This Might Hurt
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- Create Date：2022-02-15 07:51:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Stephanie Wrobel
- ISBN：0241416094
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Summary
Welcome to Wisewood。 Where we keep your secrets， if you keep ours。
Natalie Collins hasn’t heard from her sister in more than half a year。
The last time they spoke， Kit was slogging from mundane workdays to obligatory happy hours to crying in the shower about their dead mother。 She told Natalie she was sure there was something more out there。
And then she found Wisewood。
On a private island off the coast of Maine， Wisewood’s guests commit to six-month stays。 During this time， they’re prohibited from contact with the rest of the world—no Internet， no phones， no exceptions。 But the rules are for a good reason: to keep guests focused on achieving true fearlessness so they can become their Maximized Selves。 Natalie thinks it’s a bad idea， but Kit has had enough of her sister’s cynicism and voluntarily disappears off the grid。
Six months later Natalie receives a menacing e-mail from a Wisewood account threatening to reveal the secret she’s been keeping from Kit。 Panicked， Natalie hurries north to come clean to her sister and bring her home。 But she’s about to learn that Wisewood won’t let either of them go without a fight。
Natalie Collins hasn’t heard from her sister in more than half a year。
The last time they spoke， Kit was slogging from mundane workdays to obligatory happy hours to crying in the shower about their dead mother。 She told Natalie she was sure there was something more out there。
And then she found Wisewood。
On a private island off the coast of Maine， Wisewood’s guests commit to six-month stays。 During this time， they’re prohibited from contact with the rest of the world—no Internet， no phones， no exceptions。 But the rules are for a good reason: to keep guests focused on achieving true fearlessness so they can become their Maximized Selves。 Natalie thinks it’s a bad idea， but Kit has had enough of her sister’s cynicism and voluntarily disappears off the grid。
Six months later Natalie receives a menacing e-mail from a Wisewood account threatening to reveal the secret she’s been keeping from Kit。 Panicked， Natalie hurries north to come clean to her sister and bring her home。 But she’s about to learn that Wisewood won’t let either of them go without a fight。
Reviews
Stephanie
，
I loved this author’s previous novel， Darling Rose Gold， and I was hoping to similarly enjoy this one。 However， I found the different points of view in different time frames and different plot lines confusing， disjointed and hard to follow。 I do like multiple POVs but it did not work in this novel for me。 In addition， parts of the plot were disconcerting to read and towards the end， I caught myself skimming the pages to reach the end。 The main character was also very weird and over the top， in m I loved this author’s previous novel， Darling Rose Gold， and I was hoping to similarly enjoy this one。 However， I found the different points of view in different time frames and different plot lines confusing， disjointed and hard to follow。 I do like multiple POVs but it did not work in this novel for me。 In addition， parts of the plot were disconcerting to read and towards the end， I caught myself skimming the pages to reach the end。 The main character was also very weird and over the top， in my view， which made it hard for me to engage with her storyline。 Thanks t0 Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
KKEC Reads
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Published: February 22， 2022Berkley Pages: 336Genre: Psychological FictionKKECReads Rating: 5/5I received a copy of this book for free， and I leave my review voluntarily。 Stephanie Wrobel grew up in Chicago but has been living in the UK for the last four years with her husband and her dog， Moose Barkwinkle。 She has an MFA from Emerson College and has had short fiction published in Bellevue Literary Review。 Before turning to fiction， she worked as a creative copywriter at various advertising agen Published: February 22， 2022Berkley Pages: 336Genre: Psychological FictionKKECReads Rating: 5/5I received a copy of this book for free， and I leave my review voluntarily。 Stephanie Wrobel grew up in Chicago but has been living in the UK for the last four years with her husband and her dog， Moose Barkwinkle。 She has an MFA from Emerson College and has had short fiction published in Bellevue Literary Review。 Before turning to fiction， she worked as a creative copywriter at various advertising agencies。“Some people guzzle the Kool-Aid when they should take sips。”Kit longs to feel like she belongs to something， anything。 She doesn’t want to feel like she is free-falling through life anymore。 Natalie has always done things by the book。 She has made sure her little sister， Kit， has never had to go without anything。 When an unconventional type of therapy falls into Kit's lap， she is ready to leap。 But after months without any contact， a single email with one sentence brings Natalie rushing to save her sister before it’s too late。