Told from completely contrasting points of view, young Hanna, and her mother, Suzette, Baby Teeth explores the relationship between these two and.. sociopathic tendencies. Yes, this is dark. Yes, some things seem.. exaggerated (Hanna's intelligence, even if she's far above her age, her thoughts are extremely sophisticated). But it's an interesting foray into a completely unempathetic child and a mother trying her hardest to show unconditional love for her daughter.

The dad/husband drove me CRAZY. But it was understandable that he would be fighting the idea that his own child is a psychopath, especially when she shows him such love and affection. I wish that that particular aspect had been explored a little more, but that's just me wondering about the specifics of a sociopath's mind.

3.5 stars. It's interesting, different, shocking, complex... at times, it dragged a little. But I definitely flew through this book, trying to figure out where it was going.

DNF at 45%, unfortunately. I am always interested in trying horror novels because I love a scary thrill. I knew this book was about a little demonic girl, so maybe I should have seen coming what ultimately made me DNF the book: first, a seven year old girl observes her parents making love (a full graphic scene); second, that same seven year old girl imitates her parents by herself (again, graphic description) and is caught by her mother and proceeds to tell her mother that she was having sex with the devil. No offense to any who enjoyed this book, but this kind of thing makes me feel extremely icky. So. DNF. I did give this a rating - 2 stars - because I feel like I read enough of the book to legitimately rate my opinion; it got 2 instead of 1 star because the writing was excellent and kept me wanting to turn the pages (until I just couldn't take it anymore haha). This author certainly has a good writing career ahead of her but I probably won't be trying another horror novel by her.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for a free digital copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow…this book is in a league of it’s own and seriously creeped me out. I often read thrillers about a scorned lover plotting revenge on their partner…but this is a new one. Could a child really want to kill her own mother??

In Baby Teeth, we meet 7 year old Hanna, the daughter of Alex and Suzette. From the start, we know that Hanna likely has a psychological disorder and does not speak to anyone. The book is written from the perspective of both Hanna and Suzette, and each have struggles that are documented throughout the story. For Hanna, she doesn’t like social settings and acts out when going to school, since she prefers homeschool and needs quiet time. She is very intelligent, but either can’t or won’t use her voice to communicate. However, we know that she hates (REALLY hates) her mother, Suzette. Hanna eventually begins a plot to Suzette so that she can have her father, Alex, all to herself. Hanna’s thoughts and actions are truly disturbing. I did find it a little hard to believe that a 7 year old (deranged or not) could come up with such sophisticated plots to oust her mother. However, reading about the pain she wanted to inflict on her mother just kept me thinking “oh my God…” and made the book hard to put down, since i just had to know what Hanna would do, and whether Suzette would survive.

Suzette is an intriguing character. She describes her depressing childhood with a detached mother, and her own journey through a series of medical traumas. Suzette struggles with Crone’s disease, as well as anxiety. She has a hard time sharing her fears about her daughter’s behavior with her husband, Alex, as she fears that their marriage will implode, should Alex discover the truth about his daughter. Eventually, Hanna’s evil behavior becomes something that cannot be hidden, as her attempts to injure Suzette are successful. I found Suzette’s struggle with motherhood an important element of the story. Her feelings of regret toward becoming a mother that develop into rage and hatred directed toward Hanna, and this piece felt raw and although shocking, were understandable within the family dynamics.

This was a great book that kept me hooked. It was highly disturbing, but I couldn’t stop reading. You won't believe what Hanna is capable of! Highly recommend!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage in exchange for an honest review. I cannot categorize this novel: it's somewhere between psychological suspense and a horror story. The Jensen family is in crisis. Hanna is the seven-year-old daughter who, at such an early age, has managed to be expelled from schools for difficult and cruel behaviour. Although she is able to speak, she has remained mute until now. Suzette is the mother who herself has had a difficult childhood and has serious health issues as an adult. She takes on the task of home-schooling Hanna because there are no other alternatives. Alex is the husband and father who dotes on Hanna and believes that Suzette is not empathetic enough to the plight of their daughter. Hanna has become extremely angry and aggressive and will stop at nothing to split up Suzette and Alex in order to have her father all to herself and get rid of her mother for good. Each chapter gives us the point of view of either Hanna or Suzette and the cruelty and aggression increases at the turning of each page. Creepy is the word that comes to my mind when describing this book. Although the reader may wince and shudder, this novel is well-written by Zoje Stage and gives us a very dark look into this dysfunctional family.

I could not put this book down! Page after page the deeper I made it on the more it had a hold on me ! was an amazing book would recommend this to anyone who asked me about it !

