I didn't love it like I wanted to. It ended up being more superficial than I expected. I wish it would have been a little more--a little more thrilling, for instance.

I'm SO glad I went into this without any spoilers and without reading any reviews because this is GREAT. DeMeester really nails writing "creepy"; I got literal chills many times throughout reading this. It's gut-wrenching, clever, and dark and I cannot rave about it enough.

My first impression of this novel was that it was a young adult novel dressed up in adult clothes; the characters, situation and language seemed to be setting up a "Fear Street" kind of scenario.
I am pleased to say that I was wrong. DeMeester definitely takes this story into some very adult places and makes it worth going there with her. The suspense is well-crafted and the tension is well-built, with a rewarding enough payoff and characters that the reader can follow with care and sympathy.
The book has a feminist agenda, but it makes no bones about it. I was aware of that going in, and found that it added to the depth of the story. Horror, I find, is always improved by adding this kind of meaning and relevance as long as it's done in a way that does not distort the story to suit the theme. DeMeester handles this well, making for a story that is as relevant as it is at times terrifying.
On a critical note, I did find that some of the secondary characters were a two-dimensional (I'm thinking of the psychologist here) and lacked realism for their one-note roles in the story. I would have appreciated a touch more character development to flesh out the characters and make them seem more integral to the story.
Aside from that, this was a good page-turner of a read that I would gladly recommend to anyone looking for a good tense tale of the supernatural.

So Went into this one blind and was thoroughly creeped out the entire time. I enjoyed the dual POVs between mother and daughter as well as a non linear timeline. This gave me Stephen Kings The Outsider vibes. It made the reader question what is real value what is in the MCs head. Clever plot with a focus on how women are so often silenced and called “crazy”, The writing was really well done. Purposeful text and so descriptive that I was genuinely creeped out and scared during some scenes. I did not like the personalities of the counselors and psychiatrists angered me since I work in this field. But the ending justified this stereotype of overprescribing doctors. Also, I wanted a bit more explanation at the end. I still have some questions.. Would I recommend? Absolutely! This book is creepy, suspenseful and downright eerie. Excellent read for spooky season. It also left me terrified of dogs.

What happens when you can't distinguish what is real from what is delusion?!?

Such a Pretty Smile was a beautifully written... heart wrenching... dark Tale about woman, about Family and about what lurks in the shadows.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC & to the Author for the great read!

(Trigger warnings ⚠️)

I think this type of book is a category of story I can't fully embrace. Writing is good, story is good but taken together they're just not for me; which is a bummer bc it feels very much like a genre that is picking up steam. And I also like things that call out the unrelenting misogyny that pervades so much of our everyday life. 3 stars mostly bc I know for those who are into this type of writing, it's a fantastic type of book.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lila is worried about a fellow student who was abducted. Her mother has memories of a serial killer named cur who did similar things when she was younger. This book was both chilling and kept me on the edge of my seat.

I loved absolutely everything about this horror novel: the imagery, the turns of phrase, the fury of adolescent-hood and young adulthood leaping from the pages.

I would classify this as a social horror of the highest magnitude wrapped in a serial killer mystery. The pacing ramps up the further you go in, but you never feel that it’s moving at a breakneck speed that you couldn’t keep up with. I wasn’t frightened by any of the scenes in this book, but it definitely gives you thrills and chills.

The characters felt real and so interesting. You could tell that the author took care to craft each one of them and give them their own distinctive voice.

Kristi DeMeester deserved so much praise for this novel. And I’m hoping it’s a booktube/bookstagram/booktok sensation upon release because I’d love to hear all of my favorite influencers’ take on the story.

I will be reading everything this author writes going forward. That’s for sure. 😊

Oh Man this was such a good book!!! Quick read! Enjoyed the characters a lot Thanks for the opportunity to read and review

Very unique horror story. Creepy and unsettling with many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and completely absorbed right to the thrilling end!

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Wild ride.. Solid 5

"Such a Pretty Smile" is a creepy novel. I didn't know much about it going into it, and I'm glad. The story follows two timelines - one is Lila Sawyer in 2019, and the other is her mother Caroline in 2004.

For Lila, growing up isn't easy. She's the daughter of famous sculptor Caroline Sawyer, and her father has a new wife and a new baby born with serious health problems. Lila is the last thing on his mind. The young girl begins seeing the school counselor and undergoes a rather jarring change in personality and temperament.

