Interesting in premise, I found the writing to be hard to follow and I was not a fan of the main character. there were one or two supporting characters that stood out to me but all in all, one that I will not revisit.

this was by no means an easy read, but an impactful one. i’ll definitely keep my eye on Mia Ballard’s future releases. What starts as a grim but relatable story of financial and emotional vulnerability quickly turns into something much darker. This book is filled with feminine rage, digging deep into control, power, and survival in a way that’s brutal but impossible to look away from

horrific and should be marketed as such. i could appreciate the messaging but this one was not for me.. too gorey, too descriptive (‘i feel this way’ instead of actually telling me what was going on). i felt like it had a lot of potential to be a spooky literary fiction but instead it’s way more horror leaning. please consider that when recommending this book.

I’m speechless.

First of all, thank you to both Mia Ballard and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of Shy Girl. This is a title that will sit with me for a very long time.

The story follows our main character, Gia who we meet when she is 30 years old and in an incredibly rough spot and looking for anything that will help her out of it. After exercising all available resources she turns to a sugar dating app in hopes of perusing something with ease and as little attachment as possible, before too long after her inbox starts getting flooded by messages she meets with her first match which seems too good to be true. He’s real and normal enough, not trying too hard to impress or promise her anything that seems out of reach, and he’s willing to compensate her for her time. They meet a couple of times and after an audition for the role he’s hoping she’ll fill he pays her overdue rent, a few days later she accepts the offer and that’s when things take a disturbing and quickly disastrous turn for Gia.

Shy Girl begins with very real themes and depictions of depression and mental illness and then quickly becomes an incredibly engaging story of doing what you can to survive. “When that autonomy is stripped away, revenge becomes less about vengeance and more about rewriting a narrative in which women refuse to remain victims.” I couldn’t put it down for long and was absolutely floored.

Being able to read it early was such a pleasure, I was ready to order it as soon as the synopsis was released.

hey so that was insane actually

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this advanced reader copy

oh boy where do I start with this one. I genuinely have no words because this has to be one of the most shocking, jaw dropping books I’ve read.

Our story centers around Gia, a 30 year old OCD unemployed woman just trying to make ends meet. Out of desperation Gia signs up for an online sugar daddy website where she meets Nathan, who offers her a considerate amount of money for her to act like dog for 8 hours a day. The lines blur as Gia accepts his offer, and starts to question her own humanity.

I think honestly going into this book blind would be best. But I highly HIGHLY suggest checking trigger warnings. The cover is stunning and absolutely is a red herring. This is a horror book with detailed descriptions of body horror, and dark content matter.

It took me about 15% of this book before I was hooked. I kept telling myself I’ll put it down when I get to a certain percentage and I genuinely couldn’t.

Every turn of the page I was shocked and shit get really crazy from about 70% on like even crazier than what’s already happened. At the 91% mark, my jaw literally hit the floor and stayed there till I finished. This book is unhinged, brutal, and honestly a little bit empowering. When you finish please read the authors note because it’s probably the most insightful part of the book.

If you think you’re up to it for this book I highly recommend but please be cautious!

This book is the most absurd book I've read so far. It is gory, disturbing, unsettling, disgusting, ughhh, trust me; don't read this while eating. It's underlining woman's rage, resilience, and survival.

Honestly it's a bit slow at first, but it gets better when you reach the 75% of the book—the gore, the rage, the action, the twist... It's good. Definitely a new reading experience for me.

Woof.

A gore filled romp wrapped in a hideously pink bow.

I’m not even sure how to articulate my thoughts on this book. Mia Ballard writes with a viscous reality to create this woven horror of what it is to have your autonomy stripped from you.

The writing is like unravelling a ball of wool covered in gore, you think you’ve pulled the right part just for it to slip away from you. I’ve never read anything like this but I already cannot wait to dive into ‘Sugar’ by Mia Ballard.

Gia is flat out broke and desperate to sort out her finances, this one decision will change her life forever. The longer she’s treated as a pet the less she remembers of her life before and with it loses herself along the way.

