Thank you to Mia Ballard, Galaxy Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC!!

Pre-warning that this is a longer review so the TLDR is: check your triggers, don't go into this expecting a cutesy girlypop sugar daddy book, go and read it and be blown away. 5 stars no notes Mia Ballard you are an artiste

Gia is at rock bottom- she's depressed, behind on rent, struggling with OCD, and thirty years littered with abandonment have left her with a pretty pessimistic view on relationships. In her desperation, she signs up for a sugar dating website where she meets Nathan, a kind older man with the ability to fix her financial issues in exchange for genuine companionship- in the form of a devoted pet. Shy Girl is a fast, gut-wrenchingly horrific look at autonomy, survival and revenge as a means of achieving those things.

Holy. F*ck. First off, gorgeous, stunning cover- deceiving but also incredibly fitting for this book. Secondly, to anyone thinking this will scratch the Nightbitch itch, it won't- it'll take the scab clean off and leave you feeling empty and angry and sated and raw (in all the best ways, obviously).

We spend the first half of this book getting to know Gia, who is sometimes so relatable in her otherness and sadness that it was like looking in a mirror. This first bit reads in a very litfic way, it seems like we're going to get a fun and weird romp about sugar dating and then right at the halfway mark your feet are cut from under you and everything hits the fan. There was maybe a chapter or two where I felt really confused by Gia and her response to her situation, kinda thought she was tooooo casual about things but then of course that was intentional and planned and actually executed perfectly so no notes there.
The second half of this book is some of the most visceral, primal, cutting writing I've ever read- the body horror, the dread, the hopelessness in rooting for Gia. I saw another review say that the ending was a bit too much show-don't-tell but I disagree- the show was what made this ending stand out to me, there was no fade to black, no cliché reasonings for things, no overdone moments (trying SO hard not to spoil here sorry x). Definitely had some of the more wtf scenes I've ever read and I'm so excited to read more of Mia Ballard's work, I can definitely see her becoming a very popular name in both wider horror and our fav niche, girlypop horror<3

This is definitely a 5 star read and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled in my locals for a physical copy to annotate and talk about until I become annoying

I gave this a good…15% before I DNF’d…it wasn’t for me.
I couldn’t get past the prologue honestly…I was super uncomfy. I hope others enjoy it though.

Mia Ballard’s Shy Girl is an unrelenting, visceral descent into psychological horror that grips you from the first page and refuses to let go. It's also one of the only horror books I've ever read that has genuinely horrified me, and I loved every second of this visceral, ruthless, disturbing story of Gia's quest for freedom.

The novel’s claustrophobic tension is masterfully executed, plunging readers into the fractured mind of Gia as she grapples with her own gaslit reality. Ballard’s prose is both hauntingly poetic and ruthlessly precise, capturing Gia’s obsessive compulsions with raw, unflinching honesty and respect. I don't want to spoil too much, but Nathan’s presence is suffocating, and his character is honestly terrifying to read about. He is an unpredictable predator whose control over Gia is as much psychological as it is physical. What makes him truly terrifying isn’t just his actions, but the way Gia rationalizes them, twisting her own perceptions to survive. Ballard doesn’t just depict fear; she dissects it, makes us visualize it - feel it. And it makes for a genuinely uncomfortable reading experience.

I've admired Ballard's work since reading her debut, Sugar in 2024, and I've got to say - I'm a die-hard fan after reading Shy Girl. This is a novel that I won't be forgetting for a long, long time. I still shudder thinking of particular scenes from the last quarter of the novel.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Shy Girl by Mia Ballard in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third parties.

Gia is unable to get a new job and has now fallen behind on rent. To fix her problem, she signs up for a sugar dating website. She has always had a bit of an obsessive relationship with the men around her, so when the man she has been writing on the sugar dating platform offers to pay her rent and help her pay off her debt if she becomes his dog for 8 hours a day… well, it doesn’t sound that bad at first. Soon Gia finds herself stuck in captivity, punished for failing to conform to the “new life” as a dog her keeper wants from her. She feels unable to fight back, afraid of the punishment she receives anytime she talks, gets up or tries to run away. This novel leads us down a harrowing trip into her psyche as she spirals deeper and struggles with the feeling that her isolation in life has lead her right to this. Nathan also manipulates her further into believing that this is something she deserves, something she somehow agreed to.
The story is dark and I liked getting to know Gia. The first third of the book examines her time before she becomes Shy Girl and her desperation and loneliness was beautifully illustrated. The next two third of the book examine how she changes, falls deep into fawning mode to ensure her survival and tries her very best to be a good dog. It also deals with her failing health, her slipping sense of herself as a person and how she has become changed through her complete dependency. Sometimes I wish it had examined the reasons for why Gia doesn’t even fantasize about harming her captor in order to get away (in the beginning). It could be that she’s too afraid of what happens if she fails or that her not fighting back allows her the feeling of being human in these much too inhuman circumstances she has been forced into or the knowledge that she will have to take a life because just hurting him a bit will not be enough or something else, but I wish it had been portrayed in more detail, as I think it would have let me understand Gia and her reactions a bit better. I did enjoy the examinations of self-destruction in here tough.
The end was delicious, gorey and fun and gross and horrible and perfect for this story. If it had come with a bit more build up, I would have still liked it a bit more, but even without that I really enjoyed it! The writing is visceral, really digging into how Gia feels during any of the various horrible things she experiences and I really enjoyed that.
All in all, an impactful story and a great addition to female rage & revenge horror.

TW: abuse (physical, psychological, sexual), abduction, cannibalism, dehumanization, eye trauma, miscarriage, parasite infection, sexual abuse, unsafe eating (dogfood, uncooked meat & glass)

Shy Girl
Mia Ballard

This novel explores it's themes in a wonderfully ... unconventional way.
Very disturbing read that kept me engaged the whole time.

4.25 / 5

Mia Ballard is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me as I just love how she writes about female rage and her book covers are so pretty! Do not be fooled by the cover of Shy Girl though - while it looks sad yet somewhat calming, the contents of it are disturbing and filled with gore.

Gia, a girl struggling with finances, meets up with Nathan from a sugar daddy website. He seems normal at first but things take a dark turn when he traps her and keeps her as his pet dog. Note that this is not a smut book, but a horror. The last chapters actually made me feel nauseous and it was not a great idea to be eating whilst reading 😭

There was a bit of repetition and I’m not sure if this was intentional as it could be attributed to the fact that Gia is trapped in a room for years and the author could be representing how her life is just a repetitive cycle at that point.

Thank you to netgalley and Galaxy Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Well what can I say.
This was intense and horrifying in the (I can’t say best?) but definitely in some kind of a way.
Would definitely recommend reading TW’s before delving in.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher
4/5 ⭐️

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.