Whoa。 This was a ride from start to finish。 I loved how the story was told， with several alternating angles， giving different perspectives， and both past and present intertwining to lead the reader to one terrifying conclusion。The characters were fantastic and incredibly well developed。 It was apparent how much effort went into bringing them to life。 I loved the stark differences between the characters—the imbalance of fear， family， truth， and justice。The themes throughout this novel were beautifully presented， and terrifyingly realistic。 So much truth is hidden behind how our childhoods shape up， and the choices we make to take is through life。The power dynamic was well played， and the manipulation， deceit， lies， and goals were both hidden in plain sight and camouflaged among the trees。 There was such a realistic quality to the storytelling in this book， yet it grabs you and holds on tight until the very end。Life is about making decisions。 Choosing what we think is right。 And sometimes power makes people forget。 。。。more
Tina
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This Might Hurt is a slow burn， more mystery than thriller in my opinion， but an engrossing read just the same。 Wrobel has an uncanny ability to write about dysfunctional families in a true and authentic way。 Natalie receives an ominous email regarding her sister who entered into a ''self-help program'' six months prior and Natalie has had no contact with since。 Natalie decides it's time to check out Wisewood， see her sister and face the past。 Told in alternating point of views and multiple time This Might Hurt is a slow burn， more mystery than thriller in my opinion， but an engrossing read just the same。 Wrobel has an uncanny ability to write about dysfunctional families in a true and authentic way。 Natalie receives an ominous email regarding her sister who entered into a ''self-help program'' six months prior and Natalie has had no contact with since。 Natalie decides it's time to check out Wisewood， see her sister and face the past。 Told in alternating point of views and multiple timelines， the reader is entwined in a sticky mess of family abuse， secrets， stage magic， indoctrination and what it means to sacrifice for yourself or your loved ones。 Well-written， a bit dark with flawed characters and an ending that well。。。 it's best left unspoiled。 Thank you to netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for an advanced copy to read and review honestly。 。。。more
MarilynW
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This Might Hurt by Stephanie WrobelI got off on the wrong foot with This Might Hurt by not realizing that there were three narrators for this story。 There are various timelines throughout the book and the narration of sisters， Natalie and Kit。 Then there is another narrator， unnamed until later in the book， whose timeline I didn't understand until towards the end of the story。 I'm not sure if understanding things sooner would have helped me enjoy the story more but I know my confusion kept me fr This Might Hurt by Stephanie WrobelI got off on the wrong foot with This Might Hurt by not realizing that there were three narrators for this story。 There are various timelines throughout the book and the narration of sisters， Natalie and Kit。 Then there is another narrator， unnamed until later in the book， whose timeline I didn't understand until towards the end of the story。 I'm not sure if understanding things sooner would have helped me enjoy the story more but I know my confusion kept me from caring as much about Natalie and Kit。 Natalie has always been saving her younger sister from herself and her unwise choices。 So it seems like a bad joke when Kit decides to give up her latest low level job to spend six months at a place called Wisewood。 Six months shut off from the internet， phone service， any contact with the rest of the world。 No word from Kit at all， during that time。 Then Natalie gets an email from Wisewood threatening to tell Kit something that Natalie did， something that Natalie is ready to confess to Kit。 Off Natalie goes to the private island where Wisewood is located。 What Natalie finds is beyond creepy， with "cult" written all over it。 Shaved heads， no touching， spartan quarters， and no answers。 The question is， "can Natalie escape this place with her sister in tow"？ Finally， towards the end of the book， I caught on to what the third narration was telling me。 Say no to cults， folks， nothing good comes from being one of the "followers"。 Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley 。。。more
Wendy
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I absolutely love this author！ I only put this book down to work or sleep， it was very suspenseful。 Definitely a psychological thriller which are my favorite。 I've been reading all my life and I couldn't figure out any of the twists and turns。 I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an attention getting （and keeping） thriller！ I absolutely love this author！ I only put this book down to work or sleep， it was very suspenseful。 Definitely a psychological thriller which are my favorite。 I've been reading all my life and I couldn't figure out any of the twists and turns。 I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an attention getting （and keeping） thriller！ 。。。more
