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Okay this had me HOOKED 🤩
This was a fun psychological read (great for this time of year!) This book was compelling, immersing, twisted and captivating! The delusion, the rage, the revenge UGH!! This was such a good read highly recommend!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the author, Mia Ballard, for the ARC.

Incredible debut novel. It had me hooked. It is beautifully written with wonderful plot twists throughout. 10/10 recommend, I couldn’t put it down.
(4.5/5 stars because the version I had needed better editing - which is not on the author but the editor.)
I noticed multiple instances of mistakes within the editing. Sentences not beginning with capitalized letters, past and present tense in the same sentence, a characters’ name being used to speak when it was clearly not that character speaking. Because it is a debut novel, I think these things should be considered and fixed up before publishing so it has the best shot at reaching a great audience, it is such a beautifully written story! I have noted down all instances I saw and would be happy to let the publisher know if need be!

Mia Ballard wrote this beautifully. It was a fast-paced read that focused primarily on Satara's rage but also included book clubs, witchcraft, and so much more. I had so many thoughts about Satara from feeling that she was wronged by men to whom the heck takes this much acid. Overall, the author captures how unhinged Satara is with great detail. You're intrigued by her madness but also disgusted. I was hooked throughout the entire book and was not expecting all the twists. Thank you for the ARC through Netgelly!

This was WILD from. start to finish! I'll be honest I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started reading this, I just thought the cover and title were absolutely stunning. Truly an amazing story, very captivating and kept me on my toes the entire time. I will say at times it felt a bit over dramatic but overall I did love it. The main character was very much giving Georgia Miller but if she was a psycho killer. I am definitely going to recommend this and I cant wait to go buy it because I still think the cover is beautiful.

GOOD GRAVY I loved this book🫰🏻🫰🏻🫰🏻 Satara is a wild ass bitch (respectfully) Just tripping on acid every day, baking cakes and kxlling people - no problem 🤙🏻 She is such an interesting character, I couldn’t wait to learn everything about her. This book was so much fun. Violence, love spells, and utter chaos. What more could you ask for? 💅🏻

I cannot believe this is a DEBUT NOVEL?! This book was phenomenal. I will have my eyes out for anything Ballard writes moving forward.

3.75/5

A fantastic, twisty and gripping tale of female rage that I had a blast with!

First of all, I loved Mia Ballard’s writing style - it was lush, had swagger and was full of character. I also really enjoyed unfolding the story of Satara/Sugar - the femme fatale at the heart of this tale. We see her murder her husband in the first chapter and then it all goes off from there.

What I especially loved about Satara was her coldness, her commitment to the cause. She was almost terminator-like at times, but also deeply cunning and convincing.

This story is more than just a kill fest though. We get love witches, revenge, a book club, a threesome (not at the book club sadly), cake, kissing, stalking and more…it’s plenty of fun.

Oh, and the twists! By the end I almost had whiplash from the way they were jerking me around. I did see some of them coming, but there were plenty that caught me out too.

The only thing that didn’t work for me was setting the main story in the 70s. I get why - no CCTV, no phones - but it wasn’t used enough, there were no details to tie it to that era. And it was confusing when we were in the ‘present day’ sections when those bits were actually in 1978. I got used to it after a while, but it felt a little clumsy.

Anyway, minor quibbles aside this was a romp and I can see it garnering a cult following. From that incredible cover through to its hell-hath-no-fury story, Sugar is certainly a sweet read!

This is out 29 October, thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the review copy!

First of all, I’d like to thank NetGalley, Mia Ballard and Victory Editing for providing me with an E-ARC of this book!

This book had me hooked from the start. The main character Satara, discovers her partner is having an affair and goes on a downward spiral, stuck between the past and present and discussing her various encounters with men over the years.

Satara is an entirely unlikeable character, which I adored as Ballard did not hold back at all when shaping her personality and motives throughout the story. I flew through this book; struggling to put the book down as I just had to know what happened next.

This book is full of feminine rage as well as witchcraft, making it the perfect book for those who love eccentric characters and unusual stories! It’s the perfect mix of crime and horror!

