I am still absolutely reeling from this book. It is a psychological masterpiece and puts many of the "psychological thrillers" currently on shelves to shame. A great book is one that has you CONSTANTLY wondering, constantly second guessing, and this book does just that. Every other chapter I went from thinking the mom was nuts, to a saint. At one point I even believed that we would find out Hanna was a figment of a delusional mother's imagination. The masterful writing had me jumping to every possible conclusion I could think of..... EXCEPT the actual ending! Bravo Zoje Stage on a MAGNIFICENT thriller!!!

I could only read a portion of this book. I found it difficult to believe and a very disturbing subject. Perhaps just not my genre.

This story could have gone in a different direction, with Suzette as an unreliable narrator, but the first chapter in Hanna's head destroyed all illusions. This despicable little girl goes way beyond just being what I call: a little shit. Something is seriously wrong with her. What child would entertain fantasies of getting rid of their mum, permanently?

If there's one thing that pisses me off, and fills me with dread at the same time it's the  oblivious husband. Our dear Alex Jensen in this book is a prime example, and I just wanted to kick him in the balls so badly! Of course Hanna is all sweetness and smiles when he's around, his 'squirelly girl', but his complete dismissal of his wife's concerns made my blood boil. Throughout her ordeal, Suzette remains a loving mother, and although she's scared shitless, I had to admire her ability to show so much compassion towards her little monstrous Hanna. I honestly don't know what I would have done.

Mental illness is a real thing: ignoring it, or finding excuses for it does not help anyone at all. With her clear prose, and the brilliant character, Beatrix, the psychologist the Jensen family seek out for help, Zoje Stage gets her point across efficiently. If your child had cancer, or even just a sore throat, you would want to help them. Why stick your head in the sand when it comes to mental illness then? Suzette (a.k.a. Mommy) is worried that she will get the blame. As a stay at home mother, at the end of her rope, maybe it's her fault Hanna turned out like this... Beatrix also clears up some confusion about the nature vs. nurture debate, and the differences between sociopaths and psychopaths.

Dark and sinister, Baby Teeth is entirely relatable.

Well, that was a bone chilling, heart stopping read. What do you do when the child you are supposed to love unconditionally is a manipulative, murderous monster? I can't even begin to imagine, because I know that I was ready to give up on this little girl after her first little "episode". I'd have locked her away and thrown away the key - so I guess that takes me out of the running for parent of the year. Sweet little Hanna, apple of her father's eye, is quite a deceptive, manipulative, and pure evil genius. She wants nothing more than to have her mother out of the picture and to have Daddy all to herself. And she'll do everything she can to make that happen, from messing with Mommy's medicine, to playing a horrifying game of Scare Mommy, to even trying to physically kill her. All because Daddy loves Mommy and he shouldn't. Daddy is hers!!! And little Hanna is very good at only letting Mommy see her evil side - never Daddy. I still shudder when I think of the games this little girl played, the torment of a mother who knows she is supposed to love her little girl unconditionally, and the decisions that needed to be made.

The book/ story was interesting enough to keep me wanting to read. It definitely doesn't quite compare to We Need to Talk About Kevin, but it has good moments. It was also interesting to see a mother character who struggles to love her own child. My one wish is that the book had a final chapter which was a flash forward to see where the characters end up.

Big thanks to St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Alright, book two that was completed on the road trip this weekend! BLOCKADE BILLY kicked things off (see my review here), and then I jumped right into Zoje Stage's upcoming novel, BABY TEETH. I read the blurbs on the book and I saw there was a creepy kid in this - I'm sold. There's something about kids in thriller novels that just add a whole other element to amp up the creepy factor.

Hanna is 7 years old and she's a mute, but by choice. Sounds crazy, right? Why would this little girl decide to be silent? Well, she's punishing her mother, Suzette. The level of manipulation this little girl has is terrifying. She is a daddy's girl and in his eyes she can do no wrong. Suzette must homeschool Hanna because she has been kicked out of multiple schools. Despite the stories the schools and Suzette tell Alex, he refuses to believe his little angel is capable of such evil things.

I don't want to give away too much more because this is one you need to go into semi-blind. This doesn't focus on a lot that she physically does, but Stage pulls us into the minds of Hanna and Suzette. Seeing the psychological progression and as little Hanna schemes against her mother, it was very absorbing.

