Cutting Teeth isn't so much a horror novel as it is a story about motherhood with some mildly gory details. Highly recommend it to mothers.

Fun and kind of funny book. I loved the cover art. I like the story but wish it focused a litte less on the parents and more on the kids.
This title would make a great beach read!
Thank you to Netgalley and the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What an odd book! Are the young children in one specific class becoming vampires? Why do they keep biting people and trying to lick their blood?? This was such a fresh idea with a bizarre twist. I couldn't put it down because I had to know what was coming next!

Cutting Teeth follows mothers Darby, Mary Beth, and Rhea, as they help their children navigate Little Academy preschool. When one of the kids bites another, will the fallout be more than any of the parents expect?

With three main perspectives, the book is very fragmented to the point of being hard to read. Additionally, the police interviews add another layer, taking the reader out of the story. In a lot of ways, this story shows the worst of humanity - how far a parent will go for their kids. Hiding their kids faults, amplified in this story with the whole biting aspect, the parents in the story are overly ridiculous. Not to mention, the police interviews of preschool children ring false. Anyone who is a parent knows that you cannot take the word of a preschool child as truth, as their perspective is often skewed and can be manipulated.

Overall, I was not a fan of Cutting Teeth. There were too many perspectives and the story dragged on needlessly. I would not recommend this novel to other readers as a result.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

Wow, this book was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. (And I think that was by design because killer four year olds). The ending was shocking and such a great pay off for this story.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I was hoping for this to be more horror-focused, what with the four year olds suddenly craving blood and all, but it was actually kind of a commentary on motherhood and its expectations and how it sucks us dry…sorry. It was quite clever and very well-written, with some thoughts about motherhood that were incredibly relatable, sometimes unbearably so. So while I was still hoping for more of a clear answer on the blood-sucking, I was still happy with this book.

I love a book with a delightfully weird premise. Like, why can’t a classroom of preschoolers be murderers? Maybe there’s a logical explanation or maybe they’re all sociopaths (or maybe both?) — regardless this irreverent book made a lasting impression on me.

Wacky and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where suburban noir and domestic thrillers are popular.

Previously I have really enjoyed Chandler Baker's books. But CUTTING TEETH was like a toothache, annoying, lingering, slow, and frankly kind of infuriating. I am all for suspension of reality or unusual twists like in THE HUSBANDS, but the baby vampire thing was just ridiculous. Yes I see the way it is satirizing modern day parenting with our willingness to normalize behaviors that were once cause for ostracization, but this was just ridiculous. And the number of characters made it even more annoying. Not my fav- but I did enjoy the previous two so I will likely read another one of her books again.

Twisted, clever fun that's supported by sharp writing and good pacing. I really enjoyed reading this book and thinking about the ways our children suck us dry - literally and figuratively! Chandler Baker has another wonderful book on her hands here.

The first 30% of the book are unhinged in a delightful way. A murder? A group of vampiric four-year-olds? Secrets and more secrets? Yes, please. Everything takes off being dramatic and weird. Then there is the last 20% of the book with is a twisted web of . . . Irony? Fate? Consequences of actions?

The middle is a smidge dry in my opinion. Chandler Baker gives some really insightful and brutal honesty for motherhood during this part. Something that I felt like I might get bored with. However, if you can manage to stay focused, pay attention, and trudge through the part that maybe wasn’t the most exciting part, you will be shocked and appalled (in the most delightful way) at what occurs in the last 20% or so of the book.

I loved "The Husbands," and "Cutting Teeth" was the same kind of fun. What a terrific metaphor. Kids suck the lifeblood out of you figuratively if not literally, and some parents happily open up a vein. However, it did feel repetitive at times, and I felt it needed a stronger resolution. Really good twists and ties, though!

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

The concept of this book is what initially captured my attention, and even now I am still thinking about it. It captured my interest and didn't let go. It was a page turner and maintained my interest throughout the entire read. Loved it. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for this author in the future.

As a horror fan, I was a little disappointed Cutting Teeth didn’t turn out to be more gruesome and paranormal like I was expecting, but as a mother, I have to say the social commentary and observations of the insecurities and self-doubt mothers face on a minute-to-minute basis was spot on. There was at least one thing about every character I think a mother can relate to. This was more of a study of the complexities of parenting than a gore fest, and it made me shed a few tears. I enjoyed the way the author kept you guessing as to who the killer was from chapter to chapter. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, you’re thrown for another loop. The final punch cuts deep (pun intended) and will force you to consider just how far you’d go for your own children.

Chandler Baker's Cutting Teeth is an utterly captivating exploration of the depths of parental love and sacrifice, skillfully woven into a thrilling murder mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. This New York Times bestselling novel is a true gem that seamlessly merges heartwarming moments with spine-tingling suspense, making it an absolute must-read for anyone seeking a unique and thought-provoking literary experience.

Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker is a neighborhood drama full of friendship battles and vampiric children. The women in the town are working hard to forge their own identities besides being just the moms of preschoolers. Then an unexpected death occurs that has everyone in town wondering just how innocent those little preschoolers are. This is definitely an unforgettable plot! Read and enjoy!

Thank you Netgalley and Flatiron for the ARC of this. I was very curious how this book would pan out when I read the synopsis, and am so glad I gave it a chance. A sickness has taken over at Little Academy, where the preschool students develop a taste for literal blood. When their teacher winds up dead and an investigation begins, you wonder how far mothers will go to protect their children. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and loved that it was a satire on what motherhood looks like today. Moms compete with other moms, feel like they’re never good enough, and this novel touched on all the feelings moms feel daily perfectly.

Cutting Teeth~ was a struggle to complete. You were led on several paths that seemed very far fetched including “vampric” four year olds. The twist sorta saved it at the end however it certainly took it a long time to get there.

When your four year old craves blood, specifically moms blood what would you do? I guess like any other good mom you do what you do to put them first. Including, protecting them from a murder or the poodini.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Three mothers met and became fast friends when their kids all were in the same class their first year of nursery school. Now in the last year of nursery school, something quite unusual has happened with the children — and shortly after their teacher ends up dead. Are the two developments connected? And what role, if any, did each of the three women and their children play in the gruesome turn of events?

This is both a fast-paced thriller and a perceptive examination of the lives of parents in the modern day. This book will keep you guessing about the mystery while also make your think about parenthood, marriage, and the pressures of modern life.

Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Chandler Baker, and Flatiron Books for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I wanted to love this, I really did. I enjoyed both of Baker's previous novels, and this sounded WILD. In a lot of ways, it was!! I can confidently say that I have never read a book about vampiric toddlers before this one lol; that plot point definitely worked on the creepy front. I think Baker did a great job of exploring the complications of motherhood as well. Although I'm not a mother, I can see how a lot of women, especially with young children, will be able to relate to the feelings of the women in the novel. However, I think this book really struggles from just too much going on at any given point. Children drinking blood, a murder mystery, pre-school drama, mama drama, and multiple characters to focus on-- it was hard for me to keep everyone and everything straight in my head. I think the book would have worked better to have the majority of focus on the blood-drinking toddlers rather than the murder mystery; I felt that the fact they were doing this was just kind of glossed over after the beginning and everyone in the book accepted it too easily! By the middle to end of the book, the main focus is on the murder mystery, which wasn't nearly as fascinating. I wanted to know more of why, how, and when the children started having these "urges", not read a fairly predictable mystery that would have been boring without the vampire children. I leave this book feeling a bit disturbed and unsettled but more so frustrated with a headache.