This is probably a classic case of “not for me,” so I’m not being as harsh on the star rating as I am inclined to be. But honestly, the purple prose was a bit much for me and I found it really hard to dive in to this story.

I love this authors writing ! So poetic in the most gruesome beautiful way! And how she expresses women’s woes and converts it into rage is just iconic! Definitely a wild ride and I loved it

Devoured this in a day! Quick, sharp, depraved: I couldn’t have asked for more. Ballard’s voice is pointed and jarring, i couldn’t look away. Sooooo good

I really wanted to love this book, as the description is right up my alley and the reviews are so overwhelmingly positive! Unfortunately this read like a first draft to me. Yes the horror elements are there, with one truly excellent moment, and the concept is well thought out. However, I think the Gia, Nathan, and even Cupcake needed more development. Gia's constant interiority felt repetitive in a non-intentional way and often dull/frustrating. The horror scenes are the strongest, the rest fall flat. There are nice elements here but I think it could have benefitted from more development. This animal/female rage niche is quite popular atm and I don't know if this is carving out as much of a space for itself as it could. I just wanted more from it, and more from and for Gia!

Thank you very much for the ARC!

𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘
Release Date: March 1, 2025

𝓢𝓱𝔂 𝓖𝓲𝓻𝓵 𝘣𝘺 𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘥 is a horror and women’s literary fiction book that explores the darker side of being a sugar baby.

Gia has just lost her job, and all her efforts to find a new one have failed her. Distressed, lonely, and at her wits end - she joins an online forum for sugar babies. Nathan reaches out and Gia senses something different about him, and agrees to meet him. Nathan’s offer is unusual: Gia is to live as his beloved pet and in exchange all her debts will be relieved. Hesitant but desperate, she agrees. What unfolds is an intense story about endurance, autonomy, and instinct.

As everyone before me has stated, do not be fooled by the unassuming cover, this book is heavy in ways you don’t see coming. I could have easily read this book in one sitting but Im so glad I savored it instead. Kind of a slow burn, this book ended with multiple gut punches and I happily took each blow. Without revealing too much, I recommend this book to those who seek a narrative in which the creature inside us refuses to be tamed.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

*This book isn’t for the faint of heart, please read the TW before deciding to dive in*

Thank you to @netgalley, Galaxy Press, and Mia Ballard for the opportunity to read and review this eBook in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley #ShyGirl

an incredible story with amazing prose. this was my first book of ballard’s and it was an Experience in the best way. this book had a strong grip on me and i am going to be thinking about it for a long time. that man deserved what was coming, and gia had every right to do what she did ‼️

thank you to netgalley and galaxy press.

This is not a book that classifies itself as horror and falls flat.
Mia Ballard beautifully sets the tone, builds anticipation and does not disappoint when the opportunity arises to be cruel, unexpected, imaginative, and gruesome.

From the authors note: “Sometimes, the only way to heal is to rage. Sometimes, justice isn’t quiet or clean; it’s feral and bloody and unapologetic.”

Shy Girl follows a woman named Gia who agrees to a sugar baby deal pretending to be a dog. Interesting enough, she finds herself intrigued and even looking forward to this idea; the looming manipulation, abuse and false promises, unbeknownst to her.
Who hasn’t worn rose-coloured glasses during a relationship or started a job that’s masking it’s true, dark colours?
Reading Shy Girl made me think about the roles that we transform ourselves into in order to survive. When faced with an abuser, it’s common to turn into a submissive fawn, but in this case, she becomes exactly what he created: a feral animal raised in captivity.
I have never read female rage like this.
And I have never been more satisfied.

“Who did he want in the first place? A girl pretending to be a dog? Or a dog pretending to be a girl? And I wonder which one I am.”

Thank you so much NetGalley, Galaxy Press and Mia for the Arc!

Okay wow umm this was very disturbing! Don’t let the cute cover fool you.

It was a wild ride and pretty gross at times, but I couldn’t stop reading it! At times I was like what am I reading?? But the writing was very good. I’ll definitely have to check out the authors other books. If you’re a horror fan, definitely check this book out! It’s not for the light hearted that’s for sure!

ARC 📖 Review: Shy Girl by Mia Ballard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (more if I could lol)

OMG, I am speechless after finishing this one! Such a wild story about control and the lengths people will go for money… absolutely insane. Go read this book as soon as it publishes on March 1st! Buddy reading with my girl @spookylucyreads is always a blast!

Thank you, @NetGalley, for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

🐩🐀🪱

Lonely, broke and depressed with a serious case of OCD, Gia finds herself at a crossroads when financial troubles lead her to Nathan, a mysterious and affluent man she encounters on a sugar dating website. Desperate for a solution, Gia is intrigued by Nathan’s unconventional offer: in exchange for living as his devoted pet, all of her debts will be erased. But the longer Gia is in captivity, the more animalistic she becomes.

#horrorreader #bookworm #booklover #books #booknerd #bookaholic #booksbooksbooks #bookish #bookstagrammer #booksta #shygirl #miaballard

Thank you to Mia Ballard and Galaxy Press for this gifted ARC.

