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

What the hell…

A compelling body horror and dark thriller, this is about Gia who has hit rock bottom and enrols on a sugar daddy website to try earn some money. But when she meets Nathan she realises it will have been the worst decision of her life.

I loved the concept of this book but there was a lot of problems with it which stopped me from being able to take it seriously. Like how she all of a sudden has a hair grip she found tucked into her dress at the right moment and randomly knows how to lock pick? Also the time jumps didn’t work well at all - the narration and plot didn’t line up with the amount of time that was passing and having a year go by between some scenes was wholly unbelievable. The fact that Nathan only had one person visit the house in the six years that Gia was there doesn’t make sense at all.

But I did enjoy this novel and if you want to read it as a fun extreme horror then it definitely does that, it just still needs a lot of fine tuning in terms of the writing and inconsistencies.

I loved this so much! The cover is sweet and cute but don’t let that fool you. This had some def shocking moments and I loved it.

This book. When I initially read the description, I was like, I wonder how wild this story will be. Reader: IT IS WILD. It begins simply enough, with a proposed power dynamic relationship that the main character would spend time daily acting as if she were her master's dog. *Cue the tire screech* It does not end there... NOT EVEN CLOSE. I was flying through pages to see what happened next, asking myself questions along the way about power dynamics, the impact of finances on personal limits, and questioning one's worth. The ending is not for the faint of heart but I would highly recommend it to readers of The Vegetarian and those with strong stomachs.

I don't really enjoy it. It lacks something that make this book less memorable. Some even said it's a weird girl horror but I'm afraid I can't agree with that opinion at all. I hope the author can add more depth on top of her beautiful writing style. That would make this story much more enjoyable.

I adored this weird little gem. Genuinely gripping from the very beginning and sparked lots of conversation in our house - would you pretend to be a dog 8 hours a day to earn thousands of dollars? Body horror was really grim in the very best way and the ending (IYKYK) really had my jaw on the floor. I can’t wait to see what this author does next.

I predicted part of the ending because I have consumed similar movies and books before, but at the same time so much of this made me sick to my stomach. Also, the commentary on female autonomy through this disturbing story is BRILLIANT. If you like the movie Good Boy, definitely read this. 👏🏼

YO. Idk what I expected but it was not that but holy shit did I enjoy it. I was reading in the car on a roadtrip with my boyfriend's family and he kept being like "are you okay" bc I was visibly cringing and looking away repeatedly. I don't think I've ever read body horror that is so body horror but it was so well done, brava Mia! To me this story was really about reclaiming agency and what happens when we give into/listen to our most base animilastic instincts. I thought it was kind of beautiful how in the beginning Gia really had no sense of self and by the end she had gained one, no matter how strange it was. I think the only thing I found a little unrealistic was the pacing of it near the beginning, specifcally that I think he wouldn't have taken her captive immediately. Otherwise wow so good!

I… holy shit. If Tender Is The Flesh and Tusk (the Kevin Smith movie) and Hard Candy (Elliot Page’s first movie) were all smushed together into one novel, it would be this one.

I cannot stress this enough: this was disturbing. And I couldn’t stop reading. Take all of the content warnings seriously. However, if you’re willing to be uncomfortable, it was so interesting.

It’s a quick read. Mia Ballard cuts right to the chase and does not waste any words. Her storytelling is efficient and powerful.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

I pretty much read this book in one sitting and it’s not often that I do that!!! I love how the author included the CW in the beginning of the book.
This book is sad, gory and disturbing. The scary thing is that it makes you question how far people take advantage of others who are experiencing financial hardships.

4.5/5 stars

Instagram review posted on 2/17/25

My Review is currently published on Goodreads.
Review was published on 3/12/2025.

“Shy Girl is truly one of a kind. My expectations were high, and it did not disappoint! So many women can relate to the survival instincts Gia had to learn at the hands of an evil man. I appreciate the message of owning the power that was once taken.

The peculiarities and descriptiveness kept me intrigued throughout its entirety. As someone who enjoys outlandish plotlines, I devoured this book at 3AM. If the words female rage, revenge, and horror pique your interest, you will LOVE Shy Girl.

Please check your TW!

Thank you to Net Galley and Mia Ballard for the arc! 🩵🐩”

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7346704252

Such an amazing novel. This is most definitely going to be in my favorite reads of this year.

It has the same vibes as NIGHTBITCH and I adored that story.

I don't want to share too much about the story and plot because I had an amazing time going into the book without knowing a thing. I would recommend doing the same but definitely look at the content warnings.

I quickly fell in love with the MC and grew attached to her during traumatic experiences. I appreciated the character growth she went through and how the author showed the different ways people adapt to abuse in order to survive.

Great work! I'm definitely going to continue to read all the books this author publishes.

🎶 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙻𝙴𝚃 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙳𝙾𝙶𝚂 𝙾𝚄𝚃?! 𝚆𝙷𝙾? 𝚆𝙷𝙾? 𝚆𝙷𝙾? 𝚆𝙷𝙾? 𝚆𝙷𝙾? 🎶

This was totally batshit, and I was SAT for it. My only critique is that it did take a hot minute for things to get going (plot wise) but once they did, I was foaming at the mouth to see what was to come next. Everything I went in wanting, I got. I will now read everything Mia Ballard writes.

side note: me and Gia are actually so alike that it scares me

Wow this was a strange and dark and fun and fucked up book. I loved it. Will read anything Mia Ballard writes.

Crazy - like nothing I have ever read but the main character was impeccably executed. Her neurodivergence takes a special talent to pull off, one I am grateful for.

Horrifying, eye-opening. I will never forget it.

Shy Girl was an engrossing, intense, and stomach-turning read that delves into the depths of despair and the ferocity of female rage, but just didn't have the staying power I'd hoped it would. I'm also undecided on how I feel about the ending, it felt a bit rushed and not wholly satisfactory. The story though, especially once you've reached approx. 1/3 of the way in, will have you hooked!

Thank you Victory Editing & NetGalley for this eARC, Shy Girl (pub: 3/1/2025) is out now!

I give Shy Girl by Mia Ballard 3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐💫

Mia can do no wrong. Her writing gets better with every book and this one was the most disturbing of them all! Can’t wait for the next one.