Stephanie Wrobel’s debut novel Darling Rose Gold had me hooked from start to finish and I was excited when I heard that her sophomore novel was centered around a cult. It’s a deeply twisted psychological thriller, my favorite type of thriller, told from multiple POVs and I spent a good portion of it confused and wondering who was narrating, in the best way possible.

The story mainly focuses on the sometimes competitive and tumultuous relationship between childhood sisters, and the ways in which that can continue into adulthood. There is Nat, Kit, Jack and an unnamed fourth woman, who each recount stories in the past and present until it all meets in the middle and we start to discover who is who. This is definitely a slow burn thriller, with no big explosive moments, but there are little revelations throughout the second half that make the reader realize just how messed up these characters are, and question how it all turns out. I really enjoyed it.

I REALLY wanted to like this book, since it seemed to check so many boxes for me - buried family secrets, magic, cults, and obsessions. And I did like it -- just not nearly as much as I had hoped I would.

Sisters Kit and Natalie are seemingly estranged, and become more so when Kit checks into a personal improvement retreat on a remote island following their mother's death. After Natalie receives a disturbing message, she travels to the island to find Kit, who has been out of communication for months, and address the threats contained within the strange email. Once within the walls of "Wisewood", it is clear that Teacher, the retreat's mysterious founder and leader, has a deeper hold on Kit and Wisewood's guests than she imagines. We learn how all three came to the island, and explore the tension between the powers of fear and fearlessness.

Overall the pacing was too uneven for me. There were certainly chapters that were gripping but unfortunately there were an equal number of chapters that felt too winding and slow for my taste. Character development also felt uneven, making it hard to become invested in the characters I wanted to know more about. Many felt extraneous and underdeveloped. Conversely I felt too much time was devoted to the philosophy preached by "Teacher", and there was more detail than needed in Teacher's backtory. I think they were intended to be a central character, but the relationship I wanted more of was between Kit and Natalie.

I am happy to say that the final 1/3 of the book was rivetting, and I am glad I kept reading because I appreciated the many unexpected turns. It is the sign of a good writer that so many twists can be back loaded and not feel rushed, and I think there are many who will enjoy this novel. I would not hesistate to try another of the auth'or's books, as the quality of writing on the whole was excellent - the characters and their particular journeys just did not resonate 100% with me.

Thank youy to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC.

I enjoyed author Stephanie Wrobel's previous book, 'Darling Rose Gold.' This one, not so much. The author spins a complex tale of a sibling relationship, overcoming fear and pain, child emotional and psychological abuse, stage magic, mind control, cults, self-empowerment, and letting go of the past. The book's format did not work well for me. I found ts structure convoluted and disjointed. The story moves back and forth in time. The chapters are told from the perspective of Nat and later her sister, Kit. There are also chapters describing an unnamed person's abusive childhood and later adult struggles. The delayed reveal of the identity of the unnamed person seemed contrived.

The story focuses on Kit, a meek, discontented woman who is grief-stricken and feels guilt over her mother's death. She decides to take a self-improvement course at a retreat. The course is taught at Wisewood, on a small island off the coast of Maine. After six months, Kit has not returned, and her sister Nat cannot contact her because cell phones and computers are forbidden during the stay at Wisewood. Nat, the more successful sister, decides to go to the retreat and bring Kit home. She has been the more forceful sister and has always felt protective of Kit. She has received an email stating that the writer knows a secret that Nat has withheld from Kit, and she must confess it to her sister or the person on the island threatens to reveal it. I found this part not as compelling as the story of Rebecca.

When Nat arrives on the island, she is clearly not welcome. She gets eerie vibes and feels she is being watched. Someone has been in the room assigned to her. She finds that Kit has become a part of a weird cult with strange rituals and disturbing group dynamics. The cult leader is a woman named Rebecca, and the aim is to bring distraught group members to their 'Maximized Self' through conquering fear and pain. Kit explains to her sister that she has never been happier and intends to remain on the island. She has gained status and prestige within the cult. The characters range from the bland to the easily manipulated and to the deranged.

The story moved slowly until the last third, with some danger, shocking twists, and reveals. Will Nat be able to convince Kit to leave? The stunning conclusion was open-ended.
Much thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, Canada, for the opportunity to read an ARC of 'This Might Hurt' in return for an honest review.

