I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads. I love a good twisted thriller, as I am sure you are well aware by now. The cult stuff---it fascinates me. When I saw this book was availble for early readers, I quickly crossed my fingers in hopes that a copy found its way to me. Luckily for me, it did! This was such a quick read for me. The story was fast paced and had me totally engaged all the way through. I finished reading this book in two sittings. The story is told in two different timelines, which I personally enjoyed. I think it was a really good addition to the story.

I will totally be checking out Stephanie Wrobel's debut novel, "Darling Rose Gold" soon. "Darling Rose Gold" is based on the true story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother Dee Dee. It follows a main characters who has Munchausen by Proxy at the hands of her overbearing and abusive mother. I have also heard rave reviews about this book and after reading "This Might Hurt", I am really interested to read it.

Overall, I loved this one and I think thriller lovers should definitely keep this one on the radar for next year. It was a great read and is high up on my list of favorite reads this year. Because of the cult---themes, this book may not be suitable for all readers. I would recommend "This Might Hurt" to readers 18+ and would encourage you to further research this book before reading if you feel like this may not be 'your thing'!

Oh heck yes to this one. It’s a 2022 must-read.

I am a sucker for a culty storyline, but often find myself let down. I am no expert, but have watched my fair share of cult documentaries. (Literally anything I can find. All of it. Give it to me.) While reading cult-related fiction, I want to see those warning signs and control tactics at play. This one delivered all the way. I continued to be mind-blown at the level of manipulation and some sections had me straight up stressed. It was everything I hoped it would be on the cult front.

A twisty story with multiple POVs and timelines, THIS MIGHT HURT had me completely obsessed with turning the pages. I was engrossed in this book and, though I finished it a week ago, I cannot stop thinking about it.

Like seriously? That ending? Bro. Just a big *chef’s kiss* to you, Stephanie Wrobel.

Endless thank yous to @netgalley and @berkleypub for early access to THIS MIGHT HURT.

Nine Perfect Strangers with NXIVM vibes. I particularly appreciated how the suspense was evenly paced throughout and not totally bunched up at the end.

this was SO good!!! it's an arc, so no spoilers as usual. i loved it, any narration about sisters gets me every time because it's always a convo of nature vs nurture and how paths diverge and it was a perfect backdrop for this story. i loved the way the timelines almost caught up with each other but not really until the very end, and i love the flashback chapters as well. this was an incredibly psychological thriller. maybe no humongous twists but it kept me on the edge of my train seat. def would recommend! :)

Original and refreshing, This Might Hurt is sure to become a big book club pick for 2022. When her sister goes off the grid on an island off the coast of Maine, Natalie begins to worry after receiving a cryptic email message threatening to expose a secret she has kept from her sister. What follows is a twisting, turning story of secrets, lies, and a community that is more than it seems. Definitely recommended for fans of Wrobel's previous novel, Darling Rose Gold, and Liane Moriarty.

This was not the book for me. I struggled to get through it. I never found it’s rhythm. I didn’t understand the ending at all. The stories were too disjointed for me to appreciate the book. I do really appreciate Berkeley publishing for lending me this early reader copy,

Cold, Calculating, and a Little Bland

3.5 stars

"Nobody cared about the pawns. They were too busy watching the queen."

This Might Hurt is about a cult focused on overcoming fear, its mysterious leader, and the woman in her thrall.

I am not going to get into the plot. It’s your typical cult leader/devotee story with a concerned family member trying to rescue the devotee. However, what makes this stand out is that the cult leader is a very intriguing woman.

The way the events unfold is a little confusing. There are several narrators and several parts to this book. There is one narrator whose identity is unknown for quite some time. For me, it seemed like Wroebel was trying to infuse a twist into the narrative with the unknown narrator, but when it was revealed, it was just rather ho-hum.

This book has all the makings of a solid psychological thriller: it is well-written, intriguing, and a little weird (in a good way), but it wasn't all that thrilling, and something was lacking; I didn’t care for any of the characters, some parts lagged, and the ending fell flat. At the same time, it is well-written and intriguing, especially in the beginning, in which I was enthralled with the story of the unknown narrator.

This Might Hurt was a mixed bag for me. Still, I give it props for some elements of originality and strong writing.

Thank you to Elisha Katz, Berkley Books, and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book!

Sort of odd that I read two books practically back-to-back (I'll Be You - Janelle Brown) about sisters one of whom gets caught up in a cult! Must be a new of interest topic. This one was interesting, and intriguing and I absolutley loooove the cover. It goes back and forth in the past to present. I think Stephanie Wrobel is getting better and better!

This was such an incredible thriller! The character development was superb and I felt very much attached to each character throughout the novel. I found myself really rooting for Natalie to bring Kit home. At first I really loved Kit and her determination for standing up for what she believed in, but grew to hate her in the end. I love when authors can make me feel that type a way of a character. I also really enjoyed the duel timelines. For more than half the novel, I was truly confused as to where the two story lines tied together. It literally kept me guessing the entire time. I didn’t see any of the plot twists coming which I love in a novel. I loved Darling Rose Gold, and after this novel Stephanie Wrobel will be an auto buy author for me.

