Don’t let this cute cover fool you. Check your triggers before reading!

This one started off strong and had me hooked! I loved the way it was written. It was a bleak and disturbing story of survival and feminine rage. It made you really care about and get attached to Gia as she was a very relatable character. Towards the end it kind of fell off for me and got a little too far fetched/strange. I didn’t love the direction it went, but the ending was a great good for her moment and redeemed it for me!

Review posted on Good reads, 13 Feb 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for a free arc in exchange for an honest review!

The novel follows Gia, a broke thirty year-old. Strapped for cash and newly jobless, desperation drives her to join a sugar-daddy website in search for money. She meets Nathan, who offers her money in exchange for some weird requests. As you can probably tell from the cover of the book, you can easily predict what happens.

Nathan wants Gia to engage in pet play, to pretend to be his dog and follow his commands. Then of course, everything takes a turn for the worse.

The first half of the book is giving very much Margo's Got Money Troubles combined with My Year of Rest and Relaxation. Though I imagine based on other reviews, I should give Nightbitch a try too.

The metaphor is good, relatable as a woman and of course the book keeps you rooting for Gia. It's visceral and disgusting, having me reconsider breakfast as I read, but it's brought down a lot by its predictability. It's a little funny to imagine though a man being surprised by how the events pan out.

All in all, a captivating little story, quick and easy read tinged with a thick sense of dread and fear. Would recommend it to a certain audience only!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Shy Girl follows Gia, a down-on-her-luck young woman, who finds herself in a nightmarish scenario when a potential sugar daddy traps her and forces her to perform the role of a dog. It's ROOM meets NIGHTBITCH. The escalating tension kept me engaged throughout despite the dark/heavy subject matter (tw: physical/sexual abuse, body horror). The line between Gia's perception and reality blurs as she loses herself within the role she is forced to play. A reclamation of agency results in a bloody climax. It's a coming-of-*rage* story with bite, exploring unbalanced power dynamics and how identity is impacted by traumatic experience.

This was... something.

And this was a lot. So, check out the TWs in the beginning of the book.

I'm always on the lookout for weird books. And Shy Girl definitely scratched that itch for me. This straddled the line between social commentary and full-blown fetish. It could've easily lost the plot, but the author managed to control the narrative in a very effective way.

The setup dragged a little too long for me, but I understand that as the reader, you really need to develop a relationship with the FMC, Gia, especially since this is such a visceral and intense story.

But when the ball got rolling, my god. Gia's transformation into Shy Girl was disturbing and disgusting. I was glued to the page, wondering what kind of sick torture was coming her way, while at the same time, I was rooting for her 110%. As a consumer of true crime videos on YouTube, this felt like I was experiencing several crimes being committed at once, and over and over again. It was absolutely sickening. It was never-ending.

I won't spoil the ending, but truly, from the bottom of my heart: GOOD FOR HER 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

One thing I'll add: I appreciated that the author didn't try to humanize the abuser and make excuses for him.

I'll definitely be on the lookout for Mia Ballard's future works.

Thank you to Galaxy Press and NetGalley for this arc.

Don’t let the soft, feminine cover fool you, this story is visceral, traumatic, and left me just short of wrenching at times. I loved every second of it.

Mia is a woman who obsessively thrives on order and control, so when she finds herself in a situation she cannot manage she finds herself stepping out of her comfort zone, altering her life forever.

This story is TRAUMATIC. It is raw. It will leave you bleeding all over your kindle. I absolutely ate this sh*t up. Not for the faint of heart. Read the warning page.

Thank you to NetGalley, Galaxy Press, and Mia Ballard for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a horrifying, gruesome, nightmare of a story. Power dynamics and gender, women in sex work, body horror. Don’t start this without reading the TWs.

This has to be the next viral weird girl book.

Gia has OCD and is in a depressive spiral (I can say I have never had such similar thoughts to a main character before…) and she loses her job cause her to seek a sugar baby arrangement.

This book was meant for me. It sits at the intersection of weird girl, lyrical prose, a tad extreme horror, and elements of feminine rage.

Highly highly recommend.

I know it’s a metaphor relating to trauma human women experience but it also made me think about how non-humans kept as “pets” experience similar traumas yet never gain autonomy to rise above those experiences.

Like the Author's Note says, Shy Girl is about the tangled intersection between power, control, and the resilience of women navigating impossible circumstances. While reading, I experienced a multitude of feelings, none of which I believe I can really describe. I rooted for Gia every step of the way, my rage for her situation being fueled by her rage. Do not be fooled by the cutesy cover, Shy Girl is mind-blowing, atrocious, vile, and unsettling, but in such a good way.

Tusk but make it weird girl lit fic. Absolutely unhinged and I devoured every minute of it. My sweet Shy Girl, Amy Adam’s got nothing on you.

Wow, I'm not sure how to describe Shy Girl without giving away the whole premise. I devoured this book and could barely put it down. Especially the last half of the book. The way my stomach dropped when I saw year one
The cover is deceiving if that is what you are focusing on when looking for your next read. After reading the description I was sold.
Gia is a force and reading her journey, aka one of the most terrifying things a woman could be subjected to, was empowering and enlightening (towards the end).
Abuse and isolation are talked about in a very straight forward and blunt manner. I actually enjoyed Mia's prose and I'm curious about her other writing now.
If you are in the mood for an uncomfortable read, including descriptive body horror and some toxicity, give Shy Girl a try.

Thanks to NetGalley & Galaxy Press for the early digital copy, and of course to Mia Ballard for writing this!

