Not really a fan. I came into this wanting to like it, but it just felt like a letdown. I went in anticipating the feminism aspect and while I do appreciate that and support it, the book just feels manhating for me. I guess I'm so disappointed because the monster isn't a monster in the sense I was expecting. More allegorical than being an actual supernatural or mythical being or even an actual specific murderer. And the ending was frustrating as well. **Spoiler warning now**

I was frustrated the mother is killed off and I'm supposed to believe that would "fix" the relationship with the father in this book where the enemy is some amorphous creature that is all the white men in positions of power that make women basically suffer. I just don't buy it and I'm getting frustrated again just thinking about it. I'm sure there are people who'll enjoy it, I'm just not going to be one of them, sadly.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who will enjoy this book, it wasn't for me, and I actually had a hard time even finishing it. It's listed as horror, but I didn't find it particularly scary, I like dark and twisty, but I just wasn't that intrigued by the characters, and I didn't really find it suspenseful...also it seemed to me to put men and dogs as evil, and I like both so maybe that's why I didn't enjoy it. However, like I said I'm sure there will be plenty of people who like this book.

I needed a thriller and that’s what I got! Holy smokes! This is was a fast paced story that kept me engaged and I just HAD to know what was going to happen at the end. A great page turner and a fantastic thriller. Your missing out if you don’t read this.

Where to start. It might seem like the beginning is the best place, but not necessarily. The beginning of the book isn’t really the beginning. We must go back before we can go forward to understand the true horror in this novel of evil.

While Lila and her friend are focusing on a present-day murder, Lila’s mother, Caroline, is in the past focusing on a murder during her childhood. This novel uses time to pull the reader into unsolved murders of young girls. The present and the past murders mirror each other regarding the victims and their injuries. All are young girls; all are mutilated, and all were kidnapped without a trace of evidence leading to the perpetrator or perpetrators of numerous heinous crimes.

The author draws a picture of evil that is disturbing in its simplicity and its reasons. Very few young girls that are kidnapped ever escape their captor. But one child did. Her life changed after her ordeal with lingering problems and disturbing lack of memories. As much as Caroline tries to remember her childhood, she cannot. However, she suffers from fear, anger, and in her fear she is overprotective of her daughter. She is unsure of her abilities, her talent, her mothering skills, and her decisions. Until Lila disappears, then she knows what to do.

This book kept me up all night reading. I had to find out the truth of Caroline’s fears and Lila’s violent behavior. If you are a horror fan, be prepared for some real horror. I recommend this book without hesitation. But not if you are faint of heart.

As the synopsis says, this book is a feminist narrative for those told to "sit down, shut up, and smile pretty." While I would probably classify it as a modern thriller, it does have horror elements. However, the absolute horror in it is how the women and girls are overlooked, scrutinized, and discounted. It does feature heavily on mental illness and the treatment of such so those with triggers might best pass this one by.

The story is told in alternating fragments by unreliable narrators: Caroline in 2004 and her daughter, Lila in 2019. The novel begins with the figure known as The Cur taking another girl and leaving only her rent and battered body. Mother Caroline knows more than she is letting on and her daughter, Lila at thirteen, is ongoing changes that are leaving her angry and confused. To compound everything, Lila is feeling smothered by her mother's protective behavior. Throw in a decrepit amusement park, the site of Caroline's disappearance as a child, and there is much more to the story than we at first know.

One thing to address is that the "crazy woman" trope has been used in so many ways and is honestly one of the most insulting tropes out there. Having men quickly brush off behavior that doesn't comply with their expectations and therefore, deem it as madness, is only one of the many ways that women are disregarded. Thus, the stigma of mental illness continues. In Such a Pretty Smile, both mother and daughter are questioning if what they are experiencing is reality or some construction of the figurative demon inside. While this trope has been abused often—insinuating the hysteria of women—in this novel it serves as a reminder of how men are quick to overlook and ignore women. Unfortunately, it almost became a caricature of itself. Every single man in this story is painted with the same brush of being the superior intellect: the outclassed artist boyfriend, the neglectful and distracted father, and the patronizing psychologist. Had there been one supportive healthy male figure in the book, I think it would have elevated the feminist theme.

There was something about the way this story was told that maintained my interest in spite of the waffling narratives. While at times, the novel sped along, it unfortunately also tarried overlong in a few places. The vast majority of the story carried more questions obfuscating the threat. I had no qualms with the writing itself; its language was darkly descriptive and compelling. I was left dissatisfied with its ending though. Was the beast schizophrenia, hormonal, familial? After an incredibly long build-up to the finale, I felt like I was left with more answers instead of a sense of completion. Still, it was a memorable read, though an unusual, more introspective one than normal.

