An actress desperate to reclaim her fame must survive the real life plot of the horror movie that made her famous in this psychologically twisted locked-room thriller influenced by nineties slasher...
Great book! Wow! Brought back some great memories of some chilling nineties thrillers!! This book had fabulous suspense, gruesome murders, mystery, chilling scary scenes, dark past secrets, and some shocking twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This took me back to the late 90s and early 2000s and gave me all the nostalgic feels. I loved a good (though corny) scary slasher movie in high school and college and I guess some things never change. The setting was perfect and I appreciated how there were two stories being told at once. I also definitely didn't guess the twist at the end, which was fun! I will say a lot of this seemed really unrealistic, but I sort of feel like you'd have to expect that given the premise of the book. It is a book about a slasher film, after all. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an ARC of this novel.

Holy cow! There wasn't a part I didn't like about this book. The fact that there are two timelines, so we know what happened in the past and how it's connected to the present. The movie/slasher they filmed with the script in between. The setting in an isolated place. The very appealing characters. Not having a clue about who the killer is or why is killing. And the eerie feeling through the whole story. They all make it a page turner. Congratulations to the author for such incredible book. And thank you Ballantine and to NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

This book delivered on everything I wanted for a final girl catch up book. I loved the flashbacks and the motivations for revenge.

3.25 stars for this slasher thriller.

This was a book that I found the big cast worked really well. There are a lot of characters in this book, but once you get to know ac of them, its pretty easy to follow. I think that was an aspect that I enjoyed most, character dynamic.

A group of actors and the director eat back together to pay homage to the slasher film they were all a part of years ago. This film came a huge hit, but there were rumors through the years that the film was cursed… Now, back together, they must confront their demons from before because someone who knows about what happened on set is coming for them.

This had really good pacing, but I could spot the ending from the beginning.

I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Friday the 13th in a book. This was well paced horror/mystery with a good twist I didn’t see coming! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I loved the classic throwback slasher film vibes in this book. It was fast paced an well rounded overall. Thank you NetGalley and Bantam for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a ride this book took me on. I first fell in love with the cover. Then I was intrigued with the synopsis. Once I started reading it, I could not put the book down. This was a wonderfully twisty turny book that when the plot started to thicken, I was right there enjoying every minute of it. I really enjoyed the multiple different time jumps from the ‘Then’ to ‘Now’ and also the chapters where you were reading the script of the movie. I found this book to not only be entertaining, but if this was ever made into a movie, I think this would be a hit. Loved this. Thank you to the author!

If you enjoy 90s slasher movies, this may be a book for you. The story is told in a Now and Then split timeline, which I really enjoyed, and the ending was a surprise. Outside of those things, I wasn't invested in any of the characters and found the actual story to move rather slowly. The ending did help redeem the story some. Overall, 3 stars.

Perfect for all of my horror film lovers! I loved that this book kept me guessing throughout. Unexpected twists, very suspenseful, and the perfect amount of horror! Great read!

Loved!!! This was so much fun. Horror movie within a horror movie. Really hope this book does well! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read it before publication!

The cast of a cult classic thrasher get back together and, of course, their lives are all very different now.

I thought this was a super unique format for this kind of book, we get told the story through a past timeline, a present timeline and the script of the movie. I thought that was super cool. I can struggle sometimes with multiple timelines, but I appreciated how unique of a take this was on that (especially including the script beats for that context. (As someone who went to film school, I found that cool and think other film girlies will also.)

This was a very interesting and unique story, there was lots of action at the end and with a rather satisfying ending, but I did think that the start was quite slow. It did drag for a bit until the main action/climax. Maybe the characters being so vague about certain things in the past emphasized the slowness. At least fill me in on all the information if you're going to make me wait to see anything happen with it.

I would recommend this to film fans for sure, but especially if you like the classic 90's thrashers and scary movies. Hopefully the slowness of the start can be something you can overlook (some people don't mind that at all, I find it to bore and distract me quite a bit). And I could see this working well as an audiobook or even a movie. Reminds me almost of that movie Final Girls from like 2015.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_LIpman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith is a gripping thriller about fame, memory, and the final girl who was never allowed to forget.

Twenty years ago, Ella Winters became a star as the final girl in the cult slasher Grad Night. But after a disastrous wrap party and a personal tragedy, she walked away from the spotlight to care for the one person who had always believed in her—her mother.

