a good thriller book ! But this one did it ! I had to stop reading a few times as my heart honestly couldn’t take it, but then I’d pick it up again and hold my breath so I could read more and hopefully finish it. The ending was a bit of a surprise for me, as I’m thinking Vampire, Werewolf, not a multitude of them.. so congratulations to this author for scaring the begeezes out of me..5 stars aand recommendations to my fellow thriller/horror book lovers..

Come on with this story! What did I just read? Nightmares, creepy people, good writing and a story that keeps you coming back for more. Yes!

I love how eerie the book was. The author did a great job describing atmosphere and gore that made you feel like part of the story. I found Caroline to be more compelling and interesting than Lila but having both of them intertwined was definitely the best choice for the story. I liked the allegory to women’s oppression but there were a lot of excuses made for characters doing gross misogynistic things, which felt against the point of the book.

Thrilling from beginning to end, Such A Pretty Smile will be an unputdownable favourite for anyone that loves a shocking, twisty read.

Very good right from the start. I liked the pacing, character development, building suspense and overall atmosphere very much.

I really enjoyed Such a Pretty Smile. It was well written and the plot kept me interested from start to finish, as did the character development. Sometimes books move at either a pace that is too fast or too slow, but the author did a great job balancing it in between to keep the readers attention. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

This is a VERY interesting, confusing, absorbing, horrifying and thought provoking book and I am STILL not sure where I have landed with it now that I have finished it.

I absolutely loved the horror elements, the flipping timelines and the very broken characters, and the mounting horror is tense and nearly claustrophobic at times. I will admit a few parts felt a little repetitive and I wanted the action to pick back up every time the plot dropped back to ruminating on how crazy Caroline may or may not be. I also wanted the ending to be a little chewier....so much build up and then I felt like it rushed to the conclusion and I wanted MORE of the details of the "what" behind the Cur.

This will be a FANTASTIC book for book clubs as it gives SO MUCH to discuss, and I will say, this book sticks with you. Overall one that horror and literary fiction lovers will both really enjoy.

Thank you St Martins Press for my copy!

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where horror and thrillers are popular.

I really have to say I love serial killer books. I was excited to read this book about another one. This book is twisted and I love that about it! It does have some gore or very descriptive parts in it but that just makes it better to me. I understood the message loud and clear coming from this book. It was awesome book to me. *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review. *

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. That said, I felt as if it could've used just a little bit more tightening in places - it felt as if it dragged toward the middle, and then really picked up at the very end to the extent that it felt a little bit rushed.

It’s creepy and atmospheric, takes place most in New Orleans, and doesn’t have a neat ending.

But seriously, this book is laden with metaphors about men and men’s treatment of women both historically and currently. There were some creepy parts that got under my skin but my favorite was the ending realization and the author’s covert statements. Not to mention the queer storyline woven throughout as well!

If you’re looking for something a little spooky but full on feminist and patriarchy-smashing, READ THIS BOOK.

I regretfully admit that I have not read anything previously by this author but thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me the opportunity to experience a wonderful novel. There is so much going on that this reader was constantly caught off guard and delighted by the intricate plot. Highly recommended and can't wait to see what this author writes next.

This story is told in third person and dual timelines in 2019 following Lila and in 2004 following Lila’s mother, Catherine. While I feel the social commentary and symbolism in this book is important, I just didn’t relate to any of the characters enough to care about any of it. I found Lila’s story to be frustrating and juvenile, focusing on the wrong things. While I found the earlier timeline following Catherine to be more interesting, it felt out of place in time.

As a woman in science, I know that misogyny is alive and well in our modern world and I know this is horror, but there are some aspects of the story that I expect to be believable. For example, a psychiatrist in 2004 who dismisses a woman as emotional and hysterical and sending her home with anti-psychotics and zero questions rather than the possible publications and notoriety that he could gain from having a patient that was the possible victim of the Jazzland serial killer as a child. That just wasn’t plausible to me and the resolution for that just seemed too last minute. Rather than take place in the last twenty years, this story felt decades out of date to me, certainly pre-serial killer fascination.

This just wasn’t for me. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy provided for an honest review.

DNF 5%

Unfortunately, I was triggered by a scene and even though I don't think it was heading in the way I thought (spiralled due to the trigger) I could not finish this book.

I was a little hesitant going into this due to the reviews but I actually enjoyed it! It was dark and disturbing and very intriguing.

Such a beautifully written book with an equally stunning cover!
DeMeester did a phenomenal job creating a mysterious and dark atmosphere, it definitely will have you gripping the edge of your seats.

This is a brilliant horror novels that's not shy of giving a big f u to the patriarchy. It eloquently delves into deep subjects like feminism and gender norms and expectations.

Overall, this book surprised me and I will definitely be on the lookout for more books from this author.

As always thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review

I'm not sure what to say about this book, it took me a very long time to read it, I assume because it's not like most books I read. The story was good. But, I had to read just a little at a time so I didn't get nightmares.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I became aware of DeMeester from the Books in the Freezer podcast and have been meaning to read her for a while. When this one came on to NetGalley, I knew I would be reading it, and I couldn’t put this one down. I finished in 24 hours and was hooked the entire time. I absolutely loved this one and will be reading more of her work for sure.

From Goodreads: There’s something out there that’s killing. Known only as The Cur, he leaves no traces, save for the torn bodies of girls, on the verge of becoming women, who are known as trouble-makers; those who refuse to conform, to know their place. Girls who don’t know when to shut up.

2019: Thirteen-year-old Lila Sawyer has secrets she can’t share with anyone. Not the school psychologist she’s seeing. Not her father, who has a new wife, and a new baby. And not her mother—the infamous Caroline Sawyer, a unique artist whose eerie sculptures, made from bent twigs and crimped leaves, have made her a local celebrity. But soon Lila feels haunted from within, terrorized by a delicious evil that shows her how to find her voice—until she is punished for using it.

2004: Caroline Sawyer hears dogs everywhere. Snarling, barking, teeth snapping that no one else seems to notice. At first, she blames the phantom sounds on her insomnia and her acute stress in caring for her ailing father. But then the delusions begin to take shape—both in her waking hours, and in the violent, visceral sculptures she creates while in a trance-like state. Her fiancé is convinced she needs help. Her new psychiatrist waives her “problem” away with pills. But Caroline’s past is a dark cellar, filled with repressed memories and a lurking horror that the men around her can’t understand.

As past demons become a present threat, both Caroline and Lila must chase the source of this unrelenting, oppressive power to its malignant core. Brilliantly paced, unsettling to the bone, and unapologetically fierce, Such a Pretty Smile is a powerful allegory for what it can mean to be a woman, and an untamed rallying cry for anyone ever told to sit down, shut up, and smile pretty.

The mother/daughter bond this book explores is fantastic. Caroline and Lila are both such dynamic characters that you can’t help but root for both of them. I absolutely loved their dueling plots. And DeMeester manages to do something a lot of writers don’t. She makes both plotlines meaningful to one another. What happens to Caroline in the past, parallels Lina’s in the present. I thought this book was so well-written, overall, and will be recommending it to everyone.