I could not get into this book! I felt the characters were so disconnected and unlikable. I also didn’t enjoy the layout of the book , switching POV’s but not always knowing when the switch happened, made it confusing and frustrating. I had a lot of eye roll moments in this one! Yikes! The book also ends on somewhat of a cliff hanger and I don’t think this is to be a series, at least I hope not… 😅

I was really intrigued because this book sounded like it contained dark magic, two sisters that are separated, cult activity, and suspense. But unfortunately these topics were just touched ever so slightly, no real connection or emotion in the entire novel. No big twists or reveals that you didn’t see coming from miles away.

This one definitely missed the mark for me. I personally wasn’t a big fan of the authors other novel ‘Darling Rose Gold’. So maybe this just isn’t the author for me!

If you absolutely loved Darling Rose Gold, then maybe you will have a better experience with this one!

Thank you Berkley Books for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

Hits Shelves February 22nd, 2022 !

What a story! Very well written with absolutely perfect character development! Quite tense, but also very important in many ways! Engaging, intriguing, and unputdownable! If you enjoy books centered on cults, this will definitely be your cuppa! I think it was very mind blowing and even gave me a hangover! Would definitely highly recommend this intense twisted tale!

3.5⭐! Kit and Natalie are sisters, and they have pretty different lives. Natalie is a successful business woman. Kit has been having a hard time dealing with things in her life so she decides to go to this unique retreat called Wisewood. It ls on a private island off the coast of Maine, and you learn to be a fearless person while also having no antact with the outside world while you're there.

Natalie hasn't seen Kit in 6 months, since she's been at Wisewood. One day Natalie receives an email from Wisewood that threatens to tell Kit something Natalie has wanted to keep hidden. Natalie heads off to get to Wisewood and expose the secret to her sister before they tell her, and get her to come home. Once there, she realizes Wisewood is not what she was expecting. It's definitely an unsettling place with some strange things going on very cultish.

The story is told through two timelines. I did enjoy the unexpected twists that happened. The final reveal wasn't what I was expecting, I was hoping for a bit more, but I'd say this book was pretty good, entertaining and worth the read.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy! All opinions are my own!

When Natalie's sister Kit tells her she's going to a six-month wellness retreat, Natalie thinks Kit is just making another crazy impulsive decision in the aftermath of their mother's death. But when Natalie receives an email threatening to reveal a deep secret to Kit that could tear the sisters apart once and for all, she heads to the isolated retreat, run by the secretive "Teacher," and immediately feels that something is "off." Her sister seems happy, but aloof, and someone seems to be tracking her every move. With a storm bearing down on the island and no way of communicating with the outside world, Natalie tries to get through to her sister, while Kit continues to work through the issues that brought her to this isolated locale in the first place.

There are various stories weaved throughout the book: Natalie's in the present, trying to figure out what's going on with the email and her sister at the retreat; a story about a young woman as she grows up and develops into her own person (don't want to give too much away, but it's relevant); and then Kit's perspective applying and driving at the retreat and her journey through the program. It sounds complicated but the author makes it work really well. I really enjoyed getting to see all the perspectives and get the whole story from all the angles possible. The story was able to build and build that way.

The tension and atmosphere in the book just really made the whole story and you could just cut it with a knife - there was such a great feeling of almost being able to cut the air with a knife waiting for the other show to drop. It was absolutely so cool. Very much like waiting for the cult - because the retreat has a very heavy cult-like feel - to finally drink the kool-aid and begin the meltdown.

I just wish that when the big reveal was "revealed" it had a little more "oomph" if you now what I mean. It was more gradual, and with all the build up, it could have been more of a bang. A bit more of a punch rather than a scratch.

But other than that I loved this book. It has so many great elements that come together beautifully to create a tense, chilling read. I would definitely read more from this author!

🔊Song Pairing: Trapped in my Mind - Kid Cudi

💭What I thought would happen:

I thought it would be an instant “cult” classic

🗯Thoughts:

I really enjoyed Darling Rose Gold so I was very much looking forward to this book. But overall this book fell flat.

The ending was not for me and I am curious if this book will actually continue on as a series or a standalone.

There were several plot points that made little to no sense and I just found it was a bit overreaching.

