Being sexually assaulted followed by being devoured by dog/things seems like a trifle much for not being a "good girl." In this day and age, all kinds of behavior is more accepted.
Having grown up during the rise of feminism, my first thought about a book where adolescent girls who refuse to conform to "good girl" ideals meet horrific endings was that it should be a story set in the past, not one set in 2004 and 2019. Then, I started thinking of all the little digs I've gotten in my life, tearing down my plans and dreams and goals. Girls and women are still expected to act the way the masses demand.
I mean, look at all the body shaming that goes on on the internet. Look at all the makeup tutorials so we can all look alike.
And, talk about jobs and education. It seems like I've always had guys telling me I ought to do this, or that, or take some other career path. Why not grow some canine teeth and bite me while you're at it?
Even if it's not a grisly death, it's a death of the spirit when people constantly tear down others and try to rebuild them into something more to their liking. In Such a Pretty Smile, a husband can't support his wife's art because her art is better and more imaginative than his. A mother home schools her daughter because was kicked out of school for defending herself when a boy touches her inappropriately. More insidious than the boys and men, there is something feral and canine killing girls who don't conform. The moral to the story is if you don't want to conform, fight back.
Why do I write horror? Besides the meager pay? Just to see the look on people's faces when they discover I'm not the sweet little creampuff they think I am. Actually, I am a sweet creampuff...I just happen to write horror. Thanks to Netgalley and Saint Martin's Press for making Such a Pretty Smile available to me in return for an honest review.
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