Wow, this was unhinged. I really needed that. This started off as sugar dating story about Gia, a broke and broken young woman battling OCD, depression, and eviction, and turned into something completely feral and.. therapeutic? Gia is truly in the trenches, lost in life, and decides to sign up on a sugar daddy website as a final resort for some cash. Her date asks only one thing in return. Will you be my pet?

He really meant that when he said it. This gets gory and a little graphic, but is so well-written that even at peak mental unravelling, I found myself thinking, "yeah girl, same. I completely get why you did that." AM I UNWELL?

I don't normally find myself getting sucked into books immediately, but I read the first half of this book in the first sitting because I just had to see what happened next. I COULDN'T PUT THIS DOWN. Highly recommend this if you like horror & you're in your untamed/feminine rage/tired of being forced into a "pink dress persona" era.

I love the outside - it's pretty and soft and delicate. I love the inside - it's raw and angry and looking for justice. A great testament to Gia.

This book defied all my expectations, and I am left kind of lost for words. Every time I pick up a piece of horror writing I think I’ve met my match, but inevitably a lot of the storylines are within the realm of my imagination. But now there’s Mia Ballard. This book was horrific. And that’s why it’s getting 5*. The sheer rage of this book. Shygirl’s savagery will stay with me for a long while. The endings little twist had me gasping. I read this book in one sitting, and could feel my skin crawl as I turned each page. It’ll have you imagining things you don’t want to imagine trust me. But it’s fucking great.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

I loved every page of this book. Mia Ballard took me on a journey with this one. Some moments were funny, emotional, or introspective. While other scenes were horrific and made me gag with disgust. Either way, Ballard knows how to write intriguing and entertaining stories. I also read Sugar last year and loved it, too. A must-read author for me.

Gia is a woman who’s pretty down on her luck and having a rough go in life, desperate for money after losing her job and looking for ways to retrieve some stability. this leads her to trying out a sugar dating site, which later brings her into the crossfire of a man named Nathan. he offers to pay her a large amount of money, but his request isn’t at all what she’d expected— he wants her to pretend to be his pet dog for eight hours every day. Gia agrees, but when he goes back on his word she’s forced to adjust to her new disturbing reality.

this book truly was visceral in every sense of the word cause the anger, disgust, frustration and anxiety i experienced while reading it felt like a living thing. Gia is stripped of her humanity and becomes a shell of who she used to be, until she’s broken down to the most basic animalistic parts of herself and turns that inner rage into fuel that will gain her back her own autonomy over her body and her life.. bathed in blood. there were so many scenes in here that really had me speechless, i always love when horror garners strong reactions out of me. i liked the way the author tackled a very real issue that many women face and made it into something so unflinching, all while showing that there’s no lengths that women can’t or won’t go to in order to survive. this was by no means an easy read, but an impactful one. i’ll definitely keep my eye on Mia Ballard’s future releases.

I don't even know where to begin on this book.

We follow Gia, a 30 year old down on her luck after she is fired from her job. She is estranged from her father, has no other family, and has one friend from college whose life has taken a completely different path than hers. She has struggled to maintain long term relationships. When she gets an eviction notice, she decides to take drastic measures and meets up with a potential sugar daddy. From there, things take a shocking, horrifying, and unexpected turn.

I struggle to say any more than that about the plot of the book, because I think its best to go in blind. But do heed the TWs. This is not for the faint of heart.

I have recently ordered Mia Ballard's other release, Sugar, on multiple recommendations. Curious to see how that one is.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy.

“It’s not that I don’t have more to say. It’s not that I don’t have sharper edges. It’s that I know how to package myself in ways men find manageable. I’ve learned to press myself into neat, soft shapes, to smooth over the parts that snag or bite.”

This book left me feeling viscerally disgusted and horrified. As a lover of the horror genre, I’m using those adjectives in a positive connotation here. I truly cannot get this story out of my head — it’s all I’ve been able to think about since I finished reading it.

If you’re a fan of extreme horror, feminine rage, and revenge stories, this is going to be your next favorite novel. It explores autonomy, power, and control in ways that will leave you sick to your stomach in the best possible way.

Please check the trigger warnings before picking up this novel. It gets intense!

Thank you to Mia Ballard, Galaxy Press, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads 2/15/25

Review to be posted to Instagram on release week and in my February monthly reading wrap up at the end of the month.

OH MY GOD THIS BOOK WAS ?!?! the way i absolutely ate this book up in one sitting. when gia finds herself in a tight financial spot she seeks out a sugar daddy. and well she finds something much worse. this book was a car wreck that i couldn't look away from in the best way possible. even as disturbing as it was i had to keep going. i had to know what happens.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Shy Girl.

The cover immediately grabbed my attention, and the description sealed the deal.

I devoured the book in one sitting, I just couldn't put it down. Gia felt like a real person – someone you'd actually meet in your friend group or at work. You know, that quiet, quirky girl from accounting who's always nice, but there's just something about her that makes you a little uneasy? All her choices felt authentic, and I felt like I understood her instantly.

