I read this book in two days, it was so compelling and also very unhinged and disturbing that it was like assisting a car crash you couldn’t look away from. Gia is laid off from her job and is increasingly becoming more and more worried about how she’s going to keep her apartment with her dwindling savings and no work prospects in site. This leads her to take a more unconventional approach and downloads a dating app that is specifically designed for those men who are seeking to be a sugar daddy to a young woman, and Gia feels like this may solve all of her economic hardships.

But when she meets Nathan, she feels like everything will change for her, bringing her a life of economic freedom. But there’s only one caveat, Nathan has a kink that’s not typical, he wishes Gia to portray his pet dog for several hours a day. Gia thinks that she can manage this, but she will soon find out that being Nathan’s pet is far more difficult than she had anticipated.

Ballard’s writing is sharp and insightful, creating a nuanced narrative that is both relatable and inspiring. The protagonist’s internal struggles feel genuine and familiar, and her journey toward finding her voice is empowering. If you loved Nightbitch but felt like it didn’t quite go there, then let me tell you, Ballard goes there and beyond in this twisted tale of self-discovery and empowerment.

I recommend this book if you love unhinged plots with a dose of female rage.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Galaxy Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Woof. This book is an absolutely unhinged ride. I could not put it down. Please read it. It will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very last sentence.

Shy Girl was peak Weird Girl Book. It starts off with Gia, lonely, broke, and spiraling. She turns to a sugar dating website for a way out. Enter Nathan, a wealthy guy with an unhinged proposition: live as his pet, and all her money problems disappear. What starts as desperation turns into something way darker.

This book is soaked in feminine rage. It’s about power, control, survival, and what happens when a man pushes too far. It’s brutal, weird, and deeply unsettling, but at its core, it’s about taking back what was stolen—and making him pay for it. If you loved Nightbitch or Animal, you need to read this. Shout out to all the weird girls out there.

Thanks to Galaxy Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Ok, damn. I thought I knew what I was getting into with this book, but nothing could have prepared me for what unfolded. This is the kind of story that lingers. It’s harrowing, raw, and unflinching in its portrayal of a woman pushed to the limits of her humanity.

Gia’s life is a bit of a mess. She’s broke and stuck in survival mode. Desperate for a way out, she turns to a sugar dating site and meets Nathan, a wealthy man with an offer that seems too good to refuse. But as we all know, nothing comes without a price. What starts as an unusual arrangement takes a turn, and before she knows it, Gia is caught in something far bigger, and far darker, than she ever imagined.

This is the second book I read by Mia Ballard and after this one, she’ll absolutely be an auto-read author of mine. In Shy Girl, she does a great job juggling psychological horror with an almost poetic sense of inevitability. The book doesn’t just ask what someone will endure to survive, it forces you to witness it.

Here’s the thing though, I can stomach quite a bit, but there were some moments in this book that tested me. Not in a way that seemed purely for shock value, but in a way that made me deeply uncomfortable—because it was supposed to.

By the time I reached the end, I felt drained in the best possible way. This was not an easy read, and it’s certainly not for everyone. But for those willing to take the plunge, it’s an experience that’s both horrifying and cathartic. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long, long time.

4.5 ⭐️ SHY GIRL
By Mia Ballard
Genre: literary horror
- body horror, feminine rage, survival, captivity, transformation, transactional relationships.
Pages: 237

Oof. This book was so dark, bleak, and visceral. I feel like this was bordering on extreme horror, so check the content warnings ⚠️ there's alot of gore and violence.

There were a few times when I had to put my Kindle down and just process the horrifying and brutal things taking place. This read is not for the faint of heart.

I feel like this book will haunt me forever.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Galaxy Press for sharing a digital copy. As always, opinions are my own. 🤘🏻💀🤘🏻

Shy Girl is a terrifying and thrilling story of abduction, abuse and the dark side of sexual fetishes. Our protagonist thinks she is taking on disturbing yet high paid sex work for a mysterious sugar daddy, in a desperate bid to swerve financial ruin. When things don't go according to plan, she quickly realises she's trapped in a hellish nightmare with seemingly no escape in sight. Forced to act the part of his pet dog, as well as submit to increasingly rough sexual acts, she slowly but surely begins to lose her humanity. Full of sick twists and exceptionally graphic violence, this is a story of female rage not for the faint-of-heart. Don't be fooled by the beautiful cover, this is a truly chilling horror story. If you're a fan of the more dark and twisted side of literary fiction, I'd highly recommend trying this out!

