Ugh, idk if I hated this book, or if it all just made me so angry that reading it was an awful experience, or if all the characters were awful, or the fact that there are GRAPHIC and BRUTAL rape scenes in multiples. I ended up swiping past the pages of Emily Engle's POV b/c they were so graphic and horrible. There is also no resolution in this book, so if you need that to feel okay about horrible stories, this is a pass for you!

4.5 stars

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson  is a psychological thriller about an artists retreat.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Random House - Del Rey, and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
  

My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Sarah Carpenter is one of eight artists at Tranquil Falls, an isolated colony on the grounds of an old hotel which hasn't been in operation for many years.   She is there for a fresh start, having escaped both her controlling boyfriend and her alcoholic mother.   Sarah really needs this time to be something for herself.  She used to be a potter, and looks forward to having her own space to work her magic.  With no outside distractions like cell service or wi-fi, she is sure she will find the peace she needs.

But things go wrong almost from the start.  Sarah ends up sharing her working space with a man who seems to hate women.  When she decides to build a pit kiln, she uncovers the body of young woman, who Sarah thinks may have been buried alive.  She keeps her thoughts to herself.  Her fellow artists are all a little strange, and when Sarah finds one of them dead, and glass in her own clay, she starts wondering if she's being targeted.

Meanwhile, Sarah has been having dreams about a young woman, maybe the one she found that had been buried alive.  In her dreams, this young woman was spending her honeymoon at the closed hotel, when her husband becomes abusive, and she is sent to the hotel's basement, where the doctor will remove her rebellious attitude.

When Sarah and another artist break into the hotel to have a look around, Sarah realizes that she recognizes these rooms from her dreams.  She also realizes that this was more a nightmarish sanatorium than it was a hotel.
 

My Opinions:
I loved this book.  It will stay with me for a long time.  It sucked me in at the start, and held me captive til the end!

It was a very dark, atmospheric tale.  Dawson's vivid descriptions help immerse you in the story, without adding unnecessary details.  The story continued to build suspense as it progressed.   It is part psychological thriller, part horror, part supernatural, but it truly about a woman who learns to stand up for herself.

Okay, I could have used a heads up about the dead animals in this book.  I don't care if people die, but animals is a no-no for me.    There were actually a lot of tough topics in the book, including strange medical treatments (torture), sexual assault, masculine aggression and controlling behaviour, and pure misogyny.   But there were also a couple of strong female characters which balanced things out.  I liked both Sarah and Ingrid.

I loved the ending.

Sarah Carpenter is trying to put her life back together, especially to find her love of pottery again. She finds a place, Tranquill Fall, that she thinks will be perfect. When she finds a body while digging a pit for her kiln, things begin to change, and not for the better. Can she find her way out?

I was fortunate enough to have been chosen to read this book early before it was published. Normally, this is not a book that I would enjoy but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the overall basis of the book, and I would definitely read the authors other books after finishing this one. If you like paranormal thrillers, I would definitely give this one a try.

Wow!!! This book!!! 5 stars! I absolutely loved the writing and the suspense. Sarah, the main character, is running away from the life she doesn’t love and wants to get back to finding herself. She runs off to tranquil falls to rediscover her love for pottery. While there, odd events start taking place and you wonder if there is a haunting, another member who’s just crazy or if there’s some big mystery. This book kept me on the edge of the seat.

Loved it!

Love this author, but I was so bored here. I kept waiting for the pace to pick up and for something to happen and then it was just *meh*. Disappointed

Sarah is looking to start fresh. She’s left her abusive ex and she was accepted to an artist’s retreat with the hope that she can rediscover herself and her love of pottery. Enter Tranquil Falls, a woodland artists retreat on the land of an old closed hotel with whimsical cottages, no phone signal, and maybe ghosts? I loved the premise of this novel, and for most of the reading experience I really enjoyed the novel. Weirdly enough, it was when the more spooky/supernatural stuff started happening I kind of checked out. Overall, I think Dawson handled the heavy themes of societal and individual abuse of women and how this abuse has continued through history quite well. I think that theme is maybe hammered in a little too much. The amount of times the main character will do something and reflect on how she couldn’t do that thing in her last relationship was very repetitive. It’s not bad information, but it happens enough times that you notice the trend. I love the arc of Ingrid the best, she’s definitely the most interesting character. This is also one of those books where so much happens in the final chunk that it’s honestly disorienting. And then it just ends. I can’t go into it without entering spoiler territory, but that was the overall vibe of the finale.

