This Might Hurt is an excellent second novel from one of my new favorite authors, Stephanie Wrobel! I absolutely loved Darling Rose Gold last year and was a little worried this wouldn't be able to stand up against that one but I was wrong because it did! And everyone needs to read it!

Stephanie Wrobel delivers another creepy, suspenseful story about family, secrets and abuse. I could not put this one down! I loved the multiple POVs and converging timelines. When everything started clicking in place, I audibly gasped. This is one that gives a lot to ponder and discuss when it comes to how our past influences the choices we make in the future. If you enjoyed the suspense of Darling Rose Gold, I think you'll enjoy this one too!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Interesting plot with lots of twists. Unfortunately it doesn't hold up to the end.

Natalie is worried about her younger sister, Kit. She hasn’t heard from her in over six months and is concerned that her sister is in over her head with some kind of bizarre cult. When Natalie gets a threatening email about her sister, she decides it’s time to take matters into her own hands----she’s going to go and save her sister, whether she wants to be rescued or not. This book had some really good potential and a pretty good twist in the middle of the book. Unfortunately, the ending just didn’t hold up. Very disappointing for such a promising book.

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this novel. It was surprising and unexpected. It kept me up all night wanting know what happened. Natalie’s sister Kit has gone to Wisewood, a retreat of sorts, on an island off Maine. Natalie gets a disturbing email and decides to go see what Kit is doing at Wisewood.

Book discussion groups, add This Might Hurt to the list of books that are prime for discussion, especially if anyone in the group who has a sibling. Wrobel's latest book, following Darling Rose Gold, is aptly titled because whether it is a withheld family secret or self-inflicted pain to perform a magical act, much of life causes hurt. Rebecca and her sister Jack grow up under the scrutiny of Sir, their controlling, demented father and a mother who chooses to rest and pray. Nat and Kit are also sisters: Nat prefers to climb the ladder of success; Kit decides to drop out of college and follow her boyfriend and his rock band before choosing Wisewood, a six-month residential program to lead participants to a maximized life. Through alternating chapters from different points of view, readers discover what brings separates siblings and brings them together.

As a fan of Darling Rose Gold, I was excited to read Stephanie Wrobel's newest offering. This Might Hurt did not disappoint. It kept me guessing right to the end, and I enjoyed the way the complicated sister/family relationships and various people's secrets unfolded throughout the book. I'll definitely be recommending it.

Wow, that ending was not what I was expecting! This Might Hurt moved along just quickly enough that I had a hard time putting it down. I loved the dual narrative and dual time periods. I can honestly say I didn't see any of it coming until it was basically spelled out for me, so bravo to the author. I really enjoyed her first novel and ended up liking this one even more. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

From the bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold Comes a new addicting novel. This Might Hurt tells the story of two sets of sisters in alternating storylines.

In one storyline, two sisters (aged 9 and 12) are being raised by a passive mother and a domineering father who forces his girls to face their fears through unscrupulously cruel tactics.

The second storyline follows thirty-one year old Natalie Collins in early 2020 as she tries to reconnect with her younger sister Kit. Kit had joined a cult-like facility called Wisewood on a remote island in Maine over six months ago and had cut off all connections to the outside world. As each storyline progresses, an intersection between the two develops in surprising ways.

The book touches on the relationships between sisters, and explores a number of other themes including courage, fear, loyalty, and guilt. The novel is compelling from the start and quickly ensnares the reader's attention. The only criticism is that the ending is a bit cryptic and abrupt.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I thought the story was well-written and the characters were well developed. I really enjoyed the premise of escape in the vein of Houdini. I also liked the setting of Wisewood, a secretive self-improvement program that looks a lot like a cult. I've also read Darling Rose Gold by the same author and I'll read more by her in the future.

Interesting book about domestic abuse, children raised in families with abusive fathers and cults. A young girl is tortured by her father and lives her childhood on a point system, having to endure physical hardship to earn enough points before being allowed to go to bed by her father. She grows up to become a magician, performing with more and more daring acts until one day it all goes wrong. Kit is a young woman who has had enough of her "boring" life and social media and wants things to change. She joins a kind of cult in Maine where members have to stay a minimum of six months, with no connection to the rest of the world. When she doesn't return, her sister goes looking for her. But all is not as it seems in Maine. A good page turner.

First of all, thank you to Berkley Publishing and Stephanie Wrobel for my ARC of this book that comes out on February 22, 2022. Welcome to Wisewood, where we keep your secrets if you keep ours. Wisewood is a private island off the coast of Maine where people can go for six months to get away from it all. Some people are struggling with anxiety, others drug abuse, but no matter the cause, Wisewood touts that it is the solution.

Maybe that’s why Natalie Collins hasn’t heard from her sister in half a year. The last time they spoke, her sister Kit told Natalie that there has to be more to life than a 9-5 job, and then she disappeared. When Natalie receives a threatening email, she knows she has to go find Kit. Someone is going to reveal a dark secret that Natalie thought she buried and she has to get to Kit before they do.

Thoughts: There is so much more to this book than originally meets the eye. Not only is the origin of Wisewood intriguing and captivating, but the characters in this story wrap the reader up from the start. The multiple perspectives are all interesting and start to build a story that comes together to shock and awe the reader.

This Might Hurt dives into the origin of our fear. It looks at what humans are afraid of and why. This book examines the human condition and boils down to the universal truth that we just want to be loved for who we are. Though this book has an undercurrent of many complex and interesting themes, it is a fun story and is fast-paced from start to finish.

