Where to start with this debut thriller?! Twists that will shock you, characters you don’t know if you should root for, and spookiness and o keep you up at night.

The Writing Retreat follows aspiring writer, Alex as she gets the opportunity of a lifetime to meet her idol Roza Vallo. Alex, along with four other aspiring writer’s are invited to Roza’s remote home to learn from her and possibly get a book published. Ex-best friends, creepy employees, a secluded and mysterious home are some of the things that Alex encounters while on the retreat. Thinking she has a special opportunity for her writing quickly turns into a scary examination of her life and then goes even further into madness when people start to go missing.

An exciting and crazy ride!

This book was wild. Alex gets invited to a writing retreat held by her favorite author after someone drops out of the retreat. The problem comes because there are only supposed to be four women participants, but since someone dropped out, the famous author, Roza Vallo, decides to quickly add another person. Somehow one of Alex's friends is acquainted with someone who is acquainted with Roza and gives her one of Alex's stories. Alex's story isn't the only one she passed along to Roza; she also passed along one by Alex's former best friend, Wren. Wren also ends up selected for the retreat which leaves Alex upset and worried about sharing a space for a month with her former best friend.

The other three women, Keira, Taylor, and Poppy are just as excited as Alex and Wren to stay at Roza's secluded home and write a novel for the chance to win a huge book deal. As the women work on their books, excitement turns to fear as they question whether their writing aspirations are worth more than their lives.

For the most part, each character contributed to push the plot forward. The true horror of their situation did not appear until about halfway through the novel. Many of the characters aren't what they seem, especially Roza, which is easy to pick up on early in the novel. There were many plot points that set up later reveals, some were obvious while others weren't so obvious. At the beginning, I liked all the women of the retreat, even Wren, and surprisingly Roza. By the second half of the book my opinion changed on some of the characters, and I was shocked at the complete change because I didn't expect one of the characters to turn into the person she turned into.

While Alex and Wren got the resolution they needed after the end of their friendship, it took a back seat to everything else that occurred though the conflict between them was a major plot point for much of the novel. There was also some shocking information about Roza, that the novel sets up early on to portray her as a fierce advocate for writers which later turns out not to be the case. Overall, I found the ending to be as satisfying as it could be under the circumstances despite all the sad moments in the second half.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars. This one started out strong for me. I was interested in the story and liked the writing retreat set up. As I got into it further, the characters just kind of ruined the enjoyment of the book. They were whiny, immature, and just annoying. There was a lot of action toward the end, which did make things more interesting.

This was a really crazy one so obviously I loved it. Great premise, great twists, great characters. Can't wait to read what she does next.

If Julia Bartz' debut is any indication of how the rest of her writing career will go, sign me the hell up! This book was so incredibly fast-paced, fun, and weird in all of the best ways. When ARCs were first being sent out I kept seeing reviews that said they had no clue how to fully describe this book...and now I completely understand. It was weird without being TOO weird and I loved every minute of it.

This was a great locked door thriller with such a fun atmospheric setting. I love a book within a book which is originally what drew me to this book. I enjoyed all the characters and the twist had me a little shook! Cant wait for more from this author!

This story started strong and hooked me right away. It's kind of a slow burn, but that doesn't stop you from turning pages. There were times I thought the story had some comments that were a bit too woke, and some adult scenes I felt a bit unnecesary. That said, I thought it was a great debut and I'll 100% be reading whatever the author writes next!

*Thank you so much Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc*

4/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Julia Bartz for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book was intriguing and interesting throughout. From beginning to near the end you are questioning just about everything. You don't know who to trust or what to believe. And even though everything is explained at the end, you are still left questioning and wondering about everything you just read.

There are some explicit scenes that I did not enjoy, and this is not me being homophobic. I do not enjoy explicit sex scenes in my thriller or mystery books, however that is just a personal preference. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the writing. The characters are lovable, frustrating, and some you will even love to hate.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers and questioning what is going on while reading.

This sounds like such a fun retreat for the writer at heart. Think NaNoMo without any distractions. Many writers can complete the task of writing a full novel in 30 days. Add to it a publishing deal for the writer of the best novel and you're sure to find the next 30 days full of creativity.

Now, add to it a creepy house, weird things happening, and someone gone missing. Personally, it would be perfect to turn the every day events at this retreat into a novel itself (oh wait, that's what Julia Bartz did!) and you're sure to win the prize!

In all seriousness, I really enjoyed this. As a writer, as a reader, I wasn't sure what to expect.

4⭐
An anticipated writing retreat turns into the worst nightmare.

Alex gets a last-minute chance to attend a writing retreat organized by her favorite author Roza Vallo. With the exciting news, she also finds out that Wren, her best friend of a long time who she had a recent falling out with would also be at the retreat. Soon the best thing to have happened to her is dampened down. Little did she know, that this was not even close to how much worse retreat is going to get.

A group of females gets together for the retreat at Vallo’s mansion and we get a messy but gripping experience involving toxic female friendships, snowy isolated vibes, and interesting characters.