Especially her fascination with Nathan.

I really appreciated how the author let us follow her descent into obsession, showing us her changing demeanor and word choices as her captivity progressed.

I don't want to dwell on it, but the first 85% of the book felt like a truly brilliant horror story about consent, freedom, and self-image.

But the last few chapters really fell flat for me. I audibly gasped when the physical transformation started – it seemed like a clever way to amplify the book's message, but then things just...stalled? I mean, we're told Nathan gets confused and weirded out by the changes, but he still keeps her captive for another year? Given his reactions, I'm guessing the transformations were actually happening, and the book had a touch of magical realism. So did he continue to have intercourse with a half-dog girl? Was none of the viewers of his stream weirded out?

The rat scene was definitely interesting and had its place in the story. However, Nathan's reaction felt unrealistic again. He was already described as being disturbed by her turning into a dog, and he doesn't break down after she devours a rat?

And the ending was just strange, but not in a good way. The Cupcake plot twist felt completely random and didn't add anything to the story. We didn't know enough about the character to care. I wish the whole "you're free to go" plot point had been left out. It stuck out like a sore thumb. Something else should have triggered her aggressive response, allowing her to escape in her "dog form."

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and plan to suggest it as a book club read for our Fresh Off The Press Book Club members.

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My official review will be sent out to our 200+ members in late February/early March 2025.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

“Desperation doesn’t crash down all at once; it seeps in, quiet and steady, until you’re choking on it, gulping for air. It tastes like shame.”

I don’t even know where to begin with this one. This book was absolutely incredible. It’s such a unique take on so many different subjects. It’s bleak as hell but gripping AF. The writing style was amazing. The FMC was done so incredibly well. The themes were hard hitting and brutal at times, but the poetic writing style makes this 200+ page novel easy to binge in one sitting.

The representation of OCD was the best I’ve ever read. The mental health aspect in general was done beautifully. The theme of feminine rage was done in a way I’ve never read before. Cosmic horror isn’t usually my go to, but this was done in a way that I wanted more. There’s themes of trauma and healing. There’s also themes of resilience and survival. I wouldn’t be surprised if this landed in my top 5 or 10 of 2025.

Shy Girl releases on March 1st but available for preorder now.

But I leave you with this…
In a time of desperation, how far would you let a sugar daddy take their unconventional fetish? And what would you be willing to do when things go wrong?!

*ARC provided by NetGalley.

I thought the concept of this one was interesting! It is a short-ish slow burn that has some great moments of prose. My main issue was that it could be overly wordy. I like to forget that I'm reading a book, but the overuse of figures of speech got me out of that flow at times. I had to pause for a second at one point and counted 3 similes in one paragraph...which was practically every sentence. It was just too overdone to have a good flow and a lot of repetition in the writing and descriptions. For example, many things are "sharp", "curling in on itself," "metallic," "spirals/spiraling" and many words "cut through the air." There were a lot more of repetitive descriptions and words as well that could have been reworked. I would recommend for the author to search for how many times she uses the word "like" and discover where she can edit down some of these repetitive and unnecessary descriptions for improvement. I don't want to discourage through this review, just offer some constructive suggestions for growth and keep my feedback honest. With these small changes, I think I would have enjoyed reading this more. The author is clearly talented at writing despite those hangups and has a great foundation for her craft. Im rooting for her and love new/indie authors! I also really liked the cover and thought the title was fun. I'm interested to see what else she writes in the future and think readers who enjoy books by Mona Awad or the novel Night Bitch may like the storyline.

First of all, please take the content warnings seriously as this book is very dark and not for the faint of heart or easily triggered. That being said, I absolutely devoured this book in a single day. The writing was so raw and the story so harrowing and just gut wrenching. But it’s truly an immaculate feminine rage tale. I’m so here for women’s wrongs in the most unhinged ways.

This book is beautifully written but I had to put it down half way through. It's a slow burn and so slow I lost interest even though this is a short book.

The author has a gift in writing things wonderfully but just not in a story I enjoy.

It was wild and weird to say the least, but also very sad. This book was a gripping and visceral story, sometimes brutal, that explored the very dark reality of power abuse and control, along with survival, resilience, and feminine rage.

Disturbing, disgusting at times, witnessing Gia slow transformation was revolting and horribly sad, but the ending was a very unhinged way of Good for her.

3.5⭐️

This was one heck of a read for how short it is...

Please check TWs ⚠️

Plot follows Gia who is unemployed and desperate turns to a sugar daddy...

