When 35-year-old Satara Stratton discovers her husband Dean’s treacherous affair with her best friend, Lilah, she plunges into familiar deceit and death. Having disposed of men before without a hitch, she finds a new thrill in this betrayal. But with Lilah on a crusade to expose her guilt, Satara must outpace everyone to keep her secrets safe. Her fate intertwines with a Love Witch whose tempting spells seem a perfect solution to Satara’s woes. With newfound power at her fingertips, she gleefully manipulates the affections of those around her. Yet, Satara's lust for love proves her ultimate vulnerability. She soon learns that while it’s easy to bend others to her will, controlling her own heart is a perilous art indeed.

This one started off so strong and then just spiralled from there. I found all of the characters unlikable and lacked any depth unfortunately. The twist at the end was good but it also didn’t really make sense? It did keep me wanting to read though and was quick to get through! I saw another review saying they wish the feminine rage was women supporting women and I have to agree. (2 ⭐️)

✨ Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts & opinions ✨

Available October 28, 2024

Thank you NetGalley and Galaxy Press for the ARC!

Ah, yes. My favorite genre: unhinged women. Satara easily joined the list of my favorites, from her stalker tendencies, to her gnawing suspicions, to her raw and realistic desire to be loved, etc. This would have been 5 stars if it hadn't been for the twist at the end - personally, I felt it negated almost the entire progression of the plot. Logically, I know it was meant to reiterate how unreliable and unstable of a narrator Satara was, but I love magical realism in my literary fiction, so I was loving where it was headed. Throw a love witch in and I'm hooked. Therefore, the ending soured it for me.

Other than that, loved the story, the writing, and the character building. Vengeful women are my favorite flavor.

I found this main character absolutely fascinating to read about, as I’m always drawn to complex, unhinged female protagonists. There were several quotes that really stood out to me as well, and I especially loved the throwback chapters that gave more insight into her past. The first half of the book was an absolute thrill, but I felt the second half lost its way a bit, trying to juggle too much at once, which unfortunately made it feel a little implausible at times. That said, it's still an incredibly strong debut with a fantastic writing style and that cover is just to die for!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Satara Stratton starts out the book and plot by finding out her husband, Dean, has been screwing around on her- with her bestie, as you do. This will not be the first time she decides to "take out the trash" so to speak, ridding herself of her loves as she goes. Betrayal, deceit, and infidelity are not it for Satara- and who can blame her for feeling wronged? Enter the Love Witch- despite Satara encountering so many jack boys who take advantage of her heart and trust, she also encounters someone who doesn't much care for her. She can't have that, though. This is a dark tale of revenge, women's rights and wrong, etc. The beginning was so good and so engaging- but every character was genuinely so infuriating, even in their humanity and imperfections (which I love in a book). After about 30% the plot took a nosedive, in my opinion. I did enjoy the darkness and the bloody/ gory bits, but I think not adding so many twists to the end would have helped make it a more believable story. I did like the end, but some of it was just too much too quickly.
Thank you so much to the author and publisher for the advanced eARC.

This book was strange in the best way! The characters were deep and meaningful but it was also a horror to read. The cover is awesome and the story kept me hooked the entire time! Read this fall!!!!!

This is going to be one of the best feminine rage books of 2024. The writing was intoxicating. Such a true talent.

I want to say a huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Sugar. I don’t even know where to begin with this review! I won’t lie, I was a little bored for the first little while but that’s not to say I wasn’t truly invested in Satara’s story. Mia Ballard says she is passionate about writing stories about true crime and unhinged women, and if this debut into the writing world is anything to go off of then she certainly has nothing to worry about. It was a fantastic read and the last 30% especially had me gagged and audibly gasping. 4.5⭐️ for sure, the criminology student in me had such a fun time!

