Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage – Book Review #NGEW2018

On By MischenkoIn Fiction, NetGalley, Reads, Thrillers

Baby Teeth

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Blurb: Sweetness can be deceptive. 

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette’s husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

My Thoughts:

May contain mild spoilers…

Suzette, mother to Hanna, deals with illness on a daily basis. She has an autoimmune disease that makes her sick and causes pain. On top of this, she’s trying to be a good wife to Alex, Hanna’s dad, and all she wants is to have a normal family–a normal daughter. The problem is that Hanna is a complete psycho, doesn’t talk, and behaves so badly, she’s continuously kicked out of school and Suzette has no choice but to home school her. At home, there are even more problems. Hanna want’s to kill her mother, but has a deep love for her father and because of that, nobody believes Suzette when she tries to tell them that something is wrong with Hanna.

“Daddy was the most handsome man in the world. He dressed nicely, in crisp shirts and colorful ties, and his favorites were the ones she picked our for him. When she grew up she’d marry him, and then Mommy wouldn’t be competition anymore.”

The main points of view alternate between Suzette and Hanna throughout the book. As I mentioned, Alex, Hanna’s dad, never sees the disturbing behaviors. The person who deals with Hanna on a daily basis is Suzette and this is what made me so uncomfortable throughout the book. Alex refers to Hanna as his ‘squirrely girl’ or ‘lilla gumman’ and it seems like no matter how much he loves Suzette, he just doesn’t believe that his daughter is a psychopath and consistently makes excuses for her. Hanna exhibits aggressive and violent behaviors that almost go too far for me. It made me very uncomfortable and the constant instigating between Hanna and Suzette made me want to scream. This family is extremely dysfunctional and I kept wondering throughout the book what the real reasons for Hanna’s behaviors were. Surely something had to have happened in the past with Suzette or Alex, right?

“Sshh, lilla gumman…Daddy’s squirrely girl…”He cooed so softly Suzette couldn’t hear everything he said. But Hanna quieted. She looked so tiny in his arms, a rag doll.

I thought the book was written really well and it’s certainly a quick and smooth read. People who like thrillers will more than likely be pleased. Personally, I was on edge and completely thrilled all the way to the ‘not so’ surprising end. I was expecting some major twists toward the end which never really came and made me feel like something was missing, however, the book for the most part kept my interest and I found it dark and very disturbing, so for that, I’ll give this book 4****. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Find this book on Goodreads and Amazon:

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (July 17, 2018)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1250170753
  • ISBN-13: 978-1250170750

About the Author:

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An author of dark and suspenseful novels, Zoje recently moved back to her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA after living in western New York for more than a decade. She has a deep and eclectic background in the arts – as writer, filmmaker, thespian, and all-around dabbler. In her former life as a filmmaker she was a 2008 Fellow in Playwriting/Screenwriting from the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA.org), and a 2012 Emerging Narrative Fellow from the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP.org). Her debut novel BABY TEETH (St. Martin’s Press) will be released 17 July 2018. It will be released in the UK as BAD APPLE (Transworld). –Goodreads

Website
https://us.macmillan.com/static/smp/baby-teeth/
Twitter
zooshka
Genre
Suspense, Thriller
Influences
https://zojestage.blogspot.com/

This is book #7 for my Netgalley/Edelweiss Challenge. You can see it HERE. 

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Thanks for reading my review of Baby Teeth. Have you read this one? Do you like psychological thrillers? Feel free to share your thoughts below. 🙂

40 thoughts on “Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage – Book Review #NGEW2018”

  1. Pingback: Reading Challenges 2018 – Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge #NGEW2018 and Ultimate Reading Challenge #UltimateReadingChallenge – ReadRantRock&Roll

  2. Excellent review, Jenn! I have this to read, but I’m saving it for a while until I clear off some other ARCs that release between next week thru April 😉 I’m looking forward to it since I love psychological thrillers and this one sounds extra disturbing (I’m not sure what that says about me, lol)! Kid sounds insane, and I’m glad she is not my daughter!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Stephanie! I think you’ll enjoy this one. It’s definitely disturbing and thrilling. ❤ I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it, especially the ending. 🙂 Hope all is well!

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      Reply
  3. Nel

    I probably won’t read this so I’m gonna message you later so you can tell me how this ended cause I definitely want to know. The girl wanting to marry her dad is pretty weird… Great review!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. Fabulous review and I completely agree with you! And those nicknames that Alex called Hannah were truly bizarre!
    I guess I wasn’t expecting a huge twist at the end, because the book itself was so twisted, but it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat! Thank you for your review 💕

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. David R. Dowdy

    I wonder if I’m off-target thinking the plot reminds me of the Oedipus Complex, only the situation isn’t the love of the opposite-sex parent we’re used to hearing or reading about. Teens are often scary because they react in negative ways to the mass of feelings they have and don’t understand. Throwing something in the brew like the book’s plot and you have an over-boiled pot! So, I can understand if the story is a bit strong because no one wants their child to turn out bad. I’m thankful you reviewed it for us! It seems, as a psychological thriller, it’s done its job!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I forgot to mention that Hanna is only 7 years old, but seemed very advanced for her age. Even at the age of 7, she seems to overpower the adults. Scary! I’d hate to think about the teen years lol. This is definitely a thriller and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! 💙

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  10. starjustin

    So scary when you think about the characters living the story, as many times they often do for the reader. For a debut novel makes one wonder what will be next on the authors agenda. Great review! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  18. Pingback: Blog Tour & Giveaway: Win a Print Copy of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage #giveaway #bookgiveaway – ReadRantRock&Roll

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