Thanks to #netgalley & #atriabooks for the advance copy of this book - the opinions are my own.

3.5 stars - I feel like this is a case of a bit of a misleading jacket blurb. The blurb for The Writing Retreat says: "Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself." While that is all kinda true, what it doesn't mention is that it's a fairly spicy sapphic thriller and has definite horror vibes. I was surprised by that. You'd think that publishers would want to be more clear in the themes of the book so it reaches the right audience.

While the writing in this debut was okay and some of the characters were appropriately questionable/unreliable, and the horror element wasn't extreme, it somehow was not at all what I was expecting. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but this time I felt a little tricked. I'd probably classify it as a psychological thriller due to all the mind games every single character was playing, but with the caveat that there is some fairly explicit f/f sex scenes.

Alex, the narrator, was the only character that showed any growth or change at all and it wasn't particularly noteworthy. Keira and Poppy, and even Wren to a certain extent, are pretty one dimensional. All in all I feel like it was a fairly average story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Alex is stuck in a dead-end publishing job, writing dreams on ice after a brutal friend-breakup leaves her with a violent case of writer's block. As if by a miracle, a friend with connections calls to tell her she pulled some strings to get her into a writing retreat held by the ultra-famous author Roza Vallo. A last-second dropout for the retreat left a vacancy, and Alex's story was accepted. The only catch - Wren (the friend from the aforementioned "breakup") will also be there. Unable to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass, Alex sets off to spend the next month at Roza Vallo's famed Blackbriar Estate for the month-long writing retreat. What starts as a huge opportunity for a group of women quickly turns dire. Roza Vallo pushes the women on the retreat to their limits, enforcing a strict writing schedule (and harshly critiquing the work they produce), and playing sadistic mind games. First thrilled with the challenge, the women on the retreat quickly discover there might be something darker at play at Blackbriar. Soon, they will be writing for their lives.

The writing retreat is written from Alex's perspective. Through her eyes we get to meet the other women at the retreat. Though there are a fair amount of characters in this book, they each have a distinct voice that kept them unique and interesting. It's also interesting to see Alex's character arc from superfan of Roza Vallo to where she lands at the end of the book, and to see her relationship with Wren play out while they're pitted against each other. I also found the evolution of the relationships between the other women at the retreat very compelling, especially as the retreat begins to make them crack under pressure.

The excerpts from the novel Alex is writing throughout the duration of the retreat as interludes between chapters add a level of immersion to the novel, especially the setting of Blackbriar.

I have the feeling the last 1/3 of this book will be divisive, but I found it enjoyable. The book quickly takes a turn into psychological thriller territory, with some paranormal elements at play as well. I absolutely could not have predicted the direction or outcome of this one.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely out there, but not in a bad way. If you like books about reading and writing (major themes on the creative process and what truly inspires great writing) or are just in the mood for a psychological thriller this one is worth picking up.

TWs for: murder, violence, imprisonment, drugs

Crossposted to goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5242241228

Not my usual genre of book, but I had a good enough time reading it. It didn’t really hook me — I read it over a long time with a lot of starts and stops, and I didn’t really feel that invested in the story. I haven’t read a lot of thrillers and I think my lack of interest in “solving the case” before it’s revealed plays a part in my lack of enjoyment. It left me wanting a bit more, but overall I still think it’s a good read.

I thought it was ok! It felt a bit all over the place. I wasn't super interested in the plot as the story progressed. A bit bizarre for my taste. I felt that some things were included just for the shock value and felt a bit over the top/made me roll my eyes.

The writing retreat,

Dark, twisted, and depressing. I’m not sure what I anticipated starting this book, but it certainly wasn’t how bleak the book made me feel. I think all the destructive force is a play as well as the sad reflection of “friendship, or lack there of made for a tale that felt very heavy.

I appreciated the mystery of what was going on, and the slow burn of unraveling it. However, the characters and what they were willing to do just was a bit too much for me. Sadly the Writing Retreat and I were just not a matching pair.

