Wow! This book really surprised me in the best way! The writing was so enveloping and engrossing, and a female MC with major rage set against a nostalgic background just hit all the right notes. Satara is a semi-likable character, I definitely think that was the author’s intention, and I absolutely loved her over the top view of things. I also really enjoyed seeing how she went from fairly put together to unhinged by the end. There were also some great twists and turns along the way that kept me on my toes while reading. There were some things that I wish had been touched on a bit more, just small details that would have probably stood out to detectives that seemed to be glossed over, but otherwise, this was an amazing debut. I can’t wait to see what else Mia writes in the future!!! Thank you SO much to Mia Ballard and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thoughts

Feminine rage, come on! This is set in the late 60s and 70s. Satara is a woman who has been scorned too many times. And she doesn't let the men get away with it.

Needing an acid tablet (is that what they are called?) A day to function she is quite the character. I don't know that I'll ever forget her and her murderous ways.

But all she really wants is to be loved, it isn't her fault that men are terrible.

Loved this and definitely recommend it if you love Feminine rage or just women serial killers.

I absolutely loved reading this, I loved the dark elements that also highlighted the power and vulnerability of women.

Thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for an ARC of Sugar by Mia Ballard in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

I was completely engrossed in most of this book. The cover and description initially caught my attention. It was a book about female rage with some social commentary woven in. The characters, although unlikable, were intriguing. I was really curious to see how everything would unfold by the end. While I enjoyed most of the book, I was let down by the ending, which felt like a sudden departure from the rest of the story. That being said, I did enjoy Mia Ballard's writing and will keep an eye out for more of the author's work.

4.5/5

O.M.G. This was such a ride. I had such a good time reading this. I love Satara, and this had some great twists! Great fall read.

Thank you NetGalley and Galaxy Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

This book had me ALLLL over the place. At 21% in, I was forcing myself to keep reading and by 40% I was hooked.....but then the beginning of the end made it meh to me. But the ending?! What was up with that ending, Mia Ballard?! All in all I just want to encourage people to give this book a little time to kick in. You won't regret it.

I love to read about about a delusional and unhinged main character! I would say Sugar tried very hard to do that, but ultimately it did not really work. Satara Stratton is a very interesting character but her mania, obsession, and neurotic behavior was not enough to make this book a solid read. I liked being able to see her past experiences and their influence on how her character developed into who she is over the years, but the way everything was put together just felt very messy. I think there could've been a better way to align the key plot points so that it didn't feel like we were constantly jumping around in the story. I also feel that the setting of this book being from the 50s-70 was purely for the fact that it would make it easier for Satara to get away with the things she did. In every other sense, the time period was pretty much irrelevant.

Most of all I just think this book needed some HEAVY editing that I really hope it has received before its very upcoming release. Dialogue felt weird, paragraphs would switch between first person past and first person present tense even within the same sentence/same scenario, and so many of the descriptions felt overwritten. This would be my biggest gripe with the story, which didn't let me properly immerse myself because it was a constant problem throughout the entire book. I think the story itself has a lot of potential and I didn't really mind the ending the way some others did. I did think it was a very easy and convenient ending, but I still enjoyed it and thought it was alright.
The concept of this book is very fun and I do think it has an audience with people who commonly like this kind of MC. I rate this book a 2.5/5

Thank you to the publisher on NetGalley for sending me a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sugar, ARC Review

Sugar is the twisted and sultry debut novel by author Mia Ballard, and follows the life of femme fatale, Satara Stratton as she navigates the aftermath of…‘disposing’ of her unfaithful husband.

The novel opens on the cusp of Satara’s discovery of her husband’s affair with her best friend and neighbour of six years, Lilah, but soon forks and winds into past avenues that give us insight into who Satara is, just how she got here.

The writing style, though inconsistent towards the end, makes it easy to attach yourself to Satara, having you root for her throughout—despite the steep escalation of her paranoia, and the otherworldly extents to which she’s willing to go to achieve her ends.

I was attracted to this book on NetGalley because upon initial inspection, it fit right into the rising trend of stories about unhinged women. This book comes out on the heels of such twisted tales as Woman, Eating; Bunny; and Nightbitch—which is getting a major film adaptation set to release in late 2024. I wanted in on the gorey femme fatale action, and that’s exactly what I got.

This thriller did exactly as it intended. It thrilled—from start to finish, with the right degree of edging and satisfying its readers so as to make them feel the seductive pull that draws all of Satara’s victims in and pulls them towards their eventual doom.

