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It Will Only Hurt for a Moment
In this highly atmospheric thriller from the Bram Stoker Award–nominated author of The Violence, a young woman hopes to reinvent herself at an isolated artists’ colony . . . only to be drawn into its dark, twisted past.
Sarah Carpenter is starting over.
She’s on the run—leaving behind her unsupportive, narcissistic ex-boyfriend and alcoholic, abusive mother—and headed for a new beginning at Tranquil Falls, a secluded artists’ colony on the grounds of a closed hotel. There, with no cell signal or internet to distract her, she hopes to rediscover her love for pottery and put the broken pieces of her life back together.
But when Sarah uncovers the body of a young woman while digging a hole for a pit kiln, things start to fall apart. Her fellow artists begin to act in troubling ways. The eccentric fiber artist knits an endless scarf. The musician plays the same carousel song over and over until his fingers bleed. The calligrapher grins with ink-stained teeth. Not to mention the haunting dreams Sarah has night after night.
When she discovers glass shards in her clay, Sarah wonders if someone is out to get her—or if she’s losing her grip on reality out here in the wilds, where the pounding of the waterfall never, ever fades. As she investigates the beautiful valley and the crumbling resort looming over them all, she unearths a chilling past that refuses to remain buried . . .
Sarah Carpenter is starting over.
She’s on the run—leaving behind her unsupportive, narcissistic ex-boyfriend and alcoholic, abusive mother—and headed for a new beginning at Tranquil Falls, a secluded artists’ colony on the grounds of a closed hotel. There, with no cell signal or internet to distract her, she hopes to rediscover her love for pottery and put the broken pieces of her life back together.
But when Sarah uncovers the body of a young woman while digging a hole for a pit kiln, things start to fall apart. Her fellow artists begin to act in troubling ways. The eccentric fiber artist knits an endless scarf. The musician plays the same carousel song over and over until his fingers bleed. The calligrapher grins with ink-stained teeth. Not to mention the haunting dreams Sarah has night after night.
When she discovers glass shards in her clay, Sarah wonders if someone is out to get her—or if she’s losing her grip on reality out here in the wilds, where the pounding of the waterfall never, ever fades. As she investigates the beautiful valley and the crumbling resort looming over them all, she unearths a chilling past that refuses to remain buried . . .
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 22, 2024
About the author
Delilah S. Dawson
153 books2,159 followersDelilah S. Dawson is the New York Times-bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma, Black Spire: Galaxy's Edge, and The Perfect Weapon. With Kevin Hearne, she writes the Tales of Pell. As Lila Bowen, she writes the Shadow series, beginning with Wake of Vultures. Her other books include the Blud series, the Hit series, and Servants of the Storm.
She's written comics in the worlds of Marvel Action: Spider-Man, Lore's Wellington, Star Wars Adventures, Star Wars Forces of Destiny, The X-Files Case Files, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, and her creator-owned comics include Star Pig, Ladycastle, and Sparrowhawk.
Find out more at www.whimsydark.com.
She's written comics in the worlds of Marvel Action: Spider-Man, Lore's Wellington, Star Wars Adventures, Star Wars Forces of Destiny, The X-Files Case Files, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, and her creator-owned comics include Star Pig, Ladycastle, and Sparrowhawk.
Find out more at www.whimsydark.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
May 2, 2024
To be brutally honest-- I think I legitimately hated this. Which is wild since I previously read Bloom this year and it dug its way into my skull and stuck with me for weeks and I weirdly kinda loved it? So this was definitely not the expected outcome of this book.
The Characters:
The characters feel very 2D and like a Boomer who is totally adrift, trying to fit modern culture and personalities into these neat little boxes from yonder-year that are hella reductive. As far as I know this takes place in modern day (they definitely have MacBooks and iPhones and Priuses) so why does she literally keep saying the teenager in 2024ish should be playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. A musician teen who is classically trained in viola/violin/piano/etc... that song came out over 30 years ago and about a decade and a half before this hypothetical child was born, ffs.
But they're all like that. She's constantly reducing the characters to one or two simple attributes that fit a stereotype, then the narration and the characters themselves laugh and affirm that she's right. So these are the author's thoughts, not just Sarah's. (Though speaking of Sarah, she's totally stuck up and annoying and I hate her.)
The Writing:
One of the things she loves to do is point out that they're artists. But she uses "artists" to explain everything. Dress like a goth? That's an artist. Act bitchy? That's an artist. Introvert? Well duh, artists are introverts. Extrovert? Oh yeah, that just screams artist, doesn't it? -_-
Which is also very repetitious-- another common writing quirk in this! There are so many things that are repeated over and over and over again, and a ton of paragraphs that could be straight up edited out because they provide no new information at all.
Pet Peeve: One other thing the writing does is a personal pet peeve which is a lot of handwaving. Phrases like "it doesn’t make sense, but she feels it in her bones" or "in the dream, where she seems to just know these things like the omnipotent narrator in a book." You can't just tell me "it doesn't make sense" and pretend like that's good enough to move on. You were right! It doesn't make sense! It's your job as a writer to make it make sense!
The Plot:
I was not ready for the multiple references to and on-page instances of sexual assault. The made me incredibly uncomfortable and I just don't think it was handled well. Like I understand what the messaging was (cause seriously it was very repetitive), I just really didn't vibe with how it was handled. Do not ignore the trigger warnings here if you're at all sensitive.
The Ending:
Seriously that's it? Nothing adds up, no catharsis was reached, the last 20 pages sprinted by and felt completely unfinished. Random villain reveals and cameos and blacking out so that they can quickly summarize to Sarah (and the reader) all the crazy shit that happened off page.
In ranting about this to my partner, I've also realized just how many elements were left completely loose and dangling at the end. I feel like my rage is only gonna grow as I think of/remember more of this book.
Themes:
It's unfortunate for this novel that I recently read another thriller/horror new release (One Of Us Knows) because I was constantly comparing the reveals and developments to similar ones that happened here but were handled sooooooo much better there.
Overall:
I thought the beginning had a strong sense of atmosphere, and I love Dawson's love of vocabulary and just dropping words like "prevaricate" here and there. But from the moment I met Bernie onward, reading this was my personal hell.
Does he wear a Henley?:
I know this is a Horror and I usually only include this spoiler in my Romance reviews, but genre lines are blurry and I guess this is where we at.
Does the ~dog die?:
Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for granting me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Characters:
The characters feel very 2D and like a Boomer who is totally adrift, trying to fit modern culture and personalities into these neat little boxes from yonder-year that are hella reductive. As far as I know this takes place in modern day (they definitely have MacBooks and iPhones and Priuses) so why does she literally keep saying the teenager in 2024ish should be playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. A musician teen who is classically trained in viola/violin/piano/etc... that song came out over 30 years ago and about a decade and a half before this hypothetical child was born, ffs.
But they're all like that. She's constantly reducing the characters to one or two simple attributes that fit a stereotype, then the narration and the characters themselves laugh and affirm that she's right. So these are the author's thoughts, not just Sarah's. (Though speaking of Sarah, she's totally stuck up and annoying and I hate her.)
The Writing:
One of the things she loves to do is point out that they're artists. But she uses "artists" to explain everything. Dress like a goth? That's an artist. Act bitchy? That's an artist. Introvert? Well duh, artists are introverts. Extrovert? Oh yeah, that just screams artist, doesn't it? -_-
Which is also very repetitious-- another common writing quirk in this! There are so many things that are repeated over and over and over again, and a ton of paragraphs that could be straight up edited out because they provide no new information at all.
Pet Peeve: One other thing the writing does is a personal pet peeve which is a lot of handwaving. Phrases like "it doesn’t make sense, but she feels it in her bones" or "in the dream, where she seems to just know these things like the omnipotent narrator in a book." You can't just tell me "it doesn't make sense" and pretend like that's good enough to move on. You were right! It doesn't make sense! It's your job as a writer to make it make sense!
The Plot:
I was not ready for the multiple references to and on-page instances of sexual assault. The made me incredibly uncomfortable and I just don't think it was handled well. Like I understand what the messaging was (cause seriously it was very repetitive), I just really didn't vibe with how it was handled. Do not ignore the trigger warnings here if you're at all sensitive.
The Ending:
Seriously that's it? Nothing adds up, no catharsis was reached, the last 20 pages sprinted by and felt completely unfinished. Random villain reveals and cameos and blacking out so that they can quickly summarize to Sarah (and the reader) all the crazy shit that happened off page.
In ranting about this to my partner, I've also realized just how many elements were left completely loose and dangling at the end. I feel like my rage is only gonna grow as I think of/remember more of this book.
Themes:
It's unfortunate for this novel that I recently read another thriller/horror new release (One Of Us Knows) because I was constantly comparing the reveals and developments to similar ones that happened here but were handled sooooooo much better there.
Overall:
I thought the beginning had a strong sense of atmosphere, and I love Dawson's love of vocabulary and just dropping words like "prevaricate" here and there. But from the moment I met Bernie onward, reading this was my personal hell.
Does he wear a Henley?:
I know this is a Horror and I usually only include this spoiler in my Romance reviews, but genre lines are blurry and I guess this is where we at.
Does the ~dog die?:
Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for granting me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 8, 2024
After reading Dawson's last horror Bloom, I was super excited at the opportunity to read ,It Will Only Hurt For a Moment however it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
One thing the author does is create an incredible atmosphere. It makes reader feel very immersed in the book & I loved that. She did the same in the book Bloom.
I just felt like this book was too long, didn’t really go anywhere and the ending was pretty abrupt , without the closure I thought there should be.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
One thing the author does is create an incredible atmosphere. It makes reader feel very immersed in the book & I loved that. She did the same in the book Bloom.
