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Sugar
Love, betrayal, murder, and witchcraft.
When 35-year-old Satara Stratton discovers her husband Dean’s treacherous affair with her best friend, Lilah, she plunges into familiar deceit and death. Having disposed of men before without a hitch, she finds a new thrill in this betrayal. But with Lilah on a crusade to expose her guilt, Satara must outpace everyone to keep her secrets safe. Her fate intertwines with a Love Witch whose tempting spells seem a perfect solution to Satara’s woes. With newfound power at her fingertips, she gleefully manipulates the affections of those around her. Yet, Satara's lust for love proves her ultimate vulnerability. She soon learns that while it’s easy to bend others to her will, controlling her own heart is a perilous art indeed. Prepare for a darkly compelling journey where the boundaries of desire and devastation blur, and the quest for love becomes Satara's most lethal game.
For fans of A Certain Hunger, step into the twisted, psychedelic world of SUGAR, a story about a femme fatale hooked on love and acid in this gripping tale of 1970's suburban chaos where nothing is as it seems.
When 35-year-old Satara Stratton discovers her husband Dean’s treacherous affair with her best friend, Lilah, she plunges into familiar deceit and death. Having disposed of men before without a hitch, she finds a new thrill in this betrayal. But with Lilah on a crusade to expose her guilt, Satara must outpace everyone to keep her secrets safe. Her fate intertwines with a Love Witch whose tempting spells seem a perfect solution to Satara’s woes. With newfound power at her fingertips, she gleefully manipulates the affections of those around her. Yet, Satara's lust for love proves her ultimate vulnerability. She soon learns that while it’s easy to bend others to her will, controlling her own heart is a perilous art indeed. Prepare for a darkly compelling journey where the boundaries of desire and devastation blur, and the quest for love becomes Satara's most lethal game.
For fans of A Certain Hunger, step into the twisted, psychedelic world of SUGAR, a story about a femme fatale hooked on love and acid in this gripping tale of 1970's suburban chaos where nothing is as it seems.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2024
140 people are currently reading
5,754 people want to read
About the author
Mia Ballard
5books172followersMia Ballard is an American poet and fiction writer. She loves all things horror and is passionate about writing stories focused on feminine rage. She lives with her partner and dog in Northern California.
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October 18, 2024 This could actually be a great thriller, but damn this cover sends me in the other direction lol. 🤸♀️🏃♀️💨🤢�
October 12, 2024
� � � � �
~
Okay this had me HOOKED 🤩
This was a fun psychological read (great for this time of year!) This book was compelling, immersing, twisted and captivating! The delusion, the rage, the revenge UGH!! This was such a good read highly recommend!!
~
Thanks to Netgalley and the author, Mia Ballard, for the ARC.
Publication date 29th October 2024 🫶🏼
~
Okay this had me HOOKED 🤩
This was a fun psychological read (great for this time of year!) This book was compelling, immersing, twisted and captivating! The delusion, the rage, the revenge UGH!! This was such a good read highly recommend!!
~
Thanks to Netgalley and the author, Mia Ballard, for the ARC.
Publication date 29th October 2024 🫶🏼
September 20, 2024
˗ˏˋ� 🍒 � 𝟓-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝
An enthralling and gripping tale of a woman’s empowerment, Sugar weaves together themes of love, despair, female empowerment, murder, betrayal, and witchcraft. Set in the 1970s—a time when systemic sexism was rampant and women faced significant challenges—this story unfolds in a world where men were often seen as superior, both professionally and in day-to-day life. This is where Satara, the protagonist, steps in. She rises with fierce feminine energy, defying societal norms to demonstrate her power and autonomy. The book is an exotic and enticing page-turner, as we journey with Satara through the hardships of her teenage years, presented as memories scattered throughout the chapters, to her current life as a 35-year-old woman. We are invited inside her mind, exploring her darkest thoughts and her passionate search for belonging—a deep yearning for a relationship and family, for someone who values her not just for her beauty but for the real connection she seeks.
The experience of reading this book was compelling, immersing me in its twisted, captivating world. I especially enjoyed the setting in the 70s, one of my favorite eras for its music and fashion, though not for the difficulties women endured—an issue the book thoughtfully addresses. Sensitive readers should note the trigger warnings, as some scenes are described with a rawness that grips your heart and mind. Overall, this was a blast to read, especially as I was looking for something to kickstart the spooky season. Mia Ballard’s use of dark, compelling prose, along with her skillful use of figures of speech, kept me glued to my seat, constantly craving more as the story unfolded.
This is definitely a 5-star read for me. I devoured it in just a few hours and can’t wait to dive into more of Mia Ballard’s works, which I’ll be following religiously from now on!
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for trusting me with the ARC for an honest review, I really do appreciate it! Looking forward to more of Mia Ballard’s works, that, as I said, I will be religiously paying attention to, from now on!
