I've heard only good things about Dawson's previous horror novel, so I was really excited to read her newest one. The title is very promising, after all, and the general premise very intriguing: Sarah, our protagonist, joins a reclusive artists retreat after finally escaping her abusive relationship. Her hopes of starting over are disrupted when she finds an old coffin on the grounds of the retreat, and in it the corpse of a young woman that was clearly buried alive.

The atmosphere is this book's greatest strength. The artists' colony is set right next to an old wellness resort for proper ladies, in the middle of eerie woods, with no cell signal and noone else but the artists and the colony's founders around for miles. The setting definitely works in favour of the story, which started great. I felt for Sarah and I was absorbed in the mystery and the paranormal happenings surrounding it. The book couldn't keep up its momentum, though.

The writing is very accessable, though I did feel like there were some unfortunate pop culture references that didn't work in 2024. There were also just a few too many cliffhanger chapter endings that lead to mundane solutions (of couse the chapter ending scream was just cause by a bat, times 100). The plot, after a while, got rather repetitive - a lot of talk about how peculiar artists are, a lot of talk about Sarah's past without adding anything new and exploring its core concept of emotional abuse deeply enough, a lot of the characters doing the same thing over and over again. In general, I think the book could easily have been 50 to 100 pages shorter. It definitely would have helped the pace.

I also didn't think the characters were that well-written. Most of them aren't fleshed out at all, they seem more like caricatures if at all and I didn't care whether they lived or died. Sarah was interesting enough, but wasn't memorable. There is a slight romantic subplot that I really really wasn't necessary at all.

I did really like the central theme of the story, but I do think it wasn't always explored in a satisfying way. The men were over the top villainy, which actually took away from the impact the reveals and Sarah's story could have had. Subtlety and realism can hit so much harder in these kinds of stories, because it makes us recognize the villainy, the horrors, as something known and close to home. Which makes it so much scarier, really. It's what makes Jessica Jones' Kilgrave probably the scariest, most effective Marvel villain of them all. Dawson did a good job at that with Sarah's abusive ex for the most part, though she sadly completely ruined it with the ending.

But the ending was the novel's worst part anyway. Completely rushed, with an underwhelming antagonist reveal that literally anyone will have seen coming, and a very abrupt, unsatisfying cutoff that solved nothing but also didn't provide an intriguing open ending with interesting lingering questions to ponder. It felt like the author suddenly wasn't in the mood to write anymore so she just stopped.

The ending is also what made me drop my rating from 3 to 2 stars. The vibes of this novel were amazing, I was intrigued by the mystery and creeped out by what was happening around Sarah. Yes, I got bored by the repetetive nature of the storytelling, and yes, the characters weren't groundbreaking, but it seemed like a solid middle of the road 3 star read, especially because the themes were immaculate. But the ending more or less ruined what was left of my enjoyment and I was left deeply unsatisfied as a result. Due to the writing and the atmosphere Dawson creates I still really want to check out her previous work, though.

<i>Many thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the arc!</i>

When a woman runs from her abusive boyfriend to stay in an artists' colony she is greeted by events that go from creepy to downright twisted. Sarah discovers that the colony where she and her fellow artists are staying is on the grounds of an old, shuttered and abandoned spa for rich society folk. But when she comes across dead animals and an unmarked human grave her curiosity and that of another artist whom she befriends become piqued. She develops a strange connection to the woman whose body she found, perhaps both being victims of abuse, or for whatever reason leads her down a perilous path to uncover the mystery of this property. This macabre mystery was well told, with easy to read prose, other than a few slightly outdated pop culture references (I wondered if the first draft was written some years ago and the references weren't updated or was there an intent to set this story about a decade or more in the past). The characters were not overly-developed and I would have liked a bit more depth especially of the supporting characters but the atmosphere and setting were handled well. The pacing was a bit slow at the beginning but picked up, and the ending felt a bit too neat. Overall, this was a decent read for anyone looking for a contemporary horror-mystery.
I received advanced access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Sarah Carpenter, a woman who is trying to start over and leave behind a terrible ex boyfriend and abusive mother, wants to find herself and her love for art, specifically pottery, while taking a sabbatical of sorts in an artist colony. She doesn’t want the interruptions from outside word. Instead she finds herself in a very secluded, dark and twisted place. In the first week, there is a cemetery of dalls, a dead body being exhumed, a fellow artist dies and the more Sarah digs for the truth about what happened there, the more things happen.
This is a spooky fall read. Very atmospheric full of unease and tension. The reader is able to watch Sarah unravel page after page while she questions her sanity and wondering what is real.

