We follow Sarah as she joins a remote artists’ retreat after leaving an abusive relationship. She discovers that the old mansion everyone is forbidden from entering has secrets of its own.

This book is A Lot. Each character has an extreme personality, verging into caricature territory. There’s a misogynistic man who expects Sarah to clean up after him, a goth girl who wears only black and takes morbid pictures, a costume designer who doesn’t wear modern clothing-and more. The descriptions of these characters provides levity as Sarah discovers the extremely dark past of the resort, and unpacks her own abusive relationship. These details are much darker and upsetting than the rest of the book, which made me appreciate the light-hearted sections. The contrast was sometimes quite jarring, and the first detailed description of sexual assault caught me off guard.

Overall I enjoyed it, but it felt long and sometimes repetitive. I’ve attached trigger warnings so please check them before picking this up!

Thanks to the publisher, I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I picked up It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson, craving a spooky artist retreat story, and I wasn't disappointed. To be fair though, I always crave thrillers or mysteries featuring artists or writers at the center! The plot follows Sarah, a potter escaping an abusive relationship, who joins a secluded artists' colony. Things take a horrifying turn when she unearths a body, and it only gets worse as more corpses appear and her fellow artists start acting bizarrely (somewhat reminiscent of the possessed students in Lois Duncan's YA gothic horror Down a Dark Hall, if anyone remembers that?) Sarah's journey from victim to investigator kept me on edge, and she was an absolute hoot - her snarky inner monologue often had me laughing out loud despite the increasingly disturbing events. While the ending felt a bit rushed, I loved the vivid setting of the crumbling resort and the quirky cast of increasingly unhinged artists in this thoroughly enjoyable and very satisfying read.

An artist recovering from a narcissistic and abusive relationship tries to find herself and her art again by going to an eclectic retreat for artists of all mediums. We are given very classic archetypes of characters, none of which are likable.

Things I liked: The premise/atmosphere of the story was very intriguing to me. Some of the quirky characters were fun and there were scenes that held tension really well. Making a ton of toilets is also ... fun.

Things that annoyed me: There was so much description. Things were described multiple times in a row when just once would have gotten the point across. Ex: "... her eyes were wide open, their pupils blown so wide that here is almost no iris left, just gaping, empty pools of black." Points the author is trying to convey get reiterated in a similar manner. The pop culture references also felt a little old.

I would recommend this book to: fans of Knives Out/Glass Onion or Rachel Harrison

Sort of a "Poltergeist" meets "Handmaid's Tale," this thriller didn't really hold my interest. Some of the characters were interesting and premise of an isolated group of artists in a supposedly idyllic location with weird things happening had promise. Unfortunately, it just kind of plodded along and then suddenly wrapped up in the least believable manner. Not recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for an advanced reader copy.

I really really wanted to like this, as I read The Violence last year and did enjoy it, and in general I do enjoy Delilah Dawson's writing style and her feminist takes. However, I had a lot of problems with this story. The biggest ones were 1) that the teenager character felt plucked out of time, with interests and tastes that felt more like what a teenager would have been into 20 years ago rather than now, and this made the character feel inauthentic and pulled me out of the story, 2) the ending did not feel like it resolved most of the things that were introduced in the story (I don't need endings to tie everything up with a neat bow, but I do feel like there needs to be SOME satisfaction, or if not, then a greater justification for this lack of satisfaction than we got in the story), and finally 3) the sheer number of mentions of and instances of on-page sexual assault, something that is a HUGE turn=off for me and that I feel needs to be greatly justified, otherwise it grossly undermines any feminist commentary by leaning on the shock value of descriptive sexual assault in order to engender empathy for what women go through. Overall, I'm sad to say this was not for me, but I will definitely read more of Dawson's future works and hope to enjoy them more than I did this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House / Del Rey for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This was a good read that explored a lot of trauma and the impact it has on women, written with a feminist touch. The secluded setting made for a creepy, haunting read. While the protagonist was well developed, I felt some of the supporting characters were a bit one-dimensional. The story was intriguing and even paced, but the ending felt a bit unfulfilled. Three Stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC.

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.

Sarah Carpenter is finally getting a fresh start after leaving behind her narcissistic ex and abusive mother.Trading her tumultuous life for the secluded artist colony of Tranquil Falls.Sarah can’t think of a better place to reconnect with her love of pottery than the isolated location.Just as Sarah begins her artistic journey she stumbles upon the body of a women buried in the grounds.Sarah notices that all around her everyone is behaving odd,add in the fact glass shards were found in her clay she begins to question how safe she is.Her nightmare fueled nights make matters worse as she wonders if she’s losing her mind.With questions begging to be unearthed Sarah begins a dangerous investigation into the chilling past.

