The first 60 pages of this book made it seem like something in the line of horror that I normally love......but then it turned into a novel that was wrtten for a high school Mean Girl. The characters became so self centered it just thought it ended up being a waste of time, and the end was too predictable. Will not read this author (if ever again) for quite some time. 3 wasted days......too drawn out and slow for my likings.

I am torn on this book, it was definitely focused on the horror genre more than a mystery/thriller. I enjoyed it however the story is sometimes disturbing, and some people will definitely not enjoy this book. Overall I liked this book, it was a good read.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reviewing this book.

This book was one of those that was both confusing and interesting, too. There is a lot of feminist imagery which I did enjoy. But the 'story' that it was coiled around wasn't that strong.

It deals with two generations - mother and daughter. The mother went through a difficult period in her life where her husband ended up with a job that should have been hers. You have her daughter who is being manipulated / bossed by her so called best friend. Both of them were in positions of low-self worth and become possessed by something that turns them into vicious like hounds. The hounds are controlled by some sort of thing that was (I think) created by / brought into this world by the death of witches back in the 1700's who were wrongfully accused.

The issue I had was that I wanted to know more about the witches, I wanted to feel more of their presence instead of this man-thing that was after the mother and the daughter.

The ending was wild, though I wish that I felt more for it than I was left to feel after finishing the book. I think that a book that is paired with a lot of interesting themes should have a stronger story that connects it all

An interesting horror novel, a slower burn than I was expecting, but it makes for a continuous sense of dread. Recommend for anyone looking for a feminist take on Stephen King.

Book: “Such A Pretty Smile” by Kristi DeMeester
Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Press, January 2022
I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Such A Pretty Smile is a solid thriller that follows a very established formula— with some critical elements that set it apart. First are the undercurrents of horror. The world of the book was decorated with eerie details that lurked constantly in the periphery, successfully building up a very unsettling atmosphere.

The book leaned more into thriller and mystery than horror, but the horror elements were strong and kept me on my toes for sure. At times while reading, I found myself very anxious, jumping at any sound in my empty apartment (usually the ice maker). Sharp teeth plus strange men showing up is definitively a combo from my personal nightmares.

DeMeester’s book is also unique because she has taken a popular plot and given it a twist of magical realism, a la Carmen Maria Machado or Lauren Beukes. For the most part, the incorporation of fantastical elements works well. I’m also obsessed with the concept of girl as monster, especially pubescent girl as monster, so thank you for that, Kristi.

I know there is a heavy metaphor here about predatory men, but I was far more interested in DeMeester’s exploration of the relationships between her female characters: the central mother/daughter relationship, the intergenerational trauma and mental illness, and Lila’s role in friendships as both the manipulator and the manipulated.

My main qualm with the book is that it started out strong, but about halfway through the plot became less cohesive and increasingly drawn out. This is a bummer, because I really would like to hear the whole story of The Cur and all the girls from the past (sort of like Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls). As it is, this book walked a strange line between “so long as to seem excessive” and “not long enough to give a satisfying overview of the underlying mythology”. I know that we can’t always have all the answers when it comes to books, but I do wish hadn’t been left holding all these loose ends like a bunch of cut wires.

But perhaps DeMeester has set us up for a sequel! Which I think could add a lot to the story and really give this world the time and attention it deserves.

3/5 stars.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Read 18% of the way into this book but kept starting and stopping and ultimately forgot about it. Figured it was better to review as is. It was written well just not my cup of tea.

I was drawn into this one based on the description, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations. I usually love horror novels and I am not sure why I didn’t connect with this one.

It is dark and a little creepy. We have two POV characters Caroline and her daughter Lila.

Based on the reviews I read, it seems most will either love or hate this one, so I do suggest giving it a try if the synopsis intrigues you..

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Such a Pretty Smile in exchange for an honest review. Wow. This was an amazing book and I feel bad that it took me so long to get to it. I loved it and the parallel timelines of Caroline and her daughter Lila. Beautiful story and put into words what so many women feel. This is a must read.

There is an audience out there for this book, but it was not meant for me.

The story is part horror, part hidden meanings, part a commentary on mental health, part grisly,gory descriptions.

Told from 2 different perspectives and timelines: Caroline a newly engaged artist in 2004 and also her daughter, Lila, in 2019. Both have nightmares and experiences with a dog-like creature known as The Cur, relating back to a trip to place called Jazzland.

There were chapters and parts I enjoyed, but overall this book was not for me.

I really loved the idea of this one to start with, and the clear queerness of Lila. But about halfway through, I lost the metaphor. And by the end, I felt like DeMeester lost it, too. Well paced, but I wanted more.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
This was a super wild ride. It was a face paced book that got weirder and weirder as it went along, but sucked you in to know what was going to happen next.

Caroline thinks that she is schizophrenic because she hears dogs when she goes outside. This started abruptly when she was caring for her father.. She starts on medications and the episodes seem to be controlled for several years. Then she starts having hallucinations again.

When Caroline's daughter starts having similar episodes, she does not want to tell anyone about them for fear she is becoming like her mother and will need to be on medication.

This dual timeline book is full of twists and turns with each becoming more unreal than the last one.

Feminist horror, with metaphorical and actual fear-based influences, is a genre I could happily read exclusively. This book taps into every concern women face at the hands of humanity, with the addition of a fictional horror story that demands your attention. I loved it. I couldn't sleep. I was both relieved and sad for it to be over. I listened to the audiobook for a portion of the book, which was as enjoyable as the physical read. I highly recommend this book!

