Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc of this book. Dark, edgy, twisted thriller/ horror book that I could not put down. Story of missing girls/ murdered girls and a mother’s mission to stop it from happening to her daughter. Can the beasts be stopped? Great October read!

I am not sure what I just read but I’m going to try and explain my journey on this one. Let’s pretend this book is a heart rate monitor. You start the book at a normal heart rate beep beep beeping away… the heart rate starts to drop slowly because it is soooo slowwww. Then at about 40% in you regulate because oh this may be going somewhere. But then. You keep going and your heart rate drops. Lower and lower. Until it’s a dead straight beeeeeeeeep. You keep reading hoping you can resuscitate but no. The book ends and you’re still dead with no heart rate. This felt like it went absolutely no where. The information presented was all you had the entire time until maybe 95% when tada THATS the big reveal. W. H. A. T. Im all about enjoying a YA type novel but this felt like a horror book for children. Eep. Unfortunately this is just not one I recommend.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest option.

Interesting story. The very beginning was slow for me until Ch.4. Then we get introduced to a younger version of another character. And then I really got invested into the characters and their stories. This is a mother-daughter story of dual timelines and murdered girls and snarling dogs and paranoia. I enjoyed the twists and the suspense and how it connected!

I had a hard time with this book. The mains were in such pain that it was palpable that it flavored the whole story and I don’t recall any reason reason behind it other than that’s just the way things were. But that author was bang on as creating a sense of dread and unfortunately (or fortunately) at this time in my life. i’m not up for that.

I enjoyed this book. It was a bit creepy, which I loved, and the plot was interesting and well done.

3.5 rounding up to 4 stars.

Psychological horror done well! I’ve read a few reviews that mention this being too graphic or disturbing but I think that was the intention of the author. Horror is SUPPOSED to make the reader uncomfortable and the graphic content served a larger purpose in terms of the themes being explored. It didn’t feel gratuitous or overdone in my opinion. It fit the genre.

I grew to really like both of our characters, mainly Caroline (probably because it is much easier for me to relate to mother figures in books) and the storyline became much more interesting once her perspective was added in.

This was a very slow start for me with the Lila chapters and took quite some time to really catch my interest. Pacing again felt off in the last maybe 1/3 with what felt like we were kind of jogging in place in regards to progress in the story.

I loved the feminist spin on this! Not something the horror genre is known for with mainly male authors. Good October read for sure!

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, the author, and Netgalley! Book goes on sale Jan. 18, 2022

2.4 stars
Story is told from the POV of Lila Sawyer in 2019
And her mother Caroline Sawyer back in 2004.

2019: Lila Sawyer at thirteen years old hears voices telling her to do evil things. She is fearful to tell her mother that she hears these voices.
However she has more in common with her mother than she realizes . . .

2004: Caroline Sawyer hears barking dogs when none are there and also sees horrible visions.

Caroline is now a famous artist who creates disturbing eerie sculptures.
Hmm are they inspired by her long ago visions????

I was totally engrossed in this and then thought …..Oops I really did not do my homework before selecting this read.
Next thoughts <i>I used to be a big fan of Stephen King~ I can deal with this~ Right!!</i>
Nope didn’t work for me.
However, the ending almost saved it ~ for me ~ but not enough for me to rounded up my rating.

As I mentioned, I was a fan of Stephen King and horror was expected but I have switched to psychological thrillers where I get engrossed into trying to figure it out. This didn’t work for me but I have no doubt this novel will find the right readers who will love it!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 18, 2022

I heard this novel called "a feminist horror novel" and whoever said that was entirely correct in every way. But if that isn't your cup of tea, don't let that scare you off from this fantastic book. It was fast-paced, shocking, and gorgeously written. It has a 'horror' component to it, but it reminded me of all those fantastic thrillers that you absolutely cannot put down because you need to know what will happen next. It is also about a mother and a daughter and their relationship. This story and these characters will stay with you a long time.

It’s always odd to read a dark content book from the view of a young adult/teen. I hope this doesn’t end up in middle school libraries. You are in 13 year old Lila’s head reading pretty brutal and graphic things. I didn’t care for a lot of the terminology, just ok.

Some kind of monster is stalking junior high schooler Lila Sawyer. Whether “The Cur” is a serial killer, a phantom in Lila’s head, or a werewolf is a mystery for most of the book.

PROS:
DeMeester excels at character creation. In particular, Lila is likable and frustrating, and she has the insecurities of someone her age. Lila’s friend Marcie is manipulative, super-social, boy crazy, and fashionable. We all knew girls like Lila and Marcie back in junior high.

I love how DeMeester delays the final reveal of The Cur. It makes him/it/them more frightening.

I wouldn’t call DeMeester’s prose lyrical, but it’s clear and easy to read. A good book doesn’t have to sound poetic.

This story hits the beats just right. It’s well plotted and kept me turning pages.

DeMeester can write suspenseful scenes. I was GRIPPING my Kindle during the movie-date scene!

Such a Pretty Smile is a feminist allegory. From reading other reviews, it sounds like some readers didn’t pick up on that. But I think DeMeester does a great job presenting her message wrapped within a horror story. She explores how girls and women suppress their own feelings, wants, and ambitions so they will be “nice girls” and “good” and get along and tell themselves it’s moral to do so.

