Baby Teeth

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Which , of course, doesn't change my opinion of the book as that will help no one. It drops July 17th.

So let's see ....
Suzette- SAHM, Crohn's Disease
Hannah- 7 years old, mute but doctors can't find anything physically wrong.
Alex- delusional AF dad

The story is told from alternating POV between Suzette and Hannah. Which I happen to like. At first I could relate to Suzette because being a parent is hard, a mom harder and a SAHM is fucking bananas. But almost right away I disconnect myself. Not that Hannah is innocent either.
The whole family is grade A dysfunctional.

I'd say the book seems like it will be controversial because of how their relationship is portrayed. I see a lot of people being uncomfortable with a lot of the book. That being said I did enjoy the book. It was well written. I liked the ending because I wasn't really expecting it to end that way. This being Stage's book debut in looking forward to more of her work and definitely another thriller to see if and how she ups her game.

Alex, Suzette, and their daughter Hanna live the ideal life on the surface. Seemingly happy family, financially well off, beautiful home. But 7-year-old Hanna has never spoken. In fact, she's not as sweet as she seems, tormenting her mother when they're alone but sweet as candy to her dad. We come into the story when it seems both Hanna and Suzette are reaching their breaking point.

To Suzette, it seems that Hanna has it out for her and she doesn't know why. Throughout, we hear from her on how her Crohn's makes her feel less than and hear fears of whether she's failed as a parent, made her daughter this way, deserves to be retaliated against. We also hear from Hanna, the things she sees in her head and the behind the scenes of the things she does to her mother, how she feels about Mommy and Daddy really.

I won't say much more because you should experience this book for yourself, I don't want to spoil a single thing. This story is masterfully told and the author seems to have done a lot of research in a lot of areas. I absolutely couldn't put this down, I read it all in somewhere around 26 hours even though I'm working and running a house because I was determined to find out what happened next. The only reason this received 4 stars instead of 5 from me is because the ending seemed a little lackluster to me. I understand it and I like it, even. But I just was waiting for even just one chilling sentence or something at the end. However, Baby Teeth has convinced me I don't want children anymore. I'll definitely be here to see what this author does next.

Would I recommend?
If you like psychological thrillers, definitely yes.

Extremely fast paced. I couldn't put it down. I loved the POV from Hanna's perspective as well as her mother's. It kept it very interesting and unputdownable. I have lots of feelings about this book but don't want to be judged as a mother. Only downside for me was it never gave Hanna's diagnosis and I was craving that by the end. She's obviously a psycho. Unfixable.

3.25–i'm conflicted.. this book was absolutely pointless but i still enjoyed it LMAOO, i feel like i should hate it but like???? there were some parts i liked! but also.. seriously.. what was this book even for. like be fr. honestly there was no substance but i can't give it less than a 3 so!! there's that. very atmospheric & hanna's pov's were very creepy. not mad about it.

I want to start by saying that I was given an advanced reader copy of this novel.

We've read books or seen movies about the evil child wreaking havoc upon families while acting like a sweet little angel when called out on their behavior. Baby Teeth takes this model and amps it up to 11. You have Hannah, precious angel to her father and demonic beast to her mother.

I think what sets Baby Teeth apart from similar stories is the fact that Hannah is seven and she cannot speak. The terror she inflicts upon her mother is cunning and calculating, far more frightening due to her young age and refusal to speak to her family. She plays her father like a fool, endearing herself to him so that he cannot possibly take his wife's side whenever Hannah causes problems. But will it always be that way?

Zoje Stage has crafted a fantastic tale of mother and daughter, leaving you to question what's really happening in this family's home. And for a first novel, Stage knocks it out of the park. The book is cleverly crafted, and the writing is wonderful. When this book comes out, you should definitely grab a copy. It'll keep you riveted until the very end, and then some. Seriously, I need there to be a sequel to this fantastic thriller.

#BabyTeethBook #BadSeed

I started this book yesterday and finished it today. I blew through it in about 10 hours. It was an addictive read and I couldn't stop thinking about it until I finished it. It's an addictive read but not altogether enjoyable. There were a few times I rolled my eyes at what was going on, especially with Suzette and her fear of Hanna. I kept thinking ‘this whole family needs to go to therapy, stat'.

I didn't dislike the bool but I didn't particularly like it either. I have a lot of complicated feelings about this book. If anything, it reaffirms that therapy is good and everyone should go to therapy at least once even if you don't perceive yourself as having issues or problems that ‘need' it.
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SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON
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I liked the ending despite its vagueness. I wanted to read more about Hanna's time in that facility and see her grow up a little bit, for better or worse. I wanted to follow her as she tried to be the ‘best girl ever'. Would she learn from the facility, conciously or unconsciously? Would she grow out of trying to get rid of her mother? Would her parents finally accept that she has a mental illness and work with her, not against her? Would Suzette release herself from her mental intoxication with Alex? Would Alex grow up and learn how to be a supportive partner and father?

The book framed the child character in such a way that I was almost always surprised when she referenced as being 7 and not 11 or 12. She was written as a very mature 7 year old with confident grasps on complex concepts. I'm not saying that 7yos can't grasp complex concepts. What I mean is that as a seven year old I would not have known how to manipulate two people to such a intentional and diabolical degree and be able to plan out their reactions and following chain reactions to what I do etc

When reading Hanna's chapters, I kept casting my mind back to being that young and trying to imagine pulling something like her actions off. Her chapters are written to give us context for her actions, that's she's not naturally born evil or possessed. However, in the end Hanna's chapters detract from the creepiness that she's supposed to inspire. She's a child with a child like interpretation of the world (except for specific points where she knows exactly how adult relationships work) but also inspired such fear in her mother that Suzette physically feared for her own life?

I really felt for Hanna and Suzette in the end. Suzette wasn't ready to become a mother but Hanna wasn't to blame for that. Like I said above, the whole family needed therapy long before Hanna started acting badly. Suzette needs it for her obsessive behaviour, her attachment issues, her medical PTSD. Alex, the husband who is barely in this book, needs it for his anger and control issues, as well as to learn some active listening and interpersonal skills. Hanna is not innocent in all of this but she's just a kid that needs help managing and understanding her mental illness.

Obviously if all of that happened in the book we wouldn't have the plot at all but I do feel like some events were unrealistic and as those events racked up, the book became less of a creepy novel and more of a thought experiment.

That being said, my criticisms are really only for the last half of the book. I read the first half in one sitting and enjoyed the ride.

⭐⭐⭐
This book is good and worth reading. I enjoyed it but it felt a little lacking. I may recommend it to a certain audience. It gave me mixed feelings, possibly with potential it didn't quite live up to. It's a good experience, not amazing, but not bad.

I had mixed feelings about this book. It was entertaining enough that it kept me reading but a few times I contemplated not finishing it. It lacked the “shock value” and “creepiness” it advertised.

At the start of the book and up until the middle I felt sorry for the mom but by the end I didn't care for her at all, and the clueless dad drove me nuts.

But I suppose books are supposed to bring out emotions in you.