Even though it was a bit predictable at times as well as a bit campy, I ended up really liking this novel of murder for the sake of the written word. We start with some back story about our main character Alex and her former best friend, Wren. To make a long story short, there was a break up between them that turned into an unintentional nasty argument and Wren ended úp fairly severely injured. When they both get into their idol's, Roza Vallo, writing retreat, the stage is set for some tension and maybe some infighting. But what happens will surprise you and few will make it out alive.
Overall it was a fun read, especially towards the end. If you're looking for a good thriller to occupy an afternoon, check it out.

I'd like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

In The Writing Retreat Alex wins a coveted spot at a month long writing retreat hosted by Roza Vallo, a highly acclaimed feminist author. Upon arrival, Alex and the other guests realize this is far from the retreat they had envisioned – It’s a high stakes, cutthroat competition with a 7 figure publishing deal as the grand prize. Alex’s former best friend and current nemesis, Wren, is also one of the guests.

As Alex attempts to stay focused on the prize and adhere to the strict schedule Roza has designed, she and the other writers can’t help but notice some oddities going on at Blackbriar Estate. Can they stay focused and survive, or will the pressure and their surroundings be too much?

I thought The Writing Retreat was fine – I am drawn to books about books and writing, and this premise intrigued me but I didn’t love the execution. As the book continued, it began to feel long, and I didn’t enjoy the story Alex herself was writing or some of the unusual diversions included. My curiosity made me want to finish the book but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped to.

The Writing Retreat was claustrophobic and had a suspenseful, gothic atmosphere. I loved the exploration of the not so nice side of female friendships in this book, it added so much tension.

Alex and Wren, both aspiring writers, both working other jobs because they are struggling getting their careers off the ground, once the bestest of friends, now mortal enemies after a huge falling out a year ago.

They find themselves both invited to attend a month long writing retreat at their favourite authors secluded mansion in upstate New York along with 3 other aspiring writers.

Alex and Wren, after avoiding each other for days at the retreat, argue again about the past and agree to disagree.

Needless to say things kind of take a wild turn as countless things don’t add up with the other writers and staff at the mansion and the writing methods introduced for the writers are beyond questionable.

The five writers are thrown together, trying to figure out what is going on, Alex and Wren soon realize that’s what’s happening is so much bigger than their falling out ever was. And they wonder about the other 3 writers and their intentions.

This book had short chapters which I love and despite a few unfavourable reviews I thought it was quite good. I liked the characters, they were devious and sinister, I had no trouble turning the pages. I liked how the author built the tension throughout the novel, at times I was suspicious of everyone.

I definitely recommend this read.

I was caught off guard with the twists and turns THE WRITING RETREAT took! Expertly paced with so many satisfying reveals! I loved this book!

W-H-O-A

This is a DEBUT?! What?! How?! Bratz is extremely talented and a gifted writer (I guess it runs in the family!?) I am shook that this is a debut, and already looking forward to her next work!

This is an amazing slow burn read that is filled with tons of suspense! I absolutely loved the premise of this book, I thought it was really unique and intriguing. I also really liked the atmospheric gothic vibes that this book gave off. Everyone knows that a secluded, desolate, isolated setting is my absolute FAVORITE in a thriller-and that is exactly what this was! LOVED every second of it and devoured it up in a few hours!

Thank you Atria for my gifted eARC!

I feel as though I preface all my thriller reviews this way, but I will say it again: I have a very high standard for thrillers because it is the genre I read most. Ok now that that's out of the way, I found this book enjoyable! It had such interesting ideas and I really do enjoy a locked room mystery. I think the setting would make this the perfect winter snow day read. I take off points because I think the end was not as strong as the beginning and I think your avid thriller reader such as myself would not be enthralled the whole way through. That being said, if you only occasionally dip your toe in the thriller pond or want to start reading them, I think this would be a great place to start. All in all, enjoyable enough, but didn't wow me in the end.

This book is wild!! Like I threw my phone down several times and said what the F just happened. There were curveballs galore, a great locked room mystery, crazy characters, and a creepy setting perfect for the winter. If you are a thriller fanatic, this is a must!!

A great debut thriller. Lots of twists and turns, and a fun read. The ending was a bit over the top, but I enjoyed reading this. A few characters were unlikeable, but some people are unlikeable in real life as well. Kept me guessing, looking forward to the author's next book.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the ARC!

I have mixed feelings about The Writing Retreat. I liked the interesting characters and the premise a lot. What I didn’t enjoy was that the early chapters hooked me, then the book moved slowly until the last third, and the ending was very over the top. Overall, there was enough in this dark, twisty, wild ride of a debut thriller that I enjoyed, and I will definitely check out Julia Bartz’s next book.

I received an early copy of this book.

Thank you for this book in exchange for my honest review.
I loved the inspiration I gleaned as a writer in real life was priceless. The main characters encouraged me to keep writing, as they are all writers. I also enjoyed the book-within-a-book.
The shocking twist of what was really going on lost me near the ending.

2.5 stars.

Ehh, a very underwhelming predictable thriller. A quick read, but unfortunately, I just couldn’t get past the weird dialogue and unlikeable characters. They just acted so stupid, like annoying little teenagers. I finished it, but I wouldn’t say I particularly enjoyed it. Though I did appreciate the attempt at the mixing of genres — wish there was more of that!

