I enjoyed this book! It was a page turner for me. I recommend this book for readers who liked The Bad Seed and We Need To Talk About Kevin. If you don't like the evil child trope, then you may want to pass on this book. I'm predicting that Baby Teeth will be a controversial book and people will either love it or hate it. It shows the darkside of parenting. The story is told in alternating points of view; it goes from the mother's perspective to the daughter's perspective. It leaves the reader questioning whether kids are born bad or if it's bad parenting.The scariest part about this book is knowing that kids with mental health issues with violent behaviors are a reality in today's society.

This book was a page turner! It hit home a little since I have a special child, but hopefully she doesnt end up being a psychopath! I can't wait to read more from this author.

Genre: Mystery and Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: July 17, 2018


The book is marketed as a “We Need to Talk About Kevin” meets “Gone Girl” meets “The Omen.” Since I enjoyed both books and liked the movie “The Omen,” I assumed I would enjoy “Baby Teeth.” Well, I was wrong. The story is about a disturbing little girl that wishes her mother dead so she can have her father all to herself. There is suspense at first, but soon chilling turns into repetitious and boring. Just how many times do you want to read about a child viciously attacking her mother? Or read about a father who ignores, or plays down his daughter’s behavior. The story attempts to emulate the 1956 movie, “The Bad Seed,” which is also melodramatic storytelling. In “Teeth” the reader is left wondering just what was wrong with the parents and especially the little girl. Is she mentally ill, does she have multiple personalities, is she a witch? This tale shocked for shock purposes only. Instead of being chilling it is boring. Don’t bother with this one.

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.


WOW! I loved this book, totally dark and disturbing! It took me only 2 days to read this, if I didn’t have a job or kids I could’ve have finished it one sitting! I just finished and had to flip back to the last page to make sure I was at the end, please tell me there is going to be sequel!

Good book overall. There were times I thought the mother was pretty dumb for not telling her husband what happened. And the ending, set up for a sequel I guess? Not sure that would be my first choice. But again, overall, well written and I read it pretty quickly as I was eager to know where things would go.

I have just read this in 24 hours - I could not put it down.
It’s not going to be for everyone but i absolutely loved it.
Is seven year old Hana just manipulative? Or is there more to it. Seen through Hana’s view and her mum Suzette in alternating chapters this goes from intriguing to downright scary.
If I hadn’t already had my kids this would definitely make me think twice!! Highly recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of “Baby Teeth” in return for an honest review.

An action-packed thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat not knowing what lurks just beyond the next page. A remarkable must read

Comparing this book to "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is absolutely not doing it any favors. Nor is calling it "Gone Girl meets the Omen," as seen in some of the early marketing for the book. This novel lacks the tension of the others it is compared to, and seems set up more as a parody of young, gluten-free, hipster couples who struggle with raising precocious children than any kind of thriller.

This novel differs from others in the "creepy kid" genre in that the child's point-of-view is spelled out quite clearly, as the structure of the novel alternates between a section in the child's voice, and a third-person section of the mother's experience. There is no ambiguity as to the child's mental state or her motivations. This is a fairly straight-forward story about a young couple with a mentally ill seven-year-old, who is determined to dispatch Mommy so she can have Daddy all to herself. While there were some moments of tension, the book did not have the feel of a horror novel or of a thriller.

I enjoyed reading the musings of Mommy (Suzette) as she considers her own adolescence and rates herself against her own mother's failings. What kept me reading was wondering how far the child would go, to what level her violence against Mommy would ascend. What bothered me was that I expected this book to be a thriller or some type of very dark fiction, and it's really more a sad tale of a failed family. Compare it to "Ordinary People" and you'll have a better appreciation for the book.

This is an extraordinary remarkable story. This was an easy book to get into right away, it certainly held my attention.

I have sat on this review for a few days now wondering how I could write a review without giving anything away, I need to say, this book won't be for everyone, and its hard to say "I loved it" but I did, for all sorts of reasons.

The authors writing is well and truly remarkable, easy to read, flows well and evenly without let up so the reader never gets bored, I felt everything that this Mother felt, and much more.

Hannah doesn't speak, has never spoken, can she or won't she?

