I regretfully admit that I have not read anything previously by this author but thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me the opportunity to experience a wonderful novel. There is so much going on that this reader was constantly caught off guard and delighted by the intricate plot. Highly recommended and can't wait to see what this author writes next.

This story is told in third person and dual timelines in 2019 following Lila and in 2004 following Lila’s mother, Catherine. While I feel the social commentary and symbolism in this book is important, I just didn’t relate to any of the characters enough to care about any of it. I found Lila’s story to be frustrating and juvenile, focusing on the wrong things. While I found the earlier timeline following Catherine to be more interesting, it felt out of place in time.

As a woman in science, I know that misogyny is alive and well in our modern world and I know this is horror, but there are some aspects of the story that I expect to be believable. For example, a psychiatrist in 2004 who dismisses a woman as emotional and hysterical and sending her home with anti-psychotics and zero questions rather than the possible publications and notoriety that he could gain from having a patient that was the possible victim of the Jazzland serial killer as a child. That just wasn’t plausible to me and the resolution for that just seemed too last minute. Rather than take place in the last twenty years, this story felt decades out of date to me, certainly pre-serial killer fascination.

This just wasn’t for me. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy provided for an honest review.

DNF 5%

Unfortunately, I was triggered by a scene and even though I don't think it was heading in the way I thought (spiralled due to the trigger) I could not finish this book.

I was a little hesitant going into this due to the reviews but I actually enjoyed it! It was dark and disturbing and very intriguing.

Such a beautifully written book with an equally stunning cover!
DeMeester did a phenomenal job creating a mysterious and dark atmosphere, it definitely will have you gripping the edge of your seats.

This is a brilliant horror novels that's not shy of giving a big f u to the patriarchy. It eloquently delves into deep subjects like feminism and gender norms and expectations.

Overall, this book surprised me and I will definitely be on the lookout for more books from this author.

As always thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review

I'm not sure what to say about this book, it took me a very long time to read it, I assume because it's not like most books I read. The story was good. But, I had to read just a little at a time so I didn't get nightmares.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I became aware of DeMeester from the Books in the Freezer podcast and have been meaning to read her for a while. When this one came on to NetGalley, I knew I would be reading it, and I couldn’t put this one down. I finished in 24 hours and was hooked the entire time. I absolutely loved this one and will be reading more of her work for sure.

From Goodreads: There’s something out there that’s killing. Known only as The Cur, he leaves no traces, save for the torn bodies of girls, on the verge of becoming women, who are known as trouble-makers; those who refuse to conform, to know their place. Girls who don’t know when to shut up.

2019: Thirteen-year-old Lila Sawyer has secrets she can’t share with anyone. Not the school psychologist she’s seeing. Not her father, who has a new wife, and a new baby. And not her mother—the infamous Caroline Sawyer, a unique artist whose eerie sculptures, made from bent twigs and crimped leaves, have made her a local celebrity. But soon Lila feels haunted from within, terrorized by a delicious evil that shows her how to find her voice—until she is punished for using it.

2004: Caroline Sawyer hears dogs everywhere. Snarling, barking, teeth snapping that no one else seems to notice. At first, she blames the phantom sounds on her insomnia and her acute stress in caring for her ailing father. But then the delusions begin to take shape—both in her waking hours, and in the violent, visceral sculptures she creates while in a trance-like state. Her fiancé is convinced she needs help. Her new psychiatrist waives her “problem” away with pills. But Caroline’s past is a dark cellar, filled with repressed memories and a lurking horror that the men around her can’t understand.

As past demons become a present threat, both Caroline and Lila must chase the source of this unrelenting, oppressive power to its malignant core. Brilliantly paced, unsettling to the bone, and unapologetically fierce, Such a Pretty Smile is a powerful allegory for what it can mean to be a woman, and an untamed rallying cry for anyone ever told to sit down, shut up, and smile pretty.

The mother/daughter bond this book explores is fantastic. Caroline and Lila are both such dynamic characters that you can’t help but root for both of them. I absolutely loved their dueling plots. And DeMeester manages to do something a lot of writers don’t. She makes both plotlines meaningful to one another. What happens to Caroline in the past, parallels Lina’s in the present. I thought this book was so well-written, overall, and will be recommending it to everyone.

I really liked this one! It was a creepy-in-a-good-way read and I didn't feel pulled out of the story. I was surprised through the twists and turns.

I really wanted to like this one but I struggled to get through so I’ve decided to give up.

It’s just not for me.

The two main characters just weren’t relatable enough to me and while it’s good writing I just can’t finish so I have to DNF.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

YES!! I absolutely love when my horror media includes feminist elements and messaging, and DeMeester absolutely nailed that here -- LOVED this. Couldn't turn the pages fast enough!!

This is a quite subversive thriller. I was kept guessing throughout, and I love the complexity of the characters. If you are looking for a good thriller, this is the book for you.

This book hits home very harshly. It demonstrated what it likes to be on the receiving end of gross compliments from men and being expected to just take it and have to accept it without complaint. It was dark, gritty and all too surreal

This book started off so strong but by the end I wasn’t really a fan. It left me a bit confused and underwhelmed.

This was an excellent read and I’m sorry I was unable to get to it sooner. It’s a feminist tale, telling the real struggles that women encounter everyday, yet within the folds of a horror story. I had a hard time putting it down once I started. I loved the style of the writing and the back and forth between Lila and her mother’s stories. The characters are memorable and the story and its theme will stick with me for a long time. This is my second read from Demeester and certainly not my last.

I’m obviously a little late reading this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. I’m not normally a horror reader but I think I will be spreading my wings into this genre. Such a Pretty Smile creepy and kept me so engaged while reading. I loved the two different time scenarios for mother and daughter as well. Overall it really was a good book and it took me less than a day to read. Highly recommend!!

Quite a read! This is definitely a woman power book. So much feminism which i can appreciate!

I loved the dual timelines and the younger voice was well done.

The suspense really built with an explosive ending! Surprised it’s a debut! Well done!

This was a really interesting YA horror with intertwining storylines each giving up precious details that helped me put together the opposite story line.

This was an easy book to read quickly, and I will definitely be looking our for future books by this debut author.

I got an arc on netgalley and I thought it was going to be suspenseful and maybe some horror... but I was left speechless. This pulled so much emotions from me. I cried, I was left feeling nervous and scared and freaked out. I love that it gets people to acknowledge the fact that women are expected to stay silent and just smile no matter what goes on so that they don't upset the clean tidy image. Love that it doesn't paint family and friendship as this rosy perfect life. It's very real in the worst ways but the best way to be written that is possible. This book will stick with me and haunt me forever

This book went to a dark place that I wasn’t prepared for. It was strange and a little off putting. I wasn’t able to finish it because one part unsettled me so much I couldn’t pick it up again. Up until the dark turns, I really enjoyed it.

This was a quick, suspenseful read with horror elements. Dual time periods will draw readers in until all comes together at the end. There is a decent twist.