I wanted to start by saying that I love the premise of this novel and I just can't put my finger on why it didn't work for me.

I usually like dual timelines, I usually love mysteries where I am trying to figure out what is going on, but I just really struggled to connect with this one.

I will say that the last part held my attention more than the first part of the story and I did she a lot of connections to feminism and women attempting to break out of expected female norms (which I always appreciate).

Overall, a 2.5 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley books and St. Martin's Press for a free advanced digital copy in exhange for an honest review.

What an absolutely incredible book this is!

From chapter 1, I was immediately drawn into Lila's world. Lila is such an easy character root for. The undercurrent of uneasiness is established early on, and the reader is left wondering what the heck is happening.

When the timeline begins to shift, and we start learning more about Caroline, the plot is really amped up. Telling this story from the perspective of both mother and daughter was the perfect choice.

The horror in this book manifests itself in many different ways, from scary dreams to noises in the dark to even the horror women experience every single day. DeMeester does such a great job of capturing this horror that I was on the edge of my seat, straight up creeped out, while I read.

And in the end? I cried, for the first time in a long time, because the ending was powerful and perfect and so much more than I was hoping for.

You might go into this for the monsters and the horror, but you're going to walk away feeling emboldened and strong, with a smile across your face, especially all the women out there.

HIGHLY recommend this wonderful book.

<b>3.0 Stars</b>
I absolutely loved the premise of this one so I was hoping this would be a new favourite. I loved the author's first novel, Beneath, but I was underwhelmed.

This sophomore novel felt much more polished than her debut novel, which felt a bit more fragmented and raw. Unfortunately, in that polishing, I felt the narrative lost it's bite. I loved the criticisms surrounding the roles of of women in society, but I felt the story played it too safe.

I went into this book with impossibly high expectations so I would still encourage readers to try this for themselves if they are intrigued by the premise.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I had a lot of trouble with this book. I had to re-read so many parts because I couldn't understand what was happening. It's partly my fault because I went into this thinking it was your standard thriller with a tinge of horror but I was clearly wrong. I think the concept is great - for centuries women have been labeled hysterical when their behaviors are out of line with how society wants them to be. However. the execution was too much - I felt like this was several different books put into one story. Lila's character was completely unlikable (maybe she was supposed to be?) and I had no sympathy for her towards the end of the story. The best part was Caroline's backstory and how she got to be her 2019 self. Overall, it just didn't work for me but I think it's more personal taste and that others might find it very interesting.

Lila's mom Caroline is a little overprotective. Although, a girl did go missing (and turned up dead) in her smallish town outside Atlanta, so it makes sense. But to Lila, all she wants to do is fit in with her cool friend, Macie, and her mom is really making it hard to look normal. Not only that, but Lila also overhears her mom talking to her dad on the phone about the murder and it seems to fit the exact same thing that was happening years ago when her parents were together and lived in NOLA.

Girls keep going missing, and Lila starts to see, hear and and then feel strange things. And it gets to the point where she feels that whatever is killing the girls is inside her. She isn't sure how or why, but something is going on and its coming directly for her. So could it really be human?

Such a Pretty Smile is a great horror read. I read so much suspense that deals in worst case scenarios of normal, everyday settings (think the evil that lives within your friends and neighbors), that taking a dip in something a bit more supernatural is a nice break. I appreciated the settings and loved how DeMeester flipped back and forth to tell Caroline's story in a parallel way to Lilas.

Specials thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Good concept and interesting twists. I could have thoroughly enjoyed it. My issue came with the writing itself. It felt chunky. It felt like the kind if writing i would achieve around 13 years old. A sad no for me.

This book was extremely strange for a lot of reasons. One thing I really couldn't wrap my head around was that Lila was supposed to be under 13 years old for the whole book. I found a lot of the book uncomfortable and unbelieveable because of that, and wished she had been a teen or older. I realize this is a horror novel so some unbelievability is to be expected, but that aspect of the book just did not work for me. I was intrigued enough to finish the book, but I was kind of confused by the ending and what the ultimate message of the story was.

I had to stop reading this book about halfway through. I was having trouble figuring out why I was struggling so hard to get through this book. It's very well written, the story itself is interesting, and I wanted to find out what was going on, but still I struggled. I think, ultimately, there were a few things that made me not want to keep picking this book up. 1) The main characters age. I believe the main character, the daughter, is around thirteen years old, I found myself having trouble picturing a thirteen year old thinking and feeling such adult things. I know that tweens/teens are in that awkward stage of feeling "adult" but obviously still being children, I just personally felt weirded out. 2) I didn't know /why/ I should be scared of the things I was reading. ie the mother and daughter are both scared of dogs, but I have /no/ idea why, so I never felt scared when there was a dog barking or a dog-like figure. I had trouble being scared of something, like the mothers art, when I didn't have a reason to be scared of it. 3) Sometimes scenes or chapters felt as though they dragged on. I may just be someone who prefers shorter chapters, but sometimes it just felt like so little was being said with so many words. Ultimately, I think this book personally was not for me, but I can definitely see many loving this book very much, so I still suggest giving it a try!

