I really could've done without the graphic demon sex, but overall, I enjoyed "The Writing Retreat." It held my interest throughout and shakes the thriller genre up a bit. It's a real page-turner.

It does have it's problems, though. Believability for one, is a major stumbling block. And the author, Julia Bartz, tries a bit too hard to give the book an edgy feel to it, with the above-mentioned demon sex being a perfect example of this. Bartz also overstuffs the narrative with too many backstories, a detailed history of the house, and a book within the main book, and it seems as if it takes too long for the final denouement to be reached.

But I still liked "The Writing Retreat," and Bartz is now on my radar. I will keep an eye out for her next book.


My sincerest appreciation to Julia Bartz, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

I often find myself predicting the ends of thrillers, but this one threw me for a loop and had me on the edge of my seat. The setting (a big haunted house in the middle of nowhere) is perfect for a thriller, and there were so many twists and turns I had no idea where we were heading by the end of the book.

The Writing Retreat is a wild ride of a novel. Alex is a young writer working at a publishing company — and has pretty much given up all hope in her dream of becoming a published author. So, when she comes across the opportunity to join an exclusive writer’s retreat at Blackbriar Estate, the home of her idol, Roza Valla, it sounds almost too good to be true. Surprise, surprise …. It IS!

First off, her ex-best friend, Wren, will also be in attendance. There is a lot of unresolved hurt between the two of them. Secondly, Roza’s expectations for the attendees are sky-high — she wants each of them to complete an ENTIRE novel within one month. Reminder: novels usually take *years* to write. Each day, the writers must share their work with Roza — and listen to her brutal critiques — and do it all again the next day. The competition between her and the other writers is fierce, and the tension between her and Wren is high.

As if that’s not enough, Alex can’t shake the feeling that there’s something eerily wrong going on at Blackbriar. And when one of the writers goes missing, she begins to realize just how sinister the truth may be.

A fast-paced plot with descriptive settings to fully immerse you into the story, as well as eerie vibes, a little bit of romance, and tons of twists that'll keep you on your toes.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital Advanced Readers’ Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Had me hooked from the get go. Such a fun, twisty, atmospheric book. I was guessing throughout and adored the way I thought I had things figured out and I didnt! I heard about this book alot before it came out and am happy it got the hype it deserved.

This book was such an interesting concept, and I loved that you get insight in to why the protagonist would sign up for such a thing. However, it left me wanting more about the how this retreat came to be, how this writer had been getting away with this- there was more of a story to tell here. I think this could have used a few more chapters and it would have been a 5 star read for me.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this, but it definitely didn't go in the direction I expected. The characters were fascinating and despite the questionable situations, I couldn't help rooting for them and dying to know what happened next.

This book wasn't for me. I think mainly because I am not interested in the writing process and I am not into a book within a book. This story revolves around a writing retreat where over the top things happen.

Alex is a struggling writer after a fight with her bestie, Wren. So she is so excited when she gets a call that she was chosen by her favorite author Rosza Vallo for a writing retreat at her estate. One problem- Wren was also chosen. But that’s not the half of it. Soon members of the retreat start dying and it looks like the writing retreat isn’t really what any of them signed up for after all.

I didn’t love the story within a story where we got to hear excerpts from Alex’s book. I was confused by the parallel it was trying to draw to Alex’s story. I think it could’ve done without that part, but otherwise I found it creepy, twisted and a good thrill.

Pick this up for twisted crazy entertaining ride.

THE WRITING RETREAT by Julia Bartz: An intriguing premise, but the execution fell short. A solid start, but it quickly got “WTF weird”. It was the demon sex chapter that put me off and it never recovered from there. The book within the book was trash (fight me) and should have been omitted. Tell me how it added to the plot. I didn’t predict the twist, but I wasn’t shocked by it either. The sex scenes felt contrived, weird and awkward. And what was that ending? This was Julia’s debut. I’d still give her another chance.

