After loving this author’s first book, I was excited for this one. Sadly, I was very underwhelmed. I liked Natalie’s POV and her issues with her sister and watching her trying to get answers about this group she had joined. But there was also an unnamed narrator and for about half the book, I had NO IDEA who I was reading about and how she connected to the overall story. I think the author was trying to develop a sense of intrigue with the mystery of it, but all it did was confuse me. And the ending was just meh. There was so much buildup for nothing, in my opinion.

Natalie is a successful business executive who receives a cryptic email - essentially blackmailing her into dropping everything to go see her sister, Kit, at a mysterious private island where Kit checked in for a cult-like retreat six months ago. The book is told from two different POVs, with the other following a girl through an abusive childhood, and you don't find out who the girl grows up to be until the last third of the book. The abusive childhood was really disturbing and hard to read, but my bigger complaint was the ending - it's one of those cliffhangers where you're left to imagine a few different outcomes, which I hate. If you're going to tell a story, tell the whole story, including the ending! But I still found it an interesting read.

This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel should come with a trigger warning for repeated scenes of child abuse. The impact of this abuse that defines the present of this book. Unfortunately, multiple narrators and timelines – which are not clearly defined – make it hard to follow. The view into a cult and the idea of living a life free of fear are the main takeaways of the book, more so than the plot or the characters.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/03/this-might-hurt.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher’s blog tour.

Wrobel excels at the multiple perspective thriller once again. I couldn't put this down. An enjoyable ride with a great ending

"Welcome to Wisewood. We'll keep your secrets if you keep ours."

The Collins sisters haven't talked in over half a year. After some butting heads about goals/dreams and the death of their mother, the two become estranged. After receiving a threatening email threatening to tell Kit of Natalie's too-long held secret, Natalie finds that her sister has joined a community on a private island called Wisewood. The guest there are supposed to be focusing on becoming their Maximized Self but between the rules, changes in appearance, odd behavior, and loyalty to "Teacher" Natalie fears there's something more sinister happening at Wisewood.

This Might Hurt is filled with interesting and compelling female characters and a very intriguing, cult-like dynamic that draws you to know more about the community, the members, and the leaders. I enjoyed the book but it is very easy to get confused, so please note that there are three different perspectives: Kit, Natalie, and an unknown narrator and that these perspectives are not completely linear. I would strongly advise paying attention to the headers at the start of each chapter in order to maximize your enjoyment of this book because all three perspectives are really interesting in their own ways.

How far would you go to achieve true fearlessness?

Natalie is appalled when her sister, Kit, tells her she is leaving for a six-month stint at the mysterious Wisewood. Wisewood is set on a remote island and there is little to no information about the organization, except that they promise to help guests become their Maximized Selves and achieve true fearlessness. After six months of dead silence from Kit, Natalie receives an anonymous email from Wisewood saying that her sister will soon find out the secret that she has been hiding from her. Natalie quickly packs her things and sets off to talk to Kit herself and hopefully bring her home. Can she free Kit from Wisewood's grasp?
I was hooked from the very beginning of this novel and couldn't wait to learn the secrets of Wisewood, Natalie, and Kit. This multi-POV story became more and more twisted as I read along, with pieces of the past and present colliding and clicking into place. I found myself shocked by some of the things I was reading in the best possible way. While I did love this story, I also have to say that the ending felt a bit rushed to me. It felt like the tail-end of the story was building up to something really big, and when I turned the page, the story was over. Despite the ending, I truly did enjoy this novel and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves a twisted psychological thriller!

I was initially drawn to this story because I swear any summary that has "cult" in it is almost an auto-request for me. I liked that there were several strong female characters and multiple smaller, but fascinating storylines. The layers of psychology had me totally intrigued. This book kept me guessing about which direction the story was going, but as with any mysteries/thrillers I'm cautious to divulge too much. No spoilers here!

This Might Hurt tells the story of two sisters estranged since their mother’s death. Natalie’s sister Kit went off to Wisewood, a retreat on an isolated island, where she was pledged to not contact anyone for six months. But then Natalie gets a letter threatening to tell Kit the secret she has been keeping from Kit.