Such a Pretty Smile subverts tropes and looks at society in a novel way.

Such a Pretty Smile bouncing between mother and daughter's views as well as periods.
There’s something out there that’s killing young girls. Known only as The Cur, he leaves no traces, save for the torn bodies of the girls. This killer is was active when Caroline was a girl and now that it's 2019, she is afraid of them coming after her daughter Caroline. Caroline doesn't understand why her mother is overprotective nor what is going on within her own body, and the anger she keeps inside. The answer lies in Caroline's past, a past of snarling dogs and lurking men, that she keeps secret. And this secret is turning out to be deadly.

This book doesn't go where you expect it to. I thought I called a twist though I hadn't. Kristi DeMeester subverted my expectations and presents the reader with something novel. While I'm still a bit-not confused- unsettled (maybe?), I feel the same way about the movie Nightmare Alley, you finish it and are like WTF, but you continue to think about it, and you realize what the piece has truly done.

The author takes on the expectations and tropes of women. There are some great moments (such as when her finance' doesn't share her work because it's better than his) and most are not too on the nose. The novel deals with desire, revenge, wantonness, and anger, and other emotions and characteristics that are not typically wanted approved of in women. Everything depends on women fitting to the stereotype of the “perfect woman” and has an interesting mechanic for enforcing this.

I am ambivalent about the book at the moment. I would have wanted more clarity. But I can't say where I need it. It's a weird sensation that I can't explain. This is a unique thriller and I'm interested to see what you think about it.

Young girls are disappearing and later found murdered, their bodies mutilated as if by an animal. Caroline remembers similar crimes from her young adult years, which appear to be the work of a serial killer known as The Cur, causing her to shift into overprotective mom mode. Caroline’s daughter Lila is 13 and full of teenage hormones and energy, an adolescent chafing at the restraints of independence. Lila suspects her mom is hiding a dark secret. Even more unnerving, Lila begins experiencing unsettling episodes and what seem to be hallucinations.

This book doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre. There are a lot of feminist themes; pointed commentary on misogyny, sexuality, and mental health, that are very timely and well-developed. There’s definitely some horror, and some parts that are thriller-esque. It is fairly gory and graphic at points – not for the faint of heart. There’s a supernatural aspect to the horror, which isn’t my cup of tea but will appeal to fans of that style. The pacing is a bit uneven but Kristi DeMeester is clearly a talented author with a unique voice and I would love to read more of her work.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Too much going on for one story line. I did not finish. Maybe next time.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a Pretty Smile is told through dual timelines from the perspective of a single mother, Caroline, and her 13 year old daughter, Lila. Lila starts seeing things that make her question her sanity. Pretty soon, Caroline catches wind of something happening to Lila that feels familiar and terrifying. All of this takes place during a bout of murders of young girls by a notorious serial killer, The Cur.

Brimming with anger, Such a Pretty Smile is a female-centric horror novel that puts a face on the fear that plagues people who feel the muzzle of “being a good girl”. Kristi Demeester has written a book that uses horror conventions as a way to illustrate the frustration that most women feel toward a society, dominated by older white men who cannot fathom a woman having her own power.

That all being said, this was an effective scary story from start to finish. I was engrossed from its first chapter. What I love most is Demeester’s use of horror conventions that throw the reader off. There are hints of werewolf, possession, as well as, haunting tropes that are used to further the central themes of sexism and power inequality. Such a Pretty Smile takes the fear every woman faces and filters it through a chilling horror novel.

I've heard such amazing things about this book, sadly it just didn't work out for me. I tried to push through and continue to read but I only made it to about 20% before I called it quits. Not every book is for everyone, and as much as I wanted to love this one, I just couldn't get into it. Will I pick it up again? Yes perhaps. Did I get suspicious everytime a dark barks? Also perhaps yes. I am curious about certain aspects which makes me think I will be going back to it one day.

I really liked how this one started out. Teenage girl Lila has a secret that she can't tell anyone, even her best friend Macie. Not only would it shatter her mother, but it would also ruin her friendship. It seems that keeping secrets runs in the family, because Lila's mother is good at it as well. What we spend the majority of the book trying to figure out is what happened to her mom in 2004.

So like I said this one started out good. There is something shredding teenage girls, and Lila's mom is terrified because it seems she knows what is happening. After about 80 pages or so I started skimming. Get to the point already. Then things just got weird and even weirder towards the end. This one was not for me, but I have seen others who have liked it.

