Zoje Stage is channeling the great Ira Levin in this one. I foresee Baby Teeth being today what Rosemary's Baby was in the 60s. (Am I dating myself there?) Baby Teeth is a smart, calculating thrill ride with a possibly psychotic, possibly sociopathic, possibly evil 7 year-old leading the way. While every detail is not as tight as it is in Levin's work, this is Zoje Stage's debut novel, and I'm confident she will learn to screw each detail in with precision. This book straddles the genres of horror and thriller with tightrope precision, leaving the reader teetering with arms out between the two. Which does it fall into? It doesn't matter, it's a heck of a walk down the middle! I rounded up from a 3.5 star rating (needs to tighten those details with a bit more precision, leaving absolutely nothing unnecessary), but I truly feels this book deserves the upgrade. It will make you cringe, it will make you fidget, it will leave you feeling exposed, it will be controversial, but it will be read by many!

This is EXACTLY THE REASON why I don't want kids! You try to do everything right. You follow all the best practices, give them all the best opportunities. Yet they still want you dead! Baby Teeth is spooky, thought provoking, and intense. It starts a little slowly for a thriller, but definitely hooks you by the end. Eek, creepy kids!

Definitely a page-turner, though I had a hard time seeing the point to the book by the end.

I wonder if this would have been better as a novella because something about the pacing dragged and it felt a bit repetitive towards the second half. Also, Alex was an insufferable character and the author's heavy-handedness about his Swedish background didn't help.

Baby Teeth is the book equivalent of a horror movie, which doesn't mean that it isn't engaging and creepy, but the overall reading experience remains fairly superficial.

This book has a killer amount of buzz, and it's for a good reason. It's disturbingly addictive, like something you feel you shouldn't be enjoying but you can't stop turning pages. It's not trying to teach you anything, and that's okay. It's a great summer book for those of us who are less into beach reads brimming with romance and more into disturbing books to immerse ourselves in on rainy, dreary evenings.

Little Hanna loves her Daddy very much. She's going to marry him when she's grown up, you know. Hopefully Mommy will be gone by then. She's like an annoying insect, always buzzing in Hanna's ears. Do this, don't do that, don't say that... life would be much better without Mommy. Everything would be better if it were just Hanna and Daddy.

Hanna wishes Daddy would see Mommy like she does, and becomes determined to sever their ties. She plots and plans, determined to have her father for herself. Mother Suzette is just about at the end of her rope. Hanna chooses to be mute, instead communicating with a combination of noises and gestures. She seems to be very intelligent, but refuses to focus on her homeschooling. Who has time for lessons when there's a Mommy to get rid of? Poor Suzette also suffers from Crohn's disease, trying to manage her illness while caring for her difficult daughter.

Can Suzette make her husband Alex see Hanna's true colors, despite her angelic behavior when he's around? Will Hanna succeed in getting rid of her mother or destroying her parents marriage... or will Suzette finally snap? The whole book is a power struggle the likes of which most of us have never imagined. Seven year olds can certainly be precocious and hard to handle... but Hanna is in a league of her own.

I'm unsure if I think the character of Hanna should have been older or not. She is certainly written as older at times, but her being so young definitely added to the creep factor - and if she were older, she would be more of a physical threat. At times it was hard to buy that she was only seven, but it did make her thoughts and actions even more alarming. I did enjoy this one a lot - it's one of the most unique books I've read in some time. Certainly creepy and addicting.

St. Martin's Press kindly sent me an early copy of this book, thank you! I chose to read and review and will always do so honestly

My initial response is to slowly remove my jaw from the floor. This was one of the most intense psychological thrillers that I've ever read! Reading a story about a crazy husband, wife, friend or neighbor is one thing. A story about a psychotic child... quite another. 
Zoje Stage's writing is real, raw, super tense and jaw dropping. With every description of a "Hannah episode", my heart began to race faster! At some points, I had to close the book and take a breath but couldn't wait to open it back up again! 
I can't imagine experiencing what Suzette went through. My heart broke for her and for Hannah's loving father, Alex. On the other hand... the foundation of Suzette's story will make you wonder and Alex's naïveté will make you cringe! Who do you trust? Was Hannah born with a demonic gene? Is her behavior environmental? 
How would you handle living in a house where you fear for your life and constantly have to prove your worst fears? 
In summary, this book was on a totally different level of thrilling. It was crazy, crazy, crazy yet, so, so, so fabulously twisted! 
5 "bat shit crazy" stars!