I just felt like this book was too long, didn’t really go anywhere and the ending was pretty abrupt , without the closure I thought there should be.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 27, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ rounded down
I did actually enjoy this book quite a bit! It had a great pace and the atmosphere Dawson created through her narrative was spooky and intriguing. Ghosts, a haunted hotel/resort, dual timelines done well? Count me in. However, there are some loose ends that I feel didn’t get tied up and ya girl wants answers!!
Sarah is on a new adventure. Having recently left her abusive, narcissistic ex-boyfriend, she goes to a 6-week artists retreat in the mountains of northern Georgia. This retreat is hosted at Tranquil Falls, what was once a posh health spa/resort for well-to-do men and women in the late 1800s. Tranquil Falls is withholding a dark past and traumatic secrets that start to affect the artists staying in cabins built on the land south of the old hotel. It throws their work off center and Sarah starts having a lot of dreams associated with past guests at the resort where the secrets of the past start coming to light. Sarah then has to decide if she’s going to pursue justice for the ghosts of Tranquil Falls past or keep herself safe.
There are SEVERAL things that Dawson brings up throughout this book that aren’t resolved in the end. I’m going to wait to add in all those things in more detail when I have my computer and can format this so spoilers will be hidden 🙃🤪😂 some people in these reviews are complaining about stereotyping the artists, but that didn’t really bother me. What was getting on my last nerve was Dawson’s use of short hand in the prose! If it were part to the dialogue it wouldn’t bother me since that’s how people talk, but in the narrative itself saying things like “pic” instead of “picture” or “veg” instead of “vegetable” might be my new biggest pet peeve in writing. It was something I’ve never noticed in books before but DANG it happened a lot here and every single time I would get so annoyed lol.
Thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray for the advance copy of this book!!
I did actually enjoy this book quite a bit! It had a great pace and the atmosphere Dawson created through her narrative was spooky and intriguing. Ghosts, a haunted hotel/resort, dual timelines done well? Count me in. However, there are some loose ends that I feel didn’t get tied up and ya girl wants answers!!
Sarah is on a new adventure. Having recently left her abusive, narcissistic ex-boyfriend, she goes to a 6-week artists retreat in the mountains of northern Georgia. This retreat is hosted at Tranquil Falls, what was once a posh health spa/resort for well-to-do men and women in the late 1800s. Tranquil Falls is withholding a dark past and traumatic secrets that start to affect the artists staying in cabins built on the land south of the old hotel. It throws their work off center and Sarah starts having a lot of dreams associated with past guests at the resort where the secrets of the past start coming to light. Sarah then has to decide if she’s going to pursue justice for the ghosts of Tranquil Falls past or keep herself safe.
There are SEVERAL things that Dawson brings up throughout this book that aren’t resolved in the end. I’m going to wait to add in all those things in more detail when I have my computer and can format this so spoilers will be hidden 🙃🤪😂 some people in these reviews are complaining about stereotyping the artists, but that didn’t really bother me. What was getting on my last nerve was Dawson’s use of short hand in the prose! If it were part to the dialogue it wouldn’t bother me since that’s how people talk, but in the narrative itself saying things like “pic” instead of “picture” or “veg” instead of “vegetable” might be my new biggest pet peeve in writing. It was something I’ve never noticed in books before but DANG it happened a lot here and every single time I would get so annoyed lol.
Thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray for the advance copy of this book!!
April 27, 2024
3.75 ⭐️- thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC. I enjoyed the spooky feelings of the book, there wasn’t many huge plot twists but enough tid bits to keep it interesting and enjoyable. The ending wasn’t my favorite but overall a good thriller.
Want to read
July 21, 2024Sarah Carpenter is starting over.
And she feels so much lighter, like a feather!
And she feels so much lighter, like a feather!
August 5, 2024
This was the third book I’ve read by Delilah S. Dawson and it was my least favorite out of the three, but it was one of those books that made me feel like I had physically gone somewhere. Dawson is great at atmosphere and world building, and even if this book didn’t quite hit as strongly as the other two in the end it was still an experience.
I loved the vivid way she described the artists’ retreat. I really understood the layout of the place and felt like I had been there before. Dawson appeals to all of the senses with her writing. This story took place in the Fall and the retreat was located in the woods, so that added an extra layer to everything, also. I think that Dawson is very skilled at visualizing her stories and where they occur, then translating that for the reader.
While the GR blurb for this book absolutely drew me in and made me want to read it, I do think it gives away too much about the plot. There are little details in there that don’t occur until pretty far into the story and would’ve been more fun to be surprised with as I was reading.
A mutual Friend/Reviewer on here recently mentioned that she is tired of seeing the “Goth girl is a bitch” stereotype in books, and honestly it hadn’t really occurred to me until I saw her talk about it but now I’m noticing it more. It totally happens in this novel. I kind of got the feeling that Ingrid was supposed to be a mean version of Lydia Deetz. (The book even references “Beetlejuice” at one point.) She did end up growing on me a bit by the end. But the timing was humorous and that Reviewer was absolutely right.
The plot takes a bit of a turn in a surprising direction that I was not expecting. It gets very dark, and then even darker. Part of me was hoping that the story would stay focused on the art aspect because I love art horror, but I didn’t really mind the other stuff that was going on, (though heed the trigger warnings.) The book straddled the line of feeling like two different stories stitched together, but the author made them harmonize for the most part. Just as main character Sarah was determined to explore her creepy and moldy surroundings, I was intrigued to find out just how deep this horrific plot would go. By the end, though, it did feel like one of the plot lines was left hanging and with a few gaping holes. As I read other reviews, I realized more and more threads that were left dangling. Based on “Guillotine,” another Dawson book that I just read an ARC for recently, I feel like she typically gives a lot of thought to her plots so honestly this surprised me.
The action also got a bit repetitive after a while, with Sarah doing the same things over and over but for different reasons. There was a lot of “Once she made it back outside into the sunlight, she could breathe again” or variations of that sentence.
Parts of this story were admittedly tough for me to read. There isn’t much that gets to me when I read horror, but the specific things that I don’t care for were there in this book and they were handled in a graphic way.
I was mostly having a good time with this read overall until I got to the last ten percent. The ending was just a big jumble of disappointment. I felt like Riley Sager suddenly took over. (Sorry for the shade!) I took a whole star off because of it. Sarah seemed to be doing things that were very out of character, after everything I had come to learn about her and after this little journey we had taken together, and it felt like a betrayal. A big reveal occurred that wasn’t surprising at all. There were those big questions left unanswered and two things happened out of nowhere, partially for the sake of plot convenience. But I found them difficult to believe or accept. All of this also made the ending overall feel a bit abrupt and unfinished. *I thought the book deserved a better conclusion. There was so much buildup to what amounted to a mixture of over the top villainy and a long passage of telling rather than showing in the aftermath. (“Let me catch you up on what happened in this dialogue.”)
I liked “Bloom” and “Guillotine” quite a bit, and this one had a lot of potential but didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I think a different ending would really elevate the story. But I’ll definitely continue to read more from this author!
2.5 rounded up because I really did like it until the ending.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
TW: Substance Abuse, Animal Death, Sexual Assault, Domestic Abuse, Misogyny, Self-harm (graphic), References to Abortion
I loved the vivid way she described the artists’ retreat. I really understood the layout of the place and felt like I had been there before. Dawson appeals to all of the senses with her writing. This story took place in the Fall and the retreat was located in the woods, so that added an extra layer to everything, also. I think that Dawson is very skilled at visualizing her stories and where they occur, then translating that for the reader.
While the GR blurb for this book absolutely drew me in and made me want to read it, I do think it gives away too much about the plot. There are little details in there that don’t occur until pretty far into the story and would’ve been more fun to be surprised with as I was reading.
A mutual Friend/Reviewer on here recently mentioned that she is tired of seeing the “Goth girl is a bitch” stereotype in books, and honestly it hadn’t really occurred to me until I saw her talk about it but now I’m noticing it more. It totally happens in this novel. I kind of got the feeling that Ingrid was supposed to be a mean version of Lydia Deetz. (The book even references “Beetlejuice” at one point.) She did end up growing on me a bit by the end. But the timing was humorous and that Reviewer was absolutely right.
The plot takes a bit of a turn in a surprising direction that I was not expecting. It gets very dark, and then even darker. Part of me was hoping that the story would stay focused on the art aspect because I love art horror, but I didn’t really mind the other stuff that was going on, (though heed the trigger warnings.) The book straddled the line of feeling like two different stories stitched together, but the author made them harmonize for the most part. Just as main character Sarah was determined to explore her creepy and moldy surroundings, I was intrigued to find out just how deep this horrific plot would go. By the end, though, it did feel like one of the plot lines was left hanging and with a few gaping holes. As I read other reviews, I realized more and more threads that were left dangling. Based on “Guillotine,” another Dawson book that I just read an ARC for recently, I feel like she typically gives a lot of thought to her plots so honestly this surprised me.
The action also got a bit repetitive after a while, with Sarah doing the same things over and over but for different reasons. There was a lot of “Once she made it back outside into the sunlight, she could breathe again” or variations of that sentence.
Parts of this story were admittedly tough for me to read. There isn’t much that gets to me when I read horror, but the specific things that I don’t care for were there in this book and they were handled in a graphic way.
I was mostly having a good time with this read overall until I got to the last ten percent. The ending was just a big jumble of disappointment. I felt like Riley Sager suddenly took over. (Sorry for the shade!) I took a whole star off because of it. Sarah seemed to be doing things that were very out of character, after everything I had come to learn about her and after this little journey we had taken together, and it felt like a betrayal. A big reveal occurred that wasn’t surprising at all. There were those big questions left unanswered and two things happened out of nowhere, partially for the sake of plot convenience. But I found them difficult to believe or accept. All of this also made the ending overall feel a bit abrupt and unfinished. *I thought the book deserved a better conclusion. There was so much buildup to what amounted to a mixture of over the top villainy and a long passage of telling rather than showing in the aftermath. (“Let me catch you up on what happened in this dialogue.”)
