This was a difficult book to read and it’s a difficult one to review. I have a feeling it’s going to be very polarizing. The idea is a great one. In 2019, Lila is thirteen years old and she has a lot of secrets. She has an immense amount of anger rising up, she might be seeing things, and the dark thoughts she’s having are starting to sound very appealing. Alongside this plot is the narration of Caroline from 2004. Caroline is Lila’s mother and she is a struggling artist under a lot of familial stress. She has started to hear dogs barking and to see a man with a dog’s face in the shadows. In both 2004 and 2019, girls have started going disappearing. The killer has the same MO: a young preteen girl goes missing and their bodies are later found with ravaged inner thighs. Police believe it is a serial killer who has started taking girls again that they simply call The Cur. Is the same thing hunting girls? Are Lila and Caroline both being hunted by something or are they just “crazy” unreliable narrators?

The plot and the message of this book are really powerful. Kristi DeMeester really masterfully handles feminine horror in a patriarchal society. Every event is related to what a woman should do, how they should act, and their position in society. It focuses heavily on both the internal thoughts of girls/women and how they are forced to project themselves to the world. The use of the almost omnipresent Cur can be read as a physical manifestation of the patriarchy that wants to consume the inappropriate behaviors found in young girls. All of this is amazing, 5 stars, incredible.

Where things get difficult for me is the books' use of imagery depicting violence against animals and sexual violence. I am never a fan of violence against animals but I can skip over a scene if I feel it furthers the plot. The violence here I felt was *extremely* heavy-handed and drawn out longer than necessary. I get its purpose in the narrative but it made my stomach churn.

The discussion and depiction of sexual violence can be important—especially in books that deal with feminist themes. As someone who identifies as a radical feminist and who 100% agrees with the message that I feel this book was trying to portray already, maybe I just was not the target audience for this. I cannot comfortably read books with scenes of sexual violence where I cannot skip them. In Such A Pretty Smile, the sexual violence that occurs is fully entwined in other events that would leave important plot points out if it is not read. This put me in an uncomfortable and potentially unsafe situation and I think that could be true for other readers. Additionally, the language described—while not the worst or the most graphic I’ve ever read—is almost overbearing. Again, maybe I was not the target audience because I did not need to see anything in a different light to understand DeMeester’s point.

Overall, I think this is an important book. I think it is a really important addition to the horror genre and Kristi DeMeester is going to definitely be an author to look out for. I just think this might benefit from a few content warnings, which I am trying to explain here.

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pretty good. The characters were well written and kept me interested. I had a little trouble with the darkness of the storyline, but was still interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Such a Pretty Smile” by Kristi DeMeester flips between a mother-daughter duo, both struggling with darkness lurking at the edges of their lives. Caroline was a young girl when she was taken. She was found wandering at a New Orleans theme park, cuts along her legs, unable to remember what had happened. Police linked her disappearance with a serial killer that had taken other girls, girls who didn’t return. Years and years later, Caroline can feel it in the back of her mind- a warning. Girls start going missing again and Caroline wants to pull her daughter Lila closer… but Lila can hear that dark voice too…

This book was spooky. There’s so much imagery here that is strange or vivid. So much that is real and so much that isn’t. It’s hard for me to sit long in the horror genre. I loved the overarching theme of the fight against the people who tell women to sit down and be quiet, but some of the imagery here to pull this book into the horror genre, whew. It was a lot.

I wanted to love this book. I really really did. I think it’s unique and powerful, but sadly it just wasn’t for me. I rounded up my rating to give this book 3 stars. Honestly, it could have just been the genre. Maybe it was too far for me. But I hope you’ll give this one a read and let me know what you think!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I gotta say, I went into this book expecting something different, but I liked what I got much more than what I had expected... Does that make any sense? From the synopsis I had expected something of a murder mystery I suppose? This is definitely not that, but in a good way. This book is a multi-POV book that skips forwards and backwards in time at different intervals. It had more of a supernatural, psychological aspect that I hadn't expected with a feminist twist. It wasn't preachy either. It seems like whenever books try to put in a feminist undertone, they end up being kind of preachy or overwhelming or like they sacrifice the plot for the purpose of getting their message across. With Such a Pretty Smile, there was such a clever juxtaposition of the feminist message with the very dark and disturbing story so as to be impactful, but not overwhelming. The horror aspect of the book was very well done to the point of being very gruesome. The entire atmosphere of the book was very viscerally unnerving. When the author described the dark things going through Lila's mind, you felt it. Being inside Lila's mind was equal parts claustrophobic and nearly feral. I admire how well Lila's unraveling was portrayed. Really, DeMeester's writing throughout the entire book was so richly descriptive. There was clearly a lot of thought and effort put into making the atmosphere almost uncomfortably vivid.

As for the story itself, it was grisly but captivating. At the end of the day, you've got unreliable narrators that are becoming increasingly unstable, to the point that the reader isn't sure what is and isn't real. Though, this ends up tying back into the feminist aspect of the book. The concept of the "hysterical woman" who is only ever "overreacting." While I'm sure the Cur is meant to be some sort of allegory for womens' forced silence, it's also just a damn creepy figure. Although, it was a bit underutilized. I think to increase the horror-aspect of this book, more of the Cur would've been nice to build tension. Most of the actual tension in this book comes from the dissolution of the relationships between the different characters. Though it is very well done.

