Baby Teeth – Review & Blog Tour

Hi Everyone! I am super excited to host baby teeth’s Blog Tour today! Thank you so much st. martin’s press for inviting me to take part in zoje stage’s debut blog tour!

Synopsis from St. Martin’s Press:

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.

From blazing new talent Zoje Stage, Baby Teeth is a story about a perfect-looking family, and a darling little girl who wants nothing more than to kill her mother.

In the tradition of THE DINNER and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN comes a “bad seed” debut about a mom desperate to find help for her mute young daughter, whose disturbing behavior grows increasingly dangerous.

About: Baby Teeth is a thriller written by Zoje Stage. It will be published on 7/17/18 by St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, 320 pages. The genres are thriller, fiction, and mystery. This book is the author’s debut. Later the author will publish Wonderland and Getaway that I was lucky to read and review early. According to Macmillan’s website, “St. Martin’s Press has a long and respected history of publishing a solid and varied list. We are dedicated to publishing emerging new authors, and offering a fresh perspective on classic genres, while maintaining a diverse and interesting range of books.” Please see below for more information about the author and publisher.

My Experience: I started reading Baby Teeth on 2/24/18 and finished it on 3/10/18. This book is an excellent read, though tough topic to handle. I’m reading this book as a mom and I cringe at what Hanna does. I sympathize with Suzette for losing her patience because I would lose it too for Hanna’s intentional bad behaviors. If I were to read this book before having a kid, it would ultimately make a decision for me to never have kids! Though, Hanna’s acting out is understandable for kids that have the demand for fun and games all day long because no one likes to follow rules and do work. This book has both strong views and it’s interesting to unravel as the story move forward.

This book is told in the third person point of view following Hanna, 7 years old girl. She hasn’t spoken since the day she was born. Another view is Suzette, Hanna’s mom. Suzette brings Hanna to many doctor appointments to test her for physical and mental problems to figure out why her daughter doesn’t speak. Hanna resents her mom for wanting to send her away to school and leaving her home alone with strangers (babysitters). She punishes her mom by doing opposite of what she’s told to do and more. She terrorizes all babysitters sent her way. Suzette wants her family to be perfect because she didn’t grow up with one. She has a disease called Crohn that gives her bowel movement troubles but her mom didn’t take her in for treatment until too late. This disease caused her to have an unpleasant pregnancy experience. There is a battle between mother and daughter’s relationship that readers can either sympathize or cringe. Suzette tries to be a good mom with patience and rewards for good behaviors, but it’s just impossible not to lose it with Hanna. When Hanna finally speaks, she informs Suzette  that she’s not Hanna but Marie-Anne Dufosset, a teen accused of being a witch who was burn to death back in history. Suzette questions her parenting while Hanna makes plans and calculates her next move.

A well written thriller, this book can be a mind blowing read. I like the fast paced easy to read writing style. I like the clear picture it paints of a stay-at-home mom with hard work and stress. I like the clear view of a working husband away from the drama at home to be narrow minded and lost in his own beliefs. It’s a frustrating feeling to relate to Suzette when her daughter is only good for her dad and wicked for her. I like following Hanna’s thinking process even though she scares me at times. Suzette’s experience with her disease and parenthood is tough and relatable at times. I would say that this book is disturbing, but I would rather read to know than missing out on it. I would still recommend everyone to read this book, at least once.

Pro: fast paced, page turner, easy to read, mom and daughter relationship, parenting, family,

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository or St. Martin’s Press

About the Author:

Zoje Stage is a writer and former filmmaker. She was a 2008 Fellow in Screenwriting from the New York Foundation of the Arts and a 2012 Emerging Storytellers Fellow from the Independent Filmmaker Project. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Baby Teeth is her first novel. https://zojestage.blogspot.com and Twitter @zooshka (Photo obtained from the author’s website and info obtained from St. Martin’s Website).

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for inviting me to read, review, and host a blog tour for this book. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine