Thank you NetGalley, Simon &Schuster Canada and the author Julia Bartz.
How lucky can you be as an unpublished author when you win a month long retreat at your favourite author mansion. You have loved this author since your teens. You are only 5 people in this contest and if you win you will receive a seven-figure deal.
Too good to be true?
What ensues is a total nightmare. Some scenes were jaw-dropping.
I enjoyed this novel even though I found a bit too long.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 14 of 2023. I read @megans_bookcorner’s review of this book, and I knew that I had to read it. This was one crazy ride! I went into this book blind as well, and I did not expect anything. There are lots of different issues discussed in here and a cast of very unlikeable characters who somehow all worked well within this plot line. As someone who loves reading and books, I loved the focus here on reading, writing, and novels. As @megans_bookcorner notes, the end is somewhat unbelievable, and yet, I still liked it. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for sure. #avivaandfriendsrecos #bookstagram

📚 Book Review 📚
A huge thanks to @netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Writing Retreat
Author: Julia Bartz @juliabartz
Genre: psychological suspense / thriller / horror
Date published: 2023
Primary Setting: USA 🇺🇸

📚Synopsis:
A dream-come-true opportunity to spend one month at a remote writing retreat with a famous author quickly turns into a horrific nightmare that only a lucky few will escape.

✍️ My review:
A captivating debut novel that explores desires, relationships, and the lengths people will go to to hide or discover truths. Lots of twists and strangeness in this book, definitely a little more into the horror genre than I usually read, but lots of character development and interesting motives. Definitely recommend this read if you are looking for something dark and sinister.

💕You might like this book if:
🔹you like books with an almost exclusively female cast of characters
🔹 you like characters to have some craziness
🔹you like settings that have their own history / energy
🔹you like books that add some female sexual tension / exploration / desires

#juliabartz #thewritingretreat #netgalley #simonandschustercanada #dreamopportunitygonewrong #writingforyourlife #dreamsandnightmares

Alex is given a once in a lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive one-month writing retreat with a very famous author (and one of her favorite). Knowing that her ex-best friend and current rival, Wren, will also attend won't even dampen her excitement. But the challenge is hard, and the stakes are high...
I read this psychological in one sitting. Think of a mix between The Plot, Please Join Us and The Villa. The characters were acting a bit like high school girls, which was annoying at times, but the dynamics between them was interesting in the circumstances. There was a lot of tension, and you do have to suspend disbelief at it is over-the-top, and the ending felt a bit rushed, but I loved the retreat, closed setting, with an eerie, weird and twisted atmosphere.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4.5 Rounded Up

Read this if you like...
Super atmospheric, locked room settings
Books about books
Horror undertones
Suspenseful & unsettling psychological thrillers
Flawed Characters
Female empowerment
Books that ask: How far would you go to succeed?

I could keep going on and on listing reasons why you should read THE WRITING RETREAT, because it includes so many elements that I like in a thriller. I loved the premise of a writing retreat for wannabe novelists hosted by a horror icon. The isolated old mansion the retreat takes place at has a dark history and gothic vibes, and the snowstorm adds an element of seclusion. I loved how all of this came together into a dark, creepy and at times unsettling story.

Along with the dark and ominous atmosphere, THE WRITING RETREAT is a suspenseful, psychological thriller that touches on the complexity of female relationships and the question of how far are you willing to go to succeed? The characters are flawed and not always likeable, but this worked for me, given the situation they are placed in. Alex, in particular, is a bit of a mess, but I enjoyed her character arc throughout the story.

While THE WRITING RETREAT is gripping in parts, the pacing didn't always work for me and I struggled a bit to get into it at the beginning. Be warned that you'll have to suspend your disbelief as it does take some over the top turns.

Bottom line: THE WRITING RETREAT is an impressive, unique debut and I will 100% pick up BARTZ's next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julia Bartz and Atria Books & Simon & Schuster Canada for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow guys. I had ideas on what was going to happen in this one and I was here for it anyway because I love the locked in mysteries; but guys. This is so much more than that. This is dark, thrilling and a total shock to the system. Definitely recommend right now!

🌟🌟🌟🌟

A sometimes horrifying, always mesmerizing look at the power and the passion within - and what it may take to allow one to soar, wildly free of crippling expectations, fears, and the shameful inhibitions that bind us all.

Alex, our first person POV narrator, is “something of a mess”. A wannabe author, thirty years old, stuck in a humdrum job, in her “vaguely mom-like sweater and jeans”, Alex feels herself a”dark blurry shape”, a ghost, unseen and definitely unheard, a life held in limbo with brief and recurring flashes of something more to be seen (albeit something of a much more disturbing nature).

Alienated from her best friend Wren, (a story in and of itself that hints at something darker), who is also a struggling author-to-be, the women’s lives are cast in sweet anticipatory turmoil when an unexpected opportunity arises.

Billeted for a month, along with three other young writers, in any author’s dream destination - a writing retreat hosted by a world-renowned novelist - it seems as if Alex may be on the cusp of something spectacular.