Sugar has a solid story at its core, but the writing style just didn’t work for me. It leaned heavily on similes and metaphors, which felt a bit overdone and slowed down the pacing. That said, the plot and characters were engaging (and I do love a good dose of female rage), but the flowery prose made it harder to fully connect with the story.

Wow! This book was a wild ride from literally the first sentence to the very last and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I finished.
From the beautiful, brutal writing to the unexpected turns the story took I was GRIPPED.
For my more in depth spoiler free review you can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyxHzyl0y3U

An unhinged dive into madness with a killer at the helm. Whoa! I wasn't quite ready for the chaos of this book. Satara will change everything you think you know about feminine revenge.

4.25⭐

"sugar" was a trippy ride i did not expect when going into this book—in a good way! i've read quite a few female rage revenge thrillers just this month alone, and they somehow always end with the anti-hero protagonists victorious against those who wronged them (however they got there). but satara stratton aka sugar gave us a villainous unhinged woman who is unapologetically so.
the narrative alternates between "present day" (actually the 1970s, which confused me at first) and her past killings, while satara loses control of the people around her and quickly descends into madness. the main twist is revealed almost at the very end chapter and at no point in the book could i guess what would happen next.

Sugar? A female serial killer? Say less. 🍰

This book was surprisingly better than what I thought it would be. The witchcraft mentioned in the synopsis threw me off a little, however during the story, it makes soooo much sense.

We rarely get any serial killer females, so this was a great read for me. There are a few trigger warnings listed in the beginning, so be sure to read them before you dig into this gory story.

Would read again and again! Loved the plot twists.

Huge thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for my honest review!

I stand for women’s rights AND women’s wrongs!

This book is my favorite read of the year so far. This has everything I have ever wanted in a book.
Feminine Rage? ✔️
Witch Craft? ✔️
Murder? ✔️

I picked up this book because of the cover. I mean come on! Look at it, it is absolutely amazing. Sultry and intriguing.
Then I read the blurb and knew that this book would be perfect for me. It has everything I want, and it DELIVERED.

In Sugar, we follow Satara, a 35 year old woman, in the 1970’s. We watch as she discovers her husband's infidelity with her best friend. We see as she exacts her revenge on him in the most dramatic of ways. As we move through the book, we see how Satara lives her life following her decisions of revenge against her husband, and how she has gotten to this point through the last two decades.

I loved the dual timelines of the book. It allowed us to see Satara in her life now, as well as what built her into the woman that she is now.
I loved the prose. This was a beautifully written horror novel.

I couldn’t get enough of this book. I read it in 3 days, and fell asleep reading it twice trying to read as much as possible!

I highly recommend this book if:
- You love feminine rage books
- You love women-centered horror
- You enjoyed American Psycho
- You enjoyed Jennifer’s Body

Thank you to Galaxy Books, Mia Ballard, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I squealed when I got the notification that I was approved for this book!!🩷

I was so excited to be approved to read this galley. Thank you to the publisher! I so enjoyed this novel and will be purchasing a physical copy for my library.

<b>Love, for all its beauty, is fragile. It can slip through your fingers or be buried under the lemon tree in your backyard</b>

This book brings out the perspective of a female serial killer who kills for love. It was fast-paced, funny, a bit creepy or <s>very creepy</s>. The story brings you back and forth revealing old and new criminal acts. I liked the aspect of witchcraft but the last visit of the MC, kinda had me questioning things.

So if you are looking for book with a badass female serial killer and a big plot twist, you might not suspect. A book that will show what women may do for love. Grab this baddy!

The author won me over with her debut, so madam I'm patiently waiting for your next work. Because your writing style is my jam!

Also not to forget, thank you so much netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this amazing 5-⭐ earc.

