2/5 ⭐️

This was okay. The plot was interesting, but between the two time periods and the scenes from the movie that didnt do much to forward the plot, It’s a lot to keep up with. I feel like the wide cast of characters was also a hindrance. You didn't have time to sort everyone out or form adequate connections.

The ending twist fell extremely flat for me. Both with how the plot was wrapped and what the big "twist" of the novel was.

I will be posting reviews on Instagram June 24th 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bantam for the advanced e-copy!

Smile for the Cameras is definitely one of those thriller that gives 80s slasher vibes. I honestly love the way this story started off. I was in a bit of a reading slump, but I'd periodically picked this ARC up and honestly got engrossed in the story. The story is told in the past and present and also had a bit of what seemed to me, like pieces of the script added into it.

If you want a fun, Psychological Thriller with 80s slasher vibes, smile for the camera is the book for you.

*Thank you netgalley, RandomHouse, and Miranda Smith for the opportunity to read this E-ARC*

I will be posting a review on Instagram, Goodreads, and Fable on June 24th (pub date)

Oh, how fun this one was! I was a teen in the 80's so I love me a good ol' slasher movie! Add a "final girl" and I am one happy camper! Ella is an actress. Twenty years ago, she starred in a slasher movie and something terrible happened on set that no one ever spoke of again. Cue the reunion back at that same set 20 years later. What could possibly go wrong?? The story goes back and forth between past and present, and we also get scenes from the movie script thrown in. That was a bit different, but I liked it. There are a lot of characters, but they did all seem to have a point so that was ok, just pay attention. This is a fun summer thriller that actually had some psychological suspense to it also. I will definitely be checking out more of Miranda Smith's works in the future!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Miranda Smith and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of June 24, 2025.

This book gave me I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes. I enjoyed the story and the main character. The journey, past and present, took a slow approach. While I did really enjoy one of the twists, the conclusion wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t particularly like most of the characters, and maybe that was why I didn’t enjoy it as much. All and all, it was a fun story, taking place in a spooky place.

3/5 ⭐️

This was okay. The plot was interesting. The format included the past, present, & descriptions of scenes from the film the story is based on. It’s a lot to keep up with, but if you’re invested in the story, it should be fine. I think the author could’ve done without adding the scenes from the movie though. They didn’t add any significance.

Also a LOT of characters to keep up with here! I would say everyone did have a purpose to the storyline, so I’m not saying any were unnecessary. Again, I think you have to be invested in the story to remember who is who.

Ending had a good twist, plus every question you’ll likely have while reading was answered come the end.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bantam for the advanced e-copy!

Smile for the Camera by Miranda Smith is a gripping psychological thriller. The premise is compelling—but this is definitely a slow burn. I didn’t find myself attached to any of the characters. Most, if not all of them felt under developed which greatly affected my enjoyment of the story. I didn’t find myself enjoying it until the last half or so, because I still wanted to know who did it. What I did enjoy was the atmosphere of tension and suspense. I also really enjoyed the flashbacks, but still felt like something was missing.

To All the Readers that Like Thrillers:
Imagine being on a movie set in a secluded forest with terrible cell reception, a few envious peers, and filming a horror movie with a cast that is holding a major secret.

🌟Rating: Highly Recommend
🎬Genre: Mystery & Thriller

What I Liked:
✔️ Short Chapters
✔️ Book Setting/Location
✔️Ella’s internal conflict and background story

Book Quote: “People always say they’d do anything to be famous. Some people mean it.”

The story is split between what happened in the past & the present. The main character Ella is battling a secret that altered her life on the set of a film with people she trusted.

This was my first time reading something from this author and it wont be my last. The reader is introduced to an actress who plays a Final Girl in a slasher movie called Grad Night. The cast is holding onto a secret that took place at Blackstone Cottage and it haunts everyone leading up to the reunion where the spooky vibes kick in full throttle. If you enjoyed movies like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Halloween -- you will enjoy this fast paced thriller!!!

This book is definitely a page turner and I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. I loved how the author included the movie scripts that intertwined perfectly with the build up of story.

Check out my social media review on Instagram (@pageswithracquel) to see the animated review post.

I'm not a huge fan of horror/slasher books, but Smile for the Cameras was the perfect balance of insight into that genre without getting too gory. The premise is great and I really enjoyed the present timeline, but given the (intentional) parallels to the movie script and the past timeline, having both of those as alternate perspectives made things a little confusing.

I appreciate that I didn't know who the person behind the mask was until the reveal, but it felt like the author half set up a bunch of red herrings that could have been more fully developed.

Still, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to what Miranda Smith publishes next.

Miranda Smith’s Smile for the Camera delivers a smart, suspenseful twist on the “final girl” trope, blending slasher film nostalgia with psychological drama. The story moves between two timelines: Ella’s breakout role in a cult horror film twenty years ago and the present day, where she’s reluctantly returning for a reunion special that threatens to dredge up everything she thought she’d left behind.

The alternating timelines work well to build tension and slowly reveal the truth behind what happened all those years ago. Smith does a great job exploring the lasting effects of trauma, the dark side of fame, and society’s obsession with true crime and survival stories. Ella is a compelling lead—guarded, damaged, and very aware of the way others see her.

