Here’s another gem for the all fans of unhinged killer girlies! Mia Ballard’s ‘Sugar’ is a wild ride “about a femme fatal hooked on love and acid”.

35 yr old Satara is a woman scorned; over and over and over again. She’s also an expert at getting revenge over and over and over again. She’s a 1970’s serial killer who’s into witchcraft and LSD. What’s not to like about this groovy premise?

I went into this arc from NetGalley pretty much blind. It was 💯 the cover art that drew me in but in all honesty, for a debut horror thriller, Sweet is pretty dang good. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a fun thriller! A satisfying book to read that goes in an unexpected direction. I also loved that it was a period piece - LA in 70s & 80s is super cool. Will definitely keep my eye out for this author in the future.

LOVED!

The unhinged female MC was everything. I loved living within the female serial killer MC throughout this book and knowing her thoughts and emotions throughout. I was addicted throughout this book and never lost interest.

That last chapter and epilogue was CHEF'S KISS!

For a debut novel, Ballard came out swinging and hit every mark. Cannot wait to see what they do next!

First off, a thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy and offer my thoughts. Now, onto the review.

The cover is wild and fun. The colors are eye-catching and pop. I think it will appeal to a lot of people.

Story: In terms of the narrative, I found this book to be kind of uneven, but thrilling. We follow Satara, a woman who wants to murder her cheating husband, and, well, does. What follows is not the story of a woman running from an action she did in the heat of the moment, but rather a woman who, it turns out, has probably done this kind of thing before. Satara is the type of character you want to follow, but not necessarily because you're rooting for her. I didn't know how to feel about her.

Characters: The other characters in the novel are a bit lopsided, too. Most people feel pretty flat and only exist in relationship to plot. I think, on one hand, you could argue that this is how Satara sees the world, which makes sense. But, for a reader, it's kind of like reading a fairy tale you've heard a version of before: most things feel like we're going through the motions until the next big plot point. There is lots of gore-ish description and shock value, however, which might redeem it for some readers.

Writing style: SUGAR has things that a solid edit would help. For example, it has two timelines--the "present day" and the various flashbacks marked by years at the beginning of each chapter. If you say "present day," most people think of 2024 or the 2020s or even 2000s. However, about 25% of the way through the book, you realize that Satara is 15 years old in the 1960s, and it seems like "present day" does not feature smart phones or a 60-year-0ld Satara. It would be fine, and honestly interesting, if it did, but when "present day" Satara is sad she never had a baby, it caused a whole, "Wait, what did I just read, and what timeline am I in?" moment.

Additionally, the book is laden, and leaden at times, with metaphors and similes. I am down with some flowery writing, but there are whole sections where each sentence is at least 10 words long, and in one page, I've read four different metaphors about four different feelings people have had, or how the blood goes through a stab wound, and it's kind of numbing. I just think it creates less impactful writing, and some solid editing could fix this.

Overall, I was curious to finish this book, but I did feel I could have been more invested or engaged if the book had just had a few editing rounds. The story itself is kind outlandish and grows increasingly wilder, which I'm fine with, but it would be nice to have really developed characters or other elements to ground it. As it is, it felt a little like reading someone's good, but under polished fan fiction -- not that this is actual fan fiction of anything, it's obviously an original idea, but you get what I mean.

3.5 / 5 stars

I wanted to love this more than I actually did. It's a page turner, though there were so many mismatched plot points which felt like they were placed purely for shock value, and not to serve an actual purpose to the narrative. This often threw me out of the story, almost entirely.
I did find the writing to be stunning, and I think the premise is great. It just didn't entirely stick the landing for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW!!! What a great book!! This one had me hooked from page 1! This was a first for me from this author and I will not be my last? I am a huge fan of thriller/horrors!! This one was a win for me!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Horror/ thriller📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I was hooked in from the first page. This was such a fun read. The perfect spooky book

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Suburban Orange county setting
Books set in the 70’s
Female serial killers
Love witches
Unhinged FMCs
So many twists
Compelling and entertaining thrillers
Dark and twisted reads
Female rage
VIllain POV

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Women empowerment

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
There were a few plot holes
I am still not sure how I feel about the ending/ fill twist

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ "I thought killing him would bring relief, but it only unearthed a ravenous hunger I couldn't seem to quell."
★ “This is a game of truth and manipulation, and I intend to play it masterfully.”
★ “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

This book was brilliant. I honestly couldn’t put it down. It was totally gripping, so interesting and just such a mind blowing read.

The character work in this book was top tier. I was so conflicted about the main character. We know what she’s done and I veered so dramatically between feeling sorry for her and feeling horrified by her! We understand why she behaves in certain ways due to things in her past and can feel sympathy for her, and yet her callousness sometimes is so shocking! She manages to be delightful at times and then unbelievably selfish and narcissistic the next. It was really fascinating to see inside the mind of this character.

The story is so tense. We join this tale at the point where the main character realises her husband is cheating on her with her best friend and decides to do something about it. When he goes missing, the best friend (who doesn’t know the main character knows about the affair) becomes more worried and starts to investigate, asking questions and causing problems. We follow the main character as she attempts to cover up her deeds while seizing what she wants from others. We are in her wake as we wait to see if she will get caught or if she will get away with it.