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment is a dark and twisted gothic horror that will have you feeling all the female rage that Dawson excels at creating.This was fast paced, horrifying,and immersive as we follow Sarah unravel the the haunted history that taints the surrounding area of Tranquil Falls.From start to finish this book was one wild dark read that is equal parts thriller,paranormal story,haunted history, and feminist horror. One aspect I truly enjoyed was how easily I could picture the setting with its isolated forest scenery and abandoned resort which truly added to eerie paranormal elements. This book does have quite a few tough subject matters that should be noted such as DV,misogyny, multiple references to SA, suicide,animal cruelty,and self harm. Dwason’s use of these themes are explored to show how women have historically been used and abused all throughout history to even today,as well as the disgusting nature of medical spas and asylums of the 1800s. While this subject matter was a bit hard to read at times I still found that I was able to continue reading because I was fully invested in the revenge that I wanted to see play out.Overall this was a fast paced intense horror that at its heart is a battle cry for women’s empowerment and reclaiming your sense of self.If you are not easily turned off by trigger warnings I definitely recommend this one for a spooky fall read.

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment comes out October 22nd,2024.Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Pretty good thriller with some good characters. The setting seemed idyllic, minus the spooky abandoned hotel! Definitely worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early read.

Delilah S. Dawson does it again!!! I highly recommend checking this one out!!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This was the PERFECT spooky read, it was dark, atmospheric & unsettling. I couldn't put it down, and really liked the twists. I didn't love the romance as much, but it was a smaller subplot at least. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads. 3.75 stars

Delilah Dawson does an amazing job of character development. I loved the book “The Violence” which seemed to have some similar characters so I was excited to read this book too!

Without describing the synopsis in my own words I’ll just say this: read this book!

"It will only hurt for a moment" is the second book I've read from Delilah Dawson. I really loved "the Violence". Her new book is an atmospheric thriller, set in an artist village at the old Tranquil Falls resort. The main character Sarah escaped from an abusive, narcissistic boyfriend and an alcoholic mother. In Tranquil Falls, she hopes to reconnect with her creativity. She once studied ceramics and loved to throw on the wheel. From the beginning, the caretaker of the artist village, Gail, seems to be a bit strange and hostile towards Sarah. She tells her that Tranquil Falls was a posh spa resort for rich people in the 19th century. Then suddenly Sarah discovers a body and her fellow artists are behaving more and more strange..

I liked the concept of the book very much. Unfortunately, I figured out the story quite soon. The end was unexpected, but very unrealistic. Still, this book was a real page turner for me. I liked how Sarah investigated and found corpse after corpse. I would have loved to know how Sarah managed to escape from her narcissistic boyfriend. This surely was not easy.

What a perfect, spooky read for fall!

Sarah arrives at an artist residency program called Tranquil Falls after getting away from her abusive ex boyfriend. The longer she spends at Tranquil Falls, the more she starts to realize her fellow artists aren't exactly who she expected. When a dead animal appears on Sarah's bed, she is forced to figure out what has been going on at the resort for years, and what to do about it.

Fans of gothic horror will love this one, but beware of extreme animal and human violence!

I ended up taking this in bigger and bigger chunks towards the end of the book because the suspense was ramping so quickly that I had to know how this was all going to turn out. You have a woman going to an artist retreat in the woods as the first step in her escape from her shitty abusive ex, and it turns out that the artist retreat isn't just a neat hotel in the woods, it also used to be an asylum for inconvenient women. Things are uncovered and unravel at a hell of a pace, and it was a great read. Highly recommended spooky fall read.

-Delilah S. Dawson is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I vibe with her storytelling style.
-An intricately plotted story with strong character development. Easy to invest in their fictional lives
-An ensemble cast of quirky characters in an adult camp-like setting, so that's fun
-Follows that trope of strangers gathering at a recreational resort full of secrets or something sinister
-Feminist
-Adjacent to Gothic horror
-Exploring an abandoned, possibly haunted resort/hotel
-Artists/Creatives
..
More soon
Be careful!
-Scenes of SA (sexual assault)
-Domestic violence
-Animal cruelty/harm

This book includes depictions of domestic violence, rape, spousal rape, and emotional abuse. I wouldn't normally include that at the beginning of my review, but those topics are central to the book's themes, and I understand some readers like to avoid those topics. I will say the abuse isn't gratuitous or male-gaze-y.

I really liked this book. The main reason it wasn't a 5-star read for me is that I felt like there were too many unknowns left. In gothic horror, it's common for there to be doubt, but there was so much plot left to interpretation that it just felt messy instead of interesting. I also thought the inclusion of Sarah having a negative relationship with her mom was unnecessary. It didn't further the plot and was such a blip in the story. I think it was included to make it easier for Kyle (the abusive ex) to isolate Sarah, but really it didn't add anything. The mom could have just been absent, and it would have served the same purpose. Honestly, it would have been more insidious if the mom had been supportive and dismissive of any concerns Sarah had with her boyfriend. In some cases, that would have been more realistic. The only other issue is the timeline; I had a hard time figuring out how old Sarah was and what her background was. At one point, I thought she had an undergrad art degree and had been in a master's program when she met Kyle, but then it mentions she was actually a junior in college. Maybe I misunderstood, but that part was wonky for me.