This book didn't live up to my expectations. The first third of the book is a little slow. The pace picked up,, reaching an unlikely stew of a conclusion. The plot and subplots never really meshed into a cohesive theme.

I wasn't particularly drawn to any of the characters. Not very relatable, they were flat. Some characters were merely stock tropes i.e. Gail as The Villian.

I thank Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

The story begins by introducing us to our main character Sarah. Sarah is looking for a fresh start after fleeing a toxic relationship and she ends up in Tranquil Falls, an isolated artist camp. The artist camp is next door or on the same grounds as a desert hotel. The history behind the hotel and the artist camp is sketchy and eerie. However, you aren't sure exactly who or what is the problem.

I really enjoyed this read. It wasn't completely original. I feel like I've read or watched a similar story in the past. However, the specifics & the details were different enough that it still felt unique.

Thank you for the eARC!

Sadly I didn’t enjoy this as much as I’d hoped.
The plot felt a little flat. I didn’t like the characters. The ending left much to be desired.
I liked the premise and some of the spooky vibes but overall I was unsatisfied.

It Will Only Hurt For A Moment by Delilah S. Dawson is a psychological horror novel that follows Sarah, a woman who has just left an abusive relationship and is looking for a new start to life. She decides to go to an artist retreat in Georgia so reignite her love of pottery and also disconnect from the rest of the world for a little while. When she arrives, things quickly start going downhill. Between not get along with some of the other artists and creepy things happening, Sarah begins questioning her decision to come to the retreat at all. And then things get worse…

I loved this book. Delilah S. Dawson is one of my favorite authors so I already had incredibly high expectations for this book. This story is so atmospheric and eerie, it felt like watching a movie. I loved the way art was used to show some of the characters descend into madness was really interesting. You could tell who was having a hard time by their actions.

I think this will make a perfect fall read. It has all the atmosphere you can in a spooky book and the cinematic quality that only few books can pull off well. I am so excited to buy a copy when it releases to reread!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Del Rey and NetGalley for an eARC copy of 'It Will Only Hurt for a Moment' by Delilah S. Dawson.

'It Will Only Hurt for a Moment' by Delilah S. Dawson is a gripping psychological thriller that immerses readers in a world of secrets, suspense, and sinister happenings.

Sarah Carpenter, the protagonist, is a woman in search of a fresh start, fleeing from a toxic past and seeking solace in the quiet refuge of Tranquil Falls, an isolated artists' colony nestled within the grounds of a deserted hotel. As Sarah strives to rebuild her life and reignite her passion for pottery, the tranquil surroundings begin to unravel into a nightmare of unsettling discoveries.

The narrative takes a chilling turn when Sarah unearths the body of a young woman while digging a hole for a kiln, setting off a chain of events that shatter the peaceful façade of the colony. As her fellow artists exhibit increasingly disturbing behaviors and Sarah is plagued by haunting dreams, she finds herself questioning her own sanity and safety.

As Sarah delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the valley and the abandoned resort, she confronts a chilling past that refuses to remain buried.