And so she is.

Tucked away in a gothic mansion, bone-chillingly remote and soon seen to be as specter-rich as it is sinister, the five women must now face a life-and-death struggle as metaphorical as it is terrifying.

Rich with symbolism, unconscious yearnings, and feminist rage too-long suppressed, this is a tale as captivating as it is disquieting.

Reminding us of the fleeting nature of life itself, the wounds we all bear, and the cathartic freedom just waiting, (around the corner and down the stairs, in the dark but soon, so soon, hungry to be released) if we have the courage to meet it head-on.

A great big thank you to the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

Links
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5128294331
https://twitter.com/booklymatters/status/1617125357638893570?s=61&t=t-sVOrAdmVfRm9qFR1kraw
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnt0jCmuNGj/?igshid=MWI4MTIyMDE=

This book is really dark and twisty (my kind of thriller) it’s very binge worthy and hard to put down. It is a little over the top, and the extra “book” in the book wasn’t my favourite. I was never bored and it was the perfect pace, it really is an awesome debut novel. It also takes place in a winter setting and I wouldn’t recommend reading it at night when you’re alone in the dark (I personally got really creeped out 😂) you can’t really trust any of the characters and there was some great character development as well. Thank you Net Galley/Simon & Schuster Canada/Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

This sort of tense, graphic thriller isn’t usually my kind of book, and actually that was borne out here too - I can appreciate Bartz’s unique take on the isolated haunted house murder situation, but it was never going to be something I glommed onto. I was interested n this one because it was set as a writing retreat, and I was curious about that part of the story: the creative writing, the group, etc.

The mysterious and reclusive writer Roza Vallo is holding a writing retreat contest - those chosen will spend a month at her estate, working on a novel, and getting to spend time with Roza. Alex, a writer who’s had writer’s block for a year, since a falling out with her former best friend, Wren, is a huge fan, and floored when she gets asked to go on the retreat, thanks to her friend Ursula’s string pulling. But so does Wren. Alex’s interpersonal conflict aside, the retreat is still something she’s looking forward to, and even with her misgivings at the start: Roza being cruel, Wren being there, having to write a whole brand new novel in a month, she begins to enjoy and actually writes something. But red flags start to abound. Things are off, and not what they appear. And it turns out Roza has very different motives that she didn’t share with them.

I like creeping thrillers, and this was more jump scare/Murder thriller, but I was still sucked into the story. Bartz included a few well-placed twists, and it was ultimately not a terrible choice of n my part, if not for me.

I enjoyed this quick and suspenseful psychological thriller about an aspiring young female writer (Alex) who is invited, along with a handful of others, to a writing retreat at the home of her favourite author. Unfortunately, her ex-best friend Wren is also invited. When the attendees arrive, they learn that each of them is to write a novel, and the author of the best one will receive a publishing deal. Almost immediately, tensions re-surface between Alex and Wren, strange things begin to happen, and their host's behaviour becomes downright bizarre. It is impossible for Alex to know who to trust, and soon it seems they are all in danger. The characters in this story were well-developed, and the plot moved along at a good place and kept me guessing throughout.

Read this book in 24 hours - a feat I haven't achieved in quite some time (granted, I was on holidays!) That said this book captivated me early on and didn't let go - although the ending dragged a bit. It was dark and twisty and attempted to address a number of relevant issues - feminism, grief, queer, friendship, ambition - some more successfully than others. If you are looking for a thrilling ride and an easy holiday read - this book is for you!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher of an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a little disappointing for me. The concept was interesting and the characters were all flawed which I love in a book, but at some point it felt like it was dragging and it lost all the tension and intrigue.

A page turner all the way! This thriller was so well done, it kept me stressed on the edge of my seat and guessing until the very end. The main character was likeable and her thought process was easy to follow I really enjoyed the setting, the creepy writing cabin retreat it was exactly what id hoped

This debut novel by Julia Bartz had me on the edge of my seat. This is a dark psychological thriller that will pull you in from the first page. Alex ends up invited to a writing retreat with famous writer Roza Vallo. Alex also finds out that her ex-bestfriend will be attending the retreat. Once Alex, Wren and the others arrive at the retreat Roza reveals they all must write a full novel during the retreat and Roza will pick one to win and be published. Roza is known as being eccentric and what follows is nothing short of terrifying.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense, thrillers or horror. i am looking forward to the next book by Julia Bartz. Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for allowing me to enjoy this Arc!

Well, I definitely didn't find this book boring. It was not what I expected and kept me on the edge of my seat.

This story is told by the point of view of Alex. Alex is a aspiring young author, whose life took a downward turn about a year ago after a traumatic incident with her previous best friend, Wren. We initially don't know the details of this traumatic event, but Alex has been a train wreck ever since. Abandoned by Wren, and their former friends she has hit rock bottom. She works a job she hates, and has had writers block for the past year. Then a miracle occurs, and she gets invited to a month long writing retreat with her idol, horror writer Rosa Valo. The downside, is that her former BFF Wren is invited as well.