Such A Pretty Smile is a dual timeline story, following a mother and daughter in a dangerous time. A killer, dubbed the Cur, leaves no trace beyond the mutilated bodies of young girls. The girls were all troublemakers, not knowing how to conform to society’s standards.

I’m very conflicted about this book. I know that there is supposed to be a message about the double standard between how boys and girls are raised, and about girls finding their voice and standing up for themselves, but the story itself was very strange. I enjoyed the parts that were from the mom’s perspective much more than from Lila’s. There were several spots that I had to reread several times to try to figure out what was going on and it really drew me out of the story. The relationships all seemed very toxic and nothing felt resolved.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Kristi DeMeester for the e-arc of Such A Pretty Smile in exchange for an honest review.

"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."
This book is told in dual timelines, the reader following Lila- a 13 year old girl, and her mother, Caroline. Lila has always been a good girl, then one day she is overcome with dreams, anger and a hostile voice in her head.

This is the story of a girl who will not be controlled and will never "calm down." (Heard that one before!) It's a horror novel with a feminist spin. The writing is incredibly engaging and had me flying through the pages. If you like a good feminist drama with a supernatural twist, pick up this book!

This is a pretty dark read and I was here for it! As you begin to read, there’s a sinister feeling. Like an unseen evil lurking around every corner. Caroline and Lila. Mother and daughter. You bounce between the present and Caroline’s past. Disturbing unexplained events unfold and you’re in for one crazy ride. I love how the author was able to both creep and fascinate me at the same time with how she described certain scenes. Fantastic writing style! Parts of the story were extremely slow but not enough for me to stop reading. It didn’t end like i thought it would. Which is a very good thing. As a whole, there’s an important message in this book. Read it to find out for yourself.

If you’re a fan of dark suspense reads, this book is for you. This is my first Kristi De Meester read and it won’t be my last. I plan on checking out her other books. I give this 3 stars.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. The story was good & kept me going. At some points, the book got a little text heavy. But other than that. this one is definitely worth a read.

I am so grateful for feminist horror. Even the TITLE of DeMeester's Such a Pretty Smile sends chills down your spine, recalling a lifetime of men telling you to "smile more," no matter how little they know you. The novel really leans into that lifelong, particularly feminine horror, weaving a tale that has you gripping the edge of your seat. Definitely joins a genre of fiction I like to call, "Good for Her," stories. You know, like Midsommer, Jennifer's Body. etc.

As I read this book, I constantly thought about how dark and disturbing it was. And yet compelling as well. Caroline and Lila are mother and daughter. Their stories are told in dual timelines, 15 years apart. The reader does not know if they are both suffering from delusions or if something supernatural is happening. I found the actual plot to be unbelievable, especially the ending. This should also come with multiple trigger warnings.

CW: violence, sexual violence, gaslighting, emotional manipulation

Lila has secrets that she can’t tell anyone. Her father is too busy with his new family nor her mother who is a local celebrity. Slowly, she has to learn how to use her voice.

Caroline hears dogs, dogs that no one else can seem to hear. She brushes it off due to her insomnia and stress, but as things get worse her fiance asks her to seek out help where she is given pills to fix it and nothing more. But, that doesn’t help her.

Lila and her mother, Caroline, now need to figure out what is going on to save themselves.

This book sounds thriller and creepy. It delivers on that, but I still found myself a little disappointed with the delivery.

This story is not only told from two different POVs, but the POVs are also at different times. Lila’s is set in 2019 and Caroline’s in 2004. Usually, this would be a point of confusion for me, but it wasn’t bad. While it was showing what the characters were going through and how it was similar, their voices and experiences were different enough that I didn’t have problems remembering as I read.
What ended up being confusing for me was figuring out what was going on. It was fun to try and guess, but once it ended I was still sitting there with questions, wondering exactly what was going on. Even now I’m still wondering exactly where this falls as it wasn’t clear to me at all. It felt very open ended and up to interpretation which could be fine, but I feel with this one being open it loses some of the power it had.

With me not fully getting a grip on if this is a paranormal story or not makes a lot of the messages that are hidden deeper in here fall a little flat for me? It’s fully possible that it’s not that, but how many messages DeMeester was trying to fit in here. Between all the messages and how they were combined, it just caused them to be jumbled for me.