I finished Shy Girl in 24 hours. Feminine rage horror at its finest.

Gia is down on her luck and needs money quickly. She enters into an arrangement with a man she meets on a sugar daddy website. Money in exchange for her acting like a pet dog.

I loved the character of Gia and her internal dialogue. She’s very flawed but a character who has the possibility of a lot of growth. And grow she did. There was lots of gruesome body horror and some really uncomfortable situations, but I couldn’t put the book down and loved the ending.

Trigger warnings for SA, body horror, and kidnapping.

While it is stated by the author I feel that it needs repeating again. Do not be fooled by the pretty cover, this is a dark read and you should check all warnings prior to opening the book.

That being said, the first thing that attracted me to this particular book was the cover and then the synopsis pulled me in and I knew that regardless I had to read this.

This was beautifully written, dark and unhinged in the best ways possible. It was an engaging read from start to finish. I seriously sat down one afternoon and did not stop until I had devoured this novel. Gia is a wonderfully written character, a woman who is pushed to the limit time and time again and one you cannot help but root for at every single intense turn.

This was my first book by Mia, but it will definitely not be my last.

Thank you to Netgalley and Galaxy Press for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book tbh. I love how the character slowly starts becoming unhinged but still gets an ending that I like. No regrets picking this one up! enjoyed this book A LOT. I loved how Gia went absolutely crazy and scared the hell out of him lmao. There was one (or more) twist that I didn't see coming. And that ending? Just wow. Moral of the story? Don't trust sugar daddy you met on the internet.

What unfolds over this novel is a horror that goes beyond gore & violence, which I absolutely love and appreciate. It touches into the ways isolation, dominance and control can warp someone’s mind and break them down. I was gasping at several points at the psychological aspects of Nathan’s control. What I also really appreciated was Ballard’s note at the end. She wanted it to be very clear this wasn’t written just for shock value (because that ending is BRUTAL) but she wanted to have a conversation - and she was going to make sure it was had. This was more than just horror, it was an exploration in autonomy, especially a woman’s bodily autonomy, and how we can bite back.

SHY GIRL de MIA BALLARD

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶/5
__ On suit une femme fauchée qui décide de s'inscrire sur un site de sugar daddy. Elle rencontre un homme qui va lui proposer de l'aide en échange qu'elle accepte de jouer à un jeu ou elle doit se comporter comme si c'était son chien huit heures par jour. Mais tout ne se passe pas comme prévu. Omg ce roman d'horreur était GLAÇANT, absolument glaçant et terrifiant. Je le conseille vraiment pas aux âmes sensibles ou aux personnes qui n'ont pas l'habitude de lire de l'horreur parce qu'alors celui là je l'ai trouvé DUR et pourtant j'en lis énormément comme vous le savez. En terme de trigger warnings la y'en a vraiment beaucoup. J'ai ressenti en le lisant des émotions hyper intenses en terme de frustration, de colère, de dégoût ou d'angoisse. Ça faisait longtemps qu'un roman d'horreur m'avait pas fait ressentir ce nœud dans le ventre quand je le lisais. J'ai compris le parallèle a Nightbitch de Rachel Yoder pour tout le pan métaphorique de transformation physique de l'histoire. La postface de Mia Ballard ou elle explique ce qu'elle voulu démontrer dans le livre est assez intéressante. Elle nous dit qu'on est une plongée viscérale dans une horrible captivité et une horrible manipulation psychologique, une situation a laquelle bien trop de femmes autour du monde ont fait face d'une façon ou d'une autre. Que cette histoire est un rappel que les femmes méritent de posséder leurs propres histoires, leur corps, leurs futurs selon leurs termes. Qu'elles n'ont pas a endurer, a s'adapter ou a pardonner comme ce qu'on leur a appris et que la rage peut être salvatrice. Et que quand cette autonomie est bafouée, la vengeance est moins a propos de la vengeance seule mais plus a propos de la réécriture d'un narratif dans lequel les femmes refusent de rester les victimes. On est dans un roman d'horreur qui te bouscule, qui te passe pas la pommade. Une lecture assez marquante mais que je peux vraiment pas conseiller a tout le monde. Je vais lire d'autres romans de sa plume car je suis curieuse du coup même si j'ai peur d'avance mdrrr.

