I was super excited for this book because slasher books are always something to be excited for.

We have a popular slasher movie with a reluctant lead who won't return because of what happened on set all those years ago. A rabid fanbase, a sequel brewing, and the same lead desperate for her career back all mean one thing - it's so happening again. When they step back on set, someone's hellbent on making sure this time no one gets out alive, but who?

This book had a lot of potential! I love then and now timelines, I eat them up and they always make a story go by faster in my opinion. I think the motive was a bit weak and the current timeline was... boring. It was a slasher book, so I expected a bit more from that current timeline but it was more or less giving nothing.

A decent read, but had more potential.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for allowing me access to this ARC

I wanted to love this; I was highly anticipating it from the start. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me, for several reasons. The first being I was fairly bored throughout the book, nothing really piqued my interest until about the 60% mark. The plot felt very straight forward, not a lot of creepiness or eerie vibes for a place that was supposed to be haunted. The second thing is I failed to connect with the characters, especially our FMC, Ella. She was a quiet kind of girl who seemed to make a lot of poor choices both in the past and the current timeline within the story.

My favorite character was Aries, and honestly, I wish she had been the protagonist. She actually had some interesting things going on and seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. There was one twist in the book I didn't expect, so I appreciated that, but it wasn't enough to save it for me. This was, at it its core, a slasher story so I was sort of expecting the reveal to border on ridiculous and perhaps I wasn't wrong, but I didn't dislike that part of it.

Although I wasn't a fan of this one, I can definitely see it appealing to other people, and I would be interested in checking out future works from this author.

If you like 90s and early 2000s scary movies you need to read this! I’m a huge Scream fan and this book gives nods to the franchise while also telling a story worthy of any scary movie. The character storylines were perfect with the flashbacks to when they were younger to present day. The setting of the story is another bonus, an isolated cabin in the woods gives all the scary vibes. There are several twists in the story that I didn’t see coming. I didn’t want to put this book down. I don’t think the ending could’ve been any better! This makes me want to watch a scary movie and look for more books by this author!

This was my first time reading Miranda Smith and I am officially intrigued. Smile for the Cameras delivered exactly what I was hoping for. It is a creepy, suspenseful story with a steady build of tension and just the right amount of unsettling moments.

As someone who loves horror, I really appreciated the eerie atmosphere and the isolated setting. The idea of always being watched immediately gets under your skin and Miranda Smith captured that feeling so well. Some of the twists I could see coming, but that did not take away from my enjoyment. There were still plenty of surprises that kept me turning the pages.

The pacing was strong, the writing was sharp, and the characters felt believable in their paranoia and desperation. The story blends psychological suspense with horror in a way that really worked for me and kept me engaged from beginning to end.

I am definitely planning to read more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

At first, I was worried this book would be too much like Final Girls and Heads Will Roll, but to my delight it wasn't. It was a real page turner and I loved every minute! The characters are well written and the plot thickens as every good horror movie should. While the premise reminds me of many horror books and films, the idea behind this story sets them apart. Definitely a must read for anyone who loves a good thriller or is nostalgic over classic horror.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

WHEW what a fun ride. I love 90's slashers and this book really captured that moment for me when they were having a resurgence like Scream, I know What You Did Last Summer, heck even Urban Legends. I liked Ella and felt like she was a believable character/final girl. The book reminded me of some other slasher films where people are getting killed of like they do in the movie (sort of Scream 3ish) but I liked the different ways the story was told which kept it fresh and interesting to me. I love a good whodunnit and even though I guess who was behind everything it didn't matter because I had so much fun with this book! Miranda is a great writer and will definitely check out her future books!

Started off strong, dragged in the middle, but finished off strong. I did both the ebook and audio. The audio had both a positive and negative effect. The main character was really annoying. I get that we were supposed to give her grace. Unfortunately, she came across as too winy, that when she came around, I could care less. I was more interested in the supporting characters and what happened with the story. If it wasn't for the supporting characters and the mystery, I would have rated it much lower.

#NETGALLEY
#SMILEFORTHECAMERAS
#MIRANDASMITH

Ella was part of the cult classic slasher Grad Night as her first starring role. Two decades have passed and the original cast is being invited back to the remote set for a reunion show. She's wavered on the decision for months but finally commits, hoping the promise of additional roles will make it worth it.

The concept was fine. My favorite chunks were the script portions. There were just so many references to "what they'd done" without any clues about what that was. I felt like I was being strung along. It was as entertaining as a movie of the genre it's portraying - low budget 90s horror.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC!

Twenty years ago, Ella Winters was the it girl. She made a name for herself in Hollywood and throughout America as the sole survivor in the cult-classic slasher Grad Night. But the real horror is what happened when the cameras weren’t rolling—something terrible that Ella and her co-stars agreed never to speak of again. Shortly after the movie’s premiere, Ella disappeared from the acting scene under the pretense of caring for her ailing mother, hoping for a quiet life out of the spotlight to ease her guilty mind.