ElphaReads
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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel！As someone who is a sucker for cult stories， THIS MIGHT HURT was a book that caught my eye。 Especially since I enjoyed Wrobel's previous novel DARLING ROSE GOLD。 And THIS MIGHT HURT， while not as strong as I had hoped it would be， was an entertaining read that gave a lot of tension and suspense。 I liked the narrative structure to this story， as it's told through a few different perspectives that helps build said tension。 The firs Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel！As someone who is a sucker for cult stories， THIS MIGHT HURT was a book that caught my eye。 Especially since I enjoyed Wrobel's previous novel DARLING ROSE GOLD。 And THIS MIGHT HURT， while not as strong as I had hoped it would be， was an entertaining read that gave a lot of tension and suspense。 I liked the narrative structure to this story， as it's told through a few different perspectives that helps build said tension。 The first is Natalie， a driven woman who is looking for her younger sister Kit after the 'self help' group that Kit has been staying with sends her a threatening email。 Natalie's perspective is looking at Wisewood and slowly realizing while she's on the island that she's possibly in danger。 The second perspective is that of Kit， and is the timeline of her arriving at Wisewood months earlier， to show how she has gone from lost soul to perhaps brainwashed cult member。 I liked how their story unfolded in this way， but I wasn't really invested in either Natalie or Kit， as they both kind of fit into very well worn tropes of characters that we see in this kind of story。 But it was the third perspective that made this book for me， which was a mysterious third person， who goes on a life's journey that is bleak and at times deeply disturbing。 Not going to spoil much here。THIS MIGHT HURT has a lot of familiar aspects to it， but has some unique subversions that made it stand out。 。。。more
MissBecka Gee
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This had me wrapped around it's pinky finger from the start。Intense， interesting and super messed up。Who doesn't enjoy a book about cults/communes？I do wish there had been more wrapped up in the end， buuut。。。 Much love to NetGalley with Simon & Schuster Canada for my DRC。 This had me wrapped around it's pinky finger from the start。Intense， interesting and super messed up。Who doesn't enjoy a book about cults/communes？I do wish there had been more wrapped up in the end， buuut。。。 Much love to NetGalley with Simon & Schuster Canada for my DRC。 。。。more
Darla
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Principle I: I want to live a life in which I am free。Principle II: As long as I fear， I cannot be free。Principle III: I must eliminate any obstacles that impede my path to freedom。Welcome to Wisewood。 Teacher will help you to overcome your panic attacks， your addictions， your guilt， your 。 。 。 。 Natalie's sister Kit has gone to Wisewood for a 6-month regimen。 A cryptic email from Wisewood to Natalie makes her fear for Kit's wellbeing。 Natalie has a secret and this may be her last chance to come Principle I: I want to live a life in which I am free。Principle II: As long as I fear， I cannot be free。Principle III: I must eliminate any obstacles that impede my path to freedom。Welcome to Wisewood。 Teacher will help you to overcome your panic attacks， your addictions， your guilt， your 。 。 。 。 Natalie's sister Kit has gone to Wisewood for a 6-month regimen。 A cryptic email from Wisewood to Natalie makes her fear for Kit's wellbeing。 Natalie has a secret and this may be her last chance to come clean。 Once she gets there， things will not be so simple。 Teacher says the island is a safe haven and those in the Inner Circle believe in her。 But what if it is really prison？ Peer pressure is real and wanting to be Teacher's Pet can be quite a motivator。 Do you want to be free？ Are you afraid？ What obstacles are impeding your path？ This might hurt。 。 。Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lisa | Lady_Logomancer
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Thank you so much to @berkleypub and @netgalley for this free copy of This Might HurtHaving LOVED Darling Rose Gold I was so excited to be able to reviews this book in advance of it’s publication。 It’s a taught thriller， written from multiple POV’s。 There are many discussions of sisters， traumatic family abuse， feelings of fear and failure， loss and grief。 The story winds itself up， culminating at a cult-like self help retreat on a remote island in Maine。 Who is telling the story？ Some of the ti Thank you so much to @berkleypub and @netgalley for this free copy of This Might HurtHaving LOVED Darling Rose Gold I was so excited to be able to reviews this book in advance of it’s publication。 It’s a taught thriller， written from multiple POV’s。 There are many discussions of sisters， traumatic family abuse， feelings of fear and failure， loss and grief。 The story winds itself up， culminating at a cult-like self help retreat on a remote island in Maine。 Who is telling the story？ Some of the time you think you know and some of the time you are wrong， 😂 I did guess some of the twists ahead of time but not all。 This is always when I will give a book the highest kudos， because I am not easily fooled， I thought the premise was excellent， the pacing from 60%to about 80% is a little sluggish but overall a very solid and suspenseful read。 If you liked Darling Rose Gold and/or you like taught and suspenseful reads with mostly strong female characters I highly recommend this one。 。。。more