When I had to put this book down to sleep or eat or do some boring chore around the house, I remained thinking about what I had just read. Its impossible for me to place all my varied thoughts on this in a single review.

I was talking to my husband about the subject matter. Without giving anything away I was tossed in so many thoughts and ideas within its pages, supernatural ? Nature or nurture? Mental health?
But shes a small child {I kept reminding myself}

Is this how serial killers have no conscience?
Does it start from a small age?
Is it the parents fault?

I had so many unanswered questions.

I knew I would get to the bottom of this in the end with the help of the author.

Reminding myself that Hannah was a young girl was a constant battle for me.

I felt for the Mom. You never want to admit to yourself that there is something wrong with your child. Even if you are told that you're child is a little bully, you don't want to listen.

So, its not helpful or constructive when her Swedish husband never gets to see the bad side of Hannah, she is always his little 'squirrel' his little darling.

No school can manage Hannah so its left to her Mom to school her from home, her Mom has an illness and finds it hard to cope, you see this as the days go on.

One thing I took from this fictional story [although verges on a fact] is how strong Hannah's parents were together although it seemed sometimes they weren't on the same page but like anything, there are many diversions you can go down but it can lead to the same point. The same destination, and that was, what is best for Hannah.

I warn you, sometimes you may think parts unbelievable, but each has its purpose. You may gasp and raise you're eyes to the ceiling, you will see its all worth while.
The authors research in this field has been second to none. I applaud her.

Its a book I will remember for all sorts of reasons.

As I say, its not to everyone's taste, but is sure impacted on me.

This book is reminiscent of The Omen (without the religious component) or The Bad Seed...only we get to see inside the child's thought processes. It is super creepy, but adult sociopaths were all once children, so this premise of the book is fascinating. It is also almost too horrible to contemplate and it is not a book for everyone., but for me it was a riveting read.

I was offered a free download of this via Netgalley, which I appreciate, but I'm afraid to say Baby Teeth didn't meet my expectations.
The premise of a young girl wanting her father for herself and plotting against her mother sounded quite fascinating. I was hoping for something dark, shocking and suspenseful, but honestly, this was just plain silly.
Parts of the story dragged and it contained no surprises.
I'm very much in the minority and plenty of readers seem to have loved this book, but I just couldn't buy into seven-year-old Hanna's perspective. I'm struggling to describe this as anything else but just silly. Sorry.

Judge me not, I do love creepy reads. I have read a couple of thrillers with some really dark characters. However, this has to be one of the darkest. This is mainly because of the age of the baddie.

Hanna’s parents have view different opinions about her. Mom, Suzette knows there is something wrong with her child. She has seen the ugly side of Hanna, the tantrums, abuse and meanness of this little girl. However, daddy knows a different Hanna who is just adorable and seemingly misunderstood.

The story is narrated through the POVs of Hanna and Suzette. Suzette is struggling to be a good mom. It is obvious that she loves her little girl. However, she is having some serious difficulties understanding her. And it seems that her love is unreciprocated. On the other hand, Hanna loves her dad and she wants him all to herself. However, to do that, she needs to get mommy out of the way.

There are so many chilling scenes in this book. I read it almost a week before writing this review and I can still remember the chill that went down my spine a couple of times. There are others that are so horrific that it is hard to imagine a little girl being behind such evil. However, I was totally hooked. This is one of train-wreck, compulsive reads. I just couldn’t look away. I had to see how it would all end.

I think that this book is more of psychological horror than thriller. Hanna reminded me of the baddie in the movie, The Orphan or Damien in The Omen. I know this might not be for everyone and I can already this title being a bit controversial. However, I am glad that I read it and I know that it is one that I won’t forget any time soon.

Shout out to NetGalley for the Advance copy, in exchange, I will provide an honest review!

Okay, okay....Hannah is a little fucking weirdo. Scratch that a little fucking psycho. And at times, her intelligence is a bit unbelievable. Yes, I understand her IQ and intelligence are discussed, but I had a hard time believing she was a young child at times. But...it certainly makes for a wild ride of a story. So I can look past it.

With this kind of story, I get worried it will resemble too closely to a Lifetime original movie. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the story was much better than Lifetime quality. So Stage has that going for her.