I liked this. It was creepy and supernatural, the kind of book that makes you want to check under the bed before going to sleep or shut the curtains tight. It revolves around a girl and her mother, and unexplainable events from the past and present. I liked the writing style and the flow of the story. I liked the slow reveal of details and the creepy moments. The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars, honestly, the only thing that kind of pulled away from being fully engrossed? Is whenever the author changed the message to be more about women being taught to be good and know their place, or how men treat them and don't listen to them. I got what she was trying to say and how it could relate to the story, but it felt like the message wasn't necessary for the good scary tale I was reading. Like it was a separate thought? Anyways, I'd still definitely read more by her in the future.

Young girls are disappearing and turning up dead and mutilated, as if from an animal. Lila is 13-years old and didn’t have many friends at school, until Macie took her under her wing. Unfortunately, Lila begins to hear things that don’t seem to be there. Lila’s mother Caroline, an artist, has been hiding her past from her daughter. A past that involved something in New Orleans where Caroline had lived with Lila’s father, Daniel.

The story is told from the points of view of both Lila (in 2019) and Caroline (2019 and 2004), but the chapter names tell us whose POV and when, so easy to follow. I really liked this. There were definitely some heart-thumping moments, though at the same time, it was a bit tricky to picture some things. I do need to add a warning that this is horror - there are some violent and gruesome scenes.

Thriller, supernatural. I can’t say this book was totally my kind of read, but the writing kept me going. The storyline was just a little too odd for me.

Two timelines; Lila, daughter, in 2019, and Caroline, mom, in 2014. Each storyline is easy to follow, clearly marked by chapter headers. Mental health, men discounting women’s issues. Story is extremely well written, and I’d love to give the author another try.

Thanks to Ms. DeMeester, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Such a Pretty Smile has razor-sharp teeth that gripped me by the throat, refusing to let go until the last page.

We follow present day Lila as she navigates the shaky road of girlhood, right at the cusp of being a teenager and chapters set in the past following her mom, Caroline, as she tries to deal with her ill father and the sounds of incessant barking that seem to follow her.

It's an unforgiving look at the pressures put on girls to be "good girls". How those pressures follow girls into adulthood, morphing who they could've been had it not been for the constant reminder that their needs matter less in the light of a man's, or society's, ego.

It's written in a sinister way that doesn't mask the evil but puts it on full-display in ways we're all too familiar with - girls being murdered and us moving on after we lose interest, a boy is upset at a girl for not giving him something he believes he has a right to and punishes her, that same girl then turning to her friend who isn't 'normal' and taking out her frustration on her in only a way a young girl can do and masking it in candy-coated insults, the weight of being confronted with your differences at every turn and wishing you could sand them away into a more palatable existence, a man so intimidated by his fiancé's talent that it forms a dark hole.

Every word cut deep. It felt dreamy and nightmarish at times. The pacing, in terms of discovery of certain plot points, was a little slow but the inner workings of each characters minds more than made up for it. The author gave us a trail of breadcumbs we could use to figure out the full picture but filled out those spaces with a dark, forbidding atmosphere you can't help but get lost in.

The ending was a ride and while I wish that part of it had ended differently, it made sense for both plot and character growth. There is so much more than be said in this world and I'd love to see a sequel or spin-off exploring those avenues. It wasn't tied up in a nice, neat bow. But life rarely is.

Was getting into this until I realized it is more of a horror super natural kinda story. Not my thing.
I'm sure others will love it as it is well written.
I stopped at 40% in. Realizing I was losing interest and no use continuing.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

This visceral and angry horror novel takes on themes of misogyny, gender, mothers and daughters, and mental illness and weaves them all into a creepy narrative. We have two timelines and perspectives: the first is of thirteen year old Lila, who is slowly realizing she has feelings for her good (but somewhat toxic) friend Macie, all while young girls are disappearing and ending up dead. Her mother Caroline, a famous sculptor, is trying to keep Lila safe with her watchful eye, though Lila resents it, and realizes that there is some kind of angry force inside of her that is slowly starting to seep through. The other perspective is that of a young Caroline, who has been caring for her terminally ill father while living with her lover, a fellow artist who is envious of her success while he is spinning his wheels. Caroline starts hearing the sounds of barking dogs where there are no dogs to be found, and wonders if she's descending into madness. DeMeester takes both of these timelines and tells a creepy and maddening story about the way women are victimized, dismissed, and silenced by more powerful men and forces, with a supernatural twist. It's one that hits close to home with the all too realistic and relatable horrors of being a woman trying to maneuver through such oppression, and how they try to ready and protect their daughters from it all. And for many reasons, yes, I related to a lot of this. DeMeester has a unique and forceful horror voice and I can't wait to read more of her work!