This was one of my most anticipated for 2024 but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I love the way she writes horror and gore which she does a beautiful job with here but unfortunately the story fell flat to me. I kept forcing myself to push on and it felt like nothing really happened. Wasn’t for me this time but I will keep supporting this authors other work. Thank you NetGally for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

⭐️: 2
DNF. I tried to get into it, but it didn’t hold my interest Maybe I’ll give it another chance at a later time.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson explores feminine rage, injustices, and abuse through unique circumstances and memorable characters. Sarah is an artist that is looking to start over, to leave behind the life she had with her shitty ex. At Tranquil Falls, an artist's retreat, she hopes to reconnect with the parts of her that have withered away and fallen in light of living a life not in line with her true self. But bodies start to pop up around the property as Sarah can no longer feel settled, wondering if this a terrible coincidence or something more nefarious following her.

Dawson explores how much cruelty can be found in this world even in the unlikeliest of places. You would think that an artist's retreat would be the place for tranquility (hence the name), but this unique setting proves to be the perfect reckoning ground for Sarah. Not everything is terrible though as Dawson gives us some unlikely friendships along the way for Sarah to understand the truth of what is happening at Tranquil Falls. It Will Only Hurt for a Moment is a book that is the epitome of the past colliding the present, demanding for the price to be paid. Fans of books such as The Redemption of Morgan Bright would enjoy this as well.

Sarah Carpenter seeks a fresh start at an isolated artists' colony called Tranquil Falls, set on the grounds of a former hotel. Hoping to leave behind her troubled past, she soon uncovers a body and begins to experience disturbing behavior from the other artists. As she digs deeper, Sarah realizes that the colony's dark, twisted past may be more than she can escape.

I think this is going to be a 3-star rating for me, maybe 3.5. I did enjoy the story, but the ending kind of ruined it.

The premise was really interesting, especially the artist's retreat in an abandoned hotel. The creepy vibes were there from the start, and I liked how the author wove together the stories of past guests with those of the current retreat members. It was fascinating to see how their stories were so similar, even across the years.

Since this is a mystery/thriller, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was going on. For most of the book, I had no idea who was doing what. The author did a great job of making everyone look suspicious enough that I couldn’t figure out who the real villain was. Unfortunately, once we find out what’s really happening and who the villain is, the story just ends very abruptly. There’s no conclusion, no resolution. We basically find out who did it, and that’s it.

It would’ve been nice to see a full conclusion, like the villain being brought to justice or the secrets of the abandoned hotel coming to light. But we don’t get any of that. We learn about what happened at the hotel, but there’s no closure. It just felt incomplete.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review

Sarah is a young woman who is trying to find some peace and a quiet place to discover herself. Living with an abusive boyfriend has made Sarah only knowing that she needs a safe place where her boyfriend can’t find her. She is going to a secluded isolated artists’ colony on the grounds where there is no internet or cell phone signals, she won’t be distracted in rediscovering herself. The place is called Tanquil Falls. Just when Sarah is getting her life back to herself, strange things happen. She goes to a hotel on the grounds that is slowly disintegrating only to discover its dark past.

I found this book difficult to read as it didn’t keep my interest. The authors writing is fine. The plot is decent. I felt that this story has been told so many times in different ways but yet was not “new” to me. The novel can be classified an abusive horror novel that is gothic.

Delilah Dawson writes feminine rage like the best of them, and <i>It Will Only Hurt for a Moment</i> is her latest addition to a bevy of similar thematic ideas. Whereas her other books might tackle similar themes, <i>It Will Only Hurt for a Moment</i> reads like her attempt at a Gothic thriller, The familiar tropes are all present: a protagonist running away from her past, a kooky mansion maybe full of ghosts, repressed secrets hiding behind crumbling facades, and a timely analysis of current-day politics through the lens of our past.

What Dawson does really well in this book is build up a resonance with the past even as she addresses current social and political issues through her protagonist's adventures. Although there's a pretty big cast for this novel, the secondary characters aren't really much to focus on, as they only seem to act as additional layering to the book's central thematic concern about gendered violence against women. Dawson's pretty clear in how she structure's the book's conflict that she's exploring the way men have traditionally and continue to restrict women's agency in their own self-service, and how some men (and women) have historically upheld systems of power and obscured truths in order to maintain a familiar status quo.

One of the things I really wanted more out of the book is the way that art fits into this dialogue, as I think Dawson brings in various artists into this conversation to explore the way traumas and power is also communicated through art. There's a whole lot of interesting metaphor in here, and art does become somewhat central as a clue to the book's plot and an indication of the way story can present truths and make statements holding power accountable. It's a message that resonates a lot with me, even if I don't think the book always puts that idea at the very forefront of what it is doing.

<i>It Will Only Hurt for a Moment</i> is a worthy read, full of interesting ideas in familiar packaging. It doesn't ever go so far as to break any molds, but it fits snugly into the ongoing conversation writers are having in horror and Gothic literature. Its ideas resonate as reflection on our past and as a statement on our present, and I can think of nothing more worthy of a story to do in this present moment.

