Shy Girl

A Novel

De: Mia Ballard

Narrado por: Ebony Jonelle

An unapologetic, visceral revenge horror novel about a woman in captivity who blurs the line between human and beast in order to survive, perfect for fans of Nightbitch and Mona Awad.

"Mia Ballard is a f*cking powerhouse." —Olivia Blake, author of Girl Dinner

SIT. SPEAK. STAY.

Lonely, broke, and depressed, Gia is desperate for a lifeline. When Nathan, a wealthy stranger on a sugar dating site approaches her with a very specific offer, she can’t refuse.

The instructions are simple, he says. For eight hours a day, she must wear the collar. Drink from the bowl. Sleep in the cage. Be a dog. Be his dog. Then, she can go home and be Gia again, and if she ever feels uncomfortable or unsafe, she can always leave.

Those were the terms of the agreement. But Gia soon finds out Nathan isn’t a man who keeps his promises.

In this harrowing tale of survival and revenge, Mia Ballard crafts a visceral, unflinching descent into the dark heart of lost autonomy and the feral rage it awakens. Shy Girl is a scream against the cage of expectation, where justice isn’t quiet—it’s bloody and unapologetic.

"Brutal, uncomfortable, and visceral." —Brandon Baker, author of Whatever Remains of Us In the End

"Feral, disgusting, and absolutely unhinged. I couldn't look away." —Ally Wilkes, author of Where the Dead Wait

Reseñas de la Crítica

"This book put me THROUGH IT. Shy Girl is a gut punch of a story, as much about violation and horror as it is about agency and revenge. Mia Ballard is a f*cking powerhouse."—Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Girl Dinner

"Completely unique and utterly bonkers. Shy Girl is the most disturbing book I’ve read in years—and I mean that as high praise." —Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of The Foxglove King

"Mia Ballard has crafted a chilling, terrifying tale of romance gone awry, luring you in with head pats and skritchies and then fucking disembowels you. Hard to read, impossible to put down! I loved it! You will never look at puppy play the same way again!"—Bitter Karella, author of Moonflow

"Lyrical prose gives way to a visceral nightmare in this gripping downward spiral of a novel. Both horrifying and gruesomely cathartic, Shy Girl is a study of female agency and bodily autonomy that is relentless and sickening in its violence, yet deeply satisfying. Not for the faint of heart, Shy Girl is a must read for all the weird girls out there."—Meg Smitherman, author of Thrum and Entity

"A dark tale told with visceral clarity, Shy Girl is feral, disgusting, and absolutely unhinged. I loved it, couldn't look away!" —Ally Wilkes, author of Where the Dead Wait

"A viscous unraveling of autonomy that teaches Gia - and the reader - about the long-game of revenge. Shy Girl demonstrates the resilience of women, a lesson on the pleasure of going feral. A gore-filled ode to feminist rage that I will never, ever forget. Warning: this book may just make a girl go feral."

—Rachel Eve Moulton, author of Tantrum

"You might enter Mia Ballard’s Shy Girl expecting a revenge story with cleanly-drawn lines, a simple equation of crime and payback. But as narrator Gia’s mind unravels throughout her canine captivity, the novel’s logic becomes far more terrifying, far more primal. This one is a jump scare, a gory, unflinching freefall into madness. You simply cannot prepare yourself." —Jen Julian, author of Red Rabbit Ghost

"Shy Girl is like a satin-gloved fist squeezing ever tighter as you read. Unflinching, relentless, you'll be gasping for air by the end." —Gemma Amor, Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award-nominated author of ITCH!