Very unique story, but incredibly well written and hard to put down. I highly recommend this one to any body looking for a creepy and disturbing read. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Devil child? Misunderstood child? Two-sided tale of parenting and childhood gone wrong. Parents beware!! You’ll look at your own darlings a little differently after this.

{Alternative titles: Bad Apple / Baby Teeth}

Riveted. That’s what I was. It wasn’t because this was a thriller. It was the psychological story of the mother and daughter that made me desperate to see just what each side was really thinking and feeling.

You can’t help but feel for Suzette - mother of a six year old who hasn’t ever spoken. Who has voluntarily become a stay-at-home mum, home-schooler and housewife leaving a very creative profession and fulfilling career to spend her time with a daughter who appears to hate her.
She has clearly tried hard:
“It was hard to pour endless love into someone who wouldn’t love you back. No one could do it forever.

You also feel for Hanna. She adores her father but seems to feel her mother doesn’t love her:
“It as all Mommy wanted all day. To stop thinking about her. To leave her behind.”

Hanna has never spoken. She can write, read, is clearly highly intelligent and no tests have shown any problems. It is a truly strange scenario, and one we are able to see from both perspectives, with both characters speaking to us. Do we believe that Hanna is a monster? Or that Suzette is jealous of her husband’s love for her daughter and has pushed her out?

It’s very difficult to put a finger on just how things have gone wrong for Suzette’s family, and her husband sees only a little angel and a frazzled wife who tells stories he can’t see truth in - notes Hanna write containing swear words are ripped up, bad behaviour is only ever reported but not witnessed - so it really is an Electra complex and battle between mother and daughter.

The story will shock. It ramps up quickly to a thriller of sorts, with rather terrifying scenes played out in two perspectives. I got a feel for ‘why’ things had progressed as they had, though felt more detail of Hanna’s early years would have been helpful in pinpointing this.

There are some key moments between husband and wife that struck home, as their old relationship before becoming parents is allowed breathing space. As a parent, it reminded me of the feeling of confinement that comes with the more joyful aspects of children.

I loved the slow-burn of the situation that suddenly comes to a head, the evidence that mounts as to the likely dangers, the inside look into both child and parent, the overly-exaggerated relationship problems that here result in a horror show of a climax.

Violence and hate, injuries and pain... it won’t be for everyone but is a fascinating psychological trip into a twisted and scarred family.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was excited to receive this copy due to all the advance publicity, but as I read it, I was quite dismayed that the evil person in the book was a 7-year old child who was jealous of her mother.
I don't feel the book gave enough background as to why Hanna, the child, behaved the way she did. By all accounts, Suzette was a loving, attentive mother to Hanna. I understand that Hanna craved her father's attention, but the book never explained why Hanna had such hatred of her mother, especially since her mother did so much for Hanna.
I just don't believe that children are born with an evil streak. This book was very creepy.
Perhaps because it was an ARC, there were several places where the setting would jump to a different time and/or place without any segue. That was odd, and perhaps needs some additional editing.

#BabyTeeth #ZojeStage #NetGalley #StMartinsPress

What can I say about this disturbing yet so engaging novel? It isn't the feel good book of the summer but it certainly is a page turner. It's almost like one of those things where you don't want to look, but you can't look away.

Baby Teeth really pulls you back and forth in a good way with the alternate viewpoints of Suzette and Hanna. This book is a great read for anyone who loves a thriller/horror novel and it was a 4 star read for me. All the characters are very well developed and the storyline definitely keeps you reading. There are also so many things to talk about in this book that it could make a great book club pick as well.

I received this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was intense, to say the least. It did take me some time to warm up to the story, as it started off pretty slow with its introduction of the characters and the setting. Once the drama began to heat up between Hanna and Suzette, I was really drawn into the story. There were some parts of the book that were really creepy and slightly cringy at times. I have to say the ending was not at all what I thought it was going to be...which was slightly disappointing. This novel is definitely not for the faint of heart as it deals with some pretty intense issues surrounding a child. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and would be interested in reading more from this author.

Terrifying and creepy. Hannah has to be the creepiest child character I've ever read. Such a good tale. A must read.

There were parts of this book that I really liked, but more often I found myself in disbelief. The situations the author put the mother and daughter in were simply not believable. The author did not make the behaviors of the Hannah age-appropriate, and as a result it detracted from the story.

To the contrary, the concept itself was thought provoking. What would you do? How would you react if your daughter relentlessly turned against you? What if you knew that your daughter was dealing with her own inner demons and your spouse did not support you in getting her help. Excellent concept, I just did not care for how it was executed.

This was a disturbing book on so many levels. And yet I still found my heart breaking at times. The story did not end the way I thought it would. As disturbing as this book was, if there was a follow up, I would read it.

This was a great, suspenseful book. The character development was fantastic, and I loved the ending ;) I will definitely be reading more of Diane Chamberlain in the future--you have a devoted fan!

Definitely creepy. Sort of The Exorcist crossed with The Bad Seed?I liked the writing. But the plot didn't really go anywhere and I thought the ending was incredibly disappointing.

The book included a mishmash of ideas about witchcraft, mental illness, and weird family dynamics, all of which I wish had been better sorted out.

Points for the super-weird family dynamic: the long-suffering Suzette; doting yet clueless Alex; Hanna, desperate for her father's attention and jealous of her mother.

Is Hanna a witch? Possessed by a witch? A psychopath pretending to be a witch? Mentally ill and thinks she's a witch? I think it's great when a book keeps me guessing but after that I want some sort of thrilling resolution, while this one just fizzled.