Good. For. Her. Good for her.

Shy Girl is easily the most horrifying book I’ve ever read. And one of the best written horror novels on top of that. It was poignant and disturbing. I found myself frequently recoiling and clenching my teeth.

That said, I do caution you to take this book in stride, but I recommend it especially after the author’s note. Horror always has a depth I appreciate, and Shy Girl is the perfect example. It’s never just face value, but a lesson in humanity and the depths we willingly descend to commit horror and atrocities against our fellow humans.

I finished the last 20% of this book with my face hidden beneath the collar of my sweatshirt. But then I found myself wanting to cheer and clap. Because good. For. Her. 👏

So say Good Girl meets Nightbitch…that’s Shy Girl, but it’s also so much more. While Shy Girl has some blood and gore you might think of when extreme comes to mind, it’s so much more than that. At its core, this book is about women. The struggles we face, whether it’s the fight for our own autonomy, or simply being in a world that wouldn’t exist without us yet we’re constantly being put down by men who think they’re more important, are at the heart of this heartbreaking story. It’s psychologically disturbing. It’s mind blowing that Ballard can cover some vile topics while creating haunting and breathtaking prose. I did not read the synopsis, or I certainly didn’t retain it if I did. I 100% judged the cover and knew it would be a banger simply because @galaxy wrote it. I could see the direction the book was going yet I was shocked all the same. There are a few scenes that stick out to me, particularly involving ***** and ********, but I do not want to give away those moments. I’ll leave them for you to discover. There are some moments that I was gritting through, some that made me queasy, some that I just couldn’t wait to get through, some that made me beyond uncomfortable. That’s the power of a gifted author. Ballard is most definitely an auto-buy author now.

We NEED books like this now more than ever. And please for the love of whatever deity or entity you believe in, read the author’s note!

What a wild ride! A women in financial trouble agrees to become a man's pet. But ofcourse its not as simple as that..I decided to not read too much about the book before going in to it. I loved the cover and i was promised horror and a 30 year old woman main character with OCD.
First half was a bit slow, I was waiting for the horror to kick in but i still really enjoyed it. I liked the writing style and being introduced to the main character and her worldview. It was all necessary to fully understand and make sense of her desperation to agree to such a weird "job".
I loved how weird it all got in a way taking a bit of a fantasy turn.
I really liked the ending even if it did feel a tiny bit rushed.
The authors note helped me understand the deeper meaning that i personally wasnt looking for throughout the book but really helped give the book alot more meaning.

THIS is how you write feminine rage in horror!!
I absolutely devoured this book. This was my first book from Mia Ballard and I can safely say I will be reading everything she releases!!
This book touches on a range of topics including living with depression, OCD and financial struggles alongside exploring the societal views on women and the lengths women feel they have to go to in order to survive.
If you’re looking for a truly disturbing but beautifully written book filled with body horror, gore and animalistic female rage then I would definitely recommend picking this up (but please do check trigger warnings first!!)

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Galaxy Press for an early e-arc for review. I was really excited when I read the description for this book and thought the premise was unique. Unfortunately, I only made it 30% through before I decided this wasn’t the book for me. I felt like the main character, Gia, did not feel real to me, but I think it mostly in the dialogue and inner monologues than the character’s actions. We understand that the Gia suffers from OCD and It was interesting to get to see how that affects her life and how she acts when she begins the process of looking for financial aid by searching for a sugar daddy. But when it came to conversations between characters, it sort of felt flat. I also felt there was a repetitiveness, whether intentional by author is hard to say, that made it feel like I was rereading the same prose over again. The first chapter really caught my attention and the rawness was what got me really excited to continue reading. However, it sort of teetered and I lost interest in the story. Again, this is probably just one that wasn’t for me but can be another’s 2025 favorite.

Gia is turning 30 and the world around her seems to be moving forwards while she remains still. As well as struggling with her OCD, Gia is unemployed and broke so she decides to try a sugar-daddy app as a way to bring in some money. When she meets Nathan, a middle-aged man who promises money, she feels like things could get better. That is, until she finds out that Nathan wants her to be his pet dog, 8 hours a day.

This was a wild ride and I loved every moment of it. I haven’t read any of Mia Ballard’s work before (Sugar has been on my TBR for the longest time) but I will definitely be reading more of her work. Her writing was breathtaking and the style worked well with the story. I highlighted so many passages because I just adored the writing. Extreme horror written by women is my new favourite thing and I need to read more of it. The fact that the cover is pastel and cutesy doesn't make the reader feel like they are about to read the most guttural and disturbing story…which I think is genius. There was such a strong feeling of unease and dread throughout, it kept me hanging on and wanting to read more to find out the fate of the main character. The line between human and animal blurred as the story developed. Gia was held captive and could only live as a dog or there would be harsh punishments. Over time, this resulted in her becoming an animal. Seeing Gia slowly stripped of her own humanity and being treated so inhumanly makes the reader want her to do whatever she can to escape. My jaw was on the floor for the last quarter of the book. The ending felt right for the story and I was happy with the message that it conveyed.