This is a poignant read, but please please read trigger warnings for this as they are many. The content is not what the cover conveys.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This book was the perfect analogy for the theme it tackles. It’s perfection. Sick and twisted perfection. We are all Shy Girl to some extent and the horrible rawness of the dynamic between the two main characters is chillingly accurate. You will connect to this book (as a female), period.

Shy Girl is about women's rage in its rawest form (which Mia Ballard writes exquisitely about). This book was disturbing, incredibly dark, twisted, depraved, and above all, an excellent horror story.

Horror is about pushing boundaries, and Shy Girl does that. When a horror story is able to peel apart your psyche in layers and leave your nerves exposed and raw, you know it's a great book.

Mia Ballard is officially one of my favorite female horror authors. Thank you so much to Mia and NetGalley for this ARC.

3.75✰
as a woman in her early 30’s with some debt, it was startling to watch as this story went from relatable to unimaginable. the warning at the beginning was spot-on and very much appreciated. this is not a quirky, feel-good horror but something truly unsettling and, at times, deeply chilling. i sat down to read a chapter or two and ended up reading the whole book in one sitting. though the story was horrifying, i was absolutely hooked. gia’s transformation into shy girl is something that will stick with me for a very long time.

thank you to mia ballard, galaxy press and netgalley for the arc 🖤

a few key quotes:
⟡ “i exist in grayscale. i am thirty, alone, and unraveling quietly enough that no one’s noticed. yet.”
⟡ “i recognize the look immediately, though i have little experience with men like him. it’s primal, hungry, and unmistakable. every woman knows that look.”
⟡ “time here doesn’t have edges; it drips and folds, days bleeding into years, into nothing at all.”
⟡ “time is no longer mine.”
⟡ “i’m dissolving, piece by piece, into nothing.”

Wow!! Stunning! No notes 😬 excellent book I would recommend who likes suspense, thrillers and mystery! I loved it! Thank you NetGalley and publisher for early arc of this book!

⭐️4.25⭐️

This story follows Gia as she finds herself at a crossroads due to financial troubles. At 30, she is incredibly lonely, depressed, and completely broke. Desperation leads her to a sugar dating website where she meets Nathan. His proposition is unconventional, but what choice does Gia have?

From the very first page, Ballard bewitched me with her beautiful prose and I devoured this book in one sitting. The emotion scattered throughout this book is palpable, and I fell in love with it almost instantly.

This book is incredibly dark and disturbing, so don’t let the cute cover fool you. It’s an unhinged, traumatic experience with lots of body gore that had me screaming and squirming. I am not a huge fan of gore, but I still loved the underlying message of this book. It’s laced with feminine rage and is a mirror of what it means to be female in a world that desperately wants to control us. It’s about reclaiming our body autonomy and unapologetically embracing the rage that we should all feel when anyone threatens to take ownership of our bodies or rights.

Overall, I really loved this book. Certain parts were a bit too gory for me and despite the trigger warnings, I wasn’t prepared for how traumatic some of the themes would be. But, I am all about feminine rage and this book will stay with me for how powerful its statement is. If you enjoyed the message of Nightbitch or Earthlings, I think you’d really appreciate this one! Please make sure to check the trigger warnings first before jumping in. It’s very intense.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Galaxy Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Shy Girl is an intense, disturbing, and utterly consuming horror novel that left me completely shaken. From start to finish, I was glued to the pages, both horrified and fascinated by Gia’s descent into captivity and transformation. This book isn’t just terrifying—it’s thought-provoking, unsettling, and teeming with raw emotion.

Mia Ballard masterfully crafts a story that blurs the line between body horror and psychological terror. The premise alone is chilling, but it’s the execution that truly got under my skin. Gia’s experience is grotesque yet disturbingly symbolic, reflecting deep themes of autonomy, survival, and the consequences of power imbalances. Her journey is as much about reclaiming herself as it is about the horrifying metamorphosis she undergoes.

The tension is relentless. There were moments when I physically had to pause and take a breath because the atmosphere was so suffocating. Ballard doesn’t just tell a horror story—she forces the reader to live it alongside Gia, making every moment feel visceral and immediate.