This book goes beyond Wrobel’s first novel in many ways. I loved the themes of control and manipulation and the deeper questions such as how far can you push someone. Anyone who enjoys a hypnotic and cult themed book will immediately be drawn to This Might Hurt. Wrobel has quickly shot to the top of my list of favorite authors, and we can be sure she has many great books to come. 5-stars!

This is a creepy, multi-character POV tale that keeps the reader guessing. Natalie is a successful, if disliked, businesswoman- the kind where a man would be called driven, but a woman is called a bitch. Natalie is both exasperated and protective towards Kit, her younger sister; their mother was a functioning alcoholic, who Kit worshipped as Natalie protected her from her mother’s neglect. In the time since their mother’s death, Natalie has developed a rigid need for control in her life, while Kit has drifted in a sea of grief and, to Natalie, irresponsibility. Needless to say, the sister’s relationship is strained as Natalie has a love/resentment with Kit, as that protective instinct to shield her as a child is morphing into an anger at Kit’s naivete. The story opens as Natalie receives an anonymous blackmail threat via email from Wildwood, a retreat Kit has been at for six months. Initially Natalie was more frustrated by Kit’s willingness to drop out of life for six months than the rigid “no outside contact” stipulations of the resort. But the threatening tone of the email and her inability to reach Kit in any way forces Natalie to decide to confront Kit and her unknown blackmailer in person. The novel is dark and atmospheric, with the Wildwood retreat almost acting as a character in itself, as Natalie becomes more and more concerned that her sister is involved in some sort of cult. Character’s motivations are questionable, and the multiple point of views make the read a tad challenging. This is a deliberate choice on the author’s part and it does raise the tension bar very well, as it’s not always clear whose story we are hearing. This is a great book for fans of the gothic type horror where one is never sure if the threat is coming from nature, from unknown enemies, or from that friendly person who seems so kind.

Natalie gets a disturbing email about her little sister Kit- threatening to expose her secrets if she doesn’t tell her first. Problem? Kit is on a remote Maine island trying to find ‘her best self’. She’s been off the grid for over 6 mos and hasn’t contacted Natalie.
When Natalie goes to see her, this compound is reminiscent of a cult. Shaved heads, no touching, speaking of The Teacher, rules, classes…. Natalie has to get Kit off the island. But Kit wants nothing more than to stay.
The more we find about sisters past and the disturbing past of The Teacher will haunt your dreams.

This book was wild and weird but I literally could not put it down!!

This book takes place after Nat receives an email from someone at Wisewood where her sister is staying telling her they know her secret. Nat goes to Wisewood so she can tell Kit herself. When she gets to Wisewood she discovers that it is not what she expected and really almost seems like a cult and Kit may be one of the ringleaders.

I loved the magic aspect. I thought it was so entertaining and so different from what I have read before. Mix magic and cults and boom you’re in for a treat. I literally couldn’t put this down and I also really liked the ending!!

This book started rough for me. The abuse from her father was hard to read. I wanted to dnf because it hit too close to home. However I am glad I pushed through. This is a quick, enjoyable read.

This book will definitely stick with me for a long time! It sucks you in from the very beginning and is just intriguing. And the ending, WOW.

Berkley Books Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
I freaking loved Darling Rose Gold!
Was one of my favorite books in 2020!
So when I seen Stephanie coming out with a new book! I was ecstatic!
And This Might Hurt did not disappoint either!

Two sisters who haven't always been close to one another.
Natalie and Kit....
Nat hasn't spoken to her Kit in a couple of year's.
Kit up and left after their mothers death. And she went to Wisewood a beautiful private island of the coast of Maine.
The guest have to stay for six months and during that stay they can't have any contact to the outside world..
No phones, Internet..... Nothing!
This is to keep their guest focused! No distractions!
Natalie tried to talk Kit out of going but Kit has had enough she needs to get away!
And just like that she's gone!

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.
Well...... Natalie receives an email from someone at Wisewood threatening to reveal a secret she has been keeping from Kit, she knows she has to get to that island and tell her sister before someone else does.
When Nat arrives to this beautiful island with it's crazy cult like activities and people.. Natalie fears this is going to be harder than she originally thought!
And she has to get to her sister in order to make it off this island!

Stephanie Wrobel writes an enticing unputdownable thriller!
This story is a non-stop roller coaster of suspense. It’s an edge of your seat psychological thriller, with a constant feeling of dread, that toys with one’s mind and emotions at the same time.
Impossible to put down. Engaging in every way possible!
This is going on my top 10 for 2021!

Thank you again for this opportunity! 😘
I will post to my platforms closer to pub date!

I went back and forth with myself about that fifth star: On the one hand, the twist, while fantastic, involved a character doing something I didn't feel she necessarily would, the other hand was me realizing these characters felt real enough for me to assign them whole opinions and plausible actions, so, 5 stars it is.

Woah.
This was wildly different the SW's first novel, Darling Rose Gold.
The writing, the story, the characters. All of it fully sucked me in and brought me out of my reading slump - I couldn't put this down.
Alternating timelines and stories make such an intense jumble of stories leading up to the unexpected ending.
TMH is self-help meets cultish. Is Kit getting the help she needs to become her most Maximized Self from her magical leader, Teacher at Wisewood? Or is Teacher a fraud who uses those around her to get ahead in the world?
When Kit's sister Natalie gets a threatening email from Wisewood, she drops everything and rushes to her side. But things aren't as they seem at Wisewood. Everyone has a past that desperate to catch up to them, and it seems like this is just the place for that to happen.


Such a great read - so thankful Netgalley and Berkley Publishing approved me for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.