I am not a mother. I’m childless by choice and I freely admit that I have a deep-seated fear of motherhood. What if you do everything by the book, everything right—you love, provide for, and nurture your child—and your child still turns out to be a monster? Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage speaks to all these fears and so much more.

Suzette and Alex are parents to seven-year-old Hanna. Despite her displays of intelligence and cognition, Hanna is non-verbal, communicating with her parents through sounds and gestures. An array of medical exams and tests rules out any underlying illnesses or conditions. However, Suzette knows that something is wrong with her daughter.

Although Hanna is the sweetest child with her father, Hanna is cold and increasingly hateful toward her mother. Formerly an interior designer, Suzette is now a stay-at-home mom who spends all day homeschooling Hanna and serving as primary caretaker. However, Hanna does not have any bond with her mother and seemingly finds ways to undermine Suzette’s attempts at affection.

Baby Teeth also addresses the loss of identity that Suzette feels ever since becoming a mother. With her days revolving around Hanna’s ever-increasing behavioral issues, Suzette no longer has time for herself and feels her individuality shrinking more each day. As Hanna’s actions toward her mother escalate and become violent, the domestic claustrophobia in the house transforms Suzette’s sense of self-preservation into a struggle for survival itself.

Is Hanna possessed? Is she mentally ill? Can she be fixed?

Baby Teeth is a disturbing, stunning debut from Zoje Stage, one that had me reading past my bedtime (and giving shadows an uneasy second glance). I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Oh. My. God! This book is unlike any other book I have ever read before. It sparked some strong feelings in me-mostly of disdain. I bow down to the author, because creating that kind of character, one that engages the reader like they are part of the story is an art. I volleyed back and forth between hating Hanna, feeling sorry for her, and then wanting to shake her. I honestly cannot wait for my friends to finish reading this book so we an talk trash on these characters together! So, when you finish the book, come back and check in with me because I truly want to know whos team you are on! This book is crazy!

(3.5) Okay. This was a really creepy book. I was loving it at first, then looking like it was going in the direction of being a demonic horror story, which isn't my cup of tea, I wasn't quite sure I was going to be able to continue. I did continue reading until the very end and it turned out not to be demonic but still quite frightening and shocking. The writing was well done and I liked the perspectives of Suzette and Hanna told in alternating paragraphs. Hanna was quite an evil, clever and scary little girl. This book was a very enthralling page-turner.

Thrillers are my guilty pleasure, and I love an unusual, creepy book. Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage alternates chapters from the views of Hanna and Suzette Jensen. At 7, Hanna is not yet verbal, but she is able to communicate her needs in other ways. One of these needs happens to be getting rid of mommy, who is stealing daddy from her. Suzette, Hanna's mother, struggles in dealing with Hanna on a day-to-day basis. As Hanna's plans become larger, the Jensen household is thrown into turmoil.

Hanna was a slightly lovable, but disturbed villain from page 1. I couldn't help but feel bad for her as Stage does a great job showing how Hanna's feelings and emotions are twisted yet unintentional. She needs help in a serious way. Suzette's POV resonated with me the most, though, because I can see myself as a maybe-one-day mother in her. If my child was behaving as Hanna does I would be both frustrated and heartbroken at the same time. Baby Teeth ends in the best way possible when dealing with such a young villain, but I was secretly hoping for a little more action.

This was a solid 4.5 stars. I was a little disappointed that Hanna's obvious issues were not being addressed at all until this book, although it did make for a good read. Anyone who enjoys a twisted thriller will love Baby Teeth.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book that I couldn’t put down. So, it was nice to totally immerse myself in Baby Teeth. I love a good creepy story and this book is crazy creepy!

The story is told in alternating points of view. Hanna the daughter (7 years old) and Suzette the mother. Hanna doesn’t speak, she can speak, but chooses not to. There is also Alex the father, though we don’t get his side of the story.

After tests show that there is no physical reason that Hanna doesn’t speak, Hanna slowly lets us know why she is not speaking. It’s simple really. She doesn’t speak because it drives her mom crazy. And Hanna wants mom crazy. She also wants her dead.

