By Larissa Page
This Might Hurt is the second novel from author Stephanie Wrobel. Told from three points of view and a few different timelines, it follows Natalie, whose sister Kit left for the mysterious “self-improvement” program Wisewood six months earlier. Natalie gets a disturbing email and quickly takes some time off work to go to Wisewood herself and find her sister. Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of Kit’s arrival and time at Wisewood, as well as the childhood story of an initially mysterious third character. Things are not as they seem at Wisewood, for any of the characters. Will Nat find her sister, explain herself, and bring her home? Or, are there other, more sinister, forces at play?
This novel is deemed a thriller, which is a genre I often find hit or miss. Unfortunately, this one in particular was a miss for me because I didn’t find it terribly “thrilling.” I certainly wondered what might happen next and there were a few chapter ending cliff-hangers, but ultimately it lacked the creepy atmosphere or chilling or spooky feeling I like to get from thrillers.
The characters themselves were not terribly relatable. I prefer to relate to the characters I’m reading about, at least a little bit, and in this case I felt like I was given a lot of their inner thoughts and feelings, and I still found they fell flat. By the end I came to find their actions and decisions, and even their personalities, a bit annoying. That said, often readers prefer thrillers to be plot driven versus character driven, so if that is your preference as a reader, this aspect of the story may not impact your reading of this novel.
What I did enjoy about This Might Hurt is that the storyline is original. This is not a plot that has been seen again and again. The childhood background of all characters is a new idea, the cult on the secluded island is a different setting, and the plot developments are not tired and overused. This is what helped to propel me to the end of the book.
In addition, this novel is a quick read, the chapters are short, and it is easy to decide you’ll get just one more chapter in before putting it down. This is the type of book you take with you on vacation or when you take the kids to the park, one you know you can get through quickly even when you have other things on the go.
While This Might Hurt ultimately didn’t work for me, it may work for a reader who needs a quicker read that doesn’t require a lot of focus or brainwork. Sometimes it can be satisfying to know you guessed a plot point and it’s always good to get into a story and setting that is unlike the other thrillers on your shelf.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.