Anyone who has ever been a mother can relate to those early years of childhoodz Those years where you feel like you have lost all sense of your identity prior to having children. Those years when you feel like you’re the darling loves of your life are sucking your essence right out of you and bleeding you dry. If you can relate, then you must grab a copy of Chandler Baker’s upcoming novel, Cutting Teeth.

The novel revolves around four young mothers who attend the Little Academy Preschool where a strange illness has begun to be spreading- the kids have developed a craving for blood. When a teacher is found dead these little darlings become the witnesses as well as the suspects.

This book is part mystery, part satire and a treatise on the complexities and sacrifices of motherhood. It was also one of my most anticipated books of the year. This book is weird and creepy and sometimes hilarious and I should have loved it. And while it did not quite reach that level, I did like it tremendously.

Told from the alternating viewpoints of the children’s mothers, Chandler does a good job of recreating the angst and turmoil of the early days of parenting. There is an honesty here that I appreciated and there is also a lot of humor and I found myself chuckling out loud as I commiserated with the plights of these young mothers. The PTA meeting is especially hilarious. The book also looks at how parents judge one another and how vicious it can sometimes become.

Where the book fell a little short for me was in the pacing. Now I love multiple POVs but this one had so many that at times it dragged and the story seemed to lose focus. Fewer voices would have probably been beneficial to keep the plot moving and in point. Still, I did enjoy this book. A clever, darkly twisted and macabre satire combined with a murder mystery made for a reading experience that I won’t soon forget.

I love this one so much! Even if your kids are not actually drinking your blood, they may as well be. They really do suck the very life out of you. Plus the phantom pooper stuff was totally relatable.
I was laughing so hard at this one.

The most bizarre and creative concept that made me queasy at times and completely validated at others. Chandler Baker's social commentary element to her thrillers is always my favorite part of her writing, and this one, even though I'm not a mom, hit home for me as a best friend to moms who have sacrificed their bodies on a daily basis for their offsprings.

This book is not for the blood averse! What a great twisty ending!!!

3 stars

Parenting is a gruesome experience for most - especially birthing people, it seems - and it turns out that the kids who star in Baker's newest thriller aren't just psychologically and emotionally taxing for those who care for them; they're literally sucking the life out of them!

One of the strangest aspects of this novel is how little concern the parents of the Little Academy preschoolers have over what I can tell you right now would freak me out: their children's sudden taste for human blood. More reasons I never want to be a parent! They wonder if it's dietary, behavioral, or even learned from early environments, but most of all, they realize it's important to...COMPLY WITH THE KIDS' REQUESTS FOR BLOOD! If the kids aren't given what they want on their own terms, well, they take it violently. When even their teacher ends up dead under mysterious circumstances, it's obvious that these maniacal, bloodthirsty babies may even be capable of murder.

Anyone who needs a good dose of anecdotal birth control will get it instantly as an added bonus to reading this. It's a guarantee.

I'll admit to some surprise about how little the plot developed here. There's so much focus on the fact that there are bloodthirsty kids. It's unquestionably an interesting situation, but their parents' various shortcomings were not the fully developed storyline I was anticipating.

Baker knows how to create a creepy, perfect for summer, domestic thriller, and this is no exception. Bon Appetit, readers...!

A group of four year olds at the same preschool are exhibiting signs of Renfield's Syndrome, or vampirism, at the same time their preschool teacher is murdered at the school. Did the kids witness the murder, or does their suddenly insatiable thirst for blood make them suspects? The story follows three of the moms who are dealing with their own personal issues and who may also be complicit in the murder. The culprit was glaringly obvious but the reasoning behind it was a surprise. This would have rated higher if it had been a bit creepier and focused a bit more on the vampirism of the children, rather than the stresses of motherhood. The pacing was a bit off but otherwise this had an intriguing plot that I'm sure will draw readers in. Three stars. Thank you to Flatiron and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

A new thriller from the author of the Whisper Network about children at a pre-k who start to crave human blood. When a teacher dies, both the kids and their mothers become suspects.

I like the premise here because I think it was trying to get at worst fears of mothers and also play on the creepy kid trope. However, I think it would’ve been more successful if the kids were a little older. I know it would make it harder because there’d be more kids theoretically if it was at an elementary school than just a preschool. It could’ve been like an after school, summer camp, etc. setting though. I think having four year olds as suspect was just weird. I also like the structure of having detectives do interviews between chapters but again, that doesn’t really work well with such young kids.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I was excited to dive into this story. Typical helicopter parents and preschool kids implicated in a teacher's murder. It doesn't get much better! There were some slow parts but all in all a great mystery read.

I really enjoyed Baker's other book, Whisper Network and The Husbands. Unfortunately, this title just did not work for me. I couldn't get past the imagery of the blood and the children in relation to it. It was just too disturbing for me. I didn't manage to finish the book because it was too much.

However, I realize that this will not be a problem for all readers and I would still recommend it for certain people. I very much enjoyed the beginning of the book and I like Baker's writing style. I look forward to her next title and hope there won't be any blood involved! Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book and the mystery of the teachers murder. Was it a preschooler hungry for blood or one of the other highly suspicious characters.