DeMeester really wove in the difficulties of being a woman in a patriarchal society throughout the story in a number of different ways. It was refreshing to read as she hit on points that I don’t think all books hit on and I do think that ties in well.

Overall, this is a hard book for me to really rate and review. While I do feel like it had themes that were done well, I also feel like they got a little jumbled. I loved the underlying themes and the horror vibes that it had, but with the plot there was just something lacking.

With the themes this book has, I do feel like a number of people could find themselves enough this.

This was a great book. Spooked the hell out of me but was so well written and magnetic. I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an experience this was. Voracious is a word I found running through my head while reading the journeys of the characters. If you’ve ever experienced that tug, that shrill call of violence for a split second while having your face shoved into misogyny then this book will resonate with you. It will make you uncomfortable because that feeling is represented in a gut gnawing way. It’s represented crudely and eloquently, filled with gore and metaphors.

While I understood the ending and appreciated what it was conveying I wish a bit more time was spent on it. Jazzland was the ultimate hell pit worthy of a few more pages of experiences.

I do believe this belongs in the horror genre even if it’s overtly feminist in nature. To me it’s a supernatural monster / body horror that conveys a lot of emotion.

I’d read more from this author and definitely recommend it to my horror loving circle.

Language: R (38+ swears, 20+ "f"); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG13+
I was excited to read this book for the intriguing murders and how these women fit into everything that was going on, but every page I turned was more difficult to read than the last. The book is described as being "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," but the first few chapters that I read were disturbing and made me uncomfortable without any of the mystery and intrigue I wanted. So I stopped before it got worse. The mature content rating is for underage drinking; mentions of genitals, masturbations, and oral sex; innuendo; nudity; and sex. The violence rating is for mentions of murder and rape as well as imagined gore.

DNF... This was a bit too much for me. I found the dog death horror aspect too triggering. I've previously read and enjoyed this author's short stories. Unfortunately, the subject matter of this particular book was not a match for me. I'm sure this would work better for horror readers who can stomach animal death. However, if it is a deal breaker for you, consider skipping this one.

I read this about 6 months ago.
Other than the location of the final showdown, all I remember about this book is being underwhelmed. It wasn't bad enough to quit reading, but it wasn't good enough to stick with me.

My thanks to the publisher for the advanced review copy.

I DNFed this book after about 45%. I did not enjoy it and found it very confusing. I did not post a negative review anywhere.

This book is very disturbing, but also riveting. Ugh. Harming woman in many ways... physical and mentally and this book brought me to tears. Will absolutely buy for library.

As Horror readers, it can sometimes take a lot to shake us. But at the same time, we should never strive to become immune to the things in horror that upset or discomfort us. Because at its heart horror is an empathetic genre. You have to let yourself feel it, respond to it, and by extension it is my belief that horror makes us more empathetic, sympathetic human beings. If horror makes us flinch, that’s a good thing.

Such a Pretty Smile is a raw, bloody, open wound of a book, and DeMeester does not shrink from the violence against women - both physical and mental - that serves as her central theme. (Which is why I’ve tried to highlight some of the bigger content warnings down below.) But one thing I really loved about this book, is that the violence, though visceral and at times tough to read, is never gratuitous. For something to be gratuitous it has to be unwarranted and play no reasonable part in the telling of the story. But the story in question, that of a mother and daughter struggling against a vicious cycle of intergenerational and social traumas, is inherently violent. Violence has to be unnecessary to be gratuitous, and in Such a Pretty Smile every drop of blood spilled is vital.

It’s a story about what it means to be a woman, living in a world determined to make you small, and meek, and above all quiet. About the trauma that results from being forced to conform for safety, and how, in trying to protect her daughter, a mother can end up perpetuating the very societal rules and expectations that were used to suppress her own identity and joy. Caroline conformed for survival, and she has been trying ever since to keep her daughter sweet, good, compliant, and therefore safe. But the harder Caroline tries to protect her daughter, the more she kindles Lila’s anger, which draws the attention of the omnipresent third figure in Such a Pretty Smile: The Cur. As much metaphor as man or monster, The Cur leaves behind a trail of murdered and mutilated girls, punctuating both Caroline and Lila’s timelines with corpses.

There’s so much more I want to tell you, but the book just came out on the 18th and the very worst thing I could do would be to spoil it for anyone. You’ve really got to read and experience it for yourself, and I highly recommend that you do.