just because this is a cutesie wootsie book cover does NOT mean it's cute!! There is physical abuse, body horror, extreme horror, cannibalism, wanting to throw up because this book was so graphic horror. Thinking that I deserve to win a free tshirt for reading this book horror. Let me just tell u- this is not for the faint of heart.

I have never read Mia's books before and now I absolutely have to. Her writing is brilliant, hypnotic, ethereal, even with the extreme horror. She reels you in and doesn't get rid of you until the book is over. Why do I say this? Because once you start reading this book, you won't want to sleep, or go to work. You just want to know.

Quote- "I use to think about killing myself like it was something I might get around to eventually, like folding laundry or cleaning out the fridge. Not in a big, dramatic way- not the kind that you dangle in front of a therapist to see if they'll flinch. It was quieter than that, more practical. A passing thought, casual and constant, like a low hum in the background, like a draft slipping under a door."

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a free eread in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gia is depressed and lonely. After finding herself in a deep financial struggle, she turns to a sugaring website for help. There she meets Nathan, a man who offers to cover her debts. The condition being, however, that she must live as his pet. As time goes on the lines between human and animal slowly begin to blur.

Do not let the cute and sweet cover fool you, this is a deeply unsettling and disturbing book. Which upon finishing I wouldn’t be able to imagine a book like this with any other cover.

While I could have easily devoured this book in one sitting, I made a point to take my time. This book showcases some of the darkest sides of humanity than can exist within anyone you could come across and how often women are the forced to be stripped of their own humanity and endure these darkest sides. We see Gia over time become stripped of what makes her human as she goes through countless forms of abuse from a man who she thought would help her.

Feminine rage combined with Mia Ballard’s masterful writing that is truly perfect for the horror genre will keep this book at the forefront of my mind for years.

Please check trigger warnings before reading as there is material in this that could be sensitive for some readers.

"I exist in grayscale. I am thirty, alone, and unraveling quietly enough that no one's noticed."

Thank you to NetGalley and Galaxy Press for the ARC. Once I read the description of this and saw the stunning cover - my curiosity was peaked.

I feel like my rating is closer to a 3.5 but I rounded up to a 4 simply because of how quickly I read it, and how I couldn't put it down in the last 50 pages or so. It's like fountain of misery you can't look away from.

Literary fiction and horror are my favorite genres and it's so difficult to balance the two. I see what overlaying message was being presented in this story, but I felt like that message gets lost in the (literal) blood and guts. The writing is also *extremely* heavy on metaphors. I believe this was to paint a better picture of the character's struggle with OCD, but it kind of clashes with the literary fiction mood for me. I prefer to come to some of these conclusions about a character on my own instead of having them spelled out for me, but that's more of a personal preference than a "flaw" with the writing.

Nothing in this book needs to be over-explained because the concept is SO interesting on its own. The ending had my jaw through the floor and maybe to the Earth's core. There were also some absolutely fantastic lines of dialogue, and a true feeling of dread and desperation throughout the novel. The length of this is pretty perfect on its own. I'm so interested to see where this author goes from here - and to see what others will have to say about it upon its release!

You want it darker? Shy Girl accomplishes that.

This page-turning story raises questions about bodily autonomy, sex work, and our animalistic tendencies. It's almost painful to watch Gia succumb to the fascination of Nathan and his offer over the typist job. You feel like a viewer of a horror movie where the character is unaware of the creature lurking, and then you feel like a jerk for thinking of Gia in such a damsel in distress or as naive for following through. The ending was expected, but satisfying, and I appreciated the warning of body horror at the beginning of the book as it does get pretty descriptive. For lovers of Nightbitch and Bunny.

Thank you to Galaxy Press and Net Galley for supplying this girl with an early copy of Shy Girl. I saw some other bookstagrammers posting it with high reviews. Shy Girl was bumped to the top of my TBR. I devoured it. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into.
We follow Gia, who is down on her luck and broke. So she seeks out to find a sugar daddy and meets Nathan. He has a very particular and peculiar request- he wants Gia to be his dog for 8 hours a day in exchange for generous payment. During these 8 hours, Gia has to stay in her crate/cage, eat dog food, she cannot stand or walk or do anything humanlike.
The story spirals into craziness not long after and I was tapping the heck out of my kindle to get to the next page. It was that good. Shy Girl has some heavy notes of female rage, but it is so beautifully written, Mia Ballard is insanely talented. The cover is also gorgeous! Loved it!

SHY GIRL BY MIA BALLARD.
Release date set for the 1st of March 2025.
WAIT I NEED A MINUTE.
This book surprised me big time.
Do not let this cover deceive you.
It may look like a cute girly cover but let me tell you this book is the definition of "Don't judge a book by its cover".
It's a very wild ride and a very very quick read.
HOLY CRAP this book is something else.
Extreme horror.
Check your triggers.
One word to round this book up would be WOOF. (if you know you know).

