HOLY F*&#!!!

Yep, that's a big, bad curse word up there, but this was a big, bad curse word of a story. IT GAVE ME NIGHTMARES YOU GUYS!!! Books don't give me nightmares, so suffice it to say that this one left me seriously unbalanced. This is not the type of story I usually read, but when the publisher offered me an advance copy I decided to give it a try. This was an amazing debut, one you're not likely to forget. I'm not entirely sure, but the ending left me with the feeling that there could be a follow up. If you like reading about dysfunctional families with uber-creepy kids, then mark your calendars for summer 2018, because this book is meant for you!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book.

Wow - This book will scare you out of having kids. Hanna is only 7-years old, but has the mind of an adult psychopath. Hanna and her mother Suzette don't have the greatest relationship, and as this book is told from the alternating perspectives of both Hanna and Suzette you can feel empathy for both of them, but also completely dislike them at the same time. I felt like both of them come across as manipulative and cunning, so it really is a case of nature versus nurture in raising Hanna.

Reading this book will definitely give you a different perspective on kids and their parents. It is a very disturbing book, but one I couldn't stop reading. I think anyone would find a book with a creepy child disturbing, so this book is not for everyone.

One of the things I found difficult with this book was the random Swedish words that were used (at least I think they were Swedish). For me, it's similar to seeing a misspelled word in a book and finding it a struggle to move passed it. I didn't know what the words meant and it was often difficult to tell from the context. I prefer when authors at least spell it out for us folks that are ignorant of foreign languages.

Overall, I liked the story and thought the author did a great job for her debut novel.

Hanna is 7 years old and lives with her mom, Suzette, and her dad, Alex. Hanna dreams of getting rid of her mom and being with just her dad. Baby Teeth is a slow burning, creepy, disturbing read. The characters are not likeable, but at the same time I identified with them all at certain points in the book. I read each chapter with a growing sense of dread of what was to come. This book is not for everyone and has some very unsettling subject matter. Baby Teeth is sure to get people talking and will probably be controversial! I was given a free ARC by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Although many people say that becoming a parent is <i>the best thing ever!</i>, here's a worst case scenario for you.

So creepy that I felt uncomfortable reading it, yet unable to stop turning the pages to see what fresh horrors lay in wait.

This book will get you sucked in right at the start and won't let go until you've gone through the ringer of emotions! It is such a compelling story told from two very different points of view, mother and child and I loved how the two opposing views gave so much depth to the story. I read the book in a day, I couldn't put it down! I really hope there's a sequel to this book because I can't wait to hear more about crazy little Hanna!

Alex and Suzette are madly in love, the perfect couple, a match made in heaven. What a blessing a baby could be to this union. How lucky a child would be to have such loving and devoted parents. Suzette is especially determined to be a better parent than she had, to be the mother she wished she had instead of the neglectful and uncaring mother who was too wrapped up in herself to even notice that Suzette needed medical care. Sadly, no amount of love and attention seems to please Hanna unless it comes from her father. Suzette's days are spent taking Hanna to appointment after appointment in search of a reason for her lack of speech. Home schooling Hanna as best she can since she can't fit in at school, and being the object of Hanna's hatred. When Alex is home Hanna is all smiles. the perfect little silent angel. But Alex can't always be there, and when he is he prefers to bury his head in the sand. Meanwhile Hanna's hatred for her mother is escalating into something dangerous. Does Hanna have reason to hate her mother or is she just a born psycho? You be the judge.

Baby Teeth begs the question: what would you do if you had a child like Hanna? Only seven years old, Hanna has already been expelled by several schools, and her mother, Suzette, is resigned to home-schooling her. But Hanna’s bad behavior is escalating, and Suzette is convinced that the young girl wants to hurt her. Her husband, Alex, turns a blind eye to everything that Hanna does. How can she make him see what’s really happening?

This is a Bad Seed novel that showcases the complicated, fractured relationship between mother and daughters. We soon find out that Hanna isn’t entirely to blame. Suzette’s own difficult relationship with her mother, and her battle with Crohn’s disease, has made her feelings toward Hanna strained even during her pregnancy. I wholeheartedly agree that Hanna is a dangerous little kid, but I was also shocked by the way Suzette sometimes treated her.

And that is what makes this novel so interesting to read. There are a lot of variations on the Bad Seed trope, but none that I’ve read so far have been cast in shades of gray, like it is here.

Other things I loved include the vivid setting of Pittsburgh. The Jensen family live in a neighborhood I’m very familiar with, and go to restaurants and even Urgent Cares that actually exist. It was like reading a shout out to a beloved part of a beloved city. That was a lot of fun!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC.

This would have gotten more stars if the language hadn't have been so bad. It really detracted away from the book. I don't need f-bombs that frequently throughout anything I read.
Overall the story pulled you in and I wanted to know what happened to Hanna which is why I continued reading despite some of the material (I could have done without the devil sex part as well honestly).
It definitely is a page turner though!

