Oh boy! This is insane! One of the bloodiest, bleakest, and wildest rides is this one! From the first chapter on, you're drawn into this action-packed, twisty madness, and right up until the very end, you're tense in your seats, heart racing, and eyes glued.

This is an excellent debut! The ability to write well appears to be inherited. Julia Bartz, the sister of Andrea Bartz, is first introduced to us in this book. She hit the mark with her debut piece, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

The themes of the murder house, claustrophobic trapped in one place, book inside book, gothic, spine-tingling vibes, and blend so well with flawed characters!

It made me think of Nine Perfect Strangers meets the Plot (Roza's character and risky tactics were similar to Masha's in the Hulu adaptation starring Nicole Kidman).

Here is a brief synopsis of the story:
Can you imagine being forced to work a job that drains your spirit and energy? That is how Alex feels about her overbearing job at a publishing company and her awful boss. She recently broke up with her best friend Wren after stalking her on social media after engaging in a fight with her at a party that ended in a bloody mess.

However, her fortune is about to change: she has the fantastic chance to apply for the writing retreat of her hero, her all-time favorite author, who is mystical and eccentric.

Alex, a struggling writer, receives the invitation of a lifetime to Rosa Vallo’s highly secretive and coveted writing retreat. Each year five women are selected, their identities never revealed.

Once Alex arrives at the retreat, she quickly feels like the outsider of the group, with the other four quickly pairing off into content groups of two. To make her situation more awkward, Alex’s former best friend, Wren is also participating in the exercise. Alex doesn’t understand how their relationship fell apart and the entire situation is uncomfortable and awkward.

The women begin an intensive writing program with the goal of finishing an innovative and new novel within the one month time frame of the retreat. Rosa utilizes various exercises to help them creatively. One night an exercise goes awry and one of the women goes missing. As the remaining women search for their missing friend, everything starts to unravel and the only way to survive is to finish their novels.

The lead up to the disappearance was atmospheric and mysterious. Once the plot twist was revealed the story kind of fell apart for me. Ultimately it held up enough to be an enjoyable read.

THE WRITER’S RETREAT by Julia Bartz is a twisty mystery thriller that will make you rethink attending a remote retreat. It kept me guessing and had a few surprises along the way. The premise was interesting, and I was extremely excited about reading it, what could be better for a reader but a book about writing books...? For me, that part got lost somewhere. I am sure many have loved it and will love it, but this one wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters and some of the language. Maybe it is an age thing, because it felt more like something that would be on my daughter’s radar in a few years. Again, I think many will love it, just not me.
Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz is a thriller about a writing retreat that gets weirder and weirder. Alex is thrilled to be invited to a retreat at the estate of Roza Vallo. But then the other women at the retreat start disappearing and dying. This book just got stranger and stranger as the story went on. It certainly kept my attention, and it was a fast-paced read. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Like WTF was that?! I honestly don’t know why I finished the book. For the first probably 50-60% THERE’S NOTHING HAPPENING. It was honestly hard to keep going, but for some dumb reason I did. And then when stuff started happening…IT WOULD NOT STOP! And it was the most OUTRAGEOUS stuff! This was definitely not my cup of tea at all. Definitely would skip it.

This book sounded right up my alley. I love a locked door thriller, and the cold wintery setting was the icing on top. I thought the premise of the story with a bunch of authors at a retreat was very unique and fun. The first half of the book flew by. I got a little bored closer to the end, but still enjoyed it overall. The ending was crazy. This was another book club read that led to great discussions!

This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I love the concept and the cast. It has that feel like you find in many Agatha Christy novels but so much better. It will leave you feeling nervous and trying to connect the dots and then realizing you still have no idea

I read this in two days. I was riveted from the get-go. I heard someone say there were many twists and turns, and I didn't feel there were. What evolved was not a surprise to me and seemed relatively evident from the beginning. However, I still was sold on a wonderful setting, great characters, and quick-paced storytelling. I would definitely read more from this author!

An atmospheric and compelling thriller. Enjoyed the writing retreat setting and the twisty, unpredictable plot.

chilling yet so engaging that I literally could not put it down. the plot of this book is an absurd romp through the imagination; it has everything from poignant discussions of trauma and negotiations of queerness to excessive plot twists and gothic tropes. the prose is easy to read, leaning closer to YA or NA writing styles than the usual literary fiction (I still hesitate on whether I liked this aspect or not - it occasionally read like a Wattpad original).

my one criticism would be that the character development often seems secondary to the plot. while the protagonist gets a development arc, I can’t say so for the other women at the retreat (thinking specifically of Penny, Kiera, Taylor) who often function more as plot devices and tropes than full-fledged characters.