Sue
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3。5 starsThis Might Hurt takes some post-read pondering！Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for my eARC for review。The story begins with Natalie receiving an email about her sister Kit， from an anonymous someone from the Wildwood resort。Wildwood is contained on a private island in Maine， where guests must commit to six-month stays with no contact to the outside world。 This is to achieve their "maximized selves" and improvement sessions are led by the mysterious Teacher。 Kit fled t 3。5 starsThis Might Hurt takes some post-read pondering！Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for my eARC for review。The story begins with Natalie receiving an email about her sister Kit， from an anonymous someone from the Wildwood resort。Wildwood is contained on a private island in Maine， where guests must commit to six-month stays with no contact to the outside world。 This is to achieve their "maximized selves" and improvement sessions are led by the mysterious Teacher。 Kit fled to Wildwood months earlier and has not been heard from since。There are some vague Dharma Initiative vibes here。The concept branches off from there， relaying Natalie and Kit's stories in differing timelines， as well as that of a character unlike anyone I've experienced in any book before。I was a huge fan of Stephanie Wrobel's debut novel， Darling Rose Gold。 This Might Hurt didn't impact me the same way， but do know I couldn't put it down。 Like， 2 a。m。 reading sessions happening。The twisty plotlines left me with many questions， but it's one I won't stop thinking about anytime soon。Recommended！For release on Feb。 22。 。。。more
Wendy'sThoughts
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3 To Cult Or Not To Cult Stars* * * Spoiler Free-A Quick ReviewThis book has many who have truly gotten behind this book。 After reading Darling Rose Gold， I decided to give it a go。 The writing was solid and if you like multiple POVs， then this may be for you。 It also has a controlled location where much of the action happens with no way to reach out to others that are not there。 The focus has sisters who need to confront all the family issues they experienced and discover what type of relations 3 To Cult Or Not To Cult Stars* * * Spoiler Free-A Quick ReviewThis book has many who have truly gotten behind this book。 After reading Darling Rose Gold， I decided to give it a go。 The writing was solid and if you like multiple POVs， then this may be for you。 It also has a controlled location where much of the action happens with no way to reach out to others that are not there。 The focus has sisters who need to confront all the family issues they experienced and discover what type of relationship they actually had。 There is manipulation abounds。 This Might Hurt https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。For more Reviews， Free E-books and Giveaways 。。。more
Eva
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As children， Natalie was always like a mother figure to her younger sister Kit。 She always ensured that gifts were under the tree and that her basic needs were met。 Their mother was just not that interested。 When Natalie， now an adult and a strategist for a large firm， gets an email from someone claiming they are going to let Kit in on a big secret if Natalie doesn’t come herself and do it， Natalie decides to travel to the small island of Wisewood and tell her sister before she finds out from so As children， Natalie was always like a mother figure to her younger sister Kit。 She always ensured that gifts were under the tree and that her basic needs were met。 Their mother was just not that interested。 When Natalie， now an adult and a strategist for a large firm， gets an email from someone claiming they are going to let Kit in on a big secret if Natalie doesn’t come herself and do it， Natalie decides to travel to the small island of Wisewood and tell her sister before she finds out from someone else。 Kit who is staying at the self-improvement retreat for 6 months where no outside contact is allowed is deeply involved in the program a。k。a cult。 In This Might Hurt we also meet a mentalist who was inspired by Houdini and is now sharing her wisdom with others at Wisewood。 The goal is a Maximized Self; think Maslow’s Hierarchy but on steroids。 Multiple POVs bring the story to fruition and there is a sense of unease that exists within the pages。 There are several characters and it is fairly important to try and keep track of all of them。 They each have a unique story to tell。 The setting of an isolated island in winter adds to the sense of foreboding。 The backgrounds of the main characters makes the reader appreciate how they came to be who they currently are。 The secret itself was a bit of a let down but the twists along the way kept the mystery factor high for me。 The deep faith that one of the characters has for their position in life was interesting and oh so satisfying near the end of the story。 Thank you to @netgalley and @simonschusterca for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions。 This Might Hurt publishes February 22， 2022。 。。。more
