There were so many elements to the story that I loved.
The exploration of the legacy of pain between mothers and daughters was well done. There were scenes between Caroline and Lila that were poignant, but also painful.

There were dual plot lines. The 2004 plot line with Caroline, the mother, and the 2019 plot line with Lila, her daughter. This was mostly done well, but I found the Lila plot line to be a bit more interesting.

If you’re not a fan of unreliable narrators, you’d better skip this one because neither narrator is reliable.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

Scary, thrilling, you won't be able to put it down! Follow the lives of two people in the same family and see how they cope with a serial killer looking for more victims.

I found this novel tough to rate, though I did find it more engrossing the deeper I got into it. <i>Such A Pretty Smile</i> falls deeply into the horror genre, as well as the fierce "hear me roar" femme category.

Lila, at 13 is suddenly experiencing a shift in her life - a shift that involves her psyche. She is suddenly hearing dogs barking in strange places, seeing things that aren’t there, and feeling a deep, dark presence in her gut. All things her mother, Caroline, felt back in 2004, when she was a young artist in New Orleans.

What happens next and throughout <i>Such A Pretty Smile</i> is bone-chilling and primitive. I often felt I was reading a Joe Hill or Patrick Delaney novel by comparison (both amazing horror writers in their own right, as well). I’d put this one on your TBR list and keep in mind that a slow start can still lead up to one hell of an ending.

Such a Pretty Smile is an excellent spooky read for October. The book follows New Orleans artist Caroline and her teenage daughter Lila through two different timelines as each of them is haunted by a string of brutal murders resembling the work of The Cur, a dangerous serial killer. The book explores the dark desires and complicated inner life of each woman as they struggle to meet society's expectations of them as women. The characters were interesting and the plot of the novel was very compelling but I have to take off at least one star (rounded up from like a 3.75) because the language could get very repetitive at times and the exploration of feminist themes was very surface-level.

I really like premise of this book, but I wish it had been explored more. By the time everything starts unravelling and being put together, the book is practically over, so there’s no time to explore the consequences.

𝑩𝒆 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍, 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅. 𝑩𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆...

I don't want to say much about the story given this debuts in January BUT Woah! This book left me with severe head whiplash. I was always looking over my shoulder! Are you a fan of dogs? Because, let's just say it took me a good few weeks to get over any type of barking. Are you a fan of the song Sweet Caroline? Lol, yes...that too will be tainted.

I really loved the authors writing style, and the message when all is said and done was ominous yet compelling. I genuinely had a fun time with this one!

SAPS is classified as a horror/mystery/thriller/feminism and I agree with that. I will say I 100% thought this was YA but I was wrong. It's graphic but I wouldn't pin it as a heavy horror. With that said, if you've dipped your toes in the genre before you'd be fine with this story.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press / Netgalley for providing the ARC!

This book started off great... a mystery with a unique twist. However as it moved towards the end the supernatural elements got to be a little far fetched for me.

This book is beautifully written. The words ebb and flow and the story unfolds naturally even though it takes place of a course of several time lines as we follow the bread crumbs of Caroline's childhood as it parallels and intertwine with her daughter, Lila's.

Lila is always watched. Always scrutinized. And always tucked away from the outside for her own good. She is desperate to belong and loved. However, the constant worry that her mother has passed down her demons to Lila is always at the for front of her parents minds. Lila is 13 and tired of the secrets, tired of being a 'good girl' and will to dive into the shadows for answers of what really happened to her mother all those years ago.

DeMeester does a wonderful job building the strong female characters and the shadowy world in which they reside. The world where madness and reality look blur and girls go missing.

Despite the good aspects of this book I am truly bothered by the age of Lila and the graphic sexual description. The sexual exploitation of children, even fictional one's, as disgusting. And because of this I have to give what could have been a good book and poor rating.

I've had this one on my radar since I first saw the announcement on Twitter, and I was so excited to be approved for an ARC. Out in January, but I had to dive in. LOOK AT THAT COVER.

Told in alternating timelines, Such a Pretty Smile follows Caroline and Lila, who must deal with their demons and a killer known as The Cur terrorizing their town. In 2004, Caroline hears dogs no one else can see. In 2019, her daughter, Lila, is struggling to fight a darkness inside.

