*Smile for the Camera* by Miranda Smith is an intriguing and darkly captivating memoir-style novel that explores themes of identity, deception, and the lengths people will go to for fame. The story follows a young woman who becomes the subject of a highly publicized and invasive photo project, unraveling a journey of self-discovery, vulnerability, and the impact of being thrust into the public eye.

On the positive side, Smith’s writing is powerful, with an intense emotional undercurrent that pulls the reader into the protagonist’s world. The exploration of personal identity and the psychological toll of public scrutiny is thought-provoking and well-executed. The author’s ability to create tension around the protagonist’s inner conflict is one of the book’s strongest points, and the premise itself is fascinating, offering an insightful critique of the societal obsession with image and perfection.

However, while the concept is compelling, the pacing can feel uneven at times. The middle of the book tends to drag, with moments of repetition that may cause some readers to lose interest. Additionally, the protagonist's emotional journey can feel disconnected at times, making it hard to fully empathize with her struggles, despite the depth of the themes.

Some readers may also find the resolution of the story somewhat unsatisfying, as the book leaves certain aspects of the protagonist’s journey unresolved, which can be a bit frustrating for those who enjoy more conclusive endings.

Overall, *Smile for the Camera* is a thought-provoking read with a powerful exploration of fame, identity, and the pressures of public life. While the pacing and character development may not be perfect, the book offers a compelling, if somewhat unsettling, look at the cost of living under the scrutiny of the camera lens. Fans of character-driven stories with social commentary will likely find it an interesting, if imperfect, read.

Ella Winters hit it big with her first starring role in the horror film Grad Night. However, she didn’t keep ascending and, instead, stopped working to take care of her dying mother.

20 years later, she’s looking to rekindle her career. However, the only way she can do it is by giving a Grad Night reunion interview at the same place where the film was made. Ella would do almost anything to get a second chance, but she and her cast mates did something bad on that site 20 years ago. And now, it seems like it’s come home to roost.

This was an enjoyable book that had a couple of nice twists. Recommended for horror and thriller fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

As someone who has always loved 90s (and early 2000s) slasher films, the description of this book was right up my alley. I really enjoyed that we got the past and present POVs, as well as the script of the movie. It moved a bit slow at the beginning, but after that I was hooked and ended up finishing it in a few sittings. I also was shocked by the reveals, which doesn’t happen often for me anymore just because I’ve read so many thrillers at this point. Definitely think this will make a great summertime read if you're looking for an atmospheric, quick thriller read!

I started this book & literally could not put it down until I finished. What a fun story!! I am such a sucker for slasher movies and slasher books. The main twist at the end was something I definitely did NOT see coming. I loved this!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Horror
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: June 24, 2025

🎥 20 Year Film Reunion
🔪 Deadly Secrets
🗒 Nonlinear Timeline
🩸 Slasher Chase
🔏 Locked Room Thriller
❗️ Final Girl

💭 In "Smile for the Cameras," a reluctant group of actors reunites on the original set of their slasher film for a 20-year reunion documentary, only to discover a new killer in the same outfit as their cult-classic villain, who knows their secrets and is hellbent on revenge.

This one is a little slower-paced at the beginning, but I thought it was a very fun premise. I enjoyed that the past was mainly written as the script of "Grad Night" (the actual film), and it was definitely worth sticking around for that twist!

𝘚𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘴 is perfect if you're looking for a thriller with 90's slasher movie vibes! It will have you on the edge of your seat and guessing who's behind the mask!

Thank you so much, Random House and NetGalley, for the digital review copy!

PG-16: sex scenes (x2 for a script and once in past, not super explicit), some foul language, murder, violence, minor gore, roofies/SA

I don’t get the bad reviews? That’s honestly crazy. This was great from start to finish. A murder mystery kind of mixed up with a horror story but it’s also sort of meta. It’s the best of all worlds. It’s a past/present/script line up, and it’s perfect. I didn’t see the twist coming at all, and it definitely made me say “WHAT” out loud. I liked the characters and the pacing. All in all so solid and I can’t wait to own it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this ARC. This will be out in June of 2025.

Ella is looking to get back into the film business after taking a few years off to care for her terminally ill mother. Unfortunately, the only way she can resume her career is if she agrees to appear in a reunion project with her fellow actors from a slasher film they did 20 years ago. Something happened during the film that was deeply traumatizing, and while her fellow actors know about it, Ella has no desire to go back to the location where it all happened, or to see them all again. Her agent convinces her that, as the only holdout for doing the reunion, she will be causing the project to fall apart if she doesn't agree. She will also derail her comeback. Ella finally agrees and sets off for the filming location, a remote cabin in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. In the original film, she was the Final Girl and survivor. Many rumors have circulated about the film: that the cabin was haunted, that someone was seriously injured, and that another person disappeared during the filming and hasn't been seen since. The film became a cult classic and there's a lot of interest in the project. It seems that someone knows about what really happened during the original project, and they are out for revenge when violent scenes from the movie are reenacted for real.

The action in the story moves from the present back to the original film, where Ella was just starting out in her first project. There are many uncomfortable issues (aside from all the murders!) such as the powerlessness of women and overlooking of bad and criminal behavior by the men in charge. One thing that was a bit annoying in the story was the number of times "the industry" was mentioned. Aside from that, I enjoyed the suspense of trying to figure out who knew the secrets from the past that everyone was working so hard to conceal.