I went into this book with absolutely no idea what I signed up for. But WOW! This book was an intensely dark and creepy read that did not disappoint! I will definitely be looking at the shadows differently for quite a while.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so powerful and unsettling. Feminist horror is my new fave genre. I loved the fury in it and the commentary on men silencing women of all ages. The Cur aspect was terrifying and it really made his appearances unsettling.
It was a fast read for me because something was always happening. Lila and Caroline are great characters and I really felt connected with them.

If you're looking for a terrifying feminist read, definitely pick this one up! I'll definitely be adding this book to my collection once it comes out.

Such a Pretty Smile fell pretty flat for me. I found the premise to be intriguing but was less than impressed with the author's writing style and her storytelling. While some scenes were quite cinematic and reminded me of classic horror movie fare, the transitions were heavy handed and clunky, robbing the story of any gathering suspense. I found the characters to be flat and predictable, and some of the circumstances totally unbelievable. The most interesting, complex character was Macie the mean girl, which didn't bode well for the story. I liked the ending and admired how things were all wrapped it. Getting there just wasn't that much fun.

A feminist horror story!
Paul Trembly calls this novel a "fever dream" and I agree 100 percent. This dark and gothic style thriller is beautifully written while also intense, upsetting and thrilling. This is not a book that you will easily forget.

The novel flashes back and forth between 2019 and 13 year old Lila and her mom. Caroline in 2004. Both Lila and Caroline suffer from visions and hear and see things that may or may not be there. Both are hemmed in by societal standards and expectations that women are compliant.

As the story moves toward the inevitable end, the descriptions and relationships become more clear and the story is even more haunting. If you like horror and dark thrillers than this is the book for you! Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for a fair review #SuchAPrettySmile

I really enjoyed this book! A chilling psychological thrilled that spans several generations, it kept me guessing right until the end. Even when you're finished, you might still wonder who/what the real monsters are. With overarching themes of feminism and men being threatened by powerful women, it's very relatable to the world we live in. A great spooky season read!

This book is absolutely chilling. It leaves the story of a mother and daughter told through two specific periods seamlessly. I absolutely loved it.

Interesting title and blurb but this book needs a more vicious cover… first read by this author.

What did I like? One word summation for this book would be …strange. I know not what to think of it. It’s a conundrum novel. I can’t explain it. The reality of this book was torn between what to believe and what the realty is.

Would I recommend or buy? If you like puzzles then this may appeal to you. It’s slightly horrifying and disturbing. I’d read more by this author. Three and a half stars.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review!

Having grown up during the rise of feminism, my first thought about a book where adolescent girls who refuse to conform to "good girl" ideals meet horrific endings was that it was that it should be a story set in the past, not one set in 2004 and 2019. Then, I started thinking of all the little digs I've gotten in my life, tearing down my plans and dreams and goals. Girls and women are still expected to act the way the masses demand.

Even if it's not a grisly death, it's a death of the spirit when people constantly tear down others and try to rebuild them into something more to their liking.

In Such a Pretty Smile, a husband can't support his wife's art because her art is better and more imaginative than his. A mother home schools her daughter because was kicked out of school for defending herself when a boy touches her inappropriately. More insidious than the boys and men, there is something feral and canine killing girls who don't conform. The moral to the story is if you don't want to conform, fight back.

Thanks to Netgalley for making Such a Pretty Smile available to me in return for an honest review.

This book was definitely one of the most unique books I’ve read. I didn’t give a full 5 stars, because it didn’t grab me at first and I had to try a couple times before being able to get into it. Now, once I got into it, I loved the riveting, scary story! I thought it was very well written, with amazing character development, especially the relationship between the mother & daughter characters! After my initial turn off, I found it to be quite absorbing, fast paced, and chilling! It was not only haunting, but very emotional, even though it was a horror story! I think it was intense and eventually unputdownable! I also think it truly had some scary things involved! I would definitely recommend to those whom enjoy realistic mixed with supernatural horror, which has some very emotionally turmoil topics within!

Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use top Amazon reviewer number on release date!

This book was super unique and had so many twists and turns along the way. I didn't really know what I was getting into when I first started reading. But, it didn't disappoint!

Caroline has struggled with mental health issues all of her life, not quite understanding what's real and what's fake. She also knows that she has repressed memories that she hopes will not transmit to her daughter. But little does she know, Lila has started to hear and see the same things that Caroline has tried to conceal from Lila to keep her safe.

I enjoyed the mother-daughter relationship in this book. Being a parent, I understood why Caroline wanted to shelter Lila from her past, but I also felt like Lila would have benefited from know her mom's past.

All of the male characters on this book sucked. They were extremely egotistical and I was just mad reading when they were mentioned any where in the book.

There were times when the book seems a little choppy and disjointed, but I think that was intended by the author to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. It worked!

4.5 out of 5 stars. A fast-paced page-turner. I could not put the book down. I loved the characters, Lila the daughter and Caroline her mother, as they reveal the Atlanta/New Orleans supernatural murder-mystery plot that says a lot more about women, girls, and victimization at the mouths of beasts.

I didn't know how to feel about this book at first, I almost put it down. I'm so glad I continued reading, after the first few chapters it got really good!
It was extremely well written. This book really showed a mothers love in the end & showed that women should not stand back and be silent

After receiving the email about this book, I was stoked to get to read it. I’ve been into all things creepy and horror since Fall officially started last week, and Such a Pretty Smile gave me those dark, eerie vibes right away.

Something about evil children really gives me the creeps, and Beth truly freaked me out at times during this story. I loved her character and am sure she’ll be visiting me in future nightmares at some point!

I really loved this story more and more as it went on. It had perfect amounts of horror, suspense, and mystery spread from beginning to end!

Also, as a woman dealing with lifelong mental illness, I found the characters to be extremely relatable, and the horrors of their situations to be all too real. Nothing is scarier than the thought of someone dismissing and devaluing your very real fears!

This book was incredibly captivating! So much so that I had to take breaks because the suspense was giving me heart palpitations. The immense double entendres had my mind reeling through political grandstanding, misogyny, rape culture, and the perpetuation of “the good girl” was scary and intriguing. Scary because these old rhetorics are literally and figuratively taking the lives of women, girls, and every other person that identifies as feminine, but intriguing because so much can change when we teach new values.

Great story. Loved the build up and drama to the twist. Interesting characters and a decent thriller but I enjoyed it and would recommend. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC copy!

Loved this one. It’s the perfect read heading into the soooky season and was definitely thrilling. The more I read the more into the story I got! Well done!

Girls are disappearing in her town just as hey did when she lived in New Orleans. Caroline must try tomorotect her daughter Llla from the same fate she ad as a child. A page turner I really enjoyed

This book was creepy, unsettling but feministic. I read this in a day and although some of the details were cringy i understand the authors purpose. I enjoyed it.

I really struggled with this book. It's well-written, but I stopped reading fairly early because I'm not interested in reading books with descriptions of sexual violence on tweens and young teens.

This was a good and creepy book. Some of the descriptions were very unsettling but it made sense for the story. I didn’t like the ending but what can you do?

Thanks to netgalley for this book.