While the story was engaging at times, there was an emotional distance between myself and Alex that made it hard to really get invested in the book. I thought it had a good premise at first, but then became over complicated as it felt like the author was trying too hard. Honestly, I enjoyed the book more before murders starting happening as that's when it went off the rails for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I LOVED this book. I love love love the locked door trope. I cant get enough! The estate where this took place gave me exactly what I was look for (as did its owner). As an added bonus, we get a book about authors and a competition? This was incredible!

I enjoyed the dynamic between Alex and Wren- and I just had to know what was going to happen. Definitely will be a reread for me in the future.

Overall, a super interesting concept for a book and a pretty crazy ride. Drawn out and unrealistic at times.

Roza, a famous author, hosts a writing contest. If selected, the writer will win a spot at a retreat in Rosa's old mansion The winner receives a 1 million dollar publishing deal. Seems like a dream, right? Alex has had writer's block for a year. This is the perfect chance for her to start writing again, even those her ex-BFF Wren will be there.

At the retreat, odd things start happening. Rosa's behaviour is unpredictable and often strange and volatile. Things really take a turn when one of the writer's goes missing during a snowstorm. With no way of getting out of the house to escape the storm, Alex and her fellow writer's are left waiting for help.

Based on the synopsis, I wanted more from this book. It was okay, but the slow pacing and unrealistic parts took away from the overall plot line. Some parts felt silly and overly dramatic. I didn't like that there was a book within the book, written by Alex. I skipped those pages. Was super boring.

I did really like Alex and her character development. She is definitely the best part of the book. The author did a good job at building tension and explored difficult topics.

Thank you Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

This book is just bonkers, and I absolutely loved it. It’s one that just could never happen, but it was so much fun to discover who was on what side, the secrets each character was hiding, and to see how everything came together. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did.

The main character, Alex, is chosen to go on a writer’s retreat with her favorite author. Ultimately, the writer who has produced the best book will get it published. Then Alex’s frenemy shows up. Then mysterious things start happening, then everything falls apart. This book has a great plot but also has an excellent atmosphere. The house the writers are staying in is very creepy, and then the snow hits leaving them isolated. As the book progresses, the craziness ramps up, and I couldn’t read fast enough. What a fun ride!

This was creepy and bad. I like thrillers or murder/Mysteries but this one was off the rails. It didn't make me feel good reading it, and I was glad it was over.

The Most Anticipated Mystery and Thriller Books of 2023

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

Imagine doing NaNoWriMo not for love of the challenge but for a seven-figure publishing deal… but you have to do it at a remote writing retreat… and your literary nemesis is competing right alongside you. Any artist would have writer’s block under those circumstances, but aspiring author Alex is determined to fulfill this seemingly impossible challenge put forward by feminist horror writer Roza Vallo.

Of course, those aren’t the only obstacles to finishing an entire novel; as a snowstorm descends upon the estate and one of the writers goes missing, things turn decidedly Shining-esque for Alex and her rival (and former friend) Wren. Authors—or anyone with a story they’re dying to tell—make excellent thriller protagonists, and I can’t wait for the added layers of female friendship and betrayal as two ambitious women grasp for fame.

This one is a 4.5 ⭐ rounded down. I truly enjoyed the plot, characters and especially the writing. This one didn't have the biggest twist, but otherwise this is a fantastic novel. Especially the character development. I would pick up more books about Alex for sure. I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from this author!

I read this earlier this year when it came out, and it was an excellent novel. The twists were crazy and I still remember them. I highly recommend this.

This was a slow-burn and I didn't care enough about the characters to keep reading. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my review.

It was just ok for me. Didn't really keep my interest. I struggled following along or even staying interested. Truthfully, I didn't finish reading the book. I'm sure it was my mood rather than the author's ability to write.

This was a pretty good book overall, but if I'm being honest, it wasn't special. The biggest challenge for me as a reader was that it couldn't keep momentum. It would reach a high point in terms of building some suspense, but then it would just lose it. There would be long periods where it was just slow. I did like the exploration into the complexities of female friendships and the way they often have a sexual charge, but I think there are books that do it better.