Such a great book! Lots of twists and well thought-out characters. It took me a few chapters to get uses to the time switching, but I absolutely loved it!

*Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this book*

In This Might Hurt, Nat Collins goes to a remote island to save her younger sister Kit from a cult. I'm a sucker for thrillers involving sisters, and cults are prime material for a thriller. I still remember being disturbed by how cult leaders feed on people's vulnerabilities when I read that Sweet Valley High novel where Jessica Wakefield's twin sister and friends have to save her from one.

This Might Hurt starts off as a fairly solid thriller, if a bit slow-moving at times. The story is told from three perspectives: Nat, Kit, and an unnamed girl who grew up in an abusive household. I loved the story about Nat and Kit's relationship -- their loving yet complicated relationships with their mother and with each other, and their shared grief when their mother died. I also loved the tension that's gradually revealed between the sisters -- a major secret that Nat rushes to the island to keep Kit from finding out, and the way Nat had to step in as both older sister and mother for Kit, because of their mom's depression. 

I was less interested in the unnamed third narrator. Even though she later turns out to be pivotal to the plot, the mystery surrounding her identity felt forced, and it took a while for her story to take shape. The child abuse inflicted by her father were also emotionally difficult to read about, so heads up if that kind of content is a trigger for you. (I've put some examples at the bottom of this post, if you want to get an idea of the content.) 

The structure of Nat and Kit's chapters also slowed the pace down for me. We don't get Kit's narration until a bit over a third through the book, which does set up the mystery around her situation, but it also lessens the degree of our immersion into the story's atmosphere. Nat's search for Kit is urgent, but there's a detachment to the narration that makes it feel less so, and the unnamed narrator's chapters only serve to slow down the narration even further.

All that being said, the final few chapters of the novel saved it for me. There's a reveal late in the book that reframes our understanding of the story and the characters to-date, significantly ratchets up the action and emotional urgency of the story, and sets up an exciting new direction for the story. Some of the elements of the ending are a bit too convenient to be believable -- one character in particular acts in a way that's completely out of character for them -- but I was interested enough to willingly suspend my disbelief. I found the ending chilling, unexpected, and rather sad, which is just the complicated mess of emotions that makes a good thriller such a fun read. I only wish I'd had more of this from the very beginning.

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Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

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This review will go live on my blog on January 18, 8 am ET.

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Some examples of the child abuse: The man required his daughters to complete a certain number of points to earn their right to sleep that night, and things like kneeling on broken glass are given extra points. In one scene, he forced the unnamed narrator to stay afloat in cold, dirty water for an hour, even though she didn't know how to swim, and forced her older sister to keep watch for him. And in another, he forces his daughter to do a task that risks breaking her mother's beloved family heirloom; that scene ends with an act of deliberate psychological cruelty towards the mother.

All the ingredients for a great mystery were present in this book: an isolated island with no phone reception; a sister lost to a cult; and a mysterious parental figure seemingly pulling all the strings. But although eerie, Wrobel also manages to do some pretty insightful exploration of family dynamics, especially those between siblings and those between father and daughter. Some parts were extremely hard to read—namely those depicting the emotional abuse by a parent. I didn’t see the end coming, which is an extra point in my book, as I tend to guess endings quite easily. Perhaps it’s because it wasn’t obvious, or perhaps it was because I was so engrossed by the web weaved that I got distracted. Either way, it made for quite the delicious read and jaw dropping ending.

Natalie hasn't heard from her sister in 6 months; she's set off to the mysterious Wisewood, where guests commit to better themselves but are cut off from the real world. There's little to no information about Wisewood online, including no client reviews. Natalie receives a threatening e-mail and rushes to reveal a secret to her sister and bring her home. Themes in the book include relationships, loyalty, and grief.

I would rate this book a 3.5. I was really intrigued by the multiple narratives and the mystery of the unnamed chapters. I did, however, find some of the plot to progress too slowly. I would agree with some other reviews that it took a while to get into it. The last 1/3 of the book was more difficult to put down with fascinating twists and turns.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for advance copy!**

6 months on an island off the coast of Maine with no electronics and no contact with the outside world sounds tempting! That is until you get down to the meaty, culty bit of this one. I felt like I knew where this one was going until the very end. Switched it up at the last second and sent me for a loop.