Now, following her mother’s death, Ella is ready to step back into the acting world. But Hollywood isn’t kind to women who’ve been gone too long, and her only real offer is a Grad Night reunion special. Against her better judgment, she agrees.

But the moment she steps back onto the remote estate where it all ended, Ella feels it: the past hasn’t stayed buried. Flipping between then and now, secrets unravel, loyalties are tested, and Ella begins to question not just what happened that night—but who might be seeking revenge now.

Because someone’s still watching. And this time, the cameras aren’t the only ones rolling.

#randomhouse #smileforthecameras #mirandasmith #finalgirlenergy #thrillerfiction #gradhorrorsurvivor

An actress desperate to reclaim her fame must survive the real-life plot of the horror movie that made her famous in this psychologically twisted locked-room thriller influenced by nineties slasher films.
Miranda Smith does a fantastic job of intwining past and present to tell a thrilling tale! I loved this. I also enjoyed the movie script that was given as well. It reminded me of all those great slasher films I watched growing up, and I felt like I was cruising through this. It was twisty and engaging. The main character was very likeable, and the last portion of this story was great. I kept wanting to know what the “horrible thing” was that happened.
This was a nostalgic type of read for me, and I enjoyed the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC!!!


This is for sure one of my favorite reads of 2025. I absolutely loved the nostalgia and “who done it” of the story. The author writes perfectly to keep you on your toes. I did not see any of the twists coming. You will be unable to put this down.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I ate this up! Scream meets I Know What You Did Last Summer in this fast paced novel with all the 90s slasher movie vibes. Ella returns to the movie set of Grad Night where she was the “final girl” for the 20th year reunion documentary. This brings up past trauma from the secrets they have been carrying for the last twenty years that quickly turns into a nightmare. Someone knows what happened and they want revenge.

I had trouble with the formatting of this book. For some reason it just turned me away. The story was okay for me.

3.5 or 3.75 out of 5 stars (I’m on the fence)

This was a fun thriller! The story centers around Ella, who got her start as the final girl in “Grad Night.” Desperate to revive her career, Ella agrees to a reunion special, reuniting her with the original cast and director as well as others from the film. But something happened on the original set that Ella and others don’t want anyone to find out. Then terrible things start happening at the reunion…

I loved the idea of a screenplay within a book (and yes, it’s a cheesy horror movie plot, but aren’t they all? Don’t take it too seriously), as well as the dual timeline approach of this book (original filming and reunion). Loved the 90s horror flick vibe (this definitely pays homage to “Scream” and similar). The first half of the book was super fast paced and held my interest, but after the first big “twist,” it started to fall a bit flat. I felt like the ending seemed a little rushed after so much ramp up. I also felt like the explanation of who the killer was and why seemed a little forced/farfetched. Great idea, I just wish the ending was a bit stronger. It’s also not quite scary, but I didn’t really mind that. Overall, a campy, not-quite-horror, enjoyable read.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book!

"Smile for the Cameras" delivers exactly what one would expect from a typical 90s slasher flick. The novel does a good job of paying homage to horror classics like "Scream," "Friday the 13th," and "I Know What You Did Last Summer." However, my biggest gripe with this story was the missing element of horror lingering between the pages. I wish the slasher had been a bigger threat, looming over the cabin and characters throughout the story; instead, we got other kinds of evils.

A quick, nostalgic read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

Miranda Smith’s Smile for the Cameras is a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat novel that masterfully blends psychological suspense with the nostalgic charm of 90s slasher films. From the very first page, the story grips you with its eerie premise—a former horror film star, Ella Winters, is lured back to the site of her career-defining movie for a reunion documentary, only to find herself trapped in a terrifying real-life horror.

Smith does an excellent job of building tension, weaving together past and present as secrets from the original film’s production resurface with deadly consequences. The novel’s pacing is impeccable, balancing moments of creeping dread with heart-pounding action. The characters are well-developed, especially Ella, whose complex past and emotional depth make her a protagonist worth rooting for.

What sets Smile for the Cameras apart is its homage to classic slasher tropes while keeping the mystery fresh and unpredictable. Every twist and revelation feels earned, keeping readers guessing until the final, shocking climax. Fans of Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix will especially appreciate the book’s blend of horror, nostalgia, and psychological intrigue.

If you love suspenseful thrillers with a cinematic quality, Smile for the Cameras is an absolute must-read. It’s a haunting, exhilarating ride that lingers long after the final page.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)