100/100 or 5.0 stars

This was everything I was hoping it would be and more. I loved everything. It is one of those rare cases where you want to recommend this to people, but only to people you know well enough to recommend. Otherwise, make sure to only recommend this to people who you are comfortable enough with to talk about content warnings since there are so many....so many. The writing was engaging from the beginning and I could not stop reading to find out what happened to our Shy Girl.

10/10 would recommend!

I'm honestly speechless. This has to be one of the most disturbing books I've read, and at the same time, one of the most beautifully written. The author’s writing style is incredibly unique with tons of metaphors and similes that hit hard. (I will say, though, my one complaint with this book was there were maybe TOO many metaphors and similes that the writing pattern felt repetitive at times?)

Still, I couldn’t put it down. It's rare for me to feel like I cannot stop reading, but this one had me staying up past my bedtime to finish it.

The story at its surface is super bizarre and disturbing, but the symbolism ties into themes of loneliness, desperation, hurt, abandonment, rage… you name it. It’s heavy and haunting in a way that’s hard to describe.

This one is going to stay with me.

*stares off into space* wow, Mia Ballard has done it again. I loved her previous book Sugar as well. How Mia can write about the most horrible things humans can do and endure while sounding so poetic is beyond me. I absolutely ate this book up. Gia is struggling. She has OCD, no job, and is about to be evicted. As a last ditch effort to keep some sort of autonomy in her life she signs up for a sugar dating website and meets a man who seems like a good option to getting her rent paid, little does she know her life is about to turn upside down. I am really into feminine rage horror at the moment and this is NOT for the faint of heart. Loved it and also confirms my need for weekly therapy. Thanks to NetGalley and for this ARC.

🎀𝓖𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵🎀

How far would you go for a buck?

This felt like what would you do for a Klondike bar, but except what would you do to pay rent?

The smut girlies would love half of this, and the unhinged splatterpunk gals would love the other half. I loved all of it.

Gia is our girlie that's having a little struggle with life right at this moment, broke and about to be evicted she searches all possible means to pay for her rent, including being a sugar baby, and this is where she meets Nathan, and it all goes south from here.

The helplessness, sorrow, rage, and pure madness that was this novella has me gagged. So much to unpack in it's less than 200 pages.

I don't know if I've said this before, but we love unhinged, feminine rage and manic girlies here, and this is everything in one!

Just a heads up, there are a lot of triggers here, so make sure you keep that in mind before picking it up. Some include SA, assault, kidnapping, and extreme violence.

I would like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this e-book ARC, I look forward to reading all the books Ms. Ballard has to offer!

Do not let the cute puppy fool you, this book is DISTURBING (in the best possible way).

At its core this book is about the harrowing conditions women have to face and the way in which they reclaim their agency to create a narrative that highlights resiliency and not victimhood.

It is a reminder to continue to dismantle the cages and systems that take away women’s freedoms, safety,and dignity.

Woof.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

MIAAAAA!!!!! I loved this book. Shy Girl is now my 3rd book of hers I’ve read and each one is better than the last. What a strange, upsetting, wild read.

It’s clear her growth as an author is happening quickly and her confidence is shining through these pages. This book takes her signature character-driven storytelling and cranks it way the hell up. I loved how absolutely feral this book got. Ballard is on a roll, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Visceral and compulsive. I couldn't put it down. My kind of weird and so wonderfully disgusting. My favorite Mia Ballard to date! My only complaint is that I wish it was longer.

Phew. Rarely am I speechless but wow.

Please, please look at the trigger warnings for this book. If you can handle its content, as well as the amount of visceral gore and body horror told throughout, then you will love this story.
It’s gratuitous, over the top, and deeply unsettling. I do not like to read books where an author feels like they are exploiting the trauma women go through for no purpose, but in here I think it’s actually done well and with reason. Is it hard to read? Absolutely. There were many times I found myself putting it down because of how truly horrific the scenario is to imagine. But, I think it’s meant to show us the horror women go through, the trauma we experience day to day, and the power of our resiliency and autonomy. Especially in the face of patriarchy and capitalism which seeks to separate us from ourselves and our bodies, and commodify us.
If you like a good for her story, this is it in its most primal form. If you were a fan of Tender is the Flesh and The Substance, this is their love child. I’m in awe of the author’s writing and looking for more revenge stories this incredible.
4.5 stars.

Thank you the NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Mia Ballard's "Shy Girl" is a harrowing tale that delves deep into the darkest corners of human experience. The narrative follows Gia, a woman ensnared by financial desperation, who agrees to live under a mysterious arrangement with the enigmatic Nathan. In exchange for clearing her debts, Gia is thrust into a seven-year ordeal of captivity and dehumanization that forces her to assume the role of a dog-a striking metaphor for the loss of autonomy and identity.

Ballard doesn't shy away from exploring disturbing themes such as cannibalism, miscarriage, kidnapping, and sexual assault. While these elements are rendered with stark realism, they are at times bogged down by repetitive and overly detailed dialogues that may test the reader's endurance. The novel's strength lies in its unflinching portrayal of Gia's gradual transformation, both physically and psychologically.

This metamorphosis serves as a powerful symbol of control and the struggle for survival, compelling readers to confront uncomfortable truths about power dynamics.

While "Shy Girl" is undeniably a bold and provocative work, its relentless focus on grim subject matter and the extensive, sometimes monotonous dialogue can detract from its overall impact. For those prepared to navigate its challenging terrain, however, the novel offers a deeply thought-provoking exploration of human resilience. Approach with caution, but if you're ready to explore the darker corners of the human psyche, "Shy Girl" promises a journey that is as unsettling as it is introspective.