3.5 stars

I wanted to like this so badly, but I ended up DNF'ing it. I just couldn't connect with the narrator and couldn't even hold out long enough to find out why she and her best friend weren't friends anymore. It felt trite and whiny to me. The promise of a good murder couldn't even keep me going. I think I would recommend this to someone who was looking for something told in a very simple prose.

Five women writers. One famous author. One tucked-away estate. And one month to write the book that will make your career.

Alex jumps at the chance to participate. She doesn't even care (well, sort of) that her former best friend will also be one of the five. She just knows this is her chance... if she survives.

There was so much hype surrounding this book, and let me tell you - it was a wild ride. While I enjoyed the overall story, parts of it were a little over the top. If you like a lot of action and don't mind your storyline a little far-fetched, you might be all about this one. I had a bit of a hard time with it. I also found myself skipping the pages that covered the novel within the book that Alex was writing... it just didn't pull me in. I would probably still read another book by this author in the future because it definitely had promise.

I absolutely loved this! I literally finished it in one day . Definitely a nice thriller who did it story line. Kind of made me feel like the movie clue. I’m looking forward to read more thrillers by this author

I really enjoyed this book because it kept me entertained but I will say that it felt a lot like Ruth Ware's book "One by One".

The Writing Retreat
By Julia Bartz
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Oooof. Y’all. This was absolutely not it for me. It’s giving me the ick.

For a thriller, this book was waaaaaay too sexual? And like sexual thrillers? Doesn’t make sense to me. 🤔 Could have definitely done without that aspect of the book. I just felt like every single action in the book was sexually motivated once the writing retreat started.

This book gave me whiplash. It was a true whirlwind and honestly crazy. Strange, immature characters. Very out there dialogue.

I’ve always loved books about books and books about writers so I had very high expectations for this one. And I just felt continually let down as I was reading this. I didn’t even want to finish it and that never happens. But I received an eARC of this one and I got it as my BOTM in February because I truly thought I was going to love it. So since I paid actual money for this book, I felt the need to finish it.

I’ve seen lots of rave reviews for this one, so maybe it’s just me! I just thought this one was outlandish and crazy and too far fetched. I encourage you to read other reviews and I hope this book is a better fit for others than it was for me! 😚

I was hoping for a different sort of psychological thriller, but I can't knock it for my misconstrued understanding. The Writing Retreat is in the vein of Lucy Foley or Riley Sager. I feel the audience for this sort of thriller is middle-aged women which is not at all a bad thing. In fact, I feel my mom will absolutely adore this story and it's twists and turns because it is well constructed and while a secluded mountain retreat is a "trope," I enjoyed how it was done (because tropes are not a bad thing, in my opinion).

I commend Julia Bartz for knowing her audience, knowing what she wants to write, and doing it well.

This book is amazing. The twists and turns were surprising and beautifully performed. Although it moved quickly, it didn't keep you guessing. You're kept guessing the entire time. The blend of mystery, suspense, horror, and paranormal elements is flawless. Strongly advised. I give it five stars! Sincere gratitude to @NetGalley and @AtriaBooks for giving me the chance to read and review this ARC. I had a great time with it.

I’m not sure why it took me so long to pick this novel up but I am so glad I finally did! I’m a big fan of Bartz’s sister’s writing, and I wasn’t sure this sister would measure up, but boy was I wrong. I loved every second of this book! The characters were super realistic in a deeply flawed yet still relatable way. And the story kept me on my toes the entire time. There wasn’t one lull in the storytelling. I cannot wait to see what the author comes up with next! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Absolutely RIVETING. Catches you from the beginning and doesn't let you go! If you're on the fence, let me tell you, this is one you won't want to miss!

I enjoyed this book so much! The premise of a writer’s retreat at a spooky house in the woods is amazing. Loved getting to know the characters, and I love a thriller where you never know quite who to trust.
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I thought the first half was a bit slower, but then the second half was nonstop action. The twists were so good! I did think it was weirdly sexual, which seemed out of place in a thriller with this premise.
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Overall it was a solid debut and I definitely look forward to the author’s next book!