4.5 stars - This was so so close to being a 5 star read. I was captivated by this; It's Nightbitch on drugs. The writing was so easy to get into; our character, Gia, was so fascinating and this was gory af. I was so uncomfortable reading this!! You wouldn't expect such a disturbing and wild story from this cover but Ballard delivered exactly that. It's horror i think at its best? The uncanniness of it feeling possible, the scenes describing being bathed in blood or growing fur, the fear of men and power dynamics... It was impossible to put down. My one complaint was the ending - while I get that it was meant to be gratifying and provide relief in the main character taking back her autonomy, it actually felt more rushed to me and a little unsatisfying. Overall, I would not recommend this book unless you like to read really weird horror like me.

Super strong start. The FMC is so OCD and neurotic - and I love a character that makes me uncomfortable.

Then I felt it got really repetitive. It's a short and quick read but it would have actually benefited from more chapters at the end. Pretty much the entire story is the same day in and out over and over without any character or plot development.

All of a sudden the book started making zero sense - I think it was around 80%? My guess is the theme turned more metaphorical but it just didn't fit for me. Maybe if that started earlier in the book and made it more of a .... horror? I would have stayed more engaged.

Tons of triggers so check them yourselves.

Thank you for the advanced copy! I loved Mia's last book so I think this is a one-off for me.

𝙎𝙝𝙮 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙗𝙮 𝙈𝙞𝙖 𝘽𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙙 is a novel that burrows under your skin and refuses to leave. A brutal, unsettling dive into psychological and body horror, it tells the story of Gia, a woman at the edge of financial ruin who makes a desperate choice—one that quickly spirals into a waking nightmare.

Gia, unemployed and facing eviction, turns to a sugar dating website in search of stability. There, she meets Nathan, a man with a chilling proposition. What seems like a transactional arrangement turns into something far more sinister than she ever imagined. What follows is a harrowing deep-dive into control, survival, and just how far the human mind—and body—can be pushed.

This one was one wild story! The writing is sharp and unrelenting, pulling the reader into Gia’s claustrophobic reality. The novel’s themes of control, desperation, and transformation unfold in ways that are as disturbing as they are thought-provoking. This is not a story for the faint of heart—its a unflinching depiction of body horror and psychological torment.

Thanks @victoryeditingngc & @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!
—
After reading Sugar, I knew that Mia Ballard was on my “must read” list. Shy Girl was simultaneously the wildest thing I’ve ever read and also so well done? I feel conflicted trying to figure out how to rate it. It’s so unsettling and simultaneously hits so many important relatable points. I felt uneasy, but also kept turning the pages. Strongly recommend looking into trigger warnings if you the author’s warning gives you pause. It was nice to have a heads up that things were going to be wild and beyond my imagination.

This went from sad to upsetting to scary to madenning to horrific to gross to disgusting. The ending was too abrupt for it to have that "good for her" effect to me.

I appreciate Mia Ballard's raw prose; it reminded me of Ottessa Moshfegh. She also did an excellent job of making Gia a sympathetic character. While she technically put herself in a dangerous and risky (an understatement) situation, I still didn't blame her for what happened. It's clear she was a victim. Then Ballard gave her power. It was incredibly well done as a female-rage story, but I have to admit, I wouldn't have requested an ARC had I known it would be extreme. The synopsis paints this as transformative lit fic like Night Bitch, but it was very graphic and not for those who stay away from extreme horror.

Overall, Ballard is a talented writer and the book itself is good—I'm excited to read more from her. I think many women will find comfort in this story, as grotesque as it is. But it was a little too graphic for my personal taste.

This was an insane take on manipulation and power. The years and years women go through under the power of men. I feel Ballard captured that that power and showed it to us in the most raw ways. Heavy read, but so worth it.

“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.”

This was such a unique read! It was my first Mia Ballard book and I really enjoyed her ideas and writing style.

The story follows Gia, a woman with OCD, who decides to seek out a sugar daddy in an attempt to achieve financial freedom. However, the agreement turns sour pretty quickly, and Gia loses all control over her life.