Since her mother’s passing, Ella has decided to return to the silver screen. And with the cast and crew of Grad Night in the process of filming a reunion documentary, Ella has an express ticket back into Hollywood’s good graces. Weighed down by the secret she’s been keeping all these years, Ella apprehensively makes the trip to the original set—a cabin in rural Tennessee—to reunite with her castmates for the first time in more than a decade. But when the actors begin to meet the same gruesome fates as the characters they originally played, falling victim to someone dressed as the Grad Night villain, it’s clear their secret is out.

Now, the question is: Can the final girl survive one last nightmare?

What a great thriller! I enjoyed the locked door, dual timelines of this book and the twist about 75% of the way through absolutely blew my mind. The ending was a little less satisfying, mostly because I felt like the killer came slightly out of nowhere, but I enjoyed the build up, being inside these characters heads and trying to figure out what was going on along with them! Would definitely recommend to those who love classic thrillers!

This is such a fun concept and I really enjoyed the execution! I immediately felt like I was relating to the characters and was picturing the cast of Scream having a reunion in the wood. I was surprised by the depth included in the plot and will likely purchase a physical copy of the book.

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

What a thrilling summer slasher!

Both of the timelines- the past where someone goes missing and the present where the reunion show is being taped- were captivating. I also enjoyed the script of the original movie between timelines.
The main character is relatable as she is trying to do the reunion show to live out the dream that her mother and she shared. I was rooting for her from the very beginning.
The setting of a remote cabin was the perfect place for the story.

I was a bit suprised by the ending- who the killer was and how events really unfolded all those years ago.

I really enjoyed this read and highly recommend.

Twenty years ago, 4 unknown actors launched into the spotlight after their slasher film, Grad Night, became a runaway hit. The 4 teens didn't just share newfound fame... they also share a secret. After distancing herself from the cast, crew, and the movie franchise itself, Ella finds herself facing a tough decision: return to the original filming site for a reunion and revive her career or say goodbye to acting.

I am a big wuss when it comes to horror movies but I love books like this one! As someone who once dreamed of stardom, anything with a film set setting is an exciting read for me. Add to that a book full of plot twists, misdirection, suspense, and high stakes and I am one happy reader! This book flew by. The two timelines blended seamlessly and the screenplay interludes were a unique touch to orient the reader to time and space. This was my first read by Miranda Smith but it will most certainly not be my last! I have become a huge fan! This one is a Read It for sure!

Note: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

To keep it short, “Smile for the Cameras” was a decent little read, but nothing that was boundary pushing. It stayed relatively safe within the horror/thriller tropes, going exactly the way that you would think it would end up going. Smiths writing made for an easy read, but the character development needed some significant work. Most characters felt too one-dimensional for my liking, resulting in major events that don’t have any emotional impact on me whatsoever. I didn’t find this to be a bad read by any means, but it was one that played it way too safe to warrant any interesting discussion.

Just wrapped up the month with a bang thanks to Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith — a full 5-star read! And yes, there’s plenty of 🔪 and 🩸 to go around.

This one gave me all the nostalgic horror movie vibes. We follow Ella, the original Final Girl from a cult classic film called Grad Night, who has spent the last 20 years out of the spotlight, caring for her mom. After her mom’s passing, Ella is ready for a comeback. She lands a top agent and agrees to join a reunion special with her old co-stars — two days of filming at the original set. How bad could it be?

Turns out… pretty bad. Old memories resurface (some literally), secrets unravel, and Ella is forced to confront the past she’s tried so hard to forget.

The writing? Absolutely gripping. I was hooked from page one. Ella’s journey — her grief, her resilience, and her rediscovery of self — had me completely invested.

Published Date: June 24, 2025

💫 Thank you to Miranda Smith, Ballantine, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Miranda Smith, and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for the eARC. Fans of '90s horror thrillers like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer will devour this gripping psychological horror. Packed with twists, turns, and nostalgic chills!

Smile for the Cameras is a nostalgic, summertime horror referential to familiar tropes of the genre. With a two timeline and script woven into the narrative, it has an interesting story progression that, unfortunately, falls short due to weak characters and underwhelming twists, which left me wanting more.

The weakness of this book lay within its characters - you could see that Smith was trying to reflect character tropes common to horror, but it's as if she never fully committed. I didn’t feel connected to anyone, and in turn, I couldn’t buy any of their own interpersonal connections. Narrative, this book relies on those connections and relationships, so with them being lackluster, it made for an ultimately underwhelming plot progression and final reveal.

This book was just fine - not bad, but not great. The thing I was most engaged with was the script for the in-universe movie, as it was truly a trope-y, schlocky horror story that made me giggle at the familiar tropes and plot beats. I couldn’t get invested in the mystery at the heart of the narrative, which is built up through both the present timeline as well as the past one; I think with a bit of reworking, the overall narrative effect could have been improved.

