This Might Hurt had so many twist and turns it’s like being on a roller coaster. I like the backstory of Rebecca and her sister Jack and how their relationship growing up was some what the same as Kit and Natalie. Jack and Natalie who can’t wait to leave the house they grew up in and leave their younger sisters, Rebecca and Kit behind. I liked that Madame Fearless aka Rebecca beloved in mind over matter and was not afraid of what she wanted to create or accomplish with her shows. Rebecca has the perfect personality to run a place like Wisewood. She is manipulative person with everyone she comes in contact with once she becomes Madame Fearless. From her assistant Gordon to her staff and the people that attend her 6 month program on a remote island. Which is more like a cult than a retreat. Kit ends out to be the same first by dropping Teacher off on another island when she was running from harm from Jeremiah who is Gordon’s brother and also by sending Natalie the email with the cryptic message. What got me at the end was the cliff hanger when Kit ask Natalie If she wanted to take a ride on the Hourglass just the two of them while they are waiting for Gilbert and Jeremiah to arrive. Now I don’t really like cliffhangers in books because it feels unfinished or it puts the ending in the readers hand. I feel Natalie’s fate is probably going to end up like Rebecca’s. That was the only reason I gave it 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read Darling Rose Gold, but I've heard enough good things about it that I wanted to give this one a try. An Instagram account I love recommended this one as well. There are two different storylines going on - workaholic Natalie trying to check up on her sister, Kit, who has gone off to a retreat center that seems very much like a cult. There's also two sisters with an incredibly awful father who psychologically/emotionally abuses them and a mother who stays out of the way. I got almost 60% into the book and I could not take it any more - I know from reading other reviews that all is revealed, but the intensity just dialed up throughout the novel with a bunch of dips in pacing when we were at the retreat center learning about the teachings and schedule. I was not happy with the pacing, and the book just kept getting darker that I found myself hate-reading. The characters were interesting, but the pacing and confusion became too much for me to continue.

The narration is somewhat confusing in this book. It alternates between Nat and an unnamed character for most of the book. This had me thinking the unnamed narrator was one of the sisters the entire time. So that really threw the story off for me. I typically do not enjoy psychological thrillers but this one did keep me wanting to read. I read it fairly quickly but only so I could just find out what happens. The characters aren’t likable at all. And the ending was just out there.

This book centers around Natalie, a successful career-driven businesswoman, and her sister Kit, who seems unable to get her life together. Kit goes to Wisewood, a retreat on a private island of the coast of Maine to try and get her life on track, but basically disappears. After six months of not hearing from Kit, Natalie goes to Wisewood to tell Kit a secret that is threatening to get out, but once she arrives at the retreat she realizes that Wisewood is not exactly what it seems.

The story in This Might Hurt unfolds with the POVs of mainly Natalie and Kit, with the occasional sprinkle of some of the other characters in the story. It toggles between the present and the past, to get to the backstory and how it relates to what is going on in their lives now.

I will admit, I neither liked nor disliked the main characters in the book, however, I did enjoy the story. The writing was very engaging with plenty of surprises and twists, making this psychological thriller one that will keep you turning pages. I had no problem following the dual timelines of the story or staying entertained.

If you are a lover of thrillers. mysteries or cult books give This Might Hurt a try, it is a riveting tale of family abuse and its long-term effects.

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.

“We have become accustomed to violence. When we hear that more than one million people have died in a war, we hardly flinch. Are we proportionately more upset over one million than one hundred thousand casualties? No. Should we be? What number would it take to make us put an end to this senselessness?”

Natalie hasn’t heard from her sister since she left for Wisewood. Kit headed there after realizing her mundane life was just that…mundane. To come to wise wood, you commit to 6 months on the island, no phone, no outside contact, no touching. Just fully embracing your dears and learning how to live your life. When Natalie gets an email threatening to tell Kit her secret, she knows she needs to go and track her sister down ate tell her herself.