CONS:
For me, DeMeester went a little overboard on her messaging. She uses terms like “old white men” and “dead white men” and “marginalized.” I would have liked to recognize DeMeester’s portrayal of institutionalized sexism (and racism) in Lila’s and her mother’s lives on my own.

OVERALL:
An exciting, feminist, coming-of-age horror novel with dangerous, toothy creatures!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley, and I’m happy to share my thoughts.

Excellent story! Totally engrossing!. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Could not put this down!

What a weird book this is and I say that at 25%.

This book reads like Young Adult as we are in 13 year old Lila's head for the first four or five chapters that I read. In the background young girls are being brutally murdered. We are also offered a glimpse of Lila and her mother, Caroline's, odd relationship. Her mother is a famous artist that creates macabre sculptures and she's also a helicopter mom that won't even let her daughter shave her legs so she remains a good girl. Um, okay.

When I finally decided to close the cover to this is when I was told that the 13 year old girl and recent murder victim had her vagina slit in half and her nipple removed.

I am all for dark and bleak books but this seems like the author is going for shock value rather than a well written and cohesive story. The inconsistent tone was jarring to say the least. I decided to read a few other reviews to see if maybe it's just me when I saw several warnings to not read this if your a dog lover. I have not read far enough to find out what happens to any dogs nor do I want to. I'm already not enjoying this so I figure it's best to bail now. DNF.

While I will admit that such dark reads are not my favorite, this one had me gripping the arm of the chair until the bitter end. While it starts slow and then the complexity builds, you have no choice but to be immersed and invested in a raw, dark story. Perfect October read!

This book creeped me out in the very best way as I had no idea what was coming! Several young girls from different generations (who, of course, all have flaws but are aching to be wanted and loved) are swept up in the crazy maelstrom of drama and the power struggle of teen boys and teen girls. "Who will love me?" is the question behind every young woman's psyche and as these girls struggle to fit in, there is heartache everywhere. And the element of horror sneaks quietly in when you least expect it (so just be glad this isn't a Halloween Horror film (yet)! I had trouble reading it late at night because the magic is so powerful that it tends to sneak up on you, grab you by the throat, and shake you around a little (ok, maybe a lot)! Needless to say, it's one of those books that you can't predict so just go with it and try to stay out of the beast's path. I'm still sweating a little (but loving it)!

2.75 stars

I'm of two minds with this book. I feel like it relies on some tropes that I really didn't appreciate such as mental health being to blame for severe character flaws,

Spoiler
but then that turns around in the last two-ish chapters. For me as a reader with mental health issues I would have liked to see some other explanation.
END OF spoiler

I don't know. Maybe with time this book will grow on me, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. The casual fatphobia littered throughout also did not do this book any favors.

I greatly enjoyed this chilling story, which shines a light on the structure built to keep women silent and compliant in a dark, super creepy and scary story. Also, my initial take on this book was that I thought it was a thriller/mystery but I was pleasantly surprised when it revealed itself as a real, true horror novel. I can't remember the last time I read a horror book! Probably a Stephen King book back in the day. Another thing I really enjoyed in reading Such a Pretty Smile, is that there was so many details to the plot, but all of the various storylines and details felt very relevant to me and I could not imagine the story without them. So often we don't get that payoff as readers of all the details being totally relevant to the story. The author tied everything together very well. I could easily see this book translating to a super creepy film. Netflix, where you at on this?!

Many thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book.

I didn't love it like I wanted to. It ended up being more superficial than I expected. I wish it would have been a little more--a little more thrilling, for instance.

I'm SO glad I went into this without any spoilers and without reading any reviews because this is GREAT. DeMeester really nails writing "creepy"; I got literal chills many times throughout reading this. It's gut-wrenching, clever, and dark and I cannot rave about it enough.

My first impression of this novel was that it was a young adult novel dressed up in adult clothes; the characters, situation and language seemed to be setting up a "Fear Street" kind of scenario.
I am pleased to say that I was wrong. DeMeester definitely takes this story into some very adult places and makes it worth going there with her. The suspense is well-crafted and the tension is well-built, with a rewarding enough payoff and characters that the reader can follow with care and sympathy.
The book has a feminist agenda, but it makes no bones about it. I was aware of that going in, and found that it added to the depth of the story. Horror, I find, is always improved by adding this kind of meaning and relevance as long as it's done in a way that does not distort the story to suit the theme. DeMeester handles this well, making for a story that is as relevant as it is at times terrifying.
On a critical note, I did find that some of the secondary characters were a two-dimensional (I'm thinking of the psychologist here) and lacked realism for their one-note roles in the story. I would have appreciated a touch more character development to flesh out the characters and make them seem more integral to the story.
Aside from that, this was a good page-turner of a read that I would gladly recommend to anyone looking for a good tense tale of the supernatural.

So Went into this one blind and was thoroughly creeped out the entire time. I enjoyed the dual POVs between mother and daughter as well as a non linear timeline. This gave me Stephen Kings The Outsider vibes. It made the reader question what is real value what is in the MCs head. Clever plot with a focus on how women are so often silenced and called “crazy”, The writing was really well done. Purposeful text and so descriptive that I was genuinely creeped out and scared during some scenes. I did not like the personalities of the counselors and psychiatrists angered me since I work in this field. But the ending justified this stereotype of overprescribing doctors. Also, I wanted a bit more explanation at the end. I still have some questions.. Would I recommend? Absolutely! This book is creepy, suspenseful and downright eerie. Excellent read for spooky season. It also left me terrified of dogs.