As much as I could sit here and sing this book’s praises, though, I do have my issues with it. Most of them technical.

Satara is a strong character with such potent presence you feel her absence just as palpably in rooms where she isn’t. Mia Ballard’s depiction of all of her protagonist’s maledictions are a cherry red lipstick stain on a secret admirer note from your stalker. It is both articulated with precision and eloquence, getting to the heart of themes such as obsession and obsessiveness.

But this quality of prose starts tilting towards the midpoint.

My largest gripe with this book is the lack of consistency with tense, which creates confusion, breaks the spell of immersion, (mild spoiler) and at some points, even alludes to self-damning speech that could and should have centred everyone’s target on Satara. When you speak about missing people in the past tense, in a story that is mostly written in the present tense…that’s sus.

The other technical issue I had was with word choice—mostly the repetition of words. Within the first few pages, I could have made a drinking game out of how often the word ‘angry’ was used to describe Satara’s emotional state. There are also frequent instances where words are repeated almost consecutively, which makes me of the opinion that, as much as I enjoyed this novel, and want to see more from this author, this book could have benefitted from additional rounds of copy and line edits to make this diamond truly shine.

I feel the need to truly and fairly articulate where this book gripped and lost me because I often read positive reviews that flatter without justification, and vice versa—negative reviews that shred novels and authors apart without tangible proof or justification. I wanted to state the reasoning behind my rating, and my opinions with as much transparency as possible. This is ultimately meant to be useful to other readers, after all.

Overall, if a person asked me about Sugar, I’d tell them I enjoyed it, and would recommend it if they were already considering the purchase. I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to recommend this book, though. This isn’t me saying I definitively wouldn’t. This book does very much still belong on the shelf with other femme fatale tales. I’m mostly excited to see where Mia Ballard goes as an author, and how her craft evolves.

Mia Ballard's Sugar is a dark, gripping tale that merges the themes of betrayal, hurt, and witchcraft, all wrapped in the chaotic world of 1970s suburbia. The novel centers on Satara Stratton, a woman scorned by her husband Dean's affair with her best friend Lilah. Satara's reaction to this betrayal isn't unfamiliar- however, this time, Lilah becomes a thorn in her side, pushing Satara to desperate and sinister means to protect her secrets.

What makes this book stand out is its twisted blend of reality and the surreal, with Satara’s growing reliance on witchcraft and acid. The 1970s backdrop adds a psychedelic edge to the narrative, making the plot feel as if it’s constantly teetering on the edge of chaos and also feels a bit unreal. This atmosphere, alongside Ballard’s depiction of 1970s fashion and culture, creates a vivid and immersive setting​

Satara is a fascinating protagonist, embodying the femme fatale archetype, yet Ballard adds complexity to her character. Despite her acts of violence and manipulation, there’s a deep-rooted vulnerability in Satara. She’s constantly wrestling with her need for love and control, a conflict that makes her both monstrous and so relatable. The narrative dives deep into the blurred lines between victim and villain, and feeds perfectly into female rage.

If you’re a fan of unhinged women or the blending of horror with themes of female empowerment, Sugar is a thrilling and unique read. Ballard’s debut is ambitious, balancing moments of surreal beauty with stark horror, making it a standout in the genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and Galaxy Press for the arc of this book.

I really enjoyed this book, right up until the end. The “twist” was just too unrealistic and far fetched.

Reading a story from the POV from a woman who clearly has some sociopathic tendencies was really interesting. To see the way she reasoned through her choices and actions. She wasn’t a character you liked, but at times could still empathize with her.

Then the end came and just kind of ruined it all. This was easily a 4.5 stars for me until then. I gave it a three because I did enjoy it so much prior to the end.

Don’t we all love an unhinged bitch? Yes, yes we do.

Sugar… you were everything I wanted in a psychotic, narcissistic, witchy story. The revenge was so sweet and I loved every moment of it. The amount of rage and anger Satara had was unbelievable! (She is so me lol).

I believe in Women’s Rights oh and wrongs...

When I found out this was a debut as well?! You go, girl!

If you love Maeve Fly and American Psycho, you will love this book! Oh and Pearl!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for my arc!

Mia Ballard, is an artist with words on a page. This book really immersed me in a wild ride of a story.

Sugar follows an FMC who is TIRED. She’s tired of inadequacy from men, she wants what other people have and isn’t afraid to go after what she wants.. even if her current man is in the way.