My only minor critique is the pacing, which felt uneven in places, and certain repeated phrases pulled me out of the story momentarily. However, these small issues didn’t take away from the sheer impact of the book.

If you’re a fan of stories that explore feminine rage, psychological breakdowns, and body horror in a truly unique way, Shy Girl is a must-read. It’s brutal, it’s bold, and it’s impossible to forget.

Thank you, NetGalley and Victory Editing, for my advanced copy of Shy Girl in exchange for my honest review.

I am mentally and physically not okay after reading this book. Five stars. Oh my god. Never has a horror novel put me in such a chokehold. I stayed up all night reading—it’s a short, fast-paced, and utterly gripping read.

Be very aware of the trigger warnings—this book is not for the faint of heart. It’s the kind of story you should go into completely blind because it’s like nothing else I’ve ever read. Woof. Seriously, OMG.

What made it even more terrifying for me is how real the core of the story feels. This is the kind of thing that could happen to any woman—and likely has—minus the blood and guts (of course). Mia brilliantly intertwines the concept of feminine rage with the dog persona, creating a deeply unsettling yet powerful narrative.

There were so many moments when I was holding my breath, anxiety through the roof, yet I had to keep going. I felt enough fear and tension for both Gia, the main character, and myself.

Imagine Beauty and the Beast—but if Belle became the Beast and went on a full-blown rampage, Jennifer’s Body style. If that vibe speaks to you, you need to read this book. 10/10.

All thoughts are my own.

Wow, just wow. The trigger warnings had me anxious, we spent the first half of the book getting to know and empathize with Gia who's had a difficult life and struggles with OCD.
It's sad to me the reality that there are people desperate enough out there to get themselves into harmful situations. This book definitely gave me some feelings.
Gia doesn't get into the arrangement with Nathan until halfway through and even at that, the 'punishments' are not descriptive like I was anticipating. I spent a lot more time wondering about Gia's mindset.
Then once we hit 75% this book just took me on a ride I wasn't expecting but that was absolutely glorious. Totally satisfying ending.

This was the weirdest and most fucked up book I've read in a long time and I loved it! Does that make me sadist? 🤣 The story was insane and well written, but really showed the dynamic of power and survival in a way that was depraved. This was Horror to the next level. I literally finished this book in about 5 hours because it was so gripping. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time and just wanted to keep reading to know more. I'm definitely going to be checking out the other books from this author!

Listen-I read Sugar and was instantly obsessed with Ballard. She became an auto buy author and Shy Girl just cemented it. Her writing, prose and lyrical genius leaves me awe struck. The power, feminine rage and anger that drips off the pages are all too relatable and make you feel seen.

This novel starts off with Gia, who is drowning. We have all been there (at least I have) and her choices made sense for her at the time. This novel unravels so many things between the balance of power, survival and hope. This is being likened to Night Bitch (which I haven’t read) but I cannot imagine this being anything comparable. I would call this unhinged but …. honestly, I get it. Don’t tell me to smile sir and DON’T call me crazy, because guess what?! I am f*&^ing insane! LOL Thanks Netgalley for my advance copy!

i have to be honest, i own 2 white greyhounds and thought this cover resembled them and thats why i requested it. luckily shy girl turned iut to be a really great read and im glad that i judged this particular book by its cover!

this book was shocking and vile, and it kept me absolutely enrapt the whole time. i couldn't put it down, as i couldn't wait to see what happened next to gia. the body horror was well done, and the tension was mostly solid. would've been a five stars for me but the pacing was a little all over the pace and the constant use of the words "hum" and "sharp" led me to believe it was less a stylistic choice and more an issue of repetition. all in all, a solid, edge-of-your-seat read, and i can't wait to snag a physical copy because the cover is reason enough to keep it on the shelf.

Fantastic, love the building of tension all the way until the last few chapters.

I would say that I think it may have been more impactful for shy girl to kill Nathan / meet cupcake in front of the camera, what are the audience going to do? Phone the police and tell on themselves, idk something to think about but I’m not writer.

Really loved it and very excited to see what the author does next, I will defo be reading sugar asap.