An enthralling and gripping tale of a woman’s empowerment, Sugar weaves together themes of love, despair, female empowerment, murder, betrayal, and witchcraft. Set in the 1970s—a time when systemic sexism was rampant and women faced significant challenges—this story unfolds in a world where men were often seen as superior, both professionally and in day-to-day life. This is where Satara, the protagonist, steps in. She rises with fierce feminine energy, defying societal norms to demonstrate her power and autonomy. The book is an exotic and enticing page-turner, as we journey with Satara through the hardships of her teenage years, presented as memories scattered throughout the chapters, to her current life as a 35-year-old woman. We are invited inside her mind, exploring her darkest thoughts and her passionate search for belonging—a deep yearning for a relationship and family, for someone who values her not just for her beauty but for the real connection she seeks.
The experience of reading this book was compelling, immersing me in its twisted, captivating world. I especially enjoyed the setting in the 70s, one of my favorite eras for its music and fashion, though not for the difficulties women endured—an issue the book thoughtfully addresses. Sensitive readers should note the trigger warnings, as some scenes are described with a rawness that grips your heart and mind. Overall, this was a blast to read, especially as I was looking for something to kickstart the spooky season. Mia Ballard’s use of dark, compelling prose, along with her skillful use of figures of speech, kept me glued to my seat, constantly craving more as the story unfolded.
This is definitely a 5-star read for me. I devoured it in just a few hours and can’t wait to dive into more of Mia Ballard’s works, which I’ll be following religiously from now on!
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for trusting me with the ARC for an honest review, I really do appreciate it! Looking forward to more of Mia Ballard’s works, that, as I said, I will be religiously paying attention to, from now on!
September 21, 2024
I’m going to make this book my whole personality. Be prepared to be sick of me.
March 16, 2025
“There’s a perverse desire that grips me, a longing so visceral it feels like a wild animal trapped within my chest. I wanted to unhinge my jaw like a snake and swallow him whole.�
After discovering her husband is having an affair with her best friend, the unhinged desire and rage of Satara Stratton is unleashed. Once she has murdered her husband and buried him in the backyard, readers get a past and present look into her very turbulent life–yearning to be truly loved and wanted, getting tangled in various lusty affairs, leaving a trail of men’s bodies in her foot path, and occasionally filling her void with drugs and stalking. Satara is a beautiful mess. But the consequences of her actions are slowly catching up with her…and bodies can’t stay buried forever.
This book–while all over the place as far as the plot is concerned–was entertaining as hell for me personally. There’s no question author is a talented writer on the rise. While race was not the focal point of this story at all, SUGAR scratched an itch that I’ve had for awhile—unhinged women of color doing stabby white women shenanigans. Yes, I want, I crave Black/WOC female anti-heroines acting on their rage and going on a murder spree. Satara as a protagonist is not likeable, but she’s manipulative, wrathful, seductive, lovesick, teetering on the edge of psychotic, practically a monster in human skin. I ate it up. My only other hang up was the twist at the end. It was a very bizarre twist that sort of made me just go “…huh???�
So while this wasn’t a perfect novel debut, I had a fun time and am actually looking forward to Ballard’s upcoming book Shy Girl ! Gimme me more please!
After discovering her husband is having an affair with her best friend, the unhinged desire and rage of Satara Stratton is unleashed. Once she has murdered her husband and buried him in the backyard, readers get a past and present look into her very turbulent life–yearning to be truly loved and wanted, getting tangled in various lusty affairs, leaving a trail of men’s bodies in her foot path, and occasionally filling her void with drugs and stalking. Satara is a beautiful mess. But the consequences of her actions are slowly catching up with her…and bodies can’t stay buried forever.
This book–while all over the place as far as the plot is concerned–was entertaining as hell for me personally. There’s no question author is a talented writer on the rise. While race was not the focal point of this story at all, SUGAR scratched an itch that I’ve had for awhile—unhinged women of color doing stabby white women shenanigans. Yes, I want, I crave Black/WOC female anti-heroines acting on their rage and going on a murder spree. Satara as a protagonist is not likeable, but she’s manipulative, wrathful, seductive, lovesick, teetering on the edge of psychotic, practically a monster in human skin. I ate it up. My only other hang up was the twist at the end. It was a very bizarre twist that sort of made me just go “…huh???�
So while this wasn’t a perfect novel debut, I had a fun time and am actually looking forward to Ballard’s upcoming book Shy Girl ! Gimme me more please!
November 10, 2024
Well that was a fun, twisty ride! An unhinged, unreliable narrator so desperate for love and female rage at its finest. 🍒🍒🍒
October 4, 2024
The craziest feminine rage book of 2024.
February 1, 2025
the perfect feminine rage book exists!!!
October 9, 2024
OH MY DAYS!! The delusion, the revenge, the rage ... it's giving Pearl? A little American Psycho? I tore through this book in one evening, it was that engrossing. The twists! *chefs kiss* Thank you to Galaxy Press & NetGalley for the ARC. Give this a read when in publishes October 29, 2024!