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of Baby Teeth in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be reminiscent of The Omen and the little boy Damien. Hannah was a 7 year old child with serious issues. She felt like her mom was getting in the way of her father's attention, so Hannah felt "getting rid of" her mother would solve everything. We slowly learn the manipulative ways of Hannah to torture her mother and gain the attention of her father. There is a paranormal aspect to this story that has the reader wondering if it is mental illness or paranormal involvement.

The first half of this book had me glued to the pages! Wow, what an evil little manipulative child Hannah is . I couldn't get enough and yet I wanted to pinch that little girl. However, I felt that this story fell short in the second half once an escalation was reached. The book never really got to that peak and fell. The story just sort of ended anti-climatically. Maybe it was the author's way to leave room for book #2? I surely would like to see where Suzette, Alex and Hannah pick up next.

This book would be enjoyed by those fans of thrillers and horror. Similar to classic horror stories of the 70's, think Stephen King or Ira Levin.

An utterly terrifying novel about the relationship between mother and daughter . Hanna adores her daddy but Mommy is in her way . Suzette going through her own illnes and struggles in her life tries to be the perfect Mother . Homeschooling , planned outings while Hanna plots her next move .scary and very real this is the book of the Summer

This is one well-done, very creepy book, and definitely not a read for the faint of heart.

Hanna is not your typical child. She is a seven year old who refuses to speak, but she is also a child who shows terrifying and escalating aggression towards her unwell mother, Suzette. Hanna's father never sees anything but a loving little girl who needs help to express herself--but Suzette sees a dangerous mind in the body she carried inside her.

The alternating chapters between Suzette and Hanna's perspectives really up the ante. Baby Teeth is a book that is constantly upping the ante, with such intensity that it's haunting. I could not put this book down.

When I saw the description of this book on Netgalley, I decided that I wasn't interested, but then the publisher sent me an invitation to read the book so I went ahead and downloaded it. I should have followed my original instincts. I thought the book (at least as much of it as I could stand) was just unpleasant, sensationalist nonsense. Hannah hates mommy, loves daddy and acts like a demon child. Fortunately, I didn't waste too much of my time on this.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Everything about this book disturbed me. The daughter had the most disgusting behavior for a 7 year old and the father was a clueless wimp.

Imagine a child so dangerous that the mother asked for weapons when she found herself alone in the same house with her. That is what this book was about 90% of the time. The conflict between a mother, her psychotic daughter (who does not talk might I add) and her oblivious husband who SWEARS his daughter is an angel is the makings of a true horror movie.

One thing I enjoyed about this novel was the honest emotions it made me feel. I’ve never been around a child like Hanna, and I pray I never do, but I was shocked with the way the author described her behavior. It was so over the top I thought I was being punkd. (Anyone remember that show?)

On the other hand, I have no clue why she hated her mother so much. I remember in the beginning of the story she mentioned wanting her father to herself but the subtle hint of incest was so random I tried to push it out of my mind for the remainder of the book.

If you can handle sexual content, witch craft references, and psychotic behavior then this book is for you. If you can’t then this book can be a real trigger.

It seems a little odd that I requested this -- since I recently gave birth to my first child -- but for some reason a novel about a child trying to murder her mother struck me as a fun idea. And it is a fun book. I often found myself laughing or smiling, wondering what sweet, little demented Hanna would do next. I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to find it funny, but hey, I did, and in a good way.

There are a few things that didn't make much sense to me. I know about 5 kids with speech delays, and every single one of them was in child developmental therapy by the age of three. It's hard for me to imagine a pediatrician failing to recommend developmental therapy, and most health insurance companies cover it. And then there's the schools. Did you know public schools are required to provide all needs to developmentally delayed children, and if they cannot, the government must pay for private school? Now you know (though there are several ways schools try to get out of that, so I've heard from families with children with special needs. Again, I have no immediate experience with this, only friends with experience). And then the mother's doctors never once tested her for anemia, even though she has Crohn's and frequently surgeries and doctor visits? That's unlikely (I have Celiac, another gut disorder, though nowhere near as serious as Crohn's).

Okay, so I had some minor quibbles, but I also, more importantly, never wanted to put the book down. I read while waiting for the elevator, while prepping a bottle, while waiting for the water in my shower to heat up. I took every little cranny of time to read. It's a fun debut that not everyone will like, but if the premise intrigues you, you should give it a go.

[Reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads]
[I will also review on Book Riot in October]
[I will also Instagram about it]

I was really disappointed in the mixed reviews of this book. I really never considered Hannah to be a cold calculated premeditated murderess but instead regarded her as having a mental illness - a severe mental illness that renders her unable to see right from wrong. She absolutely has ulterior motives and likes her dad a whole lot more than her mom, but that could change? Right?