There are chapters interwoven featuring a young girl being horribly abused and seeking to escape via magic. She becomes fascinated with Houdini and the idea of being an escape artist. In time, she comes to found the Wisewood retreat. I don’t know who is to blame for it, but I spent a good portion of the novel thinking that this young girl was one of the sisters.

Natalie goes to the island to see Kit. It seems as though there is a conspiracy to keep them apart. There is, but it’s not the conspiracy she thought it was.



A book that confused me from the beginning cannot help but be disappointing. Even if the confusion is my fault because I read it late at night, the error should have become obvious to me long before it did. But then, this book was so much about misdirection. Though I guess the person you provided the most misdirection was not the magician.

I thought the ending was nonsensical and did not see the motivation for Kit’s behavior nor did I see Natalie’s secret as the big appalling bad thing. Her secret was a disappointment. Kit remains inexplicable and the book was disappointing.

I received an e-galley of This Might Hurt from the publisher through NetGalley

This Might Hurt at Berkley | Penguin Random House
Stephanie Wrobel author site

Natalie is disillusioned with her job and quite frankly her life. She misses her sister, Kit. The girls grew apart when they left home, but always connected via phone and emails. Natalie has not heard from her sister since she left for the Wisewood Wellness & Therapy six months ago. One night after a long day at a job she doesn’t like, she receives an ominous email from Wisewood stating, “Would you like to come tell your sister what you did – or should we?”

Shaken to her core, but determined to make sure Kit is okay on the small secluded island. Natalie arranges a visit, planning to be there just over 24 hours. Unfortunately, she is not at all happy with the situation and events she experiences when she initially arrives on Wisewood. Most importantly, her sister seems radically changed.

The woman in charge of everything and everyone at Wisewood takes pleasure in control. She teaches others that pain is merely something that can be ignored if you are strong enough. Based on her own experiences she feels as though she is an expert on the subject. She is not happy to see Natalie, but feels confident she can break her like she broke Kit and everyone else at Wisewood. She has bit off more than she can chew this time.

This is a deliciously twisted novel. I was almost to the end before I realized the true identities of some of the characters. There is violence throughout the plot, but I felt it was important to the overall story. The characters are interesting and complicated. Their pasts are explained in flashback chapters.

I really liked this book. It is multilayered, interesting and a quick read that will leave you thinking about the twists long after the last pages. This Might Hurt may not be for those that do not like to read about violence.

This is the first book I have read by author Stephanie Wrobel. It is her second novel, the first is Darling Rose Gold.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the Author and Netgalley and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2022 Laura Hartman

What a great book! I loved all 3 main characters and the creepy vibe of this book. The plot was unique, and it had me turning pages well past my bedtime!

Sisters Natalie and Kit haven’t spoken for six months. Kit has gone to a retreat called Westwood , this wellness retreat sits on a private island off the coast of Maine. One afternoon while going through her email Natalie is shocked. There sits an email from Westwood , and their threatening to reveal a secret that Natalie has never told Kit. How do they know and why are they threatening her? Unable to reach Kit since part of the package of Westwood is no contact with the outside world which includes phones and TVs, Natalie packs a bag and heads to Westwood. Natalie isn’t sure what she’s walking into is this some kind of cult?
Westwood’s promise is to maximize themselves to become fearless and to let go of past pain. Their methods to reach this is a bit odd, when Natalie finally sees Kit shes let’s say different. Kit has embraced Westwood and never wants to leave she admires “Teacher”. Natalie is determined to save Kit but at what cost and what is the secret she’s been withholding? Told in two timelines and when you finally reach the conclusion you will find yourself saying what?? Four stars!

I struggled to get into this book, it took me quite awhile to get into the story and unfortunately I found the many different POVs to be confusing at times. I love the idea of a book about cults but this one just didn't really do it for me. I did appreciate that the book was well written, and the twists and turns at the end were unexpected and exciting. But the first half of this book dragged on for me quite a bit.

[Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for my gifted e-ARC copy of this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own]

Synopsis:
Two POVs, of two sets of sisters. Both with hard childhoods, abusive or negligent parents, but one thing looming in common - Wisewood. Wisewood, a place that keeps your secrets, if you keep theirs. (Keeping it brief, to be spoiler-free)

Review:
I love a culty theme to a book, and this book was intriguing from start to finish. The cult leader was fascinating, and my favorite part of the book, but the ending/drama was less than exciting. I felt like it could have gone bigger, or darker, but still thoroughly enjoyed the book overall.

I loved this book! It was so twisty and psychological and I loved every minute! And that ending!!! I’m still thinking about it days later.

I have been looking forward to reading this book ever since I heard Stephanie Wrobel was coming out with a new book. I really enjoyed Darling Rose Gold, so I was looking forward to this one, and it did not disappoint me! I feel like this book was a wild rid from start to finish. I felt sorry for the girls when they were little; Sir is a very unlikeable character and doesn't really have any redeeming qualities. The magic aspect of it added an extremely unique aspect to the story. "Madam Fearless" reminded me of Katniss Everdeen, especially with her flame dress. I thought it was interesting how Rebecca's character changed and evolved over time. When Natalie goes to "rescue" her sister Kit, I thought those parts were interesting as well. It definitely gave major cult vibes, and I was pleasantly surprised how this book had so many different elements, yet the story came together nicely at the end. Of course, because this is Wrobel, there is a bit of a sinister twist at the end, although I did find that part a little disappointing. The unsung hero of this book is Gabe; I really loved his character and his parts in the story. I thought this was a solid thriller that kept me intrigued from beginning to end. Thank you Berkley for giving me a chance to read this book!

I loved Darling Rose Gold and had this one on my radar when I initially heard about it’s release.
This Might Hurt opens with a dark disturbing scene that held me captive throughout. Told from a place called Wisewood, where it brings all the “troubled/problem” people to hide outside of the grid.
Told from unreliable povs, sickening abuse, a cult and a family with hidden secrets…this is a book for the unscathed thriller junkie reader.

It’s not for everyone and if you require trigger warnings…well here is your warning lol.

I continue to be a little unsure of how I feel about Stephanie Wrobel, and This Might Hurt really didn't help me out with that. I have to say that I was completely addicted to this book the entire time and I thought it was a super quick read, but at the same time, something was missing. It's funny because a lot of people I talked to weren't huge fans of the past chapters, but those were actually the parts I loved most of all. For potential spoiler's sake, I won't say who they were about, but I spent basically the entire time wondering who’s past it was, and who took such extreme risks later in life. Eventually, I did put it together, and although it wasn't a huge surprise, it was still pretty crazy to think about. There was also something insanely great about Wisewood, and I wish Wrobel had given us way more details about it.

I really liked Natalie's viewpoint and I also found myself wishing I had more of it. The majority of the story is told from another POV (the one I couldn't figure out who it was), and those parts when they were set in the past were on the verge of heartbreaking. There is abuse set in these pages, and while it wasn't exactly the same as what I experienced growing up, I could definitely understand it and I liked the way Wrobel was able to capture it. Overall though, I really just wanted more of the present-day including Natalie's character. I loved the mystery surrounding what happened to Kit and what exactly Wisewood was, but the execution was lacking for me and there are lots of unanswered questions that remain.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

After liking Darling Rose Gold, I was jumping at the chance to read this new one by the author!

I love the cult aspect of Wildwood with a manipulative leader at its core. I love the past timeline with the mysterious speaker of it. Whoever this was had a very mean/abusive father that made them earn points for doing hard this throughout the day before they were allowed to sleep. And this person's mother just stood by. I should have seen who it was while reading but it took me until about 70% to figure it out.

I also love that we get to see Kit before her sister comes to try and talk her out of this place and when her sister actually makes it.

Manipulations, lies, and twists made this a very heart pounding read.

I was excited to read this psychological thriller and so pleasantly surprised.. I enjoyed a cult story and a sister relationship so I was intrigued from the beginning.. The tension bullies up slowly as you read. An entertaining book, will always read this author.

After reading Darling Rose Gold I was excited to read this. A solid book but the plot felt a little lacking.