This book was a wild ride! I was hooked from the first line, which literally is “Fu*k her”. I could not believe all of the twists and turns this book had! It was very interesting to read a book about authors and books.

**Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!**

There are elements of this book that I really enjoyed- the premise was unique, and I enjoyed the genre blending aspects. It lost me a bit towards the end- it almost felt like two different books based on the initial pacing and development. I also had some thematic issues, namely the book in the book aspect, but I read an Arc & changes are often made prior to publication!

Thank you so much Netgalley & Atria for the eArc!

“The writer’s mind is a channel. When we open, glorious truths can flow in”

When the once in a lifetime opportunity to join her favorite author on a month long retreat presents itself, Alex knows she has to take it. She’d be crazy not to. Following the traumatic end of a friendship and faced with a year of writer’s block, this seems like the perfect opportunity to reinvent herself. That is until she finds out she’ll be locked in a mansion with said ex-best friend, and everyone else involved is not who they seem to be.

This was such a good read, especially for a debut thriller! I will say, I went in expecting it to be about the writing process and have a heavy emphasis on a competition of who could be the best. At the end of the day, it really wasn’t that which did bum me out. I did like the way the author incorporated the story Alex was writing into the plot, and I found it pretty easy to follow the split plot. I will say, the paranormal aspect and unreliable characters was done really well! I had no clue what was happening until the end and there were enough twists to keep me guessing when I thought I had it figured out.
This was edgy, sexy, graphic and very entertaining. I was able to picture the setting perfectly and felt the isolated winter vibes were the perfect backdrop for this story!

I will admit that this book became increasingly outlandish as the pages were turned. Normally that’s where a thriller loses me - this time my intrigue remained intact. I don’t know if it was the writing focused plot or a life filled with looming deadlines & a racing pulse (an existence I know well), but I was feverishly banging my finger on my kindle as we raced through the expected daily word count of the writers.

Alex, a struggling writer, is invited to an exclusive writing retreat in the mansion of a famous author she has always admired. What begins as an exclusive opportunity and the potential for a seven-figure publishing deal turns into a deadly pressure cooker situation. When other retreat guests / hopeful authors begin to die, and the real terms and conditions of their stay become clear, Alex realizes she has more to worry about than writers block during her stay.

I might not remember the names of the characters in a week and it was not close to believable, but it had me propulsive hammering on my screen as it took me on a wild ride.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free copy to review and Netgalley for the eARC!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the new year, but I panicked a bit when I read the one-star reviews for it. Luckily for me, I didn’t dislike it as much as some people did. Was there a lot of unnecessary sex? Yes. I personally didn’t see how the 30 year old’s struggle with her sexuality really added to the plot in any way. Did the author come across like she was trying too hard to be “woke?” Yes, I can see why readers might feel that way. Will I be putting this on my favorites list? No, but I will recommend it to certain readers.

I loved the premise and was very much intrigued once the retreat actually started. There wasn’t quite as much of the haunting storyline as I was hoping for, but I found the characters interesting and enjoyed how this thriller played out overall. At the end of the day, I just want a thriller to keep me entertained and guessing; this book did that for me.

This book wasn't for me. The beginning started off well and then as the story went on I lost interest. I didn't really care for where the story went and the sex scenes kind of made me uncomfortable.


Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for thr digital arc.

Rounded down from 3.5 stars. The Writing Retreat sounds compelling: 5 young, down-on-their-luck writers are invited to a best-selling author's (who has a cult following) compound for a writing retreat. They are stuck out in the middle of nowhere, during a major snowstorm, and then things start to go awry. I would consider reading another book by this author, but this one didn't quite work for me.

On the upside, the book kept me reading and I was interested enough throughout. On the downside, the characters were a bit annoying, so much implausible behaviour, and some of it dragged a bit. Overall, I can see why the reviews are polarized and people either loved it or hated it...I think that I wasn't excited enough about this story to fall on either side.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an e-galley.

As an author, this concept immediately engaged me. Remote writing retreat, extreme weather, a body count, closed-door thriller – I was excited.

The first half is enjoyable and primarily focuses on the characters’ writing and their excitement over the opportunity to work with Roza. But also at the 50% mark, I wondered when the body count started. I even reread the blurb to see if I was mistaken. Soon after, the plot takes some odd paths.

These characters are difficult to like. Although they’re all dealing with various issues and their backstories are explained, they didn’t change my feelings for the characters. They’re not at the retreat for long before the mean girl tendencies start – something I’m not a fan of.

This is a fantastic premise that includes some nice twists, but I feel like this novel is trying to do too much. It’s a cart full of different ideas tossed together. Reviews are very mixed, but this one didn’t work for me as I’d hoped. It was an easy five star novel for other readers, so it may be the same for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I unfortunately ended up DNFing this book. It wasn't the cutthroat competition I had hoped it would be. It started out strong but increasingly became less interested in the story. Roza wasn't a well-liked character. It went from bad to worse in my opinion and eventually I had to put it down and walk away. The graphic sex scenes didn't add to the book and left me feeling really uncomfortable.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for my digital ARC. All reviews are my own.