Thank you Atria/Emily Bestler Books for my DRC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in an exchange for an honest review! I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, so I would recommend this novel to anyone who is new to this genre. However, this read wasn’t necessarily for me. I’m used to the typical setting of a bunch of people who may or may not know each other, isolated from the rest of the world and stuck together, with a crime to solve. I don’t mind the cliche idea because it can work well if the motives and character/plot development is executed successfully, which this felt it did not. I’m used to mysteries taking a while to pick up, but I did feel that it dragged until the last 30% of the book, and then went completely off the rails. The novel contained important themes throughout regardless of the strange nature of some of the scenes, and I do give massive credit to Bartz for this work being her first. She clearly has potential, and I’m excited to see her future works, I could picture her writing a Gothic themed novel.

Thank you to #netgalley and #atriabooks for my copy of The Writing Retreat! I found this book to neither be a new fave, or a complete miss. I rated it 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars. The Writing Retreat focuses on 5 aspiring writers as they embark on a retreat for the famed author Roza Vallo. However, Roza has something more planned up her sleeve. There was a teensy bit of a paranormal influence in the book. There was decent character & plot development, however I didn’t find really any of the characters too likable. It was filled with a twist I didn’t see coming, followed by little clues and twists that supported the plot’s climax. I felt it dragged on a little bit the last few chapters and it got to the point I was wanting to skim through the remainder of the book. The one thing I enjoyed was that a major theme of the plot was surrounded around a best friend breakup! Those are so underrated. I loved that this story discussed it. I’d definitely be interested to see what the author has to write next, but this was just an average thriller for me.

Reading Between the Wines book review #28/115 for 2023:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Writing Retreat
Author: Julia Bartz
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers | Women's Fiction
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: What did I just read?!! I definitely loved the concept of the secluded one setting whodunit but the other elements of the book were weird and confusing. Some of the reveals were juicy and exciting and other parts were very weird and I was not a fan of it. A win was the character complexity and the back story. Another thing I did not care for was that it was pretty similar to another book I have read where authors are invited to a secluded house to write. I don’t want to give any more information so that it won’t lead to spoilers. I do think I will try another Bartz to see how other her other books play out.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @AtriaBooks for an advanced copy of @TheWritingRetreat.

#TheWritingRetreat #JuliaBartz #AtriaBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult #WomensFiction

There were several aspects of the story that I really enjoyed. I loved the relationships between the characters, the way they were pushed to the brink creatively, the commentary on female relationships that was sort of sprinkled throughout the entire book. The complexity of characters like Yana and Poppy.

I didn’t love how predictable the villain arc was, how chaotic the last 1/3 of the book felt, nor how neatly it wrapped up. Without giving spoilers, I just felt bothered by how casually the ending was explained.

It also reminded me a bit to much of the villa by Rachel Hawkins down to the complex friendship between a sort of mousy character who has all the talent and a glamorous influencer friend who holds the power. Overall, this one fell flat for me.. but it could be thriller fatigue - I’ve read so many that I’m really hard to impress.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julia Bartz, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I’m giving it 2.5 stars, but rounding up to 3 on goodreads.

This plot was interesting and unique. There was more than what meets the eye. In a way I did find it easy to distinguish the plot. Nevertheless, it was entertaining and kept wanting to read it. This is a three and a half stars review.

This story was something else…I don't even know how to describe it lol It was a mix of horror, mystery, and erotica. The "romance" scenes were kinda uncomfortable due to some horror elements thrown in. Had I known that some paranormal aspects were a part of this story, I probably wouldn't have read it but the mystery part kept me intrigued! It was a solid book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I didn’t love this thriller — I have a hard time with toxic female friendship plots and it was really dark with sexual tones.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz is an intriguing and intense novel that explores what happens behind the closed doors of our minds. The book features a diverse cast of characters, each with their own unique voice and personality, and it's easy to root for them as they face the challenges of writing and personal growth.