Caroline doesn't have an easy time as a young adult, either. She works multiple jobs to pay for her father's memory care facility, and her boyfriend is clearly jealous of her artistic talent. When insomnia leads her to start hearing - and then seeing - vicious dogs everywhere, she seeks help on her boyfriend's advice and is given pills to stop the hallucinations. If that's what they really are.

During both timelines, girls are disappearing, only to be found dead later - and mutilated. Is an animal doing this? A serial killer? Lila's mother seems more paranoid than most parents about the bizarre disappearances, and Lila can't help but wonder why her mother never discusses her past. What does Caroline know? How does her past shine light on the new murders?

With a "monster" trying to silence the voices of young women, it becomes clear that bad things will happen to girls who don't follow the rules. But not all of the girls are willing to take a back seat to the men in their lives - to be the supportive girlfriend, or to date the popular boy just because that's what is usually done. This book is a rallying cry for all of the females who want to do more than behave well and smile pretty. I loved it.

I hadn't heard anything about this before I read this book but the summary caught my eye immediately. The book was so fast paced that I was able to read it in one sitting as I couldn't put it down. It was so dark and troubling and also so creepy!The mental health schizophrenia components were very familiar and I loved how it was dealt with in addition to everything going on. I love that you were kept on the edge of your seat the whole time and how everything came together at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a sample of this book I really loved it and would love to purchase and add to my collection.

I have read many many many books, especially this year as I decided to throw myself fully into my love of horror, and I can day without the shadow of a doubt that this one is the best of 2021. It may go down as one of the best I have ever read. Beautifully written, intriguing, exhilarating, tragic, brutal, eerie, and haunting. I will write a longer review on the blog once I have time to fully digest, but when I finished I literally and audibly said « wow » out loud. Five frikin stars and if I could I would give it six.

This one is a tough one to review and rate for me.
First off, I did enjoy the writing and the characters, and the story itself was very intriguing. The atmosphere of Such a Pretty Smile drew me in from page one and it actually carried on throughout the whole book. I wanted to keep turning the page.
I of course (sadly) also recognized many of the gross situations our main characters find themselves in as my own experiences with men and that's why I'd love to rave about this book a lot more, but especially the ending kinda left me hanging.

I would have wished for some more exploration of the threat (I called them the patriarchy dogs in my head while reading ...). Mystery is good, but too much mystery feels unfulfilling. I couldn't really take the resolution seriously and I should have, because serious things happened and it's a serious topic. But things went down way too fast after a relatively long build up and I still didn't really know much more about the fantastical aspects of the story than I did in the beginning, unfortunately.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for inviting me to read and review Such a Pretty Smile.
**review already posted on Goodreads separately; doing it through the website messes with my editions read.

This was absolutely fantastic! I stayed up way later than I should have to finish this book. I highly recommend this to all thriller lovers. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. I can’t wait to find more by author.

Written in the style of a gothic thriller, definitely a sit up and read all night book. The strength of women is highlighted in this excellent read.

I'm not even sure where to start, so I'll just say that I really loved this book. I don't want to give away too much, but it's about a serial killer called The Cur that's targeting young girls. The killings started in New Orleans in n 2004 and have begun again in 2019 in the Atlanta area.

I thought the plot was very unique. There was a twist I never saw coming. It was really well-written and I hope to read more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an advance copy of Kristi DeMeester’s contemporary horror novel, Such a Pretty Smile, in exchange for an honest review.

#Suchaprettysmile is undoubtedly one of those polarizing reads: you will either love it or hate it, with little room for anything in-between. On the one hand, the plot twist was certainly innovative for a genre that is typically inundated with trite concepts. It also helps that the author knows how to create a tense atmosphere and distinctive characters. On the other hand, I was not particularly drawn to any of the characters, which is a shame since the book is chockfull of dialogue. I could barely tolerate Caroline by the end of the fourth chapter.

Additionally, the pacing of the story was not quite right and there was some unidentifiable issue with the writing. All I can say is that it felt flat, but then I think back to graphic scenes or the clarity of random passages and the word ‘flat’ is also inaccurate. If someone figures it out, please leave a comment below.

I do not want to reveal too many details and spoil the story, but basically if you enjoy reading horror with oblique elements or books with feminist themes, then this could potentially be for you. Again, the reviews appear to be evenly split. Personally, I struggled to finish it. However, that does not mean you will too.