I didn’t love this one, but I didn’t not like it either. An easy read but quite a typical chick-lit story. The only difference was the use of teeth as a metaphor for family, stresses, breakups and not being listened to.
If you hate the dentist this probably isn’t the book for you! 😂

Scarlett Mack is a wonderful narrator who gets the tone of this book just right - humorous but also...your life is falling apart.

Ellis' long term boyfriend breaks up with her for another woman and she needs to move back home - she has no savings, problems with the teeth, and her wee sister has the husband, house, and kids that she feels she *should* have also...her mum is dating a younger man - who is also a dentist, something the entire family have feared going to since Ellis was little.

She has just started a new job which for the reasons above she *really* needs to keep and the dentist filling in for her regular dentist doesn't take her dental issues seriously. In order to make all her dentist appointments and to cover for why it looks like her life is falling apart she tells a little white lie about just who left who...and Edinburgh is a small town so it's only a matter of time before that adds to her problems.

Flew through this, perfect for a change of scenery from heavier books and summer evening strolls.

Teeth as a metaphor for life: family and relationship drama and a lesson in finding your self through dentistry.

What a mess Ellis is in - decades-long genetic-lottery hell with painful teeth and constant procedures isn't enough. She doesn't really enjoy her job (and HR aren't sympathetic over her regular dentist appointments). But now, her world is rocked when her boyfriend of almost her entire adult life tells her he's fallen for a colleague and wants her to move out of his house.

With unexplained tooth pain that the dentists say isn't real, Ellis has to suffer the 'pain' of moving back into her mum's house, where her permanently-angry sister is also staying, and have to face up to the life she's made for herself (while Facebook stalking her ex's new woman and trying to get him to accept he owes her money for their flat).

If you're the squirmy sort when it comes to tooth problems, you might end up having bad dreams reading this. There's a lot of 'metaphor for life' around Ellis's long-standing tooth problems, and it becomes so desperate she might even consider having her mum's new, younger dentist boyfriend take a look. Oh and she tells HR that it's not her that's been dumped but her sister, much better if it's going to be spread round the office.... hmm.

Watching the spiral of Ellis's life in every direction and how she progresses towards some sort of control and peace hopefully makes for an entertaining family drama. Ellis feels quite young, inexperienced and like so many of us in our twenties, when life becomes complicated and we really are forced to grow up.

I liked the focus on teeth as the basis of Ellis's problems and as the core of 'her', and thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook version which was well narrated and differentiated for the characters.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.

Weak Teeth is a fun, light-hearted and easy reading/listening to book yet with some deeper morals behind the main story. I did find this a bit slow going and think I may have enjoyed it a bit more if I read the physical book instead of listening but overall this was a good read and easy to dip in and out of.

This was perhaps not the wisest move to listen to this audiobook when I’m fully aware I desperately need ho see a dentist, a dentist that terrified me. However, do not be deterred. This is a solid and confident debut.

Ellis is not having a good time, not in love, at work, at home, within the family unit or with her friends and as if that’s not bad enough, there is definitely something wrong with that tooth!!

Thoroughly enjoyable, relatable characters and story line, beautiful narration. A well earned 3 star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review.

Ellis' long term boyfriend has unexpectedly ended things and she has to move back in with her mother. Ellis has a long standing fear of denistry and something is wrong with her teeth which is used as a metaphor for her whole life. This is exciting new Scottish fiction that grips you from the start and has likeable, relatable characters. As an audiobook, the narration is great and suits the story very well.

Joyous: Left me utterly enamelled

🧡 There are some books, some characters whose company is pure happiness. I’m thinking of Diary of a Bookseller, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, The Rosie Project, and this. The characters are endearing, the outlook is positive, the humour dry. All good stuff. Enjoyed every second.

💚 Things I enjoyed in particular were the teeth metaphor for not taking itself too seriously and the sisterly plot. As one of three sisters, it resonated.
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SOUNDBITE

🎧 Scarlett Mack’s comedy chops are on full beam throughout. Loved her wit and comic timing and she was a major part of why I enjoyed listening.

🎧 This was a decent length listen for the genre, at almost 9 hours and a very easy listen. Could happily have this on while doing errands without getting lost.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for providing me with an ALC in return for an honest review.

Weak Teeth, by Lynsey May

Ellis is struggling. He boyfriend has dumped her and she has to move back in with her Mum, she has a strained relationship with her sister, and she loses her job.

She starts stalking her ex boyfriend’s new girlfriend and her fixation on their new life pushes her further into a downward spiral.

The teeth obsession is a little weird, she sees numerous dentists and her GP, none of whom can work out she has an infection until her mother’s boyfriend (a dentist, conveniently), comes to her rescue, but teeth aside, it’s a good story.

I listened to the audiobook version and really enjoyed the narration by Scarlett Mack.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Ellis's life has crumbled without warning. Her boyfriend has fallen in love with someone else, her job's insecure, her bank account's empty and she has a mouthful of unreliable teeth. Forced back to her childhood home, there is little in the way of comfort. Her mum is dating a younger man (a dentist, no less) and is talking of selling the house, her sister, Lana, is furious all the time, and a distant cousin has now arrived from the States to stay with them.
During a long, hot Edinburgh summer, Ellis's world spins out of control. She's dogged by toothache, her ex won't compensate her for the flat and somehow she's found herself stalking his new lover on Facebook.
Will Ellis realise before it's too late that the bite she was born with is worth preserving?


Dreams of teeth falling out are a relatively universal experience- something most of us experience at some point in our lives, usually during periods of stress or change. Ellis is not only experiencing such dreams, she’s going through the waking nightmares of crumbly teeth as well- both literally and figuratively. As her life crumbles around her, so, it seems, do her teeth. As she rediscovers herself and her confidence, her dental issues seem to find a solution at last as well. Not too hard to see the parallels, but they’re rendered effectively and engagingly in this enjoyable and relatable story.

*This review is based on the audiobook, delightfully narrated by Scarlett Mack and provided by NetGalley and @Bolindaaudio in exchange for an honest review.
Weak Teeth by Lynsey May

Good audiobook I really liked the narrator her Scottish accent was subtle and real. Story was good but not usual type of book tho it did make giggle. All this is a good listen all round would make a good easy float away audio holiday book choice