I loved this book.

LOVED.

I'll admit: I had no idea where this story was going to go. From page one, I was on the edge of my seat. Serial killer? Ginger Snaps? Slasher? It seemed like it could go in any or every direction, and I absolutely loved that aspect. The switching POVs worked really well, giving insight into Caroline's relationship with her daughter while not dragging the present timeline down with superfluous details. The constant reminder that Caroline was more than her maternal identity was both necessary and important, especially when it came to highlighting the complexity of Lila's conflict with her own burgeoning identity.

The underlying commentary about the imbalance of power, the dichotomy of gender dynamics, and the aggression women face just to be heard--believed--was so well done. From the graphic violence to the beautiful prose, I devoured every chapter. My heart lurched several times in the best possible way. I think many readers will relate to Lila and Caroline and the visceral outcome.

Overall, Such a Pretty Smile is definitely going on my Must Read 2022 list. Big thanks to St. Martin's and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

WOAH.

After finishing this book I really have no words. This book took me on a big mind fuck trip and I loved it!

I have to say, this book made me double check my surroundings while reading! I love horror books, and this was the perfect horror and thriller and psycho mix.

It’s raw and graphic, and seeing the nightmares become reality was mind blowing.
Really great read.

3.5 stars

This book is confusing and creepy, with so many twists and turns. I wasn't sure what was actually happening until the end, I kept going back and forth as to whether this was paranormal or a book about mentally ill people or just a serial killer mystery. I like that it's hard to define and once you get started, you won't want to stop reading. You have to know what's actually going on here and get some answers.

The book alternates points of view between Lila, a thirteen year old girl and her mom Caroline. There's also timeline jumps from 2019 to 2004, showing us the parallels of what each character went through. I thought this was a good idea and it kept the story interesting and gave little pieces of information at a time. It was very clear which chapter was which and I appreciated that with everything else going on, at least the timeline made sense.

The ending wasn't my favorite and why I knocked a star off. It was too open for me and I would have liked more resolution. I also didn't care for Lila's dad at all and his character arc didn't go how I wanted. Still worth reading and I do think the end fits with the horror genre.

There's definite blood and gore in this so be aware of that. If you're looking for a puzzle that will keep you wondering until the end, check this book out!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for the copy.

This book started with a good premise and the mystery of "The Cur" had me intrigued. The Cur was supposedly a serial killer that preyed on young girls that didn't fall into line. Throughout the book, there are many unexplainable things that hint of either a delusion or something more supernatural, sinister at hand. None of this is really revealed until the very end of the book and even then, its not totally clear what we're dealing with. The whole book just seemed to drag on and couldn't hold my interest. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't a hit with me.

This book has a fascinating underlying premise and while I enjoyed the main storyline, I wanted to know more about that secondary world. I would love to see another book but with the underlying mythos more fully explored.

Young girls are being abducted and mutilated; this horrific crime has happened before, labeled as the work of “The Cur.” Caroline Sawyer is a survivor but remembers little. She does, however, suffer from vivid hallucinations of dog-like beasts who seem to hurt children. Lila, her daughter, feeling a misfit, is demonstrating aggressive behavior, Beth, Caroline’s former student did the same and ended up a victim years before. No one listens so Caroline sets out alone to fight the evil. Kristi DeMeester’s horror story has some good elements but I found it illogical and at times confusing.

Thank you Net galley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. I skipped the parts of the dogs that were killed, they were too upsetting. The two protagonists, the mother Elizabeth and daughter Lila, were to my mind, obviously mentally ill, so nothing that happened to them was real to me. And the part where the doctor gives the daughter 30 days worth of Zoloft with no refill was not believable - it takes about that amount of time for the medication to work! The husband was not a likeable character at all, not as a partner nor as a father. Yes, a lot of men control the women in their lives, but I find it hard to believe that would cause the kind of hallucinations Elizabeth and Lila suffered from. I can't decide whether this was a horror novel or not, it was a bit confusing and I just couldn't get my head around the book. Sorry!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Such a Pretty Smile.

What better month than now to read something billed as scary?

This wasn't scary; it was disturbing, gory, with graphic, violent descriptions and though these types of descriptions generally doesn't bother me, I felt it was purposely lurid to elicit a reaction from readers, which I'm not a fan of.

