I read Baby Teeth in one day. It might just be the creepiest, craziest book I’ve ever read, and I’m glad I finished it just as night fell, because if I hadn’t, I’d have locked myself in a closet all night.

Suzette and Alex, a lovely and talented couple, have a lovely little girl, Hanna. Lovely to look at. But Hanna doesn’t talk, and she’s been kicked out of at least five schools before even turning six. So, there’s something off about Hanna. She adores her father, and, while seemingly indifferent to her mother, hates her so much she wishes she were dead.

And so the story of Hanna, who is a very smart little girl, plays out to it’s terrifying end.

Or, is it a beginning?

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. I had no idea what it was about when I got it. And I am very glad I read it, because Zoje Stage really knows how to tell a story.

Excellent story line that is well written and captivating. This story is chilling and nothing short of the worst nightmare that any parent could face. A must read.

I found this a difficult read. Not for everyone. A Child who fantasies about getting rid of her mother, so she has her daddy all to herself. I thought I was reading a horror story. But I did persevere and the ending had me thinking. I am sure there are children with this destructive fantasy and psychiatric condition. I would have like to see a few pages at the end about the psychiatric condition. I enjoyed the aspect of the "realness" of the condition.

I really don't know how else to describe this book outside of just plain silly.

Was it entertaining? At times. But for the most part it was just one eye roll after another.

Would I recommend? Only if your TBR was empty.

It's not horrible, it's just there are so many other books out there with more substance.

ARC provided by NetGalley

This book was messed up. I still am not really sure how I feel about it. The book centers around three characters - Hanna, her mother & her father. She is nonverbal & adores her father but despises her mother. Hanna is messed up. It took me a bit of time to get into the book but once I was about 20% in, I finished it in one go. The ending was a mild cliffhanger, but not in the way that sets up for a sequel (it's better standalone anyway). I didn't find the ending overly satisfying, but it was interesting - I'll give it that.

I think I'd recommend this read if you're in the mood for a bit of a WTF? read.

This book missed the mark for me. The setup was pretty flimsy, and the characters didn't really develop. Lots of awkward transitions; I kept thinking part of the book was missing. That could jus be because it was a proof copy from netgalley, but it still made flow pretty choppy.

The ending was so ... What? Really, what? Ultimately the last third of the book was tedious and I could barely stand to skim just to get it over with.

This is one of the creepiest books I've ever read.

Hannah is seven years-old and the daughter of Alex and Suzette. She loves her dad but dislikes her mom.

Hannah would love to have her dad for herself and starts taking the steps to see this happen. That's the premise of the book and all I can say without getting into spoilers.

The book is told from the alternating points of view of Hannah and Suzette. Suzette suffers from Crohn's disease and I found the author described the illness and its symptoms very well, although I don't suffer from it I was able to easily capture the character's constant pain and anguish.

Overall, I found the story to be disturbing and had difficulties like or relating to any of the characters but I still recommend it to readers of psychological thrillers and suspense.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley

Hanna loves her Daddy but Mommy has to go.

No tool is out of this little one's reach. Even innocent flour becomes a weapon!

I couldn't help putting myself in Suzette's shoes. How would one even react to these events?
As things quickly escalated I couldn't put it down! What could this child possibly do next?
Why on earth would they have an open flame with this child around?!

You seriously have to question their decision making skills.

I am with many readers in that I completely despised Dad ( I seriously could not even be bothered to remember his name).
Granted, the stories he heard from Suzette were a little 'far fetched'. Parents should always have a united front when interacting with their children.
This is a classic example of a male dismissing a woman's reactions as simple hysterics until it is too late. Bad Daddy.

All that aside it was an enjoyable read. Twisted till the end.

Zoje Stage you are on my radar! More please!