Sugar by Mia Ballard is a wild, darkly seductive ride through the chaos of 1970s suburbia, where betrayal, lust, and power collide in a deadly spiral. At the center of it all is Satara, a 35-year-old housewife who, after discovering her husband Dean’s affair with her best friend Lilah, begins to unravel in the most spectacular and terrifying ways. What starts as a domestic thriller quickly turns into something far more twisted when Satara seeks help from a Love Witch, unlocking a dangerous new power that propels her down a path of blood, manipulation, and obsession.

The beauty of Sugar lies in its unpredictability. Every twist and turn feels fresh, as if the ground beneath you is constantly shifting, and just when you think you’ve figured out the direction, Ballard throws in a surprise that leaves you reeling. The book captures the essence of female rage and empowerment in a way that’s both disturbing and exhilarating. Satara’s unapologetic pursuit of revenge and control makes for a fascinating, if uncomfortable, read.

Mia Ballard’s writing is lush and immersive, pulling you into Satara’s unhinged mind where the lines between right and wrong blur. The psychological depth Ballard gives her protagonist is compelling—though you might not always agree with Satara’s decisions, it’s hard not to root for her as she navigates a world that constantly underestimates her.

However, Sugar is not without its flaws. Some twists in the latter half feel a bit overdone, almost as if they’re trying too hard to shock. The final act becomes a “twist fest” that, while thrilling, edges into the territory of implausibility. Additionally, while Satara is an electrifying character, the supporting cast feels somewhat flat, with a few falling into predictable, stereotypical roles.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

Sugar is a dark, twisted ride through betrayal, lust, and power, all set against the backdrop of 1970s suburban chaos. When 35-year-old Satara discovers her husband Dean’s affair with her best friend Lilah, the boundaries between love and devastation blur as she seeks to protect her secrets and manipulate those around her. But the real twist comes when she enlists the help of a Love Witch, who introduces her to dangerous new power—a temptation too strong for Satara to resist.

The beauty of Sugar lies in its unpredictability - I never knew where the story was going, and just when I thought I had something figured out, our character react and send me down a new trail I didn't see coming, keeping me on my toes the entire time. Every page felt like a surprise, and even when I finished the book, I had to sit and stare at the wall to process it all.

Themes of betrayal, lust, obsession, and manipulation run deep throughout the book, along with a strong focus on control—both of others and of oneself. Satara’s downward spiral as she tries to juggle her lies creates a compelling, if disturbing, journey. She’s an unreliable narrator, one whose decisions constantly had me questioning whether I was rooting for her or watching a train wreck in slow motion.

Check the content warnings because this book covers a lot: infidelity, death, manipulation, and emotional abuse, as the book delves into dark and twisted psychological territory. Yet, despite its heavier themes, the psychedelic and chaotic atmosphere of Sugar kept it from becoming too predictable or stale for me.

Honestly, I don’t know if I can say I enjoyed this book. But it had me hooked from start to finish, and even now, I can’t stop thinking about it. If you’re a fan of thrillers with unreliable characters and unexpected twists, Sugar is definitely worth picking up. Just prepare for a wild ride—one that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew.

3.5 stars

When Satara discovers her husband Dean had an affair with her best friend Lilah, the beautiful life she’s had with Dean begins to feel like one big lie. So she decides to kill him. It should be easy enough, she’s killed men before. But what she doesn’t count on is Lilah’s determination to reveal her murderous secrets, and Satara must find a way to outsmart everyone. And she does all this while trying to make her office crush Chris fall in love with her with help from a Love Witch??? We love a multitasking goal-oriented queen.
So…will Satara find love again? Or will her murderous past finally catch up with her?

“Killing Dean, in theory, was not about ending his life; it was about reclaiming mine. It was about staring into the abyss of my own despair and choosing, instead, to rewrite the ending.”

✨

I read the first paragraph of Sugar by Mia Ballard and I was hooked. Satara has murder on her mind and she is completely unapologetic about it. The way she thinks is so unhinged and I am here for it. I don’t know what it is about fictional murderous women, but reading about them is so much fun. Satara is a woman wronged, and she will have her revenge.