As a horror fan, the mix of body horror and female rage was a combination I didn't know I needed until I read this book. Mixed with Mia Ballards captivating writing, Shy Girl is definitely one for the literary fiction and horror fans. Even after finishing it, it is still on my mind.

My only criticism is that the pacing of the story felt quite slow in the beginning but this was to build up that feeling of Gia’s desperation and hopelessness. While I understand why the build up was slow, it felt like it took a while for the horror to start.

Definitely check the trigger warnings before going into this. I did appreciate the author's note at the beginning of the book, warning the reader about the content.

Thank you to NetGalley and Galaxy Press for this advanced copy of Shy Girl by Mia Ballard in exchange for an honest review.

Gia, thirty years old, cash strapped, and spiraling, enters a peculiar relationship with a middle-aged man promising significant compensation in exchange for an unnerving request—he wants her to become his pet.

I tore through this over the course of two days. What a wild, visceral ride. The author’s note at the top of the book is right—the cover is adorable, but the contents are *not*

There are many moments of intense psychological discomfort, which persist throughout the text. The book resolves with a sense of agency through extreme transformation and physical rage—it’s stirring and satisfying and disgusting. Definitely another read where you must be prepared to face the gore and stomach-twisting descriptions of captivity and abuse.

There is something I find super, super enthralling about books that involve subversive and oftentimes disorienting ideas. This read is certainly one of them. Not for the faint of heart!

just because this is a cutesie wootsie book cover does NOT mean it's cute!! There is physical abuse, body horror, extreme horror, cannibalism, wanting to throw up because this book was so graphic horror. Thinking that I deserve to win a free tshirt for reading this book horror. Let me just tell u- this is not for the faint of heart.

I have never read Mia's books before and now I absolutely have to. Her writing is brilliant, hypnotic, ethereal, even with the extreme horror. She reels you in and doesn't get rid of you until the book is over. Why do I say this? Because once you start reading this book, you won't want to sleep, or go to work. You just want to know.

Quote- "I use to think about killing myself like it was something I might get around to eventually, like folding laundry or cleaning out the fridge. Not in a big, dramatic way- not the kind that you dangle in front of a therapist to see if they'll flinch. It was quieter than that, more practical. A passing thought, casual and constant, like a low hum in the background, like a draft slipping under a door."

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a free eread in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gia is depressed and lonely. After finding herself in a deep financial struggle, she turns to a sugaring website for help. There she meets Nathan, a man who offers to cover her debts. The condition being, however, that she must live as his pet. As time goes on the lines between human and animal slowly begin to blur.

Do not let the cute and sweet cover fool you, this is a deeply unsettling and disturbing book. Which upon finishing I wouldn’t be able to imagine a book like this with any other cover.

While I could have easily devoured this book in one sitting, I made a point to take my time. This book showcases some of the darkest sides of humanity than can exist within anyone you could come across and how often women are the forced to be stripped of their own humanity and endure these darkest sides. We see Gia over time become stripped of what makes her human as she goes through countless forms of abuse from a man who she thought would help her.

Feminine rage combined with Mia Ballard’s masterful writing that is truly perfect for the horror genre will keep this book at the forefront of my mind for years.

Please check trigger warnings before reading as there is material in this that could be sensitive for some readers.

"I exist in grayscale. I am thirty, alone, and unraveling quietly enough that no one's noticed."

Thank you to NetGalley and Galaxy Press for the ARC. Once I read the description of this and saw the stunning cover - my curiosity was peaked.

I feel like my rating is closer to a 3.5 but I rounded up to a 4 simply because of how quickly I read it, and how I couldn't put it down in the last 50 pages or so. It's like fountain of misery you can't look away from.

Literary fiction and horror are my favorite genres and it's so difficult to balance the two. I see what overlaying message was being presented in this story, but I felt like that message gets lost in the (literal) blood and guts. The writing is also *extremely* heavy on metaphors. I believe this was to paint a better picture of the character's struggle with OCD, but it kind of clashes with the literary fiction mood for me. I prefer to come to some of these conclusions about a character on my own instead of having them spelled out for me, but that's more of a personal preference than a "flaw" with the writing.

Nothing in this book needs to be over-explained because the concept is SO interesting on its own. The ending had my jaw through the floor and maybe to the Earth's core. There were also some absolutely fantastic lines of dialogue, and a true feeling of dread and desperation throughout the novel. The length of this is pretty perfect on its own. I'm so interested to see where this author goes from here - and to see what others will have to say about it upon its release!

You want it darker? Shy Girl accomplishes that.

This page-turning story raises questions about bodily autonomy, sex work, and our animalistic tendencies. It's almost painful to watch Gia succumb to the fascination of Nathan and his offer over the typist job. You feel like a viewer of a horror movie where the character is unaware of the creature lurking, and then you feel like a jerk for thinking of Gia in such a damsel in distress or as naive for following through. The ending was expected, but satisfying, and I appreciated the warning of body horror at the beginning of the book as it does get pretty descriptive. For lovers of Nightbitch and Bunny.