This was some twisted story! I have to admit, it was the cover that first got my attention, but the story held within it was worth the hype as well. It really questions whether some people are born bad and challenges the debate between nature vs. nurture. Really strange, but interesting I had a hard time putting it down. This is a story I won't be quick to forget!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book. I don't normally read this type of book but I must say the excerpt drew my curiosity. This book isnt for you if you don't like terror. This book terrified me. How can a 7 year old hate her mother so much she plans her death and believes she has to save her father from her? Hanna is 7 and Suzette is her mom. Suzette didn't have a good upbringing and suffers from Crohn's disease which is somewhat under control now. Her husband Alex adores Suzette and will do anything for her but is oblivious to the fact that his daughter is deranged and wants her mother dead so she can have daddy all to herself.

So, this book was very interesting. It took me a while to write this review because I couldn’t figure out whether I wanted to give it 3 or 4 stars. I settled on 3 because I figured if I had to keep asking myself, then I needed to give 3 stars. This book was quite disturbing at times. Hanna is 7 years and refuses to speak. Hanna harbors resentment towards her mother, and adores her clueless father, Alex. Alex irritated me to no end, as he refused to believe how out of control Hanna was. He took the word of his daughter over his wife. The incident with the photograph? I couldn’t imagine a father actually printing that kind of photo out. Suzette also upset me, but not as much as Alex, in the ways they just basically ignored the 2 most serious events which were disastrous for Suzette. Yes, go to therapy, but pandering to Hanna all weekend and just bringing up the incident as “something we don’t do in this house” really perturbed me. Why wasn’t she punished?? I really like the concept of the book, I’m just not sure how I feel about the overall execution. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

WOW. I can't even tell you what I'm feeling right now, because this book is a tsunami-tornado of emotions and impressions and fears and doubts... First, let me say right off the bat - this will NOT be a book for everyone. I've seen a lot of reviewers turned off by the subject matter, questioning why anyone would write - or read - a book about evil in children or a mother-daughter dysfunction so severe that it literally ends in blood and tears. This is a tough book at times. There is a lot of dark, taboo, disturbing stuff brought into the light here, and it's not for the faint of heart. But my goodness, the story is so well crafted that it would be a crime if it stayed in the dark...

Hanna is not your typical seven year old - even beyond her refusal to speak. And Suzette is not the perfect Stepford mother she wants to be (or, perhaps more accurately, wants people - most notably her husband - to think she is). Those things are both abundantly apparent from the opening pages. In a shifting perspective between Hanna and Suzette, this novel unfolds like a dish towel full of broken glass - there are broken bits that seem to be begging to draw blood throughout. The story of their family dynamic stutters with every breath. Things are just NOT right, but only Suzette seems to see it - to Daddy-Husband Alex, Hanna is his "squirrely girl" and can do no wrong. Until, in a horrible, morbidly fascinating rush, it becomes blindingly apparent that EVERYTHING is wrong. And from there on, the story is a mad rush to see who will be left standing (quite literally)...

This is a powerful read. There are a lot of excellent, spot-on observations about Mommy Guilt, the fear that you've lost yourself and/or spouse to your child, and the bitter and ugly truths of motherhood (be they genuine or "just" genuinely felt), and I hope those don't get lost in the sturm und drang about the "murderous child book". This is a very dramatic take on those issues, but the issues are no less real in more mundane, everyday life - even if, thank goodness, they are usually experienced with much less bloodshed... ;)

My review copy was generously provided by St. Martin's Press.

I love 'bad seed' stories! This one definitely doesn't have the most likable characters. The parents are clearly a big part of the problem. Honestly, I want to give them all a smack. And just when you start feeling sympathetic, this book pulls you right back to reality.

My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a wild ride! Suspenseful and thrilling doesn't begin to describe this book. Great!

Suzette has the perfect marriage, a doting husband and their gorgeous custom home, so when their daughter Hanna is born their family appears to be living the American Dream…on the outside. The reader is dragged through this psychotic ride as we navigate the thoughts of both young Hanna and mother, Suzette.

This book was a dramatic combination of the troubling imagination of young Mark in Imagine That and the psychopathic tendencies of the husband in Poison. Unfortunately, both books were reads I didn’t entirely enjoy the first time around.