I liked “Bloom” and “Guillotine” quite a bit, and this one had a lot of potential but didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I think a different ending would really elevate the story. But I’ll definitely continue to read more from this author!
2.5 rounded up because I really did like it until the ending.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
TW: Substance Abuse, Animal Death, Sexual Assault, Domestic Abuse, Misogyny, Self-harm (graphic), References to Abortion
May 10, 2024
I've heard only good things about Dawson's previous horror novel, so I was really excited to read her newest one. The title is very promising, after all, and the general premise very intriguing: Sarah, our protagonist, joins a reclusive artists retreat after finally escaping her abusive relationship. Her hopes of starting over are disrupted when she finds an old coffin on the grounds of the retreat, and in it the corpse of a young woman that was clearly buried alive.
The atmosphere is this book's greatest strength. The artists' colony is set right next to an old wellness resort for proper ladies, in the middle of eerie woods, with no cell signal and noone else but the artists and the colony's founders around for miles. The setting definitely works in favour of the story, which started great. I felt for Sarah and I was absorbed in the mystery and the paranormal happenings surrounding it. The book couldn't keep up its momentum, though.
The writing is very accessable, though I did feel like there were some unfortunate pop culture references that didn't work in 2024. There were also just a few too many cliffhanger chapter endings that lead to mundane solutions (of course the chapter ending scream was just caused by a bat, times 100). The plot, after a while, got rather repetitive - a lot of talk about how peculiar artists are, a lot of talk about Sarah's past without adding anything new or exploring its core concept of emotional abuse deeply enough, a lot of the characters doing the same thing over and over again. In general, I think the book could easily have been 50 to 100 pages shorter. It definitely would have helped the pace.
I also didn't think the characters were that well-written. Most of them aren't fleshed out at all, they seem more like caricatures if at all and I didn't care whether they lived or died. Sarah was interesting enough, but wasn't memorable. There is a slight romantic subplot that I really really think wasn't necessary at all.
I did really like the central theme of the story, but I do think it wasn't always explored in a satisfying way. The men were over the top villainy, which actually took away from the impact the reveals and Sarah's story could have had. Subtlety and realism can hit so much harder in these kinds of stories, because it makes us recognize the villainy, the horrors, as something known and close to home. Which makes it so much scarier, really. It's what makes Jessica Jones' Kilgrave probably the scariest, most effective Marvel villain of them all. Dawson did a good job at that with Sarah's abusive ex for the most part, though she sadly completely ruined it with the ending.
But the ending was the novel's worst part anyway. Completely rushed, with an underwhelming antagonist reveal that literally every single person in Earth will have seen coming, and a very abrupt, unsatisfying cutoff that solved nothing but also didn't provide an intriguing open ending with interesting lingering questions to ponder. It felt like the author suddenly wasn't in the mood to write anymore so she just stopped.
The ending is also what made me drop my rating from 3 to 2 stars. The vibes of this novel were amazing, I was intrigued by the mystery and creeped out by what was happening around Sarah. Yes, I got bored by the repetetive nature of the storytelling, and yes, the characters weren't groundbreaking, but it seemed like a solid middle of the road 3 star read, especially because the themes were immaculate. But the ending more or less ruined what was left of my enjoyment and I was left deeply unsatisfied as a result. Due to the writing and the atmosphere Dawson creates I still really want to check out her previous work, though.
Many thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the arc!
The atmosphere is this book's greatest strength. The artists' colony is set right next to an old wellness resort for proper ladies, in the middle of eerie woods, with no cell signal and noone else but the artists and the colony's founders around for miles. The setting definitely works in favour of the story, which started great. I felt for Sarah and I was absorbed in the mystery and the paranormal happenings surrounding it. The book couldn't keep up its momentum, though.
The writing is very accessable, though I did feel like there were some unfortunate pop culture references that didn't work in 2024. There were also just a few too many cliffhanger chapter endings that lead to mundane solutions (of course the chapter ending scream was just caused by a bat, times 100). The plot, after a while, got rather repetitive - a lot of talk about how peculiar artists are, a lot of talk about Sarah's past without adding anything new or exploring its core concept of emotional abuse deeply enough, a lot of the characters doing the same thing over and over again. In general, I think the book could easily have been 50 to 100 pages shorter. It definitely would have helped the pace.
I also didn't think the characters were that well-written. Most of them aren't fleshed out at all, they seem more like caricatures if at all and I didn't care whether they lived or died. Sarah was interesting enough, but wasn't memorable. There is a slight romantic subplot that I really really think wasn't necessary at all.
I did really like the central theme of the story, but I do think it wasn't always explored in a satisfying way. The men were over the top villainy, which actually took away from the impact the reveals and Sarah's story could have had. Subtlety and realism can hit so much harder in these kinds of stories, because it makes us recognize the villainy, the horrors, as something known and close to home. Which makes it so much scarier, really. It's what makes Jessica Jones' Kilgrave probably the scariest, most effective Marvel villain of them all. Dawson did a good job at that with Sarah's abusive ex for the most part, though she sadly completely ruined it with the ending.
But the ending was the novel's worst part anyway. Completely rushed, with an underwhelming antagonist reveal that literally every single person in Earth will have seen coming, and a very abrupt, unsatisfying cutoff that solved nothing but also didn't provide an intriguing open ending with interesting lingering questions to ponder. It felt like the author suddenly wasn't in the mood to write anymore so she just stopped.
The ending is also what made me drop my rating from 3 to 2 stars. The vibes of this novel were amazing, I was intrigued by the mystery and creeped out by what was happening around Sarah. Yes, I got bored by the repetetive nature of the storytelling, and yes, the characters weren't groundbreaking, but it seemed like a solid middle of the road 3 star read, especially because the themes were immaculate. But the ending more or less ruined what was left of my enjoyment and I was left deeply unsatisfied as a result. Due to the writing and the atmosphere Dawson creates I still really want to check out her previous work, though.
Many thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the arc!
May 2, 2024
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Del Rey and NetGalley for an eARC copy of 'It Will Only Hurt for a Moment' by Delilah S. Dawson.
'It Will Only Hurt for a Moment' by Delilah S. Dawson is a gripping psychological thriller that immerses readers in a world of secrets, suspense, and sinister happenings.
Sarah Carpenter, the protagonist, is a woman in search of a fresh start, fleeing from a toxic past and seeking solace in the quiet refuge of Tranquil Falls, an isolated artists' colony nestled within the grounds of a deserted hotel. As Sarah strives to rebuild her life and reignite her passion for pottery, the tranquil surroundings begin to unravel into a nightmare of unsettling discoveries.
The narrative takes a chilling turn when Sarah unearths the body of a young woman while digging a hole for a kiln, setting off a chain of events that shatter the peaceful façade of the colony. As her fellow artists exhibit increasingly disturbing behaviors and Sarah is plagued by haunting dreams, she finds herself questioning her own sanity and safety.
As Sarah delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the valley and the abandoned resort, she confronts a chilling past that refuses to remain buried.
Delilah S. Dawson does a wonderful job crafting an atmosphere of unease and tension, which settle in around the artists and the slow spiral of Sarah questioning her sanity and honestly, I was starting to question mine as well. The connection I felt with Sarah was and felt disturbingly real. The way the book is written will draw you in and keep you in that when you finish, you have questions and leaves a lingering feeling in your chest which makes you wonder if you've left the world or not.
'It Will Only Hurt for a Moment' by Delilah S. Dawson is a gripping psychological thriller that immerses readers in a world of secrets, suspense, and sinister happenings.
Sarah Carpenter, the protagonist, is a woman in search of a fresh start, fleeing from a toxic past and seeking solace in the quiet refuge of Tranquil Falls, an isolated artists' colony nestled within the grounds of a deserted hotel. As Sarah strives to rebuild her life and reignite her passion for pottery, the tranquil surroundings begin to unravel into a nightmare of unsettling discoveries.
The narrative takes a chilling turn when Sarah unearths the body of a young woman while digging a hole for a kiln, setting off a chain of events that shatter the peaceful façade of the colony. As her fellow artists exhibit increasingly disturbing behaviors and Sarah is plagued by haunting dreams, she finds herself questioning her own sanity and safety.
As Sarah delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the valley and the abandoned resort, she confronts a chilling past that refuses to remain buried.
Delilah S. Dawson does a wonderful job crafting an atmosphere of unease and tension, which settle in around the artists and the slow spiral of Sarah questioning her sanity and honestly, I was starting to question mine as well. The connection I felt with Sarah was and felt disturbingly real. The way the book is written will draw you in and keep you in that when you finish, you have questions and leaves a lingering feeling in your chest which makes you wonder if you've left the world or not.
May 2, 2024
I received an ARC copy of this book
I really enjoyed this book.
As someone who probably would go on an artists retreat, it's made me think twice!
Haunted houses, an asylum masquerading as an upmarket hotel in the 1800's and Delilah's delightful way of turning sweet and innocent themes into something a lot darker made this a really enjoyable read.
There are themes of domestic abuse that are raw and relatable without being overly graphic, but these are integral to the story.
The lead characters are great. Sarah is likeable, as is Ingrid.
Some of the characters descend into mania, and that's pretty terrifying, again, without having to rely on gore or overly graphic descriptions. Delilah seems to know when to let the readers imagination take over!
Would definitely recommend.
I really enjoyed this book.
As someone who probably would go on an artists retreat, it's made me think twice!
Haunted houses, an asylum masquerading as an upmarket hotel in the 1800's and Delilah's delightful way of turning sweet and innocent themes into something a lot darker made this a really enjoyable read.