4.5 stars. I read this book in 2 days - seriously, I could not put it down. I loved the opposing POV of 7 year old Hanna and her mother, both of whom have major mommy issues. Hanna is...what is she? The Bad Seed? Probably a sociopath, possibly a psychopath. Her mother, Suzette, is ill and has been all her life, and she is desperate to please her "perfect" husband, Alex.

Suzette's life can be divided into Before Hanna and After Hanna. Before Hanna, life was idyllic: she had found a soulmate in Alex who accepted the limitations of her Crohn's disease, thought she was beautiful and talented, and encouraged her in every way. Their life together was lovely and they assumed bringing a baby of their own into it would make it even more perfect.

But then came Hanna. She wasn't at all what Suzette expected. She wasn't a small version of Alex: she was a small version of HER and she didn't like that. Hanna didn't do craft projects, didn't want to have fun with Suzette, didn't even talk. At age 7 she still doesn't talk and that frustrates Suzette beyond belief. She...can't...deal.

As things progress and Hanna becomes more and more determined to get rid of her mother, Suzette's illness gets worse. She and Alex try everything they can think of to help Hanna but she refuses it. She only wants her father.

By the end of the book, and thinking about it now, I wonder if Suzette didn't create Hanna, didn't make her into the "bad child". Had she realized Hanna was her own person and not someone to reflect the love of her parents back at them, maybe Hanna would have grown into a decent kid. The ending is pretty heartbreaking.

Thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc to review.

A book in its own league no doubt!! Where to begin with this review .... creepy kid, says it all lol. Is it possible for a child to be a psychopath? This book will definitely you pondering this thought!

Baby Teeth is a “psychological” thriller focusing on one dysfunctional family. These members definitely have a very toxic effect on each other. When you read the description of this book, it’s exactly what you’ll be given. This book will not be for everyone. It will question your morals for sure. I struggled with should I really be liking this book 🤣. It wasn’t a book I guess of do I like it ... it made me question what would I do if I was this mother?!?

In the end, it kept me interested enough to finish it as it is a quick read. But just like any good horror movie where you find yourself yelling at the tv .. you’ll be caught doing the same here.

This book honestly scared me. To think that a child this young could feel such rage against a parent and the parent be at a loss as what to do is terrifying. I definitely enjoyed the book, but it was interesting the emotions that it made me feel.

An incredibly addicting read about a family torn apart by a troubled child. Told in alternating perspectives of mother (the target of the child's wrath) and daughter, the reader is granted access into the minds of each.

While the father's denial of the severity of the situation was a bit drawn out, the suspense and unpredictability made this a quick and entertaining read.

This one was not for me. I appreciated the author writing a different kind of story, but while bizarre, it just didn't hold my interest.

Sadly this book isn't for me. I tried to get through it but I couldn't take anymore of Suzette and Hannah.
I hope others find this book to their liking.


I thank the publisher and Net galley for a early release copy of thus book.

This was not the book for me. Main character mommy Suzette (I hate pretentious names) is in a mental battle with her seemingly evil daughter Hanna. Caught in the middle, daddy Alex is the only redeeming character in this book. I didn't like the way Suzette talked to Hannah at all, even though I understand Suzette had her own childhood trauma to work through.

Suzette was all about herself, all the time. I don't think a single page missed mentioning her Crohn's disease, her horrible childhood, or her desire to have her husband all to herself. I think she was as emotionally wrecked as Hanna.

I'm sure a lot of folks will enjoy this book, but I couldn't enjoy it at all.

Baby Teeth is unsettling, but in a good way.
Suzette spends her day with her seven year old daughter. She homes schools Hannah because she has already been removed from two schools. But Hannah's behavior continues to escalate causing Suzette to fear from her life.
Baby Teeth is an easy read. The chapters are short and the text isn't too thick. Plus, in the effort to cut the tension create by the book, I kept reading so I could get a conclusion. I was mostly satisfied with the conclusion though I think it did fall on a stereotypical horror trope
While the book does require some suspension of belief, Baby Teeth grabs you from the beginning. The idea of evil children make us uncomfortable and the novels plays off that. At the same time, it questions our knowledge of bad and good. The novel fails to take this idea deeper for true explanation and mixes the ideas of delusion and psychopathy.
Not very deep, but truly creepy, Baby Teeth is not for the faint of heart.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the chance to read and review Baby Teeth.

So bad. So good.

Let me tell you a little story, as a teenager I remember watching a documentary about a family with a schizophrenic daughter and being terrified! What if that happened to me when I had kids? I can't imagine being stuck with a difficult child for life. Maybe that makes me a horrible person, but mostly, I think it makes me human. It would feel like a prison and I can't imagine being tasked with such burden. It has been a huge fear of mine since watching the documentary, especially when I was pregnant and raising infants. I know it sounds silly and selfish to worry about such things, but having children feels like rolling the dice, you never know who they will become or what their personalities will be like.