If you're looking for something that is all action similar to the film The Good Son, then you might find it a little slower paced than you want it to be. If you want a book that will pull you into the mind of a truly devious little girl, then this is a must-read this summer.

I give this 4/5 stars!

"There were lots of pictures on the Creepy Photos website, but she'd rejected the ones where the people might be mistaken for alive. She liked the one of the women in their coffins. Or lying stiff as a board on white fabric with lacy edges. In truth, she liked the dead children best, held in their mothers arms, or in tiny coffins, or surrounded by living siblings who looked merely bored, not scared-as if death were so every-day-not-again-here's-another-one. But she wanted Mommy to see other ladies, the other mommies.


Hanna is a silent little girl. Her daddy thinks she’s perfect. Mommy knows something is wrong.

Years of trying to figure out her daughters problems are taking a toll. Hanna has a whole world going on inside her head. She’d have a perfect life, just her and her daddy, if only mommy would just go away.

Suzette is becoming worn down. She has health issues of her own. Will anyone believe that her little girl wants her dead? She’s home schooled her. She’s taken her for tests. No progress is being made. Suzette is paying the price. Maybe another special school will help Hanna.

This young child scared me. She’s like a female version of the demon child, “Damien.” Who will win this tug of war? Daddy is the prize. Hanna wants him to herself, and Suzette would like the life she had with her husband, before Hanna came along.

Just when the parents think they have the upper hand, 7 year old Hanna becomes even more clever, more evil. I’d love to see a sequel to this book. The end is open enough for another story, perhaps when Hanna is older.

Thank you Zoje Stage, Netgalley, and St. Martin’s Press.

I've always been intrigued with sociopathic children. I thought the tension beween the mother and the child was well-crafted, and how blind the father was to his daughter's manipulations. What I didn't buy was how adept the child was at finding information on the internet to aid in her cause to terrorize her mother. If she were a bit older I would have believed it. Otherwise, good read. I give it a B+/

This story is told from the alternating perspectives of Hanna and Suzette. This really brought the characters closer and gave them strong voices. When I first started reading this book, I thought that Hanna was just a bratty little girl. Yet, this book was much more than just a story about a bratty little girl.

I had two "I got this story figured out" moments. However, it seems by the end that I did not have this story figured out. The ending was good but at the same time I feel sad saying the ending was good. To understand what I am speaking of, you will have to pick up a copy of this book to check out for yourself.

What a debut novel from new author, Zoje Stage. I can't wait to see what Zoje has up her sleeves for her next book. I was hooked. You could say that I had "sunk my teeth" into this book with pure delight!

A story with incredible creep-factor! I’ve still got the shivers — the alternating POV heightens the both the fear and the pathos. I hope the author’s research was as thorough and accurate as it seems because the characters’ struggles with physical and mental illness are chillingly gripping. Even with my children long out of the house I’m sleeping with one eye open....

This is a pretty creepy story about a 7 year old girl that wants daddy all to her self, if she can only get mommy out of the way. Unfortunately, for most of the story, mommy doesn't handle this very well and daddy doesn't see it. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be in a situation like this.

I thought the story took some interesting twists and it kept me wanting to read and wanting to know what would happen. I was curious what diabolic scheme the brilliant, but twisted child would come up with next. However, there were some parts that were a bit repetitive.

I wasn't a big fan of the ending. I can't really say why without giving something away, but it's not my sort of thing. Plus, I tend to like a bit more closure. In general, I thought it could have been better, but I think there will be plenty of people that will love it for precisely the reasons I don't particularly care for it. It is really just a matter of preference and not a problem with the writing.

Overall, I thought this was a good story for fans of the genre. If you enjoy creepy kid stories, give it a try.

I really enjoyed this book! Hanna is a very odd & cunning little girl. I was engrossed from the first chapter, & knew I was going to love this book! If you like creepy thriller type books this is a must for you. I highly recommend!

I think that the reader who loves scary psychological fiction will love this book. I am, sadly, not that reader, and I was completely spooked out by the characters. Completely. It was scarier and the characters far more creepy than the usual thriller. If you enjoyed "Rosemary's Baby" you may well enjoy Baby Teeth.

