Lot of technical information about their jobs, but I still found that interesting. Loved the pining and angst, it hurt so good!! I think Roe is a bit of an idiot to make that promise and keep it so long.

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More like 2.5 ⭐️ because:

. The title is misleading. Where’s the hurt?
. So it’s gonna be miscommunication? Really?
. If the woman is portrayed as a bitch on the second book istg

Giving the next one a chance because it’s from Roe’s POV, but I don’t have high hopes.

Let me just start by saying I devour everything Cara writes. She is an absolute one-click author for me, and I haven't read a book of hers yet that I didn't like. However, I am basically allergic to reading angst so when I found out this book had it and that it was titled "This Will Hurt"...gulp. Cara doesn't do me dirty, and if I can get through the first couple books of her Auctioned series, I know I can get through anything. But I'm not a darn masochist, Cara! Why do you wanna hurt me?!?

Sigh. But of course I still grabbed the ARC for this book because I'm not stupid. And honestly my fears were unwarranted because while there WAS angst, it wasn't overwhelming. It was kind of like the whole boiling a frog thing. I jumped in the pot while the water was cool and she just slowly turned up the heat until whoops...I'm boiling in this darn angst! But then it was the end of the book sooooo. Now I get to take a break from it, and simultaneously suffer through wanting to know how everything gets resolved. And from Roe's perspective! Which, heck yes. I'm excited for.

I don't want to give spoilers so I'll keep it simple. This book spans a few years (which normally I'm not a fan of whatsoever but it was all linear at least so I coped). We get to see the evolution of Roe and Jake's friendship and their business. Sidenote: can I just say I LOVED their business; it's "in the business" like in Noah, but not really. I liked seeing it from the ground up.

We also get to see the evolution of how these two are in relationships. With women. That's where things start to hurt. I absolutely loved how Jake and Nikki's relationship evolved; I am sick of OW drama and how catty women can be shown in situations like theirs so it was refreshing to read.

And through the book, we learn of a memory that Jake has repressed for a long time, and him coming to terms with it. Rampant homophobia, especially internalized homophobia, is a topic I typically steer clear of because...angst. And it does hurt. Cara's not wrong.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I'll enjoy it more when the sequel is out because I HATE cliffhangers and waiting. I typically avoid reading duets or series until everything is out, but again, it's obvious that Cara has me breaking all my rules. Thankfully the next book comes out really soon so I won't have to wait long!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Well, this definitely lives up to its name. My eyes are still puffy from the tears.

Jake and Roe have such an amazing journey to their relationship in this book. The wonderfully quirky way they meet, the friendship they form, and the emotions and feelings they both have all add up to a perfect story. The build-up in this book is incredible. It's a delicate simmer until it boils over. And Roe and Jake are freaking magic.

My heart is still not ok from that ending, and I'm ready for part two.

This book did hurt. The reason? It was just a long prequel! Did I love it? Yes. Does it remind me of “If we could go back”? A little. Should it exist? A case could be made for no.

I truly believe that part I and II of this story could have just been one long book. But that didn’t take away from my love for Roe and Jake and the angst, pining, and torture they’re going to go through next book towards their happily ever after.