This was a clever, tense and suspenseful novel, conflicting and challenging and very entertaining!

Wow. I can’t believe this was Mia’s debut novel!! Bravo. I really liked it! The twists at the end, I did NOT see coming. I was sooo shook!

Looove female serial killer stories and this one was unhinged! This definitely has horror novel aspects to it!

Loved it and highly recommend this one when it comes out!! Thank you so much NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This is one of those reads where I am still deciding whether I loved or hated it. Either way, it left its mark on me. Set in the seventies, we are thrown into the mind of a female serial killer, full of drugs and rage. I was glued to this for the most part, but at times, it did feel like there was just a little too much thrown in to fully digest it all. I also felt like the explanation to her actions wasn't enough. This was, however, unique, highly entertaining, dark, and twisty. Given my indecision, I am rating this more towards the talented writing and giving it four stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Galaxy Press, for this ARC.

Rounding up to 4 stars from a 3.5 for this one. Sugar is a wild ride, one that I started off loving but towards the end they lost me. Satara is the epitome of female rage- she was just so unlikeable for me. And Lilah- woah! The big twist at the end did surprise me, but also left me with more questions. I really enjoyed the first 60% of the story! I want to thank the author, Net Galley, and the publisher for the ARC.

It was refreshing to see a book of this tone/genre centering a POC woman, definitely a guilt-pleasure esque read, picks up the drama from page 1

Thank you to Net Galley and the Author Mia Ballard for providing this novel as an e-read ARC!!

✨Spoilers✨

This book takes place in the 70s following the life of a female serial Killer. I really enjoyed the plot and found it fascinating to have a serial killer be a female instead of the stereotypical male. However the plot felt rushed as when you first started reading it in the first chapter it did not explain or give much background it just jumped right in. I did enjoy the fact that the main character was unreliable due to her consistently taking acid and her delusions however I wish that we got more background on her character as to HOW and WHY she became this why and how her mind decided to start killing.

It felt like the author was trying to incorporate as many plot points as she could (magic, drugs, shifting timeline -switched between past and present, murder etc ) without flushing out the details. Also I disliked how she rushed the reasoning as to why the female main character was killing everyone just because she was a lesbian and wanted to be loved- it felt like a cop out and just not flushing out the characters backstory.

In a high note I really enjoyed the plot twist of the ending and not knowing what was happening (if the SK delusions were real or not) and the final check mate.

Def check it out if you’re interested for a shorter read!

Thank you to Netgalley & Galaxy Press for this advanced readers copy ♥️

I did not see Sugar coming in fast to claim a top spot for best book this year! 🚘 💨

I was obsessed from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. With addictive writing, witty humor and a femme fetale that will stop at nothing to get what she wants, even if that means murder and a little bit of witchcraft.

The story had me hooked and the end threw me off completely. Everything I thought I knew was going to happen was false. I need more of Mia Ballards writing asap, she just works for me. Shes a mix of Gillian Flynn and Ottessa Moshfegh and just works so oh well.

If there’s an unhinged woman …. I’m reading it.

THE TWISTS??
Crazy for that one miss Mia.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for early access.

This book reminded me a lot of Pearl and I mean that in the best way. We're following a delusional woman as she tries to hold her life together after murdering her husband. If it had stuck with watching this woman become a train wreck, I would have been fine. It was fun and interesting being in her mind and had that same 'charm' that watching Pearl had. Then we learned about Lilah and her part of the story for 6 years and it lost me.

Sugar
by Mia Ballard
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Goodreads 4.19 Avg. Rating.

Publication Date : 17th October 2024

This story gave me The Love Witch vibes, which was exactly how I visualised it while reading.

The protagonist is unpredictable and highly reactive to rejection, determined to control the love in her life. We watch as her mind unravels, becoming increasingly sloppy, yet she remains deluded, believing she knows exactly what she’s doing.

As we delve into her past, we begin to understand how and why she’s developed such a taste for revenge, leaving me wanting to know more. The plot was gripping and the writing style exquisite, making this a 5-star read throughout.

However, I’ve docked one star as the ending, though shocking, felt slightly out of place, almost as if the writing style shifted. That said, it was still a satisfying conclusion, and I look forward to reading more from Mia Ballard.

Satara is an aloof and obsessive woman who kills. Will she be able to keep her secrets, and are her friends/neighbors who we think they are?

I was looking forward to this especially during Halloween time. This book had me hooked at the jump. I love reading Satara’s character but phew does she make me shout “WHAT.” So many times. I sat down with this one for a few hours and finished it in 1 sitting. It was addictive.

I would totally recommend this book, and if you like Desperate Housewives and Dexter… this one’s for you.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

4.5⭐️

What a dark and fun ride. I think it's my favorite thriller of the year. Sugar takes the unhinged woman revenge plot and runs with it. It was different than anything I've read before. It was twisty and dark, but still had a few moments that made me laugh. I loved the writing style. It sucked me in immediately. I can't wait to see what else this author comes up with in the future.

Ok…this one was a hit. I love how unique this story is and come on this cover is phenomenal.

We love a good women empowering story and this want hit the nail on the head. Female serial killers have grown to be a favorite sub genre of mine and this one takes th cake. Highly recommend.