Delilah S. Dawson does a wonderful job crafting an atmosphere of unease and tension, which settle in around the artists and the slow spiral of Sarah questioning her sanity and honestly, I was starting to question mine as well. The connection I felt with Sarah was and felt disturbingly real. The way the book is written will draw you in and keep you in that when you finish, you have questions and leaves a lingering feeling in your chest which makes you wonder if you've left the world or not.

I received an ARC copy of this book

I really enjoyed this book.
As someone who probably would go on an artists retreat, it's made me think twice!
Haunted houses, an asylum masquerading as an upmarket hotel in the 1800's and Delilah's delightful way of turning sweet and innocent themes into something a lot darker made this a really enjoyable read.
There are themes of domestic abuse that are raw and relatable without being overly graphic, but these are integral to the story.
The lead characters are great. Sarah is likeable, as is Ingrid.
Some of the characters descend into mania, and that's pretty terrifying, again, without having to rely on gore or overly graphic descriptions. Delilah seems to know when to let the readers imagination take over!
Would definitely recommend.

To be brutally honest-- I think I legitimately hated this. Which is wild since I previously read Bloom this year and it dug its way into my skull and stuck with me for weeks and I weirdly kinda loved it? So this was definitely not the expected outcome of this book.

The Characters:
The characters feel very 2D and like a Boomer who is totally adrift, trying to fit modern culture and personalities into these neat little boxes from yonder-year that are hella reductive. As far as I know this takes place in modern day (they definitely have MacBooks and iPhones and Priuses) so why does she literally keep saying the teenager -in 2024ish- should be playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. A musician teen who is classically trained in viola/violin/piano/etc... that song came out over 30 years ago and about a decade and a half before this hypothetical child was born, ffs.

But they're all like that. She's constantly reducing the characters to one or two simple attributes that fit a stereotype, then the narration and the characters themselves laugh and affirm that she's right. So these are the author's thoughts, not just Sarah's. (Though speaking of Sarah, she's totally stuck up and annoying and I hate her.)

The Writing:
One of the things she loves to do is point out that they're artists. But she uses "artists" to explain everything. Dress like a goth? That's an artist. Act bitchy? That's an artist. Introvert? Well duh, artists are introverts. Extrovert? Oh yeah, that just screams artist, doesn't it? -_-

Pet Peeve: One other thing the writing does is a personal pet peeve which is a lot of handwaving. Phrases like "it doesn’t make sense, but she feels it in her bones" or "in the dream, where she seems to just know these things like the omnipotent narrator in a book." You can't just tell me "it doesn't make sense" and "she seems to just know these things" and pretend like that's good enough to move on. You were right! It doesn't make sense! It's your job as a writer to make it make sense!

The Plot:
I was not ready for the multiple references to and on-page instances of sexual assault. The rapes made me incredibly uncomfortable and I just don't think it was handled well. Like I understand what the messaging was (cause seriously it was very repetitive), I just really didn't vibe with how it was handled. Do not ignore the trigger warnings here if you're at all sensitive.

The Ending:
Seriously that's it? Nothing adds up, no catharsis was reached, the last 20 pages sprinted by and felt completely unfinished. Random villain reveals and cameos and blacking out so that they can quickly summarize to Sarah (and the reader) all the crazy shit that happened off page.

Themes:
It's unfortunate for this book that I recently read another thriller/horror new release (Only One Of Us Knows) because I was constantly comparing the reveals and developments to similar ones that happened there but were handled sooooooo much better there.

Overall:
I thought the beginning had a strong sense of atmosphere, and I love Dawson's love of vocabulary and just dropping words like "prevaricate" here and there. But from the moment I met Bernie onward, reading this was my personal hell.

3.5 stars

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I had read another book from this author, Bloom, earlier this year and had enjoyed it and wanted to see what her next book would be like. This is the story of Sarah, our main character, who is looking for a fresh start. Sarah is leaving behind two very toxic relationships, one with her alcoholic mother and the other her abusive ex-boyfriend. Sarah is hoping that six weeks at a secluded artists' colony will relight the fire of her passion for pottery and give her the time she needs before heading back to a new beginning. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned and bodies start showing up and Sarah seems to be at the center of all the negative things happening.