I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review—thank you, NetGalley!

I first heard about this book from the YouTuber Jordaline Reads and was intrigued enough to check it out when I saw it available on NetGalley. While the pastel flowers on the cover are undeniably beautiful, they’re probably the nicest thing about this book. The plot is horrifying, delving into dark themes of abuse, kidnapping, and the chilling transformation of a person into the creature they’ve been pretending to be. I highly recommend looking up the trigger warnings before diving in.

Overall, I give this 4 stars and definitely suggest giving it a read. I can’t wait to explore more of Mia Ballard’s work!

A quick and horrifying read, unlike any other. I had no idea where the book was going, yet I couldn’t put it down either. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but a must for fans of horror.

Thank you for the ARC!

4.5 out 5 ⭐️ This was super crazy, and way more unhinged than I thought she could be. But in the end I was rooting for her and anything she had to do. The whole time I kept thinking it couldn’t get any more crazier, but as her mind became more and more unravelled by her situation, I couldn’t blame her. In her desperation to find a solution to her problems, she resorted to a huge shock factor to get the upper hand on Nathan. Despite her shyness, I knew that with an enough push, the wild part of her would be unleashed. The visuals will always haunt me.

Gia is broke, lonely, and struggling with OCD when she meets Nathan on a sugar dating site. He offers her a way out of her financial mess, but there’s a catch: she has to live as his pet. As time goes on, Gia starts losing herself in ways she never expected.

I was hooked from start to finish. It’s intense, and had me on edge the whole time. The comparisons to Nightbitch make sense, but honestly, it’s its own thing. If you like unsettling, psychological stories that get under your skin, definitely give this one a read.

I have to admit I haven't been this glued to a book in a minute. The pace was excellent, it was disturbing, gory, and satisfying. (Though the math at the end did not add up smh)

I do have two gripes. There were enough metaphors starting with 'like' for me to notice, so that took me out in places. Some of those metaphors I personally would've scratched out.

The second is that Gia being Black gets mentioned once and the implication of it was constantly in the back of my mind while the book didn't really address it again. It did add an extra layer of uncomfortable, but had I glazed over Gia's filling out her profile it would've been nonexistent.

All in all I did enjoy this very much and hope to read more from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Galaxy Press for this ARC.

this had me in the fetal position for approximately 90 minutes after finishing it. SO unsettling and disturbing, but extremely realistic and moving. one of my favorite endings ever.

»Shy Girl« by Mia Ballard is a horror novella which made me sit in silence and question the authors sanity. However; This book was truly disturbing yet incredibly captivating. It gave me a constant feeling of 'what the hell am I reading', yet I could not put it down. If you want to read something terrifying, yet thought provoking, this one is for you!

»Shy Girl« follows our FMC Gia, who is struggling at life. Her financial problems take over and she decides to look for a sugar daddy, when she stumbles upon Nathan. And while he at first seems like a kind and caring man, Gia soon realises what she has gotten herself into. A book, filled with female rage!

LIST OF TRIGGER WARNINGS:
* gore
* assault
* humiliation
* alcohol abuse
* mentioning of vomit / throwing up
* miscarriage

and many more. Make sure to read the blurb, check the web for more trigger warnings and possibly other spoiler free reviews before you read this one. It is not a book suited for anyone who's younger than 18. This is a well meant advice, as even I myself as an adult reader had moments in which the content of »Shy Girl« was rather overwhelming.

I know for sure that I will be thinking about this book for a long time!

“Sometimes, justice isn’t quiet or clean; it’s feral and bloody and unapologetic.”

This is the epitome of dark and unhinged.
And I loved it! This is about rage, about taking back the control and power as women, about the right to our bodily autonomy, and what it really means to own who we are in our natural, animalistic instincts.
This was sickening in so many aspects. The only reason it isn’t a five star is because it took a bit for me to get into. Highly recommend if you want a disturbing read to fill your horror cravings. Woof 🐾

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novella as I went into it blind, but I adored it. I loved how we saw the main character change over the years and see how she was affected by her circumstances. I also really liked the ending