Sugar is an exciting page-turner of a read. We not only follow Satara as she deals with the aftermath of Dean’s murder and enacts her plan to seduce Chris, but we also get chapters from her past that give us a glimpse of how murder became her go-to solution for all of her man problems. As the book progresses, Satara becomes more and more desperate. She feels her perfectly crafted web of deceit crumble around her as Lilah inches closer to the truth.

Mia Ballard’s writing style feels so lush and immersive. If you’re a fan of decadent prose, her book should be on your TBR. We all know Satara is unhinged from the get-go, and yet I couldn’t help but root for her, supporting women’s wrongs in all their violent glory. Therein lies the magic of Ballard’s writing. It feels weird to say that I enjoyed being in Satara’s mind, but that’s the truth. She owns her desires, she knows what she wants, and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

The last few chapters of Sugar were full of twists and revelations. But it felt a bit much? I honestly think a couple of twists didn’t really need to be there. Were there things that felt very improbable and unfeasible? Yes. But my god it was all so thrilling to read. And that epilogue sent chills down my spine.

Read Sugar by Mia Ballard if (like me) Criminal Minds is your comfort show, or if you want to read unhinged woman and murderous rage. This is for fans of Boy Parts, A Certain Hunger, and Gone Girl.

I enjoyed reading Sugar in all it’s unhinged, feminine rage glory. Thank you to NetGalley and Galaxy Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sugar by Mia Ballard is out on October 29

*posting a review on Instagram closer to the book's publication date*

I love indie authors!!!!!!!!!! I love women and I hate men!!!!!!! Annoying, insufferable narrator......and I want more of her. This was entirely too good.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

This started as a 5-star read, and then it just kept getting worse and worse. I'm giving it 2.5 stars. If you're looking for a book that feels like Sabrina Carpenter's Taste, Sugar is the way to go.

Let me start by saying this is a fun book about female rage. In this story, Satara finds out her husband Dean is cheating on her with her best friend, so she gets him in bed... and stabs him. Her life continues as usual: baking, going to the office along with her crush Chris, and her book club (with Chris' wife). The book follows Satara's life through different timelines, and we see her become the woman she is today.

I find this book will work for those of you who support women's rights and wrongs. I recently read two other books on female rage, The Trunk and Grey Dog. The Trunk intertwines female rage with sorority - women supporting each other. Sugar aligns with Grey Dog in the way they have a female main character who progressively gets angrier and more frustrated, and that leads the character to violence against everyone around them. I find my taste/moral compass aligns more with the 'women supporting women' side of female rage, and Sugar went the 'everyone gets a piece of the rage cake' direction which I personally don't enjoy.

While I get where this is coming from, but it didn't work for me. I found Satarta unlikable and I couldn't empathize with her, and the characters surrounding her were petty, stereotypical, and depthless. The story flows nicely for the first 40% of the book, and then it just drags and drags in what looks like the petty/office drama Olympics but in a way that I didn't find particularly exciting. And then, in the last 10% of the book, we're bombarded with twists that in my opinion were unnecessary (I'm calling it The Twist Fest). One or two twists are fine, but it was all very sudden and uncalled for (you know the thing 'too little, too late'? This was 'way too much, too late'). I wish some of the things had been uncovered earlier rather than having it all come out in such a short time.

Besides the dragging in the middle and the twists, I empathize with some other reviews that mention confusing stuff/plotholes. I could follow the book perfectñy fine, but some things just didn't make sense to me after The Twist Fest at the end .

I am definitely going to read Mia Ballard's next books. This didn't work for me, but I did love the writing, it was a beautiful balance of exquisite and spicy, I highlighted half the book. I particularly loved this sentence:
"The promise of sex is a currency devalued by his infidelity, each dalliance a withdrawal from the bank of my patience, until now, when I'm overdrawn and bankrupt of fucks to give."

"I support women's rights, but more importantly, I support women's wrongs."

Bravo, Mia Ballard – Sugar is the an incredible tale of female rage, revenge, obsession, and empowerment within the drug-fuelled haze of the lates 70s where sexism is rife and the expectations of women of being the quiet, subtle homely wife are the norm. Enter Satara, our 35-year old FMC with a daily LSD addiction who has just murdered her husband after discovering he has been having an affair with her best friend.