I have very little bad to say about this book. Most of my problems came from the distribution of chapters from Carolines perspective. Or I suppose my problem is more from the layout of the chapters in general. Like, I believe it's something like 25% of the book before we ever actually get Caroline's POV when I think that could've started much earlier on. It would've read more smoothly if both POVs kind of started to unravel at the same time. As it currently is, Lila's mind starts going a lot faster so you go from these very intense chapters of Lila, to these relatively boring chapters of Caroline back in 2004. Obviously 2004 Caroline's POV starts to ramp up at some point, but I just feel like they could've been distributed better so as to devolve in tandem (if that makes sense). But this is really a small thing, it doesn't take much from the plot itself.

I guess I mostly just have good things to say about this book: it's a good length (to the point without being too long or short), the cover art is very cool, and the book itself is hard to put down. If you're looking for a horror book with a unique vibe, then check out this one. The way all the psychological and supernatural elements tie in with the feminist undertone is really interesting. Really the way it emphasizes women's voices being suppressed, inevitably coalescing into something dark and uncontrollable is just clever. I think this book is a great example of how to get your point across, without sacrificing the integrity of the book itself.

This is a horror story that has the past turning up in the present. Lila is a 13 year old girl trying to fit in today's world. She is sheltered by her Mother and wants to hang out with kids her age and discover what life is about. Just as her Mother is loosening the strings, girls are turning up dead and mutilated. While she wants to talk to her Mother Caroline about it, she feels like her Mother is hiding something from her. This is a well written story that is frightening to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

I’m confused. Seriously, I can not pin-point the genre of this book. There are too many of them that collide and unfortunately makes a mess. However, the psychological thriller aspect, very much appealed to me.

I felt some chapters drag on while others you flew right through them. I did like the premise of the novel and the different POVs.

I just find it a tough one to rate. I want to have liked it more then I did. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

Every so many years, girls on the verge of womanhood end up dead. Is it a serial killer or something more insidious and supernatural? A young girl from a broken home with few friends will soon find out. The plot meanders a bit and I struggled to stay engaged.

I absolutely loved this book. It read like a really dark, atmospheric fairytale of the old school variety. It started out dark and brooding, with a rapidly building sense of dread that had my heart racing the entire time. As someone who currently lives in Atlanta and used to live in New Orleans, both settings were captured perfectly. The dual timeline was a perfect way to tell this story. I enjoyed both timelines equally, which doesn’t always happen for me. All in all, Such a Pretty Smile was an almost perfect book. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So I wasn't as enthralled with this book as other readers. Although the characters are well written, I had a hard time with the story. The story jumps back and forth between Caroline's past and present, at times leaving me lost wondering what the connection between timelines was. This in turn left me confused, wanting more details about events that took place when Caroline was a young teen. Events so traumatic that she repressed them.
This just wasn't the story for me but I'm sure there will be many that will find this book enjoyable.

“Such A Pretty Smile”, by Kristi De Meester

Society expects women to act a certain way and this has been angering us for decades. Do not sit like that. Do not wear that. Why do we have to fit int a mold?? Jeez!! The killer in this novel represents everything women fight against.

“Such A Pretty Smile” is a well-executed book told in two timelines which follows a mother-daughter against the backdrop of grisly Cur murders. The book is unsettling in the best way.

The novel opens up with the present day perspective of a girl named Lila. She is going through typical preteen issues: her body is changing, an overbearing mother to deal with, and she has a crush on her best friend. At the same time, there is someone murdering young girls. The switches to Caroline’s viewpoint, Lila's mom, in 2004. This timeline follows Caroline's relationship with Lila’s father, her developing art career and her father’s illness. Caroline is dealing with all this while a serial killer is targeting young women in her neighborhood.

“Such a Pretty Smile” is a character-driven story that draws you into the dark minds of both Lila and Caroline. The mother and daughter perspectives through different points in the timelines were enjoyable. The novel did a fantastic job at capturing their confusion. DeMeester could paint a vivid picture of awkwardness growing up and finding your voice in this cruel world. The author could do this while still maintaining an eerie atmosphere.

The setting of this novel was intense, with several disturbing images. Jazzland was described as a crepy place with a dark, bloody history. The New Orleans atmosphere was a little lacking to me. I really did not get the feel for that environment.

The horrific Cur murders played aminor role in this novel. This part of the story remains vague and I would have liked it to be more of a focal point. I had unresolved questions at the end of the book.

“Such A Pretty Smile”, by Kristi De Meester a standalone dark thriller with horror sprinkled into the mix. The seamless transitions between timelines and the engaging characters make it an enjoyable read. Definitely check it out if you can stomach “Such A Pretty Smile’, by Kristi De Meester

Society expects women to act a certain way and this has been angering women for decades. Do not sit like that. Do not wear that. Why do we have to fit int a mold?? Jeez!! The killer in this book represents everything women fight against.