One of the strengths of the book is its vivid and evocative descriptions of the setting. However, there were a few aspects of the book that I found slightly problematic. One of them was the pacing, which at times felt slow and meandering, and other times felt incredibly crush. While the descriptions of the setting and the characters' inner thoughts and emotions were well rendered, there were moments when the plot seemed to stall and lose momentum.

Additionally, some of the conflicts and tensions between the characters felt a bit contrived and predictable. There were a few instances where the drama and conflict felt forced, and I found myself wishing for a more nuanced and organic portrayal of the characters' relationships and struggles.

Despite these minor criticisms, I would still highly recommend The Writing Retreat to anyone looking for a cozy and uplifting read. Julia Bartz is a talented writer with a gift for creating compelling and relatable characters, and her love for the craft of writing shines through on every page. If you're a fan of books about writing, personal growth, and friendship, then this book is definitely worth checking out.

Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for an early copy of The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz which is in bookstores today.

This one was hit or miss for me. I’ll start with what I liked. I loved the setting of a mysterious isolated mansion in a snow storm, and I also loved the last third of the book as that was where the bulk of the action and plot was. The miss was the characters were not well developed, the author added sexual elements that felt really out of place and did little to advance any of the story and there were a few discussions of race and gender identity that felt shoehorned in as well.

Overall it was a decent read, once you got about half way, there was more to keep my interest in terms of mystery. It was not my favourite and not sure I would recommend it.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for this unique, creepy debut! I'm not sure how to classify it, so I will say that if you are looking for a thriller/mystery/horror read, this one's for you!

This story starts out at a book party, but it definitely ends up in a much different place. Alex is an aspiring author who gets a chance to attend a retreat hosted by her favorite author, Roza Vallo. I was intrigued by Roza from the first time her name appeared on the page. Five writers were invited to the retreat - included Wren. We will call her Alex's "frenemy" - but that doesn't even begin to describe their relationship.

It is clear from the beginning that everyone has a secret, and everyone is not who they seem to be. This story is a slow-burn that begins to show twist after twist around the halfway mark. I really enjoyed reading excerpts from Alex's book. I would love to read that finished manuscript.

I really struggled with Alex throughout the first half of the book. I didn't like her, and I couldn't decide if she was just an unreliable narrator. But where Alex started and where she ended up became two very different people. She was definitely not the same person. She is a very layered character - in the best ways.

My absolute favorite character in this book was the location of the retreat: Blackbriar Estate. The author describes it in such perfect, vivid details that you feel like you are there. It lives and breathes as a character all its own. By the time the story was over, I wanted to visit. Also, even though the mansion itself is massive, the snowstorm described outside made me feel claustrophobic as the tension mounted in the last third of the book.

I cannot believe that this was a debut, and I cannot wait to read more from this author! I love a good thriller with elements of horror, and this book hits all of the right notes. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy. This book is fantastic!

This book was SO wild, and I enjoyed every second of it. I was genuinely shocked by all of the twists and turns, and I appreciated the commentary on female friendship and the publishing industry. Would recommend!

Definitely an “unputdownable” suspense story with a great cast of characters. I liked the parallel story of Daphne and the unsolved mystery of what happened at Sweetbriar estate years before. I wasn’t a big fan of the turn it took in the second half.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. Great thriller, enjoyed the light gothic horror elements, had a lot of fun with this one.

The Writing Retreat is the debut novel of Julia Bartz and it was an enjoyable piece of work! The premise was unique and it was fun figuring out who dunnit. Books about writers are always interesting to me. A famous author is hosting a writing retreat for a few lucky writers and the prize is a fully published book promoted by said famous author. When the writers arrive, everything is going well…until it’s not. I enjoyed learning about each character and figuring out their motivations within the story. What ensues is a locked-room mystery with multiple storylines and a growing list of murder suspects. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital ARC.

I loved this book! I usually don’t like a slower mystery book but I found myself really enjoying reading about the characters. They were all morally gray at times which made it much more interesting to read about. I didn’t see all of the twists that came towards the end and this is a very original story to anything I’ve read before.