A review by horrorbutch
Shy Girl by Mia Ballard

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Disclaimer: I received an e-book ARC through netgalley. 

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)