Darby, Mary Beth and Rhea became friends when their children all started attending Little preschool. Each of the women are trying to redevelop their identities outside of being a parent, while still trying to maintain their respective relationships and households.
As if that weren’t enough, the entire preschool class at Little Academy has developed an odd habit- they crave their mother’s blood. Trying to deal with this medical peculiarity has Darby, Mary Beth and Rhea at odds with each other, but then a teacher’s dead body is discovered stabbed to death and the women only have one another to turn to in order to keep their children safe.
Chandler Baker is the bestselling author of “The Whisper Network” and “The Husbands” and, like its predecessors, “Cutting Teeth” will leave a, ahem, mark. Vampiric children, the struggles of motherhood and a murder all in one entertaining and engaging novel? Leave it to Chandler Baker.
All three protagonists take turns narrating the novel, highlighting their individual perspectives on life and motherhood. As dissimilar as the women are, they are all genuinely likable and relatable in one way or another and I had their back from the first page. The medical conditions that affect (most of) their children is bizarrely original, but yet not so strange that it fails to be believable. Young children literally draining their mothers of blood is not as far-fetched as one would hope.
The novel starts off with a child biting, which slowly becomes a full blown identified “event”, affecting multiple children from one classroom. Then, a teacher is murdered, and the plot switches focus to the police investigation and the personal background of the relatively new primary school teacher. As suspects are highlighted and circumstances are laid out, the reader is pulled into a haunting murder mystery, where anyone could be the culprit. The vampiric children are not the focus of the novel by the time you reach the middle, and, in fact, several chapters go by where they are barely discussed. However, Baker doesn’t forget this unusual plot point and circles back to ensure the reader has full closure. The ending provides complete satisfaction, and Baker ties up all loose ends, leaving no stone unturned or question unanswered.
Baker examines the complexity of female friendships and the expectations of mothers in particular, making “Cutting Teeth” relevant and thought-provoking. Baker leaves room for ample twists and turns, and each chapter left me wanting more. The plot is well-developed and carefully executed, providing a hugely suspenseful and delicious enjoyable story. “Cutting Teeth” is going to bring Baker into the spotlight once again, and the praise is warranted.

A group of toddlers and their helicopter-parents find themselves implicated in the murder of a preschool teacher.

This was very reminiscent of <u>Big Little Lies</u> with a little non-paranormal vampiric twist. The premise was interesting enough but the writing/pacing of the plot slowed this one down for me. Far too many characters to care about and so I found that I didn't really care for any of them. I'm not sure what it is about Baker's books but none of them seem to really impress me. This novel was unfortunately another lackluster one for me that just felt tired and cyclical by about the halfway mark.

***** I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

When I saw the title and description of this book I honestly was very excited to read it. However, after the first few chapters I realized it was a bore. I typically wouldn’t finish a book that didn’t hold my interest. I knew I wanted to give it a chance. It bounced around characters and didn’t get any more interesting. It was a huge disappointment for me.

Another great and creative book from Chandler Baker! The satirical nature of this book really allows anyone who’s been a mom to feel seen in this book.

I will give this 3 stars for the author and because I know many people will enjoy this.
However, my personal opinion and reading preferences I give it 2 stars.

A very wordy novel that seems to go nowhere. A book this size normally takes me a day maybe two, however this one took almost a full week. I found myself wanting to move on to another book every time I put it down.

The story was promising but really lacked in any kind of intrigue or suspense. The humor within was fun though, just in short supply. I’m not even sure if it was meant to be humorous (the cover makes it feel that way).
I found the writing to be somewhat choppy, and long winded, I had to go back and reread a fair amount (that honestly could be just me zoning out though).

While this story isn’t for me, I know a lot of people will truly love it. I suspect a lot of mothers will identify with at least one of these characters, and will find that they are also not alone in some of their private motherhood thoughts and feelings.


Possible spoilers ahead:
I really wanted to read more about these vampire kids (which felt more like a filler story or a tag to get you to buy the book) and less about the mothers drama and motherhood experiences. That sounds terrible but I’ve already lived this, and it really was quite boring to me. There was no real conclusion to the blood sucking kids, though I know they were just there as a metaphor.
And one final thought, why so many mentions of cockroaches? Is this a thing, are they that common? It just seemed weird. It important one way or the other, it just stuck me as odd.

Chandler Baker takes the female human experience, adds a twist and lots of suspense, and hooks you in a way where you have no other option than just reading the whole darn book in one sitting.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Another great and creative book from Chandler Baker! The satirical nature of this book really allows anyone who’s been a mom to feel seen in this book.

I enjoyed Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker. It was an interesting take on motherhood, community, family life and especially preschoolers.

What would you do if your 4 year old suddenly started biting and wanting to drink blood? What if a murder in your community only added to the ongoing conflict and confusion? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Cutting Teeth!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this digital ARC.

First, thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC.

I loved this! What a fun, satirical take on motherhood and society's ridiculous expectations of mothers (and women in general, but mainly mothers). Any woman who has had kids will see herself here in one of these characters, whether they admit it or not. Stereotypes are examined with sharp wit and, at times, disturbing truth.

The 4 year old class at Little Academy is small and tightly knit - the children and parents are all a true community. When a mysterious tragedy befalls one of their own and a bizarre psychological condition afflicts most of the class, three very different mothers try to figure out how to keep kids in check, get lunches and dinners made, keep their jobs intact, and maybe solve some of the mysteries along the way. Throw in bloodthirsty 4-year olds and I was hooked.

This has Big Little Lies vibes...the overall plot, the school, the entitled nature of the parents and kids, the community, the mystery. However, this one has more bite (terrible pun intended). What great fun to read!