There are themes of domestic abuse that are raw and relatable without being overly graphic, but these are integral to the story.
The lead characters are great. Sarah is likeable, as is Ingrid.
Some of the characters descend into mania, and that's pretty terrifying, again, without having to rely on gore or overly graphic descriptions. Delilah seems to know when to let the readers imagination take over!
Would definitely recommend.
April 27, 2024
I don't think I'm the right kind of reader for this author. I read one of Dawson's works recently, and while it wasn't a favorite, I thought it was worth another attempt.
The issue with this book is the execution; too much repetition and over explanation. The ideas of the book were fine, but it would have been more interesting and easier to follow from Ingrid's perspective. With all the extra information needed for Sarah's perspective, you grow tired of her quickly.
All things considered, it was a chilling read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this arc
The issue with this book is the execution; too much repetition and over explanation. The ideas of the book were fine, but it would have been more interesting and easier to follow from Ingrid's perspective. With all the extra information needed for Sarah's perspective, you grow tired of her quickly.
All things considered, it was a chilling read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this arc
July 2, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC in return for my honest review.
When I'd heard that this novel was to be a feminist horror/ thriller, I was really excited for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC. While the contents are technically of a feminist nature, the execution of the concept fell flat for me.
We are following 26-year-old Sarah as she flees from her abusive ex and senile alcoholic mother to seek solace at an "off-grid" artists' retreat. It quickly becomes obvious that escaping her troublesome past won't be as easy as Sarah had anticipated.
I feel that the beginning of the book should include certain content and trigger warnings as there is animal abuse and death as well as explicit rape scenes which I wasn't entirely prepared for and which threw me off guard. While we are on the topic, I found the barbarism to be unnecessary and simply for shock value, as it did not add anything to the plot. The use of animal cruelty didn't reveal any new information, didn't accelerate the pacing and was only included for "gore factor" which feels tactless and lazy, in my opinion.
For a book which dubs itself a "feminist horror", I feel that it fell short on feminism. The whole book, Sarah was degrading and projecting her own insecurities and standards onto the other woman at the retreat. For instance, Gertrude Rose is too dramatic, Antionette is too regal, Kim only cares about male validation and Ingrid is some weird goth. Sarah is so judge-y, I honestly was rooting for her downfall the whole book.
For a lack of better ways to describe what I mean to say; it felt as if the author was just using Sarah as a way to project her own thoughts and beliefs into the narrative. For instance, goths are weird, gory, and angry. 19-year-old boys should be angsty, eating all day and listening to Nirvana. The chef was just an angry, controlling snob. I could go on!
Sarah is over all just a very negative and unlikable character. The entirety of the novel she is looking down her nose at all the other artists for being "weird" and "unorthodox" with their mediums; music, fashion, calligraphy, sculpting, glass cutting, but may I remind you that Sarah makes vases and plates... VASES AND PLATES. I could cut her some slack if she chose to be original with her medium but it's so anticlimactic and run-of-the-mill. I don't see where she gets off on being an absolute prick.
As for the writing itself, I felt that the author tried using 3rd person perspective but it fell flat. Instead of telling us her feelings and what she's thinking, it was used as a way to "question prompt" the audience. If the writing was executed well, I would be asking myself those questions and it wouldn't need to be prompted for me. In addition, I felt it to be redundant and often many chapters were extraneous and offered no real value to the rest of the text other than to show us how millennial the author is. For instance, referencing Taylor Swift and Nirvana and using the word "pic" unironically (repetitively). I know not everyone minds pop-culture references in their books but when it's used on every other page, it begins to feel like a brand deal and product placement. I think that if I had to read any more mentions of Apple and their products. TikTok, and Instagram than I did, I was going to DNF this ARC. AirPods could be generic earbuds and it wouldn't have affected the story at all (except for making it better). I am 22-years-old and I know that if I was planning to go on a 6 week retreat sin internet or cell reception, I would think to bring a few books with me. But naturally 26-year-old Sarah is still relying on her phone to use the reading app... because that makes sense.
I felt that there were so so so so so many plot holes:
1. The animal deaths added nothing to the plot and we never learn the reason they were maimed and killed.
2. A character died and Sarah thought they looked like they died of fear and they were found holding a certain recurring object in their hand, but we never learn the significance of the object nor how the character really died.
3. There are glass shards found in some clay but we never learn why or how it was put there- it's implied that a ghost would have done it but there was never any ghost! And the "ghost" only manipulated the glass shards...
4. THE ENTIRE CONCLUSION!
There are many many more but I don't want to be a spoiler.
Sarah has vision-like dreams about the retreat in its earlier years of operation but if this is a feminist novel, and we can all agree the 97% statistic is valid, then why is Sarah the only woman at the retreat with this connection? Shouldn't all the women be affected? And, with the 97% in mind, why does Sarah walk around the place thinking she is the only person who has gone through some life-altering traumatic event? Sarah's attitude is justified but all the other characters are just dramatic cry babies dealing with their first ever inconveniences?
I think this book would be better categorized as a thriller than a horror because WHERE WAS THE HORROR? Unless the scariest thing was meant to be Sarah's superiority complex, nothing was scary! I could predict the ending less than 30% through the book and I'm the kind of reader who believes in suspension of disbelief to enjoy a book... there was no suspending my disbelief with this novel. It was as easy as 1+1. I expected page-turning. heart pounding, mind racing horror and instead I got a glowing blue orb 10 pages from the end of the novel...
I feel that if this was to be a well-done feminist horror novel, the rape scenes would have to be less tacky or just not exist. We know rape is bad! We know marital rape was once normalized. We know the feeling of having our "no," go unappreciated. Was there meant to be a moral or theme or was it just an explicit example of what rape can look like? If the point of the scenes were meant to show how women feel about getting raped then I feel the same effect could have been reached without the play-by-play and, instead, the 3rd person narrator could have dome what a 3rd person POV is meant to so and just show us her thought process and how he feels without telling us what is being done to her. It felt like a 6th grade execution of a women's rights poster board project. "Raping women is bad!" "Consent is key!" "Men used to use women as incubators which is not fair!" Like yes, these are all very obvious points only left to be doubted by incels and ingrates. The only reason this book was given two stars by me, instead of one star, is because of Ingrid. She was the only likable character in all 328 pages!! Over-all I absolutely hated this book and would probably not recommend it to a friend. Maybe I'd recommend it to someone I hate- not for them to learn anything but just because I want them to suffer as much as I did.
When I'd heard that this novel was to be a feminist horror/ thriller, I was really excited for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC. While the contents are technically of a feminist nature, the execution of the concept fell flat for me.
We are following 26-year-old Sarah as she flees from her abusive ex and senile alcoholic mother to seek solace at an "off-grid" artists' retreat. It quickly becomes obvious that escaping her troublesome past won't be as easy as Sarah had anticipated.
I feel that the beginning of the book should include certain content and trigger warnings as there is animal abuse and death as well as explicit rape scenes which I wasn't entirely prepared for and which threw me off guard. While we are on the topic, I found the barbarism to be unnecessary and simply for shock value, as it did not add anything to the plot. The use of animal cruelty didn't reveal any new information, didn't accelerate the pacing and was only included for "gore factor" which feels tactless and lazy, in my opinion.
For a book which dubs itself a "feminist horror", I feel that it fell short on feminism. The whole book, Sarah was degrading and projecting her own insecurities and standards onto the other woman at the retreat. For instance, Gertrude Rose is too dramatic, Antionette is too regal, Kim only cares about male validation and Ingrid is some weird goth. Sarah is so judge-y, I honestly was rooting for her downfall the whole book.
For a lack of better ways to describe what I mean to say; it felt as if the author was just using Sarah as a way to project her own thoughts and beliefs into the narrative. For instance, goths are weird, gory, and angry. 19-year-old boys should be angsty, eating all day and listening to Nirvana. The chef was just an angry, controlling snob. I could go on!
Sarah is over all just a very negative and unlikable character. The entirety of the novel she is looking down her nose at all the other artists for being "weird" and "unorthodox" with their mediums; music, fashion, calligraphy, sculpting, glass cutting, but may I remind you that Sarah makes vases and plates... VASES AND PLATES. I could cut her some slack if she chose to be original with her medium but it's so anticlimactic and run-of-the-mill. I don't see where she gets off on being an absolute prick.
As for the writing itself, I felt that the author tried using 3rd person perspective but it fell flat. Instead of telling us her feelings and what she's thinking, it was used as a way to "question prompt" the audience. If the writing was executed well, I would be asking myself those questions and it wouldn't need to be prompted for me. In addition, I felt it to be redundant and often many chapters were extraneous and offered no real value to the rest of the text other than to show us how millennial the author is. For instance, referencing Taylor Swift and Nirvana and using the word "pic" unironically (repetitively). I know not everyone minds pop-culture references in their books but when it's used on every other page, it begins to feel like a brand deal and product placement. I think that if I had to read any more mentions of Apple and their products. TikTok, and Instagram than I did, I was going to DNF this ARC. AirPods could be generic earbuds and it wouldn't have affected the story at all (except for making it better). I am 22-years-old and I know that if I was planning to go on a 6 week retreat sin internet or cell reception, I would think to bring a few books with me. But naturally 26-year-old Sarah is still relying on her phone to use the reading app... because that makes sense.
I felt that there were so so so so so many plot holes:
1. The animal deaths added nothing to the plot and we never learn the reason they were maimed and killed.
2. A character died and Sarah thought they looked like they died of fear and they were found holding a certain recurring object in their hand, but we never learn the significance of the object nor how the character really died.
3. There are glass shards found in some clay but we never learn why or how it was put there- it's implied that a ghost would have done it but there was never any ghost! And the "ghost" only manipulated the glass shards...