What I liked about this book were the characters. Although there were definitely some stereotypes at play here, it didn't feel too over the top. My favorite aspect was the way the author wrote about two of the female side characters and how their relationships with Sarah started and then changed. No spoilers but things didn't quite go the way I expected there. I also appreciated the way things developed between Sarah and Reid. Lucas was also a doll. The way the plot unfolded was a bit predictable, but still fun.

This story required a lot of suspension of disbelief for me to stay connected, and I didn't always succeed. Believing that all the "artists" were somehow earned a place at this retreat was a bit far-fetched, considering most of them were crafters rather than artists, and I was neve quite sure why the retreat was happening at all. The family that hosted the event remained a bit of an enigma and I never got a handle on what was motivating them.

In the end, I had a fun time reading this story and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun time with a thriller that doesn't really take itself too seriously and follows some tried and true tropes.

I loved Delilah Dawson's book **The Violence** so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read this. I really enjoyed it!

This was a gripping, nervy read. Like the Violence, this is at heart a very feminist, very angry book. Dawson skillfully uses traditional horror story tropes to tell an all-too-real story about the violence that women experience at the hands of their husbands and partners. I thought the setting was well envisioned and executed. The pacing was excellent; once I hit the 60% mark the book blazed into high gear and catapulted to a satisfying conclusion. If I have a critique, it's that some of the characterizations were rather thin. There were also few plot developments that I think were intended to be surprises but which I saw coming 100 miles away. All in all, though, a very atmospheric and enjoyable thriller with compelling themes, and several scenes that will linger in my memory.

Thank you to Delilah S. Dawson, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for generously providing an ARC for review!

DNF at 20%. I was really intrigued by the synopsis but ultimately could not feel connected or invested in the fmc or the story. The writing was pretty repetitive (lots of mentions of her gaslighter ex boyfriend that got really boring) and there weren’t many interesting things happening. I also wish this would have been in first person point of view instead of third person - it may have helped to round out Sarah’s character more and showcase more of her personality. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the arc.

I gave this 3.75. I enjoyed the pacing and plot. There wasn’t as many huge plot twists as I was expecting but still found it enjoyable. I wish the ending gave more detail about the other campers such as Reid and Kim but I liked the book as a whole! Thank you for the ARC.

This was pretty interesting. Very detailed descriptions, characters had individuality, and there were some chilling moments.

It didn’t need to be as long as it was. It got a little repetitive for a bit. Other than that, I really enjoyed this!

I don't think I'm the right kind of reader for this author. I read one of Dawson's works recently, and while it wasn't a favorite, I thought it was worth another attempt.

The issue with this book is the execution; too much repetition and over explanation. The ideas of the book were fine, but it would have been more interesting and easier to follow from Ingrid's perspective. With all the extra information needed for Sarah's perspective, you grow tired of her quickly.

All things considered, it was a chilling read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this arc

I’ve always hear positive things about Delilah S. Dawson but I actually thought this was pretty mid. There wasn’t anything special about the writing, and it lacked the atmosphere I was hoping for. The weakest aspect was the characters, who managed to be flat and unlikeable.
Also I was so freakin sick of hearing about Kyle by page 3 I literally could not care less every time his name came up.

ARC provided by NetGalley

4.5

Setting: Georgia
Rep: n/a

This is a dark and twisted feminist horror/mystery/thriller that I really enjoyed! I loved how visceral the descriptions were - I could really picture every scene (though that isn't always a good thing with a horror!). I really liked Sarah and Ingrid. Bernie managed to become my most hated character in a matter of pages. This is one of those books where, from the start, there is a sense of dread and unease that slowly grows as the book goes on - it isn't big and flashy and full of action, but plenty of creeping discomfort.