The book then takes twists and turns as Hanna does everything she can to get rid of her mom. In the meantime, her mom is trying to get Hanna help in a good school. Though, Suzette is starting to realize that she is the brunt of Hanna’s anger. Alex the dad is pretty much clueless to near the end.

I literally could not put this book down. I finished it in just a couple of days. It was creepy and exactly the kind of book I love. My only complaint is that when Hanna was doing all this stuff, Suzette never thought to film her or record her so that she could have proof to show Alex. In this day and age, it would have been so easy to set up a camera or even just turn her phone to record.

I received an ARC of this book.

First book I read by this author and I can’t wait to read more! This was an excellent book!! Five stars!!!!

Yikes!! I admit I can read about serial killers without batting an eye, but something about an evil child just creeps me out. And make no mistake - Hanna is definitely an evil child! This book makes me glad that my "child' is a furry cat! The writing is well done for the most part though it seems repetitive and lagging at times (but maybe that's just because I was anxious for it to be over!) I couldn't relate to any of the characters and though I was somewhat sympathetic to Suzette dealing with a demon child and a clueless husband, I was also frustrated that she didn't think to set up a nannycam or something to give her proof of Hanna's actions (yeah, yeah, I know. Hanna would likely have seen right through that anyway) The ending left me saying WHAT?!? That's it?!!

I can't say I enjoyed the book but I give it 3 stars for suspenseful writing.

Hanna hates her Mommy and loves her Daddy. Suzette just wants her daughter to be normal. Alex thinks his wife is over-exaggerating. After all, his 'squirrely girl' would never do the things Suzette says she does...or would she?

Reading this book was like an extended panic attack.

Told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Hanna, a precocious seven year old who doesn't talk, and Suzette, her mother, Baby Teeth takes the pace of a roller coaster, building up slowly with small aggressive acts which build and build, Hanna attempting to kill her mother, her mother trying to 'win' against a seven year old and deal with gaslighting, all of which builds to several straight up murder attempts.

Not to give anything away, but there came a point where I thought every single chapter was the last one and was surprised when there was more after that (and almost hoped there wasn't because I knew it wouldn't be good).

[gif from Twilight of Elle Fanning tossing a baby into a fire pit]
Non-Spoiler summary is that sometimes you just have to throw the whole baby out.

Baby Teeth is one of the most stressful reading experiences I've had in a long time and is just one of the most terrifying non-horror books I've ever read. Although I'd not thought much about it, there's just something about evil children (but believable real-life evil, not horror movie possessed evil children, which you are pretty much allowed to punt into an attic and leave there forever), but digestive medical issues, and the combination of the two. Definitely check this out as long as you've got a strong stomach and aren't planning to/have just acquired a small child lest you lose all hope for that infant.


Baby Teeth is available everywhere books are sold.

This is a difficult review...I am not sure if I liked or disliked it. The story is incredibly compelling (finished in 24 hours); it’s truly un-put-downable...but it’s hard to like it empathize with Hanna or Suzette because they both are kinda awful.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Baby Teeth is a creepy book. The story is told in two perspectives. Suzette's who is the mother and Hannah, the daughter. Suzette grew up with the lack of love from her mother, who was very distant . So she tried to be the opposite with Hannah, who she loved very much. Hannah had a whole different mindset. Hannah adored her father and hated her mother. She was a sweet child when her dad was around but very bad when she and Suzette where alone. Hannah did everything to get her mother out of her life. Although, several tests reveal there was nothing wrong with Hannah, she refused to speak and only does to say mean things to her mother. Suzette would always try to put excuses and not discipline her daughter. The father couldn't see no wrong. I kept questioning why Suzette wouldn't record her and show them to the dad. The dad finally realizes that the mother was saying the truth after an incident that happened at school. A creepy but good story. Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Review: BABY TEETH by Zoje Stage

From the first pages I was entrapped in this story. Kind of like being an observer at the commencement of a 50-car pileup--you want to stop it but chaos rules, you need to look away but can't. I knew from Page One disaster is imminent. Talk about "bad seeds." I remember that novel and movie from my childhood. I also remember "Gaslight," with the husband who endeavoured to convince his wife of her increasing insanity. I immediately adopted the term "gaslighting" into my vocabulary, but here it is, finely tuned and intensely psychopathic. {Shudder}

While the story progresses, Mom Suzette (a sufferer of Crohn's Disease) steadily devolves. Always an ungrounded personality (in this, she is much like her mother), Suzette possibly is hurtling toward a psychotic break--or is she?