4. THE ENTIRE CONCLUSION!
There are many many more but I don't want to be a spoiler.
Sarah has vision-like dreams about the retreat in its earlier years of operation but if this is a feminist novel, and we can all agree the 97% statistic is valid, then why is Sarah the only woman at the retreat with this connection? Shouldn't all the women be affected? And, with the 97% in mind, why does Sarah walk around the place thinking she is the only person who has gone through some life-altering traumatic event? Sarah's attitude is justified but all the other characters are just dramatic cry babies dealing with their first ever inconveniences?
I think this book would be better categorized as a thriller than a horror because WHERE WAS THE HORROR? Unless the scariest thing was meant to be Sarah's superiority complex, nothing was scary! I could predict the ending less than 30% through the book and I'm the kind of reader who believes in suspension of disbelief to enjoy a book... there was no suspending my disbelief with this novel. It was as easy as 1+1. I expected page-turning. heart pounding, mind racing horror and instead I got a glowing blue orb 10 pages from the end of the novel...
I feel that if this was to be a well-done feminist horror novel, the rape scenes would have to be less tacky or just not exist. We know rape is bad! We know marital rape was once normalized. We know the feeling of having our "no," go unappreciated. Was there meant to be a moral or theme or was it just an explicit example of what rape can look like? If the point of the scenes were meant to show how women feel about getting raped then I feel the same effect could have been reached without the play-by-play and, instead, the 3rd person narrator could have dome what a 3rd person POV is meant to so and just show us her thought process and how he feels without telling us what is being done to her. It felt like a 6th grade execution of a women's rights poster board project. "Raping women is bad!" "Consent is key!" "Men used to use women as incubators which is not fair!" Like yes, these are all very obvious points only left to be doubted by incels and ingrates. The only reason this book was given two stars by me, instead of one star, is because of Ingrid. She was the only likable character in all 328 pages!! Over-all I absolutely hated this book and would probably not recommend it to a friend. Maybe I'd recommend it to someone I hate- not for them to learn anything but just because I want them to suffer as much as I did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2024
It Will Only Hurt For A Moment by Delilah S. Dawson is a psychological horror novel that follows Sarah, a woman who has just left an abusive relationship and is looking for a new start to life. She decides to go to an artist retreat in Georgia so reignite her love of pottery and also disconnect from the rest of the world for a little while. When she arrives, things quickly start going downhill. Between not get along with some of the other artists and creepy things happening, Sarah begins questioning her decision to come to the retreat at all. And then things get worse…
I loved this book. Delilah S. Dawson is one of my favorite authors so I already had incredibly high expectations for this book. This story is so atmospheric and eerie, it felt like watching a movie. I loved the way art was used to show some of the characters descend into madness was really interesting. You could tell who was having a hard time by their actions.
I think this will make a perfect fall read. It has all the atmosphere you can in a spooky book and the cinematic quality that only few books can pull off well. I am so excited to buy a copy when it releases to reread!
Huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release.
I loved this book. Delilah S. Dawson is one of my favorite authors so I already had incredibly high expectations for this book. This story is so atmospheric and eerie, it felt like watching a movie. I loved the way art was used to show some of the characters descend into madness was really interesting. You could tell who was having a hard time by their actions.
I think this will make a perfect fall read. It has all the atmosphere you can in a spooky book and the cinematic quality that only few books can pull off well. I am so excited to buy a copy when it releases to reread!
Huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release.
July 30, 2024
Sarah has left her abusive husband, heading to a secluded artists’ retreat with no cell service or internet, safe from her husband and free to resume her love for pottery. Soon after her arrival, while digging a pit for a kiln, she discovers the body of a young woman, apparently from the 1800’s. From that point forward, strange things begin happening at the art colony, and Sarah is in the center of it all. It Will Only Hurt For A Moment is a dark, eerie ghost story with a disturbing theme central to the plot, as Sarah discovers the more she delves into the sordid past of Tranquil Falls, the former location of a “healing spa” in the 1800’s that catered to the rich. The flawed characters, all artists like Sarah, add to the strange aura that surrounds the colony, and Sarah’s vivid, strange dreams help tell the story, and provides plenty of chills for the reader. I was pleasantly surprised by the direction this book takes, and except for a few plot holes at the end which need to be overlooked, I definitely enjoyed this one! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 7, 2024
I loved Dawson's book, The Violence so was really looking forward to this one and it was great! Sarah leaves abusive boyfriend, Kyle to go to an artists' retreat at Tranquil Falls for three months. There, she meets six other budding artists, determined to have the time to devote to their craft in a peaceful setting. But she has no idea what awaits her as she begins to have strange "visions" and finds odd things that shouldn't be there as she investigates the older buildings. It's creepy, it's dark, but it's an awesome tale that had me hanging on every word!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
April 30, 2024
3.75 stars rounded up to 4.
I loved Dawson's prior book The Violence so I was very excited to have the early opportunity to read this. I really enjoyed it, but I also have some nitpicky comments.
This was a gripping, nervy read. Like The Violence, this is at heart a very feminist, very angry book. Dawson skillfully uses traditional horror story tropes to tell an all-too-real story about the violence and abuse that women experience at the hands of their husbands and partners, and the ways that society can uphold and enable that abuse.
I think how this book lands depends a lot on how much you know about the two major themes (domestic violence and ), and how much those themes resonate for you. I knew quite a bit about both, so I saw several plot "twists" coming a mile away, but for the most part they still worked for me, and I really liked the overall themes. There was one aspect that I tagged at the very beginning as something that was Definitely Going to Come Up Later; I was both surprised and pleased about how/where it reappeared.
I thought the setting was atmospheric, well envisioned, and well executed. The pacing was mostly excellent; once I hit the 60% mark the book blazed into high gear and catapulted to a satisfying conclusion. I read this book in about 2 days. I think this was probably the best way to read it; it suited Dawson's slick, fast paced prose.
There were a few things that didn't work for me. Several of the characterizations were a bit thin. I think this was a stylistic choice, but it didn't fully land for me. Some of the characters were a bit cartoonish, possibly because there was limited space on the page to develop them more fully. I think I would have preferred fewer characters with more depth. That said, it did feel intentional and it didn't exactly bother me; it just made me wonder why the author was making that specific choice. Some of the characters are ultimately pretty forgettable, which makes me question why they were there in the first place. But that, too, is certainly a common horror trope; maybe the author was hanging a lampshade on that.
Also, not all of the "why is this weird shit happening" elements paid off fully, which is very common for me with horror novels. This didn't bother me at all since it's almost always the case.
Lastly, I enjoyed the "artist's retreat" elements but I can see that they might wear a little thin on some readers. I think this aspect of the book would have worked better with more fully developed characters.
On balance, the aspects of the book that I enjoyed firmly outweighed the parts that didn't work as well for me. Overall this was a very atmospheric and enjoyable thriller with very compelling themes, and several scenes that will linger in my memory. I don't think it will have the staying power in my brain that The Violence has had, but I'm very glad I read it.
Some readers might prefer to check content warnings; they are plentiful and include DV and SA scenes, which were thoughtfully handled but still hard to read.
Thank you to Delilah S. Dawson, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for generously providing an ARC for review!
Especially recommended if you like:
- Gothic horror featuring artists being artsy like A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand
- Angry feminist horror like The Violence by Delilah Dawson
r/fantasy Bingo categories: Dreams, Under the Surface, Published in 2024, Survival (HM)
I loved Dawson's prior book The Violence so I was very excited to have the early opportunity to read this. I really enjoyed it, but I also have some nitpicky comments.
This was a gripping, nervy read. Like The Violence, this is at heart a very feminist, very angry book. Dawson skillfully uses traditional horror story tropes to tell an all-too-real story about the violence and abuse that women experience at the hands of their husbands and partners, and the ways that society can uphold and enable that abuse.
I think how this book lands depends a lot on how much you know about the two major themes (domestic violence and ), and how much those themes resonate for you. I knew quite a bit about both, so I saw several plot "twists" coming a mile away, but for the most part they still worked for me, and I really liked the overall themes. There was one aspect that I tagged at the very beginning as something that was Definitely Going to Come Up Later; I was both surprised and pleased about how/where it reappeared.
I thought the setting was atmospheric, well envisioned, and well executed. The pacing was mostly excellent; once I hit the 60% mark the book blazed into high gear and catapulted to a satisfying conclusion. I read this book in about 2 days. I think this was probably the best way to read it; it suited Dawson's slick, fast paced prose.
There were a few things that didn't work for me. Several of the characterizations were a bit thin. I think this was a stylistic choice, but it didn't fully land for me. Some of the characters were a bit cartoonish, possibly because there was limited space on the page to develop them more fully. I think I would have preferred fewer characters with more depth. That said, it did feel intentional and it didn't exactly bother me; it just made me wonder why the author was making that specific choice. Some of the characters are ultimately pretty forgettable, which makes me question why they were there in the first place. But that, too, is certainly a common horror trope; maybe the author was hanging a lampshade on that.
Also, not all of the "why is this weird shit happening" elements paid off fully, which is very common for me with horror novels. This didn't bother me at all since it's almost always the case.
Lastly, I enjoyed the "artist's retreat" elements but I can see that they might wear a little thin on some readers. I think this aspect of the book would have worked better with more fully developed characters.
On balance, the aspects of the book that I enjoyed firmly outweighed the parts that didn't work as well for me. Overall this was a very atmospheric and enjoyable thriller with very compelling themes, and several scenes that will linger in my memory. I don't think it will have the staying power in my brain that The Violence has had, but I'm very glad I read it.
Some readers might prefer to check content warnings; they are plentiful and include DV and SA scenes, which were thoughtfully handled but still hard to read.
