I was absolutely captivated by this book, and it took me on an unforgettable journey. From the very beginning, I found myself intrigued by its unconventional start, and as I delved deeper into the story, I couldn't help but be completely fascinated by it.

The way the author weaved together such captivating and mysterious elements was truly remarkable. I was constantly left wondering what would happen next, eagerly anticipating each twist and turn. Despite the exploration of some uncomfortable themes, I was surprised by how well they were handled, and it made me appreciate the author's skill even more.

The storytelling style was unique and enchanting, painting vivid pictures in my mind that allowed me to fully immerse myself in the mysterious world they had created. The characters felt so authentic and real, and I couldn't help but be emotionally invested in their journey.

What impressed me the most was the book's ability to keep me guessing. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, it took unexpected turns, keeping me on the edge of my seat, flipping pages with anticipation.

In my opinion, this book is an absolute gem, and I feel that it deserves all the praise. It's a rollercoaster of emotions, blending enchantment, mystery, and fascination in a way that left a lasting impression on me. If you're looking for a book that will challenge your expectations and keep you enthralled from start to finish, I can wholeheartedly recommend this one. It truly charmed me with its brilliance.

The audiobook is a lot of fun and January LaVoy also voices for the little kids during their interviews that are interspersed throughout the book.

This story centers around three moms who are trying to reclaim parts of their identity lost to motherhood. Their children are experiencing an unsettling medical condition going around their preschool - the kids are craving blood. Their young teacher is found dead and the only witnesses (and suspects) are the class of four year olds.

This is the third book I've read by the author and has similarities to her previous books - ultra feminist while exploring the standards society has of mothers. This book is part mommy drama, part murder mystery. It's slower paced but the plot moves along and has a very satisfying ending. But warning - there is a LOT of talk about kids biting and their craving blood - borderline weird.

I was excited to get an advance audio by @macmillan.audio for Chandler Baker‘s newest Cutting Teeth after loving her last two Whisper Network and The Husbands - and this book does not disappoint!
Yet again Chandler Baker does what she does so well - acute and bitingly clear social commentary with a satiric punch in a light frothy fun wrapping with a thriller feel. This book is smart and open-eyed and with it‘s reflection on what lengths society expects mothers to go for their children - how much is it ok and simply needed to adjust to the needs of someone so fully dependent as a little kid and where is it too much ? When they draw blood ? Or as Chandler Baker wonders (lightly paraphrased) why hasn’t WitSec discovered that the quickest way to make a woman disappear and morph into a different person is making her a mother…
Her book has three different preschool mothers and models at the forefront (more of course in the background) … there is Rhea the single mom who trying to stave of any perceived criticism tries to embrace naturalistic mothering and quite simply outdo everyone else. Mary Beth is the performer, she is a SAHM who is on all the committees, class room mom and fundraiser extraordinaire, and her kids are picture perfect angels, of course, or are they ? Darby rounds out the picture by being the working mom with a subpar job she only took to have more time for the kids but does she really want to play with them or would she rather be on her phone for five more minutes … this is of course over the top, it is satire and it is fun but as I found myself loving the book and my listening I also found myself reflecting on my own choices and choices I made for my kids. I highly recommend this book and especially the audio since the author herself is a narrator for some of the interspersed police interviews …

I wasn't sure about this book but it interested me enough that I decided to give it a shot. I am honestly glad I did. I enjoyed this book and the darkness within it. I'm not a parent so I definitely missed out on some of that nuance but I still really liked what the author was going for.

The children at Little Academy have developed an unorthodox taste for blood. The parents are extremely concerned as it is wreaking havoc on their already chaotic lives. When the children’s teacher turns up dead, with only the kindergartners as witnesses, everyone is a suspect.

I really enjoyed the first half of this novel but the second half kind of lost me. It started out very good - I was super engaged reading about the kids’ strange medical condition and the intrigue of what happened to the teacher. However, I found it turned into a whinefest about parenting. I am not a parent myself, so maybe I lack that context, but it felt repetitive. I liked the concept, but the execution lost me!

This was my first Chandler Baker novel. I was super intrigued by the premise of the book, as it follows a group of mommies and toddlers in the aftermath of the death of their preschool teacher who may not be who she says…..and the only witnesses to the murder are the children. Speaking of the kids, they are all bitting. Seeking out like vampires. it speaks to the nature of motherhood, but in a creepy way.it reminds me of books like the push, baby teeth, and mixed with a Lianne Moriarty book.