While I found the premise strong and the writing engaging, this wasn’t my favorite of Smith’s books. That said, I did love that I didn’t figure out the identity of the person in the graduation gown and lion mask until the reveal—it definitely kept me guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was an interesting enjoyable read. I do wish the plot in the current timeline developed a little sooner in the story, the ending felt a bit rushed. I was surprised by the twist which was nice because I had thought that I figured it out earlier but I was completely wrong.

Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith is a psychological thriller that gives off '90s slasher film vibes while giving a suspenseful narrative

The premise of this book is incredibly fun. An isolated cabin, a fractured group of people who made a hit cult-classic horror film decades ago, a deadly secret shared between them? FUN.
Unfortunately, I didn't feel like the book lived up to its full potential.
The characters were pretty stereotypical and forgettable. Ella, our main character, is the only point of view we get which leads to some interesting reveals throughout the story, but I would've loved some scenes from either an outside point of view or even the person who is seeking revenge on them.
I want to be clear that I did like this book. It was enjoyable, if a tad predictable, and kept me interested. It just felt like there were some key elements missing. If the characters and their motivations had been explored a bit more, it wouldn't feel like such an anti-climax when we do find out what's going on. But maybe that's just me.
I'd still recommend this for a fun summer thriller!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this eARC!

Also, the cover is STUNNING. The VIBES.

Ella Winters is a refreshingly vulnerable and relatable final girl you can’t help but root for. The rural Tennessee cabin setting? Absolutely perfect for dialing up the creepy, suspenseful atmosphere that kept me hooked from start to finish. Every plot twist had me gasping (no spoilers here, promise!), and I loved how the story kept me guessing about the masked villain’s identity—my theories changed more times than I can count!
What really made this book a page-turner was the clever back-and-forth between Hollywood glitz, the haunting past, and the tense present. It created a rollercoaster of emotions and suspense that I didn’t want to end. If you’re craving a slasher thriller with juicy secrets and a killer setting, this one’s a must-read!

I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions.

3.5⭐️

Okay so this started off as a slower burn character-driven story and I was a tad unsure. By the 50% mark, things started going in the slasher direction and I REALLY enjoyed where it went from there. I loved Ella’s character. She was honest in her struggles and genuine in her feelings. I enjoyed Riley too. I didn’t care for the others but the story took a few interesting turns and the twists were entertaining. Overall, I liked it!!!

Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith is a psychological thriller that gives off '90s slasher film vibes while giving a suspenseful narrative. Smith intertwines two different timelines and incorporates pieces from the original movie script, enhancing the deep experience while building tension.
The book was a pretty slow start, and was hard to continue to jump into. Once I got to further into the story the twists and turns were exciting. In the end I probably would not pick it up again, but I did enjoy the storyline, and the way it was written delivered a very good flow to the story.

Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith is a sharp, chilling thriller that brilliantly blends Hollywood nostalgia with slasher horror in all the best ways. Ella Winters, once the beloved “final girl” of a cult-classic film, is pulled back into the spotlight—and into danger—when a reunion documentary turns deadly. I loved how the story played with the blurred lines between fiction and reality, slowly revealing the dark secret the cast buried decades ago. The isolated cabin setting, creepy callbacks to the original movie, and the masked killer stalking the cast make for a tense, cinematic ride. It’s a clever, suspenseful page-turner that asks what happens when the past refuses to stay buried—and whether the final girl can truly survive twice.

I'm a huge fan of campy horror movies and murder mysteries, so I loved the premise of this book. It was a fast paced read, and kept me involved enough to read it one sitting.

However, there were some issues that kept me from totally enjoying it. For one, there was A LOT going on in a relatively short book: A slasher movie homage, a murder mystery, plus several other big elements I won't mention to avoid spoilers. The two timelines (plus the script sections which didn't feel entirely necessary) often got redundant, and slowed down the pace (Why did we need an entire chapter about filming an awkward sex scene? It had no relevance to the plot). The biggest issue was with the characters, though. Ella, our protagonist was a mess, and not very interesting most of the time. The rest were mostly terrible, and spent a lot of time saying the same dialogue over and over again (do they have cell service out there???).

This is a pretty good debut novel from Miranda Smith. Glad that NetGalley and Random House gave me the opportunity to give it a review before it comes out in June. I would have to give it a 3/5 though. The concept/idea is really great. I enjoyed the back and forth between the past/present, and it really feels like a slasher movie. However, I think the set up tool way too long. A little too much history and unnecessary banter that could have been left out to make a stronger novel. That will come in time I think for Miranda and I look forward to her future books. Once it got going, it was really good and I think it all tied up very nicely.

I LOVE a good thrasher novel that keeps me guessing. I was absolutely THRILLED that I was selected for this arc from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam publishing. The writing itself was so unique. I loved that the novel had dual timelines, but it also included pieces of the film's script as well. I LOVE unique writing structure. Overall, I was satisfied, but there were times where I found myself working hard to read in order to finish the text. The suspense was there, and I did appreciate that. I was just left feeling like something was missing.

I always admire the courage and creativity it takes to write a debut novel, and Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith certainly shows promise in its concept. The premise was intriguing and had the potential for a compelling psychological thriller.

That said, I found it a bit difficult to connect with the characters, and the pacing felt a bit drawn out in places, which made it hard for me to stay fully engaged. I believe there’s a strong voice here, and with more refinement in character development and plot structure, future works could really shine.

Wishing the author all the best in her writing journey—there’s clear talent here, and I look forward to seeing how her storytelling evolves!