The child Hanna, unspeaking but not physiologically mute, is an angel (in her dad's eyes), or demonic (in her mother's perception), or the embodiment of a 17th century adolescent French witch (Hanna's own view). But what--or more importantly, WHO--is Hanna really? To what extremes will she (and Suzette) reach? And what will be the cost in tragedies if little Hanna really is a "Bad Seed"?

Baby Teeth is a good Bad Seed thriller.

Hanna doesn’t speak but has an abundance of thoughts. Hanna loves her Daddy but hates her Mommy. Hanna is evil. Hanna is four.

Hanna has some mental health issues but feels if she can get rid of her Mommy, she would have Daddy all to herself. However, Mommy appears to have some mental health issues of her own.

The reader has to suspend their disbelief that a four-year-old could think this “rationally” and plan complex schemes to punish people. In the original Bad Seed, the child was nine, which seems more reasonable. However, once past that hurdle, the reader is in for a crazy fun ride.

Baby Teeth is highly recommended for those wanting to read a character-based thriller with an unusual protagonist. It is an intense journey into a demented and unusual worldview. 4 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, St Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

A recent study disclosed that children are often misbehaving for their mother as the child is most comfortable around this parental figure; but with Hannah it a whole different ball game. Suzette, a stay at home mom, spends her days trying to figure out where she’s gone wrong with Hannah and where her darling little girl has gone. Hannah absolutely adores her daddy and never reveals her true self to him. Hannah hates mommy and is determined to have daddy all to herself and will do whatever it takes to get Mommy out of the way.

There’s no need to rehash the synopsis further for you as there is no questions what you are about to embark on when diving into BABY TEETH’S cover. Zoje Stage has crafted one controversial and diabolical debut novel. The creep factor is off the chain in this book! As a mother to a toddler boy, this book gave me the sensation to give my little bugger the side eye from time to time in response to his (typical) toddler tantrums. Zoje will have you battling to choose a side between Suzette and Hannah. Is Suzette a “bad mommy”? Is Hannah just an evil child? You will decide but trust me the internal battle you will face from chapter to chapter will have you head spinning!

There is no surprise that this will be one of the most controversial book of the year. And while it may not be for everyone, there is no doubting that the chapters flow smoothly as they alternate from Suzette to Hannah’s perspective on the events as they occur. And trust me, the manner in which Zoje captured the mind for a six-year-old is damn impressive. Zoje writing is crisp and that of a seasoned author. BABY TEETH will have you turning the pages and sleeping with the lights on. In that regard, I do agree with many readers that this book would be better classified as a horror.

BABY TEETH may not be for everyone but it certainly left me pondering before, during and long after. This is one of those books that you will not forget long after you have read it. Any book that leaves a lasting impression ranks high in my book. I can even begin to conjure up a thought on what Zoje will come out with next, but what I do know is I need to get my hands on it!

F0F7903E-E7AE-4711-A17A-87D6BB348A50Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with a free copy of Baby Teeth in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Amazon:

Afflicted with a chronic debilitating condition, Suzette Jensen knew having children would wreak havoc on her already fragile body. Nevertheless, she brought Hanna into the world, pleased and proud to start a family with her husband Alex. Estranged from her own mother, Suzette is determined to raise her beautiful daughter with the love, care, and support she was denied.

But Hanna proves to be a difficult child. Now seven-years-old, she has yet to utter a word, despite being able to read and write. Defiant and anti-social, she refuses to behave in kindergarten classes, forcing Suzette to homeschool her. Resentful of her mother’s rules and attentions, Hanna lashes out in anger, becoming more aggressive every day. The only time Hanna is truly happy is when she’s with her father. To Alex, she’s willful and precocious but otherwise the perfect little girl, doing what she’s told.