Elise
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This was a very disappointing read for me。 The premise was interesting， but the pacing was just so slow and the ending was anticlimactic （honestly，I’m still not quite sure what happened or what it meant）。 I usually get into multiple POVs， but it was frustrating to have it every other chapter with slow pacing。 Also， the identity of one of the POVs was a little confusing and the reveal was not satisfying。 Sorry， but I had a hard time connecting to the magician plot。。
Devon
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This was a disappointing read for me， especially since it was one of the releases I had been most looking forward to this year。 I think it is mistakingly categorized as a thriller， as I found it to be so slowly paced that even the elements of suspense were dragged out。 Although the potential of storyline， psychological element and overall content was strong， the execution was subpar at best。 The last third of the book was rapidly and messily “wrapped up” in an unsatisfying manner。 If you go in w This was a disappointing read for me， especially since it was one of the releases I had been most looking forward to this year。 I think it is mistakingly categorized as a thriller， as I found it to be so slowly paced that even the elements of suspense were dragged out。 Although the potential of storyline， psychological element and overall content was strong， the execution was subpar at best。 The last third of the book was rapidly and messily “wrapped up” in an unsatisfying manner。 If you go in with no expectations， you may enjoy this novel more than I did。 However， there is no comparison to Wrobel’s debut Darling Rose Gold， which seems to be a consistent takeaway from others reviews。 Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC！ 。。。more
Judy Odom
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3。5 stars which I will gladly round up to 4。This Might Hurt is a twisted and dark yet somehow a compelling read that kept me turning the pages。I was a bit confused with POV at first but when it all came together the story strengthened。Natalie has not seen her sister in over 6 months and has something she wants to confess to Kit but when she reaches the island she senses that something is very wrong hereLots of unlikeable characters to hiss at and those that we wish would smarten up and run。 This 3。5 stars which I will gladly round up to 4。This Might Hurt is a twisted and dark yet somehow a compelling read that kept me turning the pages。I was a bit confused with POV at first but when it all came together the story strengthened。Natalie has not seen her sister in over 6 months and has something she wants to confess to Kit but when she reaches the island she senses that something is very wrong hereLots of unlikeable characters to hiss at and those that we wish would smarten up and run。 This Might Hurt will stay with me for a long time 。Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group， Berkley for a haunting read。 。。。more
Michelle
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The review on the cover called this one “unsettling” and “dark” - both very accurate descriptions。 This book was creepy in the best way。 Natalie’s sister Kit left for a wellness retreat more than 6 months ago， and Nat hasn’t heard from her since。 After receiving a strange email， Nat travels to Wisewood to find her sister and take her home。 There， she discovers that bringing her home might not be too easy and that the secrets， hurt feelings， and betrayals that each sister carries will be used aga The review on the cover called this one “unsettling” and “dark” - both very accurate descriptions。 This book was creepy in the best way。 Natalie’s sister Kit left for a wellness retreat more than 6 months ago， and Nat hasn’t heard from her since。 After receiving a strange email， Nat travels to Wisewood to find her sister and take her home。 There， she discovers that bringing her home might not be too easy and that the secrets， hurt feelings， and betrayals that each sister carries will be used against them by the forces that run Wisewood。 Parts of this were disturbing， and there are lots of scenes with psychological abuse， violence， and trauma that were stressful to read。 This was overall a good read if you’re in the mood for a dark， culty suspense novel。 。。。more
Carrie