Thank you to Del Rey Books / PRH Audio for the copies to review.

I’ve read two books by Dawson and I am a fan. Her stories are dark but have a purpose, and I loved that this had a paranormal element to it and I thought it was done well. The audio was great and added to the story, which focuses on Sarah, who is on the run from her unsupportive, narcissistic ex and alcoholic, abusive mother, taking refuge in a secluded artists’ colony within the grounds of a closed hotel. There is no cell signal or internet to distract her, and she’s hoping to get back to pottery while there. Until she finds the body of a young woman. Then the fellow artists start acting weird, and she begins having haunted dreams nightly.

This was an intense and excellent read, going back and forth from the past of the young woman who died as well as the current day with Sarah and the artists and it all comes to a head at the end. I love Dawson’s writing and how her stories come together and how she perfectly captures female rage and how horrific women were treated back then when they tried to fight back from abuse. This is another one where you don’t want to miss the author’s note just FYI.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This paranormal thriller feels like a blend of House on Haunted Hill and One by One. The story follows a group of artists attending a secluded colony, where things take a dark turn after a dead body is discovered. When one of their own meets an untimely end, the group begins to suspect a supernatural force is at play. I connected with the characters on many levels and appreciated how their pasts intertwined with their experiences at the colony. Spooky, thrilling, and utterly engrossing, this book kept me hooked until the very last page.

*Thank you to Delilah S. Dawson, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

I have historically liked Delilah Dawson's work a lot! I liked The Violence, and many years ago, I enjoyed her YA book Hit.

For that reason, I almost couldn't believe she had written It Will Only Hurt for a Moment.

The premise is great: a feminist horror thriller set at a spooky artists' colony that used to be an abandoned hotel.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed almost from the first page. Sorry! I read an e-ARC, so maybe the book just hadn't been edited yet? But the writing was super clunky, the protagonist's character super flat, the shitty dudes more comic than rage-inducing. Every chapter broke at an arbitrary faux-cliffhanger (I must have read the phrase "and then she saw a human skull" like four times). There was loads of plot stuff that didn't add up.

This read to me like a paint-by-numbers book. Or maybe a Frankenstein book without the electricity. It's like someone wanted to write a novel with the ~vibes~ that the Internet would love, and they plugged in all the right elements, but the end result has no oxygen.

I was very excited to receive this EARC. I enjoyed the gothic setting and the atmosphere was good. Though I feel this book did drag out, which in turn I lost interest throughout. I also feel that the ending did not feel complete and was rather abrupt. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is still an author I would be sure to try again
3 Star

Will anything ever top Dawson's The Violence for me? Not likely. It Will Only Hurt for a Moment was an admirable effort, though, and a solid 5-star read.

Sarah Carpenter is trying to escape her traumatic past by seeking solace at Tranquil Falls, a secluded artists’ colony where she hopes to rediscover herself and her passion for pottery. But as soon as she starts digging into the clay, she unearths something far darker than she bargained for—a body buried deep beneath the surface.What follows is a chilling descent into a truly engaging historical mystery. As Sarah begins to unravel the strange behavior of the other artists, from the calligrapher with ink-stained teeth to the musician who can’t stop playing a haunting melody, she starts to question her own sanity. Are the bizarre happenings a sign of something supernatural, or is there a darker force at play in the colony’s past?

If you’re a fan of dark thrillers with rich, atmospheric settings and expertly placed supernatural elements, It Will Only Hurt for a Moment is definitely worth a read. It’s a haunting exploration of trauma and the things that refuse to stay buried with some shocking twists and truly scary moments. I absolutely loved every minute of it.

I'm sure decades later we are still going to talk about abusive boyfriends, gaslighting husbands, and other men supporting their causes. In their eyes, women are never going to be anything more than a servant for men to meet their needs without a question. One woman was locked up in a "spa lodge" because she said no to rape and another ran away from an abusive boyfriend to find her voice again - both happened on the same grounds

Sarah walked into this artist's retreat or colony or program (whatever you want to call it) only to find dead bodies and disturbing stories. All she wanted was to run away from the boyfriend and go back to being an artist before she fell into his web. She kept finding people behaving weirdly (almost possessed) and the owner gaslighting her concerns. Sarah was not a quitter though. She stepped into the "hotel" which was a no no to be able to find her own answers. However, I had the feeling that she wished she did not.

"It will only hurt for a moment" is such an eerie thing to hear especially in the moment of distress. It's a sign that whatever is happening to you will continue to happen but you will be used to it after a while. There is so much hopelessness buried in that sentence that both Sarah and many women felt.

Characters felt very 2D, and I feel like I should have gone into this without knowing anything about the book. The synopsis gave too much away. It eventually felt repetitive, and I particularly didn’t like the “goth girl is bitchy” stereotype.