“Unnerving and unputdownable, BABY TEETH will get under your skin and keep you trapped in its chilling grip until the shocking conclusion.” –New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline 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 … 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.
Read the first ten chapters of BABY TEETH, a story about a perfect-looking family, and a mute little girl who wants nothing more than to kill her mother.
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Baby Teeth is as disturbing as disturbing gets. For me, there’s nothing scarier than a creepy child, and they don’t get much creepier than Hannah. She’s absolutely diabolical. I’ll admit that I did have a problem with Hannah’s young age and the things she’s able to accomplish, but given her intelligence combined with access to the internet, it’s not as big a stretch once I gave it some thought. The thing that got me was even though Hannah’s planning and conniving seemed beyond her years, she still had that childlike innocence in terms of the details when carrying out those plans and the consequences. With parents who are ill-equipped to handle a child so manipulative, not that any parent would be prepared for this child, it’s not hard to see where this one is heading and I found it impossible to put down as Hannah’s actions escalate. We do have an open ending, which is as chilling as the rest of the book, and I’ll be interested to see if there’s a sequel. I believe this is one of those books with little middle ground in terms of opinion. You’ll either love it or you’ll hate it, and I am firmly in the love it camp. With this debut, Stage has proven, to this reader at least, that she knows her stuff when it comes to building tension and creating a dark, twisted, and even sinister tale.
Scary but a great book !!!
Wow. Diabolical. Maniacal. Cunning. Deranged. Manipulative. Intelligent. All of these words describe one of the creepiest children of the literary world. Baby Teeth is a masterpiece, full of suspense and horror. It is an amazingly gripping book that drew me in from the first page. Easily one of the best books I’ve read so far in 2018.
A disturbing read, definitely not for everyone. Nature vs Nurture. A child, Hanna, in love with her Dad, Alex, and at war with her Mom, Suzette. She will do ANYTHING to get rid of her Mom. Characters are not very likeable, subject matter is scary and uneasy to read. Hanna is 7 but is doing things that are so much older that I had a hard time believing it. Just as in “We need to talk about Kevin”, the story line will rock your core. This read may stay with you for a long time.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
This is a fantastic book! I hated every character in the book at some point, I couldn’t put it down! It made me angry, creeped out, anxious, and appreciate my kids even more than I already did, and genuine relief…briefly. Its excellent!
From an outward appearance Hanna looks like any normal child, but in reality that isn’t really the case, see this sweet little child has it out for her own mother. She is a master manipulator at her young age, and to anyone looking in, you’d think it was her mother who was disturbed, and that is just the way Hanna likes it. In her world her father is her favorite parent, he caters to her every whim, understands her and her special needs and requests, while her mother is her enemy… and she intends on making her pay… everyday until she breaks!!
Baby Teeth is a dark, unnerving, and downright chilling tale that is sure to have you rattled throughout! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this one, I mean I have read some disturbing tales in the past, but honestly this one takes the cake, I could not believe some of what I was reading, it had me shook more than a few times! This domestic tale is sure to be liked by some, and maybe turn a few readers off, mainly because it is so hard to wrap your head around all that is happening. It will constantly push you in uncomfortable places, and have you a little rattled more times than you will care to admit… all I can say is that it is not your normal thriller, this one is far more daring than any other that I have read! Overall I’d say it was a well crafted and thought-provoking debut, it held my attention, left me in awe, and just curious enough to make a return visit. Highly recommend, but be prepared to be shocked!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed.
I’ll start off this review by saying that psychological suspense is not my favorite genre to read. That said, I thought that this was a well written interesting novel that was really really creepy!
Hanna is 7 years old. She is non-verbal but very intelligent. Her goal is to get her mom out of the way so she can have her dad all to herself – even to the point of wanting to kill her mom. Suzette, the mom, had a bad childhood and years of illness and always seems to be right on the edge. She tries with Hanna but realizes how much Hanna hates her. The Dad, is pretty oblivious to the diminishing relationship between mother and daughter and tends to still think of Hanna as his little girl. AS Hanna gets kicked out of more schools and continues to exhibit escalating plans to harm her mother, will the parents be able to stop her before it’s too late?
I thought the premise of this book was very novel and the book kept me reading despite my discomfort with some of the plot. If you enjoy books in this genre, you don’t want to miss this one.
Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Before and After Hanna is how Suzette could label her life. Hanna actually ruined Suzette’s life.
Despite her pain from Chron’s disease, Suzette could handle that better than she could handle her daughter. She also couldn’t handle how Alex, her husband, never saw how Hanna really was. Hanna was two different people – one when she was with Suzette and one with Alex. Alex was definitely clueless
Hanna was evil and manipulative. Hanna is going on seven years old and still doesn’t speak, physically lashes out, plans things to harm her mother, plans things to exasperate her mother so she will leave, and won’t be accepted in any school because of her behavior.
