“Shy Girl” by Mia Ballard: The Less Human, The More In Control (BOOK REVIEW)

The Less Human, The More In Control

Hey, Alex! What have you been reading lately?

I received an early copy of Shy Girl by Mia Ballard through NetGalley, and honestly, I wasn’t ready. Like many others, what first caught my attention was the cover – a soft, pastel design with an innocent-looking dog wearing a pink bow, giving off peak cottagecore serenity. Then you flip to page one and read the author’s note: proceed with caution. Boy, was she not kidding. What follows is a feral, unflinching story that chews you up and spits you back out and all you want to do is read more.

Tell me more. What is the book about?

At the centre of Shy Girl is Gia – a 30-year-old woman stuck in financial limbo and emotional stagnation. In a moment of desperation, she downloads a dating app and meets Nathan, a man who promises to help her out… but only if she agrees to become his “pet.” Literally. Bark, walk on all fours, obey.

What starts as a dark, strange proposition quickly morphs into something monstrous. Nathan locks Gia in a cage and keeps her captive for the next seven years, stripping her of her voice, her identity, her humanity. Over time, Gia becomes more animal than person.

At its core, Shy Girl is a tale about control, gender, and resilience. It tells us what happens when a woman is pushed to the edge and decides to stop following the rules of a society that works against her. Shy Girl is driven by hunger, fear, and an all-consuming, uncontainable rage.

It is not supposed to be a comfortable read. It’s brutal, disturbing, and deeply moving.

What are some strong and weak points of the book?

Ballard’s writing is mesmerising to say the least. The prose feels like a contradiction – elegant, lyrical, beautiful even, wrapped around some of the most graphic imagery I’ve ever read. It’s the kind of book that makes you physically recoil while your brain whispers to keep going. The way Ballard captures Gia’s descent into dehumanisation (and eventual revolt) is painfully vivid.

The pacing does waver at points. Some transitions feel abrupt, jumping between time gaps that could confuse the reader, but I personally didn’t mind. It adds to the fragmented, feverish quality of the story that resembles flashes of a nightmare you can’t piece together. That rings true when you spend years in captivity and every day is quite the same and spent in anticipation.

I do feel the need to give a special shoutout to the book cover artist, because this is one of the most genius, deceptive designs I have encountered in recent years. Pretty, delicate, and soft on the outside. Everything this book isn’t. It’s a message in itself on how women are seen in contemporary society: subjects to be admired, trained (like a dog), and displayed. Until you try to see what’s hiding underneath and they bite back.

Any final thoughts? Should I read it too?

If you can stomach it, absolutely! Shy Girl is a masterclass in horror as social commentary. It explores gender, power, and survival through a lens that’s equal parts grotesque and poetic. Ballard doesn’t just write about violence; she dissects it, turns it inside out, and forces you to look. Gia’s final decision to put an end to Nathan’s wrongdoings and make sure he doesn’t do what he did to her to another woman becomes the ultimate act of sacrifice. Gia will never be the woman she used to be, but at least she finds freedom and autonomy.

Shy Girl is not for everyone. (Don’t read this, Deni!) There’s violence, cannibalism, and psychological manipulation that will genuinely leave you uneasy for days after its end. But for those who can appreciate it, it offers an unforgettable dive into the darkness of what it means to lose everything that makes you you and the radical act of reclaiming that by going absolutely berserk.

Thank you so much!! Are there any similar books that you can recommend?

Here are two books if Shy Girl left you hungry for more:

🐕 Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder — a surreal take on womanhood, where a stay-at-home mum might actually be turning into a dog.

🔒 3096 Days by Natascha Kampusch — the real-life memoir of a young woman held captive for eight years.

📲 limaistyping…

rating: ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
tropes: 🩸 gore revenge | 😡 female rage | ⾎ kidnapping | 🍖 cannibalism | 💪 regaining autonomy
read if you like: dating apps, dogs, body horror, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, role play
look out for: 🔎 lots of text dissecting | 🪱 tweezers | 💘 Stockholm Syndrome | 📹 silent audience | 🧁 cupcakes
"This one you should read on an empty stomach – trust me!"