This book left me with lots of complicated feelings but with the overall understanding that I loved everything about the book. Recently I’ve been reading a lot of thrillers, particularly those with female leads who suffer from psychopathic or sociopathic tendencies (although I’m sure if they were real they would quibble with my use of the word suffer). This book seems to be the prologue to these other stories.

This book definitely has something to say about modern parenting, using frequent references to difficulties experienced by the mother during her childhood. It also has a lot to say about the changes that happen to parents when they have a child, particularly when the same child does not live up to their expectations. From the child’s perspective their actions seem reasonably balanced and well thought through, I mean for a 7 year old at least. The lack of understanding of how the adult world works has been well captured by the author.

I don’t want to get to drawn into the nature vs nurture debate, however this book straddles that line very cleverly and, in my opinion, manipulatively. Just like the main characters are able to do with the husband/father, the author knows how to make the reader question what they already know.

This is definitely a book that I would love to read a sequel to, perhaps from the alternating perspectives of the child psychologist and Skog (Hannah’s cuddly toy).

A free copy was provided by the publisher (through netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure how I feel. On one hand, I really wanted to know what happened next, every single time something happened. But then it also seemed unrealistic and just stupid at some points. And I can't respect a book that uses "fuck" as a verb unironically and "cock" way way way too often.

First thing that comes to my mind after reading this book is WOW! This was a page turner, for sure. I'm glad I was able to read all night due to recovering from surgery. It was a hard book to put down.

This was a thriller so creepy it brought out hints of horror. And I loved it every bit of it! It is hard to believe that this is the authors debut novel. I look forward to many more books from her.

It was well written and oh, what a scary little 7 year old girl, Hanna. It was a truly fascinating story and wow, what she put her mother through was absolutely horrifying!

I see there is some controversy involving this book which is a shame. Anyone not reading it is missing out on a good story. I recommend it!

* I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book.

I received this novel for free from the publisher through Netgalley for a review. Suzette loves her husband and she loves her daughter, Hannah, but sometimes she thinks her daughter doesn't love her back. Sometimes she thinks her daughter may actually be trying to hurt her. Hannah agrees. I thought that this was an interesting story, it is different then pretty much anything else I have read before as I have not read a lot concerning potentially psychotic children. I thought that the author did a good job demonstrating situations from Hannah's point of view and though it didn't make her necessarily a likeable character it made it interesting to see things from her perspective. I thought the book was a slow burn, though things happened it took a while to build up to them, but the payoff was worth it and I'm glad that I continued reading

Mothering...the struggle is real...especially when you have a daughter who’s brilliant, but doesn’t speak, and with whom you’ve developed a love/hate relationship. The kniving and undermining that have grown on both sides will leave your eyebrows at your hairline and you muttering “omg!” But what if there’s something, or someone, else going on in that mind of hers?
Sociopath? Psychopath? Possessed? The creepiness of a child bent on destroying her family is scary, heartbreaking and downright chilling... Baby Teeth will sink into you as a sick, thrilling ride.

Hanna is a mute seven-year-old who has a deep affection for her dad, Alex. Hanna is quite the "daddy's girl" and wants all of his attention all the time. There's just one problem: her mom Suzette. Suzette suffers fro Chron's disease and has a hard time dealing with her disease and an even harder time bonding with her daughter. Suzette wants to do everything she can to form a bond with her daughter and help figure out what's wrong with her. I mean, what seven-year-old is mute and has never spoken? Hanna has other plans. She wants to get rid of her mother and she will stop at nothing until she's gone. This book was every bit creepy as you think it might be. This book also comes with a MAJOR trigger warning if you have small kids. I don't have kids and this book was still creepy and hard to read. Hanna is malicious and conniving. Some of the stunts she pulled were absolutely appalling. When I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it. It's that mind-blowingly creepy. With that said, I didn't really enjoy it. I didn't connect with any of the characters and Hanna had a way of freaking me out. It wasn't an easy read to get through and it certainly wasn't a feel good book. I wish that there had been a twist or a big OMG factor, but it was definitely an interesting read.

I loved this book! It's incredibly unsettling as you realize that the 7-year-old daughter is a total psychopath and, as the reader, feel things toward her that are typically not directed toward a young child. Hearing Hanna's hateful inner thoughts and plans to murder her mother, Suzette, allows the reader to quickly ally with this helpless mom. This novel kept me engrossed from start to finish as I yearned to learn just how far out of control Hanna became. It's an emotional ride unlike anything I've ever read before. Totally worth the read!

This has got to be one of the creepiest books that I have ever read. The idea that a child can think like this and do these things just blew me away. There were several times that I had to just put the book down and get away from it from a few minutes. It seriously affected me mentally.

However, there is no way that I will ever forget this book. It's one that will stay with me for a very long time. While the subject matter is pretty much on the garish side, it was a good read.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.