Thank you to Delilah S. Dawson, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for generously providing an ARC for review!
Especially recommended if you like:
- Gothic horror featuring artists being artsy like A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand
- Angry feminist horror like The Violence by Delilah Dawson
r/fantasy Bingo categories: Dreams, Under the Surface, Published in 2024, Survival (HM)
May 24, 2024
Sarah is running away from her life, leaving behind an abusive boyfriend and mother. She is starting over with an artist retreat at Tranquil Falls. At the retreat she hopes to find herself and her art again. She has high hopes for her new life until she finds a body of a young woman and weird happenings start occurring around the retreat. She is thrown into a mystery of what really happened to the young woman and what is currently happening at Tranquil Falls.
I want to start off by saying this is absolutely not my typical read, but I did really enjoy it. It was slow to start out plot wise it was more background building, to an extent about Sarah. Then we are introduced to Tranquil Falls and the artist retreat. Once more characters Ingrid Reid, Kim and the other artists are introduced the story picks up the pace. Some part of the story, the mystery was very obvious and I did figure out before the end what was going to happen by hunch. But it did not make the story any less enjoyable.
I had a hard time wanting to read this book at night because it really put me in the setting, which made reading at night spooky for me. I did most of my reading during the daylight hours. So if you like to be on the edge of your seat and feel a little jumpy like whats happening next this is a great book for that. I would say it's a solid mix of mystery and paranormal.
There are some sensitive topics involved in the book so I'd advised to read any and all content warnings. I appreciated that some parts of this sensitive topics were more historical events and not whats happening in that moment.
A few things were left unexplained by the end which was slightly frustrating, the ending was very rushed. I also wasn't super fond of the generalizations made about the artists. example having only black wardrobes, being melodramatic or edgy. This was the one thing that made me constantly roll my eyes. Other than that i would say it was a decent 3.5/5. Props to the cover art it really drew me to the book and made me request an arc that was in my normal genre.
Thank you NetGalley Delilah Dawson and Del Rey for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
I want to start off by saying this is absolutely not my typical read, but I did really enjoy it. It was slow to start out plot wise it was more background building, to an extent about Sarah. Then we are introduced to Tranquil Falls and the artist retreat. Once more characters Ingrid Reid, Kim and the other artists are introduced the story picks up the pace. Some part of the story, the mystery was very obvious and I did figure out before the end what was going to happen by hunch. But it did not make the story any less enjoyable.
I had a hard time wanting to read this book at night because it really put me in the setting, which made reading at night spooky for me. I did most of my reading during the daylight hours. So if you like to be on the edge of your seat and feel a little jumpy like whats happening next this is a great book for that. I would say it's a solid mix of mystery and paranormal.
There are some sensitive topics involved in the book so I'd advised to read any and all content warnings. I appreciated that some parts of this sensitive topics were more historical events and not whats happening in that moment.
A few things were left unexplained by the end which was slightly frustrating, the ending was very rushed. I also wasn't super fond of the generalizations made about the artists. example having only black wardrobes, being melodramatic or edgy. This was the one thing that made me constantly roll my eyes. Other than that i would say it was a decent 3.5/5. Props to the cover art it really drew me to the book and made me request an arc that was in my normal genre.
Thank you NetGalley Delilah Dawson and Del Rey for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
July 24, 2024
3/5
Sarah Carpenter is starting over - away from her narcissistic ex-boyfriend who never had the best intentions for her. Headed to a secluded artists' retreat at Tranquil Falls with no cell signal or internet to distract her, she plans to fall back in love with her passion for pottery. However, while digging a hole for a pit kiln, Sarah discovers the body of a young woman who died in a disturbing way. This starts a series of events that makes Sarah wonder if someone is out to get her or if she’s losing her grip on reality. As she investigates the beautiful valley and crumbling resort that seems to be the center of it all, Sarah will unearth a chilling past of Tranquil Falls that can no longer remain buried.
This book was so frustrating. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit as I was reading it, and loved the atmosphere that Delilah S. Dawson created, but the ending annoyed me so much. There were multiple things that happened in the book that were left unexplained, and the ending wrapped up way too quickly. I feel like there should’ve been another few chapters to finish wrapping up the loose ends. This is mainly a vibes and character-driven book, which I normally love in fiction and horror, but the plot that was there felt repetitive and rushed - which led to that unsatisfying ending. The central theme of this book was emotional abuse and the power it holds, but this book could’ve done so much more. I felt like it was too safe and went in a direction that multiple thrillers and horror have gone before already, which was disappointing. I didn’t hate reading this, but because of the ending I would be wary of recommending this.
“He is completely unaware, this man, her husband, that women always wake when danger is near. That they are always listening, always watching, that they can sense how the air changes when they are targeted. Like wild creatures their eyes pierce the darkness, taking in every detail of the approaching enemy. If only, like wild creatures they had ready claws. He does not understand women. He does not need to. You don’t need to understand a porcelain cup to shatter it completely.”
Thank you NetGalley for the arc.
Sarah Carpenter is starting over - away from her narcissistic ex-boyfriend who never had the best intentions for her. Headed to a secluded artists' retreat at Tranquil Falls with no cell signal or internet to distract her, she plans to fall back in love with her passion for pottery. However, while digging a hole for a pit kiln, Sarah discovers the body of a young woman who died in a disturbing way. This starts a series of events that makes Sarah wonder if someone is out to get her or if she’s losing her grip on reality. As she investigates the beautiful valley and crumbling resort that seems to be the center of it all, Sarah will unearth a chilling past of Tranquil Falls that can no longer remain buried.
This book was so frustrating. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit as I was reading it, and loved the atmosphere that Delilah S. Dawson created, but the ending annoyed me so much. There were multiple things that happened in the book that were left unexplained, and the ending wrapped up way too quickly. I feel like there should’ve been another few chapters to finish wrapping up the loose ends. This is mainly a vibes and character-driven book, which I normally love in fiction and horror, but the plot that was there felt repetitive and rushed - which led to that unsatisfying ending. The central theme of this book was emotional abuse and the power it holds, but this book could’ve done so much more. I felt like it was too safe and went in a direction that multiple thrillers and horror have gone before already, which was disappointing. I didn’t hate reading this, but because of the ending I would be wary of recommending this.
“He is completely unaware, this man, her husband, that women always wake when danger is near. That they are always listening, always watching, that they can sense how the air changes when they are targeted. Like wild creatures their eyes pierce the darkness, taking in every detail of the approaching enemy. If only, like wild creatures they had ready claws. He does not understand women. He does not need to. You don’t need to understand a porcelain cup to shatter it completely.”
Thank you NetGalley for the arc.
April 30, 2024
3.5 stars
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I had read another book from this author, Bloom, earlier this year and had enjoyed it and wanted to see what her next book would be like. This is the story of Sarah, our main character, who is looking for a fresh start. Sarah is leaving behind two very toxic relationships, one with her alcoholic mother and the other her abusive ex-boyfriend. Sarah is hoping that six weeks at a secluded artists' colony will relight the fire of her passion for pottery and give her the time she needs before heading back to a new beginning. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned and bodies start showing up and Sarah seems to be at the center of all the negative things happening.
What I liked about this book were the characters. Although there were definitely some stereotypes at play here, it didn't feel too over the top. My favorite aspect was the way the author wrote about two of the female side characters and how their relationships with Sarah started and then changed. No spoilers but things didn't quite go the way I expected there. I also appreciated the way things developed between Sarah and Reid. Lucas was also a doll. The way the plot unfolded was a bit predictable, but still fun.
This story required a lot of suspension of disbelief for me to stay connected, and I didn't always succeed. Believing that all the "artists" somehow earned a place at this retreat was a bit far-fetched, considering most of them were crafters rather than artists, and I was neve quite sure why the retreat was happening at all. The family that hosted the event remained a bit of an enigma and I never got a handle on what was motivating them.
In the end, I had a fun time reading this story and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good time with a thriller that doesn't really take itself too seriously and follows some tried and true tropes.
Thank you again to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I had read another book from this author, Bloom, earlier this year and had enjoyed it and wanted to see what her next book would be like. This is the story of Sarah, our main character, who is looking for a fresh start. Sarah is leaving behind two very toxic relationships, one with her alcoholic mother and the other her abusive ex-boyfriend. Sarah is hoping that six weeks at a secluded artists' colony will relight the fire of her passion for pottery and give her the time she needs before heading back to a new beginning. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned and bodies start showing up and Sarah seems to be at the center of all the negative things happening.
What I liked about this book were the characters. Although there were definitely some stereotypes at play here, it didn't feel too over the top. My favorite aspect was the way the author wrote about two of the female side characters and how their relationships with Sarah started and then changed. No spoilers but things didn't quite go the way I expected there. I also appreciated the way things developed between Sarah and Reid. Lucas was also a doll. The way the plot unfolded was a bit predictable, but still fun.
This story required a lot of suspension of disbelief for me to stay connected, and I didn't always succeed. Believing that all the "artists" somehow earned a place at this retreat was a bit far-fetched, considering most of them were crafters rather than artists, and I was neve quite sure why the retreat was happening at all. The family that hosted the event remained a bit of an enigma and I never got a handle on what was motivating them.
In the end, I had a fun time reading this story and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good time with a thriller that doesn't really take itself too seriously and follows some tried and true tropes.
Thank you again to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 5, 2024
I didn't like this book and it's a shame because it had some potential. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ebook arc. All opinions are my own.
The characters are fine for the most part. They're all a certain stereotypical caricature and they don't really have that many personality traits outside of the little box that the author created for them. I think the worst one is Bernie. She just thought "what is the worst man I can think of?" and then multiplied by 10. His only personality trait was that he hated women.
