Six months ago, while still mourning the loss of their mom, Natalie’s sister Kit decided to go to Wisewood. Natalie hasn’t seen or heard from Kit since then. One night Natalie gets an email from a Wisewood account that says only, “Would you like to come tell your sister what you did—or should we?” Although visitor’s aren’t welcome on Wisewood, Natalie knows she has to get there and see Kit and she’ll stop at nothing to make sure that happens.
Wisewood is a private island off the coast of Maine. In exchange for a six-month agreement to stay with no internet, phones, or contact with the outside world, guests are promised that they will achieve total fearlessness and become their Maximized Selves. When Natalie does manage to get to the island she finds the secrecy and security is more than she ever imagined and now she is more concerned about Kit than ever.
This Might Hurt is the latest thriller from Stephanie Wrobel. It opens with a Charles Manson quote (which put my mind in a whirl wondering just what the hell I was getting into) and then follows with a shocking opening chapter. Things do slow a lot for the first half of the book, but there’s an interesting split between the past and present of Natalie and Kit as well as the history of another character that’s important for the progression of the story. The end is a bit of a surprise in some aspects, but I wouldn’t call it shocking.
Overall This Might Hurt is an entertaining thriller and delves into some truly dysfunctional family and personal dynamics. This Might Hurt will be released February 22, 2022.
*I received an ARC of This Might Hurt from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*