I didn't enjoy all of the story, if I am being honest. Now don't think I am completely insensitive, but I got a little bored with the Crohns parts of the story. Not because I don't think awareness is important, more because it felt like boring filler. Although, it does play a bigger part of the plot. I just, I dunno, got a bit bored during some of those descriptions.

Another incredibly large issue I had, why the hell didn't Suzette pulls out her phone when Anne-Marie came about? I mean, Anne-Marie was encountered a few times. She couldn't manage to swipe her phone to record the conversation with out baby jackal noticing? Eh...it is a pretty big hole in my opinion.

Lastly, I could not stand the dad. His denial was a bit too much for me. I was so incredibly frustrated with him for taking a child's word over his wife's. For being a weakling. For turning a blind eye. For so damn much. Big but.....I love when books bring such strong emotions out of me. Nothing gets my goat going like a book making me glow crimson over loathing a character so intensely. For that, I give the book 4 stars!

Check the little psycho pants out! Kids a trip!

This was the first book by this author that I have read ,I I have to say that I absolutely love a good thriller book ,this story was definitely that for me ,it gave me spine tingling chills at times and a real page turner .The author does a very good job of describing the torment the mother in the story lived with and how she dealt with everything her daughter put her through ,she lived a nightmare , this book is definitely worth checking out if you love a intense and compelling storyline ,hoping to see more from this author .

Baby Teeth. Holy guacamole. I've said that a lot talking about this book. It was FANTASTIC. Now that I'm thinking about it though, I'm not 100% sure where the title for the book came from. That being said, lets get back to HOLY GUACAMOLE.

I loved this book. I hated every single character. These characters were all very flawed in very compelling ways. I hated the unaware dad, and the scary daughter. I found the mom the easiest to empathize with, but she too was a little bit off. Her interactions with her daughter often had my eyes the size of saucers (I get it, your daughter is bonkers and hates you- it is totally understandable that you are having trouble handling her. But... still... )

I found that in spite of hating the characters (or maybe because of), I couldn't put the book down. If I had a spare moment, I was reading. I NEEDED to know how it would end.

I spent the entire book internally debating whether this book was a thriller/horror novel with a demon child, or just a book about a family of people without much empathy dealing with hard things.
This story is unsettling regardless of the genre.

I don't want to say too much, and risk spoiling anything, but overall, I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a fast paced novel with complicated family relationships. I would also suggest this book to anyone who likes to be unsure of what they are reading.

I loved it. Read it. Be bothered by it. Love every moment of your discomfort.

2.5 stars, I guess. Really hard to rate this one, but somewhere between "meh" and "liked."

I read this book compulsively, but I'm not really sure I enjoyed it--And I usually love "evil seed" stories. It felt mean-spirited, I guess, with some entitled characters it was hard to feel sorry for.

There's a lot to like here--the writer establishes a sense of dread right away, and it only grows throughout the book. Characters may not be likable, but they are realistic, flawed, and very well written. The narrative voices were really strong. And I quite liked the ending.

The best horror novels have a sort of enjoyable scariness about them. We may be scared, but we keep reading, relishing the emotional outlet. This book lacked that for me. It felt dirty--empty of true meaning but not "fun" in the way horror can be. Am I making any sense? Likely not!

I think this book functions best if you think of it as a simple horror story and not anything deeper--but even then, even though I stayed up too late a couple nights to read it, it left me empty.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

If you are looking for a horror novel written primarily for shock value then this book will be a good fit for you. If you are looking for a thriller with an engaging plot and a great ending then this is not book for you. I know this book would be creepy but it went really far beyond that. It wasn’t just creepy, it was down right horrifying in a way that only scary things about children can be (think children of the corn). The problem I had with this book is that it seemed like that was the only goal, to freak people out. I wish that the author had taken more time to explore the issue of sociopathy more and explain more about what was wrong with Hanna. I also kept waiting for a twist and I never got one. The book ended on what could be seen as shocking by some but really to me it was just sad. The positives for the book were that it was really well written and the author did a great job switching back and forth between the view points of Hanna and Suzette. Overall though this book just was not for me.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Suzette (at home mother) and Hannah (her young daughter). Suzette verbalizes the struggles she has: being alone and isolated, health issues, and being a good mother. Her mother was neglectful and disconnected - Suzettes worst fear is to be a bad mom.