I did really enjoy the story, but found that this wasn’t anything new or revolutionary. It was the same kind of story but slightly different details, I did really enjoy the audiobook. The kids all have different voices and it’s adorable and creepy.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my arc copy.

*First off, thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC of this book*

Unfortunately, this one was just not it for me. I wanted so badly to enjoy this book, however the character development, bizarre actions of the children and the lack of shocking twists made it fall flat for me. It seemed as though there were too many random pieces being strewn together, which made them not work at all in my opinion. It made it difficult to follow along with the storyline, because I wasn't sure which piece we were on at that point... be it the children, the murder mystery, the random drama or what.

I do think the author did a fine job exploring the complications of motherhood. I'm personally not a mom, but I can see how this book would hit home for moms as they would be able to relate to the topic of motherhood and the complications of it that were included.

I think maybe this would have been better suited as a horror novel. Meaning I would have enjoyed it focusing more on the bizarre actions of the children. Where that stemmed from, how long it lasted, why they were the only ones doing it, etc. With that being glossed over and then sort of just accepted and encouraged, it made this too strange to be enjoyable for me.

As always I encourage everyone to read each book for themselves because what may not work for me may work for someone else. If you’re looking for something completely off the wall and thrown in from left field this may be the book for you!

This book was so bizarre and so much fun to read. It's mostly a murder mystery, but has a lot of commentary on how motherhood forces you to give everything you have to your children--literally blood, sweat, and tears. I laughed out loud at some passages.

I loved Chandler Baker's little Easter eggs of narrating a few passages. What a fun way to get the author involved in the audiobook process. I also loved to learn that she listens to audiobooks "aggressively quickly" just like I do!

I flew through this listen and enjoyed it the whole way. It's certainly unique, and I highly recommend it for a lighthearted mystery.

Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker is a different yet fun story.
The setting was unique. The characters were interesting and really made the story so much fun to read.
I thought the writing was witty. And Baker really did a great job pulling me in.
The narraters were awesome. I could visualize everything happing and enjoyed listening to this story a lot.
I’m a big fan of Bakers work and I believe she really did a good job with her newest title.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I'm not sure what I expected going into this one...but CUTTING TEETH turned out to be more social commentary and "mommy drama" than a hard biting thriller (see what I did there?) The narrator did a fantastic job of capturing all the characters - including the grating whine of the children!

There were aspects of this one that I enjoyed, but I was left wanting at the end.

Dear Cutting Teeth,
Preschool vampires! Heck yeah! I work with kids, which gave me a different layer of enjoyment to the horror of your story. I kept picturing the kids from my school biting and licking and drawing blood, which made me smile in a slightly disgusted way. But more than just your kiddie horror aspects, you are also a close observation on the expectations and pressures that society puts on mothers, a demonstration of how women are expected to give everything of themselves for their children. You really showed all of the different perspectives of motherly sacrifice. You did have a large cast of characters and sometimes they blurred together for me as I listened to you. But I lost myself totally in your story!

This was laugh out loud funny at some points. If you like satire and sarcasm, you’ll love this. It also felt like a hug from a mom friend occasionally.

Wow! This book was so much fun and the plot was absolutely fascinating to me! I really didn’t know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised!

I really love this author and this book did not disappoint! If I were to compare this book to two of her other books - The Whisper Network and The Husbands, I’d say it is closer in style to The Husbands!

I highly recommend the audiobook because the narration was fantastic and so much fun. I could not help but giggle at the interrogation scenes (you will too)! I finished this off in 2 days because I couldn’t wait to hear more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the digital advanced readers copy!! I received a complimentary copy of this book.

"On her worst days, parenting feels like one big 'supposed to.'"

Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with audiobook access to Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker. I previously read The Husbands and The Whisper Network by the author and this was by far my favorite novel of the trio.

I would characterize this novel as a domestic thriller about parenthood, particularly the ways in which mothers lose themselves when raising young children. The story focuses on three different mothers (Darby, Mary Beth, and Rhea), all of whom exhibit different parenting styles, whose children attend the same preschool. When their preschool teacher ends up murdered and their children, who have been exhibiting an unusual craving for blood, are the only witnesses to the crime, the mothers must decide how they are going to navigate solving this mystery with the potential consequence of implicating their own child.

Overall, this book is a poignant, insightful, and witty observation of modern motherhood wrapped in a suspenseful and mysterious package. Chandler manages to highlight and balance the banal, endless daily to-dos mothers face with the shocking and unimaginable lengths they will go to to raise and protect their children.