October 3, 2024
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
This started as a 5-star read, and then it just kept getting worse and worse. I'm giving it 2.5 stars. If you're looking for a book that feels like Sabrina Carpenter's Taste, Sugar is the way to go.
Let me start by saying this is a fun book about female rage. In this story, Satara finds out her husband Dean is cheating on her with her best friend, so she gets him in bed... and stabs him. Her life continues as usual: baking, going to the office along with her crush Chris, and her book club (with Chris' wife). The book follows Satara's life through different timelines, and we see her become the woman she is today.
I find this book will work for those of you who support women's rights and wrongs. I recently read two other books on female rage, and . intertwines female rage with sorority - women supporting each other. Sugar aligns with in the way they have a female main character who progressively gets angrier and more frustrated, and that leads the character to violence against everyone around them. I find my taste/moral compass aligns more with the 'women supporting women' side of female rage, and Sugar went the 'everyone gets a piece of the rage cake' direction which I personally don't enjoy.
While I get where this came from, it didn't work for me. I found Satara unlikable and I couldn't empathize with her, and the characters surrounding her were petty, stereotypical, and depthless. The story flows nicely for the first 40% of the book, and then it just drags and drags in what looks like the petty/office drama Olympics but in a way that I didn't find particularly exciting. And then, in the last 10% of the book, we're bombarded with twists that in my opinion were unnecessary (I'm calling it The Twist Fest). One or two twists are fine, but it was all very sudden and uncalled for (you know the thing 'too little, too late'? This was 'way too much, too late'). I wish some of the things (i.e., ) had been uncovered earlier rather than having it all come out in such a short time.
Besides the dragging in the middle and the twists, I empathize with some other reviews that mention confusing stuff/plotholes. I could follow the book perfectly fine, but some things just didn't make sense to me after The Twist Fest at the end (for example, ).
I am definitely going to read Mia Ballard's next books. This didn't work for me, but I did love the writing, it was a beautiful balance of exquisite and spicy, I highlighted half the book. I particularly loved this sentence:
"The promise of sex is a currency devalued by his infidelity, each dalliance a withdrawal from the bank of my patience, until now, when I'm overdrawn and bankrupt of fucks to give."
*ARC provided for free. This has not impacted my rating.
This started as a 5-star read, and then it just kept getting worse and worse. I'm giving it 2.5 stars. If you're looking for a book that feels like Sabrina Carpenter's Taste, Sugar is the way to go.
Let me start by saying this is a fun book about female rage. In this story, Satara finds out her husband Dean is cheating on her with her best friend, so she gets him in bed... and stabs him. Her life continues as usual: baking, going to the office along with her crush Chris, and her book club (with Chris' wife). The book follows Satara's life through different timelines, and we see her become the woman she is today.
I find this book will work for those of you who support women's rights and wrongs. I recently read two other books on female rage, and . intertwines female rage with sorority - women supporting each other. Sugar aligns with in the way they have a female main character who progressively gets angrier and more frustrated, and that leads the character to violence against everyone around them. I find my taste/moral compass aligns more with the 'women supporting women' side of female rage, and Sugar went the 'everyone gets a piece of the rage cake' direction which I personally don't enjoy.
While I get where this came from, it didn't work for me. I found Satara unlikable and I couldn't empathize with her, and the characters surrounding her were petty, stereotypical, and depthless. The story flows nicely for the first 40% of the book, and then it just drags and drags in what looks like the petty/office drama Olympics but in a way that I didn't find particularly exciting. And then, in the last 10% of the book, we're bombarded with twists that in my opinion were unnecessary (I'm calling it The Twist Fest). One or two twists are fine, but it was all very sudden and uncalled for (you know the thing 'too little, too late'? This was 'way too much, too late'). I wish some of the things (i.e., ) had been uncovered earlier rather than having it all come out in such a short time.
Besides the dragging in the middle and the twists, I empathize with some other reviews that mention confusing stuff/plotholes. I could follow the book perfectly fine, but some things just didn't make sense to me after The Twist Fest at the end (for example, ).
I am definitely going to read Mia Ballard's next books. This didn't work for me, but I did love the writing, it was a beautiful balance of exquisite and spicy, I highlighted half the book. I particularly loved this sentence:
"The promise of sex is a currency devalued by his infidelity, each dalliance a withdrawal from the bank of my patience, until now, when I'm overdrawn and bankrupt of fucks to give."
*ARC provided for free. This has not impacted my rating.
September 26, 2024
THE SECOND HALF OF THIS HAD ME HOOTING AND HOLLERING AND RIPPING MY HAIR OUT. MIA BESTIE BABE.....YOUR MIND!!!!
Insanely wordy and flowery prose, pretty much only at the beginning. By the time it hit past the first present day it finds it's groove and what the story wants to be. Then it sucks you in and I swear to God this is one of the best books I've read in awhile. And that's honestly my only complaint. The writing aside from that is wonderful and immersive. The cover?? gorgeous.
Sometimes weird woman horror books find themselves into two categories where it works, or it doesn't. They try too hard to make them crazy for no reason. This one doesn't fall into that. Satara fully believes in what she's doing. She even realizes she's not fully sane, but I don’t think she even realizes the extent to HOW insane she is. She's compelling in how awful and crazy she is. Almost relatable in her desperate need for love. I think when a fictional female character is horrid or less than perfect, you find yourself rooting for them in a weird way. Finding a connection with them.
This was like a wild mix of Go Ask Alice if Alice could somewhat handle her drugs mixed with You, The Love Witch and Killing Eve. I absolutely LOVED it. It wasn't overly gory either, which is a nice pace from some of the other stuff I've read lately. I can't wait to see what else Mia Ballard comes out.
A short and fast paced read. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea but for me - It was delicious.
MORE MOVIE PAPA!!!
Insanely wordy and flowery prose, pretty much only at the beginning. By the time it hit past the first present day it finds it's groove and what the story wants to be. Then it sucks you in and I swear to God this is one of the best books I've read in awhile. And that's honestly my only complaint. The writing aside from that is wonderful and immersive. The cover?? gorgeous.
Sometimes weird woman horror books find themselves into two categories where it works, or it doesn't. They try too hard to make them crazy for no reason. This one doesn't fall into that. Satara fully believes in what she's doing. She even realizes she's not fully sane, but I don’t think she even realizes the extent to HOW insane she is. She's compelling in how awful and crazy she is. Almost relatable in her desperate need for love. I think when a fictional female character is horrid or less than perfect, you find yourself rooting for them in a weird way. Finding a connection with them.
This was like a wild mix of Go Ask Alice if Alice could somewhat handle her drugs mixed with You, The Love Witch and Killing Eve. I absolutely LOVED it. It wasn't overly gory either, which is a nice pace from some of the other stuff I've read lately. I can't wait to see what else Mia Ballard comes out.
A short and fast paced read. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea but for me - It was delicious.
MORE MOVIE PAPA!!!
October 15, 2024
Sugar is a full throttled novel about a female serial killer. But she kills for "love".
I love a book that starts out with a bloody bang, and in the very first chapter, Satara kills her husband of six years when she discovers he's cheating on her with her best friend. This is going to lead to more brutal deaths. But as we get glimpses into her past, there's a pattern evident. A pattern of love, rejection, and ultimately, murder.
Told mainly from her perspective, Satara is a truly functioning psychopath. Her crimes are never discovered and she plays the part of grieving widow and innocent bystander perfectly.
But this book is so much more. It was a horrific pleasure getting to know this character and seeing her life unfold as things begin to weave together with her crush on her boss, book club members, and several romantic/sexual encounters which lead mostly to bloodshed.
But the ending.... chef's kiss. No spoilers but there are two huge twists at the end which are mind blowing and cements this novel as a must read in my opinion.
This author writes about Satara's compulsive need for affection and acknowledgement so well. You almost feel sorry for her. In fact, something which happened to her at the age of fifteen will maybe have you siding with her decision to gain retribution.
The story is compelling, engaging, and leaves a gory mark. I highly recommend it.
I love a book that starts out with a bloody bang, and in the very first chapter, Satara kills her husband of six years when she discovers he's cheating on her with her best friend. This is going to lead to more brutal deaths. But as we get glimpses into her past, there's a pattern evident. A pattern of love, rejection, and ultimately, murder.
Told mainly from her perspective, Satara is a truly functioning psychopath. Her crimes are never discovered and she plays the part of grieving widow and innocent bystander perfectly.
But this book is so much more. It was a horrific pleasure getting to know this character and seeing her life unfold as things begin to weave together with her crush on her boss, book club members, and several romantic/sexual encounters which lead mostly to bloodshed.
But the ending.... chef's kiss. No spoilers but there are two huge twists at the end which are mind blowing and cements this novel as a must read in my opinion.
This author writes about Satara's compulsive need for affection and acknowledgement so well. You almost feel sorry for her. In fact, something which happened to her at the age of fifteen will maybe have you siding with her decision to gain retribution.
The story is compelling, engaging, and leaves a gory mark. I highly recommend it.
September 21, 2024
⚠️
TW: sexual assault, grooming, graphic violence, domestic abuse
Sugar. Sweet. Hard to resist.
Sweet but Psycho ang peg.
"I thought killing him would bring relief, but it only unearthed a ravenous hunger I couldn't seem to quell."
"Love, for me, was an endless cycle of rebirth and death, each man a phoenix rising from the ashes of the last, burning brightly before succumbing to the inevitable. And I, ever the devoted keeper of these flames, continued to mark my life with their passage, a perennial witness to both conflagration and smoldering ruin."
Serial Killer? Love witch?
This was a fun read about one psycho broad (or two? 🤔), with a lust for love and eventually labelled as the LOVESICK KILLER. Scandalous, Twisty, unhinged without being overtly extreme. I find myself having a love/hate relationship with the MC. I find her insufferable most of the time yet I admire her temerity and tenacity. I gobbled this up!
4.5 🍫🍬🍭
Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc 🖤
TW: sexual assault, grooming, graphic violence, domestic abuse
Sugar. Sweet. Hard to resist.
Sweet but Psycho ang peg.
"I thought killing him would bring relief, but it only unearthed a ravenous hunger I couldn't seem to quell."
"Love, for me, was an endless cycle of rebirth and death, each man a phoenix rising from the ashes of the last, burning brightly before succumbing to the inevitable. And I, ever the devoted keeper of these flames, continued to mark my life with their passage, a perennial witness to both conflagration and smoldering ruin."
Serial Killer? Love witch?
This was a fun read about one psycho broad (or two? 🤔), with a lust for love and eventually labelled as the LOVESICK KILLER. Scandalous, Twisty, unhinged without being overtly extreme. I find myself having a love/hate relationship with the MC. I find her insufferable most of the time yet I admire her temerity and tenacity. I gobbled this up!
4.5 🍫🍬🍭
Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc 🖤
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2025
This book is grossly under-edited. There are so many errors that it got to a point where I was genuinely irritated and couldn’t focus well on the plot. The pages are littered with adjectives and metaphors attempting to be gorgeous and profound - this had me, often enough, twisting my face up in confusion at what the author was trying to say. Towards the end everything went from bad to absolutely terrible. All the twists that the author was trying to tie in fell absolutely flat, and were very forced/rushed. Despite my complaints, I did finish it and I did have fun at a few points.
September 26, 2024
Though this book was a page turner I felt that a lot of plot points were jammed in there for shock value that took no root in anything. While it was set in the late 70s there seemed to be a lot of anachronisms and the 70s setting was purely there for the vibe. Characters' motivations were super unclear and unbelievable. The writing was gorgeous and gripping but overall couldn't get over the issues presented within the plot.
January 12, 2025
This story was pure chaos and I loved it! It didn't take long for me to get swept into Satara's batshit delusions and (oddly enough) find myself rooting for her. Not sure what that says about me, but here we are 😅
4.25 � There was a slight overuse of metaphors and imagery, which sometimes resulted in wordiness. But this was Ballard's debut and the story kept me entertained from start to finish, so it's easily overlooked!
4.25 � There was a slight overuse of metaphors and imagery, which sometimes resulted in wordiness. But this was Ballard's debut and the story kept me entertained from start to finish, so it's easily overlooked!
January 2, 2025
3.75 ⭐️ This was a rollercoaster, I did not see that ending coming. Satara is a housewife in the late 60s early 70s with an acid addiction and a penchant for murder. Her delusions and self-righteousness end up being her downfall. You will hate satara, I do not think she was written to be liked.
March 30, 2025
3.5 - my first ever arc !!!!! but um
what in the serial killer hell did i just read !!!! HELLO MA’AM
that� was the most twisted, fcked up thing i have ever read ?? truly a rollercoaster i don’t even know how to feel i mean truly ???
what in the serial killer hell did i just read !!!! HELLO MA’AM
that� was the most twisted, fcked up thing i have ever read ?? truly a rollercoaster i don’t even know how to feel i mean truly ???
December 27, 2024
i’m a sucker for a horror story about an unhinged woman. this had me HOOKED!! i couldn’t put it down. it was unique, interesting, and fast paced. it even had a witchcraft subplot and the ending genuinely took me by surprise! plus the epilogue, i was shook
November 19, 2024
Sugar
by Mia Ballard wasn’t a book I expected to enjoy as much as I did. Stories centered around unhinged female protagonists and raw depictions of feminine rage aren’t usually my go-to trope. Sure, I’ve dabbled with tales like American Psycho, but let’s be honest, Patrick Bateman’s chaotic charisma is in a league of its own. That said,
Sugar
surprised me in the best possible way. Mia Ballard weaves a story that is as subtle and simmering as it is explosive, much like Satara, her main character, whose anger slowly morphs into something unstoppable.
Satara’s journey starts with a cheating husband and best friend, as well as the quiet resentment towards the females around her. But as her story unfolds, that betrayal and resentment builds into a crescendo of vengeance. What begins as a simmer becomes an all-out inferno, a killing spree that, in her mind, feels like justice, even though it lands her in a psych ward. Reading this was a wild, emotional rollercoaster. Satara had me torn: did I love her? Did I despise her? Could I see fragments of myself in her? The truth is, there’s a little bit of Satara in all of us. Maybe it’s envy. Maybe it’s jealousy. Maybe it’s those fleeting, frustrated thoughts about the people � particularly men � who’ve wronged us in the past. Whatever it is, Sugar taps into something raw and undeniably real. Feminine rage is a force, and this book is its unflinching ode.
But as dark and vengeful as Satara is, her reflection of her mother's death shattered me. According to Satara, it wasn’t a death borne out of malice but an act of twisted mercy and desperation. Satara’s justification that it was a release from suffering was horrifying, but it also made her heartbreakingly human. Her mother's death was the only death she ever truly mourned, and that grief lingered with me long after I finished the book. This chapter alone is a testament to Ballard’s writing that even in the most monstrous moments, Satara’s pain feels painfully real. I can honestly say that that chapter broke me into a million pieces, forcing me to grapple with the blurred lines between love, desperation, and cruelty.
Reading Satara’s story also made me reflect on my own experiences with desperation. Years ago, after a breakup, I found myself doing something I never thought I would: calling a psychic to find out if my ex and I would get back together. I laugh about it now, but at the moment, it felt like an act of desperation that was not so different from the things Satara does, especially with the Love Witch. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Reaching for straws, seeking closure, or clinging to hope. Sometimes we do things that seem ridiculous in hindsight, and in Satara’s case, those moments of desperation spiral into something far darker.
What really hooked me about this book was its depth and direction. Satara’s story wasn’t just rage for the sake of rage. There’s a clear progression: a beginning, middle, and end that gives weight to her transformation into something monstrous. Exploring why Satara becomes who she is made the narrative so much more compelling. I’ve read other books about feminine rage, but few deliver with this level of intent and nuance. It’s not about her waking up one day and randomly seeking vengeance, it’s about understanding what drives her, what breaks her, and ultimately, what destroys her.
And let’s talk about that cover, absolutely stunning! I’ll admit, it’s what initially drew me to the book, but the story inside is every bit as captivating. If you’re looking for a gripping exploration of the thin line between love and madness, Sugar should absolutely be on your TBR. I’m so glad I gave it a chance, and I can’t wait to see what Mia Ballard writes next.
Satara’s journey starts with a cheating husband and best friend, as well as the quiet resentment towards the females around her. But as her story unfolds, that betrayal and resentment builds into a crescendo of vengeance. What begins as a simmer becomes an all-out inferno, a killing spree that, in her mind, feels like justice, even though it lands her in a psych ward. Reading this was a wild, emotional rollercoaster. Satara had me torn: did I love her? Did I despise her? Could I see fragments of myself in her? The truth is, there’s a little bit of Satara in all of us. Maybe it’s envy. Maybe it’s jealousy. Maybe it’s those fleeting, frustrated thoughts about the people � particularly men � who’ve wronged us in the past. Whatever it is, Sugar taps into something raw and undeniably real. Feminine rage is a force, and this book is its unflinching ode.
But as dark and vengeful as Satara is, her reflection of her mother's death shattered me. According to Satara, it wasn’t a death borne out of malice but an act of twisted mercy and desperation. Satara’s justification that it was a release from suffering was horrifying, but it also made her heartbreakingly human. Her mother's death was the only death she ever truly mourned, and that grief lingered with me long after I finished the book. This chapter alone is a testament to Ballard’s writing that even in the most monstrous moments, Satara’s pain feels painfully real. I can honestly say that that chapter broke me into a million pieces, forcing me to grapple with the blurred lines between love, desperation, and cruelty.
Reading Satara’s story also made me reflect on my own experiences with desperation. Years ago, after a breakup, I found myself doing something I never thought I would: calling a psychic to find out if my ex and I would get back together. I laugh about it now, but at the moment, it felt like an act of desperation that was not so different from the things Satara does, especially with the Love Witch. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Reaching for straws, seeking closure, or clinging to hope. Sometimes we do things that seem ridiculous in hindsight, and in Satara’s case, those moments of desperation spiral into something far darker.
What really hooked me about this book was its depth and direction. Satara’s story wasn’t just rage for the sake of rage. There’s a clear progression: a beginning, middle, and end that gives weight to her transformation into something monstrous. Exploring why Satara becomes who she is made the narrative so much more compelling. I’ve read other books about feminine rage, but few deliver with this level of intent and nuance. It’s not about her waking up one day and randomly seeking vengeance, it’s about understanding what drives her, what breaks her, and ultimately, what destroys her.
And let’s talk about that cover, absolutely stunning! I’ll admit, it’s what initially drew me to the book, but the story inside is every bit as captivating. If you’re looking for a gripping exploration of the thin line between love and madness, Sugar should absolutely be on your TBR. I’m so glad I gave it a chance, and I can’t wait to see what Mia Ballard writes next.
October 22, 2024
Hi there! This is the author of SUGAR. I want to give a big thank you to all of you who have read and enjoyed my story so far. Just want to clear up something-if you received a copy through NetGalley VERY early on it’s possible you read the unfinished unpolished version of the book. If there are any misspelled words or discrepancies with the tense changing, rest assured that it has all been fixed for the final copy. Oh and I know you all do not follow me on Social media so you might not know that I released it early on Oct 17th! So SUGAR is available now on paperback, hardcover, and kindle right now! (Also Barnes and noble.com) thank you so much and I cannot wait to show you guys what I come out with next! 🥲🍭🔪❤️�
September 24, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Galaxy Press for this ARC!
I saw this book floating around bookstagram from a few of my friends and I had to check it out. Sugar is everything you want in a serial killer story and so much more!
I read this book in less than 24 hours and I could NOT put it down. Sugar is fast paced and unflinching until the very end! Mark your calendars for this release and be prepared to be obsessed with this book 🥰
I saw this book floating around bookstagram from a few of my friends and I had to check it out. Sugar is everything you want in a serial killer story and so much more!
I read this book in less than 24 hours and I could NOT put it down. Sugar is fast paced and unflinching until the very end! Mark your calendars for this release and be prepared to be obsessed with this book 🥰
October 1, 2024
Women’s rights 🤝 me 🤝 women’s wrongs
3.5 ⭐️ just because of the misspellings
3.5 ⭐️ just because of the misspellings
December 29, 2024
Well, that was completely unhinged.
October 1, 2024
I'll start this review by saying, that if I could, I'd give this book 7 stars. I was provided an ARC of Sugar by Netgalley and I'm grateful.
For the sake of being honest, I need to point out that initially, this was a classic case of judging a book by its cover (which, in this case, seemed to have worked out pretty damn well). After I was hooked by the cover, I read through the blurb and I just knew this one would be right up my alley.
The book tells the story of Satara, a 35-year-old woman in the 1970s in suburban Orange County. After discovering her husband's affair with none other than her best friend of six years, she decides the only logical conclusion is to murder him. Not a hard feat, after all, she killed enough men before him.
Starting in this book, I was hooked from page one. There wasn't even 1 page that made me stop and need to drag on and if I would've had a physical copy, I'd have probably highlighted 3/4 of the entire book.
Mia Ballard has a style you don't get to read often. Her articulation is both, poetic in a sense that leaves you thirsty for more and effortless to grasp. The way in which she writes her protagonist makes it not only easy to immerse yourself, but I found it even rather hard to not be on Satara's side through the book, even as it grew progressively unhinged and it became clear just how depraved her character was.
While it's clear from page one that Satara is no sane person, the true extent of her mind only gets clear, after we discover the various throwbacks and men of her past. A woman wronged too many times, she gets progressively more deranged as time moves on. And while I as a reader knew that nearly all of Satara's actions were wrong, I couldn't help but understand her, feel for her, and even be on her side the whole time. Even as the air thickened for Satara and it became clear just what she really was capable of, I was secretly rooting for her. (We support women's rights and wrongs and all that?)
Just when you start to question where the story is heading, wondering what Mia's goal with this plot is, the twists and turns start to happen out of nowhere and suddenly, everything makes sense and you ask yourself how you couldn't have put it together sooner.
And still, in the end, I felt a twisted sense of satisfaction and couldn't help but think "Good for her".
I would like to point out, that I felt a bit like Satara's use of LSD through the book was somehow transferred to me in the sense, that this book felt like pure drugs. I just wasn't able to put it down, even going as far as reading on my phone while cooking my dinner and showering. I finally finished it at two in the morning, and yes, it's worth the less than four hours of sleep I got.
I will probably recommend this book everywhere now and will be insufferable and won't shut up about it. I will even go as far to say, that this might just be the best book I've read so far this year and I fear it won't be topped anytime soon.
For the sake of being honest, I need to point out that initially, this was a classic case of judging a book by its cover (which, in this case, seemed to have worked out pretty damn well). After I was hooked by the cover, I read through the blurb and I just knew this one would be right up my alley.
The book tells the story of Satara, a 35-year-old woman in the 1970s in suburban Orange County. After discovering her husband's affair with none other than her best friend of six years, she decides the only logical conclusion is to murder him. Not a hard feat, after all, she killed enough men before him.
Starting in this book, I was hooked from page one. There wasn't even 1 page that made me stop and need to drag on and if I would've had a physical copy, I'd have probably highlighted 3/4 of the entire book.
Mia Ballard has a style you don't get to read often. Her articulation is both, poetic in a sense that leaves you thirsty for more and effortless to grasp. The way in which she writes her protagonist makes it not only easy to immerse yourself, but I found it even rather hard to not be on Satara's side through the book, even as it grew progressively unhinged and it became clear just how depraved her character was.
While it's clear from page one that Satara is no sane person, the true extent of her mind only gets clear, after we discover the various throwbacks and men of her past. A woman wronged too many times, she gets progressively more deranged as time moves on. And while I as a reader knew that nearly all of Satara's actions were wrong, I couldn't help but understand her, feel for her, and even be on her side the whole time. Even as the air thickened for Satara and it became clear just what she really was capable of, I was secretly rooting for her. (We support women's rights and wrongs and all that?)
Just when you start to question where the story is heading, wondering what Mia's goal with this plot is, the twists and turns start to happen out of nowhere and suddenly, everything makes sense and you ask yourself how you couldn't have put it together sooner.
And still, in the end, I felt a twisted sense of satisfaction and couldn't help but think "Good for her".
I would like to point out, that I felt a bit like Satara's use of LSD through the book was somehow transferred to me in the sense, that this book felt like pure drugs. I just wasn't able to put it down, even going as far as reading on my phone while cooking my dinner and showering. I finally finished it at two in the morning, and yes, it's worth the less than four hours of sleep I got.
I will probably recommend this book everywhere now and will be insufferable and won't shut up about it. I will even go as far to say, that this might just be the best book I've read so far this year and I fear it won't be topped anytime soon.
November 11, 2024
Sugar was so much fun! Not only is this true female rage with an unreliable narrator who is unapologetically bad, it also served as poignant social commentary on mental health. On the surface, Satara's husband Dean has been cheating on her with her best friend Lilah, so she kills him and pivots to her next victim—husband-to-be—contacting a Love Witch this time around to ensure her love is true and unshakable, seeking a level of obsession she always seems to find herself in toward men but they never find themselves in toward her. At the same time, Lilah is on a mission to prove Satara's guilt, and Satara takes the reader on a journey through her troubled, terrifying past, where she's often used—sometimes groomed—then discarded, before she takes justice into her own serial-killing hands.
Ballard is a beautiful writer. The prose was flowery but not pretentious, and I felt like she did a great job with the pacing and building up to the climax. I found the twists and turns to be a little predictable but well-executed and not at all cheesy. I loved the end so much!
This is a great book for people who love women's rights and women's wrongs and find themselves saying, "Good for her!" when she snaps.
5 ⭐️s
1 🌶�
Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Galaxy Press, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!
Ballard is a beautiful writer. The prose was flowery but not pretentious, and I felt like she did a great job with the pacing and building up to the climax. I found the twists and turns to be a little predictable but well-executed and not at all cheesy. I loved the end so much!
This is a great book for people who love women's rights and women's wrongs and find themselves saying, "Good for her!" when she snaps.
5 ⭐️s
1 🌶�
Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Galaxy Press, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!
February 27, 2025
Never have I felt so conflicted between condemning a main character and cheering her on. This is a wild, unhinged ride. I loved every minute of it.
The way Mia Ballard executed this story, it shouldn't have worked but it did. The prose was a bit heavy-handed with similes, but you know what? The over-the-top prose was perfect for the story, the characters and the vibe. The was over-the-top and unrealistic, but it was perfect for the story.
I both hated and empathized with Satara. At times reprehensible, other times funny, and at other times I really felt for her. I am just in awe of Ballard's ability to make me feel so many conflicting emotions at the same time.
The only flaw I can think of is that it had a lot of typos, but I couldn't care less about those. If this had minimal editing and Ballard was still able to craft something this good, then no notes. I'm impressed by her ability to craft a story and look forward to reading from her in the future.
The way Mia Ballard executed this story, it shouldn't have worked but it did. The prose was a bit heavy-handed with similes, but you know what? The over-the-top prose was perfect for the story, the characters and the vibe. The was over-the-top and unrealistic, but it was perfect for the story.
I both hated and empathized with Satara. At times reprehensible, other times funny, and at other times I really felt for her. I am just in awe of Ballard's ability to make me feel so many conflicting emotions at the same time.
The only flaw I can think of is that it had a lot of typos, but I couldn't care less about those. If this had minimal editing and Ballard was still able to craft something this good, then no notes. I'm impressed by her ability to craft a story and look forward to reading from her in the future.
September 25, 2024
This book immediately caught my interest with its synopsis and felt right up my alley. I have to say that I absolutely love an unhinged FMC (and I mean borderline deranged). Satara was absolutely wild as an MC and getting to learn about her past and her victims was so fascinating. Now hear me out, I’m not gonna fully condemn her actions on the first few murders, I do support women’s wrongs afterall. She really felt like a fully developed character that acted on this crazy war path of hers. I’m not usually a fan of reading books from the “villain� POV but this book made her so likeable with how unhinged she was. I feel in reality this is more of 4 star read but honestly I’m giving it 5 because of how much fun I had reading it and how much it made me root for a killer! I have to say I did not see that ending coming from a mile away- I was absolutely gagged. The author really said hold my beer and weaved everything together so so well. The final page was absolutely delicious and all I can say is karma is a b*tch.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “Sugar� will be published October 29, 2024.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “Sugar� will be published October 29, 2024.
December 4, 2024
This was book was next level crazy!! Satara girl!! I love thrillers like this because you just don’t know what’s what. Definitely recommend anyone to read this it’s good.
September 23, 2024
After finishing this book, my first thought was WOW! This read was unhinged in the best possible way! I love a good twisty psychological thriller. Love, betrayal, murder, and witchcraft?! What more could you ask for? Sugar by Mia Ballard did not disappoint! I did not expect the twists that kept coming. I highly recommend reading this book of love, lust, betrayal, and revenge. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
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