Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi DeMeester

Y’all what did I even just read?? This book is big cray cray… 😳😳

🔹Several timelines
🔹Missing girls
🔹Unreliable narrators
🔹Is something “other” hunting the girls of Atlanta?

These are all the threads that DeMeester weaves through this wild tale of a family and their struggles that ends with a twist that you won’t expect.

That’s really all I can even say because this is truly a book you have to experience for yourself 🤐🤐

Chicken Rating! 🐔
((chicken rating is one to five, with five being “I will never sleep again, someone please hold me” terror 😂😂))

Snag a copy from Amazon or B&N

Such a Pretty Smile is a creepy, mind-bending, paranormal style horror with elements of body horror and some fairly graphic gore. This is not for the faint of heart in terms of atmospheric description. DeMeester's writing is calmly calculating, with a plot that reveals in slow, peeling moments delivered by unreliable narrators.

The book is dark and disturbing and delves into ideas of sexism and sexual oppression. The descriptions of misogyny were realistic in a way that had me both cringing and irritated and the repetitive description of female characters as some form of hysterical made me want to scream. These emotional responses were cleverly elicited in the writing and I think there is a lot of latent talent in the narrative.

However, I wasn't wowed by the plot or the characters. The "bad" girls seemed to blend together for me, which muddied the dual timeline approach and made that angle of writing less intriguing and effective. There were moments I did find intriguing and tense, but overall I just found myself sadly bored. There was a lot of repetition in both events and vocabulary usage. While some of this was undoubtedly intentional to drive home underlying points, it just grew irritating for me. I don't like when authors write in a way that look like they assume their readers are slow to pick up the hints.

There will absolutely be an audience for this strongly feminist and unique horror, but I was just left wanting a bit more. I'm a fan of weird, dark books, but this just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

3.5 stars from me. It was rather creepy and atmospheric. Throw in a old school theme park and you've got yourself a definite makings of a good scarefest. Horror probably isn't my favorite genre - but this had enough thriller/mystery to it to keep my well invested.

Such a Pretty Smile tells about two young girls in different decades. They are mother and daughter. It starts off as a routine YA novel, then switches to horror.
It took me more than two months to read this book because of the genre switch and the switches between viewpoints.
Thanks to Netgalley!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very well written. The characters were well-developed, and the plot seemed like a good idea, but it fell flat for me. The book alternates between Caroline in the past and present, and her daughter Lila in the present. There have been girls going missing locally, and found ripped apart. Caroline is very protective of Lila and doesn’t allow her to do many things because of these murders. But Caroline has a reason to worry because these murders are very familiar.

The book sucks you in from the beginning, but honestly, I did not understand the plot. I think it may have gone over better if the reader knew from the beginning what was going on, who the killer is. But as is written, it was just too confusing for me and left me with too many questions.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and I do like her writing style. While this book wasn’t for me, I look forward to reading more from her.

This book was intense and kept you guessing. I disliked all the characters, which is always a struggle.

Such a Pretty Smile tells a haunting story about a mother and daughter and all they have been through separately. This story has many elements of feminism that many readers can probably relate to. I enjoyed reading the perspectives of each character and it was a fairly quick read. I don't think it is a true horror novel, but it definitely leans into a little supernatural mystery.

This was one of the strangest books I've ever read. I did like the relationship between Caroline and Lila as I thought that was what kept me reading even though I didn't particularly enjoy this book very much. I had a hard time following along of what was actually going on the whole time until about 60% through the storyline picked up and I was interested. However, it still fell flat for me as I'm new to the horror genre and this just wasn't my kind of book.

This book was a feral masterpiece. I loved it from the first page. Twisting between mother and daughter, it navigates between the choppy waters of strained relationships and memories best forgotten. Enter a new string of murders and you have a mother on the edge of a breakdown and a daughter teetering on the edge of darkness. Wow. Is it supernatural or a crazed killer? God, but I love those kinds of books. More please. I am telling customers about it all over the place and have to keep ordering more. lol.

Psychological horror, thriller, with social issues thrown in.

The book is told in two different time periods.

In 2004 we meet Caroline. An artist who creates disturbing sculptures. At the same time, there are a series of gruesome murders of young girls. The girls are mutilated in a way that causes the people to label the serial killer “The Cur.” Caroline is also hearing and seeing things - dogs barking, men (?) with big, snapping teeth. She is encouraged by her fiance to go on medication to stop all that.

In 2019, we meet Lila - Caroline’s daughter. Murders are starting to happen again and they are very similar to “The Cur.” Lila also hears dogs barking and seeing things.

There are a couple of things that made this an average read for me. Who/what The Cur is, is never really made clear. The ending seemed quick and rushed and really didn’t answer so many of my questions. The other thing is the heavy handed way in which men are portrayed as very misogynistic. Yes, I know there are a lot of them out there, but practically every single man in the story is. And, when you eventually learn why The Cur is choosing girls, it’s also very misogynistic.

A better wrap up at the end and less social issues would have made it appeal to me more.

Be sweet.
Be polite.
Be compliant.
Be silent.
Be a good girl.