Rebecca was quite a complicated character, all twisty and damaged from her toxic father and a challenging childhood. Kit and Natalie could have been developed a bit more. I feel like there could have been more to their relationship.

A compelling psychological mystery that will quietly get under your skin, but remain like a stubborn splinter, long after the last chilling word.

This book was a real mixed bag for me, I had read Darling Rose Gold and really enjoyed it and was looking forward to this. Alas, I found the story fell flat and dragged especially during the middle, I didn't care about the two main characters and whether or not they were going to resolve their issue, I did however enjoy the writing, it was the only that kept me going. Natalie and Kit are sisters, their mother had passed away a few years ago and Kit had a really hard time getting over her passing. Kit decides to go on a retreat, an island off the eastern coast only accessible by boat. The story is told in three main timelines, a young girl who at first seems to have no connection to Kit or Natalie, Kit from the time she joined the retreat and Nat from the time she receives an email from someone at the retreat that threatens to reveal a secret. The storyline of the young girl with the whacko father (she needed to accumulate so many points in order to be able to do certain things, like eat or sleep), was the most interesting. I found both Kit and Nat timelines at times confusing, especially when they begin to converge near the end. And the ending, well I didn't really enjoy it either. Overall I would say get it for the writing, the author is very talented. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book grabbed me from page 1, and it held intrigue throughout as there were multiple narrators, with one being unknown until you’re well into the story.

This book contains some disturbed characters and quite a few OMG moments, but overall none of the twists felt that surprising. However, the “what is going on” held my interest until the last page. So even though I wasn’t super shocked, I still enjoyed the ride.

This Might Hurt starts with boss b*tch Natalie, who’s character I liked from the start, receiving a threatening email from the Wisewood, the isolated wellness location her sister, Kit, is at for 6 months. It’s a ride as you uncover the sisters backstory, as well as the cult dynamics at Wisewood. I especially enjoyed the trajectory of Madame Fearless.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advance copy!

This book was pretty okay. I liked the mystery aspect and the cult focus was quite intriguing, but the story felt kind of slow at times.

The story follows Natalie and Kit, two sisters, after the death of their mother. It alternates between Natalie’s point of view and Kit’s, and at the same time, follows an alternate storyline from another character. When Natalie gets a cryptic email, she goes to Wisewood to clear things up with Kit. When she gets there, it’s a whole lot more than she expected it would be.

The writing in this book was very good, but I wasn’t really a fan of any of the characters. None of them really stood out to me, and they all just felt kind of bland. The storyline had a lot of potential and it was pretty good, but I feel like it missed the mark. Things definitely could have gotten more intense, just on the basis of Wisewood and the cult factors. The dual POVs also got a bit confusing at times. Over all, this book was okay but I probably wouldn’t reread it.

. . The book was just flat and I ploughed my way to the end. The characters were blah and the retreat section of book was torturous to read. The book dealt with abusive parenting , cult , extreme magic and how being fearless and invincible doesn’t bring happiness .

Natalie and her sister Kit have always had a fragile relationship. Kit was close to their late mother and Natalie always felt like she had to be the adult in the family. When their mother passed away, Kit was heartbroken and plagued with guilt because she wasn’t there at the end. She enrols in a mysterious retreat, Wisewood, that promises self-improvement for people who have lost hope in aspects of their lives. The retreat is on an island and sounds idyllic, except guests cannot communicate with the outside world and there are no electronics allowed. So Natalie is surprised six months later when she gets an email from Wisewood threatening to expose a secret she’s been keeping from Kit. She travels to Wisewood to get to Kit before the blackmailer does.

I found this book interesting. It tackled unusual topics and it was clear the author did a lot of research on those subjects (magic, cults, swimming etc.) I found Kit and the mysterious narrator fully developed but wished that Natalie’s character could have been explored more. I liked the writing style and thought the pacing was good. It kept me interested though I did find some of the magic chapters a bit slow because I’m not that interested in its optics. I thought the twists at the end weren’t that shocking but I still enjoyed how the author wrapped up the story.