After her husband's death, Satara sets her sights on another man in her office who unfortunately for her is already married so she secures the help from the local Love Witch to enthral him. From then on, we start to learn the workings of Satara's mind and her history as her life slowly starts to unravel and she'll do anything to keep it within her grasp.

I absolutely loved Sugar; it's highly addictive storytelling meant that I lapped it up during every break I had so I managed to finish it in a couple of days. Ballard's prose is wholly immersive and thrusts you headfirst into the mind of Satara, her questionable decisions, and you soon find yourself understanding her as well as rooting for her (well, I was anyway!). The chapters flit between short and incredibly long but because of the way the story captured me entirely, I did not feel intimidated by the longer chapters at all when usually long chapters are off-putting to me. That's how good it is!

Mia Ballard will sit comfortably in the 'weird girl' genre among the likes authors such as Mona Awad, Ottessa Moshfegh and Eliza Clark so I implore any fans of these writers to pick up Sugar upon its release at the end of the month.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

i LOVED this so much. I devoured it in one day. I loved Satara and I really wasn't expecting the twists at the end! The plot and the writing kept me hooked, I will definitely be recommending this.

This was a great debut! The most unhinged, feminine rage, chaotic book I’ve read in awhile!!! The writing style was great, really enjoyed the alternating time line & that twist. Definitely did not see that coming.

I did expect more of a horror read but this was a chaotic thriller at best. Still definitely recommend.

4/5

Okay, this was SO good!!!

A wild story that I just couldn’t put down! It is fast paced and about an unhinged female serial killer. Learning about Satara was fascinating.

The story is set starting in the 1950s until the 1970s, and told from Satara’s POV. We accompany her from her teens until current time, when she is in her mid 30s.

Satara has a history of being wronged, and upon finding out that her husband has been cheating on her, decides to kill him. It’s chaotic & I loved the writing. I really empathized with Satara, despite knowing that her actions were wrong.

There’s also some witchy spells thrown in the mix. I didn’t see the end coming AT ALL, and I enjoyed the plot twists. Such a fun & entertaining read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Galaxy Press for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wow my jaw is on the floor. This is one of the most beautifully written modern horror/thriller books I’ve read. Mia Ballard expertly weaves a narrative and gives the audience so many clues about what’s going on throughout the story. It all came together in the end and I couldn't believe the ending, it was off the wall insane and so good! I will definitely be checking out Mia’s works in the future!

The hype, the glowing reviews, the gorgeous cover… I wanted to like this more. A lot more.

I liked Satara, in all her murderous, vengeful, acid-fuelled glory.

The book is set in the ‘70s (which really confused my dumb ass when the chapter heading was ‘present day’ and there was nothing in the first chapter to place it as a decade other than the actual present), with flashbacks to Satara’s past.

I was enjoying this. Seeing Satara become more unhinged and wondering what she was going to do next. And then the penultimate chapter…ruined it for me. It felt like a juvenile twist, shoehorned in with a chapter of exposition.

The epilogue brought back a little satisfaction, but overall the book fell flat for me.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

I requested this on a whim, and boy am I glad I did! The writing really worked for me and the story kept me hooked. It was the perfect mix of plot and character work, I can't wait to read more for this author.

This book! I loved everything about it: Mia’s writing, the plot, the characters. I was hooked from the first chapter, and it was relentlessly engaging until the very last word.

This was a very dark read (as expected, given the synopsis) and might not be for everyone. It touches on some heavy topics, such as rape and sexual assault, so I would recommend people check the trigger warnings if they avoid books with certain types of content.

There was a lot happening in this book, which made me a little apprehensive. Around half way in, I had no idea where the plot was going and had a lot of questions! But the various threads are all brought together perfectly, with such a brilliant and satisfying ending that left me feeling SO glad to have picked this up.

I’ll be recommending this to anyone who loves an unhinged and gory story as much as I do!