This is a story about murder, betrayal, magic, power. This book goes against societal norms for women, our FMC has a fierce feminine energy and soldiers through the sexism and standards set for women. This book is set in 1970’s and we are introduced to other female characters who provide a clear contrast of comparison between our FMC and themselves.

I cannot believe the turns and twists in that last 30 pages, I was bewildered BUT I had the best time

I’d rate it 4.5 stars, I’ve rounded up.

"When I looked at a photo of myself, I could pinpoint exactly which man had been the center of my universe at that moment. Each captured smile, each distant gaze was a timestamp of obsession. Even now, when most of them were dead-unfortunate casualties of my intensity-their impact lingered."

First off I saw several reviews saying stuff about the cover of this book and how they don't like it, but I highly disagree! It’s so stunning! People can’t seriously want the cartoon covers more than something like this?! Right????

On to the review though… I was overall pleasantly surprised by this one. Sugar pulled me in rather quickly. I’m always a supporter of women's rights-and women's wrongs lol. Sadly as quickly as it pulled me in, it also lost me.

I think what really took away from the story for me and brought my rating down is I felt there was a switch in the main character, Satara, personality that I didn’t quite understand. Though the ending is good, I felt it often felt rushed and slightly messy. Too much happening all at once.

I feel if you like revenge books, and thrillers you will like Sugar.

Plot wise, this is a pulpy revenge fantasy and if that sounds fun and you can deal with some less than stellar prose then you might find something to enjoy. I had to nope out about a quarter in when the author described a 5 year old as "childlike". That's not childlike. That's just a child.

There was a lot to like in this book, and also a lot left to be desired. The protagonist was intriguing and kept me reading, but it all felt very surface level. It also felt like some key information was withheld until the end that would have helped flesh out the character's motivations earlier.

Sugar got off to a really promising start for me. We got straight into the drama and a look at Sataras state of mind early on. I enjoyed the dual timelines and learning about Sataras past and the origins of her sprees. I was totally gripped and getting more and more into the story as it went. However, then the ending came and it just didn’t feel authentic to the story. It felt a bit like the book needed wrapped up and it was a quick easy way to do it. I don’t dislike the idea of it, but it just seemed too rushed to just throw in there. Unfortunately the ending did sour the book a bit for me but I would still say for the most part it is work a read. If you enjoy a weird story that makes you think WTF then definitely give this one a go.

This book follows the unhinged madness of Satara, the female serial killer. She has been killing the men that have wronged her sexually and romantically. When she settles down with Dean, she leaves all that behind. Then she becomes suspicious of her husband and her best friend Lilah. She spirals into a life of impulsive decisions and LSD addiction.
This one really got me, I didn't see the ending coming at all, and it was really good. It was a really quick read, but it was dark and absolutely insane. I really liked this one and I highly recommend it.

This was definitely a different style of writing, and I loved it! I loved the acing and the main FMC. She was wild and a bit unhinged which is exactly what I love in an FMC. Cheating, revenge, witches? I was in! While I can see this book may not be everyone's cup of tea, it was perfect for me, and just in time for spooky season..

The cover of this book is stunning and the content of this book is enchanting and unhinged. This book ticked every box; witchcraft, murder, time jumps, feminine rage, and the 1970s. Sometimes I find dual timelines quite stressful to read but this book delivered them beautifully. This book was intoxicating and I didn’t want to put it down.

✨REVIEW: 5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🍭Sugar by @galaxygrlmia 🍭

🍒synopsis: 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. 🤫

🍒my opinion: Ok, let me process for a moment what I just read because I was on a really crazy trip and sadly it’s over. 😮‍💨 The story follows Satara, a woman who daily takes LSD and has discovered that her husband is cheating on her with her best friend and well... she takes revenge, and I loved it. 💋

No, not only loved it, I supported it!!!🫶 Imagine a character that is a mixture of Pearl, Patrick Bateman and Amy Dunne (and a touch of The Love Witch) awesome, right?

Sugar is truly a hypnotizing thriller, the 70’s setting, the story of the main character and the reasons behind her behavior, her murders, her character & her need to love 💕 make this book a truly fascinating one.

I can simply say that I’m Satara's fan, AND SHE DID NOT DO ANYTHING WRONG!!! <33

🍭Highly recommended if you:

✨Like Investigation Discovery.
✨Like a good heartless revenge.
✨Like female rage.

I would like to thank @victoryeditingngc and @netgalley for the advanced e-copy. <33

🍒Official release: 10.17.2024🍒