Author, Zoje Stage, undoubtedly did an incredible job taking the voices of a mom and child as she switched between each character, each chapter. The characters created within the pages of Baby Teeth were hard for me to love, from the overcompensating father to the crazy daughter completing the cast with a needy and insecure wife. Parenthood is certainly re-evaluated as we are shown Suzette’s daily nightmare and forced to look within ourselves for how far we are willing to go for our child.

*Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I just could not get into this book. I tried on many occasions, but it just seemed that the author seemed to want it to be disturbing, instead of developing a naturally disturbing setting. I hope that I can eventually give it the attention, but I just don't think this was the book for me.

From an outward appearance Hanna looks like any normal child, but in reality that isn't really the case, see this sweet little child has it out for her own mother. She is a master manipulator at her young age, and to anyone looking in, you'd think it was her mother who was disturbed, and that is just the way Hanna likes it. In her world her father is her favorite parent, he caters to her every whim, understands her and her special needs and requests, while her mother is her enemy... and she intends on making her pay... everyday until she breaks!!

Baby Teeth is a dark, unnerving, and downright chilling tale that is sure to have you rattled throughout! I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this one, I mean I have read some disturbing tales in the past, but honestly this one takes the cake, I could not believe some of what I was reading, it had me shook more than a few times! This domestic tale is sure to be liked by some, and maybe turn a few readers off, mainly because it is so hard to wrap your head around all that is happening. It will constantly push you in uncomfortable places, and have you a little rattled more times than you will care to admit... all I can say is that it is not your normal thriller, this one is far more daring than any other that I have read! Overall I'd say it was a well crafted and thought-provoking debut, it held my attention, left me in awe, and just curious enough to make a return visit. Highly recommend, but be prepared to be shocked!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the free copy, in exchange of an honest review. All Opinions are my own. 

Here is my blunt honesty. I am torn with this one, at first I loved it. I loved crazy Hanna, she creeped me the hell out, I had dreams the first night I read this, about my own four-year olds behaving like Hanna. I liked Suzette, I enjoyed watching her struggle with Hanna, and I found her reactions to Hanna, completely realistic. I mean hell, if this devil child was mine, I'm pretty sure I'd be freaking out. I strongly disliked Alex, I did not agree with his character, choosing to believe his daughter over his wife, and turning a blind eye, and simply living like ignorance is bliss.

The things Hanna does to her mom, is horrifying. There is one point where they all go to an urgent care, and Alex (the father) is accused of abuse, and once they found out the daughter was actually the monster, the Doctors and Nurses drop the subject and rush the family out. Now where is the justice in that? Quick to turn on an adult, but want no part in it, when the child is abusing the parent? I wonder how likely that would happen in real life?

So at one point in this book for about 100 pages or so, I became insanely bored, I'm not sure why, other than I wanted to find out the outcome, was Alex going to realize his wife was right? Was Suzette going to die at the hands of Hanna? What was going to happen to all of them? I felt like it became drawn out. And than it caught my interest again, and then it was over. And I still don't know how I feel about the ending, part of me thought it was brilliant, and part of me thought it was terrible.

Was this book original, and creative? Yes it was? Was it executed well? I think it could have been better. But I still enjoyed it very much, even when I felt it lagged. It was still a creepy, tripped out story, and it was nice to read something different.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, via NetGalley, for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a psychological thriller/suspense novel about a dysfunctional family of three. The mother is Suzette who is a talented designer and suffers from Crohn's Disease. She is a stay-at-home mom while her husband, Alex, leaves the child-rearing to her but adores their 7-year-old daughter, Hanna, who wants Mommy gone so she can have Daddy all to herself. Hanna refuses to talk and misbehaves badly only in front of Mommy. Daddy refuses to believe his daughter isn't perfect and takes Hanna's side over Suzette's.

Suzette had a very inattentive mother who allowed the Crohn's Disease to progress so Suzette wanted and tried to be the best mother she could. I felt that Hanna scared and wore Suzette down to the point that eventually Suzette's attitude toward her daughter changed.

There was a lot going on in this debut novel and I was constantly wondering what Hanna would do next to get rid of Mommy. I liked the alternating chapters with viewpoints by Suzette and Hanna.

I felt this was a well-written book and the characters were nicely developed. The ending left a possibility for a sequel.