Overall this was entertaining, and the plot was non-stop. It was a quick read.

My only complaint, is that there seemed to be an overabundance of tropes/themes in this book. Including, feminism, repressed sexuality, a creepy gothic setting with a eerie history (including the paranormal, and a murder suicide), a high stakes writing contest, a unstable mentor who is also a genius, paranormal/supernatural happenings, several characters who are not who they seem, a snowstorm causing complete isolation, as well as a secret passage and rooms. With all of this going on, it seems a bit cluttered at times.

However, I am interested in seeing what this author comes up with next as she refines her style.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with this eARC to read and review.

I went into this one blind and I’m SO glad that I did.

Alex is struggling with writer’s block after having an intense falling out with her best friend. She manages to get invited to an exclusive writers’ retreat that is being hosted by the famous horror author, Roza Vollo. Alex then finds out that her ex-best friend will also be attending. When all of the attendees show up to the retreat, they find out that they are each expected to write a full novel in 30 days. It all seems quite normal, until one of the attendees goes missing one evening.

Since I went into this blind, I didn’t know that an attendee was going to go missing. The beginning was quite long without much thrill or suspense, and I did not anticipate how wild it would get.

Make sure to push past the first half of the book even if you feel it is slightly slow/ isn’t giving you enough thrill.

I LOVED the second half of the book. I couldn’t put it down. It was so creative and crazy and I was glued to my kindle.

The retreat is hosted in a remote estate that was allegedly haunted, so this story does have a bit of a supernatural vibe, but I didn’t find it cringey like I sometimes do.

I loved the queer representation!

Really glad I read this one :)

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Writing Retreat was a good claustrophobic thriller. The starting was admittedly slow for me but once the rules of the writing retreat were set, I was hooked. The writing style was very heads-on, suiting the characters very well.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz was a thrilling yet creepy ride pretty much the whole way through. It was a very enjoyable read that kept me on the edge of my seat and unable to put it down because I wanted to see what secrets would be revealed. There is such an air of mystery throughout, as there is so much obscurity happening and you have to sift through clues to get to what’s going on behind the scenes. This made for a very engaging read because I just wanted to know what was really going on, who was hiding what, and what was real and what wasn’t.

And you just know things are about to get really creepy when there’s no Wi-fi in the location the characters are at and barely any signal. That’s a recipe for insidious things to start happening. On top of that, a couple weeks in there’s a giant snowstorm which results in everyone being snowed in, and this is where the tension and mystery really amps up. From mysterious disappearances to hints that more is going on behind the scenes than any of the writers knew before signing up for the retreat.

To rewind a bit, the background of this story is that five people have won the opportunity to work with a famous author, all of them writers themselves, and they must work on a novel for a month at this retreat where they also get feedback from Roza, the author. However once they arrive, Alex the main character, there seems to be more going on with the retreat than initially revealed. Furthermore, Alex is dealing with having to face her once best friend, now nemesis as Wren has been accepted to the retreat as well. Though I do understand the plot and tension this adds to this story, I will say at points I felt their conflict was super petty and childlike and it didn’t really enhance the story for me. However, not enough for it to ruin the experience.

As the story progresses there is uncertainty and paranoia for Alex as she no longer knows who to trust, who might be in on the happenings going on at the retreat, or whether it’s all in her head. Not wanting to go in depth into the story and risk spoilers, let me just say you are in for a ride because holy moly does it ever get intense. This book was so good and I was absolutely on the edge of my seat, unable to stop reading. I even enjoy how it ended, with everything well wrapped up yet this hint of a possibility of something more. I recommend this one for the thriller lovers out there, because it is a more than worthwhile read.

I wanted to love this book because the isolated writing retreat sounded great and seemed like it had a lot of potential to be a great thriller but unfortunately that was not the case. I read this on my kindle, nothing happened for the first 45% of the book, I found myself bored and wanting to DNF several times but forced myself to finish it. It read like a teen drama even though the characters are 30 years old with an added sprinkle of cringe smutty scenes. The plot fell short, the dialogue between characters felt unnatural, almost comical .. not in a good way and the "big twist" was underwhelming.

also WTF at dropping in a romance a Jewish woman and a German man during the Holocaust? ... for like no reason at all.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for sharing the digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my authentic review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Alex has had a bad case of writer's block for the last year. When she is unexpectedly accepted into an exclusive writing retreat with her favorite author, she doesn't know how she's going to write anything new, but she can't miss this opportunity. Except... there's a catch. Each participant must meet the word count daily, 3000 words, and at the end of the month, they'll choose a winner to be published with a 7-figure book deal. But that isn't so straightforward either...

This book has thriller elements that you don't expect based on the synopsis, and I don't want to give any away either, but definitely don't make assumptions based on that alone. The characters are both likeable and not, and nothing is as clear as it appears to be.

I had a lot of "what the heck is going on" moments while reading, and I definitely did not expect any of the second half. This was a great debut and a good read for lovers of psychological thrillers!

CW: gaslighting, violence, blood, drug use, murder, death, imprisonment, sexual content