“Such A Pretty Smile” is a well executed book told in two timelines which follows a mother- daughter against the backdrop of grisly Cur murders. The book is unsettling and creepy in the best way.

The novel opens up with the present day perspective of a girl named Lila. She is going through typical preteen issues: her body is changing, an overbearing mother to deal with and she has a crush on her best friend. At the same time there is someone murdering yound girls. The switches to Caroline’s persepective, Lilas mom, in 2004. This timeline follows Carolines relationship with Lila’s fatehr, her developing art career and her father’s illness. Caroline is dealing with all this while a serial killer is targeting girls in her neighborhood.

“Such a Pretty Smile” is a chracter driven novel that draws you into the dark minds of both Lila and Caroline. The mother and daughter perspectives through different points in the timelines was enjoyable. The novel did a great job at capturing their confusion. DeMeester was able to paitn a vivid picture of awkwardness growing up and finding your voice in this cruel world. The author was able to do this while still maintaing an eerie environment.

The atmosphere of this novel was intense several disturbing images. Jazzland was described as a crepy place with a dark bloody history. The New Orleans atmosphere was a little lacking to me. I really did not get the feel for that environment.
The horrfic Cur murders played aminor roll in this novel. This part of the story remains vague and I would of liked it to be more of a focal point. I did have unresolved questions at the end of the book.

“Such A Pretty Smile”, by Kristi De Meester a stand alone dark thriller with horror sprinkled into the mix. The seemless transitions between timelines and the engaging chracters make it an enjoable read. Definetly check it out if you can stomach

I think this was a good book with an important message, but it just wasn't completely right for me. I would say it definitely falls more into the horror category, along the lines of social horror, making commentary on society. I typically enjoy social horror, but this one was a bit too focused on the supernatural for I think this was a good book with an important message, but it just wasn't completely right for me. I would say it definitely falls more into the horror category, along the lines of social horror, making commentary on society. I typically enjoy social horror, but this one was a bit too focused on the supernatural for me, as a prefer a more reality based horror. I also felt like there was less character building for Lila and Caroline than I would have liked. me, as a prefer a more reality based horror. I also felt like there was less character building for Lila and Caroline than I would have liked.

This one definitely hits the buttons for “dark”. However, I wanted more. The characters and plot just didn’t grab me and keep me pulled in. If you are wanting creepy and calculating, this could be for you.

This is a very unique book. Girls who don't conform, who are known as troublemakers, are killed with no trace and no clues left behind. Girls have secrets that they can't tell anyone about, absolutely no one. This is an interesting book about being a woman and what that means in society.

I enjoyed this book a lot as it brought a touch of realism to a horror book, which is something not a lot of authors can do. This book looks at "powerful women, angry men, and all the ways in which girls fight against the forces that try to silence them." See, the great evil in this book only goes after girls who are on the verge of being women labeled as a problem. Those who are too loud or speak too often, those who don't conform and cause trouble - those who don't just sit still and look pretty. Too often in real life women and girls find themselves the victims for no reason other than because they wouldn't just shut up and take what life offered them, and to see this come to life in a horror novel made it feel all the more scary.

This was a hard review for me to get started on. The description grabbed me right away. The majority of the book was riveting and suspensful. The ending kind of left me shaking me head. It was a bit too hocus pocus for me. It went from suspense to supernatural and the illogicalness didn't work for me.
The story involves a mother and her daughter. The book would switch back and forth between their two stories. The male characters were all portrayed as sexist, selfish and worthless. It kept my attention, but was too illogical for me to recommend it.
I received an ebook from Netgalley. com in echange for a review.

This story sounded like it would be right up my alley; however, it just wasn't for me. The author uses dual timelines, which I typically LOVE, but I don't think it enhanced the storytelling at all. Fans of Joe Hill and Stephen King will probably like this a lot.

Uhm I Don't Remember Reading This But It Was Meh Not My Fave
I Am Not A Big Fan Of This Book
I Was Not Intrested In This

Literally the creepiest book ive read this year, i slept with the lights on and still had nightmares!

PERFECT FOR HALLOWEEN!


The book begins with Lila. age 13 going through all the normal hormonal issues of a typical preteen. She has a major crush on Macie, her best friend, she has an extremely overbearing mother and a dad that seems to have forgotten that she exists. In dealing with all of this there is something out there murdering girls and no one knows who is next. These murders resemble the same exact ones that her mother Caroline experienced in New Orleans as a young adult. There is a lot of uncertainty and mystery surrounding the murders in both of the timelines. One thing that is certain is that the killings are disturbing and you cant help but worry that Lila may be the next victim.
Also you begin to wonder how Caroline is involved, is she the monster? is she the serial killer? why is she overprotective?

Read on to find out and dont get too scared !

This was almost a did not finish for me, but I made it through and it was ok.
Lots of gore, lots of murdered girls with no details spared. I thought it would be more of a mystery, but it fell in line with more of a horror genre. The writing was very detailed and it did keep me in suspense.
Just not my style 100%.
Thankful for the ARC

I tried very hard to enjoy this book, but I couldn’t get into it. I love female driven horror, so I was excited to get this book. But I couldn’t connect with the characters at all.