Reviews with content warning for Cancer - This Might Hurt

While I have seen lots of people rave about This Might Hurt, it just didn't work for me. This book has some aspects that I usually love to read about including a fictional cult, a strained sibling relationship, and a New England setting. However, even my favorite topics/settings could not save this one. The plot for this story was all over the place and many of the resolutions felt contrived - especially the last scene of the book which was frankly ridiculous. I do still have Wrobel's debut novel, Darling Rose Gold, on my reading list, but I am in no hurry to pick it up after finishing this lackluster title.

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krys_kilz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was an absolutely searing and timely exploration of wellness culture and family secrets packed into a suspense filled thriller. The desperate desire for an easy answer to explain all pain away along with the toxic, hierarchical, and manipulative relationships at this story's core truly encapsulated the cult-like mentality of many self-improvement and wellness retreat ventures. Throwing this in sharp relief against the similar longings for love, belonging, and acceptance even at the expense of excusing abuse that make up many family dynamics was truly a stroke of genius. A very fresh meditation on power and groupthink!

The twists and turns were shocking and the ending preserved the novel's overall dark and unsettling mood. I just love thrillers that combine astute social commentary with complex characters and page turning anticipation. Wrobel delivered that with This Might Hurt.

tw: child abuse, cult, emotional abuse and manipulation

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stephbakerbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

While this book was well-written and I didn't get bored with the story, unlikable characters and a frustrating ending (to me) pushed this book into the "meh" category for me.

We have three narrators: Natalie, Kit, and an unknown voice, who we see in flashbacks from childhood to adulthood. Of the three, I felt like I got to know the unknown voice the best. Natalie was flat the whole time, which was frustrating to me because at the beginning, she's our main character. But she gets no development or real complexity and I found myself not caring what happened to her. We get to know Kit a little better, but I found her more annoying than endearing. The third voice gets the most development, and though I soon guessed who this narrator was, she's still interesting. But how the ending plays out just made her story seem pointless to me. There are other side characters that are interesting at first, but again, they are all pretty flat.

The plot jumps around from present to past, but I actually thought this format worked for the story. I think I was mainly just annoyed by the ending; I felt like it was building up to something and then it didn't end up having a release. Also, there are a lot of *icky* things that happen in the story that unnerved me and I'd really rather not read about those kinds of things...

Lots of people have loved this one; it just wasn't for me. I do think it's well-written though, so it's not falling into the "I hate this" category lol. Just not one I can recommend without caution.

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ohhthehorrors's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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soobooksalot's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This Might Hurt takes some post-read pondering!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for my eARC for review.
The story begins with Natalie receiving an email about her sister Kit, from an anonymous someone from the Wildwood resort.
Wildwood is contained on a private island in Maine, where guests must commit to six-month stays with no contact to the outside world. This is to achieve their "maximized selves" and improvement sessions are led by the mysterious Teacher.
Kit fled to Wildwood months earlier and has not been heard from since.
There are some vague Dharma Initiative vibes here.
The concept branches off from there, relaying Natalie and Kit's stories in differing timelines, as well as that of a character unlike anyone I've experienced in any book before.
I was a huge fan of Stephanie Wrobel's debut novel, Darling Rose Gold. This Might Hurt didn't impact me the same way, but do know I couldn't put it down. Like, 2 a.m. reading sessions happening.
The twisty plotlines left me with many questions, but it's one I won't stop thinking about anytime soon.
Recommended!
For release on Feb. 22.

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