I do quite enjoy the cabin-in-the-woods setting, it went a long way to create a common horror vibe. Funny enough, however, I never quite felt as if this book was a horror story - it read more like a drama-mystery to me, so it brought the potential eeriness of the setting down a few notches.

As I mentioned, this story is told through a present timeline, past timeline, and a script for the film that was shot in the past. This made for a lot of fun because as the story was unfolding, we’d either be left on a cliffhanger or thrown a twist once the next chapter began. The pacing of these three narratives was great, I feel like I breezed through them, and I could see how they were all connected to one another.

This plot had so much potential, as the nostalgia is super relevant to modern audiences, and the mystery itself could have been a lot of fun. But I found that the plot development really fell flat for me - as I mentioned, the weak characters and relationships really brought down the quality of the narrative. All the surprises and twists and reveals could have - and should have -worked well, yet they were let down by the fact that I wasn’t invested in the characters, which ironically, the narrative itself makes a commentary on in regards to the horror genre.

Ella is an actress trying to get back in the industry. Her first role was starring in Grad Night, a horror film that gained a cult following over the years. It has been 20 years since the film was made, & the entire original cast is being called back to the original filming location to shoot a reunion. The cast has to spend an entire weekend staying in a remote cabin in the woods, where 20 years ago they all helped to cover up a crime…and someone is out for revenge.

This was the perfect #summerween read 😍 truly felt like a nostalgic horror classic! I loved the POVs from different timelines to help fill in the suspense of what happened all those years ago, to what is happening now. Horror lovers, add this one to your list! 😈

**3.5-stars**

Smile for the Cameras is a fast-paced and entertaining Slasher ((Lite)). IMO, Smith brought the right amount of Camp to it to get me in the mood for Summer Screams season. This book is told in three ways: a present perspective, a past perspective and through the screen play of a decades old cult-classic Slasher Film, Grad Night.

Our protagonist is Ella Winters, who was a young, inexperienced actress, just trying to make her way in the industry, when she got tapped to play the Final Girl role in Grad Night. It certainly changed her life.

20-years later, Ella's star has burned out. She retreated from the spotlight after filming, as she had great difficulty putting behind her some traumatic events that happened during the shooting of that iconic film. She used the excuse of her ailing mother as her reason to retreat from the Hollywood life, but now that her mother has passed, Ella is thinking of making a comeback.

When her agent offers her the opportunity to participate in a Grad Night reunion documentary, she's quite hesitant at first, but as her agent points out, it could be the perfect way for her to reemerge onto the scene. Ella eventually agrees, and makes her way to the original filming location, a cabin in the woods in rural Tennessee, for the reunion weekend.

When the people on site begin being murdered in gruesome ways similar to the film, and the original cast suddenly finds themselves stalked by the Grad Night killer, it becomes clear this reunion was a trap. Perhaps as payback for something they did all those years ago. Ella would happily give up Hollywood forever if she could just make it through the weekend. Who will survive?

This was fun. I enjoyed how the original script of the film, and the past perspective, which followed Ella during that original filming, boosted up the action in the present. For me, all three of the aspects played off each other very well and contributed to a well-rounded Slasher story. I felt Smith did a great job keeping it all distinct and easy for the Reader to engage with.

It is quite dramatic, the characters each seeming to add fuel to the fire in their own ways. I felt for Ella the whole way through. She was quite young during the filming of Grad Night, and was definitely influenced by her fellow cast members. She was a bit 'deer in the headlights'.

The ending was somewhat 'meh' for me, but I never guessed it, so good on Smith for keeping me on my toes. My head was spinning as I tried to figure out who was killing everyone. That was hidden quite well, I thought. Overall, this an entertaining Horror story, with a classic Slasher vibe. It's a great read for Summer and if you love Horror that brings Camp, you'll def find that here.

Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This gave me exactly what I was looking for!

As a horror movie fanatic, this story definitely hit home with me. I enjoyed Miranda Smith’s writing style in this book, and the concept in general was entertaining & kept me engaged from start to finish.

20 years after Ella played the final girl in a famous slasher film Grad Night, she was asked to return for a reunion special. Desperate to revive her career, she hesitantly obliges but these cast members have a deep and dark secret that they are hoping they can keep hidden throughout this reunion weekend. Forced to return to Blackstone cottage, Ella’s cast mates slowly begin to meet a deadly fate that is very close to the characters they played in the Grad Night movie.

I recommend this read for thriller/horror fans especially those that enjoyed 90s slasher films like the Scream franchise & I Know What You Did Last Summer. The alternating timelines that shows POVs from 20 years ago, chapters that were actual scenes from the film, to present POVs was brilliant! It was truly necessary for the overall plot. & the twist around 80% in I did NOT see coming. Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this reader copy. All opinions are my own.