This Might Hurt Review

Out February 22, 2022

Photo courtesy of Simon & Schuster Canada

Stephanie Wrobel’s forthcoming novel This Might Hurt is an edge of your seat thriller with elements of mystery woven throughout. Natalie Collins is looking to get in touch with her sister Kit who she hasn’t heard from in half a year. While they have a rocky relationship, Natalie and Kit are still sisters, something that Natalie keeps close to her heart. When an ominous email shows up in Natalie’s inbox from the mysterious Wisewood, Natalie has a gut feeling that something is wrong with Kit.

While I enjoyed Wrobel’s debut, there was something about her forthcoming novel, This Might Hurt, that just felt mature; like Wrobel has found her footing, and this made This Might Hurt even more of an entertaining read in my opinion. Her prose has developed since her last novel and it gets me excited for what she has coming in the future. Wrobel had an idea and she went with it, making This Might Hurt a dark read that can leave the reader uncomfortable in some parts, signs of an amazing writer.

Wrobel focuses heavily on the relationships between sisters and it is something that I can personally relate to. Wrobel has done an excellent job showing the similarities and differences that sisters have, and how growing up in the same environment doesn’t necessarily mean that your memories and feelings of those events will be the same. While I’ve read quite a few titles with the cult trope, This Might Hurt felt different. I don’t want to give anything away, but Wrobel managed to give a fresh take to the cult trope that I believe readers will devour.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This Might Hurt Summary

Welcome to Wisewood. We’ll keep your secrets if you keep ours.

Natalie Collins hasn’t heard from her sister in more than half a year.

The last time they spoke, Kit was slogging from mundane workdays to obligatory happy hours to crying in the shower about their dead mother. She told Natalie she was sure there was something more out there.

And then she found Wisewood.

On a private island off the coast of Maine, Wisewood’s guests commit to six-month stays. During this time, they’re prohibited from contact with the rest of the world—no Internet, no phones, no exceptions. But the rules are for a good reason: to keep guests focused on achieving true fearlessness so they can become their Maximized Selves. Natalie thinks it’s a bad idea, but Kit has had enough of her sister’s cynicism and voluntarily disappears off the grid.

Six months later, Natalie receives a menacing email from a Wisewood account threatening to reveal the secret she’s been keeping from Kit. Panicked, Natalie hurries north to come clean to her sister and bring her home. But she’s about to learn that Wisewood won’t let either of them go without a fight.

Summary courtesy of Simon & Schuster Canada