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I really disliked the opener for this book。 It was so off-putting， I almost set the book aside。 But it seemed disconnected to the first chapter so I decided to keep going。 But honestly I kept trying and trying to get into this book and I finally had to set it aside。 I just couldn’t make myself care about the characters or the story。 I am sure some people will love this book and I feel bad about not finishing it， but life’s too short to read books that don’t hold my interest。 My thanks to Net Gal I really disliked the opener for this book。 It was so off-putting， I almost set the book aside。 But it seemed disconnected to the first chapter so I decided to keep going。 But honestly I kept trying and trying to get into this book and I finally had to set it aside。 I just couldn’t make myself care about the characters or the story。 I am sure some people will love this book and I feel bad about not finishing it， but life’s too short to read books that don’t hold my interest。 My thanks to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this copy of This Might Hurt。 。。。more
Diane Merritt
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This book was just good。 Seemed a lot at the beginning surrounded the secret。 Which to me fell flat。 The separate storylines at first I wasn't sure where they were going but glad they made sense at the end。 Not a book I would clamor to pick up。Thanks to the author， the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book。 This book was just good。 Seemed a lot at the beginning surrounded the secret。 Which to me fell flat。 The separate storylines at first I wasn't sure where they were going but glad they made sense at the end。 Not a book I would clamor to pick up。Thanks to the author， the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book。 。。。more
Nadine
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This Might Hurt is a slow burn thriller that lacks the unsettling atmosphere a novel like this depends on and is so slow paced a novel that it was difficult to get through。This Might Hurt has an interesting premise and is the reason I requested the novel， however it falls flat with the lack of atmosphere despite the setting。 Natalie receives a cryptic email and feels compelled to track her sister down at Wisewood， a private island community committed to becoming their Maximized Selves。 This is This Might Hurt is a slow burn thriller that lacks the unsettling atmosphere a novel like this depends on and is so slow paced a novel that it was difficult to get through。This Might Hurt has an interesting premise and is the reason I requested the novel， however it falls flat with the lack of atmosphere despite the setting。 Natalie receives a cryptic email and feels compelled to track her sister down at Wisewood， a private island community committed to becoming their Maximized Selves。 This is where the lack of atmosphere becomes painfully obvious。 Natalie really only experiences two weird things then seemingly ignores them only to freak out and be suspicious of Wisewood later to ratchet up the tension as the novel comes to an end。This Might Hurt has three POVs and it is not readily apparent who each of these characters are as the story progressed。 I’m not sure what Wrobel was trying to accomplish， but I feel like it would have served the novel better had it been clear from the beginning。It wasn’t until around 80% mark of the novel where the slow paced evaporated and the plot came together。 This last 20% is the reason I rated the novel three stars instead of two。 The ending was exciting and would have landed better had the previous 80% of the novel set up the ending properly。Overall， The Might Hurt has an interesting premise but falls flat in its execution。 It’s a slow paced thriller that takes too long to hook readers。*** I received an ARC via Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Denise
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A thrilling novel about two sisters。 Natalie hasn’t spoken to her sister， Kit， in approximately six months since she joined Wisewood， a seeming cult。 When Natalie receives a menacing email from a Wisewood account， she realizes she must find her sister and share her secrets。 Told from the viewpoint of many characters， This Might Hurt explores the power of magic， family， and secrets。 Good read。 * I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley in exchan A thrilling novel about two sisters。 Natalie hasn’t spoken to her sister， Kit， in approximately six months since she joined Wisewood， a seeming cult。 When Natalie receives a menacing email from a Wisewood account， she realizes she must find her sister and share her secrets。 Told from the viewpoint of many characters， This Might Hurt explores the power of magic， family， and secrets。 Good read。 * I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review 。。。more
K
