looooved the lime green on the cover! finished this one very quickly - highly recommend to thriller lovers out there

Alex's dreams come true when she gets an invitation to an exclusive writing retreat held by famed author Roza Vallo. The only downside, she believes, is that her ex-bff will be at the retreat, too. Once she gets to the creepy home of Vallo (the castle has a creepy history, too!), it appears that all is not as it seems. Vallo's teaching methods are.. unorthodox, and Alex finds herself butting heads with the other girls on the retreat.

This book is spooky, disturbing, and fun! While, yes, some parts are ridiculous (what horror isn't going to be?), the all female cast really solidified this book for me. It's NOT a book club book, but it's one of those that grips you until the end. I didn't really have time to make solid predictions because I just wanted to get to the end-- in a good way! If you're looking for light hearted but DARK, then this is the book for you!

Alex is on her way to her ultimate dream of being a writer, but she is about to give up on all of it. When she gets an incredible opportunity to attend a month long retreat with a rival, but that won’t stop her from being so freaking excited to attend!!!!

Little does she know that this is not so much a retreat, as much as a competition to see who can write the best book in a month. And the winner will take home the book deal of a lifetime.

This is all great, until it isn’t anymore. One of the writer’s vanishes and Alex realizes that something is not right here.

I thought that is book was a good time, it gives great snowy and spooky vibes while also exploring female friendships and also what it means to be famous.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this early e-arc!

Loved this book! Truly suspenseful. I felt like I was guessing the whole time, and the ending was perfect!

When aspiring writer Alex gets an unexpected opportunity to attend the exclusive month-long writing retreat headed by her favorite author Rosa Vallo she can’t say no, even with her ex-best friend Wren attending as well. Once at Roza’s estate Blackbriar, Alex and the other girls attribute Roza’s eccentric behavior to her wild personality. When one of the group is discovered dead things escalate from weird to dark very quickly. Just how far will Roza go? This thriller keeps you at the edge of your seat, never knowing exactly how the characters will react to all the chaos surrounding them. Each character holds their own and is fully developed. The setting of the estate during winter sets an ominous mood from the start and the pacing is perfect. Such a great thriller!

I loved the premise of this book. At times I thought it satiric; a writing retreat filled with women in competition to be the best, the envy that comes with writing a successful novel, the groveling to be the most popular in a writing group,, and the “stealing” of someone else’s story. I could have done without the sexual connotations but that’s just not my thing. I think the book would have been fine without. Still, it was a well written and entertaining thriller that I sped through to the final conclusion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC!

Wow - this was a wild ride in the best way possible! I loved it so much now I’m in a book rut because nothing is comparing!

The Writing Retreat is a fast paced, twisted thriller that is reminiscent of if Agatha Christie and Lucy Foley had a love child that was intensely nuts.

Every character left me guessing and even when I guessed one element correct, the next twist left me agape. Read this now!!!

So sad, but very disappointed by this one!

The premise was fascinating—a writing retreat that turns deadly. But it was overshadowed by an extreme leftist agenda at every turn, ranging from politically-correct comments here and there to drug use to lesbian sexual content (NOT what I was expecting from the summary?!). I ended up skimming/skipping my way through the middle.

The last star is for the slick writing, and the last 20% of the book. There were some fascinating discussions of writing, some interesting moral dilemmas, and I particularly enjoyed the antagonist in this section.

Sadly can’t recommend this one, but thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

-A

I couldn’t put this book down! I was expecting a typical locked room type of mystery, but there is a lot more going on. The characters are well developed and the setting is atmospheric. I felt like there were a lot of different threads going on, but it all comes together. Towards the end, I started questioning if it was totally believable development for some of the characters, but I was having too much fun to care.

This book in 3 words: Tangled. Fascinating. Savage. 

Alex gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a writing retreat hosted by her favorite author, Roza Vallo. But since things can never go right for Alex, her former best friend, Wren, is also attending the same retreat. What could go wrong when you're in a gothic mansion, for an entire month, with someone you hate? MUCH MORE THAN ANY OF YOU THINK. 

This story is all gothic, ominous, fun, twisty, dramatics and I could go on and on. Bottom line - this book is great. I'm floored this is Julia's debut... incredible! I feel this is one you should jump into, with not a lot to go on, but here's some of the highlights:

1. The plot morphs in a way that's natural and important.
2. Our main character is vulnerable, strong, and interesting. 
3. The setting is strong enough to bring sensations of touch and smell. 
4. Roza Vallo. WHAT. 
5. The writing is spectacular with wonderful pacing, structure, and believable dialogue. 
6. I binged this. I started this book and buckled up because I knew I wouldn't be able to stop until it was over. I was so impressed with the ability of the story to grab hold of me and almost drag me by the front of my shirt, start to finish. 
7. META. Authors writing about authors writing books... SWOOOOON. 

I have a feeling this book will be on everyone's TBR in 2023.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz is a psychological suspense debut novel about a young author at an exclusive writers retreat that descends into a nightmare.

I really liked the secluded setting of this book. The characters were interesting and well-developed. The story was creepy and had some good twists and revelations.

There were parts of the book that seemed slow. I liked the author's writing style and story for a debut novel. I would check out more books by this author in the future.

A 4 out of 5 stars.