Lila's mother, Caroline, always taught her to be a good girl, just as Caroline's mother taught her. As Lila grapples with the awkwardness that comes with being an adolescent, she begins to feel and smell something deep inside of her, running through her veins. Whatever it is, it is dark and vile, and it's changing her. Caroline is haunted by her own dark past, desperately trying to suppress her memories, especially as Lila's sharp tongue and disturbing behaviour brings old pain to the surface. When mutilated bodies of young girls are found in the woods, rumours begin to circulate about a serial killer known as "The Cur" coming back after many years of inactivity. Both Lila and Caroline are affected by the sickening fear brought on by The Cur. Can mother and daughter find the strength to mend the brokenness between them? Or will they be consumed by fear, desperation, and darkness?
This novel was absolutely compelling, and I found myself almost unable to stop reading at any given time. Any time I had to put this novel down, I couldn't get it out of my head, longing for the moment I could continue reading. My heart broke for Caroline and Lila and their respective struggles. This was a multi-POV novel, alternating between Lila, present-day Caroline, and a younger Caroline. The pain of Caroline's past ran deep throughout this novel, striking a chord within me and stirring up a lot of old emotions. I loved the in-your-face feminism behind the horror. I long for the day when girls and women are no longer taught to be polite, delicate little flowers in a society that still spits at the feet of strong women. This novel was dark, disturbing, deliciously horrific, and awe-inspiring. I alternated between an eARC of this novel and the audiobook. The narrator brought the story to life and effectively portrayed all of the characters in a way that made the story easy to follow. I recommend this novel to anyone who loves gothic horror and believes in the "f*ck politeness" mindset.

Trigger warning: Corpse mutilation, animal mutilation, child murder and sexual abuse.

When I think about this book I think about that meme of the guy with wide eyes blinking. Because this book was wild.

It definitely wasn't what I was expecting. It kind of reminded me of that movie Ginger Snaps. My sister and I used to love that movie. However, for me the book fell a little short. I am not sure why. I can't really pinpoint what it was because it was definitely intriguing.

Although, I do think that this book is going to be a hit! I think it is going to take people by surprise and they are going to love it.

Such a Pretty Smile was such an addictive thrilling read. I thought the characters, setting and plot were all so well done. I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to all my fellow thriller reading friends.

I enjoyed the story but found it heard to connect with the characters. I think that 3 stars feels underwhelming but I'm very stingy with stars so for me this is a book I would read again and still find enjoyable and new. The story development was a little slow but I felt fulfilled and content when I closed the book (figuratively speaking). I will definitely recommend this book and plan to purchase a copy for my shelf!

This book is horrific, and I mean this in the best possible way. The story can be gruesome at points. Some scenes may be triggering based on the violence described (be aware!). It's absolutely disturbing....and yet, I could not put it down.

When I talk about violence, you will find the violence from "The Cur" (if that is its true name) in the traditional sense. The creature that may be terrorizing the town, and killing young women in bloodcurdling ways. And then, there's the emotional violence that Caroline and Lila, our main characters, experience from the men in their lives they're supposed to trust.

This is a powerful book with a unique and non-traditional approach to feminism and women empowerment. It's my first story by this author, and I am sure I'll be checking more of her books in the future.

Thanks my friends at #netgalley I was able to read #suchaprettysmile #kristidemeester it’s quickly starting to gain traction on #booktok it’s a tale woven by two different time periods. Lila. And. Her mom. There’s a potential serial killer on the loose. And he’s known by the name The Cur. What happens as this mother tries to protect her daughter from the evil in the world? Lila just wants the truth and knows her mother is hiding something. But. What is it? You won’t put this one down. That ending 🤯 #stmartinspress #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #netgalleyreview #booklover #readerlife

Enjoyed the first half to three quarters of the book as the story is laid out and takes shape. The issue of abusive men and defenseless females is tackled very well and the writing is well done. However, this type of horror/fantasy is just not my cup of tea. Thank you Net Galley for the free copy of this book.

Whoo boy. This was way too heavy handed for me. I love horror, I loved the mystery, but once it all started coming together and the story’s morality meaning started to smack me in the face I actually groaned and rolled my eyes.

I gave it 2 stars only because I enjoyed the murder mystery at the beginning but yeah this was NOT for me.

Loved this book!! So well written, the storyline drew me in and I couldn't stop reading. The characters were all so well formed. Thanks so much for allowing me an advanced copy on netgalley, I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone

SUCH A PRETTY SMILE by Kristi DeMeester will leave you thinking, pondering the tale. It was different, twisty, spooky, and full of horror. As another reviewer said, it will definitely be polarizing.
I enjoyed the dual timeline, focusing on the mother before, and the daughter now. DeMeester crafted a tale that was atmospheric and scary. I found the premise to be interesting and I enjoy horror novels, I felt that I was waiting for that elusive something else, because I felt like, for me, that I was missing something.
I can say that I will keep an eye out for DeMeester’s future works, as, based on this one, her writing is going to tighten up and she will solidify her place in horror.
Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#suchaprettysmile #kristidemeester #stmartinspress