Suzette knows her clever and manipulative daughter doesn’t love her. She can see the hatred and jealousy in her eyes. And as Hanna’s subtle acts of cruelty threaten to tear her and Alex apart, Suzette fears her very life may be in grave danger…

My Review:

First of all, I find that I really enjoy alternating narrators, and Baby Teeth does just that, switching between seven year old Hannah, and her mother Suzette. Often, a mother chapter would describe something terrible that Hannah had done (how about barking like a dog at the principal while registering for school?) and then include Suzette's inner dialogue and bafflement at this behavior. I felt that Suzette's thoughts were very close to what mine would be in the same situation, so I could somewhat relate (to being a mother, not to having a barking daughter).

When Hannah's chapter rolled around, you got a look into her very calculating mind and saw the reasons behind her bad behavior. By the middle of the book, I was thoroughly creeped out, and by the last third or so, I would worried for Suzette's safety! Well written and well paced, I really enjoy this novel.

Baby Teeth made my mind work in overdrive for the better part of two days. After finishing it, I immediately went to my Instagram stories to ask other readers for their input. I had a lengthy discussion with Amy @TheSouthernGirlReads and after talking to her I felt a little more clarity. Basically, I saw so much symbolism in this story and I was struggling to decide what this author wanted her readers to get out her novel. In the end, Amy helped me see that I was perhaps overanalyzing just a tad, and it boils down to a very creepy story that really sunk it's 'baby' teeth into me (haha, sorry I had to).

However, I do want to mention some of the symbolism I saw, whether it was intended or not. First of all, I could see such a semblance to the life of a stay at home mom. That mom does everything for her little people all day: cooks, cleans up messes, soothes hurts, entertains and the list goes on. However, daddy is the hero when he gets home even though he has done literally nothing to care for the kids. In Baby Teeth, no matter what terrible thing Hannah did, when Suzette told her husband, he would admonish Hannah for a few seconds before letting everything go back to normal. Needless to say, he is Hannah's favorite.

Something else I was thinking about while reading was the nature vs. nurture argument. Even though Hannah's behavior was abhorrent, I couldn't help but wonder if she had simply learned to manipulate the balances in her household. Suzette was trying to be a good mom, which comes with telling a child no and correcting bad behavior, whereas her father could see no wrong in Hannah, no matter what. Hence, mommy became the enemy and daddy was the hero. Maybe Hanna had slight sociopathic tendencies, predisposed at birth, but would a different setting have changed the outcome?

To wrap things up, I jut need to say that a book that makes me think that hard is a good book indeed. Baby Teeth is very original, well written and though provoking. I finished it a few days ago and am still thinking about it, so I am going to give it a five star rating!

Meet the Jensen’s. They’re a successful family living in Pittsburgh where Dad, Alex, is an architect and Mom, Suzette, home-schools their daughter Hanna. Behind closed doors the truth lies. Seven-year-old Hanna has been kicked out of several schools for destructive behaviors, going so far as to set fire to a trash can at one school. To make matters more difficult, Hanna does not speak. Despite several rounds of testing, the doctors have found nothing physically wrong with Hanna that prevents her speech abilities.

Recently Hanna’s behavior has gotten worse. She is now prone to violent outbursts in public and at home she has taken to attacking Suzette. Conveniently, Hanna makes sure to be the picture-perfect daughter when her father is home and Alex is having trouble believing the stories Suzette tells him. As Suzette’s fear and Alex’s doubts mount, tensions are at an all-time high as they wait to see what Hanna will do next. Is Hanna truly this terrible child Suzette describes or is she simply misunderstood?

Everyone has seen that child in the store who is having an epic temper tantrum. You probably thought to yourself, why doesn’t their mother/father do a better job parenting? Well, what does the parent do with a child they’re scared of? That’s exactly what Suzette is trying to figure out with Hanna and to make matters worse, her husband is having doubts about the truthfulness in what she is telling him. Hanna is obsessed with her father and only shows him her best side. Throughout BABY TEETH we see Hanna’s behaviors escalating and it’s only a matter of time before things hit a breaking point. There were several times I was frustrated with Hanna’s parents and thought they should take different actions than they chose, but it’s hard for me to judge since I’m not a parent. I also had some issues with the ending in specific reference to the final chapter from Suzette’s point of view. BABY TEETH is filled with tense, chilling, and downright creepy moments that will forever having me looking at children differently. I would have loved to see the envelope pushed just a bit further, but in the end I really enjoyed this one and the path the story ultimately took.

A special thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.