Loved this thriller as it follows Ella from the beginning as they film "Grad Night," a horror movie where one of the cast members turns up dead! The format takes a "then" and "now" approach as all the surviving members have been called together to film a documentary about what went wrong then. But even the cast is unprepared for what will happen as bodies are found and there appears to still be a killer! It's a "heart in your throat" moment when everything is revealed!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This one is for the slasher flick fans—the folks who still keep a VHS player around just in case Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer needs a rewatch. Final Girl energy? Absolutely. Murder in a remote cabin? You bet. Drama from a long-forgotten horror film reunion? Say less.

The concept here is chef’s kiss—an aging scream queen returns to the creepy old set of her cult-classic horror movie for a reunion doc, and naturally, someone decides to go full method-acting killer. The vibes are solid: think Behind the Music meets Camp Crystal Lake.

But while I wanted full-throttle terror and twisty-turny suspense, what I got was more PG-13 spooky season starter pack. It read a bit more like YA horror—lighter, less layered, and not quite the skin-crawling, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride I was hoping for. I wanted bone-chilling… but this barely nudged goosebumps.

Still, I had fun. The flashbacks were entertaining, the slasher references were on point, and the pacing made for a quick read. It’s basically horror-lite with a generous splash of nostalgia—perfect if you like your horror cozy with a side of popcorn.

Would I recommend it? Sure—but more as a nostalgic throwback read than a true screamfest. Just don’t go in expecting to sleep with the lights on.

A big thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I really wanted to love this book. The story had so much potential, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to what I hoped it would. The first 60% of the book was drawn out and had way too much background information that didn’t add to the overall story the author was trying to tell.

The last 40% was much more entertaining and thriller. I wish the last 40% was more drawn out and made up the whole story. I loved the big reveal of the killer with the mask removal that was reminiscent of classic slasher films. Overall, a good ending but not my favorite read.

I absolutely loved this book!! The story follows Ella, an actress who stepped away from acting to take care of her mom. Once her mom passes, she’s ready to get back into acting but finds it hard. She did a horror film 20 years ago that was a huge success and now everyone is getting back together for a reunion. Ella thinks this is her chance to get her name back out there and get back to doing what she loves. Once she gets to the remote house that the movie was shot at 20 years ago, sec rests start to come out and everyone might be in danger.
The premise of this book was what immediately drew me in. I’m a huge horror movie fan and a book that is basically like taking place in a horror movie sounded amazing! The story goes back and forth between when the movie was shooting 20 years ago to present day.
I’ve read so many thrillers that I don’t normally get shocked at an ending but this book truly shocked me! I wasn’t expecting that ending but it was perfect! I would highly recommend this to any horror movie fans!!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a fun popcorn thriller. I like locked room mysteries and this one had some twists I didn't see coming. I didn't care for the hollywood aspect of the characters but would be interested in picking up more books my this author in the future.

This book completely grabbed me from page one and I was completely immersed. I love slasher movies, especially campy early 2000s ones, so I definitely would have been a fan of Grad Night. I loved how it felt like I was living inside this suspenseful, meta, horror film as I read. The author did a great job slowly teasing out the central mystery and keeping a growing sense of tension mounting. I liked that it was told from multiple angles - then, now, and film scripts.

As a fan of classic 90s slasher films, Smile For the Cameras by Miranda Smith immediately caught my eye and it definitely delivered on the nostalgic, campy horror vibes. The story centers on Ella, the “Final Girl” of a cult horror movie, who reluctantly reunites with the old cast and crew for a documentary that quickly takes a sinister turn. Told in alternating timelines with some screenplay inserts, the setup is intriguing and immersive.

That said, the pacing was a bit of a struggle for me. The first half moves very slowly, with vague references to a mysterious past event that kept getting teased but never revealed until quite late. It made it hard to stay fully engaged in the beginning, and I didn’t connect with Ella as a protagonist until closer to the end. However, the last quarter of the book really turned things around. The twist was unexpected, the writing tightened up, and the suspense ramped up in a satisfying way.

There were some elements that didn’t quite work for me- certain plot points felt a little recycled, and the inclusion of random sexual content felt unnecessary and out of place. Still, the atmospheric tension and love for the genre came through.