3.5 ⭐️

“Everyone is hiding something in one way or another.”

When their children’s preschool teacher is killed just after many of the children begin to display signs of juvenile vampirism, the parents of Little Academy are left in a state of panic. Everyone becomes a suspect as they seek to learn the truth.

I loved the concept of this book and its commentary on motherhood. The beginning and ending were quite strong, but the story’s middle left me underwhelmed. Despite that I am still looking forward to reading from the author again.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC of the title in exchange for my honest review.

Another great story by Chandler Baker, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite new writers to watch. Can children as young as 4 or 5 who developed a strange affinity for blood really be vampires capable of killing their teacher? This is the issue confronting parents at the Little Academy, whose children seemed to have developed a literal unquenchable thirst for blood. This book is sly and clever about motherhood, funny, satirical, and yet also somehow never requires you to stretch your disbelief to uncomfortable proportions. Baker has a gift for writing in such a way that you completely empathize with the characters (even the little potential vampires). The narrator also does a solid job selling the story. This book solidifies Chandler Baker as one of my new favorites and I can't wait to read more from her!

Cutting Teeth
by Chandler Baker
Narrated by Chandler Baker; January LaVoy
Pub Date 18 Jul 2023
Macmillan Audio/ Flatiron Books

Summary
At the Little Academy, mothers fret over their preschoolers, who have developed an unsettling medical syndrome. The children’s odd craving for blood is considered relatively benign (to everyone except their beleaguered moms) until a young teacher is found dead and the only potential witnesses are ten adorable 4-year-olds. Then it becomes clear that the police are looking at the children as not just witnesses, but also suspects…and they’re watching their mothers as well.

Review
Cutting Teeth is a dark humor story that intertwines the challenges of motherhood with the unexpected twist of vampire toddlers - Pediatric Renfield's Syndrome. This novel offers a fresh and entertaining take on the typical mom-lit genre.

Darby, Marybeth and Rhea are “mom friends” who are each trying to find their identity outside motherhood. The characters bring their distinct personalities to the story but I did not find myself sympathetic to their plight - perhaps I was distracted by the toddlers wanting to drink blood.

The author's writing style includes humor - ranging from subtle sarcasm to outright absurdity - but it never crosses into being too dark or unsettling. I found the vampire toddler concept a bit bizarre.

January Lavoy’s narration was well paced and did not overpower the story or characters. Also, loved her narration of Bad Summer People.

Cutting Teeth is an enjoyable and amusing read and that will resonate well with those seeking a break from conventional mom-lit. Those that enjoy books with a touch of paranormal - similar to Kevin Wilson’s Nothing To See Here - will likely enjoy this read.

Thank you Macmillan audio and NetGalley for an advanced listen of this book.

This was a phenomenal audiobook, the production was so well done.

The overall story intrigued me at first but I quickly lost interest. It was sort of repetitive and stagnant at times. I didn’t dislike it enough to DNF or anything like that but just felt there were a lot of missed opportunities. Too many words not enough substance.

There was a lot of focus on the suburban moms and societal expectations, lots of focus on side stories but it never really came together in a cohesive way for me.

The weird mom who was like”here child come suck my blood…oh you don’t want to!? Well why th not!?” (That’s not exactly how it went down but basically. Like the parents were like hey, if my kids wanna drink blood who are we to say no. 🤷🏼‍♀️ It was just odd. I like creepy and horror but this just didn’t sit right with me.

The kids were def creepy, which the audiobook represented so well. Had I read the physical book it may have considered a DNF. I didn’t care about or connect with any characters.

It was just ok, didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I was just expecting more than what I got.

4 stars and out now! This was an incredibly enjoyable read! It offers a dark and humorous perspective on motherhood and the justifications we make to support our children. The unexpected conclusion kept me on my toes, which is one of my favorite aspects of murder mysteries. There are many intriguing layers and misdirections in this book, making it a sharp and satirical commentary on the topic of motherhood. It's both chilling and ironic, and it prompts the important question of how much is too much when it comes to parenting. If you can overlook the fact that the children in the story have an unusual craving for blood, then you'll love this domestic thriller that's reminiscent of Big Little Lies. I had the pleasure of listening to the early audio version of this and the production is fantastic.

I loved this audiobook/book. It was a great commentary on modern motherhood and the length mothers will go to. The ending literally made me gasp! The narrator was great, her children's voices were so cute. I also loved at the ending there was a conversation between this author and the author of another audiobook I listened to, Bad Summer People. The narrator did both audiobooks.