As someone with OCD, I did expect it to play into the story more than it did, I feel like there could have been more to explore than just occasional repetitive behaviours. When Gia starts losing control over her life, I was expecting her to spiral into dark intrusive thoughts and for the compulsions to worsen, but it kind of just stopped being mentioned completely.

Overall, it was a great read with a very satisfying conclusion.

This book completely overwhelmed me in the best way possible. It evoked such intense emotions—anger, disgust, frustration, and anxiety—that they practically pulsed from the pages. Gia’s journey is brutal and heartbreaking, as she’s stripped of her humanity and reduced to a shell of her former self. But through her raw, unfiltered rage, she finds the strength to reclaim control over her life and body—by any means necessary. The scenes in this book left me stunned and speechless, and I can’t help but love when a horror novel has such a powerful emotional impact.

What truly captivated me was the way the author approached a very real issue many women face, weaving it into a relentless and unapologetic narrative. It was a gripping portrayal of the extreme lengths women will go to in order to survive. This book was far from easy, but it was profoundly impactful, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Mia Ballard has definitely earned a place on my list of must-read authors.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. 5 months ago Gia lost her job. Interviews are scarce and her savings is gone. As a last resort, Gia sets out to find a sugar daddy online.

Cue Nathan.

Nathan is a very wealthy, attractive man looking for a sugar baby. The two go on a date, then back to Nathan’s lavish home, and he explains that while he is looking for a sugar baby, what he’s looking for is a little more niche than what Gia had anticipated. He wants her to be his dog.

I would have read this in a single sitting, but I fell asleep since it was late 😴.
This book is quick, addictive, and leaves NO room for pages of fluff content. Every page in this book packs a punch. It is a brutal horror story of feminine rage. I’ve never read anything like this, and Shy Girl is sure to leave an impression on anyone!


Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC ( I know I’m 2 days late 🙈)

This book dealt with so many dark topics in a way that added a very disturbing element, It was more intense than I thought it would be but this highlighted the duality of women.

📖 Shy Girl by Mia Ballard 🐶🌸💖

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I’m going to be honest… once I started this book, it had a hold on me. I read the prologue and thought “Uhm, what is this book about? 🤔” As I got further into the book, I was just like 😱🫣😅. This was my first book by Mia Ballard, and all I can say is she will definitely be an auto-buy author for me. 🙌🏻 The writing was honestly so well done! The imagery and way she used these words to keep me on the edge of my seat… I was pretty disturbed by some of the scenes, in a good way.

Shy Girl is a story of what a woman is willing to do during a period of desperation and includes elements of misogyny and manipulation. I feel like it is very relatable with the message of what a lot of women face on a daily basis. I loved Gia so much! She was such a likable MC and showed great perseverance throughout. I LOVED this book. I felt towards the end, it did have parts that seemed a little farfetched to me, but I also think the parts further emphasized and supported the themes of the book. Make sure to check your trigger warnings with this one!! It’s a book I wholeheartedly recommend!

When down on her luck, OCD, lonely Gia meets Nathan on a sugar dating site, she thinks her luck has turned. How far will Gia go to make ends meet?


Don't let the pretty, pastel cover fool you - this is dark. Filled with horrors, cruelty, and survival, this 200+ page book kept me engaged, horrified, and hopeful for the FMC revenge. There were legitimate WTF moments watching the madness grow. Mia Ballard has a beautiful writing style and I will definitely check out more of her work!

Thank you to @netgalley @galaxygrlmia and @victoryeditingngc for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Shy Girl by Mia Ballard follows Gia, a former accountant with OCD who is broke enough to turn to finding a sugar daddy to fix her financial situation. She meets Nathan, an unassuming man of 48 whom Gia becomes quickly obsessed with. Nathan reveals to Gia that he wants her to be his pet, and in return, he’ll help with her rent and the financial pit she’s in. Following this revalation, their relationship, Gia’s mental state, and Gia’s sense of self undergo drastic changes.