The narrative is told between two female perspectives, Lila, a thirteen-year-old teenager in the present and her mother, Caroline, from the past, 15 years ago.

Currently, a series of brutal murders in the present are rocking a small town and its locals, the deaths mimicking a series of murders that occurred in New Orleans fifteen years ago.

But mother and daughter are both carrying terrible secrets that may tear them both apart, literally and figuratively.

I was looking for a straight forward scary story with zombies or demons or supernatural entities but the author is really laying it on thick with the themes of patriarchal society, violence against women and children, and misogyny.

I'm all for a novel with a social statement but I don't like it being crammed down my throat. There is constant references to women being belittled, judged, patronized and condescended to.

I get what the author is trying to say but I read for entertainment, to enjoy myself, and perhaps to learn a little something; not to be preached to.

The premise was good, as was the writing but the world building left something to be desired.

What exactly is the Cur? A demon? A manifestation oft the hate and evils men have toward women since the dawn of time? Where did it come from? The terrible legacy of the land where Jazzland was built upon?

None of this was established and elaborated upon, which weakened some of the power of the Cur.

Second, the mother/daughter relationship between Lila and Caroline was weak. If their relationship had been better developed, I might have felt more compassion and sympathy toward Caroline.

I didn't feel like I knew Caroline that well, nor did I get the sense she was a particularly strong person, despite having survived an abduction.

Third, this felt longer than it really needed to be; another edit wouldn't have hurt.

The premise was good, and I liked the ending but I didn't like this as much as I thought I would.

Something about this one was not for me. It was a slow start and I found myself not enjoying the thirteen year-old's narration for her part. I've also seen several trigger warnings that are going to stop me right here around five percent in. Thanks for a copy, Netgalley!

"you stay silent, and what a glorious feast you give us."

Like others have said, this one is tough to rate. One side definitely taps into my rage as a woman who has been stifled, expected to fall in line - smile, accept pats on the butt as compliments, allowing groping without complaint. But also small slights - don't get upset or you'll be dismissed as hysterical.

But while this book is a gory and bloody, it's light on the explanations or details as to what's going on. You spend most of the book confused - is what they are experiencing real? I want it to be real - because to dismiss them again is to fall in line and tell them "shhhh, be quiet or you'll be a disagreeable one." But it's all so vague. I think the lines could have been clearer, this book could have growled louder and bit harder - and the readers could have taken it. Instead I was left wanting a little more.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Although I read the book in its entirety I cannot say that I enjoyed it. I was intrigued enough to finish it but by its conclusion I’d wished I’d followed my gut and put this book aside much earlier. It just wasn’t for me!

3.5 Stars
I'm really not sure how to rate this book because it was so dang weird from start until the bitter end. Questions built almost immediately and it isn't until the end that the story sort of comes full circle. I say sort of because to me the book did not necessarily end with a sense of finality. The threats to the heroine Lila are extinguished but the marks left on her spirit will last forever.

Told via 2 time lines and 2 POVs we are witness to a mother and daughter being hunted and stalked by a vicious 'killer' known only as the Cur. The years may have passed but the danger and mystery have not abated over the years. In hopes of keeping her daughter safe, Caroline refuses to speak of her past. Nothing good can come from rehashing the past and Caroline has done everything in her power to keep Lila safe. It really annoyed me at times that Caroline did not trust her gut when it came to Lila. She knew something more was going on with Lila, (hell she knew exactly what was going on) but refused to see the truth. She took Lila's lies as truth and refused to push her and it annoyed me to no end. One of my biggest peeves is people not communicating and Lila and Caroline both could have benefited from a heart to heart. In the end though I'm glad Lila at least has the answers her mother never found.

This was just a very odd story line and I'm not sure what the takeaway is supposed to be. It was perfect for the fall season and really worked as a creepy read though. This had my mind all over the place and I thought early on perhaps the book was working as an humorous allegory of puberty but alas I was way off! The book had its uncomfortable moments, reminding me at times of some awkward episodes of American Horror Story and I wish because of this we had a better sense of closure. Given the context and this being a horror novel I guess I can will have to understand the way it all ended.