The writing was really good, but then there was a like every so often that made me roll my eyes. Two women are talking about a man and one of them thinks about how their conversations are never going to pass the bechdel test. That's not a normal thing to say. There's also a character that says another character has main character syndrome. Just really odd choices.
I did not know that this book had trigger warnings and so I went into this completely blind. Safe to say, the multiple graphic sexual assault scenes threw me off. They were completely unnecessary as well. There are a lot of ways to indicate that a relationship is abusive without having to show something like that.
The idea and atmosphere of this is probably where the novel shines because I was pretty interested in the mystery up until the last two chapters. It all went downhill in the final act. A new villain is randomly introduced and it's not even explained how they knew to go down in the basement. We are also left with a lot of loose ends. There are two characters that disappear and we never learn what happened to them or if they are even still alive. The overarching message about the patriarchy was interesting, but it wasn't explored well at all.
Seriously the ending is terrible and I feel like the author had no idea how to finish the story so she just pulled a random ending from a hat. It definitely drags the novel down a few stars.
The characters are fine for the most part. They're all a certain stereotypical caricature and they don't really have that many personality traits outside of the little box that the author created for them. I think the worst one is Bernie. She just thought "what is the worst man I can think of?" and then multiplied by 10. His only personality trait was that he hated women.
The writing was really good, but then there was a like every so often that made me roll my eyes. Two women are talking about a man and one of them thinks about how their conversations are never going to pass the bechdel test. That's not a normal thing to say. There's also a character that says another character has main character syndrome. Just really odd choices.
I did not know that this book had trigger warnings and so I went into this completely blind. Safe to say, the multiple graphic sexual assault scenes threw me off. They were completely unnecessary as well. There are a lot of ways to indicate that a relationship is abusive without having to show something like that.
The idea and atmosphere of this is probably where the novel shines because I was pretty interested in the mystery up until the last two chapters. It all went downhill in the final act. A new villain is randomly introduced and it's not even explained how they knew to go down in the basement. We are also left with a lot of loose ends. There are two characters that disappear and we never learn what happened to them or if they are even still alive. The overarching message about the patriarchy was interesting, but it wasn't explored well at all.
Seriously the ending is terrible and I feel like the author had no idea how to finish the story so she just pulled a random ending from a hat. It definitely drags the novel down a few stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2024
I am generally a fan of Dawson's, particularly 2023's BLOOM, which was a lot of messed up fun. But this was...not good. I powered through, futilely hoping it would get better but it never did.
Here's the TL;DR: If you aren't familiar with the horrible history of locking up women for "hysteria" or other supposed crimes against their husbands and families, the way things like lobotomies were used to keep women docile...then this book will shock you. Otherwise, it's a massive letdown.
Other reviewers have pointed out the writing is rather simplistic, which on its face is not a bad thing. We don't always need overly purple prose or extended metaphors to make a book flow. But this is NOT good. It's written like she phoned the entire thing in over a course of boring afternoons.
The plot? Basic. The scares? Not scary. The ending? There is no ending, it just...fades. And for me, the biggest crime a book can make is predictability without style or skill. I was honestly hoping the whole thing with the nail was because those were used as lobotomy picks (and I was HOPING this was a plot point, which is rather messed up). Also, the sexual abuse and rape are telegraphed and honestly....yeah, I didn't need that. Dawson is an outspoken feminist and writes about violence against women but you didn't NEED this in the book. We get it, the ex is a manipulative, abusive, controlling asshole. The sexual abuse was there for a cheap thrill.
If you're looking to read a Dawson book, try BLOOM. Otherwise, I'd avoid this one. The only reason it gets a 2 is because I didn't DNF and I really should have.
Here's the TL;DR: If you aren't familiar with the horrible history of locking up women for "hysteria" or other supposed crimes against their husbands and families, the way things like lobotomies were used to keep women docile...then this book will shock you. Otherwise, it's a massive letdown.
Other reviewers have pointed out the writing is rather simplistic, which on its face is not a bad thing. We don't always need overly purple prose or extended metaphors to make a book flow. But this is NOT good. It's written like she phoned the entire thing in over a course of boring afternoons.
The plot? Basic. The scares? Not scary. The ending? There is no ending, it just...fades. And for me, the biggest crime a book can make is predictability without style or skill. I was honestly hoping the whole thing with the nail was because those were used as lobotomy picks (and I was HOPING this was a plot point, which is rather messed up). Also, the sexual abuse and rape are telegraphed and honestly....yeah, I didn't need that. Dawson is an outspoken feminist and writes about violence against women but you didn't NEED this in the book. We get it, the ex is a manipulative, abusive, controlling asshole. The sexual abuse was there for a cheap thrill.
If you're looking to read a Dawson book, try BLOOM. Otherwise, I'd avoid this one. The only reason it gets a 2 is because I didn't DNF and I really should have.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2024
I just finished reading this book, and while it had some great elements, I’m left with mixed feelings. The setting was one of the highlights for me, with its magical and supernatural elements that really drew me in. However, the plot started off very slow, and it wasn’t until about 30% into the story that things started to pick up. Once it did, the pace became more consistent, which kept me engaged.
That said, there are a few things that I found hard to overlook. The ending felt abrupt, leaving several characters, like Reid and Kim, incomplete. I understand that the author might have intended to keep with the mysterious theme of the plot, but it felt more like the story was cut off rather than adding to the mystery.
Another thing that bothered me was the lack of explanation behind Emily’s actions. Her motives were never fully explained, and I felt like every character was underdeveloped. Take Ingrid, for example. She was a crucial part of the plot, helping to start and end Sarah’s journey, yet I finished the book feeling like I knew nothing about her. She felt like an empty shell, and I wanted so much more from her character.
Despite these flaws, I would still recommend this book to fans of ghost stories and mysteries. Just be prepared to overlook some of the incomplete aspects of the storyline. There’s a lot to enjoy here, but don’t expect all your questions to be answered by the end.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
That said, there are a few things that I found hard to overlook. The ending felt abrupt, leaving several characters, like Reid and Kim, incomplete. I understand that the author might have intended to keep with the mysterious theme of the plot, but it felt more like the story was cut off rather than adding to the mystery.
Another thing that bothered me was the lack of explanation behind Emily’s actions. Her motives were never fully explained, and I felt like every character was underdeveloped. Take Ingrid, for example. She was a crucial part of the plot, helping to start and end Sarah’s journey, yet I finished the book feeling like I knew nothing about her. She felt like an empty shell, and I wanted so much more from her character.
Despite these flaws, I would still recommend this book to fans of ghost stories and mysteries. Just be prepared to overlook some of the incomplete aspects of the storyline. There’s a lot to enjoy here, but don’t expect all your questions to be answered by the end.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 31, 2024
I was a bit on the fence on this one. (Maybe like a 3.5) All of the elements were there, but they didn't necessarily add up and I felt like some things were left unresolved (like the fate of the rest of the artists).
The thing that surprised me most was that this book was not terribly scary (which is weird since our hero keeps exploring a decrepit sanatorium.) The problem is that as Sarah is trying to figure out weird stuff happening at this retreat, she's ALSO having visions of the life of a woman who died on the property a hundred years ago.
For me, this dueling POV took the fear out of the story. There isn't much that is spooky about a ghost when they're giving you play-by-play about their life story, feelings, and motivations. The result was I never really left like Sarah was in any sort of danger.
Overall the reader is left with some unexplained phenomenon in the present and no real sense if this is being caused by humans or ghosts. We're also not sure if anything ghostly is malevolent or just a warning to Sarah. Actually, the more I think about it, I have no idea for the motivation for a lot of things that happened in this book. (Who killed the animals? What exactly is the purpose of haunting artists...so your story gets told? Was everyone having these dreams?)
In other words, I didn't dislike this book. It was an interesting read. But it lacked some cohesiveness that left me with more questions than answers. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
trigger warning: sexual assault
The thing that surprised me most was that this book was not terribly scary (which is weird since our hero keeps exploring a decrepit sanatorium.) The problem is that as Sarah is trying to figure out weird stuff happening at this retreat, she's ALSO having visions of the life of a woman who died on the property a hundred years ago.
For me, this dueling POV took the fear out of the story. There isn't much that is spooky about a ghost when they're giving you play-by-play about their life story, feelings, and motivations. The result was I never really left like Sarah was in any sort of danger.
Overall the reader is left with some unexplained phenomenon in the present and no real sense if this is being caused by humans or ghosts. We're also not sure if anything ghostly is malevolent or just a warning to Sarah. Actually, the more I think about it, I have no idea for the motivation for a lot of things that happened in this book. (Who killed the animals? What exactly is the purpose of haunting artists...so your story gets told? Was everyone having these dreams?)
In other words, I didn't dislike this book. It was an interesting read. But it lacked some cohesiveness that left me with more questions than answers. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
trigger warning: sexual assault
May 8, 2024
When a woman runs from her abusive boyfriend to stay in an artists' colony she is greeted by events that go from creepy to downright twisted. Sarah discovers that the colony where she and her fellow artists are staying is on the grounds of an old, shuttered and abandoned spa for rich society folk. But when she comes across dead animals and an unmarked human grave her curiosity and that of another artist whom she befriends become piqued. She develops a strange connection to the woman whose body she found, perhaps both being victims of abuse, or for whatever reason leads her down a perilous path to uncover the mystery of this property. This macabre mystery was well told, with easy to read prose, other than a few slightly outdated pop culture references (I wondered if the first draft was written some years ago and the references weren't updated or was there an intent to set this story about a decade or more in the past). The characters were not overly-developed and I would have liked a bit more depth especially of the supporting characters but the atmosphere and setting were handled well. The pacing was a bit slow at the beginning but picked up, and the ending felt a bit too neat. Overall, this was a decent read for anyone looking for a contemporary horror-mystery.