Weird, creepy, and kind of shocking read. Have to admit this is not what I like to read so be sure to read other reviews before delving in so you're not disappointed.

3 Stars.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. It was dark, gory, graphic, unsettling, mysterious with a horror twist -- everything I always want in a book. The idea was pretty awesome, too. A supernatural serial killer targeting those girls who refuse to shut up and conform? “Feminist horror”? Oh yeah - sign me up! This one was written for me!

Except I just didn’t enjoy it all that much. The dual storylines were a great technique, but they seemed to throw off the pacing of the story. The ending didn’t mesh with the story -- it seemed to be tacked on and didn’t really do much for me to resolve the story satisfactorily. I loved the idea of the book’s feminist and mental health message but I’m not sure the message came across as effectively as it could have.

Judging from other reviews, not everyone agrees with me, so definitely give it a try if you’re as intrigued as I was. Despite the flaws, I’m happy I read Such a Pretty Smile. I’m looking forward to reading more from Kristi DeMeester.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review Such a Pretty Smile.

Honestly very surprised to see a fairly low rating for this book; I really did think it would be rated more highly!

I was surprised to see some reviews that mentioned it lacked an element of horror. I very much disagree with this. Horror is an incredibly broad genre that encompasses and entwines with a lot of other genres. The core subject matter of this is horrific, as are the details and the ending is very firmly in the camp of horror.

I very much enjoyed this book. I was actually starting to expect a werewolf book about a third of the way in, and was pleasantly surprised that that wasn't the case. Some of the details are gruesome, yes, but... that's horror for you. And they're not just gruesome for the sake of titillating readers, they tie into the overall message behind the story.

I did find that message to be a little heavy-handed by the end, but overall... I don't even mind. This is a feminist horror, and I think a lot of female readers can relate to some of that messaging. As I said, I personally found it quite blunt, but it looks like some other readers did not. As well, the feminist message behind the story is especially relevant nowadays; I finished this soon after the overturning of Roe v Wade, which seemed awfully ironic.

I loved the writing style and found it flowed easily and kept me engaged the entire way through. I'd absolutely recommend this novel, and will be looking forward to more from this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Do you ever read a book and think to yourself, if I was going to write the most perfect story for me, I wouldn’t because this person already has? Yeah, me neither. But if I was ever going to, this would have been the book that did it to me. Did that make sense? No? Sorry.

I’m sure by now you all know that I have a real weakness for feminist horror. Women just know horror. I think we inherently understand the terrifying because we encounter it so much day to day, you know? Take that dummies who think women can’t or shouldn’t write horror. I see your stupid asses on the internet all the time. You’re ridiculous and wrooooong.

Such a Pretty Smile gives you a little taste of the (admittedly slightly exaggerated) consequences of being a loud girl. An assertive girl. The kind of girl that won’t sit down, shut up, and take whatever little scraps the menfolk deem to throw her way. I mean, I know the world isn’t quite as bad for strong women as Such a Pretty Smile makes it out to be, but it might as well be. We don’t always die for the right to use our voices, but we do often enough that this storyline feels pretty fucking pertinent.
“At school, there had been a mild panic among the students, and parents kept their girls at home, locked in their proverbial towers as if wood and locks couldn’t be opened. Or broken. Those pure, innocent girls kept from anything that defined them in the name of protection, while their brothers carried on as if there was nothing to fear. But for them, there wasn’t. They would never understand the inherent trepidation that came as a result of being wrapped in girl flesh.”

I love the characters of Lila and her mother Caroline. Their imperfect, and occasionally not great. They’re complex characters – not feminist archetypes. There’s no monoliths here. Everyone has something that keeps them from reaching the “feminist ideal.” But I think it is because of this that they are so inherently my own feminist dream. I hate the idea that no one is allowed to stray from some path laid out for them by someone who probably strayed from that path all the time. Or was at least making themselves thoroughly miserable trying to stay on it. Being a “perfect” anything is fucking exhausting. I like that these characters serve as a reminder that there is nothing wrong with imperfection. Sometimes it’s the very thing that gets you where you need to be.

“You have such a pretty smile.” “You’d be so much prettier if you smiled.” If you’ve ever wanted to stab a man for saying these or similar things to you, Such a Pretty smile is probably gonna be right up your alley.

To me, this just didn’t seem like it would be considered as horror. There are aspects that could be horror, but it missed the mark. Still a good read

This is a very well-crafted and original feminist horror story! It is smart, disturbing, and unique.

Fair warning, this has death of teens in it. If that is a trigger please don't read this.

This was literally a fight against the patriarchy. And it was glorious.

From the beginning of this story girls were being killed for basically being different. There was supposedly a serial killer out there doing it.

In this world, girls and women were to be good and do as they are told. When they dont, then thats when they get hurt and killed. Literally.

As Lila says in the epilogue after what happens-

"They don't like it when when we fight them. When we don't listen. That's why they killed her. That's why they were going to kill me."

If this had been edited down about a hundred pages and been less dense, then it would be have been a better story.

This was not an unputdownable, edge-of-your-seat, “can’t go to sleep till finished” type of book, but it was enjoyable and it was worth definitely worth the read. All in all, a solid read if not life altering. But do we always need those? Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC opportunity !