Hanna is seven. She's a cute little thing in the eyes of her father, Alex, who thinks she can do no wrong. Hanna wants nothing more than life to be Hanna-and-Daddy forever. Her mother, Suzette, is exhausted by life with Hanna, which is nothing but endless manipulations, anger, tantrums, and now, escalating violence. Hanna doesn't speak, but she has her special ways of hurting her mother. She's been kicked out of several schools for her behavior, and Suzette is done. Even worse, Alex can't seem to acknowledge that something is off with Hanna's behavior.

"Every win for Hanna was a you-lose for Mommy."

I'd been putting off reading this book for a bit because I'd heard that it was creepy and disturbing, and I can confirm that yes, it is both of those things. Ha. I can't say I'm particularly glad that I read it, though it's an interesting read and certainly different. It mostly held my interest, but after all the hype, I found myself a little letdown: there really wasn't all that much to the story. I found myself waiting that twist, that something special that never came.

Still, Stage does an excellent job of capturing Hanna's child-like voice and telling a story from her unique perspective. The tale alternates between chapters from Hanna's perspective and then Suzette's, and I can't deny that you'll find yourself a little freaked out after reading Hanna's. The book is eerie and disturbing; it's hard to believe, yet not, as it's certainly effectively told. There are some tough moments to read and it's definitely not always for the faint of heart.

I had a tough time empathizing with our adult characters--our cast is mainly limited to the family unit, and I didn't care much for either Alex or Suzette. We are probably supposed to feel bad for Suzette, as she's struggling with both Hanna and failing health (having had Crohn's disease since childhood). And I did, at times, but she talked so much, and kept rehashing things, and I just wanted to shake her to wake up, get a grip, and deal with everything. So yeah. And her husband was just clueless and ugh.

Hanna was a much tougher one--as a parent, I found this one hard. Of course, you want to believe and care for a small child. Yet, you can also empathize with a mom who feels like they need a break from their child. I enjoyed how the book made you think about these kind of things as Hanna started to escalate. What would you do in this situation? How did things get to this point? That's where it is interesting. Some of the best parts are the oozing tension and unease that pervade the whole novel.

Unfortunately, it doesn't completely capitalize on that uneasiness, leaving you a little deflated by the end. I was actually hoping for a little more creepiness, a little less character-study. I definitely enjoyed pieces of this one, and I'd still recommend it due to how different it is: overall, 3 stars.

This book was definitely different I am not sure if that is good or bad though...It kinda had me a little confused in the going back an forth between the mom and daughter. Which is the reason for the 4 stars instead of 5...

This book was.. Very good in some parts, made me squeamish in other parts. I haven't read many books where I didn't care for any of the main characters. While written very well and the characterization was excellent executed, I had a difficult time getting into the storyline. The main characters, Hanna, was so abhorrent and evil. I just couldn't seem to summarize with any of the characters in any way. I know that many have read and loved it, but it just wasn't for me.

*I would like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*

4.4 stars, rounding down to 4*.

No surprise to those who know my love of psychological thrillers, but I really enjoyed this book. I was surprised to see so many 1 and 2 star ratings, however!

Baby Teeth is the story of Hanna Jensen, a 7-year-old bright, non-verbal child who progresses from being difficult to her mother and doting to her father, to vacillating between terrorizing her mother and charming/manipulating her father. The story is told in turns by Hanna and her mother Suzette.

Suzette and Hanna's father, Alex have an almost too-perfect relationship, at least in Suzette's flashbacks to the time before they had Hanna. Despite Suzette's medical issues (she suffers from Crohn's disease), they adore one another and share a passionate, communicative relationship. But raising a behaviorally challenged, non-verbal child begins to take its toll and cracks begin to appear in the perfection.

Hanna is a terrifically frightening antagonist and Suzette's health issues make the reader wonder if some of the issues she experiences with Hanna are in her mind.

I read this book on a long-haul flight and devoured all but the first 2 chapters in one sitting. Definitely recommended to other fans of this genre! Well-written and well-developed.! I'll be looking for more from Zoje Stage!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me engaged the entire time. I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I would highly recommend to all my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!

This is a very dark and twisted tale of young evil. Hanna is seven years old and you just know that she is not normal. The characters are complex and richly developed. The story is well written and flows well from beginning to end. I could feel the fear and the sorrow. I thought the Mom was a bit selfish and the Dad a bit detached from what is truly going on in this house. This book is one that will keep you up at night. What would you do if your child was a sociopath? It is a very creepy story but you will have to keep turning the pages till the very end. If you love psychological thrillers then don't miss this one. A great read!

Thank you to Net Galley for giving me the chance to read this awesome book!
I have always like books about a child being a "Bad Seed" and this is a great addition to that sub-genre of horror. The chapters alternate between a mother who has been plagued by health issues and the daughter that seems beset on destroying her. It is a nasty little piece of business that has a strong psychological element to it that runs throughout. I was reminded a bit of We Need To Talk About Kevin. While I enjoyed the style, characters, and story I felt the end was a bit rushed. I would highly recommend this.

An interesting premise but not a literary classic. Yes, disturbing, but not disturbing-done-well. It’s been likened to We Need to Talk About Kevin and The Dinner but it’s like neither of those books. Could have been much better, but wasn’t. I don’t recommend this one. But thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

What would you do if your own daughter hated you? Especially if your own husband didn't believe you.

The concept of this book is pretty deranged. It had so much hype coming out and it started out really good. Then the middle kind of fell flat. The ending kind of picked up but then left you with no closure. I hate when mediocre books leave with no closure cause then you feel like you powered through for nothing.

WOW. Did not expect that. I was very happy this book pulled me out of my reading slump. Impressed with the cunning behavior of Hanna. She is a smart cookie, even if slightly flawed and a bit manipulative. HAHA.