It’s time to step away from the romance/women’s fiction stories to give a try to the thriller story of This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel. Her debut novel was very well received, and this was an anticipated read by many.

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 e-mail 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. 

The story starts in Part 1 with alternating POV’s of present day Natalie and an unknown narrator from the past. In Part 2 it switches to Kit and the unknown narrator and then we get a mixture from there. The unknown narrator parts made me VERY uncomfortable and anxious as they detailed abuse the narrator and her sister endured from their father while their mother ignored it. We are there for Natalie’s present day actions and we follow Kit on how she joined Wisewood and her journey while she was there (which to me, was the best part of the story).

Overall, I give this ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I liked it, but I wasn’t in love with it. While uncomfortable, I liked reading about the unknown narrator to see where that was going to lead. I kept turning the pages to see what the big secret was, and to see if Natalie would rescue Kit after all.

I didn’t believe Natalie saying that she wanted to “save her sister.” She went for over 6 months without talking to her, only traveled to the cult to confess this secret, and then declares she must save her? It reminded me of The Project by Courtney Summers – I couldn’t buy that sister relationship either.

The big reveal of the secret was a bit of a letdown. And WARNING – the ending is ambiguous! I kept flipping the pages shouting “wait so what happened?” JUST TELL ME! It left me feeling unsatisfied.

I would try another book from this author, especially her first one. I see a lot of reviews for this book saying how much they loved her debut novel.

Will you be giving this one a try?

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for an advanced digital copy via NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own