Overall, I’d recommend this one if you enjoy slow-burn horror with a nostalgic edge and don’t mind waiting a bit for the payoff.

I loved horror and scary movies, thought this book would be right up my alley! Unfortunately it fell a little flat, I was a bit bored. However, if you love I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Scream then this may be a great read for you!

The story starts with Ella running through the woods. Sad to say, it’s a trite start. We’ve all read hundreds of books with the main character running through the woods.
It’s told in the first person by Ella Winters who has been out of the spotlight for twenty years and now wants back in. She has a possible new role, but first she has to do a reunion show of Grad Night, the movie that put her name on top. Her ex-boyfriend will be there, as well as the director and the other cast members.
The chapters veer between what happened then and what is happening now. There are lots of hints about what happened then. Lots and lots. It’s repetitious and, instead of making us interested in what really happened, it leaves us feeling, alright, get on with it.
A cameraman died during the initial shoot. Which actually has nothing to do with the story, no matter how many times it is mentioned. In the now part of the book, someone has been murdered. And so it continues, with several murders taking place. It took twenty years and over half of the book to get to the reason why. Also, of course, the whodunit.
If you haven’t read all those other books that start with a girl running through the woods, and, if you are willing to wade through 2/3 of the book to find out what the deep, dark secret is, then this might be the book for you.

Smile for the Camera, while a predictable mystery, still has some nice twists. It's an enjoyable slasher/thriller novel. I would recommend it for readers of Freida McFadden and similar thriller authors.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Smile for the Cameras.

The premise rides the current trend where the main character is a former actress/actor who is pulled back to the old timey horror movie that made her/him famous for a reunion so she/he can revitalize their career.

I love horror movies so this was right up my alley.

Sadly, the premise was a downer as was the characters.

I didn't like Ella or anyone; for a main character she's dull, boring and not interesting.

I get the cast are representative of horror movie tropes but they never grew out of their typecasted roles 20 years later.

The author makes pointed commentary about the misogyny and sexual violence prevalent in Hollywood and the moviemaking industry, which the narrative seems hotly focused on.

There's very little suspense and urgency and the narrative is interspersed with parts of the original screenplay of Grad Night.

I don't mind mixed media elements but a little goes a long way.

All the revelations happen at the end and they're eye-rolling. If you can suspend disbelief, you'll have no problem accepting what happens.

In short, most men are scum no matter if they're an actor, director or Joe Schmo.

I guessed whodunit and the big reveal was not a surprise, though the ending was anti-climatic and pointless.

The writing is okay, but the tone felt very YA-ish.

There are well written YA books but the vibe of the narrative read as immature and silly, befitting the slasher movie tone, I guess.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an eARC of Smile for the Cameras in exchange for my honest review!

I'll admit that this isn't one of my favorite horror books, but I'm left feeling like it's a decent time once it's all wrapped up. It's just that the first 60% of the plot or so moves along pretty slowly, and it's not even the type of slowness that fully bores me. No, no, it still keeps me generally engaged, but I'm simultaneously aware of how much this book is trying its hardest to set up the pieces of its tale with deliberate pacing—a decision that ends up landing sluggishly in the execution. At least the third act has some good tension and twists, even if I can't fully buy into one specific element that had been loosely set up. The ending heads down a path that appropriately meshes with this story that we've followed about the exploitation and misogyny that Hollywood has ruthlessly constructed within its predatory system. In addition, the script snippets that this sprinkles throughout the narrative are a neat aspect, and I also admire the nimble job that this does of cutting back and forth between the past and present timelines.

Overall, I'm officially rating Smile for the Cameras 3.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 3 stars. I wish this could have been better, but I'm still glad I gave it a shot.

This book gives those immediate 90s slasher vibes. It works in dual timelines which felt a little meh at some points. A lot of the past timeline was used to cast suspicion on the current timeline but wasn’t of too much interest on its own. I think it could have been accomplished with just the current timeline and some discussions of the past. The book isn't immediately fast-paced and the beginning of the story is slower, getting to know the characters and setting the context, but once it kicks off, it was a lot of fun.