This book stopped me in my tracks! It was twisted. It was demented. It was chilling and disturbing. It was difficult to read and hard to put down.

Mother v. Daughter doesn’t even scratch the surface of this horror novel about a 7 year old girl bent on destroying her mother.

I can see how this topic of this book and the overly-adult way Hanna carries herself would put some readers off. But if one wants to be pushed, confronted with something truly terrifying it will be a memorable read.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in return for a fair review.

I haven't really read a book with homicidal children, but now that I have I understand that it's kind of a subgenre in horror. Baby Teeth was certainly enough to give me a few chills here and there.

This story is told in alternating points of view between a mother and daughter who cannot get along, and each has their own reasons for having a difficult time dealing with one another. Suzette is a mother who's been forced to stay at home the past few years because she and her husband have not been able to find a school that can handle her defiant and behaviorally complex daughter. Though she has the support of her husband, he dotes on Hanna and does not see the abhorrent way she treats her mother. At times this makes Suzette feel like an outsider in her own home. Hanna is 7 years old. She's nonverbal, and the only person she even remotely cooperates with is her father. Hanna has been ejected from every school she's been sent to, and it's clear she wants her mother out of the picture. What's scary is how far she's willing to go to accomplish that.

Absolutely the most amazing part about this book is seeing just how Hanna thinks, and how cold and calculating she is. I think some might say the way she plans things is very much above the level of a typical child her age, but she's not typical and I believe some of her strategies could not be out of the realm of possibility for a highly intelligent child.

It's also interesting to see how much Suzette is truly struggling with whether or not she loves her daughter the way she should, and how she can't stop obsessing about where she might have gone wrong. We are given some background on Suzette's life as well, which helps build up the basis that the way you parent is really decided years before you become a parent.

At its' core, the book is about recognizing that something might be wrong with your child and how long it takes you to figure out that you cannot deal with their behavior on your own. Almost every parent I know prides themselves on how they've raised their child, but when you've done the best you possibly can and things still haven't turned out normally, where do you go from there? I kept waiting for a happy, concrete ending to Baby Teeth, but just like real life, the future of this child is uncertain.

I would recommend this book for parents and also those who like a good look into the mind of an abnormal person, no matter what the age.

Baby Teeth was an addictive read, which made you want to stay up all night reading. Chilling to say the least. I really enjoyed the book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher/author for a copy of BABY TEETH in exchange for an honest review.

Disturbing, chilling, terrifying and mind warping. What a crazy unique and vexing read by Zoje Stage. I could not put this one down!

Suzette wants to be a good mom, but Hanna only has eyes for her dad and is determined to eliminate her mother from that equation forever. What does it feel like to fear your seven year old daughter? Read this book and you get an interesting perspective, both from Suzette and from Hanna, both of which will leave you questioning all you knew about the relationship between mothers and daughters.

The level of sinister content in this book is not going to be for everyone, but if you enjoy a good, dark, shocking read, this may be the book of the year for you. It left me unsettled and spooked, and deeply disturbed, but all in a good way. I really loved this one!

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage is the kind of book that you start reading and, before you know it, you’re an hour in and halfway done. That is to say, it is VERY engrossing. It follows two perspectives: Suzette and her seven-year-old daughter Hanna. Hanna, apparently disturbed, is hell bent on destroying Suzette. Suzette, a Crohn’s sufferer, is trying to keep her family together and sanity intact. I found I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the book’s promotion of the concept of a purely “evil” child. Not just morally, but also because it did not feel like believable storytelling. Hanna’s voice wasn’t realistic to me and the whole book just felt a bit heartless, particularly the ending. Minor discomfort and moral qualms aside, this was an enjoyable, suspenseful novel. Clearly I’m torn on this one. Decide for yourself when it is released in mid-July.

This book was very emotional. I'm a foster parent, so I've dealt with many different disorders and problems in my kiddos. This book shows the real struggle of parenthood. Do we over compensate for our own childhoods, love harder, give more discipline, or need a professional to intervene?

The relationships in this book - mother and daughter, daughter and father, father and mother - shows real life scenarios and how one person can feel left out of the 2 person relationships. The ending was a surprise and I really crave to find out more about these characters. Great Read!