Reviews

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson

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leandrathetbrzero's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Upon arriving at Tranquil Falls, a secluded artists’ colony, Sarah Carpenter hopes for a fresh start. She recently escaped an abusive partner and hopes to retake control over her own life by returning to her love of pottery. The longer she stays at the colony, however, she discovers disturbing truths about the property's history. Strange, paranormal events begin to happen to her and the other artists...and someone dies under mysterious circumstances.

I entered this book having loved a previous experience with Dawson's writing. Her horror novella, Bloom, was one of my favorite reads of 2023, so I was ecstatic when I was approved for a Netgalley ARC of her most recent publication. Unfortunately, this novel missed the mark. That isn't to say that I don't respect and appreciate Dawson's motivations for writing this narrative. I recommend that if you do read It Will Only Hurt for a Moment, make sureyou pause and read her author's note at the end. Dawson opens up about a terrifying experience—a reality that so many women can relate to—and how it gave her the groundwork for Sarah's story.

The first half of the book is far stronger than the second half. I enjoyed the narrative pacing, the eclectic group of characters, and the direct way Dawson addressed issues like misogyny and not believing women when they seek help/support. The latter half is where the narrative action felt too hurried, and there was an awkward imbalance once in a while when the author tries to infuse humor and banter during a serious situation. Moreover, I found the random rivalry between Sarah and another woman at the colony to be odd and distracting from the social commentary at hand. It also seemed that the backstory of Sarah's alcoholic mother went nowhere and had no influence on the plot, so I wonder why it's so heavily included in the first couple chapters.

CW:

animal death, forced institutionalization, gaslighting, domestic abuse, SA, some body horror, an alcoholic parent

Actual Rating: 2.5 stars
Original Pub Date: 22 October 2024
Reading Format: audio

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for an E-ARC copy in exchange for this honest review!

steph_murph's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

mattx712's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Overall I enjoyed this ghost story! However, we only got the ending of some of the characters… I think they accidentally forgot the epilogue because there are 7 more characters that we learned a lot about, but we have no idea what happened to them? 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️!

the_vegan_bookworm's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A really solid horror story about gender, patriarchal roles and gender-based violence in intimate relationships. The ending felt a little bit underwhelming at parts, but I think the overall story felt well developed and emotionally compelling.

Content Warnings