#TheWritingRetreat #NetGalley @AtriaBooks

This one was one for fans of 9 perfect strangers!! It was a slow slow burn where loyalties as a reader to anyone got you nowhere. I found the writing a bit too descriptive in a way that was distracting at times but in general was engaged and read it in one sitting. It was actually straight up nine perfect strangers meets one by one. I liked the manuscript but found at times I was a bit confused.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz is a fun, fast-paced read that will get book lovers and writers excited to dig into their own creative side. The retreat follows a small and elite group of female writers that get the opportunity of a lifetime to join a writing retreat with a famous writer, Roza, renowned for her dark and queer novels. The retreat is set at Roza's home a beautifully ornate, gothic home with a dark past of its own. The woman are not allowed outside contact to the real world and they quickly realize there is a lot at stake when the real game of the retreat is revealed.

As I was reading all I wanted to do was set out to write my own story or novel that would live up to the high expectations of the esteemed Roza! However, events in the house take multiple turns leaving the women wondering what Roza's true intentions are, if there is a ghostly spirit in the home, and if this cutthroat competition is really worth it.

I tend to prefer mysteries and thrillers that leave a lot open-ended, this is not one of those books. There are a lot of great twist and turns and also a lot of exposition which a lot of people love! The excitement went away for me at around 70% of the book simply because the mystery felt solved. However, don't let that dissuade you. this is a very fun book!

Wow! This book is a must-read. With all the twists and turns, I couldn't put it down. I look forward to the next Julia Bartz novel.

I went into The Writing Retreat knowing very little about what to expect. What I discovered was a thrilling story of Alex and several other young aspiring authors who are selected for a prestigious and mysterious writing retreat with the lauded author, Roza Vallo.

The selected female authors travel to a secluded home in the dead of Winter. They are faced with their hero, Roza Vallo, and also her extreme demands. They must write 3,000 words a day and provide feedback to their peers to go home. The winner will have their book published at the end of the thirty days.

But soon, things become spooky and then deadly. Who can be trusted in this isolated house? Who will even survive?

I really enjoyed the light horror in this book and chapters from Alex’s work in progress. I also enjoyed the character development in the second half of the novel, we learned more about nearly everyone. I didn’t like the pacing in the final 20%; it felt very stop and go after the pace had revved in the back third. I still enjoyed the ending, I was just ready to know how things sorted out.

Overall, this book was a great surprise. I hope you will give it a read when it comes out next year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So funny story, on first look, when I first had the privilege to read this book I automatically assumed it was by Andrea Bartz: The author of several outstanding thrillers. That is incorrect as this is actually written by Julia Bartz: Her sister and this is a debut novel.

Spoiler free synopsis: We have Alex, a novelist who has struggled to get her books published. She has been unsuccessful for a while and at this point has writer's block to the point where she can't even write anymore. All seems lost...... But not so fast! Her favorite author Roza Vallo, a feminist horror writer, has always hosted a month long writer's retreat on her estate and in a turn of good luck Alex gets a invite. It's a dream come true for her and she drops everything she is doing and heads out. In the retreat there are several women invited including her former best friend: Wren who they had a huge following out to almost the point of hatred for each other now.

But dreams aren't always so great as they are soon given the daunting task of having to complete a entire novel in one month. And that is where this story just ignites as what follows is a outstanding book full of mayhem and drama that soon get's deadly.

What works: In a nutshell, everything! The writing, pacing, dialogue, and length of this novel is outstanding and absolutely ominous. How is this a debut novel? This reads like a author who has spent years developing her craft. The characters are amazing and you will get emotionally involved. Especially with the following out between Alex and Wren. There is one scene where Alex has so much anxiety with being in the same room that it's hard to read. It gave me anxiety! Plus this one takes a dark turn and goes from psychological thriller to scary and borderline horror. Just a great book and hard to review without spoiling. And loved the Single point POV with Alex to the point where there is so much going on with not only her but to the other characters behind the scenes.

What doesn't work: Really hard to say which brings me to having to actually rate it. If I have learned anything with reviewing books is the hardest thing so far is having to decide between 4 and 5 stars. I haven't rated too many books 5 stars but the satisfaction I had after reading this one was the same as the others. This one is a solid 5 stars and one of the best books of the year so far for me. Very highly recommended.

I really appreciate Atria books for giving me the opportunity to read and review such a great book and discovering a new and talented author in Juilia Bartz. This one has a publication date of 2/21/2023.

I received a Advanced Reader Copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Writing Retreat was everything I wanted it to be and more! I tore through this book in two days. I was totally engrossed and trying to guess how the story was going to unfold.

A famous writer, a secluded writing retreat, the chance to finish a novel in a month and get it published, what could go wrong? Your ex-best friend is also there, maybe the estate you’re staying at is haunted, and one of the other participants goes missing.

I loved this book, the secluded setting, strangers meeting and competing to create a novel, a story within a story. All the pieces tie together to create a chilling tale, a novel about publishing, creating, friendships and betrayals.

The Writing Retreat sets an engaging cast of characters in a spooky location and draws the reader into a propulsive, twisty plot that makes for a fast, entertaining read. Julia Bartz has a talent for evocative, economic description, of both people and places, that make the story come alive, and the story's villain is deliciously awful. Fans of suspense novels and/or critiques of the fiction publishing industry will enjoy this book.

I will definitely be reading more books by this author! This book was a great as of your seat thriller. It literally kept me up reading all night, I had to know what happened next. The storyline was great and this was some turns really kept the book moving at a fast pace. This author will go far. Thank you to netgalley on the publisher for this Arc and exchange for an honest review

Wow! What a ride this was, first of all, I truly can’t believe this is your first novel! Amazing. It was so well written and thought out. I felt like I really knew the characters you created. I connected a lot to the main character because I’m Hungarian and my mother and grandparents went through a similar thing. I liked that not everything was predictable and didn’t see so much of it coming. I don’t want to give to much away, but I really enjoyed this book and cant wait for more from Julia! ( I enjoyed your sisters books as well, love that you both write so well!)