It is based in film/hollywood so it uses script sections between the timelines. I didn’t think that piece was needed as it doesn’t tie into the script, and Is mostly a separate padded story. Also the script uses the actors names and not character names which felt weird to me.

My biggest issue was the “twist” about 80% in felt very juvenile. It’s just revealed and then we get a whole two chapters of exposition dump which felt more like YA writing. It just missed the mark on the climax.

Overall I think this is a pretty good debut but had some major pieces I would change. I would give it 2.5 rounded up to 3. I think it's worth giving a try.

A true final girl novel, Smile for the Cameras follows the cast of a wildly popular slasher film years later for a reunion. When the cast and crew starts dropping like flies, secrets come to life and the truth comes back to haunt everyone. What happened on the set twenty years ago, and who was truly responsible? Someone has to pay!

This had such fun scream or Friday the 13th vibes, a true late 90s/early 2000s horror vibe. I absolutely loved it.

Highly recommend for a bit of a dark thriller with some crude humor tossed in too.

Miranda Smith does not disappoint in this new novel! This book is action packed and thrilling and you will not see all the twists and turns. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Highly recommend!

This surprised me, I thought I had it all figured out, but then *bam* everything I thought was all wrong! Great read, fantastic pacing and I love when a story gives us glimpses from the past and then the now. Give it a try, definitely worth it.

I liked the mixed media element, but everything else about this was average at best. There was a reveal in the book that was ridiculous and it had to be overexplained to make any kind of sense.

I love Slasher books and movies, I love present and past POV's, I love final girl slasher and thrillers, I love the one-by-one and isolated cabin tropes!

This book has all of the above! This is my first book by this author.

This has the past and present POV's, like I stated, but it also has script/screenplay scenes in it.

This is about Ella, a slasher final girl and Hollywood IT girl who leaves the limelight and then comes back for a reunion.

I don't think it was slow, it like it was moving right along. It was a fast and fun nostalgia read for me and I definitely plan to read more by this author.
I also LOVE the cover for this book! I absolutely will be buying a hardcover of this book.

If you like any of the above tropes, especially 90s slashers this will be for you!
Thank you to Miranda Smith, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC!

I am a horror movie fan, and I LOVED this book! A fun, winking take on classic horror movies like Halloween, Psycho, and I Know What You Did Last Summer, Smile for the Cameras incorporates well-known horror tropes and updates them for the post Me-Too era in a sly, feminist and fun way. Our final girl Ella, the heroine of the original film, has returned slightly reluctantly to film a sequel to the horror movie that made her famous twenty years ago. But unbeknownst to her audience, something truly sinister and evil happened during the filming of the original movie, resulting in a secret the cast shared for all these years. But, like in any horror movie worth its salt, someone out there knows the secret and is bent on torturing the cast about it -- literally. As the filming starts, real life bodies start to pile up and secrets are revealed. The result is an extremely fun horror movie within a horror movie, which faithfully executes so many fun plot twists and tropes from the classics that horror movie fans will giggle with delight while being simultaneously scared and thrilled. The characters have depth, the plot has legs, and the author's love and appreciation of the horror genre shines through every word. I loved the twists and the plot, the unreliability of some of the narration, and the thoughtfulness of the issues raised. I can't wait to see what else this author can do! She's a star in her own right.

This book is fun! I’ve been enjoying slasher movies ever since I was way too young for them and this fast-paced novel is like watching one. This is the story of a fictional cult horror flick, mixing the “then” of when it was filmed, with the screenplay and the “now” during the reunion documentary. The movie itself seems a little lame and its success inexplicable. I was thinking that it was not necessary to include the original script but then it does influence the past and the present “real-life” storylines. The way these mix is well done, and it is never confusing or hard to follow. Unlike the movies this represents, the characters in the book are well-rounded and relatable. They are playing stereotypes, but the actors are real people. The plot in the end was a little silly but, honestly, that’s the way slashers have always worked. So, just as I enjoyed Scream at a visceral level, even knowing that the ending was dumb, I didn’t question this book. Just grab some popcorn and enjoy the ride.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam.