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I gave ‘Shy Girl’ a five-star review before I found out it was AI-generated

Poynter · Rachel Meghan · last updated

If AI-generated books can slip past critics and major publishers, what does that mean for the future of book criticism?

When I first read “Shy Girl” by Mia Ballard in January 2025, it became one of my new favorite horror novels.

It’s rare to find a femme indie author who writes extreme horror stories that resonate so deeply, even if the prose is a little purple and the metaphors don’t always make sense. Sometimes it’s the thrill that gets you, the catharsis, the rage.

In hindsight, the book came out suspiciously quickly. Ballard had released “Sugar,” another horror book, in 2024, and the initial self-published version of “Shy Girl” followed in early 2025. Wanting to see the best in one of my favorite authors, I didn’t think much of it beyond assuming she had a good work ethic.

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