Thanks to NetGalley, Galaxy Press, and Mia Ballard for the ARC.

The absolutely righteous all-consuming feminine rage!!

So good, so clean, SO many instances of my jaw hitting the floor.

I love how this was written, and I think it was the perfect length. So fast, because, there, time didn't exist.

This feels like it should be longer, but I fully believe you should go in as blind as possible.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Galaxy Press for access to this book.

The cover is so beautiful and that intrigued me initially and so did the description. This book unraveled me in the best and worst way. This is a story of overcoming and living with the new reality you've been tossed by a system that turns you into something otherworldly. The beauty of challenging that and holding a mirror to it. Never felt so seen despite the horror of the situations in this book. Those horrors are very real and they should be written about. Thank you Mia Ballard for such a gruesome yet beautiful tale. Shy Girl isn't for the queasy. I suggest looking up triggers before approaching this work but please don't let those keep you away from this work. It's worth the adventure.

UMMMMMMMM
“wtf was that?”- me every other page

This was crazy and not my usual type of book but tbh I saw the cover and died cause it was so cute but thank god it had a warning right up and center saying that the cover may be cutie but the content is NOT

This was wild and I’m not gonna kinkshame but I’m gonna kinkwonderwhy lmaooo

I don’t want to say much and give anything away but I actually really liked how the author portrayed Gia’s side of the dynamic making sure the reader knew horrible things happened to her without going in to gross detail (I could tell this was written but a women thank youuuu). Essentially I’m saying that the author didn’t go into horrible detail for anything sexual even though there were sexual themes here. But she DID go into detail on other gross things so still ew lol

Anyways there’s def a specific target audience for this one and it’s not one I’d widely recommend but if you like horror and women’s lit/fiction then you’d like this one. It read super fast as well and kept me glued to my kindle

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

At 30 Gia has found herself in a dire financial situation and unemployed. With options running low and time ticking on bills and rent she decides to try something completely out of her comfort zone, joining a sugar dating website. Her first match Nathan works in finance and seems to be unassumingly average, kind, and just overall a safe match. His request tho extremely unorthodox comes with good pay that Gia can’t seem to say no to. Putting her in more danger than she could ever imagine.

Shy Girl is my third work of Mia Ballard’s and as I’ve come to find with her writing she has a way of weaving horror filled moments and unhinged tales into stories that have lasting profound effects on the readers. The unsettling dread seeped into my veins deeper and deeper the further I got in the book, leaving me utterly speechless as I turned page after page. I finished this book easily in 4 hours as I simply could not look away. I was gripped by Gia’s story and what would be the final outcome. I will say this book is not for the faint of heart. If you think that picking this up you will find a cutesy story due to this amazing cover (which does relate very well to the overall story just not in cutesy way) you will be sorely mistaken as this book takes body horror, gore, and captivity to the absolute extremes. The terrifying horror, the bubbling rage, and the disturbing nature of many of the events that transpire in this book undoubtedly made me feel this would be a great book to have adapted into film. Especially by the A24 film studio, as the vibes so vividly made me feel the same sinking dread I have had many times while watching some of their works. The authors notes at the end were incredibly impactful and thoughtful and added to the overall feelings that this book leaves you with long after finishing it. I know with absolute certainty this book will undoubtedly go down as one I will never forget.

Shy Girl comes out March 1st 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and Galaxy Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Feminine rage and women eating never fail to disappoint.

Shy Girl shows the grit and determination of women through the worst for the reclamation of body autonomy. Ballard states it plainly in her author's note: “Women deserve to own their stories, their bodies, their futures - on their own terms”. As this becomes more topical in today’s society, stories like Shy Girl become more important; stories where women overcome all obstacles.

For me, I feel like the hyper-graphic nature of the body horror and descriptions of abuse in the second half of the novel overshadowed its main message. Personally, during the read, I got lost in the descriptions of Mia’s abuse, transformation, and reclamation - unable in the moment to see the bigger picture being painted. However, after finishing and reflecting, this story does an exceptional job of portraying the effects of abuse and how it changes individuals.

This was an incredibly fast and engaging read, but left me wondering if I actually enjoyed the experience (having not read a book nearly this graphic before). If graphic body horror isn’t a deterrent, I think Shy Girl is well worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Galaxy press for an advanced copy of this novel in exchanged for an honest review! This review will be posted to Goodreads and will be available on the site indefinitely from its posting.

I DEVOURED this book in a day! I have never read a story like this in my life and it had me hooked! The writing was haunting and I honestly could not stop reading. This story had me feeling all emotions from sadness to fear to rage! I really felt for the main character Gia (I adore the name Gia too) and needed to know what would happen to her. I don’t want to say too much as you have to just experience this book first hand. The cover is also stunning but don’t be fooled it is a dark story with body horror so read the content warnings! There is lots of layers to this book and I will definitely be thinking about the themes of this book for the rest of the week! I jowly
I read more by this author!