The transformation was disturbing to say the least but I couldn't put the book down until I got to the end . Some parts of the plot dragged but with such an intense and short read you can't really complain, the ending was satisfying that's all I'm gonna say. If you're in the mood for a short weird read then try this but again check trigger warnings

Thank you Galaxy Press and NetGalley for the arc

Oh Mia Ballard you have done it again.
After reading Sugar last year I had my eyes peeled for the next book from this author, so I was thrilled to get a copy of Shy Girl and I read it in one evening, unable to put it down.
The story of a woman down on her luck who's in desperate need of money. She sign up to a sugar daddy website and, well, it all goes down hill from there.
I'm not sure who I'd recommend this book too, but I LOVED every second of it. Dark gruesome, beautifully written. 5 stars.
For a more indepth review you can check out my spoiler free youtube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUdnMgRPkCI&t=338s

I finished this book in one sitting, wondering how far the story would go...desperation, rage and revenge. Disturbing and gory.

I got my email about being approved to review this book through NetGalley at 7:05am and it is now 10:54am of the same day and I just finished it and came straight to review it. I could NOT put this book down. From the moment we were introduced to the main character, Gia, I was hooked and I needed to know where it was all going. If I'm being completely honest, I was hooked from the moment I read the cover did not reflect the inner horror of the story. The cover art is stunning and had my interest, but by the end, the cover brings tears to my eyes.
Shy Girl is a horror story in the best way possible because the situation is extreme, but it speaks to a truth in life so many ignore. The story follows Gia, a thirty year old woman who recently lost her accounting job and has decided finding a sugar daddy to help her pay the bills she is behind on might be her best option. Gia has one friend in the world, Kennedy who is just a bit too perfect, and an alcoholic father she hasn't spoken to in years. Gia is also obsessive and needs rituals and habits to handle her anxiety and emotions, which is something I found myself relating to and then worrying over.
Gia's decision to meet a sugar daddy through an app on her phone leads her to Nathan. Nathan has an offer for Gia which seems extreme, but the pay is great and Gia finds she doesn't want to say no even when she is offered a "normal" job. As you are reading the story, you might wonder how Gia allowed herself to be in this situation, but when you think of all the situations we end up in throughout our lives and how it changes who we are and where we saw it all leading, especially if you are a woman, you start to truly see how this one extreme situation relates to all the small sacrifices we make in our lives. I know in my life, I find myself wondering how I got to exactly where I am and all the little things I agreed to or gave up to get here and some moments all of those things I missed weigh on me and I feel so much anger, especially at the pieces of myself I feel were taken.
I refuse to ruin this book for anyone, but my god, I wish I had someone to talk through this book with. The author wrote such an incredible story which not only explains the rage women feel when we are put into boxes or told our place in the world, but the dangers of doing it and how the small changes can grow into something with teeth and fangs. I live in the US, so I live in a world where my autonomy is slowly being taken away from me just because I'm a woman. I was raised to keep keys between my fingers when I walked alone to my car and pepper spray in my pockets, to always be aware of my surroundings, to pay attention to who was paying attention to me, to never drink to access because if someone hurt me while I was drunk I would be blamed, and to never trust a man I didn't know... and I have every right to be angry for having to be raised with those thoughts in my head every single day. This book beautifully encapsulates my anger at being a woman and how unfairly the world sees me because of it.
Who do I recommend this book to? Anyone who loves a fantastical horror story. Any woman who has ever felt like she was treated as less than because she's a woman. Anyone who is angered by women no longer having autonomy of their bodies. Anyone, who like me, found pieces of themselves taken away after an abusive relationship or a sexual abuse. (Please know this book will be triggering to some.) Anyone who has ever wondered why women are so angry. Any woman. Any man.

Thank you, NetGalley and Victory Editing for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review. This book was beautiful, heartbreaking, and terrifying. Thank you!

Oh this was absolutely amazing!!!!

DO NOT LET THE COVER DECEIVE YOU, make sure to read up on the trigger warnings!

I loved this book so much. I did not expect it to take the turn it did at all. It really shows you need to be so careful who you meet online and the things you’d do when you’re desperate for money.

I loved the writing style it was so addictive. The first few chapters, I’d say up to maybe chapter 10 is more going into Gia’s (our main character) background and getting us to know the characters. The story really picks up about chapter 11/12 and it’s so so worth the wait. The background story is definitely needed as it lets you dive deeper into Gia’s life and connect with her better.

I’m so happy I got to read this before release day. Thank you for the opportunity, it was amazing!!

WTF did I just read and why did I like it?

This was my first read by Mia Ballard but won’t be my last.

Gia finds herself stuck between a rock and a hard place in life. Desperate, she resorts to a sugar daddy website as a last-ditch effort to avoid eviction. Gia connects with an older man named Nathan and an unconventional offer is put on the table…be his pet for a notable ‘life-changing to Gia’ compensation.

The first part of the book is pretty ‘calm’. It is unpleasant and has you on your toes but then you step into the second half of the book and let me tell you… you are not prepared for what this experience turns Gia ‘Shy Girl’ into.

The writing is on point! Girl power and rage and revenge and all that jazz
The trauma & abuse transforms Shy Girl into a raging mad dog and her actions will have you gagging, grimacing, ewwwing, awwwing, and questioning your reading choices.
If you like horror & gore, this book is for you!

Thank you publisher & NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review.
Release date: 3/1/25