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"I was a silly girl then， one who had no idea that the monster inside the boat was much worse than anything that dwelled underneath it。" This Might Hurt started off great， Sir is SUCH a menacing character， I found myself cringing during his scenes with Rebecca/Abigail。 Then it got weird and confusing with multiple POVs， two sets of sisters， and unlikable characters。 The ambiguity surrounding the nature of Wisewood and how it "seems" to work for Kit was handled well， but I would've liked to know "I was a silly girl then， one who had no idea that the monster inside the boat was much worse than anything that dwelled underneath it。" This Might Hurt started off great， Sir is SUCH a menacing character， I found myself cringing during his scenes with Rebecca/Abigail。 Then it got weird and confusing with multiple POVs， two sets of sisters， and unlikable characters。 The ambiguity surrounding the nature of Wisewood and how it "seems" to work for Kit was handled well， but I would've liked to know more about her。 I found some parts confusing - did Kit know Natalie did SO much for her （vs。 their mother） and if so， why did she worship their mother？ We found out nothing about Jack， and nothing about why/how Sir came to be。 Unfulfilling， overall。 P。S。 Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
AtomicBooks
，
This is quite a slow burner of a story and a dark read。 It is always really interesting to read a book where you don’t like any of the characters but all credit to the author that they are so well written that I still wanted to know their story。 The story is a slow burner but it is still strangely addictive and you are rewarded at the end。
Nicole Wuthering Vines
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This was quite the absorbing and intriguing thriller！Most people know that I’m a sucker for cult reads - I just find them so fascinating！ This one was truly unsettling and exceedingly dark and it kept me turning the pages long into the night！ Although it was certainly hypnotic， by the end， I was just hoping or expecting something more or different and therefore this fell a little flat for me。 While I throughly enjoyed the multiple POVs， I was also lacking a connection to the characters as well。N This was quite the absorbing and intriguing thriller！Most people know that I’m a sucker for cult reads - I just find them so fascinating！ This one was truly unsettling and exceedingly dark and it kept me turning the pages long into the night！ Although it was certainly hypnotic， by the end， I was just hoping or expecting something more or different and therefore this fell a little flat for me。 While I throughly enjoyed the multiple POVs， I was also lacking a connection to the characters as well。Now this does have some great themes and dives deep into some interesting topics and questions regarding fear and manipulation， so if that’s something you find captivating， it’s definitely worth checking out！3。5 stars rounded to 4 for goodreads 。。。more
Lexi Hartman
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It’s been a while since a book has had me on edge but This Might Hurt absolutely did！ From beginning to end I was completely hooked to the different POVs/timelines this story delivered and I can honestly say I didn’t see the twist or the ending as a whole coming！The book was definitely more plot driven but each character， especially our main three， brought a lot of layers to this little lasagna of a story。 I felt like this was one of those stories that really immersed you in what was going on wh It’s been a while since a book has had me on edge but This Might Hurt absolutely did！ From beginning to end I was completely hooked to the different POVs/timelines this story delivered and I can honestly say I didn’t see the twist or the ending as a whole coming！The book was definitely more plot driven but each character， especially our main three， brought a lot of layers to this little lasagna of a story。 I felt like this was one of those stories that really immersed you in what was going on while simultaneously stressing you out because you had no idea what was going on。 😂The synopsis of this story really doesn’t give too much away as to what is going to happen and I really appreciate that。 I think it’s best to go into this story blind （that’s also why I didn’t dive too much into the details with this review） as I think that is truly the only way to really experience this book。Huge thanks go out to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC！ This Might Hurt drops February 22 （my birthday！！） and is 100% worth adding to your tbr！ 。。。more
Claire
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Natalie hasn’t heard from her sister， Kit in over six months。 She’s been living off-grid on an island off the coast of Maine where contact with the outside world is prohibited。 The rules are enforced in order to ensure the ‘guests’ reach their ‘Maximised Selves’。 Kit has voluntarily chosen to live this way but after six months， Natalie receives a menacing email threatening to reveal a secret she’s kept from Kit for years。 Natalie tushes to the island to confess to her sister and bring her home， Natalie hasn’t heard from her sister， Kit in over six months。 She’s been living off-grid on an island off the coast of Maine where contact with the outside world is prohibited。 The rules are enforced in order to ensure the ‘guests’ reach their ‘Maximised Selves’。 Kit has voluntarily chosen to live this way but after six months， Natalie receives a menacing email threatening to reveal a secret she’s kept from Kit for years。 Natalie tushes to the island to confess to her sister and bring her home， but will it be that straightforward？ Intriguing and captivating。 I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but I couldn’t put it down。 Thank you to NetGalley， Penguin Michael Joseph UK and the author for the chance to review。 。。。more