Hanna is an evil, brilliant child who is definitely frightening. I can’t even imagine how she thinks up these horrific things she does. She is VERY unlikable for a supposedly sweet girl.
BABY TEETH has the reader following Hanna’s days with her mother and her evenings with her father as he reads to his sweet girl at night. Many issues are brought up, and you can feel the frustration of Suzette in all aspects.
BABY TEETH is set in Pittsburgh, and the author lives in Pittsburgh.
Ms. Stage’s writing is truly marvelous and immediately draws you into the story line but at the same time has you shaking your head at what is happening because it is unbelievable.
I am not a normal reader of disturbing situations or horror, but any reader who likes disturbing reads will like this book. 4/5
I received an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
I received this book as an ARC from St Martins Press. Loved it, my kind of book!!
This was a creepy and hard to put down book. I’m afraid of Hanna. How calculating can a 7 year old be? Suzanne just wants a normal and happy family but she’s up against a wall to achieve this. I have to imagine there will be a sequel and I will read it but maybe during the day as it will be full of action. I don’t normally read horror fiction but I was sucked in from the very beginning. I highly recommend this book.
Zone Stage takes “bad seed” to a whole new level. I will definitely be watching for her next book. #babyteethbook #badseed
If you love being creeped out, this book is for you. Beautifully written, alternating with dialogue from Suzette the mother and Hanna, the seven year old, diabolical daughter. Alex is the loving father, torn between love for his daughter and love for his wife. No spoilers here, just a strong recommendation to read this terrifying tale for yourself. Make sure you read it during the day, it’s guaranteed to interrupt a restful sleep.
My thanks to St Martin Press and author Zoje Stage for the ARC. She is a brilliant writer and I predict a sequel is in the works!
This book really creeped me out! How heartbreaking to have a child who is mentally unstable. The child’s father loves her so much and is in denial to the extent of his child’s illness. Born to a woman who grew up iwith a disfunctuonal mother. For me it was a very hard book to read but I would recommend it to others. Be ready to be freaked out..
Baby Teeth is the story of a not so perfect family. Suzette and Alex Jensen and their young daughter Hanna. Hanna loves her daddy but harbors a hate for her mom. Hanna is non-verbal but is it a medical condition or by choice? Why can’t the family keep a babysitter for more than one night? Does Hanna have an imaginary friend or is it a mental illness rearing it’s ugly head? I found the book hard to put down as I followed the family’s journey through what can only be described as a nightmare. Definitely recommend it!
Thank you St. Martins Press! I received an advanced readers edition of this book for an honest review!
Egads! Where to start? I absolutely thought this book was fabulous and purely addicting! This book should be made into a movie as soon as possible!
Let me tell you about Hanna, who is daddy’s little girl and mommy’s worst nightmare! To say that Hanna is evil is an understatement, the antics that this 7 year old monster creates is thrillingly psychotic!
“You don’t like it ?” Mommy asked.
Then daddy beamed at her, reaching for her like she was a snow angel who’d fallen from earth and his warm hands would make her melt. “it’s a surprise but look at you. radiant.” Mommy, who knew how ugly she was, breathed with relief. Sometimes Daddy was too nice. What inspired this? he asked. “Your daughter. Who cut off half my hair while I lay in bed sleeping”
Pure evil at its finest! A must read
Well written, very descriptive story. A very troubled little girl, a mother who seems to have a few of her own issues and a father who is torn between his wife and daughter. It will keep you wondering what is going to happen next.
This book was sent to me as an early readers edition.
I don’t know what i would do with a daughter like Hannah.
I’m about half way through and have had to put it down a couple of times because this child’s behavior is unbearable. Looking forward to completing this book!!
I devoured this devilish novel in one day (at the beach, mind you). I couldn’t get through it fast enough, each electrifying page bringing more “how is this happening?” outrage and “holy crap!” shock. This mother’s worst nightmare story punched me in the gut, and made me realize how thankful I really am this Mother’s Day. Insanely jealous child? Umm, none for me, thanks.
“It was hard to pour endless love into someone who wouldn’t love you back. No one could do it forever.”
It was especially refreshing that this super creepy story didn’t follow the typical something-awful-is-happening-but-no-one-believes-it-until-it’s-too-late path so many horror novels do. Well, it did start down that path, but Stage knew when to divert to a more satisfying path before it hit one enormously frustrating dead end.
I received a free paperback ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I am thrilled to give this one five strong stars, and will enthusiastically read anything else Zoje Stage writes.
This book, releasing this summer, would make for the absolute BEST beach read. It’s dark, twisted, and leaves you conflicted about who the real villain is in the story. Can’t recommend this one enough!
The book itself isn’t out just yet. But you can download the first ten chapters i believe it was for free… And OMG!! I cannot wait for the full novel. Just a taste of the insanity in this book had me hooked and seriously addicted. If six stars were allowed, I would give that, not a simple five.