My personal thoughts: I’m literally hooked from the first paragraph of the prologue. The prologue is haunting, filled with unspoken anger and harrowing imagery. As someone with OCD myself, the detail about her boss not caring about her rituals really struck a chord with me. Truly the imagery and figurative language in this book are unmatched. As I read more and more, Gia’s OCD is unnerving, simply because I see myself in her. As I’m reading I’m almost nervous, immersed in Gia and waiting for Nathan’s next move. I truly could not have anticipated that ending. Wow. I would definitely say this book is not for the faint of heart, as there is descriptive gore and violent imagery, but it is a tale masterfully told by a very talented author.

I’d recommend this to readers of psychological horror, or readers who enjoyed Rachel Yoder’s “Nightbitch”. Thank you so very much to Netgalley and Galaxy Press for allowing me to read this e-arc.

Title/Author: Shy Girl by Mia Ballard

Page Count: 248 (NetGalley seemed much shorter, so I'm confused)

Publisher: Galaxy Press

Format: digital arc from NetGalley

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: Sugar (debut)

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9798348279615

Release Date: Bookshop.org says 2/25/25 NetGalley & Goodreads say 3/1/25

General Genre: Extreme Horror/Trauma

Sub-Genre/Themes: girlhood, survival, autonomy, and revenge. Depression, OCD, "sugar daddies", dating apps. (a little spoilery) Content Warnings: abuse, kidnapping, rape, sexual subjugation, imprisonment, pregnancy (as a result of rape), miscarriage

Writing Style: I love that I can see the author honing their skills from book one, SUGAR, to what we get with SHY GIRL. Visible growth. Loved it.

What You Need to Know: "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."

My Reading Experience: Shy Girl begins as a bizarre but seemingly straightforward arrangement between two adults that quickly spirals into something much darker.
The author does an excellent job setting up the story with a "lobster in a boiling pot" kind of way. Gia's choices that lead her into danger unfold just slow enough that the reader is aware of the red flags (we can see there is something more sinister going on beyond just a garden variety sexual kink, but the unease lurks at the edges) I couldn't quite predict everything that is going to happen. There are some great blindsides.
Gia finds herself subjected to increasing levels of humiliation, control, and manipulation. The novel's tension escalates as the full extent of Nathan’s depravity is revealed, leaving Gia—and the reader—questioning how far this situation will go (which is the real horror).
Gia’s journey is hard to watch. At first, she enters the arrangement with a degree of agency, but her autonomy is slowly chipped away piece by piece, leaving her trapped in a situation far worse than she could have imagined. I've said it before, and it bears repeating: human monsters are far more threatening than anything paranormal or supernatural.

Final Recommendation: Mia Ballard has crafted a deeply unsettling book. This is the perfect book for horror readers looking for feminist stories willing to push the boundaries and disrupt the status quo. I just want to be sure I set the proper expectation for the level of explicit violence and trauma- be prepared.

Comps: If the book Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder was extreme horror, At Dark I Become Loathsome by Eric LaRocca, Deliver Me by Elle Nash

A story about how far women have to go to get their autonomy back…

🐩 Shy Girl by Mia Ballard 🐩
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Let him see it, I think. Let him see what he’s created. Let him see me.”

Babes, wake up, a new feminine rage novel just dropped!

Thank you, NetGalley and Galaxy Press, for the ARC in exchange for this review. I had to sit with my thoughts on this one for a few days because Mia Ballard sent me through the five stages of grief, a rollercoaster of emotions, and actually had me bending over backwards trying to not be sick. I would recommend checking the trigger warning before jumping in, just to be aware.
Gia has lost everything: her job, almost all of her money, and soon, her apartment. When she goes online to look for a sugar daddy, she finds Nathan. He seems perfect, but there is always a catch. Soon, she ends up in a situation that she would have never thought of, with drastic consequences that will change the trajectory of her life forever.

“I have a problem with men. I am either obsessed with them, or I want nothing to do with them at all, depending on the state of my life at the moment.”

Mia Ballard has crafted something truly devious, discomforting, vengeful and slightly poetic. The theme of losing bodily autonomy screams loudly as Gia loses the ability to be herself, of course, because of a man. A man whom takes advantage, whom controls her every movement, whom takes every bit of her until there is nothing yet. Gia’s OCD plays a pivotal part in who she is at her core in the before, but there trauma changes the way she thinks and reacts.