Sarah arrives at an artist residency program to escape her abusive ex and start over. The residency program is at Tranquil Falls, a defunct medical spa. While the old hotel and spa is off-limits, the artist residency program is on the grounds of the old facility. There are whimsical cabins and historic buildings; everything seems perfect until someone puts a dead bloated possum on Sarah's bed. From there, the story escalates as Sarah discovers the horrors of the so-called medical spa and her own past.

Part of why I liked this book is that it really outlines how far people are willing to go to turn the other cheek. Multiple characters are willing to aid or ignore the abuse that is going on around them. Not just men, but women are willing to ignore or outright aid in the emotional or physical abuse of others. There's also the disgusting nature of medical spas and asylums, which I could write whole novels on.

If you like gothic horror, I think you'll enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House, all opinions are my own.

Having loved "Bloom" by this author I was really excited to get into this one. I was a bit skeptical because of its length but I went in optimistic. Dawson did a great j0b at setting up the atmosphere and vibes. You had haunted hotels, creepy ghosts and a dual timeline which I tend to really enjoy. Dawson's writing style is also really great, and despite not loving this one I will continue to pick up her works. However unfortunately that is where my enjoyment ends. There were a lot of loose ends, a lot of things brought up throughout the story were left unanswered. There weren't enough twists or big events happening to keep me intrigued or wanting to continue. I also think the small romantic subplot just wasn't necessary.

In IT WILL ONLY HURT FOR A MOMENT, Delilah Dawson gives us another Good For Her angsty read of female-rage, and I am here for it! This read felt very nostalgic for me, having spent some time at artist colonies, which added to the flavor of the story. I enjoyed Ingrid, but wish we'd seen more of Sarah's relationship with Kyle for the climax to hit harder. Still, another great book from Dawson.

I read Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson back in January and LOVED it. As soon as I saw she was coming out with another book this fall, I knew I had to read it. And I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC through NetGalley.

This is the haunted fall artist’s retreat to Bloom’s bloody whirlwind summer romance. And as such, it brings all the spooky fall vibes with a huge dash of haunted history. I was immediately invested and stayed invested and captivated throughout.

The vibes:
- Fall art camp
- Haunted history
- Haunted houses and abandoned hotels
- Old “wellness retreats” of the 1800s
- The treatment of women in recent history and current day
- Feminist

The synopsis is as it presents itself: Sarah is an aspiring potter who's recently escaped an abusive relationship (and is running from a toxic mother she thought she cut off years prior). She's attending an artist retreat to get back into pottery and find herself again, but as soon as she gets to the artist's retreat, ominous things start happening. And as she digs into the weird happenings, the history of the abandoned hotel and "wellness retreat" the artist retreat sits on starts coming to light, revealing some truths about Sarah's own life at the same time.

The novel gets into the creepy mishaps right away, and as it progresses it gets creepier and creepier. If anyone else is as interested in old hotels from the 1800s as I am, you know that hotels and “wellness retreats” really aren’t that. It’s code for something else. And this novel delves into that and delves into it hard.

One of the elements I loved most was the continuous commentary of the horrors women have to face every day from so many sources (husbands, significant others, coworkers, parents, strangers, other women) and in so many ways, both blatant and in microaggressions. Women’s empowerment and reclaiming a sense of self was a huge message and theme, and horror that explores this is my favorite. This didn’t disappoint in that respect.

Despite my enjoyment of this, there were a few things that made this a not-quite perfect read. The biggest was that the ending felt rushed and not entirely wrapped up. The climax and resolution take place in the last 3-5 chapters, so for a novel that was building up to something for so long, the ending felt too quick and I was left with more plausibility questions than I anticipated. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but if there had been more build up throughout the novel and then a few more chapters to work through the consequences of the climax, I think this ending really would have stuck. Even as is, however, it didn’t take away from the ultimate message/theme of the book or my enjoyment of reading it, but it did leave me a little disappointed.

But in all, this was a spooky tale that both satisfied my love of the included horror tropes and settings and gave a satisfactory (and important) commentary around what it feels like to be a woman with all the horrors that are directed at us when we’re just trying to live our lives and what it takes for some to regain control. (Also, just gonna say it… when we learn where the title comes from, it’s both a sucker punch and then an empowering battle cry. Loved it.)

So in all, this isn’t a flawless novel - it has some execution and resolution issues in the last ~5% of the book. But I enjoyed it thoroughly, and adored the spooky vibes, haunted history, and the female empowerment that’s at the core of the novel. And yes, I did preorder this to have a copy for my personal library.

If you like the vibes, can stand the trigger warnings (below), and don’t mind an ending that's not 100% buttoned up (vibes over perfection!), then definitely give it a read.

TW:
- Animal harm/death
- Rape and abuse (sexual and emotional), including from a partner - some scenes are on the page
- Suicide
- Gaslighting

There was a lot of promise when before I read this book. After reading it, I’m a bit iffy on some of it. I felt like it could’ve been shortened, some details were not needed. Not a fan of the end, couldn’t predict it, but it felt off with the rest of the book. And, the characters were not relatable.