Laura
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There's something about Maine's isolated islands that lend themselves to cults， retreats， mysteries， etc。。 and Wrobel makes the most of that。 We have several POVs， and its only towards the end that it becomes clear whose voice is the one belonging to Madame Fearless （I guessed wrong！）。 As one of the "sisters in jeopardy/missing" books， this isn't bad but it doesn't do a lot different from the others。 I wanted more development or change from the sisters we meet here， and more about Wisewood's cur There's something about Maine's isolated islands that lend themselves to cults， retreats， mysteries， etc。。 and Wrobel makes the most of that。 We have several POVs， and its only towards the end that it becomes clear whose voice is the one belonging to Madame Fearless （I guessed wrong！）。 As one of the "sisters in jeopardy/missing" books， this isn't bad but it doesn't do a lot different from the others。 I wanted more development or change from the sisters we meet here， and more about Wisewood's curriculum （at times it felt as though things were thrown in just to move the plot forward）。eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss。 。。。more
Erin Clemence
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Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free， electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review。 Expected publication date: Feb。 22， 2022 Stephanie Wrobel’s “Darling Rose Gold” was one of my favourite debuts， and I knew it would be a hard one to follow。 Wrobel’s newest novel， “This Might Hurt” is calculating， curious and completely unique， full of family dysfunction， in the way we have come to expect from this author。 After struggling with the loss of her Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free， electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review。 Expected publication date: Feb。 22， 2022 Stephanie Wrobel’s “Darling Rose Gold” was one of my favourite debuts， and I knew it would be a hard one to follow。 Wrobel’s newest novel， “This Might Hurt” is calculating， curious and completely unique， full of family dysfunction， in the way we have come to expect from this author。 After struggling with the loss of her mother， Kit finds escape in a “resort” called Wisewood， led by the “Teacher” Rebecca。 Finally able to find her footing and start over， Kit is willing to put her family and friends behind her， especially her estranged sister， Natalie， and make Wisewood a permanent fixture in her life。 But Natalie has other ideas and is desperate to find her sister and bring her home， especially after receiving an email threatening to reveal all of Natalie’s secrets to Kit， including the one Natalie did not want her to ever find out about。 Wisewood is a seemingly innocuous “retreat” on a deserted island， claiming to “completely transform” its guests after their six month stay。 Upon further investigation， of course， it is quite obvious that Wisewood is a cult， with a manipulative leader and obliging followers。 “This Might Hurt” not only explores the cult life， but also provides the reader with the history of Rebecca， its founder and leader， which was completely engaging for me and highly entertaining。 Of course， the relationship between Kit and Natalie was dysfunctional， as a result of parental neglect and abuse， which leaves Kit wide open to be taken under Rebecca’s wing and groomed to be part of the Wisewood community。 The story is told from the perspective of Kit and Natalie， in reverse order， from when Natalie begins her search for Kit to when Kit was initially recruited into Wisewood。 As well， there are snippers of another character’s perspective， too， whose identity is not revealed until later on。 “This Might Hurt” has a unique， magical aspect to it， too， that is reminiscent of “Now You See Me”， with one of the protagonists setting out on a childhood dream of becoming a magician， against her parents’ wishes。 This is one of those novels where information is revealed slowly， and seems to be out of place and random， but it is all brought together beautifully at the end。 Right from the beginning， I was pulled in， and as the novel ebbed and flowed， my curiousity was only piqued further。 The ending hit like a sucker punch， and it provided an unexpected conclusion to the story。 Wrobel had one heck of a challenge in writing a sophomore novel on the heels of such a gritty and disturbing novel as “Darling Rose Gold” but I think “This Might Hurt” is just the novel to do it。 。。。more
Carrie
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Review coming soon。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=This Might Hurt
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=This Might Hurt&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,This Might Hurt&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0