Hannah is a 7 year old who is non-verbal and homeschooled. She has a vibrant inner life and monolog which is focused on one thing - getting rid of Mommy so she can have Daddy to herself.

The story is fast paced as we learn of Hannah's past behaviors which led to being asked to leave several schools. Daddy loves his girl and just does not face the facts that Hannah may be less than perfect. As Hannah's actions against her Mother increase - I wondered if this time she would be successful. Creepy read but very entertaining. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the review copy.

4.5* Excellent debut. Creepy, edge of your seat thriller. I wasn't sure what would happen next. This is one I didn't want to put down.

Looking forward to a sequel. Will Hanna come home?

Short Take: A beautifully written but not-very-unique take on the “disturbed child” story.

*Note: I received an early advance copy of this book for review.*

I may not be the most qualified person to write this review. See, I like kids (quite a lot, actually), but to me, they are ALL insane. A clear danger to themselves and others. They ALWAYS want to touch the hot stove, to see if baby sister’s eyes will pop out like Mr. Potatohead’s, and to find out once and for all if the lights on the Christmas tree taste as good as they look. It’s damn near impossible to keep them alive for any length of time, and even harder to maintain your own sanity while you do so. So psychotic kids, to me, read as “kids in general, any and all kids.”

Fortunately, there’s a lull between the “Agent of Chaos” toddler stage and the “I’m Invincible And Will Try To Prove It” adolescent stage, and for most children, the ages between five and ten are the calmest ones. It’s when parents can start reasoning with them, instead of just hanging on for dear life and waiting for the next calamity.

That is, unless the child in question is Baby Teeth’s Hanna, the precocious, mute six year old monster locked in a dance of mutual destruction with her mother, Suzette. You see, Hanna wants Alex, her daddy, all to herself, and the only way to make that happen is if Mommy disappears. Suzette and Hanna are our narrators, alternating back and forth and giving us their perspectives and a lot of richly worded backstory on how exactly they got to this point.

Mad props to the author - Hanna is a great creation. She’s smarter than any of the adults around her give her credit for, willful enough to withhold her voice for her entire life (until she decides to scare the you-know-what out of Suzette with a few creepy words), manipulative enough to act like two entirely different children depending on which parent she’s with, and emotionless enough to scare even a jaded old horror reader like me. Her inner thoughts are richly drawn, her imagination breath-taking.

Suzette, on the other hand, is where Baby Teeth fell apart for me. One of the central plot points is Suzette’s Crohn’s disease, and the horrific struggle she went through as an adolescent with an abusive mother who wouldn’t get her the treatment she needed. We’re told (SO. MANY. TIMES.) how much her husband prizes her strength and resilience, but we see none of that. She is completely helpless when challenged by Hanna. It makes sense to a degree - she’s afraid of becoming her own mother, and afraid that if she tells Alex about all of Hanna’s tricks, he won’t believe her, and it will destroy their marriage.

But seriously, you’re telling me that an upper middle class, stay at home mom has never heard of a FREAKING NANNY CAM??? I feel like roughly 95% of the awful things that happened in Baby Teeth could’ve been avoided if Suzette had said “you know, Hanna doesn’t act right, and I want people to believe me so I can get her help, if only there were some technology available that would record her actions so that I could show them to her father, or a therapist….”

That’s pretty typical of horror protagonists in general, though, they always go in the basement alone or answer the phone or whatever. It’s dumb, but many fans have learned to settle for some dumb if it means they will get a new scary story.

And that right there is where the second shoe falls. Because for all the advance buzz, all the revved-up reviews, and the undeniably poetic style of Baby Teeth, it’s not very original at all. I kept waiting for the Gone-Girl-esque twist, the OMG DID THAT JUST HAPPEN moment, and it just never came. There are some shocking moments, to be sure (Hanna’s brilliance and creativity in torturing Suzette are downright impressive), but many of them were pretty clearly telegraphed.

Baby Teeth is yet another by-the-numbers entry in the Disturbed Child playbook: Kid is a monster. Adult who could fix it doesn’t believe it. Kid does something said adult can’t ignore. Screechy climax. Sequel setup. The end.



The Nerd’s Rating: Two Happy Neurons (and a potato, because you never know when you'll need a new best friend).