I enjoyed this book, it was compulsively readable and overall a fun vibe with great characters, perfect setting and a thrilling plot! I especially loved that we got snippets of Alex’s novel that she is working on during the retreat and how the storyline moves along with the plot.

Wow I am still in disbelief this was a debut!! I loved the dark academia undertones and the premise for this was so creative. I’ve already been recommending this to friends that love creative writing. Parts were a bit more gory than I expected, so keep in mind before picking up! 4.5 stars from me — super engaging and unique.

This book was really slow to start. After it picked up about 4-5 chapters in it really took off. I was not expecting that turn of events and that twist at the end !! All in all a good read.

Alex gets to go to the retreat with her favorite author Roza Vallo but the only catch is Wren will also be there. They haven’t spoke since the incident and mostly because Wren is avoiding Alex.
Did Alex push Wren ?? Well I’ll let you find out.

At the retreat it’s going great , until things start getting weird and girl’s start dying. Is the ghost of Lamia haunting Blackbriar or something more sinister?

The Writing Retreat is a propulsive thriller that explores the dark side of female relationships and the obsession with success. The story revolves around a group of writers who attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of a feminist horror writer, Roza Vallo. The premise of the novel is intriguing, and the tension and suspense build throughout the story.

While the story focuses on the five writers attending the retreat plus Roza and her employees, the story is told through Alex's point of view. Alex is a complex and flawed character. Her desire to win the writing competition at the retreat drives her to be fiercely competitive and willing to do whatever it takes to come out on top. However, her drive is fueled by a deep insecurity, and her flaws become apparent as the story progresses.

Despite her ambition, Alex struggles with writer's block and self-doubt. She is envious of the success of her rival and former best friend, Wren, and their competitive dynamic is a significant source of tension throughout the story. As she grapples with her inner demons, Alex becomes more nuanced and complex, and I found myself rooting for her to overcome her flaws and achieve her goals. Her relationship with the other writers at the retreat, particularly Wren, is fraught with tension and serves as a reminder of the complexities of female relationships.

While the story has a few flaws, such as some uneven pacing and predictable plot elements towards the end, it is still a thoroughly entertaining read. The unique perspective on female relationships and the pressure of making it big in a highly competitive field makes it stand out from other thrillers in the genre.

In terms of writing, the author's style is great and easy to get into, and the narrative flows smoothly. The book is well-written and easy to read, with a propulsive pace that keeps readers engaged. While it may not be a literary masterpiece, it is a well-crafted and enjoyable read that will satisfy fans of the genre.

Overall, The Writing Retreat is an excellent book that earns a strong 3.5 stars. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys thrillers with complex characters and themes.

This started off so good and then divulged into a slumber party gone wrong. After ramping up the intensity it went off the rails and didn't regain its path. I was lost once the big reveal happened and then it just ended. I will say there was positive character growth for the mc who started off pretty pathetic and then became less pathetic. Still I was engrossed and interested enough to finish

I enjoyed the first half of this book immensely but the last half was a huge disappointment. The beginning has gothic vibes and just enough confusion and suspicious to keep the plot moving forward. I appreciated the backstory of the friendship breakup between Alex and Wren, the intense fandom of Roza, and Alex’s struggle with writer’s block. The first half was subtle, the second half was obvious and violent.

The Writing Retreat
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 2/21/23
Author: Julia Bartz
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 313
GR: 3.51

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: For a debut, this was really fantastic. It hooks you from the first page until the last page. An exclusive writing retreat by one of the top thriller authors turns into a cat and mouse game. This claustrophobic thriller will have you on the edge of your seat. I love the aspect of a book in a book.

The story is narrated solely by Alexis, in her POV. Alexis is stuck in a dead end job and only needs one great story to get herself out there. At the beginning, she is a hot mess, but her character experiences so much growth throughout the book, one of the better character growth stories that I have seen. The characters were well developed, and there were a few, with depth, mystery, tension, and creatively forecasted. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, twisty, suspenseful and just brilliant.

This atmospheric psychological thriller was dark, disturbing, suspenseful, with some very bold female overtones and twists you expect, others that you did not see coming. Julia Bartz is bestselling author, Andrea Bartz’s sister, and you can clearly see that the gifted writing gene is definitely in the family. I cannot wait to see what else Julia Bartz puts out. I highly recommend picking up this book!

Thank you Net Galley and publishers for allowing me to read this book. I really wanted to like this book. The storyline has potential. However, I felt like it was more of a YA book at times in some ways. I had some difficulty relating to the characters and kept picking up other books that I wanted to read instead.

What captured my attention about this book was the idea of "The Retreat"; a locked room, spooky, atmospheric read, about a writing competition, that turns dark and scary, which I did not get. This was a fast read (which works to the advantage of the read), the characters were unlikeable, and there were too many genres trying to have a space in the story.

This was a fun read! A famous author invites five up-and-coming writers to a retreat. I did not like Alex - our voice/narrator but then she had the best transformation. There are tons of twists, especially in the end and my favorite part was that it all ended well with no lingering questions.

I loved the idea of this book - a group of authors at a writing retreat competing to finish their books and win a publishing contract. However I wasn’t enjoying the story within a story and generally felt disconnected from the characters. DNF at 40%. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.