Overall I would recommend this book to readers who want some suspense mixed in with mystery and drama.

“This Might Hurt” is a physiological thriller about the inners workers of a cult, and how one comes to join a cult. It was intriguing, interesting and devastating all at the exact same moment. I did find the book to be more physiological and less thriller until the last 1/3 of the book when the pace picked up. Regardless- I did thoroughly enjoy the entire experience

I found myself sympathizing with Kit along her journey and what let her to make the choice to join Wisewood (which was something I wasn’t expecting). However, out of the three POVs I was most interested in Rachel’s journey and how her formative years caused such an imprint on her life ( even down to keeping the shattered China plate!)

I will say I loved everything about this book. It was a great and interesting read and different from everything I’ve read this past year. I’ve always been interested in cults and how one comes to join and succumb to the ideology of it. This book really put all of that into perspective! Not to mention I did not see the twist at the end coming - at all.

Over all great book and thank you so much for the ARC.

I received a complimentary eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Are you someone that allows their fears to hold them back from your full potential? That is what Kit discovers in her journey at Wisewood: a secluded self-improvement retreat that prides itself in teaching people to live fearlessly to reach what is known as their "Maximized Self". Natalie Collins, Kit's sister, is full of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of losing control, and has not heard from her sister in six months. She travels to Wisewood after receiving an email that threatens to expose her darkest secret and is in search of answers. These answers, however, are likely not what she's looking for. She discovers lies, secrets, and deceptions woven within the threads that is Wisewood, and her sister is entwined with it all.

This was my first novel by Stephanie Wrobel, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I found the start to be a slow start, but mid-way through, I literally could not put it down. The world that is Wisewood kind of reminded me of Shutter Island. Where it is not an institution as people are there willingly, I honestly would have enjoyed that kind of plot twist. The ending was kind of surprising, but not entirely. It ended on a cliff-hanger, and I think that a second book could come out of this world and character building, but I would enjoy it as a standalone as well.

Natalie and Kim Collins are siblings with very different lives. Natalie is a successful, , executive Analyst at a Boston firm. Practical, hardworking, married to her work. Kit lives in New York City, lonely, lost in low paying jobs, grieving the loss of her mother two and half years earlier.

To try to get out of her rut, Kit enrolls in a 6 month retreat to Wisewood, a minimalist resort on a small isolated island in Maine. There, she relinquishes all access to the outside world, including her sister, in order to find find her "maximized self." It is only when Natalie receives a menacing email, from an unknown source, about a lie she has been keeping for years, that she is forced to go to this isolated retreat to bring Kit home.

The story, heartbreaking, thrilling, and overall very disturbing, moves at a good pace, providing multiple viewpoints throughout. It grapples with basic questions: What is fear? What is pain? Can all fear and pain be overcome to make us better versions of ourselves? How do we differentiate manipulation from personal choice? I really enjoyed this provocative story which I think would be excellent for Book Clubs in the future.

This Might Hurt is a well written, fast paced read that will have you wincing and squirming. As I charged through it, I found some of the subject matter disturbing but I couldn’t put it down. Sibling bonds and cult indoctrination make an interesting combination.
Thank You to Simon & Schuster Canada, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Two sets of sisters growing up, some strong, some weak. A bit confusing at the beginning as we flash back to the sets of sisters. At first I thought they were the same so took a bit to straighten that out in my mind. Fearless performers, cult leaders and regular every day people are the gripping characters that tell the story. An island retreat or a cult? This is for you to decide. A story that pulls you in and explains itself as you go to the twisted ending that leaves you wondering what happened.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC.
#ThisMightHurt#NetGalley#Simon&ShusterCanada

After reading and loving Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel it was a no brainer to request this from NetGalley. Told in two different timelines from three points of view, This Might Hurt is a very suspenseful psychological thriller that gets your attention right from the start. I was so wrapped up in this story of the Collins sisters I read it in two sittings.

I loved the cult-like atmosphere of Wisewood and the fact it was so far from civilization, it made it creepy as all hell. This book has a very ominous feel to it and I felt the tensions of every single character. Many of my friends figured the big reveal but I was left feeling shocked and surprised and that ending was just the absolute best. After being two for two Wrobel will be an automatically "want to read" author for me from now on.