I received advanced access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
I received advanced access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
July 21, 2024
Thank you to Random House Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
It Will Only Hurt For A Moment is a gripping thriller about Sarah, the MC, who attends a secluded summer artist residency on the site of an old, abandoned hotel, in part to escape an abusive relationship. The director informs Sarah that the hotel was once a prominent and luxurious spot for the wealthy to visit for restoration and rejuvenation. Strange and unsettling things start happening from Sarah's first day at the residency, and we follow her through the mystery of the location and what is happening to the artists.
I was immediately immersed in this story, and while the overall theme of a thriller amongst artists isn't new to me, the details and characters were unique and captivating. I continued to guess at what would happen next and felt the ending was not fully predictable, which I really appreciated. I especially liked the growth of the characters and their relationships during the story. I think this book will be very memorable for me and I would highly recommend it to others.
Just a note that this book contains heavy content of sexual assault, abuse, and more related to those topics, so please be cautious picking up this book if needed. These topics are covered during the entire book and not just parts of it.
Overall I'd give this book a 4.5 as I really enjoyed it and it was a quick and engaging read.
It Will Only Hurt For A Moment is a gripping thriller about Sarah, the MC, who attends a secluded summer artist residency on the site of an old, abandoned hotel, in part to escape an abusive relationship. The director informs Sarah that the hotel was once a prominent and luxurious spot for the wealthy to visit for restoration and rejuvenation. Strange and unsettling things start happening from Sarah's first day at the residency, and we follow her through the mystery of the location and what is happening to the artists.
I was immediately immersed in this story, and while the overall theme of a thriller amongst artists isn't new to me, the details and characters were unique and captivating. I continued to guess at what would happen next and felt the ending was not fully predictable, which I really appreciated. I especially liked the growth of the characters and their relationships during the story. I think this book will be very memorable for me and I would highly recommend it to others.
Just a note that this book contains heavy content of sexual assault, abuse, and more related to those topics, so please be cautious picking up this book if needed. These topics are covered during the entire book and not just parts of it.
Overall I'd give this book a 4.5 as I really enjoyed it and it was a quick and engaging read.
September 1, 2024
This novel is dark, creepy and very messed up. It is also extremely engrossing and it was hard to put down. Sarah goes to an artists’ retreat to get away from her abusive boyfriend. The place sounds incredible, and the little houses where the artists stay, their studios and the woods surrounding them are so well described that they weren’t hard to picture. From the beginning, something feels off. Maybe it’s the volatile personalities of the artists forced to live together. Or, it could be the abandoned hotel next to the colony. Strange things start happening. As I’m trying to summarize the plot, I realize that it jumps a bit and the threads could have been a little more cohesive. While I was reading, though, I never even noticed. I liked the colorful characters, even if I never truly connected with Sarah. My favorite was Ingrid for sure, and I enjoyed the evolution of her personality. Lastly, this is a feminist book that makes a point without falling into the pitfalls of this type of novel. It never becomes preachy. The women here were really and truly victims of men. Not all the men are evil or stupid, and women can be bad too. This book may not be perfect, but I liked it a lot.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey.
May 26, 2024
☆☆☆
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
After reading Dawson's last horror romp, Bloom, I was incredibly excited at the opportunity to read her next foray into the genre. However, It Will Only Hurt For a Moment failed to reach the heights of Bloom for me.
The story takes place at an artists retreat, where our MC, Sarah, goes to find herself again following a traumatizing relationship. She wants to rediscover who she is and fall in love with her work again. But the retreat begins to fall into chaos, as secrets of the grounds and its history begin to drive everyone mad. And Sarah needs to get to the bottom of it.
The one thing that Dawson absolutely excels at here is atmosphere; it's oozing with tension. Unfortunately, it doesnt really go anywhere. As chaos envelopes the group, it become repetive, and feels like it takes too long to get to the big reveal. All of which are sometimes the pitfalls of the genre, but still. And the ending is very abrupt without much closure or finality. And the last act is a bit of a letdown.
I didnt hate my time with this one. There are parts I definitely enjoyed. Though i dont know how readily I might recommend this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
After reading Dawson's last horror romp, Bloom, I was incredibly excited at the opportunity to read her next foray into the genre. However, It Will Only Hurt For a Moment failed to reach the heights of Bloom for me.
The story takes place at an artists retreat, where our MC, Sarah, goes to find herself again following a traumatizing relationship. She wants to rediscover who she is and fall in love with her work again. But the retreat begins to fall into chaos, as secrets of the grounds and its history begin to drive everyone mad. And Sarah needs to get to the bottom of it.
The one thing that Dawson absolutely excels at here is atmosphere; it's oozing with tension. Unfortunately, it doesnt really go anywhere. As chaos envelopes the group, it become repetive, and feels like it takes too long to get to the big reveal. All of which are sometimes the pitfalls of the genre, but still. And the ending is very abrupt without much closure or finality. And the last act is a bit of a letdown.
I didnt hate my time with this one. There are parts I definitely enjoyed. Though i dont know how readily I might recommend this.
May 29, 2024
3.5
This is not a faced paced, twisted thriller. Repeat after me this is not a thriller!!! Don’t go into it expecting that. This is a slow burn horror. It’s what I would consider a “weird book for weird girls” iykyk. If you’re going to read this, read it for the vibes. Don’t read it for the mystery/thrill because you will be disappointed, but that’s also not the point of this. I loved the setting/atmosphere SO much. It was so spooky and I really felt like I was there. Vibes 10/10. This will be such a good fall read.
I loved the (kind of) dual stories going on. The past storyline was SO interesting. Honestly, I really enjoyed both storylines and the slow decent into madness by the characters.
I do think this was slightly too long imo. And the ending wrapped up a little too nicely for my liking. Most of the story was a 4-5 for me but the ending was more like a 2. I almost would have liked it to get weirder and less based in reality
****Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC****
This is not a faced paced, twisted thriller. Repeat after me this is not a thriller!!! Don’t go into it expecting that. This is a slow burn horror. It’s what I would consider a “weird book for weird girls” iykyk. If you’re going to read this, read it for the vibes. Don’t read it for the mystery/thrill because you will be disappointed, but that’s also not the point of this. I loved the setting/atmosphere SO much. It was so spooky and I really felt like I was there. Vibes 10/10. This will be such a good fall read.
I loved the (kind of) dual stories going on. The past storyline was SO interesting. Honestly, I really enjoyed both storylines and the slow decent into madness by the characters.
I do think this was slightly too long imo. And the ending wrapped up a little too nicely for my liking. Most of the story was a 4-5 for me but the ending was more like a 2. I almost would have liked it to get weirder and less based in reality
****Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC****
June 12, 2024
I have heard nothing but great things about this authors other novel, Bloom, so I was excited to get to read this one. However, this book did not do it for me like I'd hoped. This book has great commentary and themes relating to what it's like to be a woman in today's society along with in the past, how (unfortunately) women will likely always be treated as lesser than. how women are seen as crazy or need medication and therapy because they have feelings or disagree with a man. Overall, the themes of this book really did resonate with me and that women are not property or things to be told what to do, are not "crazy" for being opinionated, and God forbid are not what a man is entitled to. I did, however. think this book was way too long andabruptly ended without clearing up some questions about certain characters. I do think that I would read from this author again though. as maybe this just wasn't for me. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 14, 2024
3.75 stars!
This novel follows Sarah who, having recently left her toxic ex-boyfriend, heads to an artist retreat to rekindle her love of pottery. While there, she’s drawn to the off-limits hotel on property and becomes wrapped up in the history of the women who stayed there. This novel goes into the trauma women faced in the past as well as the present and has a strong emphasis on self-discovery and empowerment.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this novel and felt like I had a good grasp of the writers retreat. I loved Delilah S. Dawson’s writing and imagery. The ending left a bit to be desired but didn’t detract too much from the overall feel of the book. Don’t pick this one up if you need all loose ends tied up - this definitely leaves story aspects up to the imagination which I actually enjoyed about it. Overall I liked this read and look forward to picking up more of this author’s work.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group Ballantine, and Del Rey for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This novel follows Sarah who, having recently left her toxic ex-boyfriend, heads to an artist retreat to rekindle her love of pottery. While there, she’s drawn to the off-limits hotel on property and becomes wrapped up in the history of the women who stayed there. This novel goes into the trauma women faced in the past as well as the present and has a strong emphasis on self-discovery and empowerment.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this novel and felt like I had a good grasp of the writers retreat. I loved Delilah S. Dawson’s writing and imagery. The ending left a bit to be desired but didn’t detract too much from the overall feel of the book. Don’t pick this one up if you need all loose ends tied up - this definitely leaves story aspects up to the imagination which I actually enjoyed about it. Overall I liked this read and look forward to picking up more of this author’s work.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group Ballantine, and Del Rey for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
May 29, 2024
This was such a great read. Fast paced, gives you the spooky vibes that you would expect to come from it. Twisty, lots of turns and keeps you guessing to the end. We have so many secrets and so much going on in the book and will definitely keep you thinking. I love how we have a very good mix of plot and character within this and I loved every single one of the characters in here.
We follow our main character as she is trying to escape her life for a fresh start and ends up uncovering something sinister and some things are not what they seem. I cannot wait to see what else our author Delilah Dawson comes out with because I need more of her writing style. A must have on the TBR.
Pub Date: October 22, 2024
Thank you @netgalley, @randomhousepublishing and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
We follow our main character as she is trying to escape her life for a fresh start and ends up uncovering something sinister and some things are not what they seem. I cannot wait to see what else our author Delilah Dawson comes out with because I need more of her writing style. A must have on the TBR.
Pub Date: October 22, 2024
Thank you @netgalley, @randomhousepublishing and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
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