This book was amazing. I rarely give 5 star reads and this deserves all the stars. This story focuses on a serial killer in search of love and she will do anything to keep it. I loved how the story unfolded day after day and I was captivated from the killers perspective. Satara was my absolute favorite and I hope that doesn't make me sound crazy but she was so insane that I loved her character. She was so specific and detailed with her choices and rationalized stalking and killing. This book let me dive into the mind of Satara and see how passionate and methodical she was while seeking for a deep connection from anybody who she gravitated towards. Mia Ballard, congrats on the debut album and you will forever be on my reading list <3

“Sugar” is a psychological thriller that follows the life of 35-year-old Satara Stratton, who finds herself in a tumultuous situation after discovering her husband Dean’s affair with her best friend, Lilah. This betrayal plunges her into a familiar world of deceit and death, as she has previously disposed of men without consequence. The narrative explores Satara’s descent into chaos as she grapples with her emotions and the consequences of her actions.

The novel intricately weaves themes of love, betrayal, female empowerment, murder, and witchcraft against the backdrop of 1970s suburban chaos. It highlights systemic sexism during that era and showcases Satara’s fierce feminine energy as she defies societal norms in pursuit of autonomy and power.

“Sugar” provides a darkly compelling journey where desire intertwines with devastation. As Satara navigates through love and manipulation, the quest for affection becomes increasingly lethal.

“Love, for me, was an endless cycle of rebirth and death; each man phoenix rising from the ashes of the last…”

Satara knows that her husband is cheating on her with her best friend, Lilah, and she’s decided she’s going to dispose of him… like so many of the others she’s removed from her life before. How has Satara fallen this far? Will they find out her secrets?

What a masterpiece as a debut novel. For those of you like me who thoroughly enjoy unhinged weird girl lit, please add this to your list of must-reads. This novel has the moments of shock factor and gore that we love in horror. But it also felt like a thriller as we wonder along with our main character whether she’ll be caught for what she’s done - and wow, the twists twisted in this plot!

Satara as a main character is beautifully complicated and interesting - a dramatic embodiment of extreme jealousy, insecurity, and someone who honestly wants the quick fix on the road to being happy. She’s in love with this perfect ideal of what life and marriage should be - and how she ends up dealing with it isn’t just about killing someone - it’s about that hunger and need to get to where she wants, which in the 1970s was not an easy journey for a female of color.

I thought this was really well done and I look forward to seeing more novels by Mia Ballard! Thank you NetGalley and Galaxy Press for the advanced reader copy!

I recently had the pleasure of receiving an ARC copy of "Sugar" which has truly left me in awe. Satara Stratton is a character that I instantly connected with - a revenge killer who I found to be incredibly lovable and relatable. The author's writing style is so rich and detailed, almost like poetry in prose. I found myself completely engrossed, so much so that I ended up highlighting about 70% of the book. This thrilling ride had me experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions - from chills to moments of sheer excitement. I've already been raving about it to all my friends and I can't wait to add it to my collection. The cover art is also absolutely stunning, adding to the overall appeal of the book. Trust me, this is a must-read!

Sugar is a 1970s acid soaked fever dream about love, death and deceit. We follow Satara who uncovered an illicit affair her husband Dean was having with her best friend Lilah. Satara is no stranger to disposing of men’s bodies once she’d done with them, but having Lilah on her case itching to expose her, Satara must surpass others to keep her secrets safe. Searching for meaning in the leftover pieces of her life she seeks help from a Love Witch. With her newfound powers at play she’s working on manipulating those around her for her own personal gain. She quickly learns that sometimes her heart doesn’t always get its way.

Sugar is a dark dreamy tale of what happens when feminine rage calls the shots, when women let their most primal urges bubble to the surface. With immersive writing that showcases how trauma and abuse shape the way we love. Full of horrific twists and turns ensuring you that you’ll never guess what will happen next.

This book packs a punch! It has so many moving pieces to it that at times, it does seem a bit much. The timeline and jumps were unclear at first and really took me out of the story in places. Satara’s demeanor in some of her flashbacks bewildered me a bit. The penultimate chapters reveal proved to be a bit problematic to me. But that ending drew me back in, in such an electrifying way! I’m interested to read more by Ballard and hope she continues working on projects like these.

I would recommend this book to readers who loved Gone Girl, Maeve Fly, Go Ask Alice and Girl Interrupted. Thank you to Netgalley, Galaxy Press and Mia Ballard for the arc!