While reading Baby Teeth, I felt immensely grateful for my normal, loving little humans. So grateful.
In the story, Hanna is a silent little dear while her daddy is around. He loves her and they share an unbreakable bond. When Suzette, Hanna's mother, is alone with Daddy's Angel, however, a different story emerges. Hanna becomes a dangerous demon-child, hellbent on keeping her mother away from her father. No one is allowed to come between her and Daddy, especially Mommy.
"Sweet" seven-year-old Hanna is determined to devise a plan to get rid of her mother, preferably forever.

I was a little freaked out when I read the synopsis, especially because I have a daughter close to the same age and I couldn't imagine her being so devious. The idea is chilling and disturbing, but ridiculously intriguing. I knew I had to read this book because it's completely out of the box, creepy, and interesting. I couldn't read that description and not find out what happened with this family. Be warned, though, Baby Teeth has some of the most mixed reviews I've ever seen for a book and it hasn't even released yet. I'm definitely on the "loved it" side of the spectrum, and hope others will be too.

Reading from Hanna's perspective was everything I envisioned. I felt myself wanting to shout, "Kill it! KILL IT!" The author's ability to bring this demon-creature to life was stellar. Hanna's inner voice truly sounded like a demented seven-year-old child who seemed to have a clear-cut motive for wanting her mother out of the picture. Her lunacy made the story constantly scary and exciting, keeping my Kindle glued to my fingers to figure out what she would do next.

Suzette's point of view was my favorite to read. As a mother myself, I was able to relate to her perspective quite well, understanding the back and forth feelings she was consistently battled in regards to her daughter's well-being. She obviously loved her daughter - she carried her for nine months, she's part of her own flesh, but she couldn't help being frightened of Hanna's wicked antics. Any normal mother would feel confused, guilty, and somehow responsible for their child's behavior. Like Suzette said in the story, "the mother is always to blame," whether we criticize ourselves or receive the blame of those around us.
What about the dads, Society? Can't they step up and receive some of the benefits and blame of parenting, too?

Speaking of fathers, Alex angered me almost more than Hanna! What an oblivious fool. In the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

This book isn't releasing for months, and it makes me so sad because I want everyone to have it now! Everything about this story is fine-tuned - there is excellent characterization and a stellar plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. While some may complain that parts of this story don't seem realistic, I have to disagree. Who has a measuring stick for a psychotic seven-year-old? I think Hanna's temperament and actions were explained meticulously from her point of view. Unfortunately Baby Teeth will not be available until July; however, I definitely recommend doing yourself a favor by pre-ordering this exciting novel now with the links below. It is definitely one of the most twisted books I have had the pleasure of reading, and I hope you will pick it up too!

Even the author feels this book isn't for anyone, and I'm one of those. It's me, not her.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of BABY TEETH by Zoje Stage in exchange for my honest review.***

What would you do if your adorable seven-year-old daughter hated you?
What if you knew, but couldn’t prove she was trying to kill you?
What if she was a perfect angel with her father?

Suzette *knows* Hanna hates her. Her husband Alex thinks she’s exaggerating.

What if you hated your Mommy and wanted her dead?
What if you knew how much happier you and Daddy would be without her?
What lengths would you go?

Hanna has a plan, but Mommy isn’t cooperating. She’s hard to kill.

BABY TEETH is the story of a mother and daughter relationship gone terribly wrong. Told in alternating chapters of Suzette’s and Hanna’s third person points of view Stage takes readers on a dark and twisty journey from bad to worse.

Hanna is clearly a disturbed child. She suffers from selective mutism, she can speak but will not, perplexing doctors and her parents. When she finally speaks to Suzette, she claims to be a witch. Suzette is tired of trying. Her patience is understandably shot. Additionally, she suffers from Chron’s Disease. Although she was victimized by Hanna, I had a difficult time empathizing with her. I know I couldn’t have done better in her shoes, but I didn’t like her and at times I rooted for Hanna to prevail.

As a child psychologist, I wanted a little more insight into Hanna’s psyche. I don’t believe in bad seeds. The glimpses of good we’re supposed to see in her are her intelligence and creativity. I need a little more in terms of personality. A boy like Hanna with whom I worked had tremendous unselfish love and empathy for his little sister, not example. The love Hanna expressed for her father was age inappropriate (she was seven not three) and creepy. Other readers probably won’t be as picky as me.

BABY TEETH fizzled out toward the ending, which didn’t live up to the rest of the story. Still, BABY TEETH will appeal to a wide range of audiences, would make a great movie and compels a sequel.

I literally devoured this book, it was way too good to put down for very long! #BabyTeeth had me wondering who I should root for and changing my loyalties with the page number! I can't wait very long to see what little devious Hanna does next!