[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.

The whole idea of a cult just creeps me out. So, here I sat, curled up in my chair, and reading about Wisewood had the little hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. The story seems confusing at first. Between moving from past to present and back again, and getting three points of view, it's a lot to keep up with. Looking back on it now, I feel like that was intentional, and Wrobel does bring it all together. The story has a steadily rising tension, particularly what's happening at Wisewood, and there's the secret Natalie is worried about. Speaking of what's happening at Wisewood, I have to hand it to Stephanie Wrobel - the more I read, the more I was telling Kit to get out of there. Of course, it would've been a short book if she'd listened. Does she eventually get out? Well, that would be a big ol' spoiler, so I'll just say the ending was not what I saw coming, but it was exactly right for this story. To me, a psychological thriller should mess with your mind, and this one certainly did that.

I typically don't love cult books and I'm not sure why I picked this up, but I enjoyed Darling Rose Gold and wanted to read her next one. The story is told in multiple timelines and perspectives from two sets of sisters, Kit, Natalie, and an unknown woman. I think the big reveal of the other set of sisters wasn't the wow that it was meant to be and fairly underwhelming for me. I listened to the audiobook of this and the narrator didn't change her voice for any of the characters which made the audio a bit confusing to follow. I may have enjoyed this more in non audio form but I really just don't think the story was for me overall. I liked the magician vibes at the beginning but that quickly went downhill and continued to be a miss for me.

The chapters around the unknown woman were both interesting and not great - the father is abusive and controlling. He makes her earn points throughout the day, even to be able to go to sleep and takes points away if she shows emotion. To call her father 'Sir' the entire time was also off putting. 

This is reminiscent to Janelle Brown's upcoming "I'll Be You" - which I preferred much more to this.

3⭐️ I seemed out this book after seeing a couple 5 star reviews, but unfortunately this one fell flat for me. I usually love a cultish vibe in books and when there is sister drama, but I got bored at about 40%. I still liked the story and thought it had a unique dark plot, but it won’t be one that sticks with me. I would try this author again in the future.

This was a hard book to read. I could sympathize with Natalie and the problems she had dealing with her sister.
Living with people who are mentally is difficult. I sympathize with them, and it hurt to see someone immersed in a cult when proper therapy, and maybe medicine, could have helped her. I was not happy with the ending.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 336 / Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers

After Kit’s mother passes away, she finds herself drowning in guilt and depression until she finds out about a place called Wisewood, a weird cult-like self-improvement retreat that will help you find your “maximized self.” After six months of not hearing from Kit, her sister Natalie receives an ominous email to come to Wisewood and come clean to Kit about a dark secret she’s been keeping from her.

Woven in with the storyline about the two sisters is another storyline about another set of sisters and their abusive father. But while the Kit and Natalie chapters are titled with their names and dates, the other storyline has no heading at all. And while I think that when you finally figure out that the other set of sisters are not Kit and Nat, which is supposed to be some kind of big wow moment, I just found it confusing. Now the storylines you’ve been building in your head are all mixed up. To make things worse, I listened to the audiobook on this one, which is read by the author, who did a fine job narrating but she doesn’t change her voice at all for any of the female characters so it’s even more confusing. The wow moment was definitely not worth the confusion and based on the other reviews I’ve read, I’m not the only one who feels this way.

So four stars for the story but minus one big star for the execution.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟💫 (3.5/5 stars)

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for my eARC!

SHORT SYNOP:
It has been a year+ since Natalie has heard from her sister. After their mother’s passing, Kit sent out to Wisewood, where residents check-in to stay, & check-out from the outside world. Six months after Kit's arrival, Natalie receives an email threatening to reveal Natalie's darkest secret. Terrified, Natalie sets out to Wisewood.

MY THOUGHTS:
I really enjoyed this one! I’m stuck between a 3.5 & 4 star rating. I LOVED the premise of it. When I read the synop, I got total Waco vibes (still upset Tim Riggins played David Koresh, but I guess it does kind of follow “Texas Forever"), & knew I had to read it.

This started off so strong for me. Around the middle, it got a bit slow & confusing. The story is mainly told from 3 perspectives. One of them is not labeled (the other's start with "Natalie" or "Kit.") This, intentionally, leaves readers guessing on who the 3rd narrator is. When I figured it out, I felt like I was too far in to go back & piece everything together in my brain. I did read this during a very busy week & was mentally exhausted, so I don't consider this a flaw of the book- just wanted to point out that it could confuse others, too.