I’m not sure if it’s my mood recently or not, but the dad in this book made me cringe so hard, it was hard to read. I just can’t imagine someone treating a child that way, though sadly I know it happens. Whew, I don’t even know where to start. Cult books absolutely fascinate me and this one was no different. I like to think I would never fall into that trap, but these books always show how easy it is for them to grab you. The characters in this one, especially Rebecca were so well written, I could just feel Rebecca’s trauma and issues through the pages while reading. If you like a super messed up story, and cults galore, you don’t want to miss this one.

Oh my gosh. This story is captivating, original, and so unputdownable. I needed to know everything about Rebecca, Nat, and Kit.

An intriguing thriller with a storyline that will keep you guessing, This Might Hurt, is perfect for fans of cults.

This one was wow. As a sister who also lost a mom I have to say if I hadn't heard from my sister half a year I would move Heaven and earth to find her, and wouldn't let anyone stop me. Though unlike Natalie I'm not keeping any secrets from younger sister.

This book caught my attention from page one and really didn't let go. Stephanie Wrobel caught readers' attention with her debut Darling Rose Gold, but I actually think this sophomore effort is even better. This one is cleverly plotted, giving readers breadcrumbs on the way to revealing all its truths, and the author does a really excellent job keeping that up from page one to the very end. It's quickly paced and the characters are intriguing, and overall one I thoroughly enjoyed.

The author did not do a good job with the back and forth point of views making you think it was one character's back story but then revealed at the end of the book that it wasn't. So basically you find out at the end that you know nothing about the main character. The ending was one of the worst endings I have ever read. I would give 0 stars but thats not possible so I give you a 1.

→ 2 stars

i am starting to believe books about cults simply aren’t for me. this might hurt had such an interesting premise, but the execution didn’t amaze me. the story was lackluster, with a pace i found annoying and characters that i did not care about. the ending especially was awfully bland for what the book set up to do.

i did like the parts about the mystery narrator at first, but after a while her monologue got annoying and it was obvious how the novel tried a bit too hard to make us realize she’s insane. the leader of this retreat played such a tiny part in the story that i was a bit disappointed – i had expected a huge fight at the end, something as dramatic as her life, but nothing really happened.

the two sisters i simply didn’t care about. the huge “secret” we kept hearing about ended up being so underwhelming. i didn’t quite get why kit was so hell-bent on ruining her life because the book didn’t really prove much of a why for any of my questions. the other sister barely had a personality besides being a workaholic, so i can’t say much about her.

overall, i don’t think this is a bad book, it’s just not the book for me. i have to say i did like the author’s writing style – you can definitely tell she’s a very talented writer. i will probably try other books by her in the future!

→ thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book had a lot of potential, but it missed the mark for me. It just felt disjointed. I never really got into the flow of the story, several plot points made no sense, and I was confused by the ending. While I like stories told from multiple POVs, I just couldn't stay engaged with this one.

This Might Hurt is a chilling, dark tale that explores the long term effects of family abuse and the price of happiness.

Kit is Natalie’s younger sister, and she has been incommunicado for 6 months at a wellness retreat. When Natalie received an email from the facility threatening to spill a long kept secret of Natalie’s to Kit, Natalie drops everything and goes to the secluded island retreat to talk to her sister. Strange things happen to her on the island, and Natalie doesn’t understand how her sister can be happy in this environment. Kit’s loyalty to the retreat, Wisewood, seems cult like to Natalie.

A young girl grows up in a house with seemingly arbitrary rules - you must accumulate a certain number of points before you are allowed to sleep, and points are subtracted for weaknesses like crying, faltering, or mistakes. The point system changes, and the girl is always on edge, not knowing how Sir, her father, will treat her each day. He says he wants to push her to endure and succeed, but all she can think about is when she can escape his domineering rule.

These two stories are told in alternating chapters, and the reader must grasp at clues to see how they are connected. Will Natalie come clean to Kit? What is Natalie’s secret, anyway? And how does the mysterious girl play into the storyline? If you enjoy domestic thrillers with suspense and twists, This Might Hurt is for you.

Stephanie Wrobel has come up with another dark, chilling tale that will keep the reader engrossed and eagerly turning pages. Thank you to Ms. Wrobel and Berkley Publishing for the advanced copy!

Pre-order your copy now, and check out Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel in the meantime!!

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,