In a matter of two books, Stephanie Wrobel has cemented herself as one of my must-read thriller writers. You know that magical feeling when you find an author whose work seems to somehow just click for you? That’s me with Stephanie Wrobel. Wrobel’s debut suspense novel Darling Rose Gold hooked me with its nod to true crime and its dark, intimate exploration of a treacherous mother-daughter relationship; now, in Wrobel’s sophomore thriller, she blends a ripped-from-the-headlines plot (think: a cult story perfect for those fascinated by disturbing real-world cases like that of NXIVM) with a propulsive story of the ties that bind family together. The result? A book that’s guaranteed to be on my list of best crime books of 2022. THIS MIGHT HURT is an outstanding psychological thriller on every level, from its immediately-intriguing cult thriller premise to the complex layers readers will discover within its pages. Is blood really, as the saying goes, thicker than water? Can we ever escape the lasting legacy of childhood trauma? In THIS MIGHT HURT, readers follow three women as they exorcise their demons, face their fears, and, if the folks at Wisewood have their way, reach their “maximized selves”—no matter the cost. Stephanie Wrobel has knocked it out of the park with her sophomore thriller; if you only read one book this month, make it this one.
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