“For the first time, I feel completely naked. Not stripped of clothes, but of myself, my dignity, my humanity. And I know, deep down, that nothing will ever feel safe again.”

It is a love letter to women, and the rage we feel in this world. Women will find themselves in every stage of Gia’s experience. It’s a story of power, control, autonomy, and survival; truly everything it means to be a girl or a woman. There are a lot of comparisons to Nightbitch, but it is so tame in comparison. It’s Nightbitch in a fever dream. I couldn’t put it down, and I recommend all people to read it if they can stomach it.


“I’m not asking for love or even for vulnerability. Just something sharp enough to make the moment stick. Something to make me feel like I’m not vanishing into nothingness the second this ends.”

“Women have always been cast as caretakers, peacekeepers, and forgivers. We’re told to edure, to adapt, to rise above. But sometimes, the only way to heal is to rage. Sometimes, justice isn’t quiet or clean; it’s feral and bloody and unapologetic.”

Summary:
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.

For fans of Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder and Lisa Taddeo's Animal, Shy Girl is a harrowing tale of girlhood, survival, autonomy, and revenge.

“The rules, the leash, the cage—they’re the only truths I can touch now, the only things I can trust to stay the same.”

Genre: Horror, Literary Fiction, Contemporary

"Women have always been cast as caretakers, peacekeepers, and forgivers. We're told to endure, to adapt, to rise above. But sometimes, the only way to heal is to rage.
Sometimes, justice isn't quiet or clean; it's feel and bloody and unapologetic."

This is the right time to read this book. Just like her previous release, feminine rage is a main theme here. We love an angry woman.

Whoa, this book really took you on a ride! The slow burn of that buildup must have been chef’s kiss, and then—BAM! The fallout hit like a freight train. Love a story that flips your emotions like that!

Gia went from “tragic heroine” to “absolute queen” real quick, huh? We love a character who takes control of her own fate.

When I discovered that Mia Ballard was releasing a new book, I knew I had to read it! Sugar was one of my favourite books from last year, and I didn't think she could possibly top it—oh, how wrong I was!

After finishing Shy Girl, I was left speechless—in the best possible way. Ballard's writing is incredibly smooth and easy to read, and I couldn't put the book down, even though many parts made me feel uncomfortable. It’s difficult to elaborate without spoiling it for other readers. Personally, I love a well-deserved feminine rage novel. I know Gia will stick with me for a long time and especially after everything she went through.

"Women have always been cast as caretakers, peacekeepers, and forgivers. We're told to endure, to adapt, to rise above. But sometimes, the only way to heal is to rage.
Sometimes, justice isn't quiet or clean; it's feel and bloody and unapologetic."

Please read the content warnings before reading this one, it’s a very heavy book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for my ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this arc! Shy girl was an incredible novel which gripped me from start to finish! I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting. A beautiful and moving exploration of autonomy, womanhood and control. (Will be included in a YouTube video soon @caramurrayy)

4.5/5 - This book is specifically for the freaky, weird horror girlies. If you liked Nightbitch or Lapnova or Tender is the Flesh, Shy Girl is the one for you! This book is NOT for the faint of heart and the body horror in this book is absolutely BONKERS. However, I absolutely loved it and I devoured this entire book in two sittings.

While batshit crazy, that's not just what this story is.
The overarching themes are about taking back your power as a victim, feminine rage, and refusing to forever be a victim. The idea that women deserve to own their stories in their own way, on their own terms and that they don't owe the universe anything just because they're a women. And that, sometimes, the best way to cope is just to rage instead of society's expectation of women to be calm, collected, and forgiving. We're ALLOWED to rage.

As a horror fan, I really enjoyed how this book did not glorify the torture. I feel like at some point horror books veer away from the story and get distracted by trying to amplify the gore. Ballard specifically focused on the main character, Gia, and her journey to gaining back her power, which I found refreshing. This book exemplified the resilience of women and the unfair expectations society has on women to just accept being a perpetual victim. Also, the body horror is absolutely insane!

Overall, an extremely strange yet empowering read.
If you like horror and you're looking for a quick read, you're going to love this. I will be thinking about this book for a long time!!