The biggest reason for my 3.5-4 star rating, was that it felt eerily similar to the show Nine Perfect Strangers (haven’t read the book). I think I would have rated it higher, had I not seen it. I was mentally picturing Nicole Kidman as the "leader" throughout the book, because the storyline was so comparative. I’ve spoken to some friends who rated this book 4+ stars, & none of them had seen the show/read the book. So, if you haven’t, & think this synopsis sounds intriguing, I really think you’ll enjoy it! ☺️

The ending was a bit ambiguous; sometimes I enjoy endings that allow you to make your own interpretation, but I do wish this one had a bit more closure.

There have been SUCH mixed reviews on this one, but I am so glad that I gave it a chance. So much so that Darling Rose Gold will be arriving today. 😜

READ IF YOU LIKE:
💚 Cult-y vibes
💚 Magicians
💚 Psychological books

Twisty, dark and disturbing!

If you like books about cults this book is for you. I loved Darling Rose Gold and I was prepared for a wild ride. I felt it was a bit confusing with the timelines, but overall it was a story I enjoyed and can’t wait for the next book from this author.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this gifted copy.

This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel released February 22, 2022.

Read if you like: Thrillers, Mystery, Suspense, Cult stories.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

I was so very much looking forward to this book. I was immediately hooked based on the synopsis. Unfortunately it fell flat and didn’t hold my interest. The pacing was too slow for me and as such I struggled to stay interested. Thank you for access to an early copy however I will not be sharing a review outside of NetGalley as it was a miss for me.

I skipped Darling Rose Gold due to the subject matter, but I saw so many glowing reviews of it so I was so excited when I heard @stephaniewrobel had a new book coming out this year!

I really enjoyed this book! I thought there were lots of little reveals throughout and I loved how the author delved into why and how some people act the way they do. Some of these parts were heart breaking and had me wanting to reach out to my dad and give him a hug. This one kept my attention through out and I definitely look forward to seeing what @stephaniewrobel comes out with next!

If you like cult stories and reveals through out check this one out! Another winner released this week!

This is the story of two sisters going in very different directions. The older sister, Natalie, has a demanding career while her younger sister, Kit, seems to be floundering. Both sisters are dealing with the grief of their mother’s death, but are handling things very differently.

As Natalie throws herself into her work, Kit takes a complete break from life. Kit heads to a private island in Maine called Wisewood. The guests have no contact with the rest of the world and it gives Kit a chance to clear her head.

After six months, Natalie receives an anonymous threatening email. Whoever sent this email, threatens to reveal a secret Natalie has been keeping from Kit. Natalie takes matters into her own hands and heads to Wisewood. She plans on telling Kit everything, but when she gets there she hardly even recognizes her sister. Her head is shaved and she is devoted to what Natalie believes to be a cult.

Natalie is determined to save her sister, but it’s not as easy as she thought it would be.

The premise of this book is quite intriguing to me. I never read this author before, but she did a great job of building tension and making you wonder what is going on. I did find the book to be slow in some spots, but it did pick up and I was fascinated.

The story is told from three POVs. Natalie and Kit each have their own POV, but the reader didn’t find out the third POV until later in the book. I found this to be really confusing. I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone with spoilers, so all I will say is that I found the unknown POV added to my confusion.

By the end of the book, I was sitting on the edge of my seat wondering how the pieces were all going to fit together and how it would all end up. The ending surprised me. It’s a good suspense novel.






FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest reviews.

Usually I'm a fan of mulitple POVs but with there being on POV that we never quite know who it is until the end, sort of threw me off a little and I think prevented me from enjoying the book as much as I really could have.
The premise of the story, I like it. I don't know why I find stories about cults so interesting.

Natalie has always been the successful big sister and Kit is the less successful little sister who needs looking after a lot. Kit goes off the grid until Natalie receives a criptic letter and must run to save her sister.

Its quite a ride and I enjoyed it!

3.5 stars.

This is a story about two sisters, Kit and Natalie, and what happens when one of them joins a cult-like group located on a mysterious island. The story is kind of weird and wild, but I also kind of liked it!

In some ways this story reminded me of Nine Perfect Strangers, but this story also kept my attention better than that book did. I was intrigued by the setting and the cult-ish group and trying to figure out what was going on. It's fairly slow paced, but it was interesting enough to keep me reading.

I felt like the characters of Kit and Natalie could have been more developed or more interesting. They didn't jump out to me as intriguing characters, but the third narrator in this story does bring a more compelling narrative and twist to the story.

I thought this was a decent book. Not fully believable and not super action packed, but it was interesting and kept me readng!

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.