I am in my “female rage manifesting into the form of a beast covered in blood” era…

“We are 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 feral and bloody and unapologetic”

Thank you to Victory Editing for giving me the opportunity to read Shy Girl by Mia Ballard prior to its publication date, in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who is new to to horror genre, I appreciate having the chance to receive an advanced reader copy of this gripping, and stomach turning psychological horror. It is, at this point, the most fucked book I’ve yet to read. It’s strange for me to rate something that made my heart race with fear and stomach turn with discomfort.. but from page one I was hooked by the story of the main character and ease of the writing style.

The FMC Gia is depressed and lonely. The only control she has of her life is making precise and measured movements throughout her day to day life. She is detached, avoidant, unemployed, and spiraling. Desperate, she finds herself stepping outside her comfort zone and meets up with a man in hopes of having a sugar daddy. So then begins several years of Hell.

This book explores many important themes about womanhood. Using captivity and role play to explore things like body autonomy, power dynamics, the mental toll of manipulation, and ultimately adaptation in those circumstances. I was extremely uncomfortable, but I couldn’t put it down.

The authors note does an excellent job of helping the reader process what they just experienced, which I personally really needed.
Mind the trigger warnings such as suicidal ideation, kidnapping, SA, depression, violence, miscarriage, gore & more.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was really interesting, I think the beginning and the end really sang, while the middle dipped slightly. The ending worked really well over all, and the story itself was unique and well thought out.

Shy Girl by Mia Ballard was a very disturbing and unexpected read and I loved every second of it. I did not know what to expect since this is my first experience with Mia Ballard but wow, it definitely won't be my last. I was, at points, quite grossed out but I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to know what was next. The writing is so good, I felt so much of it. I find that to be so rare nowadays. I will 100% be recommending this book. Disturbingly dark and entertaining.

thank you to Galaxy Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

🫀🎀🧸🩹🥩🦷

the horror genre was made to be written by women for women and i will die on that hill. the pain, the rage, the gore. this horror story - wrapped up in a cute little package - is my new manifesto.

sharpen your teeth and always bite back.

Dark, brutal, and unrelentingly horrifying, this novella deals with control and manipulation while also serving as a bloody story of revenge.

Gia is thirty years old and suffers from OCD. Her life is in a downward spiral when she decides to join a "sugar daddy" site to make enough money to live for a while. She meets an older man who seems to be handsome, charming, and appears to really like her.

But she finds out in short order that he's anything but caring as she's thrust into a nightmarish world where she's forced to live as a dog. His pet. And his rules are absolute.

This novella is part body horror, part psychological horror, and teems with dread and bleakness. Gia's situation is a bone chilling claustrophobic fever dream and it becomes clear she's not able to escape on her own.

Delectably disturbing and deliciously disgusting, this novella raises all the hairs on your body and doesn't let up. I highly recommend it.

WOWWWWW THIS BOOK! JUST WOWWW! Addicting from the very first chapter, I had a hard time putting this book down whenever I was reading!

DEFINITELY READ TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE STARTING THIS BOOK!!

Gia is our main character, and she loves routine and numbers, obsessively so. She is also broke and desperate, on the verge of eviction ….so she signs up for a sugar daddy website and receives her very first message from a man named Nathan. She’s drawn to him right away, nauseatingly obsessed with him, really. They come to an agreement, he will help her with all of her debts if she just does this one ‘little’ thing for him…if she pretends to be a dog, 8 hours a day, every day. No human behavior or else she’ll be punished. But what happens when she’s not allowed to leave and is forced to live as a dog, day after day, hour after hour?

This book is great in so many aspects, showing how abuse can shape and morph us into things we no longer recognize, until we no longer feel human.

Spoiler ahead, click off so you won’t be spoiled on the ending!!

The only “complaints” I have are that at times, the inner monologue of Gia felt repetitive, like in the sense that I just read the same sentence one page ago but this one is slightly worded differently. And, the ending fell weird and flat for me. or in her running away, giving into her dog-ness, but the part before, with the character that walked in (name omitted so if anyone was stubborn and did NOT click off at this point). That part felt weirdly thrown in there like Oh look plot twist!

But that’s the only complaints I have!! I definitely recommend this weird girl horror book

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Galaxy Press for an ARC of this book. I’m leaving this review honestly and voluntarily.

“nightbitch” wishes she was this good.

had a thoroughly, fun time with this. it was fucking crazy. that one scene with the parasitic worms in the eyes had me SQUEALING (brother euggggh).

might i say i think i found a new favourite author?

many thanks to the publishers & netgalley for supplying me with an arc in exchange for my review.

WOW this was intense in the way only Mia Ballard can pull off well. I think that with almost any other author this subject just wouldn't work but with Ballard it comes out incredibly well written and intensely horror-based. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.