I truly wanted to enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars, rounded down
I was a big fan of Darling Rose Gold. Wrobel obviously has a thing for twisted parent-child relationships. In This Might Hurt, Natalie is a workaholic with no life outside her job. But when her sister, Kit, disappears for months into a “self improvement retreat”, Natalie feels forced to get involved. Especially after she receives an email threatening to expose a long held secret to her sister.
The POV changes between Natalie and Kit. There are also chapters told from the perspective of a daughter of a tyrannical, diabolical father. Imagine having to accrue enough activity points to be allowed to sleep at night. It takes awhile to figure out who this daughter is.
There are several mysteries here. What did Natalie do to her sister? Why is Kit so messed up she needs this retreat? Whose history are we reading? And what exactly is going on at this retreat? One by one, it becomes obvious what the answers are.
I struggled to stay engaged once the story moved to the retreat, which spends way too much time on the retreat’s teachings. It quickly becomes obvious this place is some sort of weird cult.
I am starting to realize that psychological thrillers just don’t work for me anymore. I found this story uneven, even annoying at times. I had no respect for any of the characters. The ending, in particular, really didn’t work for me.
I’ll give Wrobel another chance, based on Darling Rose Gold.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

"Some people guzzle the Kool-Aid when they should take sips."

After experiencing Munchausen’s by proxy via Darling Rose Gold I knew I was going to be the first in line for whatever Stephanie Wrobel came up with next. I didn’t bother reading a blurb or anything before requesting an early copy. And then I got one! The gods smile upon me!!!!!! Now all I have to say is . . . .

YOU HAD ME AT CULT!

The story here is that Natalie’s sister Kit has been out of touch for over six months. While Natalie knew Kit was signing up for some sort of hippie dippie “wellness retreat” sort of place off the coast of Maine, she can’t figure out why Kit wouldn’t bother reaching out just to say she’s okay. Now Natalie has received an email from someone at Wisewood threatening to expose a secret she has been keeping from her sister so she takes it upon herself to show up in person to not only find out of Kit is really doing alright, but also to confess what she’s been hiding.

So I’m going to be completely honest here and say the big “secret” wasn’t a real humdinger for me and also when it came to the subplot regarding magic??? Well, it took me a bit out of my culty yum yum mindset. But that’s just a personal preference. I’m not a fan of “mindbenders” or illusionists and I’d rather join a cult myself than even have a cup of coffee with a weirdo like David Blaine. So take that gripe with several grains of salt. This story kept my attention right from the start despite me not being gung-go for magic tricks and I looooooooooooved the grand finale.

4 Stars.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

3.5 stars....

I was SO excited to read this, as I loved Darling Rose Gold.

I read the e-galley (thank you @netgalley & the publisher for my early read). Sometimes I find with e-books that I struggle to connect as well as I would with a tangible book. Mainly, because with a physical book you can see the parts, chapters, and alternating POV broken out better. Especially with e-arcs, they are sometimes convoluted, missing relative headings, or jumbled. So, for that alone, I feel as though I would’ve connected more if I read a physical copy.

For the most part – aka up until 75%, I was heavily confused. The alternating POV & past/present timeline was puzzling and not well laid out. As the reader, I honestly felt like I was reading two different books (up until 75%). I couldn’t see the two connecting, and the only connection I thought I found – turned out to be mistakenly incorrect. The present chapters were labeled with “Kit” or “Natalie”, along with dates. The past chapters were not labeled AT ALL. Maybe this is intentional (?), but I found it extremely bewildering.

Overall, the ending wasn’t as fulfilling as I would’ve hoped. This will take a backseat to the author’s debut, which I treasured.

OK. Maybe I've been sucked into the cult trend but This Might Hurt should be retitled

.Get Some Riot Gear because this Might Kill You.

The sister dynamic (lack there of is brilliant). The twists along the way and that ending? 🔥👏

There are also so many amazing discussion points about what is more important... the mission/purpose or the leader?

This is a journey... hold on tight.

Kit Collins is unhappy with her life when she learns about a place called Wisewood, that she is certain can help her. She decides to sign up for a six month self-improvement program which is on a remote, private island in Maine. The catch however, is there is no contact with the outside world allowed, no phones and no internet. One day her sister, Natalie, receives an email from Wisewood saying, “We know what you did. Would you like to come tell your sister - or should we?” Natalie decides she needs to see her sister immediately and tell her a secret she has been keeping. Once Natalie is on the island, very mysterious things begin to happen and she knows that her and Kit are in danger. Will they get off the island and make it home?

This was the first novel that have I read by Stephanie Wrobel, but will surely not be my last. The story is told in alternating past and present timelines. We get several points of view; from Natalie, from Kit, and from a mystery person that we find out the identity of closer to the end of the story. I found myself absorbed in the novel, the cult aspect is fascinating. It's definitely not one I will soon forget. If you want to read something different, THIS MIGHT HURT is for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Natalie and Kit are sisters who are estranged from one another. Kit has gone to Wisewood and has found her purpose. Located off the coast of Maine, Kit idolizes the head of Wisewood. Wisewood is a place to go to let go of your fears and free yourself; yes it's somewhat cultish. When Natalie receives an email from Kit, she decides to go to Wisewood to find her and reveal a secret from their past. But when Natalie arrives, she is less then welcome. So how will this all end? Will both sisters make if out of Wisewood alive? Will they make it out at all?

This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel is considered a mystery/thriller. and while this story did read quickly, I found myself skimming over parts of the story. This one just didn't work for me.

This Might Hurt releases on February 22, 2022. Thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for allowing me to review this book!